tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27000668364321745652024-03-14T01:59:39.560+00:00Stu Westfield (Ranger Expeditions & Ranger Ultras)Mountain Leader & Expedition Guide. Chartered Geographer. Navigation, Hill & Trail Skills Training. Ranger Ultras Trail Running Race Director & Safety Coordinator. Challenge Event Team Leader. Bushcraft & Ancient Living Skills. Wildlife & Expedition Documentary. Africa & Iceland Expedition Specialist.Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-78317161733528269432023-10-31T18:44:00.008+00:002023-11-06T10:30:23.492+00:00#084 The Ranger Ultras (Day Race) Compulsory Kit List - Dissected<p>Today I'm going to jump into the Corryvreckan and chat about kit lists in trail running.<br />More specifically, the compulsory kit list for Ranger Ultras' day races.<br /><br />Designing kit lists is a minefield of opinions, often polarised, a thankless task and impossible to navigate without someone being upset. So, in this blog, I'll share the rationale behind the RU kit list, how it is designed to suit the RU ethos and why it needs to apply equally to everyone. Then we'll look in detail, item by item. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNrofDpsCuDGi6YjwoDDLDB9pb9ycgrw0oyXEY4OLa2t3qYHp6jMd72XNOQDWGDnEertqi14FEu5GRtchuLDByUvjtN6p57XFc-6RhARBZsBBf1XwhINzynADWnMGYjmLExX1o4hQR3mY4sUy2rc6SyhfZpsBu01iBONxErtiJYo8oIlo5UD-qsjTKvw/s945/RU%20TU%20FB%20Header%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="945" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNrofDpsCuDGi6YjwoDDLDB9pb9ycgrw0oyXEY4OLa2t3qYHp6jMd72XNOQDWGDnEertqi14FEu5GRtchuLDByUvjtN6p57XFc-6RhARBZsBBf1XwhINzynADWnMGYjmLExX1o4hQR3mY4sUy2rc6SyhfZpsBu01iBONxErtiJYo8oIlo5UD-qsjTKvw/s320/RU%20TU%20FB%20Header%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>Why even have a kit list?</b></span><br />Why indeed? Shouldn't an event just let everyone do what they like and participants take personal responsibility for their choices? <br /><br />That's all very laissez faire and it would indeed be much simpler for Race Organisers to take this line. But how this would stand up and be defensible in a court of law if something went wrong? Not a situation any event organiser wants to be in to find out.<br /><br />Similarly, a 'recommended kit list' not enforceable in the race rules would have, for me, potentially concerning implications, no matter what caveats are in place. Especially where there is not a mechanism to prevent participants heading out in conditions for which they are obviously inappropriately equipped or dressed.<br /><br /><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>Ok, so why not fully specify each item by make and model?</b></span><br />Of course, I'm being flippant and not seriously suggesting such. Neither am I aware of any trail running event which has done so. However, I'm illustrating the implications of the completely opposite stance to participants doing whatever they like. Here, the act of being so proscriptive is taking away the element of personal choice and preference of kit which is best suited to the individual. By doing so, the responsibility for the outcome of using that equipment is shifted onto, if not further towards, the organiser. <br /><br /><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>Informed Consent</b></span><br />So we return to the spectrum of the middle ground. <br />Here are the factors which have gone into formulating the Ranger Ultras kit list.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>RU trail races are proudly promoted as welcoming and accessible to trail running newbies as well as offering adventure and enjoyment to experienced runners alike. </li><li>As such there is a broad span of ability and experience among participants.<br /></li><li>The RU kit list is applied equally and therefore fairly to all participants.</li><li>It is very obvious that it would be completely impractical and unworkable to have different levels of kit list for participants of differing paces or abilities.</li><li>Being a faster runner is not a justification for not carrying kit.</li><li>RU races are generally held in the spring and autumn shoulder seasons, where a variety of weather conditions can present differently year on year.<br /></li><li>The RU kit list is reasonable and proportional to carry in the potential weather conditions, such that the list can be published months in advance, allowing participants time to acquire and test their kit.</li><li>The RU kit list for one race is readily transferrable to another, so that there are not multiple variants. (With the exception of non-stop, expedition-style events where there are additional items)</li><li>The RU kit list is as least onerous as possible, given that obtaining kit and equipment can be costly and a barrier to participation.</li><li>In fulfilling the requirements of the kit list, there is an strong element of personal choice in terms of make and model of items.</li><li>There are additional explanatory notes beside the kit list to help participants.</li><li>Informed consent. Within the context of the race and actual forecasted weather conditions, participants are responsible for their level clothing protection selected on on the day. </li><li>The RU kit list is appropriate, not just for when the participant is moving, but also to protect the participant in circumstances where movement is compromised or no longer possible.</li><li>Not intending to be injured, or the unlikeliness of such, is not a justification for not carrying kit. </li><li>The RU kit list is developed and reviewed with the collective input of mountain professionals, mountain rescue personnel and experienced trail runners.</li><li>The RU kit list is described as the minimum standard to pass kit check. All the items are compulsory and be worn/carried by each individual participant. Participants may choose to add to the list if they wish.<br /></li><li>Informed consent. The race brief and kit list are freely and easily available to participants prior to entry.</li><li>There remains an element of personal responsibility for each participant to ensure that their level of kit and clothing as a minimum meets the compulsory kit list, then is additionally supplemented according to their individual needs. </li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7YTCNEDzJGLdpXnK9PrcqvrIR5z_bOaOJsrX0-FhmhVfnBMm7UOn9nCweLKXvPBcqqadyafDYaNvUsnlrG3UbPS3cAuz6gNdyM9YKPD3EOBN0NAM-TvIUhbTEbv0DEnuIXpy8ZgJNbtYAudC4v3oNcxIZAg9ESjAs2RsOmzgcxVWcECmk7MhH26A3ZE/s945/RU%20TU%20FB%20Header%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="945" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7YTCNEDzJGLdpXnK9PrcqvrIR5z_bOaOJsrX0-FhmhVfnBMm7UOn9nCweLKXvPBcqqadyafDYaNvUsnlrG3UbPS3cAuz6gNdyM9YKPD3EOBN0NAM-TvIUhbTEbv0DEnuIXpy8ZgJNbtYAudC4v3oNcxIZAg9ESjAs2RsOmzgcxVWcECmk7MhH26A3ZE/s320/RU%20TU%20FB%20Header%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>The RU Compulsory Kit List - Item by item</b></span></p><p><b>1) Suitable backpack</b> - large enough to fit all the kit list items, which is what you would reasonably and foreseeably carry on a shoulder-season full trail day. But it doesn't need to be a monster. </p><p><b>2) Waterproof jacket - </b>must have an attached hood. Beware of going too lightweight. <br />Note: Windproof and water resistant jackets are not waterproof and will fail kit check.<br />Note: Paramo and similar recognised quality mountain jackets are not taped seams, but will be acceptable. Users should be aware of the limitations of the Paramo system.<br />Tip: If in doubt about your jacket not being waterproof, look it up on the manufacturers website.<br />Tip: A good way to ensure your jacket is waterproof is that it has taped seams (noting that Paramo mountain jackets does not have taped seams).<br />Tip: Beware of going too lightweight. In some years we have had very wet, windy and cold conditions where participants with ultralight clothing has become waterlogged. So you're not committing to being cold from the outset, choose a more robust mid-weight waterproof, or bring one as an alternative which is appropriate for the weather.</p><p><b>3) Waterproof trousers - </b>possible to save money and weight here with a lighter pair. </p><p><b>4) Insulating hat & gloves</b> - are essential. Around 10% of heat loss is through the head and if your hands are cold, you loose dexterity. A back up / second warmer pair of gloves are recommended if the temperatures and wind chill feels Baltic, or you suffer from circulation issues. Many participants have found that sticky-thinny gloves are just not good enough for all day in the wet & cold. A buff does not count as a hat. Having your hat & gloves in a readily accessible pocket, or clipped in, means you're more likely to put them on when you actually need them.</p><p><b>5) Wicking base layer - </b>to be worn. But if you know that you sweat freely, having a second in your pack is a sensible option if you start to become chilled or immobile.<br /><br /><b>6) Long sleeve mid-layer -</b> i.e. your choice of insulation layer. Can be fleece, <i>Primaloft</i> etc. Either worn or in your pack. However, this is where personal choice and self-responsibility come in: If the weather on the day is cold enough to need to wear it at the start, would it be sensible to add an back up layer in your race pack?</p><p><b>7) Appropriate footwear for trail running</b> - i.e. trainers or lightweight boot hybrids with a trail grip sole. Ranger Ultras courses follow paths & trails which are rights of way. In any one course there are combinations of soft trail, mud, grass, gravel, hard pack, bedrock, some tarmac, flat, rolling hills, technical ascents and descents. Hence, road shoes or trail shoes with no grip left are not acceptable.</p><p><b>8) Maps</b> - in each event kit list the OS and Harvey's maps to cover the course are listed. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>You have a choice of the commonly available OS 1:25,000, OS 1:50,000, Harveys 1:25,000, Harveys 1:40,000 scale maps which are designed for navigation use.</li><li>These are to be carried as a hard copy. </li><li>Some of these maps are available in waterproof versions. Some are also in booklet form.</li><li>If your map is not waterproof, you have a choice of using a map case, or other method of waterproofing such as laminating. But one way or the other, your map must be waterproofed.</li><li>You may also print out your map from an app. But is must be at a navigable scale and be of a navigable type listed above. Print outs must also be waterproofed.</li><li>Not acceptable, these will all fail kit check: Road atlas style maps. Google map prints. Aerial maps. Maps not printed at a navigable scale. Maps not showing navigable features. Side profile ascent diagrams. </li><li>You may also have your map loaded onto an optional electronic device. But you must still carry a hard copy.</li></ul><div><b>9) Navigation compass </b>- a baseplate design. So a button compass will not pass kit check. If your compass is old, check whether the needle still points to north. If you're looking for a new all-round compass, with useful features, the Silva Expedition / Expedition 4 (civilian degrees version) is a good choice. A navigation compass must still be carried even if your primary navigation method is an electronic device.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>10) Head torch & spare batteries</b> - there's now a wide selection of commercially available battery powered & rechargeable head torches. The intent in the kit list options below is that you have a primary and a useable back up in the event of battery or charge depletion. So you can continue to safely navigate the course, or in extremis signal for help. Choose from...</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Battery powered head torch with spare batteries carried.</li><li>Rechargeable head torch with a spare rechargeable battery</li><li>Rechargeable head torch with a separate power bank – the head torch must still be functional while charging.</li><li>Rechargeable head torch with a second back up head torch.</li><li>Tip: Even with the above options satisfied, in the event of all other contingencies failing, a Petzl e-lite is a cheap and very light weight emergency head torch. </li><li>Note: A mobile phone torch does not count as a primary or back up and will fail kit check. As you may also need all the available charge on this in an emergency situation to call for help.</li></ul><div><b>11) Whistle - </b>needs to be nice and loud in the context of signaling for help. Some of the very cheap whistles are woefully quiet.<br /><br /></div></div><div><b>12) Emergency bivvy bag</b> - This can either be one of the cheaper brightly coloured plastic survival bags, or a reusable bivvy bag. Foil blankets will fail kit check as they have been proven to be inadequate at retaining heat in a exposed, outdoor environment. Tip: a bit more expensive, but small and light are single use Sol bivvy bags. Just make sure you keep it dry, as the material degrades, becoming fragile, if stored in damp conditions.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>13) Fluid container </b>- your choice of bottles or bladder<br /><br /><b>14) Emergency hill food</b> - your choice of type</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>15) Personal first aid kit</b> - with contents for typical outdoor uses: Cuts, abrasions, blisters. Don't forget any personal medication and personal items. Glasses & contact lens wearers, should carry a back up if long sight or map reading is compromised without them. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>16) Mobile phone -</b> fully charged.<b> </b>With race HQ emergency number, given at registration, loaded into contacts.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Optional Items </b><br /><br /><b>Electronic navigation devices</b> - we're not at all sniffy or elitist when it comes to electronic devices. We regularly use them ourselves and acknowledge that for many participants they will be the primary navigation method. Which is absolutely fine. But, despite manufacturers guarantees, electronic kit does fail. Hence, we will continue to have paper map and compass as part of the kit list. <br />Also, electronic kit is far more expensive than the traditional map & compass. Price of kit is a financial barrier to trail running, so we do not make GPS devices compulsory on our day races. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Unbreakable mug </b>- we're doing all we can to eliminate plastic waste on our events. This is still a work in progress. But one aspect were actively promoting is participants bring their own unbreakable mug for on-course refreshments such as soup and other hot drinks.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Walking poles - </b>these are fine to use. Please be careful and aware of other runners and members of the public, in front and behind, especially at the start or in proximity to others on the course.</div><p></p><div><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">What can I do to make sure I pass kit check?</span></b></div><p>In designing the RU Compulsory Kit list, our primary motivation is your safety and well-being. As well as that of your fellow participants and the on-course safety team. The decision of the Safety Team Kit Checkers is final, but we're not being pedantic, devilish or trying to spoil your day. Treating the kit list in the spirit it is intended, rather than something to be angry about and try to beat, will make everyone's experience on race day smooth and stress-free. So we can all crack on with enjoying our trail running.<br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Review the kit list well in advance of race day</li><li>If concerned about an item passing kit check, first look it up on the manufacturers website.</li><li>No sharing of any item in the kit list, you must personally have each item </li><li>Gather the kit items in one place</li><li>Check that each item complies, eg rain jacket <u>with</u> hood</li><li>Check that items work, eg headtorch is not kaput</li><li>Allow time to buy and test replacement item(s)</li><li>Ensure your map meets the kit list standard</li><li>Ensure your headtorch & back up meets kit list standard</li><li>Ensure you bring a survival <u>bag</u></li><li>Trail shoes not road shoes</li><li>Double check you have all items before leaving home</li><li>Arrive at kit check with items ready to show in a box or large shopping bag. This definitely helps, as the checkers can clearly see all the items are present and speeds up the process. </li></ul><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>Help us to help you</b><br /></span>Most participants accept the list without needing to question it's integrity. Questions checking compliance are of course perfectly fine. But each race edition, there is an inevitability of email requests for individual special exemptions for not carrying items on the compulsory kit list. This diverts a huge amount of time away from essential build-up activities.<div><br />The rationale behind the list only works if it applies without fear or favour and equally to all. participants. I'm sure you'd rather the team were able to fully focus on preparations which benefit everyone and make the best trail race experience we can provide.<p></p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>In conclusion</b></span><br />So, hopefully by now, we've illustrated the considerations and complexities of the thought and attention to detail that goes into making a trail race kit list. Other race organisers will have their own take on this process, which will be suited to their preferences. But we're happy that the result for Ranger Ultras is reasonable and proportionate for our events.<br /><br /><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>Happy trails<br />The RUSTies<br />(Ranger Ultras Safety Team)</b></span></p><p><br /></p></div>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-81144113787599974572023-09-29T17:11:00.019+00:002023-09-29T18:16:40.268+00:00#083 Sycamore Gap, or just another Cecil?<p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">A solitary tree framed each side by geological folds on a craggy escarpment, growing atop the most well know of Roman boundaries.</span></b></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuJWckZyUpi5Phj3pKKh7p6Xs95aRHZHrIjNlR0ItToYDEgQDkwuUN_cP-FGWvopS9f_OcYE26v34b2lWrEcNPVwMfcX75NumM2TAGhzMe031y4eDqyEMQWziKQcKx3Jp5rYj80LlybEt448lJWrtPgCVpAOKdmLEP8SiZaaoRK2_S76VHeZSlTdjEug4/s1280/Sycamore_Gap_Tree_arbre.jpg.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuJWckZyUpi5Phj3pKKh7p6Xs95aRHZHrIjNlR0ItToYDEgQDkwuUN_cP-FGWvopS9f_OcYE26v34b2lWrEcNPVwMfcX75NumM2TAGhzMe031y4eDqyEMQWziKQcKx3Jp5rYj80LlybEt448lJWrtPgCVpAOKdmLEP8SiZaaoRK2_S76VHeZSlTdjEug4/s320/Sycamore_Gap_Tree_arbre.jpg.webp" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source credit: Wikipedia</td></tr></tbody></table>It’s easy to see how the Sycamore Gap tree became imbued with meaning and symbolism as well as being so perfectly photogenic in all seasons. Accessible by a short walk and thanks in no small way to the film <i>Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves</i> it attracted visitors and tourists from around the world. It’s mere existence has quite simply brought pleasure to many people.<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-HUSXgtdWpGT9abMMENOqIDzzIrM37KGVWJqpvjIC0y5HlY4bGt1s0R1nrg7FMC6wqZUZ4YQ1BVbxlYtzurMNgdaY40J7DSvCFcFgQDasZfVx6jDebDCEyKS1orVvBGyYlopaUwZVagB0LuruMJ17tguoZhsYsnlOy7Q_ZJAo4qn-wzzfxV7NVP69BE/s768/50550819_10215826996041432_8648508196341678080_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-HUSXgtdWpGT9abMMENOqIDzzIrM37KGVWJqpvjIC0y5HlY4bGt1s0R1nrg7FMC6wqZUZ4YQ1BVbxlYtzurMNgdaY40J7DSvCFcFgQDasZfVx6jDebDCEyKS1orVvBGyYlopaUwZVagB0LuruMJ17tguoZhsYsnlOy7Q_ZJAo4qn-wzzfxV7NVP69BE/s320/50550819_10215826996041432_8648508196341678080_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not at all starstuck</td></tr></tbody></table><p>My own memories are associated with being asked to guide a walk for a well-known outdoor clothing company, who’s attending ambassador was a veteran of British mountaineering in the 1960’s, 70’s & 80’s. Make no bones about it, my presence was little more than ticking the insurance box. Although it was a pleasant morning walk along Hadrian’s Wall in fresh winter sunshine. With the requisite group photo at the Sycamore Gap tree.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBjwDX3EJOu5dn6JReJF-agm_RnlGlEx8CH4wo5h2eUiIePnsJ2VV7CnJLidhSnjci7JfYSU9YWSWkW1STHSuXuyKVCXN6W87OULpgXk7TqhlNNZRekz43TmLAtJZUwmzLae5DIgf9ZEOt_ibIkRA1lmW2-t5-XKzniTyELpIQno6m4WZhfVP5IoW4gc4/s960/50151434_10215812346795210_6301198922857578496_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="539" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBjwDX3EJOu5dn6JReJF-agm_RnlGlEx8CH4wo5h2eUiIePnsJ2VV7CnJLidhSnjci7JfYSU9YWSWkW1STHSuXuyKVCXN6W87OULpgXk7TqhlNNZRekz43TmLAtJZUwmzLae5DIgf9ZEOt_ibIkRA1lmW2-t5-XKzniTyELpIQno6m4WZhfVP5IoW4gc4/s320/50151434_10215812346795210_6301198922857578496_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><p>Yet, the Sycamore Gap icon is no more. Felled by chainsaw under cover of darkness, in an act of apparent vandalism by a 16 year old boy. The destruction has, quite justifiably, led to outrage, incomprehension and sadness. </p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">But will the Sycamore Gap incident fade to another moment in time such as Cecil The Lion did?</span></b></p><p>In 2015, a lion was lured out of the protected area in Hwange National Park and shot dead by Walter Palmer, a bow-hunter who had travelled from America to Zimbabwe for the purpose trophy hunting.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0L_D5a0lOYB17LTF_C5AgR4Pgt8x220UxYIBv681_XO-jkRqqnnJLb86r_8tuhRPFZY9rXLeZUcjwlxkh90cJlaz8w8h29-JlekCCqAISLlaT0qVWFTdW-nNDE4urZCivhCgrPcW3gLwyJDqv-0yl9Wf63n5l5SlcqKb2piVlg6F3NNA4mMsHVEbjap4/s1280/Cecil_the_lion_at_Hwange_National_Park_(4516560206).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="913" data-original-width="1280" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0L_D5a0lOYB17LTF_C5AgR4Pgt8x220UxYIBv681_XO-jkRqqnnJLb86r_8tuhRPFZY9rXLeZUcjwlxkh90cJlaz8w8h29-JlekCCqAISLlaT0qVWFTdW-nNDE4urZCivhCgrPcW3gLwyJDqv-0yl9Wf63n5l5SlcqKb2piVlg6F3NNA4mMsHVEbjap4/s320/Cecil_the_lion_at_Hwange_National_Park_(4516560206).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source credit: Wikipedia</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The lion was much the same as any other successful male. Having asserted his strength and guile to win the battle of natural selection, establishing a pride and siring cubs. To the guides and rangers, he was well-studied. In essence, in his maturity, Cecil had become an icon.<p></p><p>The manner of his slaying was unspeakably cruel and gave rise to international condemnation and outrage. After the first arrow wounded Cecil, he lived for nearly 12 hours until killed by a second fatal arrow. There were calls for trophy hunting to be banned and renewed campaigning for much tighter restrictions on international shipping of animal trophy products. Especially so, given that the global lion population has fallen by 43% in the past twenty years. Palmer, from Minnesota, had to suspend his dental practice and go into hiding. The trophy hunting industry also found itself under scrutiny. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqPUpFszmAqLf2qLSG7jsrr0UF0BFB-pbaS8dx84pLSYSsaOcpGZMbpd5eD9FWX8ULv4z_Evd7e-NLfUB4pGgQTtWdhIp_0viHRw-R-48ifZK5Lmjb1jR7ktCx48a-AEBZwUbz7mp0uSY55SbYrlWR4gqq6mHjcOCzasZzklgN6cRXZl5Tjfph3QvKp4/s790/Cecil%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="790" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqPUpFszmAqLf2qLSG7jsrr0UF0BFB-pbaS8dx84pLSYSsaOcpGZMbpd5eD9FWX8ULv4z_Evd7e-NLfUB4pGgQTtWdhIp_0viHRw-R-48ifZK5Lmjb1jR7ktCx48a-AEBZwUbz7mp0uSY55SbYrlWR4gqq6mHjcOCzasZzklgN6cRXZl5Tjfph3QvKp4/s320/Cecil%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Eight years on from Cecil, very little has changed. Trophy hunting is locally reduced in Zimbabwe, but its proponents generally keep a low profile and the killing still goes on unabated elsewhere in Africa.</p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>So what has a long dead lion got to do with a tree in Northumberland?</b></span></p><p>Just last week the guardian reported that one in six species native to Britain are in danger of becoming extinct. </p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/27/species-risk-extinction-great-britain-wildlife-state-of-nature-report">https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/27/species-risk-extinction-great-britain-wildlife-state-of-nature-report</a></p><p>The feature faded into the archive of news, with few ripples of shock or upset. It illustrates our complex and seemingly contrary relationship we have with nature. People focus on icons of individuality, because the big picture is too overwhelming. </p><p>Take another example. For as long as I can remember, conservation charities have been campaigning to save the Amazon rainforest…and donate money to the cause! But here we are, globally rainforest is still being cut down at an appalling rate. If the jungles of Brazil and Indonesia are too abstract and conveniently far away, look closer to home. These days, in Britain, the great boreal forest casts few shadows. Only 2.5% of the land is still covered by ancient woodland. Somewhat less now that the white elephant of HS2 has ploughed its way through. </p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>In the past 100 years the natural world has been shockingly degraded and the rate of destruction continues unabated. Why should the vandalism of one sycamore tree make any difference? </b></span></p><p>Of course whatever the reasons, vandalism is a selfish act of disaffection which impoverishes life for everyone else. What of littering? Is this not also an act of vandalism? Look at the state of roadside verges. Or, the discarded refuse of fly campers in the Peak District. Should there be any less outrage at these insults to nature? This is before we get onto large scale ecological vandalism and residual pollution left by industry and corporations. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxfyWcs2vzsMZXKwtBj-4z-kegY_QcTyvC1hFxzcvifyza3zChQL7PV9sfdNMn2CIm93WjrISQ34r0mgIVSoAHKAdXsyy7SvOu5FC7Di4mrVugK_6DquxEwSrZpX95I8-5-u1VPMDIZBYVF7mnERxFfSvWIXFHizNJJu4txFCBjIfE-gIFwWDzN9bGeM/s1080/348560393_280903447650078_6911385902956815611_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxfyWcs2vzsMZXKwtBj-4z-kegY_QcTyvC1hFxzcvifyza3zChQL7PV9sfdNMn2CIm93WjrISQ34r0mgIVSoAHKAdXsyy7SvOu5FC7Di4mrVugK_6DquxEwSrZpX95I8-5-u1VPMDIZBYVF7mnERxFfSvWIXFHizNJJu4txFCBjIfE-gIFwWDzN9bGeM/s320/348560393_280903447650078_6911385902956815611_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: S Westfield <br />(I did clear it up after the dirty bastards)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Yes, I’m a hypocrite, the components of the laptop I am now using are a direct product of this process. I’ve not even looked at how much palm oil is used in the food I buy. And I drive a fossil fuel car because, as an unpaid carer for over fifty hours a week, I can afford neither the cost or the practicalities of an electric one. No one gets a free pass on these issues.</p><p>Sycamores do sprout regrowth shoots, although maybe there will be calls to replace the Sycamore Gap tree with a similarly mature one. At what no doubt would be considerable expense. Certainly, I would understand the sentiment behind this and any motivation from the tourism sector. The outcome, situation normalized, carry on as you were.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRG8HqCXeZ0tZRbxpj4TCoBPj-O1F4fR18iRwiBvATEG9TJHKw7Uj4TC2lPpRq929SDofvcA7CUwUmWqW3D8iJhfSYY3OpNf5DKTTe0ni08U9zExQcnGrTTthRxx6iLYRy-17npMoQz__AYmN8mGe4LR5AO707PWKpO87AGzbwKIosf9IVhJEh5DrozJE/s591/Sycamore%20Gap%20Map.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="591" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRG8HqCXeZ0tZRbxpj4TCoBPj-O1F4fR18iRwiBvATEG9TJHKw7Uj4TC2lPpRq929SDofvcA7CUwUmWqW3D8iJhfSYY3OpNf5DKTTe0ni08U9zExQcnGrTTthRxx6iLYRy-17npMoQz__AYmN8mGe4LR5AO707PWKpO87AGzbwKIosf9IVhJEh5DrozJE/s320/Sycamore%20Gap%20Map.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>However, I advocate to leave the site as it is, complete with felled tree. A monument to destruction, a symbolic spike in the conscience. A metaphor for what we have lost and continue to lose.</p><p>Sometimes, it is one distinct action, that can be picked out as a tipping point of change. It is our choice to decide how this moment influences our relationship with nature. </p><p>Time will only tell whether Sycamore Gap will be a rallying cry for the natural world. </p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Or just another Cecil.</span></b></p><div><br /></div>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-2932750929960746262023-06-16T23:09:00.002+00:002023-06-16T23:09:48.496+00:00#082 A Morning At The Museum<h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">The Golden Mummies OF Egypt</span></b></h3><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-VelubKAUsCgXvJUyOCX6owpQNHGj4lvzlKVvqWZFiQng4RtGhOgaHLjAkPu6lVjhAqGvgkPqdWV0InlKClLo7Zw2Sw7wWl_fPsGB02tHJh0kof-uo_4X65W-u1FtveMwkI1mh9ZFUS-uVbD5u7nBUGb3yUqxlPPxw4YMiXde9SoaKsvrccQB4YM/s935/230104044914goldenmummies3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="935" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-VelubKAUsCgXvJUyOCX6owpQNHGj4lvzlKVvqWZFiQng4RtGhOgaHLjAkPu6lVjhAqGvgkPqdWV0InlKClLo7Zw2Sw7wWl_fPsGB02tHJh0kof-uo_4X65W-u1FtveMwkI1mh9ZFUS-uVbD5u7nBUGb3yUqxlPPxw4YMiXde9SoaKsvrccQB4YM/w400-h225/230104044914goldenmummies3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>I love visiting museums. Especially those which tell the human story in ethnographic artefacts and also have natural history themes. Recently I had a couple of hours free time in Manchester, which happily coincided with the Golden Mummies Of Egypt exhibition.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTWTAlQjurOS4jtjeuTiH_MKc_EvIYCRLqEB1MHNn0vZkLcguvN2augFwkYmhdQvRJu91skmNHwghoc5mGn64DfLnmO5E2W9D19AvsORC1jHRubXknf2VpFwTbFDRUt1YUz1QHNo2UltRwlbdlVzt5xidR80Q0e_qWlM2gUl3_GRaOw081RhWavW6D/s3742/IMG_20230614_102134675.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3742" data-original-width="2600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTWTAlQjurOS4jtjeuTiH_MKc_EvIYCRLqEB1MHNn0vZkLcguvN2augFwkYmhdQvRJu91skmNHwghoc5mGn64DfLnmO5E2W9D19AvsORC1jHRubXknf2VpFwTbFDRUt1YUz1QHNo2UltRwlbdlVzt5xidR80Q0e_qWlM2gUl3_GRaOw081RhWavW6D/s320/IMG_20230614_102134675.jpg" width="222" /></a></div><p>This exhibition focuses upon the later Greek & Roman pharonic period (circa 300BC to 600AD). On show, of course, is the amazing artisanal craftmanship of the iconic gold funerary masks and intricate symbolism painted on sarcophagi. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60GfeQ8fJGcGH_eu519HeQD4W3LxEyhRsmUMYm519ymOG1PsmyPIS3mGIFT-d5et5V7mE2bEdiIHzaskoapW5JTeGFwqY6nBYIvBkeAbKG4KFU8gs0-lOJ_RMR7C0Ms_Ed6rtIu7iS7a9p6e3sjCHCfgVCrj7hxV5uL1JBKz4lQdDW5axb6PKLMmF/s3508/Egypt%20Mummies%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2126" data-original-width="3508" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60GfeQ8fJGcGH_eu519HeQD4W3LxEyhRsmUMYm519ymOG1PsmyPIS3mGIFT-d5et5V7mE2bEdiIHzaskoapW5JTeGFwqY6nBYIvBkeAbKG4KFU8gs0-lOJ_RMR7C0Ms_Ed6rtIu7iS7a9p6e3sjCHCfgVCrj7hxV5uL1JBKz4lQdDW5axb6PKLMmF/w400-h243/Egypt%20Mummies%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>There are also, artefacts which give us insights into the beliefs and daily lives of people outside of the elite priesthood. We see a social stratigraphy of administrators, clerks, workers, servants and slaves. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhov-EtWoBCA_RzqonrTlkvgLlFwT2uw3C4VL2NKJfnmU1DbuvWcrA_vVKDZTMOs07EACzeHy0aiJsbmSnervJ_DaAM46Nh2eV6cLrW90v4wSqWtjQ3Z7D_q0NlsK6TNYwCKPrHvq2Ru6PpeEdEzLO3HmZtpjbv1X5jtzTOPQrP0aJKx-7dq-XZBJsG/s4535/Egypt%20Mummies%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3761" data-original-width="4535" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhov-EtWoBCA_RzqonrTlkvgLlFwT2uw3C4VL2NKJfnmU1DbuvWcrA_vVKDZTMOs07EACzeHy0aiJsbmSnervJ_DaAM46Nh2eV6cLrW90v4wSqWtjQ3Z7D_q0NlsK6TNYwCKPrHvq2Ru6PpeEdEzLO3HmZtpjbv1X5jtzTOPQrP0aJKx-7dq-XZBJsG/w400-h331/Egypt%20Mummies%203.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Evidence of metal working, originally excavated by Flinders Petrie during the 1880's, can be seen in the Ancient Egypt And Sudan permanent exhibits.