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B2601 : Scotch Jeans and
Other Wonders
Thursday
8th January 2026
Scotch Jeans. Is that a modern day term for a Lowlander’s Tartan
Troosers? Or an euphemism for what a
Highlander wears under a kilt? What
caused me to wonder was Philip’s comment that Scotch Jeans were “obviously to
be avoided in untrustworthy conditions”! He had arranged a low level short outing in
the Sedbergh area. Was that, I wondered,
his recommendation re dress code in case of very cold or windy conditions?
Actually, it wasn’t as wintery
as we expected. The Met Office had had a
change of heart and now promised us a dry, partially sunny day. But cold.
So cold that on our way to Sedbergh we passed a car that had seriously
gone off the road, presumably due to speed and ice, and two others that seemed
to have some sort of trouble.
As the group assembled in near
freezing conditions, I could see that Philip’s advice had been well heeded and
all were sensibly dressed for the conditions, trustworthy or not.
Off we set, along Sedbergh’s Main
Street as far as the Parish Church, which certainly merits exploration.
Tapestries, windows, and organ pipes in particular.
Next Sedbergh School. Several ultra-polite young girls bade us “hello”
as we headed for the war memorial that details the names of its many, bright
young men cut down in their prime.
Further along is the Pepperpot A remarkable building, originally built as an
isolation house for the daughter of the owner of the Akay Estate. She had tuberculosis and this was the
alternative to sending her away to a sanatorium. Subsequently it fell into disrepair. I remember it being occupied by cattle. Fortunately it has now been restored.
Our route led east along the
river .....
.....
and open fields .....
.....
as far as BuckBank where we stopped for a break. Surprisingly, it was now well past noon and
Tony hadn’t yet made his customary demand to eat.
Heading back west, through the
fields we arrived at Hollin Hill, an ancient building where we met its owner, a
retired architect, who was restoring its barn but not as a dwelling for humans
but for people to understand its original purpose.
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The house is open to the public by
appointment and one day we will return to explore its innards. Tony was particularly interested to learn
more when he discovered that Pendragon Castle (a Lady Anne Clifford property) was
owned by the same person.
Another fascinating old property lay ahead, Stone Hall.
Here,
we had
no tour guide to tell us about it.
Nor,
further along, was
there anyone to tell us about Castlehaw Tower
which Historic England describes
as not only a motte and bailey castle but also a cold war
Royal Observer Corps monitoring post. From
below, where we were, it's screened by trees,
hence no photo. Perhaps,
on our return, we’ll see if there is any permissible access.
Soon we arrived back in
Sedbergh and selected as the place to grace with our company: THE REED LION.
Well, that's what Google Maps called
it in 2022!
It hasn’t suffered from the gentrification experienced
by
the other pubs in town and provides a decent pie and pint.
The question of Scotch Jeans
remained. I
learned that it is the name of the steep
hill that drops down into Sedbergh but to what or to whom does its name refer? The speculation was that it was not a reference
to items of (or lack of) clothing but the name of landlady of the Black Horse,
the erstwhile pub half way down the hill.
We have known of landladies with a reputation for items of (or lack of)
clothing but not so here. But, if it is
to a landlady, was there more than one so named or, if not, what had happened
to her apostrophe? Answers on a
postcard, please.
Don, Thursday 8th
January 2026
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