Author Topic: What's the strangest things you've witnessed on walk  (Read 19337 times)

Dazza

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I don't mean rock formations as such, even though some of them are frankly bizarre but generally.

Two very unusual things I've witnessed.

1) A year or so ago on Mam Tor was a gent in evening wear (dress suit and shiny shoes)

2) Not the weekend just gone, but the one before. Whilst walking above Grindsbrook Clough (report coming soonish) we passed a Vicar with a hydration system and a Nun. The nun was wearing what looked like a standard habit and gold crucifix. I said hello to the vicar didn't know what to say to the nun.

What weird and wonderful things have you witnessed?

Dazza
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These boots were made for walking so that's just what I'll do. After I've re-proofed them of course...

Dizzy

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Re: What's the strangest things you've witnessed on walk
« Reply #1 on: 22:51:23, 24/06/09 »
How bizarre!Did anyone else see these people...perhaps you've got "the gift" ;D

Muz

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Re: What's the strangest things you've witnessed on walk
« Reply #2 on: 23:00:06, 24/06/09 »
We saw a very odd chap on Ben More Assynt once. He was your standard country gentleman - dressed in tweed jacket and plus fours with tan leather brogues - and smoking a church warden pipe to boot - and it was on the summit as well! We reckoned he probably came out to get a good aerial view of all the land he owned! It wasn;t a warm day either - it was the NW of Scotland in March and there was still a lot of snow about. We were all kitted out in our pukka mountain gear - and there he was as if he was out for a stroll down the pub!
Love many, trust few, and always paddle your own canoe

Dazza

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Re: What's the strangest things you've witnessed on walk
« Reply #3 on: 23:33:20, 24/06/09 »
How bizarre!Did anyone else see these people...perhaps you've got "the gift" ;D

They were definitely there. I mean I didn't get to the pub for several hours afterwards!  ;)
Dazza
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These boots were made for walking so that's just what I'll do. After I've re-proofed them of course...

Dazza

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Re: What's the strangest things you've witnessed on walk
« Reply #4 on: 23:36:46, 24/06/09 »
We saw a very odd chap on Ben More Assynt once. He was your standard country gentleman - dressed in tweed jacket and plus fours with tan leather brogues - and smoking a church warden pipe to boot - and it was on the summit as well! We reckoned he probably came out to get a good aerial view of all the land he owned! It wasn;t a warm day either - it was the NW of Scotland in March and there was still a lot of snow about. We were all kitted out in our pukka mountain gear - and there he was as if he was out for a stroll down the pub!

Ahh well as part of my family are scots I can confirm that unless Liquid Nitrogen is complaining it's cold then it is merely 'fresh' and only nesh folk were warm clothes in March.  ;)
Dazza
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These boots were made for walking so that's just what I'll do. After I've re-proofed them of course...

Peakbagger

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Re: What's the strangest things you've witnessed on walk
« Reply #5 on: 11:42:47, 25/06/09 »
Not long after I took up this walking caper I made my first ascent of Kinder which was via Fairbrook Clough then headed west along the northern edge. Anyone that knows Kinder will know that this is a much quieter part than the southern edge so it will come as no surprise then to hear that I didn't see anyone for about an hour or so. Then I saw a man sat on a heather tuft looking out at the wonderful view. Nothing strange about that you're probably thinking but what if I tell you that the man (on his own) was completely stark naked?! :o I honestly didn't know whether I should ignore him or acknowledge his presence with a cheery "Morning! Lovely day for it!".
Current Munro tally: 78 out of 282 completed so far.

All 190 Welsh Nuttalls completed.

vertigo girl

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Re: What's the strangest things you've witnessed on walk
« Reply #6 on: 12:02:46, 25/06/09 »
Last year whilst walking near Malham we spied a completely naked cyclist.  :o

stevieboy378

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Re: What's the strangest things you've witnessed on walk
« Reply #7 on: 12:03:32, 25/06/09 »
My wife and I were once up in the Langdales - picking our way, in thick fog, through the boggy patch on the col between Harrison Stickle and Pike Of Stickle. A man appeared out of the mist. He was wearing a brown pinstripe suit with brown brogue shoes, and was carrying a rolled up brolly under his arm. He stopped and asked if we knew which direction he had to walk to get to Grasmere. We showed him his position and the location of Grasmere on our map. "OK - thank you" he said, and disappeared into the mist. . . . .
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Steve Wilcox

joester

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Re: What's the strangest things you've witnessed on walk
« Reply #8 on: 13:12:09, 25/06/09 »
Brilliant topic!

I was going to start a similar one, except with a more paranormal bent.

I was wondering if anyone has ever:
- for no apparent reason become totally disorientated in an area that they were very familiar with, or that should have been simple to navigate.
- experienced true Panic (a brush with the old god Pan?) - sudden and inexplicable terror whilst in the wild.
- experienced an insistant, loud buzzing sound and/or vibration that seemed all pervading, and then suddenly stopped.

Or any other experience that might be related to the peculiar power some wild places seem to have.

