It was cold as I set
off from home, around 5 degrees Centigrade and I parked in the car
park at Grindsbrook Booth (Edale).
I walked up to the
village centre and then followed the start of the Pennine Way
opposite the Old Nags Head Inn, following a footpath next to Coopers
Farm as far as a junction of footpaths.
Leaving the route of
the Pennine Way, I struck off to follow the path leading up to the
summit of Grindsbrook Knoll. Since my last visit, a lot of work has
been done on this path towards the top and a large section is know
paved with rock including a stretch of steps where the path steepens.
It was supposed to be
2 degrees Centigrade at the level of the Kinder Plateau with a chance
of showers and maybe even thunder so I wasn't surprised when it began
to sleet as I neared the summit and then quite a heavy rain shower
with a strong wind blowing towards me.
I sheltered behind a
boulder and removed my Paramo Aspira Smock and put on a Rab
PowerStrech top while I had the chance of some shelter in case the
smock wasn't enough for the conditions – I normally only wear a
thermal shirt beneath a Paramo jacket or smock.
From the Knoll, I made
my way across to the path along the plateau edge and then followed
this path past the top of Grindsbrook Clough and then on reaching the
branch of Grinds Brook which heads north across the Kinder plateau, I
followed this stream for a few hundred metres and when I reached the
ruins of a small drystone-walled cabin, I had a sit down and some
drink from my flask.
Continuing afterwards
along the stream I got my GPS receiver out of my rucksack and after
switching it on found a waypoint I had stored in it some years ago
when I had found the remains of an aircraft wreck which I knew was
not too far away.
I followed the route
indicated by the GPS receiver for around 300 metres and soon found
the remains of a Dragon Rapide.
The story of this
wreck is “Both crew members Captain Dennis Holmes and Co-Pilot John
McWhirter survived the crash, December 30th 1963. This was a civilian
flight, a company called Solair Flying Services from Birmingham. The
Rapide had been used for a photographic survey, and was returning to
the midlands from Teeside.
With concerns for
their fuel level, Captain Holmes decided to divert to Manchester, and
headed straight across the Pennines. Flying close to the ground, the
Rapide was hit by a downdraught and struck the moor. Fortunately
there was no fire as both men were injured and could only wait for
help to arrive.” See
http://www.peakdistrictaircrashes.co.uk/pages/peakdistrict/peakdistrictG-ALBC.htm
for more information.
In the meantime a mist
had descended on the plateau an I could hear shouting in the distance
to the west. I walked a short distance in the direction of the
shouting but I could no longer hear it any more, especially with the
noise of the wind.
I plotted a course
from my map to take me back to the stream I had been following
earlier and soon found it again near the ruined cabin.
After retracing my
previous route back to the path along the plateau edge, I followed
this path eastwards with the wind from behind and after a short break
in the shelter of some boulders to have a flapjack for lunch, I made
my way to Ringing Roger and then down the Nab, passing more path
construction using pieces of rock with large bags of more rock bits
awaiting laying on the path.
Soon I was making my
way back to the village and then back to the car park.
In the evening we went
to see a talk by Sir Chris Bonington at Buxton Opera House. It was a
very entertaining talk about his life as climber and mountaineer
illustrated with projected photos and clips of video. Now 78 and
still climbing whenever he has the chance, Bonington was very modest
and didn't often point out as he talked about various peaks and
routes on mountains he had climber, that they were mostly first
ascents of first British ascents.
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