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihf-BxcGtISDeeZf3NbHGFBYtHkao2MwNJC9ulvMXkuchh_p3p5STi-MOwQwwRsLykePBBjBtMu1SUqdiPKjdFC_Myiapc6V3UGiUScXdJKQzxvD9JAioN5iF1UqnBWrToDGByutNEW4vtyhQA5Ap0Ilwyqaf4IWnl0IbLKZDaRGtSg1yjwzd7htIz/s4624/Egypt%20Mummies%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3827" data-original-width="4624" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihf-BxcGtISDeeZf3NbHGFBYtHkao2MwNJC9ulvMXkuchh_p3p5STi-MOwQwwRsLykePBBjBtMu1SUqdiPKjdFC_Myiapc6V3UGiUScXdJKQzxvD9JAioN5iF1UqnBWrToDGByutNEW4vtyhQA5Ap0Ilwyqaf4IWnl0IbLKZDaRGtSg1yjwzd7htIz/w400-h331/Egypt%20Mummies%204.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>However, for me the most captivating artefacts of the special exhibition were the anatomically realistic carvings and portrait panels, originally incorporated into the mummification process. These showed an idealised image of the deceased features and finest clothing style, as how they wanted to present themselves in the afterlife.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_qrIWzGJL1IyL1ZSrWuTY7x9_zZr5apAnuMWzJRfpC1NakCm6_qnp13lm2vVO5Voa9esU-aFbJY6WR79Xg25E23w1h2gJz7N2qDAfOo7zmb9VM6FP8UJGepI61l5d_hVKFtYh89SY_4NTliFodVfu0yCKTs0QGki22Yw9Ey878AeryfvX8ugCwWa/s3508/Egypt%20Mummies%20Portraits%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2598" data-original-width="3508" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_qrIWzGJL1IyL1ZSrWuTY7x9_zZr5apAnuMWzJRfpC1NakCm6_qnp13lm2vVO5Voa9esU-aFbJY6WR79Xg25E23w1h2gJz7N2qDAfOo7zmb9VM6FP8UJGepI61l5d_hVKFtYh89SY_4NTliFodVfu0yCKTs0QGki22Yw9Ey878AeryfvX8ugCwWa/w640-h474/Egypt%20Mummies%20Portraits%201.jpg" width="640" /></div></div></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Nuggets of Wisdom</span></h3><div>As well as the exotic, Manchester Museum also has a fine selection of paleo and archaeological artefacts found in the surrounding counties. These piece together to form our story, from a time where giant tree ferns grew, then decayed into coal. To when lion, hyena and wooly mammoth roamed the Peak District and were hunted by Neanderthals. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsjENSVUjBEYE56ZF4ayb_CSgUVANYBD3eOw-cPcppuo1u50B4rhjyKiu_LJFwGjUaCvzO9Hqtra9nVYYalV1yXozy5Bn2ZUcg1EcMg1mDpL6Mem5XU-zMEihVbKdwiBCgR2TLkm-U3YBRgmWzogMADIXENwWIux4fvM2ewB0dwwsSmaVh43iQoSy/s2693/IMG_20230614_113959366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1420" data-original-width="2693" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsjENSVUjBEYE56ZF4ayb_CSgUVANYBD3eOw-cPcppuo1u50B4rhjyKiu_LJFwGjUaCvzO9Hqtra9nVYYalV1yXozy5Bn2ZUcg1EcMg1mDpL6Mem5XU-zMEihVbKdwiBCgR2TLkm-U3YBRgmWzogMADIXENwWIux4fvM2ewB0dwwsSmaVh43iQoSy/w400-h211/IMG_20230614_113959366.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglRa8szn_ERYfmTNLE8C0TgktitSchQI9EFxhT5iz6DgtPKdUp-ocEki6UnvTZDbGDOLlml_jx9YYBUOhIDBOAca5mtIVfMu-n5SPEKWqGyORVIRmyBLchrtAuWuub2klamO9FlbTGxx-mlUfQwct5Owjwg--bsS6RFDmlFD-jWetK5uS2Pj5aa1qr/s4624/Manc%20Museum%208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4139" data-original-width="4624" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglRa8szn_ERYfmTNLE8C0TgktitSchQI9EFxhT5iz6DgtPKdUp-ocEki6UnvTZDbGDOLlml_jx9YYBUOhIDBOAca5mtIVfMu-n5SPEKWqGyORVIRmyBLchrtAuWuub2klamO9FlbTGxx-mlUfQwct5Owjwg--bsS6RFDmlFD-jWetK5uS2Pj5aa1qr/w400-h358/Manc%20Museum%208.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_y1y5yd2STaE6XUzQM2cLjGYQTJAabUZheeVTwlnm80kTKNHuMJYlfu5pvbSA1GYJPZ0CHLu1XalGmaobIGrF60YCbKMNYGiKsqwsQ_u9U6fuBy5yNG_cLVWhNRCd_n3dORW5ufU42qPqRNyRkM71_f42u2j39xJMiaHg_K08-qCl5vdkuG6APYq/s4624/Manc%20Museum%209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2600" data-original-width="4624" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_y1y5yd2STaE6XUzQM2cLjGYQTJAabUZheeVTwlnm80kTKNHuMJYlfu5pvbSA1GYJPZ0CHLu1XalGmaobIGrF60YCbKMNYGiKsqwsQ_u9U6fuBy5yNG_cLVWhNRCd_n3dORW5ufU42qPqRNyRkM71_f42u2j39xJMiaHg_K08-qCl5vdkuG6APYq/w400-h225/Manc%20Museum%209.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFB8n94VeL0qDWVw6JxWDzB3rykDUPMkImuusoKYCuFLZDyRZ3DJtJmI2jzqNJ5ojQ5wCmabaGtwr7vW0-EtktxsmdrkQ3DcFXxoSarSmgn-BgMf0d4rHRUVFuDDbsGCib84Bp_cbmIdyTOBBTrl3hJh9rBZP8izgzs1w_MmYMry0_kA-F5bBIRwV/s4624/Manc%20Museum%205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3969" data-original-width="4624" height="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFB8n94VeL0qDWVw6JxWDzB3rykDUPMkImuusoKYCuFLZDyRZ3DJtJmI2jzqNJ5ojQ5wCmabaGtwr7vW0-EtktxsmdrkQ3DcFXxoSarSmgn-BgMf0d4rHRUVFuDDbsGCib84Bp_cbmIdyTOBBTrl3hJh9rBZP8izgzs1w_MmYMry0_kA-F5bBIRwV/w640-h550/Manc%20Museum%205.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij33ztdparEsB4JOA7CnivT1sor-H-fFMlOlpz3G_113-m3AK9J_VINtx_i6Dm5KGMLFMrEOdaIAZBPonSk9hXtY01gaMUnuUFSs-yHKzE8u14JO2tGtA49Q30WqjyGQsNNAvyh-zXmahirQ3Slgbx_mtlA-X8gBcQnL1rXleYWjO4xfeweO5P-Qa0/s4624/Manc%20Museum%207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4139" data-original-width="4624" height="573" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij33ztdparEsB4JOA7CnivT1sor-H-fFMlOlpz3G_113-m3AK9J_VINtx_i6Dm5KGMLFMrEOdaIAZBPonSk9hXtY01gaMUnuUFSs-yHKzE8u14JO2tGtA49Q30WqjyGQsNNAvyh-zXmahirQ3Slgbx_mtlA-X8gBcQnL1rXleYWjO4xfeweO5P-Qa0/w640-h573/Manc%20Museum%207.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tJm-iO783i9expWUdlAxRejnVWn-JNYf4HWOx8xQHtcnnmGu03nP5vnGuPNr7R7UzB7ZjHuPh7myJQJCi047sm635csEzMq_xibDZFh8TArxqb-zfO6xWutALThae8Bejrv9Nwnzdc4uGOc5nPnaVNTGthvYieoxhOVdTCl4yndz0_k9MyY_YsF8/s5669/Manc%20Museum%206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5669" data-original-width="4624" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tJm-iO783i9expWUdlAxRejnVWn-JNYf4HWOx8xQHtcnnmGu03nP5vnGuPNr7R7UzB7ZjHuPh7myJQJCi047sm635csEzMq_xibDZFh8TArxqb-zfO6xWutALThae8Bejrv9Nwnzdc4uGOc5nPnaVNTGthvYieoxhOVdTCl4yndz0_k9MyY_YsF8/w522-h640/Manc%20Museum%206.jpg" width="522" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3><span style="color: #04ff00;">Memories of Africa </span></h3><div>On expeditions, I've been extremely fortunate to spend many happy days in sub-Saharan national parks. The 'super-seven' is a wildlife enthusiasts version of the 'Big 5', which adds cheetah and wild dog to lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and African buffalo. There have been several occasions where I've been in the right place but, alas, not the right time to see African Wild Dog (<i>Lycaon pictus</i>). <br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71Ujjdw6cNhB40OUYm5cvukoMGGyOa7frAmnMJOiNwQRUQrv_ibROhkakML5X-d5SwaJyrhfY7f6hduiWWPdMaIpbA-qeIvliqoeruCxqxXbT8_LsKYHJZMKeEmUh9mphMwyoF2USHjVCTRZZksZWNc9wtW-dG6-q-1vFha38lWADSQ93DwjMP6B2/s2570/Manc%20Museum%2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2570" data-original-width="2535" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71Ujjdw6cNhB40OUYm5cvukoMGGyOa7frAmnMJOiNwQRUQrv_ibROhkakML5X-d5SwaJyrhfY7f6hduiWWPdMaIpbA-qeIvliqoeruCxqxXbT8_LsKYHJZMKeEmUh9mphMwyoF2USHjVCTRZZksZWNc9wtW-dG6-q-1vFha38lWADSQ93DwjMP6B2/s320/Manc%20Museum%2011.jpg" width="316" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>When I see taxidermy of creatures, it brings such sadness at the pain and destruction that was caused. The specimens in Manchester are historic, from a time of differing cultural values to those held by most people these days. I say 'most' because there remains a small sick minority who enjoy killing endangered species for fun. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQnOC6CKsMyMqadrlGMfImxMLjRiYVNGaKS-sM2IwFz6HoBKybsvIK_4L8C6gDOBktds-FsYEYqGLjHVhPhxkF4_--4wMRaMgP9SoOJyQhmkfdIGRqBaXGPJysV1F0zfKaNJ6sK3nTEdLeGX2riuQjY-SHqiCzKwLVFTWQGdRkRVbHQ3UGaLowEWCK/s4361/Manc%20Museum%2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2600" data-original-width="4361" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQnOC6CKsMyMqadrlGMfImxMLjRiYVNGaKS-sM2IwFz6HoBKybsvIK_4L8C6gDOBktds-FsYEYqGLjHVhPhxkF4_--4wMRaMgP9SoOJyQhmkfdIGRqBaXGPJysV1F0zfKaNJ6sK3nTEdLeGX2riuQjY-SHqiCzKwLVFTWQGdRkRVbHQ3UGaLowEWCK/s320/Manc%20Museum%2010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Which makes my final choice of exhibit to share all the more poignant.<div><br /></div><div>Last year I tracked down the very rare remains of a Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) to the<br /><a href="http://stuwestfield.blogspot.com/2022/07/068-day-at-museum-part-1-world-of.html" target="_blank">University College London Zoological Museum</a> <br /><div>At the time I didn't realise there was a specimen closer to home in Manchester.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJrjzJxDeUA41wkAKFyEeaUAwTUH1m9XmA11hY8la0J_JXpQy4TWDVbAbOBJ_5N9OnCFT8jXk3yVHS4pHhHQdPwpmYUr-IOVBVxyPmV2PNkxsdpdKo_J7XReXD5-h8FE2dujxjGamwn7KzxXBFXKHYgbIG2ZSQWbkLEs4dq4ne98pKqASvWdDxkmDB/s4157/Manc%20Museum%2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2593" data-original-width="4157" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJrjzJxDeUA41wkAKFyEeaUAwTUH1m9XmA11hY8la0J_JXpQy4TWDVbAbOBJ_5N9OnCFT8jXk3yVHS4pHhHQdPwpmYUr-IOVBVxyPmV2PNkxsdpdKo_J7XReXD5-h8FE2dujxjGamwn7KzxXBFXKHYgbIG2ZSQWbkLEs4dq4ne98pKqASvWdDxkmDB/s320/Manc%20Museum%2012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>The story of the thylacine is heart breaking. After dying out in Australia and New Guinea, probably due to indigenous human encroachment accompanied by dingoes, it's last stronghold was Tazmania. This carnivorous marsupial came into human-wildlife conflict when it was blamed for sheep deaths by European Settlers leading to a bounty of £1 being paid for the head of each adult thylacine.<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdlsXhN6bMDYWOvJs0uWGZ7F4VM741ixReFQICjyzv8KWvGCarY3Xhc9FwO4F9niy1GAhZ8roBX1_1suPX1YzNcd9MNGEYupBct0mbaaxCj1Y3k5kBUN9pM16eGge8tOzYVpQWILE6Ljqm2lbhGLUQzd1aDhoBvWSZSqDtzjWawybuPkgDOYx2Mqw/s3834/Manc%20Museum%2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2175" data-original-width="3834" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdlsXhN6bMDYWOvJs0uWGZ7F4VM741ixReFQICjyzv8KWvGCarY3Xhc9FwO4F9niy1GAhZ8roBX1_1suPX1YzNcd9MNGEYupBct0mbaaxCj1Y3k5kBUN9pM16eGge8tOzYVpQWILE6Ljqm2lbhGLUQzd1aDhoBvWSZSqDtzjWawybuPkgDOYx2Mqw/s320/Manc%20Museum%2013.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Persecuted and relentlessly hunted, transmissible canine distemper and habitat destruction did the rest. The last known living thylacine died in Tasmania at the Hobart Zoo in 1936.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>Stu Westfield</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://rangerexped.co.uk/" target="_blank">Ranger Expeditions Guided Walks & Challenges</a><br /><a href="http://rangerultras.co.uk/" target="_blank">Ranger Ultras Trail Running</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-67139847290047728182023-05-12T20:42:00.005+00:002023-07-09T13:27:46.089+00:00 #081 Why Is Conservation Failing?<p>In 2016 I wrote the blog<i> <a href="http://stuwestfield.blogspot.com/2016/08/023-expeditions-projects-extinctions.html" target="_blank">Expeditions, Projects & Extinctions</a></i>. It was, in part, a contemporary view on wildlife and habitat conservation. Seven years on, it’s time to revisit this subject.</p><p>The intervening years have seen the world go through the Covid pandemic and then be plunged into energy market price inflation and food production instability. This has manifested itself within the United Kingdom as the cost of living crisis. To some extent, our current situation was precipitated by war in the Ukraine. But there are other deeper rooted causes. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjrDf2fWRpSE4k3D90Kg7M2GY8O2P__uKfb2T3UmSVgFXkwxRaNbTOCnd5BAPnC0dAjJzb9wCOy9dvMbPoFfjMmUIn6HLxQ5v3nJe6_lv-UnkgGW9IPz2XGFB4Rk_5pmeeFqYEK64FuuJBoa-eMM0oQ7eyJudE7N_AzQ3n4U0zEpQhf9Xs8UBL05p9/s4624/IMG_20230504_133905517.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2600" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjrDf2fWRpSE4k3D90Kg7M2GY8O2P__uKfb2T3UmSVgFXkwxRaNbTOCnd5BAPnC0dAjJzb9wCOy9dvMbPoFfjMmUIn6HLxQ5v3nJe6_lv-UnkgGW9IPz2XGFB4Rk_5pmeeFqYEK64FuuJBoa-eMM0oQ7eyJudE7N_AzQ3n4U0zEpQhf9Xs8UBL05p9/s320/IMG_20230504_133905517.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">What has all this to do Conservation? </span></h3><p>The natural world is inextricably connected and affected by global geopolitics as well as domestic government policies. We’re not just talking here about the obvious: Such as burning fossil fuels for energy production, or whether there really are any green alternatives which can match the exponentially growing demand for electrical power. It may seem abstract, but it is basic things like people’s health and wellbeing which are a truer litmus of conservation and it’s potential.</p><p>The recent David Attenborough series <i>Wild Isles</i> showcased the beauty, spectacle and wonder of our domestic wildlife. The tenacity and talent invested throughout the production came across in every frame. Wild Isles also broke new ground in its narration timbre, consistently informing viewers of the precarious state of degraded and polluted ecosystems in the United Kingdom. Reading the reviews, this approach was too much for some, didn’t go far enough for others.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsJ0aVaB1dHp3JC2RKFLDpsgnEXxNKY9dR7EqNC4sa1LaTInY2bbcPjIh2fgYMksJaE1AY-u4mpCFS0k6_i5-OuUdDGpj_TZd2Yxwe9YteTHzhSxVxaIMh0I-eBDYfCx6sdsQ3YVt_nGzOPUko6vMTNUR8iWqvKxLA2-GKQ5JVYI4fYELL9johgMl/s2138/IMG_2508.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2138" data-original-width="1710" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsJ0aVaB1dHp3JC2RKFLDpsgnEXxNKY9dR7EqNC4sa1LaTInY2bbcPjIh2fgYMksJaE1AY-u4mpCFS0k6_i5-OuUdDGpj_TZd2Yxwe9YteTHzhSxVxaIMh0I-eBDYfCx6sdsQ3YVt_nGzOPUko6vMTNUR8iWqvKxLA2-GKQ5JVYI4fYELL9johgMl/s320/IMG_2508.JPG" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo copyright: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>But the statistics show that, as a whole, conservation efforts are failing to prevent habitat and species losses on a catastrophic scale. The dedication of scientists, rangers, custodians and volunteer groups is simply is not enough to halt this trend. Twenty three years on, David Attenborough’s closing address in <i>State Of The Planet</i> has become even more prescient</p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><i>“The future of life on earth depends upon our ability to take action. Many individuals are doing what they can, but real success can only come if there’s a change in our societies and our economics and in our politics. I’ve been lucky in my lifetime to see some of the greatest spectacles that the natural world has to offer. Surely we have a responsibility to leave for future generations a planet that is healthy and inhabitable by all species”</i> – Sir David Attenborough (State Of The Planet, in closing. November 2000)</span></p><p>However, for anyone who campaigns for the environment and by extension, the future of our species, there is a question which should be asked.</p><p>Why would a hard working member of the public care about anything you are saying when their thoughts and actions are wholly preoccupied with putting food on the table, clothing their kids and paying the utility bills. </p><p>Bit too strongly worded? Until conservation can win wholescale support from the population, it will continue to be a by-word for management of base-line shift towards irreversible habitat loss and consequential species extinction.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAeppzPS05e3MDBQFQGI1TqygzuhrEtbYayJuadQb67D0CdErJOe7C6jsunuJnx36Jtw7blkIOt94S0qtS_FNH1dAaZtoOPidP-ToBhtEzsq7VAsTX2PSHBYA1KqioDJP0p6h66w63Ct_la3VoyDGBdL5pxZx1FmaFJ-_xgr5eJTnS_dkRs57xuEY9/s1392/IMG_2512.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1392" data-original-width="1114" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAeppzPS05e3MDBQFQGI1TqygzuhrEtbYayJuadQb67D0CdErJOe7C6jsunuJnx36Jtw7blkIOt94S0qtS_FNH1dAaZtoOPidP-ToBhtEzsq7VAsTX2PSHBYA1KqioDJP0p6h66w63Ct_la3VoyDGBdL5pxZx1FmaFJ-_xgr5eJTnS_dkRs57xuEY9/s320/IMG_2512.JPG" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo copyright: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>So let’s look at some of the reasons why people have neither the capacity or ability to engage with conservation. Without addressing these issues, there’s not going to be any meaningful progression onto inclination and choice. Only then, with understanding, comes love and value. </p><p>Within the context of my own experiences and other insights, I’ll also share the rationale behind some the choices I have made to directly and indirectly support people and conservation. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Circular Signposting.</span></h3><p>I am a carer for my wife, who has suffered irreversible decline in health due to complications which originated with cancer and its treatment fifteen years ago. To the extent that, for some time, she has had persistent, chronic pain and is registered disabled. I’m not fishing for a pity party here and I am very much aware that there are people who are considerably worse off than us. But being an unpaid, non-voluntary carer, has an undeniable impact upon our choices and opportunities. After prompting by friends, I have looked at what help is available specifically for carers. My experience of this is so deeply shocking that I could easily write a whole feature on this alone. <br /><br />The only conclusion I have reached is: <b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Unpaid carers, the sooner you abandon hope, the quicker you reach acceptance and the realisation that there is no provision for you. </span></b></p><p>As a brief illustration, there are several organizations to which the UK Government signposts carers. These are very good at signposting onwards, without doing anything useful in terms of actual help or assistance. If you follow the trail to its conclusion you end up back at the UK Government website. </p><p>Some crumbs are out there, but they are so narrowly targeted as to be inaccessible. </p><p>Flippantly, it all starts to sound like: Were you a nurse, working in Edinburgh, between the December 1970 and January 1971? Then you can fill out this lengthy form and see if you’re eligible for £300 towards a new boiler.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5LZYJk1zonIBBwk3GW4E749IwMQvItO9HksRIxyUI_bTHw3N2MBuHok4-LRaoxpaRaFD2f0Tyz1AJrNu3gS80MDMLxx1eljbfACziWI4J3C6PIkGdiwmpK_SPimaTuuy2APO2CS-yXViER85-Hy6Y4cTmMcEqPmjTNsTqFm4-K6D0pqEIGztw8Sb/s900/BVb2ODzIAAA3Rc5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="900" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5LZYJk1zonIBBwk3GW4E749IwMQvItO9HksRIxyUI_bTHw3N2MBuHok4-LRaoxpaRaFD2f0Tyz1AJrNu3gS80MDMLxx1eljbfACziWI4J3C6PIkGdiwmpK_SPimaTuuy2APO2CS-yXViER85-Hy6Y4cTmMcEqPmjTNsTqFm4-K6D0pqEIGztw8Sb/w400-h328/BVb2ODzIAAA3Rc5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source credit: Carers UK</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Annually, around 4.3 million people become unpaid carers (source: Petrillo and Bennett, 2022). With such high barriers to accessing welfare, many of these folks are simply existing. It’s delusional to think that they will give anything other than a passing thought about the amount of untreated effluent the water companies are discharging into Britain’s rivers and coastline. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Food banks.</span></h3><p>In 2022/23 approximately 2.99 million people used a foodbank in the United Kingdom, an increase when compared with the previous year. Between 2008/09 and 2020/21, the number of foodbank users increased in every year, from just under 26,000 to more than 2.56 million. (source: Statista, 2023).</p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><i>“When it first opened, pre-Covid, our food bank was serving mostly homeless people. These days, most of those coming through the door are people working full-time”</i> – CNN Business, on food banks in Doncaster. May 2023</span></p><p>So many people are now having to choose between affording to heat their homes or buying food. When faced with such an existential crisis, do they care if salmon numbers in the Spey have been decimated? </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij62CQmRKIIKLtPEekHyo1lqpwhsG_Q0_Ve1qjsOvDYcnnqrQy2OwvFsvqarRImuaua1vcIQXMC6977Wtp68Ho19uqhmEz0-ZnnMQK5SAUUPOc5NMf9TGOAaS5-gKhTBkxzoQ7s8LWm9JbhwKLTSsmSBE8cC6msYSvPqY4qdlMdezGDDAA0J8Y71AV/s9248/AJ202213.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5200" data-original-width="9248" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij62CQmRKIIKLtPEekHyo1lqpwhsG_Q0_Ve1qjsOvDYcnnqrQy2OwvFsvqarRImuaua1vcIQXMC6977Wtp68Ho19uqhmEz0-ZnnMQK5SAUUPOc5NMf9TGOAaS5-gKhTBkxzoQ7s8LWm9JbhwKLTSsmSBE8cC6msYSvPqY4qdlMdezGDDAA0J8Y71AV/s320/AJ202213.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo copyright: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In January 2022 a survey found that 30% of nurses had difficulty paying for food, and that 14% were relying on food banks. (source: Nursing Times, January 2023)</p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><i>"To have charitable support given by people voluntarily to support their fellow citizens I think is rather uplifting and shows what a good, compassionate country we are."</i> - Jacob Rees-Mogg, Member Of Parliament, 2017</span></p><p>The fact that food banks have become normalized and working people from diverse professions require them is an absolute tragedy. That the Government have simultaneously failed to address the causes of this and actually say their existence is a good thing, shows a deep disconnect and inconsiderate disregard for their constituents. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgohJeVE9OJa7Tg5e2NOsZrSB2Ukqe1sjIMEzyTXighJQQtisPM7Fmyrg8qdUQMUBQ0U02PfRx-_kTSWaYCAlOkqzKcllRqXQDDffV1ute8YcVni2Q8545e2wZOXMxYPHNTXvywShYg-IZygnwHpy4jgJtfS1Jgq3uAFwkvp9uvYVJk1aNWnXLeivpl/s549/Trussell-Trust-EOY-Stats.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="549" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgohJeVE9OJa7Tg5e2NOsZrSB2Ukqe1sjIMEzyTXighJQQtisPM7Fmyrg8qdUQMUBQ0U02PfRx-_kTSWaYCAlOkqzKcllRqXQDDffV1ute8YcVni2Q8545e2wZOXMxYPHNTXvywShYg-IZygnwHpy4jgJtfS1Jgq3uAFwkvp9uvYVJk1aNWnXLeivpl/w400-h297/Trussell-Trust-EOY-Stats.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source credit: The Russell Trust</td></tr></tbody></table><p>A persistent agenda promoted by Government policies and certain elements of the tabloid press has been the demonization of the desperate and vulnerable. Shaming and making them pariahs, as if they are deserving of their circumstances. It’s a nasty and vindictive strategy of setting people against people. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEighQec3uu9v1I7soSOK_R7a5e3nVuFGfAaop5_YVRjUmJ3iyF_FPvjV4FZQPCqVKZdlzfVxzqDxnJfYlovCJIOg0M06Rlrja9Vz-oi-dAnjzyIq-ZWaCPNhRFTsFu4aZYO1WCyxzGT_tD5O4hL71nDru2LYkkyiE0wcVjKMB948SnuCVrABbuzjiGC/s1297/Misconceptions.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1297" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEighQec3uu9v1I7soSOK_R7a5e3nVuFGfAaop5_YVRjUmJ3iyF_FPvjV4FZQPCqVKZdlzfVxzqDxnJfYlovCJIOg0M06Rlrja9Vz-oi-dAnjzyIq-ZWaCPNhRFTsFu4aZYO1WCyxzGT_tD5O4hL71nDru2LYkkyiE0wcVjKMB948SnuCVrABbuzjiGC/w400-h206/Misconceptions.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source credit: TUC</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>But this only works for as long as those on the receiving end are few and have no voice. Now the numbers are rising into tens of millions. Lets stop listening to the bile and point the finger back at the true architects of this hatred and propaganda.<br /><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Mental Health Care.</span></h3><p>At the Peak Centre in Edale, where I work as a freelance instructor a couple of afternoons each week, we frequently welcome organizations with guests from challenging backgrounds or in recovery from traumatic life events. The Peak Centre is not operated as a therapeutic venue, per se. But its location and facilities do offer space and tranquility which is appreciated by many. Post-Covid it became noticeable how many young people had been affected in negative ways by the lockdowns and absence of in-person social contact.</p><p>When the opportunity arose, I enrolled on a funded three month online mental health first aid course. The course was assessed, requiring some proper learning input and the potential for good was obvious. However, when it came to ongoing help for folks in crisis, we might as well have been reading a fairy story, full of catchy phrases like holistic care, mental health continuum and signposting. Yes, that word again. Which, when you take an in depth look at mental health care provision, these words are actually an aspiration, an ideal, which rarely matches reality.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihx-dUANhZuIJzxMHWJfk7mYHAkMhiuGNDdr9MfFSCqqHhf52rdsyQDgbZ9ExPpT0Y1viAq9TTvMkLrlGwvh90arJBgvrCdcy-XQQBc0Z_CIdGokK3a0uLJQPEG5_GpC_QSCapiaigUmSMFqbUjtu46e9hp_Xs3RzwjDgkEIYJD1hHNBMYDS9rEnux/s1480/wellbeing-statistics.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1480" data-original-width="1480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihx-dUANhZuIJzxMHWJfk7mYHAkMhiuGNDdr9MfFSCqqHhf52rdsyQDgbZ9ExPpT0Y1viAq9TTvMkLrlGwvh90arJBgvrCdcy-XQQBc0Z_CIdGokK3a0uLJQPEG5_GpC_QSCapiaigUmSMFqbUjtu46e9hp_Xs3RzwjDgkEIYJD1hHNBMYDS9rEnux/w400-h400/wellbeing-statistics.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source credit: Champion Health</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The cost of living crisis, so soon after Covid, has caused terrible anxiety and widespread mental health illness. It is also known is that stress on this level can and does also give rise to physical illness. Despite a few weaselly words, little action is being taken by politicians. They’ve been more interested in appropriating taxpayers money and lining their own pockets with lucrative PPE and other dodgy contracts to their mates.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8tihjHvzDToY4HlXNiRL4YFr8z5vaG8YLWUOFaoFn8qxu47EtZvpY3xsCOiR487_Mpz_Lcok2Dxl56oYLHsvRPJylSwUwHbH-6MtTPjZuF8Q7h3_p3SPmKrM3y1DNgTdqeb2slRgJcviILz2CEHbQ0Hd65UfOk4RoreXkjLBb2gCs-QnZXRrfDsuB/s4624/IMG_20230505_101635190.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2600" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8tihjHvzDToY4HlXNiRL4YFr8z5vaG8YLWUOFaoFn8qxu47EtZvpY3xsCOiR487_Mpz_Lcok2Dxl56oYLHsvRPJylSwUwHbH-6MtTPjZuF8Q7h3_p3SPmKrM3y1DNgTdqeb2slRgJcviILz2CEHbQ0Hd65UfOk4RoreXkjLBb2gCs-QnZXRrfDsuB/s320/IMG_20230505_101635190.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo copyright: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Engagement with nature, fresh air and physical exercise has been proven to be beneficial in promoting good mental health and recovery. Given no hope or means of escaping a downward spiral of mental ill health, how does a person find the energy to campaign against their local ancient woodland being felled so that the train can get into London ten minutes quicker?</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Annexation of land and opportunities.</span></h3><p>Sufficient money is out there to solve many of Britain’s social issues. But, it is being accumulated in the hands of the few. And the inequality gap is growing. </p><p>Billionaire Britain 2022 reveals that: The wealth of the UK's billionaires has skyrocketed by over 1000% between 1990 and 2022, ballooning by around £600bn. The number of billionaires exploded from 15 in 1990 to 177 this year. Between 2020 and 2022 alone, billionaire wealth increased by almost £150bn (source: Equality Trust. December 2022)</p><p>Stratigraphy of earnings within an economy will always exist and is not in itself a bad thing. It is human nature to try and do better for oneself and family. In a healthy society, reward is rightly distributed to those putting in the effort and achieving results. But a fair proportion is also set aside to protect disadvantaged people from deprivation. We do not live or work in a healthy society.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0--tQkQt-JPbP79z2_dhrl3Cy6ACltFOqT7fP_sKgTLyTtN-_9isaAYAwET82PFsP7wRa-itIYt7a7IZzk1Xic9R1NrYOHhC6uONe-xLnH21sIic5OK3xC03ahyGmE_7pXGrLamhWqHqetpmRLgxUVHvF3UJehvYo5Df4GJm1oypIVo_-Ss8ubraM/s813/Guardian%20Graphic.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="813" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0--tQkQt-JPbP79z2_dhrl3Cy6ACltFOqT7fP_sKgTLyTtN-_9isaAYAwET82PFsP7wRa-itIYt7a7IZzk1Xic9R1NrYOHhC6uONe-xLnH21sIic5OK3xC03ahyGmE_7pXGrLamhWqHqetpmRLgxUVHvF3UJehvYo5Df4GJm1oypIVo_-Ss8ubraM/w400-h290/Guardian%20Graphic.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source credit: Rob Evans, The Guardian, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/apr/17/who-owns-england-thousand-secret-landowners-author</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Wealth distribution is now so unequal that half of England is owned by 1% of the population. (source: The Guardian. April 2019) The justification for this situation, trickle-down economics, has been proven not to work. The uber rich don’t like sharing their wealth or assets. </p><p>Annexation and exclusion is a modern take on 'Ge<i>rrof my land'.</i> As seen when millionaire hedge fund manager, Alexander Darwall, successfully blocked public wild camping on open land. </p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><i>“To lose this right at a time when nature connectedness in Britain is the lowest across the whole of Europe is a travesty. We should be increasing, not impairing, people’s ability to spend time in nature.".</i> – Lewis Winks, The Stars Are For Everyone campaign.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Don’t get mad. Get everything.</span></h3><p>While outside of context, Ivana Trump’s sentiment epitomizes the attitudes of the obscenely wealthy towards money and assets. It begs the question, how much do these people want, how much will ever be enough? Rapacious greed, also makes them mean, crass and incredibly cheap. </p><p>Millionaire politicians have joined in. Spaffing tax payers money on £840 rolls of wallpaper, claiming expenses for heating their stables, stuffing their tax evading, off-shore accounts with unashamed impunity. All while enjoying self-awarded pay rises totaling 32% over the past 10 years. It’s not as if they were worth it, having presided over the worst drop in living standards in modern times. </p><p>Are you still surprised that tragedy of species extinction causes so few ripples?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxl_EZz2cMbvlobknxe2_v6PeNbfaKWcqjZFsevi1CNspH95SNAAVv54lZfUHygazNklIad12zhzRs_0Ha-guFWU07BUEG-mavpmylNgn15x7bHyGbeIGUTt3wQo7TudMi3H0vHtiQO_VpTaX5FHbXyJhRp8rv966be1bxC_n_3OZGxOaCkz8iDBX8/s3888/AJ202220.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxl_EZz2cMbvlobknxe2_v6PeNbfaKWcqjZFsevi1CNspH95SNAAVv54lZfUHygazNklIad12zhzRs_0Ha-guFWU07BUEG-mavpmylNgn15x7bHyGbeIGUTt3wQo7TudMi3H0vHtiQO_VpTaX5FHbXyJhRp8rv966be1bxC_n_3OZGxOaCkz8iDBX8/s320/AJ202220.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo copyright: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Is there a political solution?</span></h3><p>After the recent drubbing of the Conservative party in local polls, there is an expectation that these results will be replicated in the next national elections, bringing a change for the better. When you look at the history of opposition over the past decade, I’m not hopeful: Where was your anger, where was your passion, your outrage? I’ve lived long enough to know that, with the next incumbents, there will be a brief period of optimism followed by the same monstrous self-serving, self-interest.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydp4KKJZfnzwLNddAmTaKDQR7BFlPG1bgHnrTnIxBpKbUmjj70LhX59Dv0vk8R_L8my0HDJfHF3Rs27CiW3K_OxRMzlxMl4LLOCyZHI1ho2yngou-oKyf2sDK5DZyYcn92gEdqFplUDP8RQKKO3l3d5h8KjYNk1doMQsOH8zfuRSE9lXz6j5sL-LuxkY/s843/357735633_759405389524597_6972018907947726803_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="843" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydp4KKJZfnzwLNddAmTaKDQR7BFlPG1bgHnrTnIxBpKbUmjj70LhX59Dv0vk8R_L8my0HDJfHF3Rs27CiW3K_OxRMzlxMl4LLOCyZHI1ho2yngou-oKyf2sDK5DZyYcn92gEdqFplUDP8RQKKO3l3d5h8KjYNk1doMQsOH8zfuRSE9lXz6j5sL-LuxkY/s320/357735633_759405389524597_6972018907947726803_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>It's a waste of time to hold out for the self-proclaimed ‘brightest and best’ in parliament to show real leadership, actioning policies which enable people to do more than just exist. They just don’t comprehend the concept of service, let alone the nuance of <i>leaders eat last</i>. </p><p>Conservation will only become important to people who have the ability and choice to love and cherish it.