There's a lot of it about, and I for one find that sort of thing very interesting.

On the other hand, reports of more random encounters with nudists and Bertie Wooster-types might be just as entertaining...
solvitur ambulando

garyr

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Re: What's the strangest things you've witnessed on walk
« Reply #9 on: 13:20:53, 25/06/09 »
Must be the bloke selling bacon butties on the summit of Skiddaw a couple of years back! He had a couple of stoves set up in the wind shelter, didn't seem to be doing much business we were the only people up there!

Gary ...

tonyk

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Re: What's the strangest things you've witnessed on walk
« Reply #10 on: 17:46:44, 25/06/09 »
 Weirdest experience has got to be on the summit of Great Shunner Fell on the Pennine Way.I was sitting on the bench at the summit talking to a couple of other walkers when this guy comes staggering out of the mist dressed in a long-sleeved white office shirt,black cycling shorts and miners knee pads.When he got to the summit he collapsed in a heap and got a mobile phone out of his pack.After frantically texting someone he emptied a two litre bottle of coke over his head! ;D

 Another strange person was a "special forces" type who I bumped into at Torside.He was dressed in full combat gear and had a large axe swinging from his belt.I quickly found an alternative route!

radder

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Re: What's the strangest things you've witnessed on walk
« Reply #11 on: 17:54:51, 25/06/09 »
Strangest thing I come across out in the hills was in the Peak District about 5 years ago.
It was between Longnor and Hulme End, It was a warm sunny day and there was a bloke building a stone wall with not a stitch on and said "good morning" as if everything was normal  ;D
Worse thing about it was that there was a group of girls walking behind me and could hear them laughing loudly   :-[ Must have been the shock of what they saw  ;D

Muz

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Re: What's the strangest things you've witnessed on walk
« Reply #12 on: 18:45:57, 25/06/09 »
Ahh well as part of my family are scots I can confirm that unless Liquid Nitrogen is complaining it's cold then it is merely 'fresh' and only nesh folk were warm clothes in March.  ;)

I am 100% scottish and I can assure you it was bloody freezing!
Love many, trust few, and always paddle your own canoe

goldberry1

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Re: What's the strangest things you've witnessed on walk
« Reply #13 on: 18:51:38, 25/06/09 »
One of the strangest and it gave us a shock was just on a local ex railway line walk - it was a quiet day, hadn't seen anyone when all of a sudden a man on a uni-cycle appeared riding through the trees rather brightly dressed then fell off (don't know if this was deliberate) and passed the time of day - apparently there is a club in our area, which we only found out much later - then he went on his merry way.

Once walking near Coniston we came across a desperate lady on her own very lost so we helped give her directions to the youth hostel - turns out she was a Native American Indian from the San Francisco area - I thought Indians were good trackers? - there's Indjuns in them thar hills!

My oldest brother used to do a lot of walking and climbing in the Lake District - he and his companions got to the top of one peak after an arduous climb and at the top discovered someone had hauled up one of the very heavy old-fashioned metal bus stop stands with the heavy base!

Great topic by the way  :)
« Last Edit: 19:17:56, 25/06/09 by goldberry1 »

Addacomb

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Re: What's the strangest things you've witnessed on walk
« Reply #14 on: 19:01:50, 25/06/09 »
One was a group of Jews, in full clobber, at Stickle Tarn. they had climbed up on a very hot day in their traditional black coats and hats. Between the 8 of them, 4 adults with 4 children down to age about 7, not a single item of outdoor wear. No boots, rucksacks, waterproofs - nothing. They had brought their lunch up in carrier bags!

Another time I was coming off Scafell down to Brackenclose at 2200 and it was just getting dark. I spotted a guy coming from Brown Tongue with something huge sticking out of a big rucksack. I waited to see what was going on and questioned him when he caught up with me. Inside his sack were 4 lengths of 2x2, about 6 feet long. What I couldn't see was the rest of the PICNIC TABLE he had carried up to the Pike's summit and back (along with the spanners), where he had assembled it and taken photos. What made it worse was that he had already done Snowdon and Ben Nevis that same day! I picked the sack up to test the weight and could just about lift it off the ground!

Another time I was up on a pass (I can't remember which one) and a woman walked past in valley clobber, carrying 4 bags of supermarket shopping. Wherever it was, I seemed to remember there was no supermarket anywhere near the direction she had come from!

One October I was doing the Crinkles and heading to Bow Fell when I came upon an elderly Dutchman, whose name turned out to be John. Well John was wearing little yellow wellies. I asked about them and he said they were waterproof (no argument there) and he just chucked them at the end of the season. Apart from the heat , they surely didn't help with blisters! I walked for about 2 hours with him, chatting and sharing late lunch at the top of Bow Fell. I took him over to see the Giant Slab and we set off. These were the days before I regularly took trekking poles and my knees protested greatly coming down The Band and he started to leave me behind. Despite having been together for some time he didn't once look back to see where I was or to say goodbye! Some people!

 

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