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BB2304
: And When You Have Reached The Mountain
Top
Thursday
2nd February 2023
And
when you have reached the mountain top,
then
you shall begin to climb.
The
words frightened some. “What do you
mean?” they asked. “You said there
wouldn’t be that much climbing”.
“Don’t
worry,” I responded. “It’s just
the words written on a seat at Hallin Fell
where Margaret and I were walking earlier
in the week.” With that reassurance,
we departed from Wilf’s in the Staveley
Mill Yard.
It’s
quite some time since we have actually had
a rainy day walk. Fortunately it wasn’t
so bad as to dampen the spirits too much.
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We
joined the Dales Way and set off in its
Bowness bound direction.
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On
this stretch the countryside is pleasant
but unremarkable, especially as today the
distant views were next door to non-existent.
It didn’t stop the banter. “We’ve
started climbing before we’ve reached the
mountain, never mind reached the top.” I
had to concede; the road is quite steep
in parts.
“So,”
someone asked, “Who said that?” “Khalil
Gibran,” I knowledgably replied.
“How do I know?” I continued, anticipating
the next question. “Because his name
was under the quotation on the seat”. The
cows looke puzzled.
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Soon
we came to the first proper climb. Grandsire.
It’s only a modest little hill, seldom
visited though it is a touch higher that
its more favoured neighbour, School Knott.
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“So
is that what he meant?” came
the question. “We go up
one and then up the next?”
I
can’t really comment. All
I know is that Gibran was a
Lebanese-America writer, poet,
artist and philosopher who,
in the early part of the 20th
century, made quite a name for
himself with his writing.
His
major work was called The Prophet
but now he is better known for
his thought-provoking
one-liners.
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We
did go up the one and then the next but
mention needs to be made of School Knott
Tarn that lies between them. It’s
one of my favourites.
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On
a good day, School Knott provides an excellent
viewpoint from which to see the Lakeland
hills but today they were not looking at
their best.
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The
question now was whether to head directly
to the bus station or, having reached the
mountain top, should we drop down to and
cross the A591 and then continue to climb-
this time up Orrest Head? We continued
to climb.
We
had hardly seen anybody all day but things
were different on Orrest Head, not surprisingly
given its location, ease of access and,
if you are lucky, a fabulous view.
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When
we reached the bus station we found the
555 had already departed. What comes
next might come as a shock to regular readers.
We went and had ..... wait for it.....
a cup of tea! Three quarters of an
hour later, the bus arrived. Some
stayed down on the lower deck. Those
who had become Khalil-followers continued
to climb.
Don,
Thursday 3rd February 2023
Thanks to
Tony for several of the photos
Comitibus:
Mike
B, Tony, TV Mike, Terry, Bryan, Don, Martin
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