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_jrdP48CTmklZRPbu1tuoTQ_87uV0H22haPjqdD26LZd_1cSAAj9N6S6H2-ikPpBc45ofpsNzcsW3-x1BFTKHh7gaG59u-ReqUv8___T0-bDmGMcae2HeXgIyyX8lzG5y3JpTS6zv4MWiDswhhsca9TK51AmXtv0o2udRec9nMYI907f4kkiWjp8f/s929/IMG_20230511_122332916.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="929" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_jrdP48CTmklZRPbu1tuoTQ_87uV0H22haPjqdD26LZd_1cSAAj9N6S6H2-ikPpBc45ofpsNzcsW3-x1BFTKHh7gaG59u-ReqUv8___T0-bDmGMcae2HeXgIyyX8lzG5y3JpTS6zv4MWiDswhhsca9TK51AmXtv0o2udRec9nMYI907f4kkiWjp8f/s320/IMG_20230511_122332916.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo copyright: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">So what can we do?</span></h3><p>Getting out to experience the countryside and nature is a first step. Sharing opportunity and means with friends who are having a tough time, or could not otherwise afford to, is a gift of kindness which can go a long way. Giving directly, maximizes the benefit by removing intermediate steps.</p><p>As the organizer of Ranger Ultras trail running races, I’ve always attached great importance to the affordability of our races. Yes, I still need to make a living and put food on my own table. But year on year, we've consistently held back on anything other than very modest price increases to make ensure that all our events are as affordable as possible. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgguIFiaEPvgL9LnMtEhSFlkvWh30Ic_r68CDwrAo98D0t13pob0muBio3V1GI6TzTjJW40qZr7bWhDv9xOW6lL2SEbGlGBxbJr4lgu0Je619K_UuxeFNlmuXlENAqR_a76W9y-9DbJS_48dfM4E7wbjS0lMgt5IweaUzi5e0Rq0flSBhmUxwNP7k0j/s9248/IMG_20230318_103435306.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5200" data-original-width="9248" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgguIFiaEPvgL9LnMtEhSFlkvWh30Ic_r68CDwrAo98D0t13pob0muBio3V1GI6TzTjJW40qZr7bWhDv9xOW6lL2SEbGlGBxbJr4lgu0Je619K_UuxeFNlmuXlENAqR_a76W9y-9DbJS_48dfM4E7wbjS0lMgt5IweaUzi5e0Rq0flSBhmUxwNP7k0j/s320/IMG_20230318_103435306.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo copyright: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>From the beginning, our trail races have embraced a low-key ethos, which are capped in numbers to respect communities while bringing beneficial trade to local business. We have also rejected the razzmatazz of overhead gantries and excessive plastic paraphernalia. Ranger Ultras’ participants can see that their entry fee has been invested in an authentic uncommercialized experience.</p><p>In comparison to similar events, Ranger Ultras events are an excellent combination of price, quality, service, participant experience and value. By putting people before profit we make the enjoyment of trail running and outdoor life accessible to as many people as we can.</p><p>Our Ranger Expeditions walks also go a long way in helping people affordably engage with nature in a fun, entertaining and adventurous way. Our clients are treated as individuals, not lost in a mass participation crowd. </p><p>We support charity groups and individual fundraisers with a transparent approach to fees and fair pay for local guides. We do not operate any take-back, or minimum sponsorship schemes. If participants choose to fundraise, all their efforts go directly to the charity of their choice.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_pj5jLd0YILQcEAPJe7f29HOp8Z9_vK6LWH1LSFs_QD7i1C23nIhih7Fa6qwPN3EBre52FiJOOyRV2VP9fKcey24hiIyQa0ZSzWNqbYoOhgCVNMa6L0OtP5PJijwvv3t-QRBFel3ivWnDKTSFFJat50Fy7J2m0i29x5OkeI-wBEbV9elyMtCH2Mx/s470/image0.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="470" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_pj5jLd0YILQcEAPJe7f29HOp8Z9_vK6LWH1LSFs_QD7i1C23nIhih7Fa6qwPN3EBre52FiJOOyRV2VP9fKcey24hiIyQa0ZSzWNqbYoOhgCVNMa6L0OtP5PJijwvv3t-QRBFel3ivWnDKTSFFJat50Fy7J2m0i29x5OkeI-wBEbV9elyMtCH2Mx/s320/image0.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo copyright: John Figiel</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Ranger Expeditions and Ultras may not change the world or solve the problems that conservation is now facing. But what we are doing is helping people make the choice to enjoy the outdoors and engage with nature. And, by taking less, there is more left to go around.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">In conclusion.</span></h3><p>The welfare of all people is bound to a biodiverse and thriving environment. If conservation is not engaging the broadest possible demographic then environment policy will continue to be driven towards the vested interests of those with the greatest power and influence. </p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><i>“I am not sure that human beings need strong leaders. But the idea that the people in charge ought to be responsible grown ups seems pretty engrained in most of us”</i> – John Harris (Columnist, 2021)</span></p><p>Elected members of parliament, without exception, should be asking themselves some serious questions of morality and justice. In terms of what kind of country they wish to preside over. One which is grotesquely unequal, run for the benefit of the few. Or one where people are not relentlessly driven into poverty, but have the means, capacity and choice to engage with and cherish their natural spaces. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7tbBWqDgwRuXBhr5wipuVOa_IeNNKGOkv8ESZ2-2Qg6udiez-YlDgDvW4RDV8P2VTUZCmyFHw31emMk-9BiAqtyD8xV5ootRadoa1vg9WZFvcFXlthZ4RID8eR0Ke6FBqKwPsPtJIx4ngFY1qqm_DRRH2t-DbHyHsoCD_N2tuRs3zVjFlt5I1M2_/s9248/IMG_20230219_174014003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5200" data-original-width="9248" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7tbBWqDgwRuXBhr5wipuVOa_IeNNKGOkv8ESZ2-2Qg6udiez-YlDgDvW4RDV8P2VTUZCmyFHw31emMk-9BiAqtyD8xV5ootRadoa1vg9WZFvcFXlthZ4RID8eR0Ke6FBqKwPsPtJIx4ngFY1qqm_DRRH2t-DbHyHsoCD_N2tuRs3zVjFlt5I1M2_/s320/IMG_20230219_174014003.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo copyright: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Author: Stu Westfield, May 2022</p><p><a href="https://rangerexped.co.uk/" target="_blank">Ranger Expeditions Guided Adventures</a></p><p><a href="https://rangerultras.co.uk/" target="_blank">Ranger Ultras Trail Running</a><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div><br /></div>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-79519077812110211402023-01-29T14:15:00.002+00:002023-01-30T20:35:43.694+00:00#080 Ranger Ultras - Peak District South & North Trail Running Weekend<p><br /></p><p><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"><b>The Ranger Ultras, Peaks District South & North is our longest established trail run. <br />2023 will be the 7th edition.</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"><b>Ranger Ultras * low key * great value * big enjoyment * inspiring trails</b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-dANX2AiPIA4p48AvBGqF883t9GPwsyw-7QqbgHC8zapvTIHp_N3_QjinX-wR-vz1bOyY-TyuK6ksoG0RS_eX5cfLc_lmSbmvRf03-0URT5xFq8LxP7Dvg7DaKr2AtftH9uPJAn-PTBHCloQaQ0smoCJ-OZncv_PyXOuyC8I8QBdiq-vxIQRD6AU/s2839/DSC_0327%20HR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2128" data-original-width="2839" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-dANX2AiPIA4p48AvBGqF883t9GPwsyw-7QqbgHC8zapvTIHp_N3_QjinX-wR-vz1bOyY-TyuK6ksoG0RS_eX5cfLc_lmSbmvRf03-0URT5xFq8LxP7Dvg7DaKr2AtftH9uPJAn-PTBHCloQaQ0smoCJ-OZncv_PyXOuyC8I8QBdiq-vxIQRD6AU/s320/DSC_0327%20HR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Over the years we've been delighted to welcome UK and international participants, including friends from Legends Trail in the Benelux countries. In this time we've grown from Race HQ being based in a small village hall, to exclusive hire of the Peak Centre where we can offer offer space to relax, showers, bed and breakfast, for participants who need this option.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrIyTXvjaxfZKFlbVON1UAZAUxaoOxygeKx_ZhHI6oHoBRYb6u9HtGqwV9j-vkxfojJAgjEtjlL4I2GMU-xQlBpm9yX_GyhSh7YXrisTR-Bb-8yNLotAw7QebiCv2Vmo26B9GXcm5xFTNbh_03Uv90tBr0iSczYAj3-PNDIzUVndjkKliXEkVPQMt/s1064/314399894_647194847110127_8986800370223435185_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1064" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrIyTXvjaxfZKFlbVON1UAZAUxaoOxygeKx_ZhHI6oHoBRYb6u9HtGqwV9j-vkxfojJAgjEtjlL4I2GMU-xQlBpm9yX_GyhSh7YXrisTR-Bb-8yNLotAw7QebiCv2Vmo26B9GXcm5xFTNbh_03Uv90tBr0iSczYAj3-PNDIzUVndjkKliXEkVPQMt/s320/314399894_647194847110127_8986800370223435185_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><p></p><p>Ranger Ultras has always aspired to bring you freindly, low-key, low-impact, trail running races, with generous timings. Meanwhile, bringing as much support local buinesses as we can. Living and working in the Peak District, we're especially mindful of the impact of events on small communities. </p><p>Therefore, we'll never overload the trails or local infrastructure. We work closely with the National Trails Authority and National Park in our planning process and donate to the upkeep of the trails too. Our high standards of event planning and trail usage meant that Ranger Ultras was the first trail running event provider to be awarded the National Trails supporter and received every year since 2019</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5BDFkj-TOxNll08BLisqVvvXzaCu3kA_V2xgza-119Ss0F81JqnT7ZyspheRrpffkP-aHar2eW31sDo_ic16G9q0m7aHzPCaAfosjr7Qbvj-X97Qr2eW2pAgEWIYDrscnX2fGUL3JOxKkIcxThTcAeMWzT3NYYVG9CWUgAJ-0xOr8oo7Zo0o_5iT/s284/thumbnail_NT_event_supporter-2019.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="284" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5BDFkj-TOxNll08BLisqVvvXzaCu3kA_V2xgza-119Ss0F81JqnT7ZyspheRrpffkP-aHar2eW31sDo_ic16G9q0m7aHzPCaAfosjr7Qbvj-X97Qr2eW2pAgEWIYDrscnX2fGUL3JOxKkIcxThTcAeMWzT3NYYVG9CWUgAJ-0xOr8oo7Zo0o_5iT/w177-h177/thumbnail_NT_event_supporter-2019.jpg" width="177" /></a></div><p>Ranger Ultras has kept true to these guiding principles and continues to put participants' experience first before profit.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMGsIJtN7gztGl8Bvra1Bbtc5cBPz_tjKH3ShpoW28WCt_JhTQhTSR_P7Tqz0sqk2JbvDU_OKFQblRyEVkgg00gCB76lyu4uhIFFKnmeAKSZk0ox2GlrBWpF0TBRkipXmeMIDAsAGH-3puh2qcbBANjfDT9XMrtWLUQWlD7SJzPpv7QYJ52c9y0ruG/s1600/4c886979-0e5e-4fce-835d-999d38d3123f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMGsIJtN7gztGl8Bvra1Bbtc5cBPz_tjKH3ShpoW28WCt_JhTQhTSR_P7Tqz0sqk2JbvDU_OKFQblRyEVkgg00gCB76lyu4uhIFFKnmeAKSZk0ox2GlrBWpF0TBRkipXmeMIDAsAGH-3puh2qcbBANjfDT9XMrtWLUQWlD7SJzPpv7QYJ52c9y0ruG/s320/4c886979-0e5e-4fce-835d-999d38d3123f.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">The 2023 Peak District South & North</span></b></p><p>In these current economic times of high inflation, rising prices and stagnating wages, for many folks these are difficult times. And so it's more crucial than ever that your leisure funds give you greater value and enjoyment. </p><p>Ranger Ultras has also seen a massive hike in event costs, which has led us to change the Peak District South & North to loop routes for the 2023 edition. Doing this has enabled us to cut some costs, absorb other increases and avoid making significant rises in entry fees. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhffYmNSINILbcg3YmV-ubZZWo_oE26ukb0kWrQXiFQFSeoHU7nQSDtn9AChBSiT8NpSkdrbXFcE4-WCQb8ejSy-N8k8Ipsu09zxpC9b_9p1LcdJJZ5IKe-suyRWSRgJoOdH5HWM9l1tVkEMNCtq37jLiu3LT57lA5i_CudPpJx1A1RPP7u-Z_XP4Zq/s4000/20221119_065923.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="4000" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhffYmNSINILbcg3YmV-ubZZWo_oE26ukb0kWrQXiFQFSeoHU7nQSDtn9AChBSiT8NpSkdrbXFcE4-WCQb8ejSy-N8k8Ipsu09zxpC9b_9p1LcdJJZ5IKe-suyRWSRgJoOdH5HWM9l1tVkEMNCtq37jLiu3LT57lA5i_CudPpJx1A1RPP7u-Z_XP4Zq/s320/20221119_065923.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">PS&N entry link<br /></span><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: large;">Choose from Saturday White Peak 50km, Sunday Dark Peak 43km or both...</span></b></p><p><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: medium;">https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/peak-district-south-north/</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1azfD6Lm2awpx4PaQW9WCngxPDx20JW4Of0ei_FG8ofO9_s36fW467BalY4URsNIWULOHMJZ1-FhlPArUQpAI4XRpUilIjEy-YiPBG-NwgUsS05ONIRwomUWvPvq1L_5z4iFHidbW4hxZaJYEHX0PrIGJlnOz41MWhbdN3LDazCGBJVZ9mju8uMT6/s1417/RU%20PSN.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="1417" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1azfD6Lm2awpx4PaQW9WCngxPDx20JW4Of0ei_FG8ofO9_s36fW467BalY4URsNIWULOHMJZ1-FhlPArUQpAI4XRpUilIjEy-YiPBG-NwgUsS05ONIRwomUWvPvq1L_5z4iFHidbW4hxZaJYEHX0PrIGJlnOz41MWhbdN3LDazCGBJVZ9mju8uMT6/w273-h273/RU%20PSN.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><br /><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Stage 2 Sunday - Course Recce Report</span></b><p></p><p>As with all our trail running events, we aim to build comprehensive and informative resources so that both your preparation and race day itself is as smooth and seamless as possible. Leaving you focus and enjoy your endeavours on the trails. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7TQIX1L0NoXN6-U9L04hg6JhBcIV9QBUFI4JVBN1_nFxnbrukTJ7ulTA_WgJ5firBxFeFAFcubZiQQDZyMuE1FyaM73tEt-tE8EP0BhqK0Tr7lDjESUVdpBio4W9aajfL7wjzlmjk5voneIbC7JCDwEP0BWqr2TLjFcd3woOg1xrO1diWq_ULLnw/s9248/IMG_20230120_092456348.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5200" data-original-width="9248" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7TQIX1L0NoXN6-U9L04hg6JhBcIV9QBUFI4JVBN1_nFxnbrukTJ7ulTA_WgJ5firBxFeFAFcubZiQQDZyMuE1FyaM73tEt-tE8EP0BhqK0Tr7lDjESUVdpBio4W9aajfL7wjzlmjk5voneIbC7JCDwEP0BWqr2TLjFcd3woOg1xrO1diWq_ULLnw/s320/IMG_20230120_092456348.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>In this report we cover in detail from Mill Hill 11.5km to Hayfield 22.5km of Sunday's 43km route.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXv2o4J3agkjRsZ1sfaqys24hiJHQ6esMxARsCSN8IwUbkfW84XaaZpbm6ACpEAK_QaPyKDKqZ6jFzst9ayy8A6FSXDL8yLx0Z5prLiEHGrn4w_Oa8WDPajgtPP8w6ZtgywVhWPF-A9IfMCTRyGrYOsB7HEclVNJQ_IKHaT0keaiUywFiOiKgOOSN/s4624/IMG_20230120_095020196_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2600" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXv2o4J3agkjRsZ1sfaqys24hiJHQ6esMxARsCSN8IwUbkfW84XaaZpbm6ACpEAK_QaPyKDKqZ6jFzst9ayy8A6FSXDL8yLx0Z5prLiEHGrn4w_Oa8WDPajgtPP8w6ZtgywVhWPF-A9IfMCTRyGrYOsB7HEclVNJQ_IKHaT0keaiUywFiOiKgOOSN/s320/IMG_20230120_095020196_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>At Mill Hill, do not continue along the Pennine Way. Take the slabbed path to the west.<br />The slabs do become slippery in icy conditions.<br />A pair of pavement crampons / studs to fit over your trail shoes is a wise addition to your kit.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidob0e5pJh8pnNk2TyvT6F7SJAm4JgnlekJpKv02uSlPK8zXB8Ln0OqDJ2LkEZ_xvkAPLxAhfa4KuGAxeJTu1dFXlV7ccmxGInP_GSTdkZ4gTlSjqsYeXOWXPsYhGaZHDvTmlmywY_G6mNIfal3kSrgnsDma_1K4v3fQ5Iws1ExfNTsvV3UIk6GQX/s4624/IMG_20230120_095601015_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2600" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidob0e5pJh8pnNk2TyvT6F7SJAm4JgnlekJpKv02uSlPK8zXB8Ln0OqDJ2LkEZ_xvkAPLxAhfa4KuGAxeJTu1dFXlV7ccmxGInP_GSTdkZ4gTlSjqsYeXOWXPsYhGaZHDvTmlmywY_G6mNIfal3kSrgnsDma_1K4v3fQ5Iws1ExfNTsvV3UIk6GQX/s320/IMG_20230120_095601015_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Past the Lberator aircraft wreck, which crashed in 1944. The two crewmen survived.<br />Up to Burnt Hill. Keep on the slabs. Don't be lured north west onto the trod leading Harry Hut trig point.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOfT6lnS-jnJnwDlJHZofUtXQjOQJVMJfXCDdQo1UaCtznNiVcKGwVGFmwtE_cqFyAzs1ivPjhJRDnrCLJdw6Paifxxpm6RobhYg1Ru1mp6-UE3DAWkC1DqrlRx2TjIcQJtBEZpmktVXq_qU9I6mj2b8FVnp6mvkIrV43Ik_L4XSURgdNlbX7PsS-/s4624/IMG_20230120_101621327_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2600" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOfT6lnS-jnJnwDlJHZofUtXQjOQJVMJfXCDdQo1UaCtznNiVcKGwVGFmwtE_cqFyAzs1ivPjhJRDnrCLJdw6Paifxxpm6RobhYg1Ru1mp6-UE3DAWkC1DqrlRx2TjIcQJtBEZpmktVXq_qU9I6mj2b8FVnp6mvkIrV43Ik_L4XSURgdNlbX7PsS-/s320/IMG_20230120_101621327_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Go directly across the A624 (care!). Keep on the right of the minor road, facing oncoming traffic. There is a verge where you can step off the road itself. Use your headtorch and back light for additional safety.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgetEXPrx5bUEublR2glT_yKmWSTsrjBPDO5xUKdRzZYd2G2dmDGE05sWrABKe2jqSGSTI-bKAxUFKz8FPuTqs66lZPkisM9eTO5kGT3DPYrWeawPbmkfK1m0EPhrclUm6LEnyloi7Us-cbUTJf_RdsMMccjmzORs2zB0A_Z2UNyg1XRObv5GXUPA/s4624/IMG_20230120_102038169_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2600" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgetEXPrx5bUEublR2glT_yKmWSTsrjBPDO5xUKdRzZYd2G2dmDGE05sWrABKe2jqSGSTI-bKAxUFKz8FPuTqs66lZPkisM9eTO5kGT3DPYrWeawPbmkfK1m0EPhrclUm6LEnyloi7Us-cbUTJf_RdsMMccjmzORs2zB0A_Z2UNyg1XRObv5GXUPA/s320/IMG_20230120_102038169_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Join the Pennine Bridleway and follow the trail in a southerly direction.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxj8qnRutCpfbxBGLwAv7NuHH-ONE8gtNsQjHabz-Oz3Uh6533iZKz2MbjZEbrZ33-bw1k1O18y3XHcCaMGoGzXieVtcnbEJSfVoAg4kA173KFYU4-fHHpdTE7zek9YAM6lAMh3_ttVqV31xu8dQjpsb2IYQ1wfbrRDRbCW3CKrSXmM6kC5UJjGTQx/s4624/IMG_20230120_103615315_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2600" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxj8qnRutCpfbxBGLwAv7NuHH-ONE8gtNsQjHabz-Oz3Uh6533iZKz2MbjZEbrZ33-bw1k1O18y3XHcCaMGoGzXieVtcnbEJSfVoAg4kA173KFYU4-fHHpdTE7zek9YAM6lAMh3_ttVqV31xu8dQjpsb2IYQ1wfbrRDRbCW3CKrSXmM6kC5UJjGTQx/s320/IMG_20230120_103615315_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>You can use the public bridleway to cut across the access land at Matley Moor then re-join the Pennine Bridleway. There is a followable trod and also takes your feet off tarmac.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5bdZ42_HoxMwhU8_WVk56OUvecIgPljGU6gpjwLQJxN1JrMTpmZFGMsdJiuUYOkgI0G9LshXqfdPgvXN9ntwOTRX6ZJtMEwUIyjEayD6BYBxNOq1jx8zwmKsZaLOgdf9GihW6ZwlpFa9Dq_NTy849vfKYSlZJnNvZeHsyfKztaSO0CERJfWPhtU4/s4624/IMG_20230120_104226086_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2600" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5bdZ42_HoxMwhU8_WVk56OUvecIgPljGU6gpjwLQJxN1JrMTpmZFGMsdJiuUYOkgI0G9LshXqfdPgvXN9ntwOTRX6ZJtMEwUIyjEayD6BYBxNOq1jx8zwmKsZaLOgdf9GihW6ZwlpFa9Dq_NTy849vfKYSlZJnNvZeHsyfKztaSO0CERJfWPhtU4/s320/IMG_20230120_104226086_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Through the gate near Blackshaw Farm, a fixed finger post will present you with several routes. The prominently Pennine Bridleway crosses open ground. Don't be tempted to handrail the eastern fence line on your left, it will lead you well off-course down to Little Hayfield.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN39Ja3HIoZHGorhgorGCDeYZ6NQVj3eqsmmUe9eTlUrofQPCnHf_YTVn0soKWHQsT-eaHjJyvwhFIC4tvN0HXpoyqJdEllhwElpqJflAxN0rOXQ4eEDbAc7AvZTuV8hOf1ZfYuMPO_iVc1hpCQSvqe8-8EzsBxA7YDhROZEmu0FAvUUinjGGOuWe3/s4624/IMG_20230120_110804357_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2600" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN39Ja3HIoZHGorhgorGCDeYZ6NQVj3eqsmmUe9eTlUrofQPCnHf_YTVn0soKWHQsT-eaHjJyvwhFIC4tvN0HXpoyqJdEllhwElpqJflAxN0rOXQ4eEDbAc7AvZTuV8hOf1ZfYuMPO_iVc1hpCQSvqe8-8EzsBxA7YDhROZEmu0FAvUUinjGGOuWe3/s320/IMG_20230120_110804357_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Around Lantern Pike. On a clear day the views here are far reaching and superb.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEeu4I1m2L7X-l5jIaZ5mBuMqxWsKYz75U6Yl4BgdGIRb277aqoujsARGh2qEOnRH4ZWPtKch756BE7mQTaEahDUaX-ws6gcsdJyIPvFad99I32KC_d1lQq9MtUwJtMVLKo73C6CgOU-YkIGdKY_5dkjG0NioJxDZVoVRle3I_7MFyjZIEJAfxKUGW/s4624/IMG_20230120_111735286_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2600" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEeu4I1m2L7X-l5jIaZ5mBuMqxWsKYz75U6Yl4BgdGIRb277aqoujsARGh2qEOnRH4ZWPtKch756BE7mQTaEahDUaX-ws6gcsdJyIPvFad99I32KC_d1lQq9MtUwJtMVLKo73C6CgOU-YkIGdKY_5dkjG0NioJxDZVoVRle3I_7MFyjZIEJAfxKUGW/s320/IMG_20230120_111735286_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Cross over a minor road, continue on the Pennine Bridleway. You'll pop out near to the Sett Valley Cafe.<br />Turn left (south east) uphill on the pavement. Connect to the Sett Valley Trail, still on the Pennine Bridleway, which takes you east for a couple of kilometers into Hayfield. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9orIhJDKsFPQrJaNOBxD3zXBE6Zhb_5LdG6ZEgur_cG0AFiZ8tvpA-QjwbGZpfC0YqjTeJZnEqanlQYZcT7OaAgnTiZR0oTGsy2aSknntP1jSoUw7SN1VB_Ke1VArhgqXSbyC3bgwNRnzAi-27ZPUOfHjNU7koLjyHojgO7rfhBrPOf1xpUvA-wEt/s9248/IMG_20230120_112246670.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5200" data-original-width="9248" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9orIhJDKsFPQrJaNOBxD3zXBE6Zhb_5LdG6ZEgur_cG0AFiZ8tvpA-QjwbGZpfC0YqjTeJZnEqanlQYZcT7OaAgnTiZR0oTGsy2aSknntP1jSoUw7SN1VB_Ke1VArhgqXSbyC3bgwNRnzAi-27ZPUOfHjNU7koLjyHojgO7rfhBrPOf1xpUvA-wEt/s320/IMG_20230120_112246670.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Before you cross the A624, Marmalade Cafe is open until 3pm on Sunday and is one of our often frequented local favourites.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZwOABZs6kuP6pGOIuZk00WdeQDZwblKKYXXtxg6IAJqX_wwaZ2X0HDPiQzzx3K-dk5KCGIGA6QX2LADAJY_NW-RzzYg7-4eMhlvctHSEHcyVef9Uv-w2Aqj7uvcxt1NvJcY2oEa7wu8miMHoTkRJ9XG9YVyYYto3IDVhUtP8eEWUIkcJlBhWZKPd8/s1080/321567242_1165373247430071_7154333113527687555_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZwOABZs6kuP6pGOIuZk00WdeQDZwblKKYXXtxg6IAJqX_wwaZ2X0HDPiQzzx3K-dk5KCGIGA6QX2LADAJY_NW-RzzYg7-4eMhlvctHSEHcyVef9Uv-w2Aqj7uvcxt1NvJcY2oEa7wu8miMHoTkRJ9XG9YVyYYto3IDVhUtP8eEWUIkcJlBhWZKPd8/s320/321567242_1165373247430071_7154333113527687555_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marmalade Coffee Shop</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Cross the A624 (care!) using the pedesrian crossing or the underpass.</p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Featuring Hayfield</span></b></p><p>Opposite the church is Millie's Cafe, open until 4:30pm on Sunday.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJtuSnk-J7I7y0xQZ1_DuIIOODfQ3pQvOXo5Utvfg0iPOilfjORbrJU2ZCJNYwTMzuKUP8_WqJhiaXewoQZP4zsJtXxaGgwfdpDgQKB-tD2ubYu0q3JajK9hgptv5kopl_UarcTkGqz-hsrTPQW4GT-zU7Gkjvnqbhy473SiZC6JACGXXk4Uq_ZzpB/s1440/313339426_1522867321473641_6517196192403177192_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJtuSnk-J7I7y0xQZ1_DuIIOODfQ3pQvOXo5Utvfg0iPOilfjORbrJU2ZCJNYwTMzuKUP8_WqJhiaXewoQZP4zsJtXxaGgwfdpDgQKB-tD2ubYu0q3JajK9hgptv5kopl_UarcTkGqz-hsrTPQW4GT-zU7Gkjvnqbhy473SiZC6JACGXXk4Uq_ZzpB/s320/313339426_1522867321473641_6517196192403177192_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Millies Cafe and B&B</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Also in Hayfield, although not directly on our route, is Rosie's Cafe, open to around 3 or 4pm on Sunday during the quieter winter months.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia7D2QhiXRk6Pr1_QyMZ-eAg64udMKEMPCu7vhqc93Y8hMRDtgQnj5GYjVu4nOfETlhLj0ode3iP6fcmchH6xCwN0q2b31Z-pfQO2nHS0-OtV6kuOyWR0UYvsCxHTrGV6MBFJRs1L2D9svBvalGdUzYymKJ6pxu1qy9N2Ry-zFxMdeNEPrvLlAyvWK/s960/68558062_2245169325793243_6486058979611901952_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="960" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia7D2QhiXRk6Pr1_QyMZ-eAg64udMKEMPCu7vhqc93Y8hMRDtgQnj5GYjVu4nOfETlhLj0ode3iP6fcmchH6xCwN0q2b31Z-pfQO2nHS0-OtV6kuOyWR0UYvsCxHTrGV6MBFJRs1L2D9svBvalGdUzYymKJ6pxu1qy9N2Ry-zFxMdeNEPrvLlAyvWK/s320/68558062_2245169325793243_6486058979611901952_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosies Cafe also sells delightful local Peak Bean coffee</td></tr></tbody></table><p>If you're reccying the course or enjoying an independent trail run, please call into support one of our established local cafe's. In times gone by, Hayfield was also known as the village with the most pubs in England. There are still five (The Royal Inn, The George, The Sportsman, The Pack Horse, The Kinder) within the immediate village itself, with several more in the close surrounding area. On our race route you'll see an excellent Italian restaurant, The Collosseo. There are also grocery shops which sell take away sandwiches and other hill-food.<br /></p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Featuring Race HQ: The Peak Centre, Edale</span></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_0V5EwWPtobs5ZwFq6QgNWL5vw-ACYNC2vO4xMevrm67vX7E3V8VVqqporZVxQSnueLSMdJQ3vuOm8Y0I9zzEw0gtH38BGFcw0spnsxLiwnXEqZ8yslftZ0Eb_WuLtYOEv9hpUh5yMM0iGX8fVmH2LCM1HuMVrdd7d_MRW_Ijyc5D7RbBTcMyagX/s1440/313986138_647194857110126_2634617001926231937_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="754" data-original-width="1440" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_0V5EwWPtobs5ZwFq6QgNWL5vw-ACYNC2vO4xMevrm67vX7E3V8VVqqporZVxQSnueLSMdJQ3vuOm8Y0I9zzEw0gtH38BGFcw0spnsxLiwnXEqZ8yslftZ0Eb_WuLtYOEv9hpUh5yMM0iGX8fVmH2LCM1HuMVrdd7d_MRW_Ijyc5D7RbBTcMyagX/s320/313986138_647194857110126_2634617001926231937_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>For several years I've worked as a guest instructor for the Peak Centre. Guiding walks, bushcraft, adventurous activites and experiential learning for young people and adult groups. The centre is a superb facility for residential groups.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0EjmpGDBL8olD6l1A1QFvXhJJ7rRLZDE5eibGIWEoGaKaOVKzX-loWiapuMbowbvULvGQRtZ4J9ZDgTTUgO4CpgV0MP24m1bGSEq54y6Dof2Sr1zWVABkXei4gOL5KSio9c0N0Qv7VVM5xK8ZKC2HEQPnOE9sr5D3zBqLlJm1H2U07MNNmosGv2o/s4000/20221120_153235.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="4000" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0EjmpGDBL8olD6l1A1QFvXhJJ7rRLZDE5eibGIWEoGaKaOVKzX-loWiapuMbowbvULvGQRtZ4J9ZDgTTUgO4CpgV0MP24m1bGSEq54y6Dof2Sr1zWVABkXei4gOL5KSio9c0N0Qv7VVM5xK8ZKC2HEQPnOE9sr5D3zBqLlJm1H2U07MNNmosGv2o/s320/20221120_153235.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The centre gives us the opportunity to offer a number of race places with bunkroom accomodation and breakfast. Non-residential race places are also available and all participants are equally welcome. The Peak District South & North is a straightforward event to enter and also very cost effective for folks travelling from outside the local area. Add to this, we have a festival atmosphere in the main hall with table top stalls selling all sorts of goodies: Al's La Chocoalatina artisan chocolates, Paul's East Yorkshire Honey, Lorraine's Quilting, Georgina's Artwork, Jo Barrett's Sports Massage Therapy, Pete's Nutty Poo Bar.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09amb_9ZHCC4fCuim3L8yZB8M6iHF5Mcjq-sJe3iDEYD5cMBqC-5fWqVvB-gyNWVMc_SEM65-vbLWMZMztM0bWJBiQQuRvansuDXlHGLtjvpnXhs0I3F_lLk9iLLSCnqZUb3I3N8tSE20fide4dt70643CMnNn9IYq_hHYZcuholpqbhdruz5IiJi/s4624/IMG_20211121_192806765.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09amb_9ZHCC4fCuim3L8yZB8M6iHF5Mcjq-sJe3iDEYD5cMBqC-5fWqVvB-gyNWVMc_SEM65-vbLWMZMztM0bWJBiQQuRvansuDXlHGLtjvpnXhs0I3F_lLk9iLLSCnqZUb3I3N8tSE20fide4dt70643CMnNn9IYq_hHYZcuholpqbhdruz5IiJi/s320/IMG_20211121_192806765.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"><b>Ranger Ultras PB Race Collection</b></span><div><br /></div><div>As of this year, the Peak District South & North becomes part of our Pennine Bridleway race collection, with engaging sections of this classic and iconic nation trail included on the course.</div><div><br /></div><div>Each of our PB races gives you a progression and experiential journey. From the short 18km to our multi-day 270km, you can hone your skills with us all along the way.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our other races in our Ranger Ultras PB Collection are...<br /><br />Pennine Bridleway PB270km in 100 hours Trail Challenge<br />(Our multi-day, expedition style, trail running adventure, journeying the length of the trail from Middleton Top to Kirkby Stephen. Brimming with quality and great value)</div><div><a href="https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb270/"><span style="color: #ffa400;">https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb270/</span></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Pennine Bridleway PB137km in 50 hours Trail Challenge</div><div>(Journey the northern section of this iconc trail)</div><div><a href="https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb137-pennine-bridleway-trail-challenge/"><span style="color: #ffa400;">https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb137-pennine-bridleway-trail-challenge/</span></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Pennine Bridleway PB55km <br />(Hayfield to Chee Dale and back. A great day on the trail, all on the PB)</div><div><span style="color: #ffa400;">https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb55-ultra/</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Pennine Bridleway PB18km<br />(Hayfield to Rushup Edge and back. A short, but hilly, trail adventure all on the PB)</div><div><a href="https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb18-trail/"><span style="color: #ffa400;">https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb18-trail/</span></a></div><div><br /></div><div>High Peak 70/100km Ultra</div><div>(Looking for a fast 100km time? This race is for you. Some inclines and small hills to add variety with engaging trails and elements of the PB)</div><div><a href="https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/high-peak-100km-ultra/"><span style="color: #ffa400;">https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/high-peak-100km-ultra/</span></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Yorkshire 3 Peak 70/100km Ultra</div><div>(A classic hill day, with a short section of the PB included. Ranger Ultras created the original ultra distance version of the Yorkshire 3 Peaks)</div><div><a href="https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/y3p-ultra/"><span style="color: #ffa400;">https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/y3p-ultra/</span></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Pen Y Ghent 50km<br />(Hilly and undulating, a short section of PB, just nudging into ultra distance and a great day's trail running)</div><div><a href="https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pyg-ultra/"><span style="color: #ffa400;">https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pyg-ultra/</span></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLnFRj4Gxho_akpza9V21Z0djic0H7b3lPkRcQpuDK1nFYamcO7EIEkC9uiZUKru5M9bp-BjUHeRCvDjR7yn2apnDc9W6Xs3p7X-JC412a4gkGsDXuK5Lnj6F_pdX8RcuRDhtUXa_ndYq39G2Kw1z_zXXWzzdKvHjN--GX5D-JAuW0NueW8MTYpLG8/s1240/RU%20Trail%20Running%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1240" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLnFRj4Gxho_akpza9V21Z0djic0H7b3lPkRcQpuDK1nFYamcO7EIEkC9uiZUKru5M9bp-BjUHeRCvDjR7yn2apnDc9W6Xs3p7X-JC412a4gkGsDXuK5Lnj6F_pdX8RcuRDhtUXa_ndYq39G2Kw1z_zXXWzzdKvHjN--GX5D-JAuW0NueW8MTYpLG8/w263-h263/RU%20Trail%20Running%203.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div></div>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-69774369364255860882023-01-21T17:35:00.005+00:002023-01-22T15:50:25.663+00:00#079 Your trail to the PB137km & PB270km - Part 5<p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>In this, the last part of our 'Your trail to' series, we share further course details and highlights from the Settle checkpoint to finish at Kirkby Stephen.</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7ubn4jdEyawkqJI9bwvhNZ5Upbe6N5RmyoZTv1pu4XuzlRMceiU-S4J5WTZ4r4_SiTf7vTLpEPrhMjSJi8qy7DlctgVBMcaSHNiLAt0PKBfMLMlypQsG4KSHoRSE45oVzOf0gtXtyqjf-XxLxye80dYB1HG2j6A8-CzlNoUUOpYodCoyVQH5aEVW/s3456/DSC_0151%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3456" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7ubn4jdEyawkqJI9bwvhNZ5Upbe6N5RmyoZTv1pu4XuzlRMceiU-S4J5WTZ4r4_SiTf7vTLpEPrhMjSJi8qy7DlctgVBMcaSHNiLAt0PKBfMLMlypQsG4KSHoRSE45oVzOf0gtXtyqjf-XxLxye80dYB1HG2j6A8-CzlNoUUOpYodCoyVQH5aEVW/s320/DSC_0151%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>For PB137 participants, Settle is your mid-course checkpoint, where you have access to your drop bag.<br /><a href="http://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb137-pennine-bridleway-trail-challenge/">http://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb137-pennine-bridleway-trail-challenge/</a></p><p>For PB270 participants, Settle is your third indoor checkpoint location and drop bag access.<br /><a href="http://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb270/">http://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb270/</a></p><p>At Settle, there will be showers, toilets and floorspace for sleeping. We'll also be cooking up tasty hot meals, dessert and anytime 'breakfast'. So you're rested, refreshed and ready to re-join the trail. There will also be hot drinks, soft drinks and snacks.