These two walks are part of my Durham County Council rangering stuff.... in this case, walking some footpaths and bridleways to see if they're all OK.
The first walk started at Blanchland (in Northumberland as it happens!) - but crossed the border into Durham and then does a circle with a few extra bits added on - a sort of Q shaped walk, I suppose. All of the paths were fine. Two have been recently diverted and one has a new footbridge which was nice to see because I reported the old one as being decrepit last October - and now there's a new bridge.. On the diverted bridleway, an old marker post has been left in place , which now point s people the wrong way, so Ive reported that one. I could have moved it, I suppose...
Anyway, a short drive to Edmundbyers took me on to walk number two. This follows a bridleway which is part of the lead mine trail and joins up with walk number one. I spent some time searching for the bite valve thingy off my platypus. I must have lost dozens of these things over time.. design fault - they drop off too easily...
I also spent some time chatting to a lass from S Wales, visiting the North on a sudden whim cos she'd never been here. Fair do's and another five stars for that.... unfortunately she was trying to navigate using a pencil sketch map that the YHA warden had given her! But she seemed safe enough anyway.
Then on to a footpath past a ruined farm called Pedam's Oak - pedam being a bit of a riever (thief) in his time, and this was his HQ, apparently. There's always cattle around here, and they are specially frisky - mainly because they're galloways which are frisky anyway, and some have got new calves... which is why superdawg ws left at home. He's sulking, obviously, but he's rewarded himself by scoffing the Flora.
9 paths/bridleways covered and reports to County Hall done on line.
Finished walking at half six-ish. 14 Miles altogether and 1800 feet of uphill.
Lots of birds up there today - curlew, oyster catchers, lapwings, geese, snipe, meadow pipits, skylarks, chiff-chaffs,.......
And two separate pairs of hares...
Next up is to do some "Rangering" for Natural England at Cow Green on saturday with my mate Doug. Me and Doug are founder members of the Harold Shipman lookalike club.
Probably wont be doing a trip report cos its not really a trip - but we hope to be able to identify some Spring Gentians - a Teesdale specialty....