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BB2609
: Terry's Angels
Thursday
26th March 2026
As
you can see from the picture above, Terry
has pulling power, though it was a rather
extreme way to attract the attention of
the two lassies concerned. It was
not exactly what was supposed to happen
today.
It
all started off calmly, with a gentle stroll
up the mauve route to the Pepperpot at Silverdale.
The pointer on the plinth was a bit
out of line. It has Blackpool Tower
to the left of the Nuclear Power station
whereas both the map and the eye disagree.
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.....followed
by a descent passing the inscribed gate.....
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CHERRY
CHAMPION MADRIGAL
CHAMPION FILLY WARWICK
ROYAL 1931
.....
through the village to the Cove.
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We
briefly thought about going along the Coastal
Way but the tide had left the rocks slippery
so the higher level, field route was chosen.
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After
crossing the Road kindly named after me,
we carried on down the quiet lane that leads
to the Wolf House. A debate took place
as to whether to call in for a coffee and
cake. Given that we had a bit of a
time constraint and that we had lunch in
our rucksacs, we decided to press on. Was
that a sliding doors moment?
We
continued on our way, passing the Tower
at Gibraltar Farm then heading through the
field....
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.....
for Jenny Brown’s point where the boys stopped
for the coffee and cake they had brought
with them whilst I shed 70 years and had
a minor scramble over the rocks and along
the shoreline to a couple of strategically
placed benches. What a panorama can
be seen here.
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Click
on the picture for the video
Stuart
had Masie with him and her short legs wouldn’t
have been able to cope with the rocks so
he and Mike took the sensible road route
to where I sat.
It
was after we had rounded Jenny Brown’s Point,
passed Brown’s Houses and then the
chimney .....
.....
that disaster struck.
The
otherwise safe path has a very short section
over some slabs of rock that were tricky.
The safer bits were those with running
water on them. The other parts were
wet, slimy and very slippery. Sadly
Terry got caught out and took a tumble.
I
was a bit ahead and hadn’t realised what
had happened. Even when Mike said
that Terry had had a tumble I didn’t fully
understand. But then he explained
that Terry had fallen head first onto a
rock and had badly cut the top of his head.
Terry sat quietly with his hat held
tight against the wound to stop the blood
flow. Mike took charge, recognising
that it would be dangerous for Terry to
continue unattended, so we dialled 999 and
asked for the Ambulance Service.
Whilst
we were explaining the situation (using
What3Words to identify the location, the
strangely relevant ///instant.impulse.tidal)
and dealing with the emergency service’s
questions, a man came along with his son
and dog. Initially I thought he was
a rubbernecker but he explained that he
was a first-aider and could he help? Yes,
he could. He had a look at Terry’s
injuries and also spoke with the ambulance
people on the phone.
Help
was coming. Ambulance (possibly two).
The Coast Guard. The Bay, Search
and Rescue team. Even, believe or
not, Mountain Rescue. Impressive.
Who
would arrive first? The Coastguard
and then the Ambulance team who had come
over from Sedbergh. Soon they were
joined by the Mountain Rescue guy and three
from the Search and Rescue team. The
problem was how to move Terry to safety
from where he was. We were a long
way from the road. The path was narrow,
wooded and, as we had proved, tricky in
parts. It was also a little above
the salt marsh making rescue by boat impossible
although that might not be a problem as
they have vehicles that could cross the
salt marsh. There was talk of possibly
needing the Air Ambulance.
Terry
was given a thorough investigation. He
hadn’t lost consciousness, and was totally
lucid. He wasn’t complaining about
any pain. After completing their tests,
the ambulance ladies bandaged Terry’s head
and insisted on having their picture taken
with him. Or was it the other way
round?
The
conclusion was that the best way out was
across Quaker’s Stang, a rough path across
the marsh, to the road at Crag Foot, half
a mile away. He could have been stretchered
but it was agreed that he should see if
he could walk, which he could.
We
left him in far more capable hands than
ours and returned through woods, fields
and road back to the car.
Sometime
later I received a message from Terry saying
that he was full of praise for all the rescue
people and the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.
He had had blood tests, an ECG, a
CT scan etc and was just waiting for a tetanus
jab before being released.
He
subsequently told me:
It was really busy at the RLI with patients lined up in the hallways and waiting rooms full. However the staff were so professional, skilled and caring.
Each doctor & nurse introduced themselves, explained what they were going to do and why.
I can’t say the wound cleaning, stapling & stitching process didn’t hurt; they were so quick and efficient, it didn’t take long.
It’s corny, but it’s true; they are Angels.
Mike
summed up the experience in his now familiar
haiku style :
Eight
boots by the sea,
Terry
slips — rock meets his head,
Sirens
stitch him whole.
Don,
Thursday 26th March
Thantks to Mike,
Stuart and Terry for extra pictures
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