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHLKdhIoJEXonr32CzD8HXUWzMOAo3NZnRWG_jTmt4UgZFwSdW9xpJtN2M28YFpS7obco9sXe0LSJte6GhnDDmGkZBYvYuZ8zltO5s-soozYWM0G2picxC8Sa1rk5ruglllc6dfuiVmQZVPjKdhhryWAP2qtEy7ekFs6KrwGrQuXD2T6jSDujmHIJ/s7411/PB270%20food%201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6267" data-original-width="7411" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHLKdhIoJEXonr32CzD8HXUWzMOAo3NZnRWG_jTmt4UgZFwSdW9xpJtN2M28YFpS7obco9sXe0LSJte6GhnDDmGkZBYvYuZ8zltO5s-soozYWM0G2picxC8Sa1rk5ruglllc6dfuiVmQZVPjKdhhryWAP2qtEy7ekFs6KrwGrQuXD2T6jSDujmHIJ/s320/PB270%20food%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pasta in a creamy sauce with mushrooms, courgette<br />and extra mature cheddar cheese.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>As much as we're super proud of our hospitality and food offerings, it's the trail that is the star of the show, so we'll chat more about the route...</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNP5Y2RUosF_-Ljj4vxTkJU4dlQ8YD3jUI_-DKxAZ5n0uDiCJK2WLS050cA4YHrepfTPaMBZxJsAEtCggQyQYipSbUbW4g19151X5Wix_MQw9cwiyF-6AKrKgDYYL4Sbl8eLI0SH7h4v67T5c316xr5py83VUigDVgFuahorOFbZmiDSx1LRv33mo/s2048/300374265_10160570124886454_3461037125001453324_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNP5Y2RUosF_-Ljj4vxTkJU4dlQ8YD3jUI_-DKxAZ5n0uDiCJK2WLS050cA4YHrepfTPaMBZxJsAEtCggQyQYipSbUbW4g19151X5Wix_MQw9cwiyF-6AKrKgDYYL4Sbl8eLI0SH7h4v67T5c316xr5py83VUigDVgFuahorOFbZmiDSx1LRv33mo/s320/300374265_10160570124886454_3461037125001453324_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p>Just after you pass through the village of Stainforth and cross a narrow stone bridge, Stainforth Force waterfall is on your left side. Admittedly, this is not the best vantage point as the 2.5 metre cascade is 50 metres downstream. But worth a visit if you're on a route recce, or looking for a nice location for a mid race mini-break.</p><p>At Austwick there is a short deviation from the Pennine Bridleway, cutting through the village and avoiding a longer on-road section. The village itself has been a settlement since the Bronze Age with archeological finds in the area dating back 4000 years.</p><p>Following the Twaite Lane and Long Lane tracks, your journey into remote Dales country, threading a line across the limestone moors between Ingleborough and Horton-In-Ribbesdale. Then you join the Pennine Way, for an ascent up to Cam End and on to Kidhow, then breaking away westward to Gayle Moor. </p><p>The route over Cam Fell is a Roman Road, so although easy to follow, this section can feel very exposed in extremes of poor or hot weather. I can attest to this, having journeyed over this route in mid- summer. While sipping from my water bottle in the meagre 10 inches of shade offered by a stone wall, I thought the only reason why the Romans had built a road this high and far from decent resupply, was that no rebellious Celtic tribe could be arsed to hike up and attack it!</p><p>North, over Dent Fell and Garsdale Common. At Garsdale railway station is the statue of Ruswarp, a collie dog with a remarkable story...<br /><br /><i><span style="color: #04ff00;">"Ruswarp belonged to Graham Nuttall, the first Secretary of the Friends of the Settle–Carlisle Line, which was formed to campaign against the proposed closure of the line. The line was finally saved in 1989. In January 1990 Nuttall and Ruswarp went missing in the Welsh mountains. On 7 April 1990 a lone walker found Nuttall's body, by a mountain stream. Nearby was Ruswarp, so weak that the 14-year-old dog had to be carried off the mountain. He had stayed with his master's body for 11 winter weeks. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals awarded Ruswarp their Animal Medallion and collar for 'vigilance' and their Animal Plaque for 'intelligence and courage'. He survived long enough to attend Nuttall's funeral" </span></i><span style="color: #04ff00;">(source wikipedia)</span></p><p>After the Moorcock Inn, the PBW joins The High Way.</p><p>Facilities at Stennerskeugh, the current PBW finish are somewhat limited. So on reaching The Thrang, you carry on northward, where the Pennine Jouney trail handrails the River Eden. You'll pass the ruin of Pendragon Castle, according to legend, built by Uther Pendragon father of King Arthur. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6FK_iZTfgKG6s8kbJUCjj4Hc1w-NWG8l9XBO5rbXVag8dtKI0bjIgpZLmXwA80WbCjePVS5ApSwxmG1VijKuhUyiYbO6YVyoMfRW3STNndziHgWeJeaWgv7EWKym0SML1HhnPth55Ppc5xWAj_-IFc9kYlCzpP1ygP5-3GwLyJFpKRIdSALbQLFi/s2563/DSC_0270%204.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1857" data-original-width="2563" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6FK_iZTfgKG6s8kbJUCjj4Hc1w-NWG8l9XBO5rbXVag8dtKI0bjIgpZLmXwA80WbCjePVS5ApSwxmG1VijKuhUyiYbO6YVyoMfRW3STNndziHgWeJeaWgv7EWKym0SML1HhnPth55Ppc5xWAj_-IFc9kYlCzpP1ygP5-3GwLyJFpKRIdSALbQLFi/s320/DSC_0270%204.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Focused on the finish</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Although, at this point, you'll likely be much more focused upon the final 6km to the finish.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL85AXKc5Bh_i9eO7IDUOhktMvwg6cNSzxGygwsOptuc5iuOdAfKCYo-fwxI_8Pi0U0lgo0XYTAuf1m7khcDq0gX5r03SICd5xHs3yLcvyGoK0LD3LgPeZjRgiZpz3A7D93NXjtFnObmk3HPn2mUcGHz260WX-Q5_U6jhgjNdNJBepuU7r9gA_5OeL/s2000/IMG_5948LR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL85AXKc5Bh_i9eO7IDUOhktMvwg6cNSzxGygwsOptuc5iuOdAfKCYo-fwxI_8Pi0U0lgo0XYTAuf1m7khcDq0gX5r03SICd5xHs3yLcvyGoK0LD3LgPeZjRgiZpz3A7D93NXjtFnObmk3HPn2mUcGHz260WX-Q5_U6jhgjNdNJBepuU7r9gA_5OeL/s320/IMG_5948LR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finishers' bedrooms in hostel</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>At Kirkby Stephen we have a really treat for you with exclusive use of the hostel. Included in your entry is a bed for the night, celebratory meal and all our usual hospitality. Your drop bag will be ready, so you can freshen up and change into your going home clothes. <p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN74BhN6u5YyEVzxpzS5LY15SL5cKWqynCwmPEy7xpMyrhEMlMcjUDQONg1iTNPIxgut0hVwuLOgFSRbQFI7c2RHmt74zq7tDd8j8gnD-1cef-Xp9maRO3i-02Ulhuj08xuiBfPSptgqY2FGpgy_-ICEmGl5tSSwyOp3E6FzS1Q66wcGnje18fgR-F/s2048/IMG_5885A.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1686" data-original-width="2048" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN74BhN6u5YyEVzxpzS5LY15SL5cKWqynCwmPEy7xpMyrhEMlMcjUDQONg1iTNPIxgut0hVwuLOgFSRbQFI7c2RHmt74zq7tDd8j8gnD-1cef-Xp9maRO3i-02Ulhuj08xuiBfPSptgqY2FGpgy_-ICEmGl5tSSwyOp3E6FzS1Q66wcGnje18fgR-F/s320/IMG_5885A.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Relaxing space in hostel lounge </td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>After being presented with your eco-coaster-medal, there's lots of indoor communal space where you can relax into an armchair and relive the adventure with fellow finishers. Also, we've specially commissioned Matt Clayton <i>Cider House Oak</i> trophies for the fastest lady and man in both the PB137 and PB270.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSIIHNseOvdjWvhlFlcouA_N3B8IZwYauH4DSyFdyoW7Nwj5qs_bMWNXK6KgSmkUckFohcd5X2sQmn8yN9hJXYcnzQMWLhN4rZmwUT0igl9-3DxtnuRZ46NziATbrLK_LneVbOEXt_R63kYs8OfYQkiWiddcyO0JPbgDesmVEoxdBK5ivMEDR06uV2/s2048/274220145_10224010184536030_6391800906363675700_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1538" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSIIHNseOvdjWvhlFlcouA_N3B8IZwYauH4DSyFdyoW7Nwj5qs_bMWNXK6KgSmkUckFohcd5X2sQmn8yN9hJXYcnzQMWLhN4rZmwUT0igl9-3DxtnuRZ46NziATbrLK_LneVbOEXt_R63kYs8OfYQkiWiddcyO0JPbgDesmVEoxdBK5ivMEDR06uV2/s320/274220145_10224010184536030_6391800906363675700_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt Clayton, Cider House Oak, Winners Trophies <br />in Pennine Bridleway waymark style</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Although we'll have tasty home cooked dinner for you in the hostel, within a minute's walk are local pubs and restaurants for a little extra celebratory libation. You'll be well served for choice in town if you have a particular post-race craving for curry, oriental or traditional pub grub. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4R77L9f_f-1uOLzNl5Vs0u7ecnAhCRGH3HHlMdK7HtnfWxKLubN8BAbXBgMvQIhh9vPK2NJwG4fIKIb8cz8ugNs_tbP25nL2QFkbGwtTQnqOBjNrfqaNyhPPUts9UBXjWqCkqfDltYZOgSc7zvNWcLhm2a2BBZqhiMIhPn4vPPnYtQDzGa8AtJ7WU/s2048/PB270%20food%203.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1686" data-original-width="2048" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4R77L9f_f-1uOLzNl5Vs0u7ecnAhCRGH3HHlMdK7HtnfWxKLubN8BAbXBgMvQIhh9vPK2NJwG4fIKIb8cz8ugNs_tbP25nL2QFkbGwtTQnqOBjNrfqaNyhPPUts9UBXjWqCkqfDltYZOgSc7zvNWcLhm2a2BBZqhiMIhPn4vPPnYtQDzGa8AtJ7WU/s320/PB270%20food%203.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our specialties: East African <i>mwali na maharage </i><br />(rice & beans with avocado and sautéed banana)</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>Having completed the Ranger Ultras' Pennine Bridleway trail challenge, no doubt there will be many uplifting, perhaps even transformational, memories for you to savour. <br /><br />The PB137 & PB270 are held in April, so you can enjoy a balance of longer daylight hours, with weather which slots between the extreme cold of winter and heat of mid-summer. As can be seen from the kit list, we still want you to be sensibly prepared for the changeable British weather.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_TX9is7pnm5Il6oWbUrxXcNehVAl-IkVcbs_FMMlo61-Dhft7aX4YrYaog1_Z-M4DWojej2C3lD9JtgzTXWrrY4dZkJr4UmidF_JI1FLNmzaG5K0U7YXMW5uenpLLlfB72AaMQQv43ovtKXmS_Nz_oNj2LOc9aNiVRma1c_PIlxU0IhhgH8oyJ-c/s1039/PB270_FB6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="779" data-original-width="1039" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_TX9is7pnm5Il6oWbUrxXcNehVAl-IkVcbs_FMMlo61-Dhft7aX4YrYaog1_Z-M4DWojej2C3lD9JtgzTXWrrY4dZkJr4UmidF_JI1FLNmzaG5K0U7YXMW5uenpLLlfB72AaMQQv43ovtKXmS_Nz_oNj2LOc9aNiVRma1c_PIlxU0IhhgH8oyJ-c/s320/PB270_FB6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Pennine Bridleway is an epic national trail. Having read this blog series and watched our recce videos, we hope you too can see that it offers superb trail running, gorgeous scenery and relatively straightforward navigation, aided by a lot of recently refurbished fixed waymarking.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's time not to think of the Pennine Bridleway as solely for mountain bikes and horses. Indeed, as regular trail users, we see few of either. It is a quiet route that could have been made for trail running. Trails where you can lift your head, soak in the scenery and find your running 'flow'. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTa3rtZUfXO6E5JlEF14UleKJCRlUS1h4zn9IkUpN8GAznic3ZNaET7sUWqLqBb2ST_G1WWfIzxMw2xMaMl48GjwBDG_y4RqM_ndJAltGEo-h5bol1yfKkUgps0tW5C2HlJMRah8XwC1RZDVQPABVey1TPQpqzUF4uyvgZRJBdO5aR2bIR1kmVitv4/s3456/56951173_453261025215660_1512798450721226752_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3456" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTa3rtZUfXO6E5JlEF14UleKJCRlUS1h4zn9IkUpN8GAznic3ZNaET7sUWqLqBb2ST_G1WWfIzxMw2xMaMl48GjwBDG_y4RqM_ndJAltGEo-h5bol1yfKkUgps0tW5C2HlJMRah8XwC1RZDVQPABVey1TPQpqzUF4uyvgZRJBdO5aR2bIR1kmVitv4/s320/56951173_453261025215660_1512798450721226752_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Both the PB137 and PB270 are meant to be challenging races and we've designed them to be that way. However, they are also accessible to participants new to multi-day trail running as well as more experienced runners. So, even if you aspire to more extreme events, these are quality races in their own right, where you can hone your skills and race craft.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>“A multi day race experience that is comparable to some of the big ones out there” </b></span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>With generous timings and online resources to help you prepare, our races offer a realistic chance of finishing. Which gives you the best possible value for your entry and time on the trail. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>At Ranger Ultras, we're all about sharing adventures, facilitating success and celebrating achievement, from the winner to the<i> lanterne rouge </i>finisher.</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfyx2F2G3tzLu0q7EDDUc5cTGrNSysjp3vqi1Vw8dJPZSRxhyHbHteHhMNqzHaQ0PxgSCtO4SYoeLmhmNL4WiqOIpC4n49D_jcPnNtsUBNyrIqs_dnfGN69GYXAHvVWlOmKT2ec7E4NdVuxUXSEsZGoQrISAX6jWcBD6feNb1pGa3OqU4YZkLKvXY/s1359/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-04-20%20at%204.32.15%20PM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="971" data-original-width="1359" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfyx2F2G3tzLu0q7EDDUc5cTGrNSysjp3vqi1Vw8dJPZSRxhyHbHteHhMNqzHaQ0PxgSCtO4SYoeLmhmNL4WiqOIpC4n49D_jcPnNtsUBNyrIqs_dnfGN69GYXAHvVWlOmKT2ec7E4NdVuxUXSEsZGoQrISAX6jWcBD6feNb1pGa3OqU4YZkLKvXY/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-04-20%20at%204.32.15%20PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Come and grab yourself a large slice of multi-day trail running action...<br /><br /><a href="https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb137-pennine-bridleway-trail-challenge/" target="_blank">Click 'here' to enter the Ranger Ultras PB137</a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQnATVzJMvYzQGEKTPBEp_8q9WBM5Ah4vAGvhcgurWyrRHhQxA-h3nPI09Ch1TTf560ituwQk6_nKqXPi48uK0-uI6ABAauKQUeN0OM0zjz0ppKKX6SxrAn6fVsO6Uvu5oVX_s2xftuRI_Hkv_YhBVj6I4Z1g656WRQGRUu15nnK8i55DUefk3XCF/s1417/PBTC%20137.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="1417" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQnATVzJMvYzQGEKTPBEp_8q9WBM5Ah4vAGvhcgurWyrRHhQxA-h3nPI09Ch1TTf560ituwQk6_nKqXPi48uK0-uI6ABAauKQUeN0OM0zjz0ppKKX6SxrAn6fVsO6Uvu5oVX_s2xftuRI_Hkv_YhBVj6I4Z1g656WRQGRUu15nnK8i55DUefk3XCF/w150-h150/PBTC%20137.jpg" width="150" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb270/" target="_blank">Click 'here' to enter the Ranger Ultras PB270</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rOej6ebUgCiu_Z_EqLOVvEt6EoX7oDDdgoaadHTTipDa1XpdPvaRk-euIgnNgfXzCHQn1fcadrE6IU4Ai3Zk5tum47gqoewVBB4rvdwPElgo7J4YUwrzfFsqQAlu5YpbrOJGoWOb_4ujnYXEt5Ab8G7uYC26Z328u_6nO7B_3PqLTJM_JhWg7TFR/s1417/PBTC.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="1417" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rOej6ebUgCiu_Z_EqLOVvEt6EoX7oDDdgoaadHTTipDa1XpdPvaRk-euIgnNgfXzCHQn1fcadrE6IU4Ai3Zk5tum47gqoewVBB4rvdwPElgo7J4YUwrzfFsqQAlu5YpbrOJGoWOb_4ujnYXEt5Ab8G7uYC26Z328u_6nO7B_3PqLTJM_JhWg7TFR/w160-h160/PBTC.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><p><br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-22951376089110417262023-01-20T15:36:00.008+00:002023-01-20T16:25:02.788+00:00#078 Your trail to the PB137km & PB270km - Part 4<p><a href="https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb137-pennine-bridleway-trail-challenge/" target="_blank">Ranger Ultras' PB137km Pennine Bridleway Trail Running Challenge</a><br /><a href="https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb270/" target="_blank">Ranger Ultras' PB270km Pennine Bridleway Trail Running Challenge</a><br /><br /><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Hebden Hey to Settle </span></b><br /><br />In this edition of 'Your trail to' we welcome PB137km participants to the Ranger Ultras trail running party.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqBkRxR9lRFIBu21diG3Zfa_TTW2GA2RPJe1j6OYzy7HM_n7xp7f_yveCX_BK2lVcHEWLn8CvwmONfhfQz27UxafcNsH7OCRfTPrvH28siqEoQaouYdXeUrx97PiMuGKX1U02X_i4gn4LALGtx5ZPiJ9axExfPXCjcb9zCedJbEDE8Zr3xAKR7Lz2d/s9248/IMG_20220305_121734311.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqBkRxR9lRFIBu21diG3Zfa_TTW2GA2RPJe1j6OYzy7HM_n7xp7f_yveCX_BK2lVcHEWLn8CvwmONfhfQz27UxafcNsH7OCRfTPrvH28siqEoQaouYdXeUrx97PiMuGKX1U02X_i4gn4LALGtx5ZPiJ9axExfPXCjcb9zCedJbEDE8Zr3xAKR7Lz2d/s320/IMG_20220305_121734311.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>At Hebden Hey, PB137 participants gather on the Wednesday evening for race registration, kit check, number & tracker issue, evening meal and bunkroom bed for the night. There aren't many convenient options for private accommodation nearby to Hebden Hey, hence the all-inclusive bed, dinner and breakfast. Which ensures everyone is on-site and ready for the PB137 start early on Thursday morning.</p><p>(Note: PB270 participants have a much wider variety of accessible, private accommodation, choices and hearty pub / restaurant meals in and around Hayfield for their Tuesday evening registration & overnight).</p><p>The fastest PB270 runners may arrive at the Hebden Hey checkpoint before the PB137 start. This is fine, we'll have a hot meal ready, sleeping and shower facilities available for you. From 2022 timings, we anticipate the the majority of PB270 runners will arrive during the Thursday and evening.</p><p>Out of Hebden Hey, participants will retrace their inbound route the 2.5km back to the Pennine Bridleway.</p><p>The course to Settle is truly superb. A scenic feast for the eyes and trails which keep on giving.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ugcI0NXvLrBeYAw5pBv0lqtkP9uK-v1huKVW6fuZyFtCffJFEA-RcfQOu5EEl05kJRNNSy-z_g5GpE9zFdM3NrpshQ4BZmNlTzcLBP16JGagjKDXDYUgzteyw8HcSpAJ5yQoxfdlTeyJfG4VMO_o9m6UsGbl1oe5Qdmm80VF02oSacQPnI7vxDEv/s960/300003939_10160570115011454_7129537478217043471_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="960" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ugcI0NXvLrBeYAw5pBv0lqtkP9uK-v1huKVW6fuZyFtCffJFEA-RcfQOu5EEl05kJRNNSy-z_g5GpE9zFdM3NrpshQ4BZmNlTzcLBP16JGagjKDXDYUgzteyw8HcSpAJ5yQoxfdlTeyJfG4VMO_o9m6UsGbl1oe5Qdmm80VF02oSacQPnI7vxDEv/s320/300003939_10160570115011454_7129537478217043471_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The varied surfaces invite you to make forward positive progress. Rarely on the Pennine Bridleway will you be mired in a boggy suffer-fest. </p><p>The following recce report takes a deep dive into Hebden Hey to Wycoller...<br /><br /><a href="http://stuwestfield.blogspot.com/2022/03/062-hebden-to-wycoller-recce-ranger.html"><b>http://stuwestfield.blogspot.com/2022/03/062-hebden-to-wycoller-recce-ranger.html</b></a></p><p>Plus, here's John Figiel's accompanying short film...</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14R4wZcsQ-o"><b>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14R4wZcsQ-o</b></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjEAHFbLLqi4d1DVqGYuGTCVd3lnSLgRfotxRNdalEAgNzv1uLHpl6CYWpSTeS15LayPaxta53l8Hhpb1DvBMvgigNTzFfvPJ2Hk7qHXhpl0Pm558xeX43-S_rbYvtgZjMTG64T396e4JJcdqu8zCgL3_I3UEBh2Ju-pNTQsNkhS-3lRQulVVBxJUG/s9248/IMG_20220305_153456678.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjEAHFbLLqi4d1DVqGYuGTCVd3lnSLgRfotxRNdalEAgNzv1uLHpl6CYWpSTeS15LayPaxta53l8Hhpb1DvBMvgigNTzFfvPJ2Hk7qHXhpl0Pm558xeX43-S_rbYvtgZjMTG64T396e4JJcdqu8zCgL3_I3UEBh2Ju-pNTQsNkhS-3lRQulVVBxJUG/s320/IMG_20220305_153456678.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>At Wycoller, there are public toilets and a picnic area with benches, making this a ideal location to pause for a mini-break. The ruins are the 16th Century Wycoller Hall, believed to be the inspiration for Ferndean Manor in Charlotte Bronte's<i> Jayne Eyre.</i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjngSlYg4QF9QmFT1R86S1p-zwHPhbayEAc6nz7s96EvbKk1Og_4Qu6-zIdAcWwQj4O2QooyD41SbSQidIqi1TJq6aUZDx5t4CnWtaTE1ZOIVc0WXSmSzqY3_hoZ9k0u0ybOVko_cXeRRYPFJDj_0yeLSdtcNCxdphJqC2zAS9zcvKeULjFJoHtaR8-/s9248/IMG_20220305_153504942.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjngSlYg4QF9QmFT1R86S1p-zwHPhbayEAc6nz7s96EvbKk1Og_4Qu6-zIdAcWwQj4O2QooyD41SbSQidIqi1TJq6aUZDx5t4CnWtaTE1ZOIVc0WXSmSzqY3_hoZ9k0u0ybOVko_cXeRRYPFJDj_0yeLSdtcNCxdphJqC2zAS9zcvKeULjFJoHtaR8-/s320/IMG_20220305_153504942.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Opposite is a 15th Century, twin arched, packhorse bridge. Scenes from <i>The Railway Children </i>(1970 version) were filmed here. Underneath flows Wycoller Beck, which is your companion on the approach to the hamlet. You'll also see the Clam Bridge, a simple rock slab spanning the beck, thought to be more than 1000 years old. Closer to Wycoller Hall is a late 18th Century clapper bridge.</p><p>You'll circle around Gisburn, a village mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book. If you think the name sounds familiar, Guy of Gisburn, of Robin Hood fame, was said to have been born here.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrR3u143WvdyxoP6c-B1QKLurS4LoVQzRMYVZAlaMgIUxpYzBnJPT31vEQ1PbGS8F0dmX7qpi8qp_O8Dwddq8gcCSwS_iTIi1VbDsg-BPxW5if5W1vVAjoTkpAJ-S1yAeBu7Rc1CZbDyHgzHvXh0_-oJYwnX8BFDfhdUEOgaiuwqZRJnocoIHaxWd/s2048/300363569_10160570123851454_8423850630867314650_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrR3u143WvdyxoP6c-B1QKLurS4LoVQzRMYVZAlaMgIUxpYzBnJPT31vEQ1PbGS8F0dmX7qpi8qp_O8Dwddq8gcCSwS_iTIi1VbDsg-BPxW5if5W1vVAjoTkpAJ-S1yAeBu7Rc1CZbDyHgzHvXh0_-oJYwnX8BFDfhdUEOgaiuwqZRJnocoIHaxWd/s320/300363569_10160570123851454_8423850630867314650_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The Pennine Bridleway continues through the magnificent Yorkshire Dales, passing through small villages and hamlets on route. In the next edition, we journey from Settle to the finish in Kirkby Stephen.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAEc7MONSQPz0Ym1LeERDBbk-Zd4Wx5kAUjEfFjUWGkiFhuaSBNN_f38N0Qq8jHYM3JLZxi2a7g_lMIAXDO_1WSvy8WtL1x1za3Ybc5g6xLoCColdpnt1efl2SmvYn5iQeLIvDp6qZrWEPgkfSR143rL3X6ldAeaWA0o-PBGLCVJSyf-RhmNlskMv/s2048/300374265_10160570124886454_3461037125001453324_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAEc7MONSQPz0Ym1LeERDBbk-Zd4Wx5kAUjEfFjUWGkiFhuaSBNN_f38N0Qq8jHYM3JLZxi2a7g_lMIAXDO_1WSvy8WtL1x1za3Ybc5g6xLoCColdpnt1efl2SmvYn5iQeLIvDp6qZrWEPgkfSR143rL3X6ldAeaWA0o-PBGLCVJSyf-RhmNlskMv/s320/300374265_10160570124886454_3461037125001453324_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>If you like your trails experience uplifting, a feast for the eyes and full of enjoyment then our Ranger Ultras PB race series is for you. We've strived to include so many facilities all along the route: From the start, to providing beds to rest and meal after you've finished, at a price which offers great value. All our events reach out as broadly as we can to the trail running community. </p><p>We look forward to welcoming you to this special multi-day adventure...</p><p><a href="https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb137-pennine-bridleway-trail-challenge/" target="_blank"><b>Click 'here' to enter the PB137</b></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuCT-El2CxUPxQp2HjUCTXKowMqPniN_SKk__lq-1b7UMnnj4Nce8qrVah2wD-WjqPs4BngpM2NrsklsBZ_yCqtwf3DQKBart4MjjjQsjHlY_CrBcUy_43qcngVZ1SCM9DcWg2khNY8V9Pt2Rk6gfJIVpKAyQ-ASPFmowfYrlw9sgAcWDDBR8hVUs/s1417/PBTC%20137.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="1417" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuCT-El2CxUPxQp2HjUCTXKowMqPniN_SKk__lq-1b7UMnnj4Nce8qrVah2wD-WjqPs4BngpM2NrsklsBZ_yCqtwf3DQKBart4MjjjQsjHlY_CrBcUy_43qcngVZ1SCM9DcWg2khNY8V9Pt2Rk6gfJIVpKAyQ-ASPFmowfYrlw9sgAcWDDBR8hVUs/w136-h136/PBTC%20137.jpg" width="136" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb270/" target="_blank"><b>Click 'here' to enter the PB270</b></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkTfcjeX7q5fHpo4X3NV5u7gIOjGTmO5WWFUqTP55AEPwAMEOlLiQyh2nirbbu_BZ4t1bLQZWuIv3XEcBdVTn_JxTabsSxPSVvzFvSH7Xr2gLr9ahCpmpChv73tcF-bJ2DDGrUG6x7Z3DRzfOwXj32qRxVqxmrqNr-EWNxnrWUGba_4Tzbx5y21lom/s1417/PBTC.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="1417" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkTfcjeX7q5fHpo4X3NV5u7gIOjGTmO5WWFUqTP55AEPwAMEOlLiQyh2nirbbu_BZ4t1bLQZWuIv3XEcBdVTn_JxTabsSxPSVvzFvSH7Xr2gLr9ahCpmpChv73tcF-bJ2DDGrUG6x7Z3DRzfOwXj32qRxVqxmrqNr-EWNxnrWUGba_4Tzbx5y21lom/w136-h136/PBTC.jpg" width="136" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /><br /><br /></p>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-38745051816084360622023-01-17T22:57:00.001+00:002023-01-17T22:57:33.275+00:00#077 Your trail to the PB270 - Part 3<p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Ranger Ultras' Pennine Bridleway PB270km multi-day, trail running, adventure</span></b></p><p>In this installment of our tour of the PB270 course highlights we journey from Hayfield to Hebden Hey checkpoints.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGXxnG9x6VT10D4eNPEFe3bJQbGzYMmtZzWmr44h4jEFdjAVLQDlrlCV890O-2bafweCIQK8tZRqhGX6cvZjcAjQn8Ph6hpEb0ls0UgIIIzS_CynrX2XmtLimFNw8hgxXXl39UkKP4y1CGgEPiXzGv64oMKOjsImVoLL364yFTlhSrc33tXuOfxqx/s3456/DSC_0054%201LR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3456" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGXxnG9x6VT10D4eNPEFe3bJQbGzYMmtZzWmr44h4jEFdjAVLQDlrlCV890O-2bafweCIQK8tZRqhGX6cvZjcAjQn8Ph6hpEb0ls0UgIIIzS_CynrX2XmtLimFNw8hgxXXl39UkKP4y1CGgEPiXzGv64oMKOjsImVoLL364yFTlhSrc33tXuOfxqx/s320/DSC_0054%201LR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>This section starts with a tree lined avenue along the course of the old New Mills to Hayfield branch line, which was axed by the government in 1970. After a couple of kilometers, you turn off the Sett Valley Trail and begin your ascent to Lantern Pike. If you still have daylight at this point and the Spring weather is kind, the view across to Cracken Edge and Kinder Scout is likely to be beautifully lit by the late afternoon sun.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1acQ2D9Q8BV63rKomojtxCXsPlJescLJycnHSF3i9ObFNBs7PA0rzOhAQvo7F9GJ-6kC0uyVvVgxNxbDrGR9y6r2M8mFhNF2k5HW8J5xU_X86DrDzJenIRh95-arh5Vc8HoYKB9Wxre7gsmiB9ArZZhA_0I6Qiv-hz_ETuxYvVG4JBHsDE8_hKBf/s4624/IMG_20210613_090858220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1acQ2D9Q8BV63rKomojtxCXsPlJescLJycnHSF3i9ObFNBs7PA0rzOhAQvo7F9GJ-6kC0uyVvVgxNxbDrGR9y6r2M8mFhNF2k5HW8J5xU_X86DrDzJenIRh95-arh5Vc8HoYKB9Wxre7gsmiB9ArZZhA_0I6Qiv-hz_ETuxYvVG4JBHsDE8_hKBf/s320/IMG_20210613_090858220.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Soon after, more dramatic scenery is on show at Crown Edge Rocks. Here we use some of the designated walkers alternative Pennine Bridleway route (check the online course notes and for confirmed entries your GPX files). This route avoids walking along busy roads, or roads with not pavement, as much as possible. Also, we recommend the new Harvey map Pennine Bridleway XT40, which covers the whole of the Pennine Bridleway and the walkers alternatives (plus loops and extensions which are not part of our linear course).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-tVVR_uSPZ0BzIZEsRIx0dr1MqBesKGBcFnTZVc5mnk3SLxY1Dx4JX-rJjJUhNHT4GdwPSQsqPdZBwuH8slhpwhP7pXdZVaBCMjBRP-5qSJmKPKEvt7p5pNGO___TMt6a1cW1DkDbRVKLFeGM9hYc0N8W534S-Ph7yTiZpDlwMKNDRDnH3-jCvyrC/s960/272620914_235788772056648_4137283040929647799_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-tVVR_uSPZ0BzIZEsRIx0dr1MqBesKGBcFnTZVc5mnk3SLxY1Dx4JX-rJjJUhNHT4GdwPSQsqPdZBwuH8slhpwhP7pXdZVaBCMjBRP-5qSJmKPKEvt7p5pNGO___TMt6a1cW1DkDbRVKLFeGM9hYc0N8W534S-Ph7yTiZpDlwMKNDRDnH3-jCvyrC/s320/272620914_235788772056648_4137283040929647799_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>You'll see signs for Melandra Fort around Glossop. The earthworks are evidence of Roman settlement in the area up to the mid 2nd Century. A perusal of wider coverage Peak District map will show several Roman roads still used as public rights of way. And of course, the nearby town of Buxton was famed for its health giving spa water and Roman baths as far back as AD80.</p><p>Lots more description, navigation tips and pictures of the walkers alternative section are covered in our recce blog report...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMHT0uCtdTxTMHpAIJJ2ZQIJRUcWIVMIO0qh6kqjl4Gx0zZ61QR2jkYsahhJsnUkr-_ifMMjNmluFeGe0ZYi-GefYws7krpViK1ANk4uhkmKMkUvZqU2wQIq3w9dVcyv-Pa1YaIifOTAfSPtKZ3EfQmM9RIjeEdiv0xVagjWX_8chC4NxhGRAYH8M/s960/272659662_235786868723505_3943943494957106858_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMHT0uCtdTxTMHpAIJJ2ZQIJRUcWIVMIO0qh6kqjl4Gx0zZ61QR2jkYsahhJsnUkr-_ifMMjNmluFeGe0ZYi-GefYws7krpViK1ANk4uhkmKMkUvZqU2wQIq3w9dVcyv-Pa1YaIifOTAfSPtKZ3EfQmM9RIjeEdiv0xVagjWX_8chC4NxhGRAYH8M/s320/272659662_235786868723505_3943943494957106858_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><a href="http://stuwestfield.blogspot.com/2022/01/061-glossop-recce-ranger-ultras-pennine.html"><b>http://stuwestfield.blogspot.com/2022/01/061-glossop-recce-ranger-ultras-pennine.html</b></a></p><p>Further onward. The reservoirs, woodland and moorland around Stalybridge Country Park share elements of the Thameside Trail. The glinting light on the Longendale Valley reservoirs are a reminder of how water powered the many cotton mills down in the lower valleys during the industrial revolution.<br />Save your climbing legs for the long ascents and wild moorland trails as you close the distance to Hebden Bridge.</p><p>With the Stoodley Pike monument looming large, you'll join a section of the Mary Townley Loop, which is well signed. Just make sure you follow the MTL in an anti-clockwise direction, otherwise you'll be in for a whole day's extra distance...We might actually give you a call on your mobile before your tracker heads 'too-far' in the wrong direction!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVPNfPZ1hivWYQaLhLbTV1NAR62Tcx7XrmFp3xl3yrgYv89u9SQE4VsEkZEovLTr0xLrJ5RzCYo2eM9ieiATXSaNv-Qt-6stFUeUR3TjQ3mHB1Z9voHB6uDi_Rn3M4tj-2Q0PeEIim-1JmDAuwsJh_UUFhr-8mKlhYiBY2N0YstuKBQEgfurD2wn-M/s150/1000.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="150" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVPNfPZ1hivWYQaLhLbTV1NAR62Tcx7XrmFp3xl3yrgYv89u9SQE4VsEkZEovLTr0xLrJ5RzCYo2eM9ieiATXSaNv-Qt-6stFUeUR3TjQ3mHB1Z9voHB6uDi_Rn3M4tj-2Q0PeEIim-1JmDAuwsJh_UUFhr-8mKlhYiBY2N0YstuKBQEgfurD2wn-M/s1600/1000.png" width="150" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Speaking of trackers, we use the excellent Legends Tracking. Ranger Ultras' have long standing happy collaborations with the folks at Legends, helping evolve safety procedures for their iconic Belgium Ardennes LT250/500 and mentoring Legends Safety Team Coordinators.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmh3DFL4jWhVa5T2vVx8ts_KYePC19BNRFG8zOieHoJTTIvHKDzkrMOxuQsOKpjq2fAc0RZn_YC0gP660LnVZRb6Ai9KyLinUJ1qexGvvBq2mwTlW5ng_geMR6EH3BgZ6aLlT6s_3S7sy9Vk5tnTvbDRnHhNauigXFCDKFZ7-nErbzY06m7e8EE_zF/s960/47274526_1954041458025653_6980625305559891968_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="960" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmh3DFL4jWhVa5T2vVx8ts_KYePC19BNRFG8zOieHoJTTIvHKDzkrMOxuQsOKpjq2fAc0RZn_YC0gP660LnVZRb6Ai9KyLinUJ1qexGvvBq2mwTlW5ng_geMR6EH3BgZ6aLlT6s_3S7sy9Vk5tnTvbDRnHhNauigXFCDKFZ7-nErbzY06m7e8EE_zF/s320/47274526_1954041458025653_6980625305559891968_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Our race ethos is to allow participants to enjoy the 'full experience' of their trail adventure. If you do go off course, we'll not necessarily be immediately calling your mobile to correct errors. You'll have every opportunity to independently route-find and to own your race experience. Although, we will intervene with a friendly nudge, if you're significantly off-course, walking along roads not on the designated course, or heading towards other hazards. </p><p>That said, the Pennine Bridleway is especially well waymarked, with lots of recently renewed signage (our donations to the National Trails Authority, over the years, may well have funded a few of them). <br />So, if you're observant and checking your GPX or map, you shouldn't be desperately challenged by the route.</p><p>For participants familiar with the Pennine Way, this trail and the Pennine Bridleway converge and cross over on the approach to the second PB270 checkpoint at Hebden Hey. Here's another reminder to check your course notes / GPX file, as we use an approach to and exit from Hebden Hey which avoids walking along the Slack Road.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYtW-T61hlW0iIB9-kORDQL7imsJ3a6UaGCsdqZJsz4TQeKvWZpQzNgniCxuUxJYqEkphn9PVnOSxv7p4cDB23UgoFqgyqpfs2ReXIPQHUAphyJK54L2jh6E6vmBF_g4jh8nMmDAellhjJaUt6MsJKqPWOiwopHNFUwpfB1ZV1n2rkxU2W3FBViMXr/s9248/IMG_20220305_094146066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYtW-T61hlW0iIB9-kORDQL7imsJ3a6UaGCsdqZJsz4TQeKvWZpQzNgniCxuUxJYqEkphn9PVnOSxv7p4cDB23UgoFqgyqpfs2ReXIPQHUAphyJK54L2jh6E6vmBF_g4jh8nMmDAellhjJaUt6MsJKqPWOiwopHNFUwpfB1ZV1n2rkxU2W3FBViMXr/s320/IMG_20220305_094146066.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>At Hebden Hey there are bunkbeds and showers for you to rest, refresh and reset. Also, a range of hot & cold drinks and snacks. Plus, we'll serve one of our 'trademark' hot home cooked meals, followed by dessert. After your rest, you can tuck into breakfast, at any time of day, before returning your drop bag to the checkpoint team for it to be transported up to the next checkpoint at Settle. </p><p>You're then ready to head out onto the trail for the next part of your adventure.</p><p>In the next installment of this series, we'll offer you the highlights and top tips for Hebden Hey to Settle which is the third section of the course for PB270 participants.<br />But also, it's the first section for Pennine Bridleway PB137 participants, who start at Hebden Hey.</p><p><b>PB137 - Race info & Entry...</b></p><p><a href="https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb137-pennine-bridleway-trail-challenge/"><b>https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb137-pennine-bridleway-trail-challenge/</b></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23dXpL-arl4jZcA6VZs2ZplARSDSeknY2pSQ50HRXrF72q977uzfN6Wfy9orh_VJfNCiwkjngCNj6xteoIPE-tKBW4oy-pS1VGMHf3V3VRS4XkBP6hQ7MJHYlnFszQ8-2hLMO9yuYoxgzX-zGG3J9H8KoOdjVWtiCEBfpJBgdipR-IrVRDnVErvUK/s10807/Ranger%20Ultras%20Feat%20Banner%20PB137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2953" data-original-width="10807" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23dXpL-arl4jZcA6VZs2ZplARSDSeknY2pSQ50HRXrF72q977uzfN6Wfy9orh_VJfNCiwkjngCNj6xteoIPE-tKBW4oy-pS1VGMHf3V3VRS4XkBP6hQ7MJHYlnFszQ8-2hLMO9yuYoxgzX-zGG3J9H8KoOdjVWtiCEBfpJBgdipR-IrVRDnVErvUK/w439-h120/Ranger%20Ultras%20Feat%20Banner%20PB137.jpg" width="439" /></a></div><p><b>PB270 - Race info & Entry</b></p><p><a href="https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb270/"><b>https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb270/</b></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNpW0P3yoEiIKjRfNGwqePM7e1Dmt144-JiIhC54bGQXHoC8HHgHfCAg-SE8N_7qSmQn4Ga0OWdhP_l258GhOGBX3N2m4Jj2n4NcIcs8T9Jc6j9Y8PsrYPKypXFa4c3AFSGuTqjyjVw7fk6oM3tenpBxCN0LKCVsN7fxLGK29u1oELxkv9HULYBSi/s10807/Ranger%20Ultras%20Feat%20Banner%20PB270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2953" data-original-width="10807" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNpW0P3yoEiIKjRfNGwqePM7e1Dmt144-JiIhC54bGQXHoC8HHgHfCAg-SE8N_7qSmQn4Ga0OWdhP_l258GhOGBX3N2m4Jj2n4NcIcs8T9Jc6j9Y8PsrYPKypXFa4c3AFSGuTqjyjVw7fk6oM3tenpBxCN0LKCVsN7fxLGK29u1oELxkv9HULYBSi/w439-h119/Ranger%20Ultras%20Feat%20Banner%20PB270.jpg" width="439" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>For both the PB137 and PB270, we've strived to combine great-value, facilities, service and low impact sustainability. Culminating in iconic, supported multi-day trail running, expedition style, adventures, that are as independent as you want them to be. </p><p>Our PB races are accessible as excellent introductions to multi-day trail running. The route is a satisfying combination of well defined trails (allowing you to soak in the superb views) with occasional points which require a little thought and concentration. </p><p><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">The PB137 and PB270 are certainly not 'soft-soap' multi-day ultras.</span></b></p><p><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">These traverse big sky country, where your efforts are readily rewarded with runnable moorland trails which deliver bucket loads of wilderness and adventure.</span></b></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEildtSLT0-6BDO7sk-alyZuycrHbWD36pa2lig2VxqFp-pol-tXH4XihEYIAVTBMRl-pew1ZLexwKYFaFEovdzx8JIjuQCx6wF_4mmjutpJ48Wucme4uyqJAR1qtyzSSdttfV7KPmnIqpe7IS2mCAuMMvn_-x_i7NC51DI1Lh9XCl7TwZfctyzgrTHV/s2016/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-03-06%20at%2008.23.47.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEildtSLT0-6BDO7sk-alyZuycrHbWD36pa2lig2VxqFp-pol-tXH4XihEYIAVTBMRl-pew1ZLexwKYFaFEovdzx8JIjuQCx6wF_4mmjutpJ48Wucme4uyqJAR1qtyzSSdttfV7KPmnIqpe7IS2mCAuMMvn_-x_i7NC51DI1Lh9XCl7TwZfctyzgrTHV/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-03-06%20at%2008.23.47.jpeg" width="320" /></a></b></div><p>Brought to you from an organisation which is focused on quality, value and aspirational trail experiences. </p><p></p><p><b style="color: #04ff00;"><i>'This race is certainly going to be a classic, that’ll soon be on many racers year planner'.</i> - Al Pepper (Ranger Ultras Safety Team)</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-64758266047230342712023-01-11T18:35:00.000+00:002023-01-11T18:35:01.699+00:00#076 Your trail to the PB270 - Part 2<p>In the first part of <b><i>Your trail to the PB270</i></b> we reported on the inaugural Ranger Ultras Pennine Bridleway 270km in 100hours trail running challenge. We also shared our ongoing vision for our Pennine Bridleway trail running series: <i><b>low-key, big-enjoyment, great-value, adventure</b></i></p><p><a href="https://stuwestfield.blogspot.com/2022/06/067-your-trail-to-pb270-part-1.html">https://stuwestfield.blogspot.com/2022/06/067-your-trail-to-pb270-part-1.html</a></p><p>In this second part we'll chat more about this premiere National Trail which is steeped in history and delivers a wonderful palette of big county terrain. We'll also describe our checkpoint and race facilities which help make your race a super multi-day trail running, expedition style, adventure. Along with the camaraderie of fellow trail runners and a friendly, experienced event safety team. Who are eager to celebrate your success.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uwX_3zQm9yiJGyEVJSAH81a658i6wHdJa8QrK1Krk0dVIJ1z8IIwjaZpxCy2Qgm9rtKdHug69GzIQtmLe236Pjox3zDBT3wNw6XcUfsdgi8z0Yjll0f2e6hrhEgMdfHi07D5b7zycTchy9B3blYQymUyHS9M136Ec3Fjnj_ywg1ULWokhnKea4CB/s9248/IMG_20220305_121713360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uwX_3zQm9yiJGyEVJSAH81a658i6wHdJa8QrK1Krk0dVIJ1z8IIwjaZpxCy2Qgm9rtKdHug69GzIQtmLe236Pjox3zDBT3wNw6XcUfsdgi8z0Yjll0f2e6hrhEgMdfHi07D5b7zycTchy9B3blYQymUyHS9M136Ec3Fjnj_ywg1ULWokhnKea4CB/s320/IMG_20220305_121713360.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>From our prior local experience, we knew the Pennine Bridleway offered some great trail running. On race panning recces, our high expectations of the trail were exceeded, such that we frequently stopped to enjoy the views with beaming smiles. <p></p><p><i style="color: #04ff00;"><b>"The Pennine Bridleway is a tremendously satisfying route. Not only does it traverse a great variety of landscapes, it also explores some pretty remote areas of the country. But is well signposted and much is easily followed."</b></i><span style="color: #04ff00;"> - Sue Vickers, Pennine Bridleway, Pub. National Trails</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Middleton Top to Hayfield</b></h3><p>The Pennine Bridleway starts at Middleton Top on the High Peak Trail, on the course of the old Cromford & High Peak railway, which was dismantled in 1967.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYqAt-RfiW_0NXMEEQ42BW062k7cX7BfgczRfUNMEllVdVUPurvO6sdCpaehlfBiZNIZymfRuSkWBJzpgctgiuBn743PS7sPoMtFKMxfVanmiUuToCPDgQJC2QA2K_8Rcx2X2Q9ALhXLROnrY_M7ecF6AxCM_kW-75--E-m8Rzp6O0Pa1MmT-pHBj/s9248/IMG_20210729_142157942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYqAt-RfiW_0NXMEEQ42BW062k7cX7BfgczRfUNMEllVdVUPurvO6sdCpaehlfBiZNIZymfRuSkWBJzpgctgiuBn743PS7sPoMtFKMxfVanmiUuToCPDgQJC2QA2K_8Rcx2X2Q9ALhXLROnrY_M7ecF6AxCM_kW-75--E-m8Rzp6O0Pa1MmT-pHBj/s320/IMG_20210729_142157942.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Middleton Top is also the race turn for our Ranger Ultras High Peak Ultra100km, one of our Pennine Bridleway trail running series. Further up the trail, at Friden, is the race turn for the 70km High Peak Ultra.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57TCOxv2AVnqd1knnEfkn93HEYb1UBBTLOm0Ra7ubJ_xXHH2bbOARaE0QNJqbrnf_spKkmflvpM7l9cYi_Vd2YAS1b3eRtOrZ_UPRSQPhXahXBv9TG_nMeqcI3gvXK7D3Xaikf5fOcOgCPabXdalQbQH7eTeUTYaGfmNRKALWFOqtu1qqDgWUdDvU/s1654/RU%20HP%2070100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1654" data-original-width="1654" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57TCOxv2AVnqd1knnEfkn93HEYb1UBBTLOm0Ra7ubJ_xXHH2bbOARaE0QNJqbrnf_spKkmflvpM7l9cYi_Vd2YAS1b3eRtOrZ_UPRSQPhXahXBv9TG_nMeqcI3gvXK7D3Xaikf5fOcOgCPabXdalQbQH7eTeUTYaGfmNRKALWFOqtu1qqDgWUdDvU/w211-h211/RU%20HP%2070100.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">High Peak 70/100km Ultra - Race info & Entry</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/high-peak-100km-ultra/">https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/high-peak-100km-ultra/</a><br /></div><p>The start of the PB270 is a gentle introduction, broad and mostly level, albeit with steady 'railway' inclines. There are many scenic highlights. Sense the nostalgia of times gone by as you pass through cuttings, hewn by the picks of navvies and a few sticks of dynamite.</p><p>Or, even more ancient, the Minninglow Neolithic chambered tomb, sited on a small tree topped hill, close to the trail. Going much further back in time, the White Peak limestone was laid down 300 million year ago when the Peak District was a shallow tropical sea and the earth's landmasses were clustered together in the Pangea supercontinent.</p><p>At Parsley Hay is a popular takeaway refreshments kiosk, selling sweet and savoury snacks, sandwiches, hot and cold drinks. There are public toilets on site too. At the trailside is a corbelled roof stone shelter which provides a nice refuge in which to eat lunch.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDvBSbF6Vq8xfwKsfyIE6-Lbv31nhOwazDu7eGcAaRGePzh1Tj_crsRIS-IZi3BCwAU-olVYTZom--so0fmH55EsID_3x5dDPBIF0eofSeOAi5AH3lrFLnHeB2b-XqCFWwBJwzeufCaKGsiIektYuuDn8BLZX6SvrAv3oI6ezh7586GPFIAm9sxqS/s4160/IMG_20200319_002657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2336" data-original-width="4160" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDvBSbF6Vq8xfwKsfyIE6-Lbv31nhOwazDu7eGcAaRGePzh1Tj_crsRIS-IZi3BCwAU-olVYTZom--so0fmH55EsID_3x5dDPBIF0eofSeOAi5AH3lrFLnHeB2b-XqCFWwBJwzeufCaKGsiIektYuuDn8BLZX6SvrAv3oI6ezh7586GPFIAm9sxqS/s320/IMG_20200319_002657.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>After the rolling landscape, the spectacular Chee Dale gorge gives your legs and lungs a first real test. As you catch a few breaths, take a moment to enjoy the light glinting off the River Wye as it flows below magnificent limestone buttresses. If you're lucky, you might catch a glimpse of a dipper, or even a kingfisher.</p><p>The turning point for our Ranger Ultras PB55 trail race is near to the A6 and so includes Chee Dale. From here to Hayfield covers the entire PB55 course.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8LEq3glOz14CsBkNXFA-nB0wdEe8exWQtR2ftGs4FWHFaH_mSaEiIpjek5uhbcCXjU-fi9c9ZIO3dVmhv1Ac-LxMjx0PhlMFT6CkOaGrzZLr_V0yJKsNzkwwPQhNyqQCJAn5Ol_G1O2fcDiPmFbqC5LVecqvn4dyIGL32KjisNOHfaxvtWcVSgN_/s1417/PB55UTT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="1417" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8LEq3glOz14CsBkNXFA-nB0wdEe8exWQtR2ftGs4FWHFaH_mSaEiIpjek5uhbcCXjU-fi9c9ZIO3dVmhv1Ac-LxMjx0PhlMFT6CkOaGrzZLr_V0yJKsNzkwwPQhNyqQCJAn5Ol_G1O2fcDiPmFbqC5LVecqvn4dyIGL32KjisNOHfaxvtWcVSgN_/w182-h182/PB55UTT.jpg" width="182" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">PB55km - Race info & Entry<br /><a href="https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb55-ultra/">https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb55-ultra/</a></div><p>Cross the minor road at Wormhill, a settlement mentioned in the Domesday Book. There's limestone grassland and the last of the Derbyshire Dales to enjoy. The quiet old road between Peak Forest and Perryfoot feels like it has stood still in time for many years.</p><p><b>The Dark Peak beckons.</b></p><p>At Rushup Edge you'll pass the race turn for our Ranger Ultras PB18 trail race. From here to Hayfield covers the entire PB18 course.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnSTzlC7_y9qIML4juWd1C1zb9pd_-ONEC_PPsUt5BL7kl9D6P65h4XzIQ9Scfd9cttYhHKimXNljgCtJ-fzOXk3evArnb-1ru-76ZkQugMJ2AFqpimLmu5byUVM-tCocsnOVAyW3AES1zfXpXL-ZqP7iMjmBxYHEfLtmBsXXDXarxacIwMCnL804/s1417/PB18TTT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="1417" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnSTzlC7_y9qIML4juWd1C1zb9pd_-ONEC_PPsUt5BL7kl9D6P65h4XzIQ9Scfd9cttYhHKimXNljgCtJ-fzOXk3evArnb-1ru-76ZkQugMJ2AFqpimLmu5byUVM-tCocsnOVAyW3AES1zfXpXL-ZqP7iMjmBxYHEfLtmBsXXDXarxacIwMCnL804/w214-h214/PB18TTT.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">PB18km - Race info & Entry<br /><a href="https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb18-trail/">https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb18-trail/</a></div><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>"Although it is only 9km to Hayfield the route is spectacular"</b> - Sue Vickers, Pennine Bridleway, Pub. National Trails</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyK1GP4xGNPqjUnZpfwkVN3N0jizrs_piT3EO53y_t5Dp3yFI0P3jNFrOvzcIxECklUSWLeVW_tZguLhsXwzHMEBvO-fKibvfVq2lk9R_g9_63cXRxYGDSH70304kexZ2vwTXWOzc3Lp8B0KBJND9T0bj2NOxIkwt834V55Evjv4YA5YIUL5tHBrTZ/s1920/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-04-20%20at%204.32.15%20PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyK1GP4xGNPqjUnZpfwkVN3N0jizrs_piT3EO53y_t5Dp3yFI0P3jNFrOvzcIxECklUSWLeVW_tZguLhsXwzHMEBvO-fKibvfVq2lk9R_g9_63cXRxYGDSH70304kexZ2vwTXWOzc3Lp8B0KBJND9T0bj2NOxIkwt834V55Evjv4YA5YIUL5tHBrTZ/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-04-20%20at%204.32.15%20PM.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Gritstone is now underfoot, which rises to the conical mound of South Head. If you're out reccying the course and have the time and motivation, I highly recommend making the steep 50 metre ascent to enjoy big-sky views across the to the Kinder plateau and around in all directions. On race day, stay on the main trail to thread the saddle between South Head and Mount Famine.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZbQwvHHWSLHr-iXdImHDonH42C0KJraBPeLnMaaUdH2fevNhfOqFgpx2d2DkIBgoce_YlIbGktkIXTwnbbFTJjZrv3e_s__rdJmTtPjmxNrSvRiZDS72QGKfRQegwEZ7deByafzn1MGxJ8vqzn75dt602VnnqXfdQ4xk54YotCDW30m7BN7mTwYV/s4160/IMG_20190320_131823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2336" data-original-width="4160" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZbQwvHHWSLHr-iXdImHDonH42C0KJraBPeLnMaaUdH2fevNhfOqFgpx2d2DkIBgoce_YlIbGktkIXTwnbbFTJjZrv3e_s__rdJmTtPjmxNrSvRiZDS72QGKfRQegwEZ7deByafzn1MGxJ8vqzn75dt602VnnqXfdQ4xk54YotCDW30m7BN7mTwYV/s320/IMG_20190320_131823.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Onwards, all the hard hill work is done for this section of the course. Descend, with care, down to and around the fringe of Elle Bank woods. In the valley bottom you meet the River Sett, fed by the River Kinder. Handrail the river downstream into the historic village of Hayfield.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0yt676rMNnWDzcm0aAPMNKhabXwzg5PgRSzpT4clhSrnhonDdBkyLjq8zKErgvaxr2hn6YN4ALtaU93ccUwa3dVXnqyQeh4mBXIq5naZDVwtvRmlzXGA42expLQuHIMMv5f07JDGp9ufbFrErU64p1lvpJMURVA03BqHhEYnG6y7u0w5tCKc-rjz/s4160/IMG_20190320_131834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2336" data-original-width="4160" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0yt676rMNnWDzcm0aAPMNKhabXwzg5PgRSzpT4clhSrnhonDdBkyLjq8zKErgvaxr2hn6YN4ALtaU93ccUwa3dVXnqyQeh4mBXIq5naZDVwtvRmlzXGA42expLQuHIMMv5f07JDGp9ufbFrErU64p1lvpJMURVA03BqHhEYnG6y7u0w5tCKc-rjz/s320/IMG_20190320_131834.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Check your course notes & GPX to find your way to Checkpoint 1. Our Ranger Ultras Safety Team (RUSTies) will be ready to serve hot, home cooked dinner, drinks, snacks and dessert. You'll also have access to your drop bag and showers. If you wish, you can roll out your sleeping mat for a power nap. Then, refreshed and refueled, head onwards.</p><p>Before leaving Hayfield, there are a couple of village stores for a snacks resupply.</p><p>In the next installment of this series, we'll offer you the highlights and top tips for Hayfield to the next checkpoint at Hebden Hey. And then after this, we'll also include the same info share for Pennine Bridleway PB137 participants.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0iFqL1RTH9F6KaCRqsaRWXUJ-sqz4Za0HHF8Aka3T48VmMXtEGOd_eFcxPNtCtRraTyMf5uO5-D9fPEvZdm8qIuUWvWoqnIEahLW4J0lVOGgKqn32EkfXZEVmxFC56wmOvKLhMZ3B0Y1eBfaAQGEEq9k5X72otgNKi2t2nki9MQvYEr-FJjD-_uA/s1417/PBTC%20137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="1417" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0iFqL1RTH9F6KaCRqsaRWXUJ-sqz4Za0HHF8Aka3T48VmMXtEGOd_eFcxPNtCtRraTyMf5uO5-D9fPEvZdm8qIuUWvWoqnIEahLW4J0lVOGgKqn32EkfXZEVmxFC56wmOvKLhMZ3B0Y1eBfaAQGEEq9k5X72otgNKi2t2nki9MQvYEr-FJjD-_uA/w171-h171/PBTC%20137.jpg" width="171" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">PB137 - Race info & Entry...<br /><a href="https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb137-pennine-bridleway-trail-challenge/">https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb137-pennine-bridleway-trail-challenge/</a></div><p>For both the PB137 and PB270, we've strived to combine great-value, facilities, service and low impact sustainability. Culminating in iconic, supported multi-day trail running, expedition style, adventures, that are as independent as you want them to be. We've capped participant numbers so that trail is never overloaded and local communities aren't inundated with participants. We're not saying you couldn't do it cheaper on your own, but with all the above, there's a lot of great value to enjoy here.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfWqbs2efRUqfb-3OTG14lcfhRXj-f1WON03XRrllxzpSUcSNMd7uoqvHfLboFlKt_1Bu6LHj_33r9Ys2EhZT-ygo_5OgN6-dL9j9bsv19GsK-bt8caLomreq-SQkbfvSKvrODHkrMD3u1dlldAv8Xe7ZnhigP8jYJ7vEZsSf0XPyQvdK1P7hwBB8/s1417/PBTC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="1417" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfWqbs2efRUqfb-3OTG14lcfhRXj-f1WON03XRrllxzpSUcSNMd7uoqvHfLboFlKt_1Bu6LHj_33r9Ys2EhZT-ygo_5OgN6-dL9j9bsv19GsK-bt8caLomreq-SQkbfvSKvrODHkrMD3u1dlldAv8Xe7ZnhigP8jYJ7vEZsSf0XPyQvdK1P7hwBB8/w182-h182/PBTC.jpg" width="182" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">PB270 - Race info & Entry</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb270/">https://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb270/</a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-52347550660441463392022-09-17T09:55:00.005+00:002022-09-17T12:11:10.316+00:00#075 Chimp trekking in Kyambura<h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda<br />August 2012</span></h4><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SbnxQlr1wv36IL_OmGRmXsKAhe2Is_Sr_-MjpKb3ZdTsuf1KnMqb0lgzH06o_0Fba0wb4UMVwbtn584-q8_g1hFrpgNDMP-kUdywJCywhefQHyG6PtGgrQo7vL2jzAC96h9sa1cqbOWbPFktnPoakRcAQYKSTnTazCw3Wy_9SAXsg7hk5LInz4ug/s960/542356_103004073182419_529607851_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SbnxQlr1wv36IL_OmGRmXsKAhe2Is_Sr_-MjpKb3ZdTsuf1KnMqb0lgzH06o_0Fba0wb4UMVwbtn584-q8_g1hFrpgNDMP-kUdywJCywhefQHyG6PtGgrQo7vL2jzAC96h9sa1cqbOWbPFktnPoakRcAQYKSTnTazCw3Wy_9SAXsg7hk5LInz4ug/s320/542356_103004073182419_529607851_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UWA Ranger, chimpanzee tracking</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00;"></span></div><p>Ten years ago, chimpanzee tracking activities for tourists were a relatively niche experience. Thanks to television documentaries and public recognition given to the work of primatologists like Dr. Jane Goodall; locations such as Gombe Stream, in Tanzania and Kibale Forest, in Uganda, have become popular destinations for guided primate experiences.</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcL4jnGTL1U"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Jane Goodall - Nat Geo doc trailer</span></a></p><p>By comparison, commercial gorilla encounters were already well established in the Virunga Volcanoes, Rwanda and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda due to the 1988 film <i>Gorillas In The Mist</i> telling the story of Dr. Dian Fossey. </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PPSIwe7sb8"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Gorillas In The Mist Trailer</span></a></p><p>But, the most iconic moment of all was in episode 12 of the 1979 series,<i> Life On Earth. </i>When David Attenborough gave that famous piece to camera, while sitting among mountain gorillas in Rwanda. Those few minutes of film have perhaps done more for gorilla conservation and garnering goodwill for conservation issues in general, than any other, before or since.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeaAZ1On-w8"><span style="color: #04ff00;">David Attenborough with gorillas in 1979</span></a></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Kyambura Gorge</span></h4><p>While leading an expedition through Rwanda and into Uganda, I became aware of a small community of chimpanzee which, through geography and human encroachment, had become isolated in a riparian gorge.<br /></p><p>We'd completed our mountain treks in the Rwenzori and had made camp at Mweya in Queen Elizabeth National Park, for a few days of rest and safari. The adjacent lodge had an elevated view over the Kazinga channel. So, after our game drives, we'd frequented the terrace for coffee and biscuits. We'd seen lion, defassa waterbuck, hippo and the ubiquitous Uganda kob in their natural environment. But not much in the way of behaviour. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAVr94cUkz3wme8dcQMwx9J46PBfWP7sY7jDGRSQT04T2tsWzK5_5k7PiVH9aO7tFt-adaNhgUiiA3835FGHn-aREy4hsywR0se7v09CruaxvWRNzTG5uNsMmVLaUDUxZxTsQMs8w8Tv4Y43aILuQLpTSUjpgdefV8Bc4oczusaHTMgakoRideyMi/s960/319318_372228199516017_570801888_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAVr94cUkz3wme8dcQMwx9J46PBfWP7sY7jDGRSQT04T2tsWzK5_5k7PiVH9aO7tFt-adaNhgUiiA3835FGHn-aREy4hsywR0se7v09CruaxvWRNzTG5uNsMmVLaUDUxZxTsQMs8w8Tv4Y43aILuQLpTSUjpgdefV8Bc4oczusaHTMgakoRideyMi/s320/319318_372228199516017_570801888_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mweya overlooking the Kasinga Channel</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I asked a few more questions about Kyambura and was able to book my group onto an afternoon's chimpanzee tracking for just $25 each. Which was a bargain compared to advertised prices at the more mainstream locations. So, with a promise that guides would be waiting, the following day we boarded our coaster bus for the ride across to the opposite side of the national park.<br /></p><p>The meeting point was a thatched shelter next to a platform with an impressive vista over the gorge. Nobody was there. It was so quiet, I thought we might have the wrong location. We were just a little early. I encouraged the group to take a few pictures while we waited. Sure enough, our Ranger guide, wearing the the forest green UWA uniform and carrying an AK-47, arrived on foot with two assistants.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpU_gUUtG7QhXidjc7nhwkT24zC2WF5M52iuC69sqL1dEkcamVNKA8Nq3wxYuyekLU3YYvwdB6eK-ZUAc_oENPPVOFCBL190FbgxxaZoL5L_WSoKtS28axc1RLmJGvNGnsDeDuInQiBv5xG0rexU8QQEFM5cwiUqWI56Jo9n_7cCP5BmMGggFM1zLT/s960/560308_4130518755199_1010276484_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpU_gUUtG7QhXidjc7nhwkT24zC2WF5M52iuC69sqL1dEkcamVNKA8Nq3wxYuyekLU3YYvwdB6eK-ZUAc_oENPPVOFCBL190FbgxxaZoL5L_WSoKtS28axc1RLmJGvNGnsDeDuInQiBv5xG0rexU8QQEFM5cwiUqWI56Jo9n_7cCP5BmMGggFM1zLT/s320/560308_4130518755199_1010276484_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyambura Gorge<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Introductions made, we descended from the sunbaked grassland plain into the Maramagambo Forest. Our eyes soon adjusted to the diminished light under the canopy. There was a humid stillness to the air. Every snap of twig or crunch of leaves seemed amplified.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocWX8fxReC-rujOuoYuBdUkJsHU7-3z9eA8Z9v34B8yVEqOs-q2pxJcVs3hrNU-1s9n8bD4OU-npy3XiHY95LaCmBGDvwpt8IA04bNO-K8CyiuSOBzeHIPSAnYlUTuBzVD4vIyeerCL5ajmXbeQJUM4tST3Pq_-ChfcL9r2jnwQhVtlpfsDY8_Q4n/s960/270655_4130522955304_1515063668_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocWX8fxReC-rujOuoYuBdUkJsHU7-3z9eA8Z9v34B8yVEqOs-q2pxJcVs3hrNU-1s9n8bD4OU-npy3XiHY95LaCmBGDvwpt8IA04bNO-K8CyiuSOBzeHIPSAnYlUTuBzVD4vIyeerCL5ajmXbeQJUM4tST3Pq_-ChfcL9r2jnwQhVtlpfsDY8_Q4n/s320/270655_4130522955304_1515063668_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>On the gorge floor a slim unvegetated earth trail snaked though the trees. Overhead a crash of leaves. Our guide identified a vervet monkey as it put some distance between us. We soon came upon the first of several river crossings. The water not particularly wide, three metres or so. Neither was it fast flowing, it appeared still but not stagnant. A fallen tree was the first bridge. It's girth large and dry enough for a uneventful walk across, although I took care to put my camera away in its waterproof bag.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPPkedkZOsrs5-8phoFNczuh8RrLc4cUjRoP-fxZ9ISidr038LCxiiT0_8QoiIftJAqCVAKS3gCXVioY9Gb32kuFpU4SredUNf5BsKsQ0mXZx6nSGBjc4XC5dEDEb6Sva1AL152C8f3UFtK8fwVee6iUE6iTPtCVFUFsEYJ_D6D_ItKkqv72NbGNCu/s960/603356_4130525155359_1226108435_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPPkedkZOsrs5-8phoFNczuh8RrLc4cUjRoP-fxZ9ISidr038LCxiiT0_8QoiIftJAqCVAKS3gCXVioY9Gb32kuFpU4SredUNf5BsKsQ0mXZx6nSGBjc4XC5dEDEb6Sva1AL152C8f3UFtK8fwVee6iUE6iTPtCVFUFsEYJ_D6D_ItKkqv72NbGNCu/s320/603356_4130525155359_1226108435_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>A little further on we could all hear crashing in the undergrowth some way ahead. The ranger and one of the assistants went on to investigate, while we waited. A loud trumpet broke the tranquility, followed by more breaking of vegetation.</p><p>They returned. "Elephant. But they're heading away from where we are going. We'll continue."<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2AggWYcxVtx_CQsk5d4zwUMB36yatPE_7Hib-i0IeadncK8fSUl6sEw10ShDHS3IQXgsPuQCDen7eGE8fW4USbughS9hYOOFqGo30v9KAN7MZIlGhCQklvMOIvttjQTjiqBxRZTTQBn5VhVaIyc-pwFYTNSvIbNPLcYMHiRPDurCrpEvJQp2si1g/s960/304539_103001373182689_1737581102_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2AggWYcxVtx_CQsk5d4zwUMB36yatPE_7Hib-i0IeadncK8fSUl6sEw10ShDHS3IQXgsPuQCDen7eGE8fW4USbughS9hYOOFqGo30v9KAN7MZIlGhCQklvMOIvttjQTjiqBxRZTTQBn5VhVaIyc-pwFYTNSvIbNPLcYMHiRPDurCrpEvJQp2si1g/s320/304539_103001373182689_1737581102_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Deeper into the gorge, the trail varied between dry and slippery mud depending upon how close we were to the overflow of the river. Then just ahead, a dark form, partly hidden by leaves. The ranger pointed, securing our attention, as whispers and intake of breath flowed through the group. We had found the chimps. Some words of advice were given as to how we should present ourselves and to keep a minimum distance in order to protect the chimps from communicable diseases. We walked forward, slowly, not stalking, deliberately advertising our presence.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2b3CQZ2VRYWWj8N0gDBm9xVqhiIzSubY4wJon_Nb8zea4iz2cqhqejOkrsyOY_Lbi61z70juTJF7OKZkANCjfVCAf3Tm7l7ULwdZ9r5x-BlSK1R97tZd_LXiOFtZwwfl-36LNlIUksJcWzAePIgjkd29Q7zx-QD5yirqHYeTqqVvpxCjVCaNPoD-/s960/561706_4130537755674_1353228886_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2b3CQZ2VRYWWj8N0gDBm9xVqhiIzSubY4wJon_Nb8zea4iz2cqhqejOkrsyOY_Lbi61z70juTJF7OKZkANCjfVCAf3Tm7l7ULwdZ9r5x-BlSK1R97tZd_LXiOFtZwwfl-36LNlIUksJcWzAePIgjkd29Q7zx-QD5yirqHYeTqqVvpxCjVCaNPoD-/s320/561706_4130537755674_1353228886_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>The Kyambura chimps are habituated to human visitors, though they are still completely wild animals with defensive behaviour when feeling ambushed or threatened. None of us wanted to cross that line, to do so would have been very wrong and disrespectful. <br /><p>I was then aware that there were many chimps lounging in the greenery, on the ground and branches. One sat while being groomed by another. A young sub-adult curled itself into a ball and rolled around. Then they lay on its back, arms and legs akimbo, looking up to the canopy. It was an amazing and joyful sight, we took photos and watched with delight.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgZ-mGHTZ-IH4xH6sJidQ9VvRTv7g9Mb3NMejGgqgJ_NparLl9iJGbgzo_xFmIMuO8oKFeRsv4Hbc7Vk-GeEf7Zq5BxRy4qOqe2-Jm8m4GsO7O48zm-ewT1Jrq-R1qkmmCanw9bMRSPewA--phriOqe7vffe-4cZaFVkFL-ZWQJQCLvSAQ6zCbwbo/s2048/621626_10151165742986072_1240667593_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgZ-mGHTZ-IH4xH6sJidQ9VvRTv7g9Mb3NMejGgqgJ_NparLl9iJGbgzo_xFmIMuO8oKFeRsv4Hbc7Vk-GeEf7Zq5BxRy4qOqe2-Jm8m4GsO7O48zm-ewT1Jrq-R1qkmmCanw9bMRSPewA--phriOqe7vffe-4cZaFVkFL-ZWQJQCLvSAQ6zCbwbo/s320/621626_10151165742986072_1240667593_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Over to the edge of the group, sat an adult male, delicately chewing individual leaves from a stem. I commented on his apparent separation to the ranger, who confirmed that this male had mounted a unsuccessful challenge to the alpha and was now keeping his head down out of trouble. Still on the trail and keeping the proper distance, the guide said we may approach a little further. </p><p>"Since his fight with the alpha, this one has become more timid. But right now he's relaxed."</p><p>Without looking directly into his eyes, to avoid being perceived as a challenge, I sat down onto my heels. I looked sideways and the chimp looked back, the dappled light twinkling in his eyes as he continued to chew his leaves. It wasn't quite Attenborough rolling around with the gorillas, but it was a tender moment.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy58NzDSMf5AffmLTFEX9kAfY4hKpUqiMT9WU28QmV3P7IuMEAYIoDg_1zhwJ15iyeUu6rTUX-CswFAo2sEXxRpmJQaE_KYQdVTRbiuLRYzEZHANIIT2oJjWZ8Y-IFSDJRu0zVuaOnTiEW6zDB8o2ksTth5iFKmoe3waDEwaWR5V5ulCvpIECOwuNI/s960/384103_4130544955854_906724179_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy58NzDSMf5AffmLTFEX9kAfY4hKpUqiMT9WU28QmV3P7IuMEAYIoDg_1zhwJ15iyeUu6rTUX-CswFAo2sEXxRpmJQaE_KYQdVTRbiuLRYzEZHANIIT2oJjWZ8Y-IFSDJRu0zVuaOnTiEW6zDB8o2ksTth5iFKmoe3waDEwaWR5V5ulCvpIECOwuNI/s320/384103_4130544955854_906724179_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>We retraced our steps in the opposite direction, back towards the others in our group. Then, above and behind us a sudden screech. As our heads turned, the atmosphere suddenly changed. The air was filled with loud vocalisations, whoops, scream and cries. Branches whipped and cracked, leaves crashed together and fell to the ground. The chimps leapt and darted from tree to tree, with lightning agility.</p><p>"They've seen the red-tailed monkey. Over there!" <br /><br />The ranger pointed to a flash of red ochre zig zagging away from us. The monkey had come too close to the chimp clan and they were giving chase with intent. Chimps are known to be omnivores and hunt other primates for meat. This really was nature in all its manifestations. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the whooping stopped and the chimps settled in the branches.</p><p>"He's got away."<br />"That's one lucky monkey." I replied. It was such a incredible display of behaviour, yet still, I was just a bit glad that he had escaped, for today. Our group expressed similar sentiments.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoYXH85tbIuj9tRIFzzQUtveGYYldFPNHMNvewHb_5ujbfla4kZrLQ9SJbzpxPR7KaVSrpKYO3qxZQxxqTxk-tZgFiXZN8M7KJ-YorkFok994RpKjNQiitNfkiCl3Eovk6YpZ3KkTV7O59YwwLRNog7ZM6rT9k0DumflyYsNtT_Zw5f7dtBQOPG-V/s960/406370_103001959849297_1443398539_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="960" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoYXH85tbIuj9tRIFzzQUtveGYYldFPNHMNvewHb_5ujbfla4kZrLQ9SJbzpxPR7KaVSrpKYO3qxZQxxqTxk-tZgFiXZN8M7KJ-YorkFok994RpKjNQiitNfkiCl3Eovk6YpZ3KkTV7O59YwwLRNog7ZM6rT9k0DumflyYsNtT_Zw5f7dtBQOPG-V/s320/406370_103001959849297_1443398539_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Then, from above, something small landed beside us. Then again, this time hitting one of us on the shoulder. </p><p>"What's that?" someone asked. More items seemingly falling from above.<br />"It's fruit!"<br /><br />Having failed in their hunt, the chimps were now chewing on tree fruit and spitting the piths out. More fruit rained down, this time unchewed. Were they deliberately throwing it at us? Either for fun or because they'd had enough of us hanging around.</p><p>"It's time to go" said the ranger, nodding with a smile.<br />"They're telling us to." We laughed.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsaQm8dQMHocKaPkgswexKrZxgXIeWk9u1bMf5xFGThTvyCfyzg2spzgQX1TOpJB8DhX5ayzs_bA8hSSyBzNkiQ6t3DJIbcVIXk3J_pyH_Sl6vF2o-9ae7KRhZv5uziTsKBoQN7j5FRsxdcLko_tKf_-b_uZqRGE2rPqQmrw4m0AkVPkSLMjSYYvd/s960/380990_4130526795400_379905065_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsaQm8dQMHocKaPkgswexKrZxgXIeWk9u1bMf5xFGThTvyCfyzg2spzgQX1TOpJB8DhX5ayzs_bA8hSSyBzNkiQ6t3DJIbcVIXk3J_pyH_Sl6vF2o-9ae7KRhZv5uziTsKBoQN7j5FRsxdcLko_tKf_-b_uZqRGE2rPqQmrw4m0AkVPkSLMjSYYvd/s320/380990_4130526795400_379905065_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Our hour with the chimps of Kyambura had passed as if it was ten minutes. We had been so lucky to see so many aspects of their nature, behaviour and environment. We completed the last river crossings over boardwalks and around muddy pools, then ascended back out of the gorge. Talk among the group relived the moments with enthusiasm. This had been such a special experience, I knew I would remember it for the the rest of my life.</p><p>Back in the warm sunshine, it was time to say thank you to our guides. As well as a grateful handshake, we offered a tip to the ranger and his two assistants. While the group thanked the assistants before they headed home, the ranger discretely spoke.</p><p>"Thank you for remembering our assistants. Many guests forget about them."<br />"With pleasure." I replied "You've all been superb."</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eXFiRV9ggn73ME78zmVc-V-TQaveZQy6FhIV-CjaBl5dDm0JwFadhO3j9eoj3Oqe7IaK_OD9grm0VF1HrYDXucaKuNB0SFu4MI977oQdbbOmhYG3szHTBJEVeTiqe5kgbY9UgtQn9IbOQOmczgVU8zX0A6YGKyBykHujhqyEoWIvgb3Q1ZshFKK5/s960/199155_10151165765476072_1097416897_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eXFiRV9ggn73ME78zmVc-V-TQaveZQy6FhIV-CjaBl5dDm0JwFadhO3j9eoj3Oqe7IaK_OD9grm0VF1HrYDXucaKuNB0SFu4MI977oQdbbOmhYG3szHTBJEVeTiqe5kgbY9UgtQn9IbOQOmczgVU8zX0A6YGKyBykHujhqyEoWIvgb3Q1ZshFKK5/s320/199155_10151165765476072_1097416897_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>The coaster bus arrived in a cloud of red dust to take us and the Ranger back to Mweya. <br />After five minutes on the track, the driver slammed on the brakes.<br />"Leopard!" He exclaimed, as the white tip of a 'follow-me" tail disappeared into the bush.<br />It was my second leopard sighting, in exactly the same circumstances at the first when on the way to Bwindi to go gorilla trekking. </p><p>Today had been a good day. </p><p>No. Today had been a great day.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Stu Westfield<br />Ranger Expeditions<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtpGJat4TqmgK7TU6NFAmp7PvOEa3fYmTlvRZdKWj6TfnYdUqckdzFSOkqw7ddt_IClVFH3RK54M6ii9dr_Duuc6a-0ZZIRxNN5kk_HA2HPdXbwRUDDNRXRIVWlPGX_qxbL1ZKu3KRyWMwNqqNsiMAHXtJVMwNgX0t8gJCY5VYtcYsXkJDfsQKUolC/s1559/Ranger%20Ultras%2010Ybasehead%204Black%20LR2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1559" data-original-width="1559" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtpGJat4TqmgK7TU6NFAmp7PvOEa3fYmTlvRZdKWj6TfnYdUqckdzFSOkqw7ddt_IClVFH3RK54M6ii9dr_Duuc6a-0ZZIRxNN5kk_HA2HPdXbwRUDDNRXRIVWlPGX_qxbL1ZKu3KRyWMwNqqNsiMAHXtJVMwNgX0t8gJCY5VYtcYsXkJDfsQKUolC/w200-h200/Ranger%20Ultras%2010Ybasehead%204Black%20LR2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /></h4><p><br /><br /></p>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-28990551745568750192022-09-15T12:33:00.003+00:002022-09-15T12:33:41.863+00:00#074 Meeting Mountain Gorillas<h4 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Kasese, Uganda, 2007</span></b></h4><p>As I stood at the rendezvous point, the horrors of thigh deep Rwenzori mud had already begun to fade to the extent that I impulsively wished we could all go back to Nyakalengija and re-live the experience.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthhJeuHzntw-iX-cfp_jbC0RQv0ZlTse_uUV78JdOJlSyBbl-8SyDc1E1kUm7muy912G1oy7udWusAW3_yNnIUoSLhHx4GYnZal2Be6nvGzNMqqoVJ1Fw_tOp8Of-nfOAmZynW8VKHT5C5tbx48l4y5p6adXzJ4wCVzjx0Hm5F3H4TowvthS85L9X/s1280/DSCF0779.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthhJeuHzntw-iX-cfp_jbC0RQv0ZlTse_uUV78JdOJlSyBbl-8SyDc1E1kUm7muy912G1oy7udWusAW3_yNnIUoSLhHx4GYnZal2Be6nvGzNMqqoVJ1Fw_tOp8Of-nfOAmZynW8VKHT5C5tbx48l4y5p6adXzJ4wCVzjx0Hm5F3H4TowvthS85L9X/s320/DSCF0779.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rwenzori trekking</td></tr></tbody></table><p>But no, it was time to move onwards. A very special adventure was next.</p><p>The bus appeared out the heat haze, pulled off the straight tarmac road and into the dusty layby. Esra introduced myself and two travelling companions to Mustafa, our new driver and we headed south across the acacia studded Ishasha plains. Twice we saw large troupes of baboon crossing the road ahead, but by the time we had closed the distance they had ducked into bushes lining the verge. The condition of the road was steadily deteriorating, with tyre ruts becoming deeper channeling the wheels and pulling against the steering. Mustafa, kept the vehicle under control, making small correcting adjustments and braking well in advance of deep suspension cracking pot holes. We juddered over a set of hardened mud corrugations.</p><p>“Are the roads this bad in England?” he asked. <br />For most of the time he had been quiet, eyes covered by a pair of dark sunglasses, while he concentrated on driving.<br />“No, people would really have something to complain about if they were like this.”</p><p>But before Mustafa had an opportunity to reply, he slammed on the brakes and I whipped my head round, expecting to see a lorry or some other hazard filling the windscreen.<br />At the same moment, he exclaimed “Leopard!”</p><p>And I saw the spotted body and thick, white tipped tail of a very big cat bound into the dense undergrowth. This was my first sighting of a leopard in the wild, I was thrilled just to catch a fleeting glimpse of its beautiful patterned coat and energetic physical presence.</p><p>“Wow, what a treat,” my voice raised an octave in excitement. </p><p>Then as we crested the brow of the next hill, a sight to behold tired eyes spread before us. Beyond the plain, the eastern shore of Lake Edward shimmered, flecks of reflected light sparkled on the surface. Even from our high position the far shore was still not visible, forty kilometres away.</p><p>There were few settlements of any notable size along the route, just the odd abandoned tin roofed hut. Yet, we regularly passed people riding bicycles in the heat of the day, apparently miles from anywhere and not carrying a water bottle. On the arduous surface we were travelling, a bicycle rider would be making good progress if he covered more than fifteen kilometres in an hour. </p><p>The first town we arrived at was Kikarara, where men clothed in clean well pressed suits accompanied women wearing brightly coloured dresses, some in the East African kanga and others in Edwardian style with voluminous leg-o-mutton sleeves. Children followed in their school uniforms. It was an eclectic mix, amongst the garage mechanics, stall attendants and poorer kids in little more than rags labouring under their loads of firewood. I realised it must be Sunday. Church services and Sunday School had just finished and now the congregation were making their way home. </p><p>A large open top army lorry approached from the from the direction of the Congo, stirring a cloud of red dust in its wake. The back was loaded with soldiers in full camouflage and armed with machine guns, an abrupt reminder of the border tensions.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Bwindi Impenetrable Forest<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1mFNdme8x3_b3CVJbI2GLY19AJHeJaEwXAB6AIT-cHhBkDqoxQAP0ryuQcwG6h4wYf0AKzOTwAE57MVRA_842Cxv4qi7yFFmrLoDTcwNoQ048ECgv9ZXjJuGvZ2uuNLN0f9iJB1eTbCEUX2JNQlm7oncccWERUETpnrKDOhqE737F9skyLG_AjWx/s1840/CNV00001%20(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1840" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1mFNdme8x3_b3CVJbI2GLY19AJHeJaEwXAB6AIT-cHhBkDqoxQAP0ryuQcwG6h4wYf0AKzOTwAE57MVRA_842Cxv4qi7yFFmrLoDTcwNoQ048ECgv9ZXjJuGvZ2uuNLN0f9iJB1eTbCEUX2JNQlm7oncccWERUETpnrKDOhqE737F9skyLG_AjWx/s320/CNV00001%20(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></div></h4><p>The village of Bwindi lay deep in the hills, south of lake Edward, at the edge of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National park. We were booked into the Kitandra camp for three nights. A delightful array of thatched banda huts and canvas safari tents pitched onto wooden platforms on terraces cut into the hillside, surrounded by exotic planting. Around the back of each tent was an open air bathroom, screened by bamboo matting. Stocked up with a bottle of coke, I kicked off my boots and relaxed into a directors style chair.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtRt_UaDmyPe-ZJmVx5mmYfhds4IfYkmvNpRG9nsmiVNydqisEAa1ADtWyXriojuWRL-HzwYezI4FjcSRaVPWhf08Dv6n2nCWZKT6KeeTwxoBV9wCtCc_oSj7L6r_6NbH7YcaFP7thNx0HPTJLDOexwXLz7_LB14Xt-vFNOpKB0Mmbc6PJQYjMRuz/s1840/CNV00010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1840" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtRt_UaDmyPe-ZJmVx5mmYfhds4IfYkmvNpRG9nsmiVNydqisEAa1ADtWyXriojuWRL-HzwYezI4FjcSRaVPWhf08Dv6n2nCWZKT6KeeTwxoBV9wCtCc_oSj7L6r_6NbH7YcaFP7thNx0HPTJLDOexwXLz7_LB14Xt-vFNOpKB0Mmbc6PJQYjMRuz/s320/CNV00010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Bwindi park operates a system of permits to see the mountain gorillas, with a maximum of eight allocated to each gorilla family group. My travelling companions and I had hoped to keep together for the gorilla tracking. Unfortunately, despite his best negotiating efforts, Ezra could not secure three permits for the following morning. So, while they took their turn first, I opted to take the longest guided walk on offer along an old trade route called The Ivy Trail.<br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Trekking with Medi</span></b></h4><p></p><p>My guide was a young recruit to the Ugandan Wildlife Service, called Medi Twongyeirwe. Two armed rangers, Alfred and Isaac, walked with us who also helped spot wildlife for me to photograph.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHwr8f-p_tRk6yXWtDBzqvZyuXeSkNe8JYPMNKeugVmJOJYESRt6Ah_rG7x3uLC431uVFLw7qZx7OyrRpxIUND4HmNzcPtVroJAqapjPOIWaiDMM4d2RyCs_W6e5IZejbazUrNgBHwrXD1LOCJMa5Vgn986qGPFud6rLE6W2eOgGyYZsM7WVDWNQg/s1840/CNV00013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1840" data-original-width="1232" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHwr8f-p_tRk6yXWtDBzqvZyuXeSkNe8JYPMNKeugVmJOJYESRt6Ah_rG7x3uLC431uVFLw7qZx7OyrRpxIUND4HmNzcPtVroJAqapjPOIWaiDMM4d2RyCs_W6e5IZejbazUrNgBHwrXD1LOCJMa5Vgn986qGPFud6rLE6W2eOgGyYZsM7WVDWNQg/s320/CNV00013.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medi. Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>“Isaac has very good eyes,” Medi informed me as he pointed out several L’Hoest’s monkey almost hidden high up in nearby trees.</p><p>Further along the trail, we saw red tail monkeys moving through the canopy. I was absorbed in watching them, when a group of people appeared from the Bwindi direction. The father at the front, followed by a young woman, talking with her mother, their children being very well behaved at the rear. Each carried a suitcase or small bag with a blanket roll. I moved to the side of the path, wished them a good morning and they continued on their way. A short time later another large group of people came, all dressed in their best, rather than for work in the fields.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BeV8KmU0mjZm3tESJjeSx76KMpJ-VuOf3KqF0vqjCgbW8ghAztCwSgnXnR7ddTzpb6q3OtA-TMtuJWrCKK5MfoJwhoRVLxIT2BM_8kqHNKWoV-lp1FYtny7PCkhXk5rPidlrORsB0K7hOMnm3TfutUscRRg0qa1ZHMLIJWDFPMwmq0En4FDzq4_1/s1840/CNV00017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1840" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BeV8KmU0mjZm3tESJjeSx76KMpJ-VuOf3KqF0vqjCgbW8ghAztCwSgnXnR7ddTzpb6q3OtA-TMtuJWrCKK5MfoJwhoRVLxIT2BM_8kqHNKWoV-lp1FYtny7PCkhXk5rPidlrORsB0K7hOMnm3TfutUscRRg0qa1ZHMLIJWDFPMwmq0En4FDzq4_1/s320/CNV00017.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>“This is a popular route,” I said.<br />“These people are returning home. Did you hear the music in Bwindi village yesterday?” Medi asked.<br />“Yes.” There had been some sort of jamboree, with enthusiastic singing and drums which could be heard in our camp.<br />“Every month the church organises a gathering, people come from all around. They have a meal and stay overnight.”</p><p>In the past the Ivy Trail had been used as a route to smuggle coffee over the border to the Congo, where the growers could get a better price. Nowadays it is a convenient path to the nearest village. We stopped for lunch where a river cut through the forest and a log footbridge spanned it to an enclosed meadow on the far bank. <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCMsrfMJpAinxKOnIin2r_r4uR_bpHCSnLJ10MruglQRg7kf6BmEiVbNwNpL98ljw9ClkvO0gP8Xl9ha_c-rxgY52No9Zignhhf5mbNKkGr7uwelm3YwoammM8M3nqS78jIt-7OLk8exvOAxihiAi-fSGY0BUaBhXHcx7_A2kn1_0O3Jhn-yM1VPz/s1840/CNV00010%20(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1840" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCMsrfMJpAinxKOnIin2r_r4uR_bpHCSnLJ10MruglQRg7kf6BmEiVbNwNpL98ljw9ClkvO0gP8Xl9ha_c-rxgY52No9Zignhhf5mbNKkGr7uwelm3YwoammM8M3nqS78jIt-7OLk8exvOAxihiAi-fSGY0BUaBhXHcx7_A2kn1_0O3Jhn-yM1VPz/s320/CNV00010%20(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Medi had brought a flask of ugali, a type of liquid porridge ideal as both a drink and a meal to sustain a day’s hiking. Alfred and Isaac had nothing so I divided my sandwiches out amongst us. Medi kept on asking if I was feeling unwell, as if he was not used to seeing food from clients being shared. From the last of my Rwenzori rations I had a slab of fruit cake brought from home, which was particularly appreciated by Isaac. His face lit up and he nodded as he chewed on the currants.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2QLm1r_A0Vzj5ptmNuQGSfCeBb7dbyHGk7jtCYKMRpcijCP-cV3D0AVIFB4MIo_34S5jQ9wnU8uTWrzcwfpi71vYiRZp_bL995KcMAtpmAlzboSNqTNNMp9KjIkoo5Z_xeezk0iWkFySnrhWSlUwMfr1A9BEqlK6FvEqtBrFtZdMSi3pMY_8r1Fu/s1840/CNV00015%20(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1840" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2QLm1r_A0Vzj5ptmNuQGSfCeBb7dbyHGk7jtCYKMRpcijCP-cV3D0AVIFB4MIo_34S5jQ9wnU8uTWrzcwfpi71vYiRZp_bL995KcMAtpmAlzboSNqTNNMp9KjIkoo5Z_xeezk0iWkFySnrhWSlUwMfr1A9BEqlK6FvEqtBrFtZdMSi3pMY_8r1Fu/s320/CNV00015%20(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alfred & Isaac. Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The steady traffic of people along the trail had scared off the monkeys, so on the way back we concentrated on the smaller creatures, seeing a large blue salamis, mother of pearl, butterfly and a land snail as big as my hand, crawling over a plant stem.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LT-d3p5m0--8FzqD7laFyv2bAQQZcGpV4G7dVuzqRyW9_avEcNXH1fbJ_eGfc2NfHnUQgYtRH1gd2Hxd21QV0-g3enXDjoPKrGmOkMfw1rDH_jJxBIUTxMane_LDvZGW-9HRziQI0qpkStyLNsZNUZ5LxV1O0fYyrTwa__9VVxxehZz11KC6W17_/s1840/CNV00022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1840" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LT-d3p5m0--8FzqD7laFyv2bAQQZcGpV4G7dVuzqRyW9_avEcNXH1fbJ_eGfc2NfHnUQgYtRH1gd2Hxd21QV0-g3enXDjoPKrGmOkMfw1rDH_jJxBIUTxMane_LDvZGW-9HRziQI0qpkStyLNsZNUZ5LxV1O0fYyrTwa__9VVxxehZz11KC6W17_/s320/CNV00022.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Gorilla Trekkers Assemble</span></h4><p>Over the course of a year, Bwindi hosts thousands of visitors. Each feeling very lucky to have obtained one of the much sought after permits and hoping that the moment they looked upon our distant cousins there would be some recognition of an intelligence on the same plane.</p><p>After the solitude of the Rwenzori, seeing so many other tourists was quite a culture shock. On the second morning I joined the next tracking group, waiting to be introduced to our guide. Standing in a semi-circle, it was rather like being on a parade of safari chique. I’ve worn my share of khakis whilst in Africa, but I’ve always managed to stop before adorning comical accoutrements such faux gun belts and intrepid Indiana Jones leather hat, completed with a feather quill. In the real jungle, nice new dudes don’t stay looking nice and new for long.</p><p>Many of the trekkers seemed perfectly fit and able, until we got out of the Landcruiser and headed into the forest. In this alien environment, they were incapable of walking more than a few paces on uneven ground without tripping and stumbling, as if the absence of tarmac had completely scrambled their sense of balance.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPS1s3-rv3i8gc4qVYiZo0t6Ntw7GIR121kZVpvFwbi186MtyNq-yiQI1IJ_-eOfR796zS_DS4DhQn2-n0K9tfHjnrBDJ8e9xt2EY1iwmD9WRzkb1LLtCG37o1dwOtPMzm0UVGYbg2vpg6MBspIzZlNndw1PzCt7OnYAVXD6mo5ywv_2QADQjCoxxT/s1307/CNV00015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="833" data-original-width="1307" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPS1s3-rv3i8gc4qVYiZo0t6Ntw7GIR121kZVpvFwbi186MtyNq-yiQI1IJ_-eOfR796zS_DS4DhQn2-n0K9tfHjnrBDJ8e9xt2EY1iwmD9WRzkb1LLtCG37o1dwOtPMzm0UVGYbg2vpg6MBspIzZlNndw1PzCt7OnYAVXD6mo5ywv_2QADQjCoxxT/s320/CNV00015.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>At the edge of forest I heard one of the escorts say “Dakika kumi,” meaning ten minutes.<br /></p><p>The locating of the Habinyanja gorilla family did not involve any tracking in the true sense of not knowing the whereabouts of the animal being sought out. What we actually saw was a role play with the head guide identifying examples of sign. The real trackers went out at first light and starting where the gorillas were last seen, followed their spoor until they located the new position, then radioed back to the guides as the clients were gathering at the park headquarters.</p><p>This method of operation meant clients with a wider range of physical abilities could be accommodated thus generating more income for the park’s upkeep. Also the additional time needed to escort visitors either side of their allocated one hour gorilla contact time was kept short, enabling the cost efficient deployment of rangers. </p><p>Bwindi, is undoubtedly a highly successful operation and the revenue generated by ecotourism has enabled the protection of the gorilla’s environment, along with the other primates that share the forest. The funds have also helped maintain national park security, as an effective deterrent to poaching and the bush meat trade as well as holding back the pressures of agricultural expansion.</p><p>With no sign of its popularity waning, I was aware that Bwindi could be in danger of being laid under siege by the very industry that sustains it. Paradoxically, my presence supported gorilla conservation while simultaneously increasing burden upon the park’s resources and environmental impact.<br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Mountain Gorilla Encounter</span></h4><p></p><p>It was indeed ten minutes until we saw our first gorilla, received with a chorus of rapture from the clients. The dark shadow ahead stirred amongst a thick tangle of creeping vines, cracking the rotten twigs of fallen branches and rustling through a thick layer of brown leaves. It moved closer and took form, an outline of dense silky black fur which bristled as heavy muscles underneath flexed and retracted. I stood at the edge of a swampy depression in the forest floor, the ranger and other clients to my left. The air was filled with a heightened state of awareness, like standing near to high voltage cables. I felt reverence and respect for the presence which passed just a few metres below.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkI9T4GYScmrpX9jeE9ICNMQI9NtDRRQDkU-a5Hy3MGz61i9Uwy5vNckfKZEvBrP7ogN_yZF8sHGFc15jdoGhJKuMMDa6UI0-KBd89SRVluczA6ONv12Hx_XqL3jbGLTssl3JhzlozXn5q0Mm4kgsDvHGGLmN0MK3xMQjS7-4UscA0oSFXL_8gK-5x/s1840/CNV00006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1840" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkI9T4GYScmrpX9jeE9ICNMQI9NtDRRQDkU-a5Hy3MGz61i9Uwy5vNckfKZEvBrP7ogN_yZF8sHGFc15jdoGhJKuMMDa6UI0-KBd89SRVluczA6ONv12Hx_XqL3jbGLTssl3JhzlozXn5q0Mm4kgsDvHGGLmN0MK3xMQjS7-4UscA0oSFXL_8gK-5x/s320/CNV00006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Our guide used his parang to hack across a branch, then bent it away to reveal the silver saddle back of a fully adult dominant male browsing on green leaves. He sat unperturbed, turning his head abruptly to check our approach. The Habinyanja family was unusual in that it was headed by two silverbacks, who will eventually split to form two separate groups if the second silverback mounts an effective challenge for the right to his own harem. We paused, keeping to the seven metre distance which minimises behavioural disturbance to the gorillas and risk of their exposure to human borne diseases. </p><p>The male issued a low rumbling vocalisation before descending into a ravine, followed by two females. At a distance we followed them through the bog, walking across decaying logs which bridged the morass. Somebody slipped and sploshed into the mud and a low branch was allowed to loudly whip back, this was tough terrain for many of our group. Our approaching presence was well advertised to the gorillas.</p><p>On the far side of a bush a juvenile, possibly a yearling, sat on the ground eating yellow fruit. The automatic focus of my camera was confused by the intermediate sprigs of vegetation so I switched to manual and slowly moved sideways to find a clearer line of sight. The family gathered together on dry ground and settled in a loosely formed group. Gorillas spend forty percent of their time resting, the remainder divided between travelling and eating. The main periods of feeding are at the beginning and end of the day, interspersed with rest during the hottest hours.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_aK2gdf97UMPzAnI_aLQZXyT2nGFw8xjVz9sv3KH-uv0pOW3FKu2m-lRfturZP3nOqxM66eGcdqOIL2rvOEPW6I14aXDXMj63g2KuHsRTDJbFVLaNYHLPqTmy-VaxmusNes6mpPnMbtqqGzKnkAOFV0P0m_82XwBbcrXJbCaRJoTXGKfhFjEN43Q/s1840/CNV00007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1840" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_aK2gdf97UMPzAnI_aLQZXyT2nGFw8xjVz9sv3KH-uv0pOW3FKu2m-lRfturZP3nOqxM66eGcdqOIL2rvOEPW6I14aXDXMj63g2KuHsRTDJbFVLaNYHLPqTmy-VaxmusNes6mpPnMbtqqGzKnkAOFV0P0m_82XwBbcrXJbCaRJoTXGKfhFjEN43Q/s320/CNV00007.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Screams of a tiny infant demanding to be picked up were placated when an older female arrived to suckle. Another baby, full of exuberance, continued to play with his drowsy elder brother, tumbling over his back then climbing up onto an low overhanging branch and launching himself onto his siblings head before rolling over again.</p><p>Nearest to me a sub-adult male lounged on a bed of leaf litter, his large brown eyes looked at me intensely. He relaxed when I bowed my head and submissively averted my gaze. When I watched him through the viewfinder of the camera, he remained unconcerned and felt safe enough to sleep in my presence. The head guide called our attention to the time and asked us to finish our photographs. The maximum we could spend with the gorillas was one hour, allowing them to be free from the curious humans for the remainder of the day. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDYmwXCKuD_sjRhzX-wM4PvrsxIr8BfCiC2eypoqYpHvW1J094gzcEyygj1SQMRUiChswfzgWcTdAdJZoXwQ31oXFZyp59AOUUr_5FYLdVCX_EmlOrx_pkOy6UmehYLltMB2ol-VO2yZj5ly4mdl9GoYlCoAFMbIsAkIaVlb71lIQT4G9eMuffzh0/s1840/CNV00037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1840" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDYmwXCKuD_sjRhzX-wM4PvrsxIr8BfCiC2eypoqYpHvW1J094gzcEyygj1SQMRUiChswfzgWcTdAdJZoXwQ31oXFZyp59AOUUr_5FYLdVCX_EmlOrx_pkOy6UmehYLltMB2ol-VO2yZj5ly4mdl9GoYlCoAFMbIsAkIaVlb71lIQT4G9eMuffzh0/s320/CNV00037.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Having seen behaviour which could be interpreted as tenderness, tolerance and joy, one could think of the mountain gorilla in terms of human emotions. To do so would be wrong and anthropomorphic, although after watching their interactions at close quarters, I have no doubt that gorillas experience feelings and thoughts that are more significant than automatic and learned.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Future Conservation</span></b></h4><p>There are only about six hundred mountain gorillas left in the wild, the greatest of the great apes, hemmed into a small enclave of high forest on the Rwanda, Congo, Uganda border region. It occurred to me that Bwindi National Park could be missing an opportunity for increasing its revenue. The sole purpose of most visitors entering Bwindi is to see the gorillas. For some of these people, tracking and trekking holds no interest and their enjoyment is concentrated in the one hour of contact time. They leave having fulfilled their ambition and are completely satisfied. Others may have physical limitations which means they are more comfortable with the existing guiding arrangements.</p><p>I considered the downplaying of the tracking element to represent a undervaluing of the gorilla experience as a whole. I left wanting to see more of the rangers’ craft and to have time to learn more about the wider ecology of Bwindi. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_fSbFBBbTupauMYNPtZ4927NLEU1NnbAgJ_vakIMAKVrMVLoMu2U2peFLmEtiVP6pp90NqY3qT0kaw5FQ11EW0qmkmytt-erg1cmhfGrPil-0UGKayxY23jGSrufNikYUeZHJ4nouZeKpdxrK37S0Sz6MwSjqJiuRZAn8x0kHPYkxNMQ_1ZKOzm5/s1840/CNV00030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1840" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_fSbFBBbTupauMYNPtZ4927NLEU1NnbAgJ_vakIMAKVrMVLoMu2U2peFLmEtiVP6pp90NqY3qT0kaw5FQ11EW0qmkmytt-erg1cmhfGrPil-0UGKayxY23jGSrufNikYUeZHJ4nouZeKpdxrK37S0Sz6MwSjqJiuRZAn8x0kHPYkxNMQ_1ZKOzm5/s320/CNV00030.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I mulled over my ideal. A longer trek over several days, stopping in temporary, mobile bush camps, providing exciting opportunities to participate conservation projects and absorb the art of tracking at a natural pace. This would also give the client an increased likelihood of seeing other forest dwelling primates. The walk could even be in the style of a biological study, led by rangers, noting the wider flora and fauna of the jungle as the group progressed. </p><p>Moving between different gorilla families would give a purpose and structure to the expedition. Naturally, to protect the welfare of the gorillas, the park rules would have to be adhered to and enforced in the same manner as at present. This format would obviously have a great appeal to the more independently adventurous and lower maintenance eco-tourism client. The trek might start and finish with an overnight stop in a village, thereby benefiting a wider range of communities than just Bwindi. </p><p>Additional jobs would also be created in staffing the camps and providing logistical support. Revenue from the higher chargeable premiums might be used to fund the expansion of the park boundaries. A bigger range, supporting a larger number of gorilla families would bring the species an important step in the right direction away from endangered classification. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJx0grmmToDCoUyJBQzCCJXZS4StzQ5lIktPAuSgn6NTA8MiaeGVXvgw_Vz7dFQcPVIHTh6_6Ob0A5ObugzWZFH92z6boeA8r5Toj6s4VWWqr9RP1Lm94xsRQ2WLWjsPLxM-xZaXO7ZIUfgXs8XSyDE7Z736Od8vjvngToLF2kvnRYLdaa0dP1AA8f/s1840/CNV00036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1840" data-original-width="1232" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJx0grmmToDCoUyJBQzCCJXZS4StzQ5lIktPAuSgn6NTA8MiaeGVXvgw_Vz7dFQcPVIHTh6_6Ob0A5ObugzWZFH92z6boeA8r5Toj6s4VWWqr9RP1Lm94xsRQ2WLWjsPLxM-xZaXO7ZIUfgXs8XSyDE7Z736Od8vjvngToLF2kvnRYLdaa0dP1AA8f/s320/CNV00036.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I walked back to the Landcruiser mindful at the tragedy that these intelligent creatures, sharing 98% percent of our DNA, could be under such threat of extinction. Tourist revenue affords the mountain gorilla a high level of ranger protection, compared to other apes. Elsewhere in central Africa, body parts of lowland gorillas are openly on sale in markets, baby apes are being captured as exotic pets and adults are being shot by the small but persistently destructive trade in trophy hunting. Both the mountain and lowland gorillas deserve so much more from mankind than persecution.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Going home</span></h4><p>It was early, barely light, as I stuffed the last of my things into my kit bag. I had sorted most of it out the previous evening after eating dinner, leaving little to do before breakfast. I unzipped the heavy canvas tent door and sat outside on the chair. Sounds of chatter and clanking pots drifted up from the village in the still air.</p><p>The direct route back to Entebbe took us through the landscape of Rukungiri where deep valleys and rolling hills had been completely deforested and given over to cultivation. Mustafa slowed down to allow a herd of long horned ankole-watusi cattle to cross the road. These bovids, descended from the ancient aurochs which became extinct in the seventeenth century, have the ability to digest poor quality food with limited amounts of water making them particularly suitable for East African farming.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSef1ZN8obucuV-JLsrWbq7P-qeGOIJvT-dCqnmWARsc_OWvc9s3p-Ec_Wx6B8aN2de2vBACOZ6yXZf9vxt1X1pfdarDLRBSxKhUAWfx0ifp-JxyeCd3cbZGsc8z1XbU8ofFEh6TWsNWJSQZp0uxbOa9GZj6x548csZAAvg8lMGJyg6LveiubQBPnw/s1543/CNV00007%20(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="974" data-original-width="1543" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSef1ZN8obucuV-JLsrWbq7P-qeGOIJvT-dCqnmWARsc_OWvc9s3p-Ec_Wx6B8aN2de2vBACOZ6yXZf9vxt1X1pfdarDLRBSxKhUAWfx0ifp-JxyeCd3cbZGsc8z1XbU8ofFEh6TWsNWJSQZp0uxbOa9GZj6x548csZAAvg8lMGJyg6LveiubQBPnw/s320/CNV00007%20(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>In the fertile alluvium plains, a herd of Friesian cattle grazed, hemmed in by coppiced hedgerows and birch trees which could have been mistaken for the down land of southern England. We passed a lorry so over loaded with large bunches of freshly cut green matoke bananas, that the back leaned unsteadily over on the shot suspension as it cornered.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_0j4wM4Kq5cY617GiM4Jg4vSu9Sr-cwpVJ_-FfM9aO1vBQwNXIqSUThM8ftgpAFq2CV5ED4R-1-lOZn-z0imgFSd8T6dGHr0C_WETyXlYsAcucm3-m6IczbZKVukEhztt-4VOTRk8yWqZpkfC5jQrCgqf5qlCEkoms1ricZEiA_eoC7DqEUm6sj6/s1302/CNV00006%20(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1302" data-original-width="981" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_0j4wM4Kq5cY617GiM4Jg4vSu9Sr-cwpVJ_-FfM9aO1vBQwNXIqSUThM8ftgpAFq2CV5ED4R-1-lOZn-z0imgFSd8T6dGHr0C_WETyXlYsAcucm3-m6IczbZKVukEhztt-4VOTRk8yWqZpkfC5jQrCgqf5qlCEkoms1ricZEiA_eoC7DqEUm6sj6/s320/CNV00006%20(2).JPG" width="241" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The point of a four sided spire rose above the trees with the appearance of a typical stone built, slate tiled roof, cathedral. This was a mission church, its open arched walls actually built from kiln baked mud bricks and the roof fabricated from galvanised corrugated steel, pinned to timber joists. Without its congregation in attendance to bring it to life, it seemed out of place and incongruous, the empty void a sad pastiche seeking to emulate greater Christian works.</p><p>Further on, the Masaka police checkpoint, looked like a motorway toll booth without barriers. It acted as a staging post for busses large and small. Vendors, carrying biltong, bananas in large wood bowls and skewered kebab meat on blackened platters offered food up to bus windows in exchange for a few schillings. After the checkpoint, fish mongers sold tilapia and Nile perch from roadside stalls. They attracted the attention of passing drivers by holding their catch by the gills and waving it up and down. <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_z_d2izAsnAAWEfyulu3_ZuAX8SyEDAZDZ2lelATvQC7h1TLCTxhdz7mfuwODujmZRvcgGdOAh-aMgBz3Ys_u5nxa9V49uItRa-lP3am7cko4L2CsY2-iAeR_AyBLdNyUjtlEZjTJpSSSye4igIlPSYSeQ5cg9tUi1CtMjXxs8fORDpoPZOjgclx/s1840/CNV00001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1840" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_z_d2izAsnAAWEfyulu3_ZuAX8SyEDAZDZ2lelATvQC7h1TLCTxhdz7mfuwODujmZRvcgGdOAh-aMgBz3Ys_u5nxa9V49uItRa-lP3am7cko4L2CsY2-iAeR_AyBLdNyUjtlEZjTJpSSSye4igIlPSYSeQ5cg9tUi1CtMjXxs8fORDpoPZOjgclx/s320/CNV00001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>A mini bus jammed full of passengers overtook us with two tilapia tied onto the wing mirror. Laid out on open stalls, amongst the flies and in the heat, the fish wouldn’t stay fresh for more than a day unless it had been smoked. A few miles before Kampala, the equator was marked at the roadside with a white painted concrete hoop sculpture, into which each of us stood for our tourist photos. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WdDueap5-TwXvrWHN-S2LbJ96t209-6rF4NXg31GTBSuSe3ssyuvCcEcmkY3OFV8eLfNku7kt86lMH8HPboYODJbQpKopre4AN168mnA_tnxF08UJasOPx9RstB25axOyVMNrbxp4_4eumT3k2nUwXoevflhKMegxR7_VL8f0A4HqiX12dXz5e1I/s1840/CNV00002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1840" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WdDueap5-TwXvrWHN-S2LbJ96t209-6rF4NXg31GTBSuSe3ssyuvCcEcmkY3OFV8eLfNku7kt86lMH8HPboYODJbQpKopre4AN168mnA_tnxF08UJasOPx9RstB25axOyVMNrbxp4_4eumT3k2nUwXoevflhKMegxR7_VL8f0A4HqiX12dXz5e1I/s320/CNV00002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p>As we continued into the city, traffic choked the streets, belching out fumes from un-serviced engines. It was a free for all, undertaking, driving on wrong side of road, double parked commercial vehicles and gridlocked unmarked junctions. Road workers blocked off one carriageway for resurfacing, not with cones, but with rocks. There was no contra flow, the opposing traffic had to share one lane causing chaos. My contact lenses felt as if they were melting in a chemical soup after our transport crawled through the congestion for a couple of hours and onto Entebbe. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CVVOSytLrSW36osboFqShb2HNZsIyayfixNW0TUdCfnqaOfzwCvfYZ1_2mKBQwQmTZZhsv6XANg-X2R5LB07VgXAWAaCoM9A-kdn1vXmU6R66QVXK4HHcHVKVkOyPQLIvB2SwoBuvVKuEFBsMMtE4SzAPnQxEw6sMaeSlj7ZAKdkXNIzsfy7BBbL/s1005/240807.02a%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CVVOSytLrSW36osboFqShb2HNZsIyayfixNW0TUdCfnqaOfzwCvfYZ1_2mKBQwQmTZZhsv6XANg-X2R5LB07VgXAWAaCoM9A-kdn1vXmU6R66QVXK4HHcHVKVkOyPQLIvB2SwoBuvVKuEFBsMMtE4SzAPnQxEw6sMaeSlj7ZAKdkXNIzsfy7BBbL/s320/240807.02a%20(1).jpg" width="239" /></a></div><p>We arrived at the Botanical Hotel after dark, so missed the chance to walk around and appreciate the gardens. This was our last stop, early the next morning we would catch our flight home. The final night of our expedition was marked with a bottle of red wine and a large serving of Margherita pizza. <br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Hayfield, Peak District, 2022</span></h4><p></p><p>Over the intervening years, Medi and I have stayed in touch, messaging from time to time. I've travelled and led expeditions elsewhere in East Africa, but I do wish the opportunity would have arisen to return to Bwindi. Not just to watch gorillas again, but more so, to trek the trails with Medi again. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cCwgGDdHcCBNprX7-7ecXlMT-D_bIRaN4xXPIQJC37rfIqfGFpLsdESVoDngFZvivohFTv5Xd1A53U58SlD32EIPSLYB4xjOkDjSRJXJTlZO4HWV6SGLneIFiS4_vZMx9k_OlN1gNkSN5dck1TSE5O34Yrn5N1hYWPwISHVIV15oO9TRxDwL7qxx/s1080/297555730_934008321333929_7998072218625781794_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="1080" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cCwgGDdHcCBNprX7-7ecXlMT-D_bIRaN4xXPIQJC37rfIqfGFpLsdESVoDngFZvivohFTv5Xd1A53U58SlD32EIPSLYB4xjOkDjSRJXJTlZO4HWV6SGLneIFiS4_vZMx9k_OlN1gNkSN5dck1TSE5O34Yrn5N1hYWPwISHVIV15oO9TRxDwL7qxx/w400-h180/297555730_934008321333929_7998072218625781794_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copyright: Medard Twongyeirwe</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Recently, he sent some wonderful pictures which he took of a very special moment shortly after one of the female gorillas had given birth. With his permission, I'm sharing them here. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqVdnvHOW3uJF0f6hTZqQ3p_LDwSfs_Bvpp7Ux8ZmBE6ZMVlRh32UCR8uxmvby7iEgKFGg-yGQm0en_9O1Q9ke900PAP6fonGZd-cH4DXGZXcuZQ0en--5JFdZQwUU3lPIbLneHRHS2SYYKrPxykJfKyGcm7lqtIr2kFOQvunaoeBK8jmoV63VOFA/s1106/Gorilla%20birth.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1106" data-original-width="1003" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqVdnvHOW3uJF0f6hTZqQ3p_LDwSfs_Bvpp7Ux8ZmBE6ZMVlRh32UCR8uxmvby7iEgKFGg-yGQm0en_9O1Q9ke900PAP6fonGZd-cH4DXGZXcuZQ0en--5JFdZQwUU3lPIbLneHRHS2SYYKrPxykJfKyGcm7lqtIr2kFOQvunaoeBK8jmoV63VOFA/w363-h400/Gorilla%20birth.jpg" width="363" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copyright: Medard Twongyeirwe</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Each precious new baby gorilla, takes these beautiful and impressive creatures one step further away from extinction.</p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Stu Westfield<br />Ranger Expeditions<br />https://rangerexped.co.uk/</span></b></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TCBtI3wn6X2wR7VLkEFYhMT_oH7MVm8oy-NqGKIU-b38UdOOw9c4F76F2g49XfeOZjFp_Q0iVc9IUu1PshLtLCN1d_OgrGKmj5iqHD3-8dv9VVzwrNxXQzkFafU4_FvPK5CDytpRWnGUMpwuUzy5dk8hyqqc6yOaxWeUGMvo4gR0hu1LlsQTwZRF/s1559/Ranger%20Ultras%2010Ybasehead%204Black%20LR2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1559" data-original-width="1559" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TCBtI3wn6X2wR7VLkEFYhMT_oH7MVm8oy-NqGKIU-b38UdOOw9c4F76F2g49XfeOZjFp_Q0iVc9IUu1PshLtLCN1d_OgrGKmj5iqHD3-8dv9VVzwrNxXQzkFafU4_FvPK5CDytpRWnGUMpwuUzy5dk8hyqqc6yOaxWeUGMvo4gR0hu1LlsQTwZRF/w200-h200/Ranger%20Ultras%2010Ybasehead%204Black%20LR2.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></div><b><br /><span style="color: #04ff00;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p><br /></p>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-39814544414912060232022-09-01T20:43:00.010+00:002022-09-05T16:45:48.542+00:00#073 The Great Bantu Migration - Part 4 (The iconic Maasai)<p>In this blog mini-series, we've explored the journey of the Bantu people, from their West African homeland, as their culture spread across sub-Saharan Africa in a series of great migrations. Beginning no later than 2000BC and lasting at least three millennia. With our focus upon East Africa we have seen how indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures did not fare well with the rise of agricultural practices. We've also discovered more about how the Bantu culture diversified into distinct modern identities, such as the Chagga of Kilimanjaro.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0i_6kzpn6oi4fLDnodyBUeLKRER3Tz0-QNgmTaILSBt6RjHoNZg20LJ8HbkxB0V3gB3iy9KU3jkJfxJS0vT4B6fq9BF-OrKBZQEq26R_2gyhZy0bwyHMJAmVu3a-ElKhUtGx0B7FICmkHhePbfDiFJWbi2ChsmbRuPc9R4FP0Veahn9ORaDNbzbR/s1691/CNV00009.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1055" data-original-width="1691" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0i_6kzpn6oi4fLDnodyBUeLKRER3Tz0-QNgmTaILSBt6RjHoNZg20LJ8HbkxB0V3gB3iy9KU3jkJfxJS0vT4B6fq9BF-OrKBZQEq26R_2gyhZy0bwyHMJAmVu3a-ElKhUtGx0B7FICmkHhePbfDiFJWbi2ChsmbRuPc9R4FP0Veahn9ORaDNbzbR/w400-h250/CNV00009.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maasai - Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>We close this series with a look at another major group, the pastoralists. Their origins, beliefs and how they interacted with the early Bantu incomers. As well as in modern times, how the most iconic and recognizable of pastoralist tribes, the Maasai now struggle to retain rights to their traditional lands and culture.</p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>Early Kushtic Pastoralism in East Africa</b></span></p><p>Ethiopia is the ancient home of the Kushtic language. Most of the present Bantu and Nilotic languages in Kenya and south east / central Tanzania reveal evidence of borrowing from Kushitc languages, including words relating to cattle keeping, circumcision initiation and aversion to fish. From the Horn Of Africa, these tall and relatively light skinned pastoral Kushtic people expanded southwards into the great savannah grasslands of Kenya and northern Tanzania, about 3000 years ago.<br /><br /><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">The Nilotes</span></b><br /><br />Between 1000 and 500 BC, Southern Sudanese pastoralists moved east and south into the old Kushtic zone of Kenya and Tanzania, assimilating some of the previous Horn Of Africa diaspora population. Their arrival occurred shortly before the introduction of iron to East Africa. </p><p><b style="color: #04ff00;">The Bantu meet Nilotic Pastoralism</b><br /><br />As the Bantu progressed eastward, they probably learned about sheep and cattle from Sudanic speakers living in north Uganda and Tanzania, near Lake Victoria. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GIfdFTmAge2PcDoxkRoKlkIaj9vCkA7lLB-A2pQcag_1Ppw4T43MVxCm4dnTrMkkyzYeKir9dlEaQYnGIVOpGx9mrKgCZ3q7aHLyX0-5EAGuW462sK4VezHXBm6a7h9sW-c2pEXvrj4lkKJfn9hRc7b_IQOkg_TpwVTPOBSy8S98W70xdnl-HPJG/s850/Bantu-and-Nilotic-migrations-into-Uganda-overlaid-on-a-map-of-the-present-day-geography.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="850" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GIfdFTmAge2PcDoxkRoKlkIaj9vCkA7lLB-A2pQcag_1Ppw4T43MVxCm4dnTrMkkyzYeKir9dlEaQYnGIVOpGx9mrKgCZ3q7aHLyX0-5EAGuW462sK4VezHXBm6a7h9sW-c2pEXvrj4lkKJfn9hRc7b_IQOkg_TpwVTPOBSy8S98W70xdnl-HPJG/w640-h360/Bantu-and-Nilotic-migrations-into-Uganda-overlaid-on-a-map-of-the-present-day-geography.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bantu and Nilotic migrations overlaid on a map of present day geography</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Around this time the climate turned drier and the existing lakeside aquatic fishing culture became less widespread. The more successful pastoral groups saw this practice as uncouth and unclean. Here, there is an interesting, but culturally unrelated, parallel to the British Neolithic farmers and keepers of domesticated livestock.</p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><i>Stable isotope analysis has startled the archaeological community by showing a rapid and widespread change from a marine to terrestrial diet (ie from fish to domesticated plants and animals) as people moved from a Mesolithic to a Neolithic culture. This could be a consequence of domestication, or a kind of fish taboo.</i></span><span style="color: #04ff00;"> - Michael Richards, (Simon Fraser University) & Rick J Schulting (University of Oxford)</span></p><p>The pastoralists placed such an importance and value upon cattle that their geographic distribution was confined to regions of extensive grasslands. Eg: The Crater Highlands of North Tanzania, the Rift Valley and Kenyan highlands. It is probable that sorghum and millet were also cultivated, evidenced by pots and grinding equipment used in the preparation and storage of grain. This added a diversity of diet which helped to see the pastoral population through drought, crisis and epidemic.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0R8X_VwawbePOIxKL_btbQigVM3tmiORXkRkvCjS8IcDXQQn098jCKDU_SOJ2uPgXvIfpXu7SNaabUNj3_FY_7PirwB1JITKoubaWUknABsp8jRjmnS7seWe1revNuuvyOzZhwC-3GW-8GXo9XFBH0fQCLB9oapl5mvyOIYnzJwdnRctNjwRRQJkE/s1840/CNV00030%20(3).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1840" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0R8X_VwawbePOIxKL_btbQigVM3tmiORXkRkvCjS8IcDXQQn098jCKDU_SOJ2uPgXvIfpXu7SNaabUNj3_FY_7PirwB1JITKoubaWUknABsp8jRjmnS7seWe1revNuuvyOzZhwC-3GW-8GXo9XFBH0fQCLB9oapl5mvyOIYnzJwdnRctNjwRRQJkE/w400-h268/CNV00030%20(3).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ngorongoro - Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The arriving Bantu exploited areas unsuited to livestock grazing such as the fringes of coastal mangroves, which were avoided by the Kushitc and Nilotic tribes due to the presence of tsetse fly. To the west of a line from Mount Kenya to Kilimanjaro, Bantuization did not take hold until the period 1100-1600AD. Dominant in this region until 1500, were the Southern Nilotes. Expansions, assimilation and conflict between these tribes continued to ebb and flow, until ended by the Maasai invasion in the seventeenth century.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QbPxheHnpgHD3UVFaKMlyvabBPLm7ye7RhGdP33ifMdIDf_ZOpHzEJ1Il0FNxcBdo4IpAbr1hnjUk5fDJggsd9Vpg0r_kzvPAChrDbd8J0dGEf6WGBQURuHCcuvCSpDKrNmb5NiY2P87vZnGieER4PehDQTlC-3jLzSJDGjadTve3jBvnGsvKwIr/s2144/CNV00012.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="2144" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QbPxheHnpgHD3UVFaKMlyvabBPLm7ye7RhGdP33ifMdIDf_ZOpHzEJ1Il0FNxcBdo4IpAbr1hnjUk5fDJggsd9Vpg0r_kzvPAChrDbd8J0dGEf6WGBQURuHCcuvCSpDKrNmb5NiY2P87vZnGieER4PehDQTlC-3jLzSJDGjadTve3jBvnGsvKwIr/w400-h230/CNV00012.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the boma - Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p><b style="color: #04ff00;">The Maasai</b></p><p>The Maasai trace their geographic origins back to South Sudan. They adopted neighbouring customs, such as age-set social organisation and circumcision. Their language, <i>Maa</i>, is part of the Nilotic family, related to the Dinka and Kalenjin, who also have strong pastoral origins. Most Maasai now also speak English and Swahili. </p><p>The proto-Maasai evolved into three separate groups:<br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Samburu - settling in north central Kenya</li><li>Tiamu </li><li>Maasai - southern spread into Northern Tanzania</li></ul><div>By 1800 a miscellany of Nilotic, Kushtic and Bantu speaking communities were scattered all over Kenya and Tanzania. Only in the Great Lakes region had large kingdoms developed. The typical socio-political unit was small and clan orientated. Most Bantu retained their farming origins, but where possible kept their own livestock. Herdsmen like the Maasai lived in more aggressive societies and controlled substantial areas of territory between the agricultural Bantu lands and the Swahili coast city states.</div><p></p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Early European Contact</span></b></p><p>Joseph Thompson is the 19th Century British explorer you likely haven't heard of, but actually have. As the Thompson's Gazelle is named after him. His expedition style was progressive and ahead of his time, avoiding hostilities and never killing indigenous people. His motto speaks volumes about his courage and restraint: <i><span style="color: #04ff00;">"He who goes gently, goes safely; he who goes safely, goes far."</span></i></p><p><i></i></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Aznl2UhqEE7l9zyk4h7E7Rxme7oC8R4ru8HB43roubX4mk6V0fM9ldfDcU3xdA8Eu9C27SJs6YURHgN4fp7ziMU4Kd43GJcsnp-8B6wGw62vsl1oeq2-Vftxfnh4pBSXcaPWNrAu67wLOw9ZLUZb19TPEi_6PHTGVNLgCSor-NkR3EdqN3BeDbck/s1840/CNV00001.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1840" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Aznl2UhqEE7l9zyk4h7E7Rxme7oC8R4ru8HB43roubX4mk6V0fM9ldfDcU3xdA8Eu9C27SJs6YURHgN4fp7ziMU4Kd43GJcsnp-8B6wGw62vsl1oeq2-Vftxfnh4pBSXcaPWNrAu67wLOw9ZLUZb19TPEi_6PHTGVNLgCSor-NkR3EdqN3BeDbck/w400-h268/CNV00001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tommys - Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><br />His book<i> Through Masai Land</i> documented his 1883 expedition from the Swahili coast, around the foothills of Kilimanjaro, within sight of Mount Kenya and onto the Victoria Nyanza (Lake Victoria). As he traversed the savannah, he had several tense encounters with fearsome Maasai warriors. <p></p><p>Thompson died far too young, at the age of 37 due to illness contracted from his travels. Another lesser known legacy is that <i>Through Masai Land</i> was the inspiration for H. Rider Haggard to write <i>King Solomon's Mines.<br /><br /></i></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpg7xuFw_UhFK8Gt3UT3hBer2UxHtd5YjLu69buwdHW8PzJnVYplBYfkOBut_XuXHw3BRVAQ6w8Aya62YNfEwb7O1nSYWVQxY3A_44_1zyAvLgOZEfB887RAqDVXf0NN5CSkRe_UwCeOQpI-FIWIz5zn_Cdp5EmNBju20ZtJUBjhsZO7_w9eaQMXW/s6260/IMG_20220901_205227492.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6260" data-original-width="4149" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpg7xuFw_UhFK8Gt3UT3hBer2UxHtd5YjLu69buwdHW8PzJnVYplBYfkOBut_XuXHw3BRVAQ6w8Aya62YNfEwb7O1nSYWVQxY3A_44_1zyAvLgOZEfB887RAqDVXf0NN5CSkRe_UwCeOQpI-FIWIz5zn_Cdp5EmNBju20ZtJUBjhsZO7_w9eaQMXW/s320/IMG_20220901_205227492.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Colonial Displacement of The Maasai</span></b><br /><br />During the 1940's many Maasai were displaced from their ancestral lands. They were moved away from the fertile grazing between Mounts Meru and Kilimanjaro and most of the the highlands near Ngorongoro. More land was taken in Kenya and Tanzania to create extensive wildlife reserves and national parks: Amboseli NP, Nairobi NP, Masai Mara, Samburu NR, Lake Nakuru NP, Tsavo, Lake Manyara NP, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tarangire and Serengeti NP's.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiTHwW1B_ZAYC8ybX21mVDtMLzKdjJ8Giukp52s8Yjm12jtXJYtNTlQ48ZPSLKfhkedmfCDncBV2gjjBEjz801X4-nryHRsbRHR4pL0199ifwQc_9vJgrEQQQvolqFmM9OWENWh9470PBvYi3W6HosHS1tiFQ-wt6myqVSpsMi29v9_oH35M3G70Bu/s1800/Map-Masailand-Red.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1800" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiTHwW1B_ZAYC8ybX21mVDtMLzKdjJ8Giukp52s8Yjm12jtXJYtNTlQ48ZPSLKfhkedmfCDncBV2gjjBEjz801X4-nryHRsbRHR4pL0199ifwQc_9vJgrEQQQvolqFmM9OWENWh9470PBvYi3W6HosHS1tiFQ-wt6myqVSpsMi29v9_oH35M3G70Bu/w640-h360/Map-Masailand-Red.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Pastoralists and the balance of nature</span></b></p><p>Pastoralism in the human story of evolution is relatively recent. The same could be said for almost every other activity conducted by modern humans. It reeks of double standards when people with far bigger carbon footprints and consumptive behaviours, ignorantly admonish indigenous peoples while still claiming to be conservationists. <br /><br />About fifteen years ago I sat in on a lecture by an astronaut who was part of the 1970's space programme. In his presentation he showed aerial photographs of East Africa, where drought had devastated the environment and many people had died of famine. But he then went on to blame the pastoralists for being the cause of their own predicaments, in words that they pretty much deserved it.<br /><br />He was playing to his mainly wealthy and middle-class audience, effectively saying global habitat destruction couldn't possibly be anything to do with your choices regarding plastics, pollution, consumption and waste. No, its all down to those goat herders! The audience loved it. Their palpable sense of validation and self-congratulation was repulsive.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbZIdCuve4ItlgSYyJQxesH11xd0ErWU0C2Z3EKfqk8VUOWY-YLpe09DHCDa-rFhPXLi42kKLj-C8JnjHR09rXlcHUMT4I3WCUn4XSnqSeMau92KlbyKzR_BSGKT6Lm-NemcRqDC0Wfo02xym7UxcyoiyaAM6lFYgBVJAcVyhPgPVEtLaKrjeMpEH/s4252/CNV00011%20NY.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="4252" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbZIdCuve4ItlgSYyJQxesH11xd0ErWU0C2Z3EKfqk8VUOWY-YLpe09DHCDa-rFhPXLi42kKLj-C8JnjHR09rXlcHUMT4I3WCUn4XSnqSeMau92KlbyKzR_BSGKT6Lm-NemcRqDC0Wfo02xym7UxcyoiyaAM6lFYgBVJAcVyhPgPVEtLaKrjeMpEH/w640-h186/CNV00011%20NY.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield / Image: WikiCommons</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>The thread of pastoralism culture in the East African grasslands, from the Kushites to the Maasai is now so embedded as to be part of the ecosystem. <br /><br />It is meddling with this ecosystem by outsiders that is the cause of habitat degradation. The prickly pear cactus is native only to the Americas. It was introduced to East Africa by colonialists as an ornamental plant. However, it is also a tasty fruit to elephants and baboons. With these additional wildlife vectors this invasive species has spread out of control to the extent it now threatens biodiversity, food security and human well-being.<br /><br />In conjunction with the Northern Rangelands Trust, a solution is being implemented by the cattle herders. Cochineal bugs, which only eat prickly pear, are raised and multiply on cacti within greenhouses. When mature, the bugs are then placed next to uninfected prickly pear in the grazing areas. The aim is the complete removal of the prickly pear, so grasslands can recover. Thus reinstating a healthy environment, benefitting both pastoralists and wildlife.<p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Today's Challenges</span></b></p><p>Cattle are central to the Maasai identity and way of life, they meet all their needs for sustenance: Meat to eat, milk and occasionally blood to drink. But with displacement, the Maasai have become dependent upon carbohydrate staples and cabbage.</p><p>Despite co-existing with wildlife on savannah grasslands for hundreds of years, the Maasai are seen by some conservation organisations as incompatible with National Parks and Game Reserves. In April 2022, the Guardian reported that 150,000 Maasai face eviction by the Tanzanian government as their land has been allocated for conservation and commercial hunting. <br /><br />Given that current wildlife conservation is fundamentally failing in its primary task of maintaining healthy habitat, wildlife populations and indigenous peoples. To evict the Maasai is either willfully or ignorantly turning a blind eye to the connection the tribe has with the land. A connection which has been sustainable for both them and wildlife, until the interference of others with their big ideas. <br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBzVm4R93W4g0_OXoCIVTuSn3FgF2eqyPmVp1M_vbncBYJCrMkjBLvYT_Zg1qzkGQ_5zl36bcvMaqb0OVMAP6sBTSBH7ctZ559W6XE272AHUOj7u4tQCteP6Uhr7irjMs3ccfuHo1H-nRJfwRMqD_aeiGXfRWpAzkJGEEHlYtMSINB56hdCAf3qGj/s933/CNV00007.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="933" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBzVm4R93W4g0_OXoCIVTuSn3FgF2eqyPmVp1M_vbncBYJCrMkjBLvYT_Zg1qzkGQ_5zl36bcvMaqb0OVMAP6sBTSBH7ctZ559W6XE272AHUOj7u4tQCteP6Uhr7irjMs3ccfuHo1H-nRJfwRMqD_aeiGXfRWpAzkJGEEHlYtMSINB56hdCAf3qGj/w400-h310/CNV00007.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moran - Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><br />But even worse is to evict and potentially destroy a people's culture to create a playground for very wealthy people to shoot animals for fun. In June 2022, thirty Maasai were injured and at least one killed while protesting against a 1500sq km land grab. Which is to be used for an elite luxury development and private game reserve by the Dubai Royal Family.<p></p><p>How many times have we heard that such developments will bring jobs and benefit local communities? In reality, obscenely powerful people will lie, deceive and betray to get all their own way, as it is their instinctive nature to do so. Meanwhile, traditional pastoral cultures are displaced, deep connections to the land are torn away, callously violated and forever spoiled.<br /><br />And if 'money-talk' is the only currency on the table that is understood: Then further depopulation of the Maasai culture from their homelands will be of a bigger loss and do more damage to Tanzania's tourism revenue and reputation, than any amount of champagne and bullets replacing them.<br /><br />Rightly, the final word here ought to come from a Maasai;</p><p><i><span style="color: #04ff00;">As a Maasai myself, I provide something of an insider’s perspective on the issue at hand. When it comes to land rights, the Maasai have suffered more than any other community in Tanzania. The community has lost more than 60 per cent of its pre-colonial territories to wildlife conservation in northern Tanzania. The famous wildlife sanctuaries like the Serengeti, Manyara, Tarangire, Arusha, Mkomazi and NCA were carved out of Maasailand. In public discourse and practice, there is both a patronizing attitude and treatment, a marginalization and othering that has turned our people into strangers in their own land. The indigenous Maasai lifestyle and mode of livelihood is often ridiculed and the Maasai people are viewed conservatives, relics of the past. The total sum of these discourses and practices is a Maasaiphobia that we are now experiencing in the wake of climate change-induced dispossession by conservation. </span></i>- Leiyo Singo, Aug 3 2022, writing for <i>The Republic</i> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_s38QEd2PKtXQnxmmQ_8pYlnHX-dQFXrndynzsB4bpqbq334BVRL4JMdJdfD0OlBQEkidmg2Vzw5UB_osbxKaZ6eKA8cO-YsANGC07RFZKr0DRS8VRlKcfdr3sfqnPfB1RnMa15BMBQo_e4qwgdOWR-MkHRZu07umqm5APvjAY6djQDQ6dORKoHDB/s968/Picture-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="968" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_s38QEd2PKtXQnxmmQ_8pYlnHX-dQFXrndynzsB4bpqbq334BVRL4JMdJdfD0OlBQEkidmg2Vzw5UB_osbxKaZ6eKA8cO-YsANGC07RFZKr0DRS8VRlKcfdr3sfqnPfB1RnMa15BMBQo_e4qwgdOWR-MkHRZu07umqm5APvjAY6djQDQ6dORKoHDB/w640-h536/Picture-1.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Mdogo, <i>The Republic </i>Aug 3 2022</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Stu Westfield<br />Ranger Expeditions</p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Sources</span></b><i><br /></i></p><p><i>UNSECO General History Of Africa Vol III<br /></i><i>Ch 22: The East African Interior. C. Ehret, University of California, Los Angeles</i></p><p><i>UNSECO General History Of Africa Vol IV<br /></i><i>Ch 19: Between the Coast and The Great Lakes. C. Ehret, University of California, Los Angeles</i></p><p><i>UNESCO General History Of Africa Vol V<br /></i><i>Ch 27: The interior of East Africa: The peoples of Kenya and Tanzania 1500-1800 W.R. Ochieng, senior lecturer, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya.</i></p><p><i>Touch not the fish: The Mesolithic-Neolithic change of diet and its significance</i>. Michael Richards, (Simon Fraser University) & Rick J Schulting (University of Oxford). researchgate.net <br /><br /><a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/kenyans-find-unique-way-to-fight-invasive-cactus-plant/2470897">https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/kenyans-find-unique-way-to-fight-invasive-cactus-plant/2470897</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jun/06/beetle-v-killer-cactus-kenyan-herders">https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jun/06/beetle-v-killer-cactus-kenyan-herders</a><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/apr/22/tanzania-maasai-appeal-to-west-stop-evictions-due-to-conservation-plans">https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/apr/22/tanzania-maasai-appeal-to-west-stop-evictions-due-to-conservation-plans</a></p><div><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jun/14/maasai-leaders-arrested-in-protests-over-tanzanian-game-reserve">https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jun/14/maasai-leaders-arrested-in-protests-over-tanzanian-game-reserve</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://republic.com.ng/august-september-2022/maasai-predicament-ngorongoro/">https://republic.com.ng/august-september-2022/maasai-predicament-ngorongoro/</a></div><div><br /></div>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-65157075100461166632022-08-24T20:11:00.007+00:002022-08-25T19:00:58.473+00:00#072 The Great Bantu Migration - Part 3 (The Chagga of Kilimanjaro)<p>As Bantu communities became adapted to specific environments, so interactions with more distant communities grew less and their languages and material cultures diverged.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLepYDLwNhO-6eKoTSTbDdda1qlpGXUcKpk62_-OYMEshfdypo1lVMS__GUXA1y7UVDcY0uNqU372P9ilq7fT6m8_Rao3Yyws51TCGlUXDTGBJs-XM-OIXKcq7_Zc9C_NkZDbyGZwjqfQZRoEQG9PBDCb2pofnQ-Ox9SWQAXeYQjyIzRlTzhvoTQQ/s604/10399845_1090411934112_1851_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="604" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLepYDLwNhO-6eKoTSTbDdda1qlpGXUcKpk62_-OYMEshfdypo1lVMS__GUXA1y7UVDcY0uNqU372P9ilq7fT6m8_Rao3Yyws51TCGlUXDTGBJs-XM-OIXKcq7_Zc9C_NkZDbyGZwjqfQZRoEQG9PBDCb2pofnQ-Ox9SWQAXeYQjyIzRlTzhvoTQQ/w400-h258/10399845_1090411934112_1851_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>By the middle of the first millennium BC, Bantu & Iron culture had infiltrated into the Kilimanjaro and North Pare region in north east Tanzania and southern Kenya. Probably assimilating the pre-existing coastal fisher-pastoralist population. As the eastern Bantu became acquainted with coastal and open water navigation they continued south and then into the hinterland of Dar es Salaam. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUtVkmRUli1VcE_5TQRjMvUqv6koULnAdaZnGju7pPKSM3fKN4hENFp7t86AJckcuNzu6aZCf8JY2LEx4W16qy0wXQGh0QvvSBxXRidpW_iha3Qh5iuxUZ3OCCcwfkvvGAn35LqYbrGAzlcAQbqwZdqYifo86zECdCSuSL05pAhOgt5MOKXLwJkcrr/s1199/Later_chief_Meli_as_boy_standing_next_to_Dr.Hans_Meyer_visiting_the_Meli_family_before_his_Kilimanscharo_ascent.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="1199" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUtVkmRUli1VcE_5TQRjMvUqv6koULnAdaZnGju7pPKSM3fKN4hENFp7t86AJckcuNzu6aZCf8JY2LEx4W16qy0wXQGh0QvvSBxXRidpW_iha3Qh5iuxUZ3OCCcwfkvvGAn35LqYbrGAzlcAQbqwZdqYifo86zECdCSuSL05pAhOgt5MOKXLwJkcrr/w400-h254/Later_chief_Meli_as_boy_standing_next_to_Dr.Hans_Meyer_visiting_the_Meli_family_before_his_Kilimanscharo_ascent.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Later chief Meli as a boy standing next to Dr. Hans Meyer visiting<br />the Meli family before his Kilimanjaro ascent - wiki commons<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The East African coastal areas were avoided by Cushtic and Nilotic cattle herders due to tsetse fly and the mangrove swamps. As with elsewhere, the Bantu in this region found geographic niches which were unattractive to others or there was little resistance to intrusion. As we learned in Part 2, the indigenous hunter gatherers were at a distinct disadvantage in competition for resources with the incoming food producers.<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2rDcvCKxPyrZbXucLHBcS08vjeNqrzDdbdtjkq7u_sghkcJJZ2F0zqVKFzjuZuo0gq6xMBmVtWRc6UHguJwHGiQy29sav_WwE1RI6kKyVoj5bIhRu-U4XP2wNe-L0nm4C8AjxRc7iB0AGwokjJKkEfHwM-flNnwZlfHZXgww5KoCU5EosUSVGx50/s1200/1200px-North_pare_mountains.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2rDcvCKxPyrZbXucLHBcS08vjeNqrzDdbdtjkq7u_sghkcJJZ2F0zqVKFzjuZuo0gq6xMBmVtWRc6UHguJwHGiQy29sav_WwE1RI6kKyVoj5bIhRu-U4XP2wNe-L0nm4C8AjxRc7iB0AGwokjJKkEfHwM-flNnwZlfHZXgww5KoCU5EosUSVGx50/w400-h300/1200px-North_pare_mountains.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">North Pare mountains<br />Credit: C rocca854 at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons</td></tr></tbody></table><p>By the 11th Century, the Bantu language had differentiated into distinctive dialects, including proto Taita-Chagga spoken by the creators of Maore ware in North Pare, Kilimanjaro and Taita. The inhabitants of North Pare subsequently developed into the proto-Chagga. The descendants of whom would become the focal point of social and economic reorganisation of the Kilimanjaro region in later centuries. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="337" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qAmwOMzhMcE" width="406" youtube-src-id="qAmwOMzhMcE"></iframe></div><br /><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Chagga Expansion </span></b></p><p>The typical Bantu social organisation was a clan headed by a hereditary clan chief. The proto-Chagga evolved a new kind of position where the chief was not tied to a single clan but ruled over a territory inhabited by different clan affiliations. This development coincided with a the introduction of the Indonesian banana to highland agriculture, yielding a production advantage. Which set off the Chagga expansion into the heavily forested eastern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro and beyond.</p><p>The surplus crops led to the creation of formal markets. Pastoralists brought hides and the few remaining hunter-gatherers contributed to the trade with honey and wild animal skins. The Wageno tribe of the north Pare became tied to this trade in their role as specialist smelters of iron and tool makers.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="340" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vdsX7DXTsIM" width="409" youtube-src-id="vdsX7DXTsIM"></iframe></div><br /><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">16th to 18th Century</span></b></p><p>From 1500 the emergence of chieftaincies and structured political organisations led to a trend towards a tributary mode of production. The distinct ethnic groups which we know today evolved, linguistically and culturally, in the interior of Kenya and Tanzania. <br /><br />Salt from Lake Eyasi and iron were important trade items in central Tanzania. In the late 1700's the Mamba chiefdom became the iron working centre for the Kilimanjaro region. From the road that wound its way around the slopes of Kilimanjaro, the Ngaseni traded huge beer pots. </p><p>The Chagga were still relatively isolated from the coast. Meanwhile the Swahili City States had risen under the rule of Arabian, Egyptian and Perisan traders with a network that extended as far as India and China. There is no record of Arab or Swahili penetration of the interior before 1700 and there is no significant collection of imported objects yet found at any interior site. <br /><br />It was the Miji-Kenda and then the Akamba caravans which supplied many of the coastal settlements with products from the interior such as ivory, gum, honey, beeswax, grain, foodstuffs and wood for building dhows. In return for exchanging goods from the interior, the Miji-Kenda (who themselves were largely cultivators of millet, rice and fruits) obtained salt, beads, cloth and importantly, iron.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodeugO8Tb5x6aRSyUdIV4wbn4wtb4uuBrjYUjoAD16jY6lRIWYvHLpoqF7MUZkMTCB23pucaEjc_W4rUlo6tCikJrs40SFtrQmFgHWB_LV_R46qy07VBZTjJvc9fpdUJ_-ZdauivhPpK6IG4LyOFhAqxvywxtKyanoMFguUXyMOjZimU6jxHt1dG6/s1000/TRIBAL_MAP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodeugO8Tb5x6aRSyUdIV4wbn4wtb4uuBrjYUjoAD16jY6lRIWYvHLpoqF7MUZkMTCB23pucaEjc_W4rUlo6tCikJrs40SFtrQmFgHWB_LV_R46qy07VBZTjJvc9fpdUJ_-ZdauivhPpK6IG4LyOFhAqxvywxtKyanoMFguUXyMOjZimU6jxHt1dG6/w640-h640/TRIBAL_MAP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tanzania, modern composition.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">19th Century and Kilimanjaro</span></b></p><p>The German missionaries Johannes Rebmann of Mombasa and Johann Krapf were the first Europeans known to have attempted to reach the Kilimanjaro. Although initially, reports of a glaciated peak on the Equator were dismissed as preposterous.</p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><i>This morning, at 10 o'clock, we obtained a clearer view of the mountains of Jagga, the summit of one of which was covered by what looked like a beautiful white cloud. When I inquired as to the dazzling whiteness, the guide merely called it 'cold' and at once I knew it could be neither more nor less than snow.... Immediately I understood how to interpret the marvelous tales Dr. Krapf and I had heard at the coast, of a vast mountain of gold and silver in the far interior, the approach to which was guarded by evil spirits.</i> - Johannes Rebmann's diary entry of 11 May 1848</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyoqlJFQdkq8V54H2dAoA_2TNupYkqXHPSI_Wh0aIsJvrQLIQDqNNIWf_yviUaIk_BkTHtM201V26Xw_seBHxjCiRIWjPJ9z9wiwlVQg5ycax5l_mT6nvBFcpl79Ev83NDc9i8Rqsh0FEtTHU3sR9SSBdjxDcuHyaPMYGrcFcXui8aGUwKj0Bjhc_/s1840/CNV00031.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="1840" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyoqlJFQdkq8V54H2dAoA_2TNupYkqXHPSI_Wh0aIsJvrQLIQDqNNIWf_yviUaIk_BkTHtM201V26Xw_seBHxjCiRIWjPJ9z9wiwlVQg5ycax5l_mT6nvBFcpl79Ev83NDc9i8Rqsh0FEtTHU3sR9SSBdjxDcuHyaPMYGrcFcXui8aGUwKj0Bjhc_/w400-h268/CNV00031.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Interestingly, by this time, Rebmann found the people in the Kilimanjaro region to be so actively involved in far-reaching trading connections that a chief whose court he visited had a coastal Swahili resident in his entourage. Chagga chiefdoms traded with each other and with the Kamba, Maasai and Pare in the immediate surrounding area as well as with coastal caravans. Many chiefdoms had several produce markets largely run by women, just as they are today.</p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>The Wachagga Today</b></span></p><p>Today's Chagga are the third largest ethnic group in Tanzania. Their relative economic wealth still derives from the fertile volcanic soils of Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru along with successful traditional methods of agricultural terracing and irrigation. Banana, yams, beans and maize are grown for domestic consumption and local trade. But also, the area is internationally famed for its high quality Kilimanjaro single origin Arabica bean coffee. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJh_cjaCSu9J8vIpFpD7qQ1o-Yf4SWwUOG6kHjjvzta3N7lPmJIGeiyM6rzJ8dggO6TqD61XaX0TcVAk7qrs7SXWKG63NRXOPtJNM-B9KtDiN9WdXHUGSasXjwPZdrau6_0XW5RSK24opKQlsEMQtHYd6Nngt7uUgIHqAr84m6J_23SdqEnUbXX7uc/s1080/WhatsApp-Image-2021-08-12-at-13.26.48.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJh_cjaCSu9J8vIpFpD7qQ1o-Yf4SWwUOG6kHjjvzta3N7lPmJIGeiyM6rzJ8dggO6TqD61XaX0TcVAk7qrs7SXWKG63NRXOPtJNM-B9KtDiN9WdXHUGSasXjwPZdrau6_0XW5RSK24opKQlsEMQtHYd6Nngt7uUgIHqAr84m6J_23SdqEnUbXX7uc/w400-h266/WhatsApp-Image-2021-08-12-at-13.26.48.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous Kilimanjaro Native Co-Operative Union Cafe in Moshi<br />https://kncutanzania.com/the-union-cafe/</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Despite oppression during colonial rule, Chagga men and women have rebounded within an independent Tanzania as prominent contenders in modern politics and local government. Many young Chagga work as clerks, teachers, administrators, and run businesses. Women in rural areas are also generating income through activities such as crafts and tailoring. The Chagga are renowned for their sense of enterprise and strong work ethic. Which is no doubt why many also find employment as professional guides and porters on Kilimanjaro.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LfE195XVqQ2scDRt9CAAwdjRzEYmcxblY4-XB0jTtMCr-kjKK_HX9PJS5qUvlhd5BN4TdnGLAcAqilqFW7G8iFP-oPOvjn8pZlNbnnVGlO6rvWwzwzF5UZzzCjmFXXjieRDcIR-z8MM4ldUNWWz8UQ2lkPa_5p70EKKA0lk1BTLaSdJjEGGNolRR/s1840/CNV00030%20(2).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1840" data-original-width="1232" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LfE195XVqQ2scDRt9CAAwdjRzEYmcxblY4-XB0jTtMCr-kjKK_HX9PJS5qUvlhd5BN4TdnGLAcAqilqFW7G8iFP-oPOvjn8pZlNbnnVGlO6rvWwzwzF5UZzzCjmFXXjieRDcIR-z8MM4ldUNWWz8UQ2lkPa_5p70EKKA0lk1BTLaSdJjEGGNolRR/w268-h400/CNV00030%20(2).JPG" width="268" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assistant Guide, Richard, sporting<br />a bold line in Kili mountain fashion</td></tr></tbody></table><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Climbing Kilimanjaro</span></b></p><p>Mount Kilimanjaro was first summited on 6th October1889 by Hans Meyer, and Austrian climber Ludwig Purtscheller with a local guide, Yohani Kinyala Lauwo. Although, we cannot be certain that an African was not there first, as local folklore warned people from ascending too high. On the mountain lived malevolent spirits that would kill those who came too close, twisting and blackening their limbs. Stories which sound like they were describing frostbite.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhvsATCJBUIo_h-_r4FCDeJgUHrIgCREu9AyE8Pp7zQRggj5_C0TAKIoTvM-kV0hBbB5jGMaQBG8fh-_akbyz2iC_4_0ajA3VYZTgvqaQST6q4rxIx4oLOO2Fyg4CDd13QVAjXnA_sArNFV_oB9ZaXepwytmEdJ_RRVdSTNrZlWL2S6lQLgpURPFe/s1840/CNV00020.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1840" data-original-width="1232" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhvsATCJBUIo_h-_r4FCDeJgUHrIgCREu9AyE8Pp7zQRggj5_C0TAKIoTvM-kV0hBbB5jGMaQBG8fh-_akbyz2iC_4_0ajA3VYZTgvqaQST6q4rxIx4oLOO2Fyg4CDd13QVAjXnA_sArNFV_oB9ZaXepwytmEdJ_RRVdSTNrZlWL2S6lQLgpURPFe/s320/CNV00020.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Head Guide, Sabas</td></tr></tbody></table><p>For my second time on Kilimanjaro, our local Chagga guide was Sabas. Named after the Swahili word saba, as he was the seventh child in his family. Our route was one which allowed for the best acclimatisation, ascending through the Lemosho Glades, then onto the Shira Plateau. Working our way around the west flanks, over the Barranco Wall then establishing at Barafu Camp before the summit bid up the screes to Stella Point and then a short hike around the crater rim to Uhuru Peak</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7nZ3JNMqX8IQM5QaeKpJma1cN9tYkofY05SOP5QLWldt6_DeraBswJSvObFGyTM8Z80BcVmqofAjmRpfwZxMxqizzxcS5WBShy2_CJoVfUFzbeGepv407YXjFMOvP1gRofQAyFbpBU0LnjSGKxanS27aqmxPgoNs0M4LuoIvmj7ZaexLFzKzZlBu/s604/10399845_1090419854310_1594_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="604" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7nZ3JNMqX8IQM5QaeKpJma1cN9tYkofY05SOP5QLWldt6_DeraBswJSvObFGyTM8Z80BcVmqofAjmRpfwZxMxqizzxcS5WBShy2_CJoVfUFzbeGepv407YXjFMOvP1gRofQAyFbpBU0LnjSGKxanS27aqmxPgoNs0M4LuoIvmj7ZaexLFzKzZlBu/s320/10399845_1090419854310_1594_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>It was on this trip that I met Simon Mtuy, in a vignette that plays back in my mind like the opening sequence of David Lean's 1962 film Lawrence Of Arabia.</p><p><i><span style="color: #04ff00;">I awoke as the thin rays of dawn illuminated the canvas of my tent. It was early and the air was still cold, but there was no hurry, breakfast was not for another half hour. My breath condensed to vapour as I pulled on my boots, unfolding myself as I emerged, in search of coffee. In the clear skies above, the sun was just starting to warm the air, slowly encroaching on the remaining frost laying in the shadows on the ground. Looking across the Shira Plateau, emerging through the shimmering heat haze, a figure, running towards camp. A local guy, had to be, top off, tracksuit bottoms and trainers. I stood in awe at his athleticism, at 3500 metres above sea level. He closes the distance, smiles, we greet. A brief "habari za asubuhi," and "nzuri sana." He stopped at the collection of tents behind ours, where his group had camped. It was later in the day, while taking a rest near Cathedral Point that we met again. Sabas seemed to know him quite well and understandably, he was a bit more talkative. Sabas introduced us to Simon Mtuy, who at the time, held the record for the fastest ascent of Kilimanjaro....</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="357" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VD_GmsyQS_I" width="430" youtube-src-id="VD_GmsyQS_I"></iframe></div><p>Tanzania, the people, mountains, wildlife and experiences has given me so many cherished and happy memories. There seems no better way than to conclude this story than with the following words:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fMCIbiJ_YdROK1IiyqdrFRklGA5bXRiSjo0VrNjHLiN4pMo5V-AXwxzVIPztCuLHxfnNk8PBX-p0QFdvx7ydPMLaJT6azf8JbMZS_9RqlQ0uM3PcMrNpymTfAnukzNnfw2oCanKIFRUQW1E872vQFWQCG2j31ClrsNy69nE0MYgw0Dh3g9hiiZ_b/s400/Ernest-Hemingway-Africa-home-sickness-400.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="400" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fMCIbiJ_YdROK1IiyqdrFRklGA5bXRiSjo0VrNjHLiN4pMo5V-AXwxzVIPztCuLHxfnNk8PBX-p0QFdvx7ydPMLaJT6azf8JbMZS_9RqlQ0uM3PcMrNpymTfAnukzNnfw2oCanKIFRUQW1E872vQFWQCG2j31ClrsNy69nE0MYgw0Dh3g9hiiZ_b/w400-h356/Ernest-Hemingway-Africa-home-sickness-400.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><b>Stu Westfield<br />Ranger Expeditions</b></p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Sources:</span></b></p><p>UNSECO General History Of Africa Vol III<br />Ch 22: The East African Interior. C. Ehret, University of California, Los Angeles</p><p>UNSECO General History Of Africa Vol IV<br />Ch 19: Between the Coast and The Great Lakes. C. Ehret, University of California, Los Angeles</p><p>UNESCO General History Of Africa Vol V<br />Ch 27: The interior of East Africa: The peoples of Kenya and Tanzania 1500-1800 W.R. Ochieng, senior lecturer, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya.</p><p><a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/early-africans-went-bananas">https://www.science.org/content/article/early-africans-went-bananas</a></p><p><a href="https://archive.archaeology.org/0609/abstracts/bananas.html">https://archive.archaeology.org/0609/abstracts/bananas.html</a></p><p><a href="https://www.worldhistory.org/Swahili_Coast/">https://www.worldhistory.org/Swahili_Coast/</a></p><p>Kilimanjaro To The Roof Of Africa. Audrey Salkeld pub National Geographic 2002</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwOddw-sKTb7XwpCyc44aKVkitPIqTiOKityIGTuA3C4ojRQDc7G1KBRcI-WbETltPmp43AJckMZMBDUqfFPdMkgt_xN8AgB_0D0zzqtog4NcoN1D8tcZIXpCAL-CSQU6oO-YoiXPhKVJj7HT1paG-E_w5_yCf7JMHo1ROP_UH9Tx2qnsxWat3V2j/s1559/Ranger%20Ultras%2010Ybasehead%204Black.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1559" data-original-width="1559" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwOddw-sKTb7XwpCyc44aKVkitPIqTiOKityIGTuA3C4ojRQDc7G1KBRcI-WbETltPmp43AJckMZMBDUqfFPdMkgt_xN8AgB_0D0zzqtog4NcoN1D8tcZIXpCAL-CSQU6oO-YoiXPhKVJj7HT1paG-E_w5_yCf7JMHo1ROP_UH9Tx2qnsxWat3V2j/s320/Ranger%20Ultras%2010Ybasehead%204Black.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-1659561317581966562022-08-19T18:17:00.011+00:002022-08-19T21:25:48.923+00:00#071 The Great Bantu Migration - Part 2 (The Hadzabe Hunter Gatherers)<div class="separator"><br /></div><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>The Bantu migration</b></span></p><p>In part 1 we saw how the discovery of iron facilitated more efficient agriculture production in Bantu tribes, driving population growth and cultural expansion across the whole of sub-Saharan Africa between circa 2500BC to 1000AD. Next we'll look at the how the story developed in East Africa, when the Bantu arrived around 500BC. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_QgaTCwvAB3YhErUP41NtRqIeeDNC5S-0vEBfBWOfKLCqSNBHk9fxt5M8GwP4KI-VXwK3leFyK7HD5SXItFf7NVteYrKpXeIzUK35-_sX1XHC-jqcnPc_V-4FYW97ApXZhqRdx-ovn90ripLk05zeIS_6PQJ-I0Gg-pxm_KpIG9m_RBqvI4ZvPwT/s2816/Hadzabe_Hunters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2112" data-original-width="2816" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_QgaTCwvAB3YhErUP41NtRqIeeDNC5S-0vEBfBWOfKLCqSNBHk9fxt5M8GwP4KI-VXwK3leFyK7HD5SXItFf7NVteYrKpXeIzUK35-_sX1XHC-jqcnPc_V-4FYW97ApXZhqRdx-ovn90ripLk05zeIS_6PQJ-I0Gg-pxm_KpIG9m_RBqvI4ZvPwT/w400-h300/Hadzabe_Hunters.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Woodlouse, CC BY-SA 2.0 <br /><https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Before the Bautu, northern Uganda, Kenya and north central Tanzania had long been occupied by a range of distinct populations with Kushtic and Nilotic origins in their language. These were typically nomadic pastoralists from the north and Horn of Africa. They continued to establish themselves in areas unsuited to agriculture during the African iron age.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEu2CEqdNViAbp9yds7JCvu3jxhFufAK-LpJQDvOPzeiNER1g-bI4l6UUxU2ctlvIvmuliZuBmZl469g1L8FNs_xrNRTEnkqFdSooG1HQQIWiUR_cnTuLjwF74D3Kna_ts7-qqNYfLKej0evUFsbweQOil4q16NPWUYKwvXC0Wh3KFWpY8UHS3K9WL/s850/Bantu-and-Nilotic-migrations-into-Uganda-overlaid-on-a-map-of-the-present-day-geography.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="850" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEu2CEqdNViAbp9yds7JCvu3jxhFufAK-LpJQDvOPzeiNER1g-bI4l6UUxU2ctlvIvmuliZuBmZl469g1L8FNs_xrNRTEnkqFdSooG1HQQIWiUR_cnTuLjwF74D3Kna_ts7-qqNYfLKej0evUFsbweQOil4q16NPWUYKwvXC0Wh3KFWpY8UHS3K9WL/w400-h225/Bantu-and-Nilotic-migrations-into-Uganda-overlaid-on-a-map-of-the-present-day-geography.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bantu and Nilotic migrations into Uganda</td></tr></tbody></table><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Hadza hunter gatherers</span></b></p><p>But before the pastoralists, groups of hunter gatherers had lived in the region since ancient times. Among these were the Hadza, who still live on the shores of Lake Eyasi in northern Tanzania. As descendants of Tanzania's aboriginal, pre-Bantu expansion hunter-gatherer population, the Hadza have probably occupied their current territory for many thousands of years, with relatively little modification to their basic way of life until the past hundred years.</p><p>The Hazda people are the last full-time hunter-gatherers in Africa, they number around 1000 tribe members. Their language is one of only three East African languages with clicks. On first impression, the language sounds like the southern African Khosian click languages, spoken by the San for example. But links are tenuous at best and any commonalities in solitary consonant-vowel syllables are probably coincidental. The Hadza have has acquired some regional vocabularies in their language, particularly Bantu loan words. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvpGkC9Xq2jqGOqv2IyBmBsPrvi6FPREGsu7Z1wyEGHR3VqQUD-SvW0Fo8LZ3qA-6ehLDT2wMp9kaa9Lir2j8O-zKZz2bBREIO1sHZ1AIdLuaAR-sfwqltjIIRTSZQ94nX22zng5g2m5v-Qfn4-ZehLE16ZYzL14kuOVLjmTAoS6S4kANiPiosMPAz/s1400/Hadza%20Dorobo%20Fund%202.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="1400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvpGkC9Xq2jqGOqv2IyBmBsPrvi6FPREGsu7Z1wyEGHR3VqQUD-SvW0Fo8LZ3qA-6ehLDT2wMp9kaa9Lir2j8O-zKZz2bBREIO1sHZ1AIdLuaAR-sfwqltjIIRTSZQ94nX22zng5g2m5v-Qfn4-ZehLE16ZYzL14kuOVLjmTAoS6S4kANiPiosMPAz/w640-h400/Hadza%20Dorobo%20Fund%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: The Dorobo Fund</td></tr></tbody></table><p>There are physical similarities to the San and Khoi Khoi inhabiting the Kalahari. But genetic studies show that the Hadza are not closely related to any other people. Archaeological evidence suggests the Lake Eyasi region has been continuously occupied by hunter gatherers much like the Hadza since at least the beginning of the Later Stone Age, 50,000 years ago. This is supported by their oral history in which there is no suggestion they moved to Hadzaland from elsewhere. </p><p>Perhaps the environmental factors that select for successful plains-savanna hunter-gatherers gave rise to a common physical appearance that can now only be seen in remote groups like the Hazda and San. Now separated by the successful expansion of other peoples.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2FQICrRKqeBSVfr2_LWKMR82MNqaP6pH-W4iYi_JyHm1MGO_fu1Z3IWkvKQTK3WaPYvEmmGmXY44kMdq1er2FQ5sNkM_vCVf80hqf8XTW0ys3wKnrs00jaianp_xC6neWxma5mxPflpVJbtQJvluaAwtiBwDvPCUjcTOASYSOqRuvNeQO-XoG3uxJ/s4624/IMG_20220819_103232806.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3472" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2FQICrRKqeBSVfr2_LWKMR82MNqaP6pH-W4iYi_JyHm1MGO_fu1Z3IWkvKQTK3WaPYvEmmGmXY44kMdq1er2FQ5sNkM_vCVf80hqf8XTW0ys3wKnrs00jaianp_xC6neWxma5mxPflpVJbtQJvluaAwtiBwDvPCUjcTOASYSOqRuvNeQO-XoG3uxJ/w300-h400/IMG_20220819_103232806.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>The Hadza's own oral history gives us a clue as to early interactions with the incoming Bantu tribes.</p><p>The third epoch was inhabited by the people of <i>hamakwanebee</i> "recent days", who were smaller than their predecessors. They invented bows and arrows, and containers for cooking, and mastered the use of fire. They also built huts like those of Hadza today. The people of <i>hamakwanebee</i> were the first of the Hadza ancestors to have contact with non-foraging people, with whom they traded for iron to make knives and arrowheads. </p><p>The expansions of farming and herding peoples displaced earlier populations of hunter-gatherers, who would have generally been at a demographic and technological disadvantage, and vulnerable to the loss of environment resources (i.e., foraging areas and habitats for game) as a result of the spread of farmland and pastures.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9S6nI2mG4dcsOqTGNF8NbDZBiyuGsnysKYZLWr32pxWtY0a5KpS9qJ0zAgEhVQZyK8Ov0AiMqxqJY4aL8ZXWPl4RtN9CDFZnoA55rBzF5vgHmkLTexl9c4XppHOtokuetQgf43d4Js_BHYWtUxwQ5j3PVzgkt4xpmEBudc-248lBMtrKTrTrbFtl/s640/Starting_of_fire_by_Hadza_man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9S6nI2mG4dcsOqTGNF8NbDZBiyuGsnysKYZLWr32pxWtY0a5KpS9qJ0zAgEhVQZyK8Ov0AiMqxqJY4aL8ZXWPl4RtN9CDFZnoA55rBzF5vgHmkLTexl9c4XppHOtokuetQgf43d4Js_BHYWtUxwQ5j3PVzgkt4xpmEBudc-248lBMtrKTrTrbFtl/w400-h268/Starting_of_fire_by_Hadza_man.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: BrixL, CC BY-SA 4.0 <br /><https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">The Hadza under pressure</span></b><p>So how did the Hadza survive, while many other indigenous tribes did not? Essentially their territory was among the least desirable to either the agriculturalists or the pastoralists, especially due to the presence of tsetse fly. However, Africa's population had grown enormously in the past fifty years, putting renewed pressure on the remaining wild and unexploited lands.</p><p>The following map of Northern Tanzania illustrates the marginal nature of the remaining Hadza lands.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2snhVHM-KraKUD4plSMevQpCYGmYD2a-WmpkFMNxHAGjE3EnaNtffZ-dNqguYmLSQ66U3XB7tM-axMdjUqmDylz3VXeRq4kc6qwPHeS8EkJaMRC95Zxg3wHuUOMd3bk14qs-mRAFKJbZDeW3DH2Df45pwwKhvqurhRc5RTB6vm5C91DmYfTnU-EsM/s1002/N%20Tanz%20Tribes%202.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="1002" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2snhVHM-KraKUD4plSMevQpCYGmYD2a-WmpkFMNxHAGjE3EnaNtffZ-dNqguYmLSQ66U3XB7tM-axMdjUqmDylz3VXeRq4kc6qwPHeS8EkJaMRC95Zxg3wHuUOMd3bk14qs-mRAFKJbZDeW3DH2Df45pwwKhvqurhRc5RTB6vm5C91DmYfTnU-EsM/w640-h528/N%20Tanz%20Tribes%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remaining Hadza territory (detail, shown in yellow, area number 3)<br />Credit: Communal CCRO's in Northern Tanzania - Ujamaa Community Resource Team</td></tr></tbody></table><p><i style="color: #04ff00;"><b>'Within the last fifty years the Hadza have lost as much as 90 percent of their ancestral lands due to encroachment by neighboring peoples who themselves are caught in a cycle of population growth, poverty, and land pressure.' </b>- culturalsurvival.org June 2018</i></p><p>The western Hadza lands are now a private hunting reserve and the Hadza are officially restricted to a reservation within the reserve and prohibited from hunting there. The Yaeda Valley, long uninhabited due to the tsetse fly, is now occupied by Datooga herders, who are clearing the Hadza lands on either side of the now fully settled valley for pasture for their goats and cattle. The Datooga hunt out the game. Their land clearing destroys the berries, tubers and honey that the Hadza rely on. Along with watering holes for their cattle causing the shallow watering holes the Hadza use to dry up. Most Hadzabe are no longer able to sustain themselves in the bush without supplementary food such as ugali.</p><p>In common with other with indigenous peoples, the Hadza have not fared well in political representation of their rights and territory. Misconceptions and prejudice that the Hadza were backwards and without a real language, started by agro-pastoralists, was passed onto the colonialists and perpetuate to this day. <br /><br />The British colonial government tried to make the Hadza settle down and adopt farming in 1927, the first of many government attempts to do so. The British tried again in 1939, as did the independent Tanzanian government in 1965 and 1990, and various foreign missionary groups since the 1960s. Despite numerous attempts, some forceful, all have largely failed.</p><p>Where attempts have been made to incentivise the Hadza with money, this has contributed to alcoholism and deaths from alcohol poisoning have recently become a severe problem, further contributing to the loss of cultural knowledge.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwEIWkt8X3q1a0X7VSLiFHlMl4msLT74SZtl6tYUa-a9m_t53ZBWn8yE1GoQHf8SqRlg8yxai9OXpXBhb4wkH5rmT2rHR581FgK6B_aaPiaJ4bFqa9cX9p_s4HNC7mHAiwTfvfNbI3Mi0kDOzEzJ_Lv-m8-ffq3W-Lx6SPFRE0BTx9G_GoldUdkU3/s1008/p058jy7g.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="1008" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwEIWkt8X3q1a0X7VSLiFHlMl4msLT74SZtl6tYUa-a9m_t53ZBWn8yE1GoQHf8SqRlg8yxai9OXpXBhb4wkH5rmT2rHR581FgK6B_aaPiaJ4bFqa9cX9p_s4HNC7mHAiwTfvfNbI3Mi0kDOzEzJ_Lv-m8-ffq3W-Lx6SPFRE0BTx9G_GoldUdkU3/w400-h225/p058jy7g.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Members of the Hadza Tribe. Credit: Jeff Leach. Pub: BBC</td></tr></tbody></table><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Why are the Hadza still important in a increasingly globalised world? </span></b></p><p>For thousands of years savannah hunter gatherers have maintained economic stability and cultural sophistication. Their way of life is in fact perfectly adapted and sustainable for their environment. Not a claim that can be made by the vast majority of the world's population. No amount of recycling, bamboo toothbrushes or green-wash tinkering will come close to us achieving the minimal environmental impact of the Hadza.</p><p>Am I saying that we should all go back to living a hunter-gatherers? No, of course not. Even if there was the desire to, there simply is not enough land to sustain the global population in that way. While the idea of living more connectedly with nature is a good thing and should be encouraged, I doubt many of us would go as far as eschewing the benefits of modern medicine, centrally heated homes, or other daily conveniences. Nor would many people have the will to gather plants, or the stomach to go out and kill and gut their dinner.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisORXOXdS27iMfN_arbESWuEg2PTQXNedLyEhTyKChcrW63zencYbRWzYMgS6kC_cihCT_mVIS9k3oheMxCAjF4j5ti8nYM4wE5GB5ZEkKJ18KkzCQOguI03x2baxZCYz_6Iacy8bS5t-JaHi8xRAZLaOa-OjvVI26ISVN9swGfeluBJErA853ikCP/s1600/IMG_0081.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisORXOXdS27iMfN_arbESWuEg2PTQXNedLyEhTyKChcrW63zencYbRWzYMgS6kC_cihCT_mVIS9k3oheMxCAjF4j5ti8nYM4wE5GB5ZEkKJ18KkzCQOguI03x2baxZCYz_6Iacy8bS5t-JaHi8xRAZLaOa-OjvVI26ISVN9swGfeluBJErA853ikCP/w400-h266/IMG_0081.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baobob fruit. Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>What is remarkable, is that the Hadza do not suffer any of the chronic diseases associated with developed countries. They don't get fat, develop heart disease or diabetes. Cancer is rare. </p><p>In 2019, Professor of Epidemiology, Tim Spector and Research Fellow, Jeff Leach spent three days living with the Hadza to measure how their environment and more directly their diet, influenced diversity within the human digestive biome. The theory was that a healthy biome has far reaching benefits to physical and mental well being. The results are astonishing!</p><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/i-spent-three-days-as-a-hunter-gatherer-to-see-if-it-would-improve-my-gut-health-78773"><span style="font-size: medium;">Tim Spector & Jeff Leach: Three days with the Hadza</span></a><br /></p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><i><b>"High gut biome diversity is associated with a low risk of obesity and many diseases. The Hadza have a diversity that is one of the richest on the planet." </b></i>- Tim Spector (Professor of Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London)</span></p><p>If after reading this, you're interested in the potential to avoid obesity and other chronic diseases, the following Royal Institution lecture could well be a most useful 35 minutes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-LUuqxQSaFQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="-LUuqxQSaFQ"></iframe></div><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">A future for the Hadza?</span></b></p><p>In the times we now live, we could easily see the last of the few remaining hunter gatherer populations fade away within the next two or three generations. The factors driving the current sixth great extinction event (the Anthropocene) in the animal and plant kingdoms are also affecting the most vulnerable human tribes and cultures. To lose these people would be a unmitigated tragedy. Not only for the hunter gatherers themselves, but it reflects upon the wider global community in a deeply troubling way. </p><p>But there is hope with organisations such as the Dorobo Fund representing the Hadza and campaigning for protection of their remaining land in today's Tanzania.</p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;">We are not trying to keep the Hadza as they are, but rather give them options and dignity as they interact with and confront a changing world. And the foundation for that is and always has been land – if they have land, those who wish have the option to continue traditional foraging and all of them have land as a fallback option for survival no matter what pursuit they have followed. - dorobofund.org 2019</span></p><p>If commodification is all that wealthy and powerful people are capable of understanding in order to do the right thing. Then Tim Spector & Jeff Leach's study fully justifies the Hadzas' place, in the potential to save pretty much the rest of the world's people from chronic disease caused by modern foodstuffs. <br /><br />What most decent people will also realise is that in 50,000 years the Hadza have done no lasting harm to their homeland. So why should anyone else have the right to dictate how they should live?<br /><br />Stu Westfield<br />Ranger Expeditions<br />August 2022</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6C3TtdO5TdK7PCc3bhi5UM1V9hbaJywxABdewZ368kwtZuadhmGD29ds03bCQA-2YC0eGjpeGSUjMaWFV5EfCphJg66Zm5i8Hy1I5OYLZ-Dag9euFMB7KO1YtaHcSNf3RYL_DyVNYEffwqHsQ6Nz49p-Gov3CU3kZbRShThYu-awYM42hoQUfi31e/s1559/Ranger%20Ultras%2010Ybasehead%204Black.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1559" data-original-width="1559" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6C3TtdO5TdK7PCc3bhi5UM1V9hbaJywxABdewZ368kwtZuadhmGD29ds03bCQA-2YC0eGjpeGSUjMaWFV5EfCphJg66Zm5i8Hy1I5OYLZ-Dag9euFMB7KO1YtaHcSNf3RYL_DyVNYEffwqHsQ6Nz49p-Gov3CU3kZbRShThYu-awYM42hoQUfi31e/s320/Ranger%20Ultras%2010Ybasehead%204Black.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Sources:</span></b></p><p>UNSECO General History Of Africa Vol 2<br />Ch 21: M. Posansky, historian and archaeologist<br />Ch 22: A.M.H. Sheriff, Lecturer, University Dar-es-Salaam</p><p>UNSECO General History Of Africa Vol 3<br />Ch 22: C.Ehret, linguist, University of California, Los Angeles</p><p>The Dorobo Fund: https://www.dorobofund.org/<br /><br />Cultural Survival: Securing Hadza Land Titles, Securing Futures in Tanzania. Katrin Redfern. June 2018<br /><br />The Conversation: I spent three days as a hunter-gatherer to see if it would improve my gut health. Jeff Leach. June 2017 <br /><br />The Hadza Hunter-Gatherers of Tanzania. F W Marlowe. 2010</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-19699074635895062502022-07-30T12:39:00.013+00:002022-07-30T17:06:05.606+00:00#070 The Great Bantu Migration - Part 1<p>African history, from a popular British perspective, is a selective story. No sooner have anthropologists discussed the origins of humans, then it's how quickly those humans could get out of Africa. Except for dwelling upon the enigmatic Egyptian pharaohs, millennia of culture is set aside and there's a giant leap forward to the European scramble for Africa, slavery and colonial rule. Omitted, are rich periods of history, the ebb and flow of great African civilisations, technologies and people. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7SMPXFKdPtMNvqjAh48CJVGz5-5hvdA1JUGgd7fMxcKGjNhnSbVbCgF9kdvHbQBaj1Yv0iOLSnVJXyO_-u68kIyQ1F0TRCp12h7TmURXkAKhVG_NjZHFY1TB4gAabuIEM_CpTBF1Xxsr-0tbNhInNdXmbzwVCA9Ps6tGPSp-YpA6oLggfY-BTeh1/s366/5993440.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="366" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7SMPXFKdPtMNvqjAh48CJVGz5-5hvdA1JUGgd7fMxcKGjNhnSbVbCgF9kdvHbQBaj1Yv0iOLSnVJXyO_-u68kIyQ1F0TRCp12h7TmURXkAKhVG_NjZHFY1TB4gAabuIEM_CpTBF1Xxsr-0tbNhInNdXmbzwVCA9Ps6tGPSp-YpA6oLggfY-BTeh1/s320/5993440.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: thebantutribe.weebly.com</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In 1964 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) started a project which sought to redress this imbalance. Essentially, telling the story of the continent, by Africans with an African perspective. The outcome was a series of volumes, culminating in the General History Of Africa, Vol 8, <i>Africa Since 1935</i>, published in 1993. Currently, there are plans to extend the series by three more volumes.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89kk95nfBxOc_abMOvAeVzmeeETbYPpRNakNZ8-eYnxT4Z4j_LwHggxN0PZPVrBcRvSCyk3vj0neMi7Jid-lB7pbXTvVXmNo6l8CDvqDGnM-D3b7etmCUnpl9te81KojxuYVMbY8tsi6q9EhcPUjFB8GJY9roYYeqhytXee-xJm8R94B_wyzwYuX7/s9248/IMG_20220730_134643882.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh89kk95nfBxOc_abMOvAeVzmeeETbYPpRNakNZ8-eYnxT4Z4j_LwHggxN0PZPVrBcRvSCyk3vj0neMi7Jid-lB7pbXTvVXmNo6l8CDvqDGnM-D3b7etmCUnpl9te81KojxuYVMbY8tsi6q9EhcPUjFB8GJY9roYYeqhytXee-xJm8R94B_wyzwYuX7/s320/IMG_20220730_134643882.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Journalist and president of SOAS (London School of African Studies), Zeinab Badawe used the GHA to inform her series<i> 'History Of Africa'</i>, televised in 20 parts, originally on BBC World News, but now available on You Tube.<br /><a href="http://www.infocobuild.com/books-and-films/social-science/history-of-africa-zeinab-badawi.html">History Of Africa - Zeinab Badawi - Links to full series</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OkxsyzYPJkA" width="320" youtube-src-id="OkxsyzYPJkA"></iframe></div><p>In this blog we explore one of world history's greatest but overlooked movements of people, accompanied by technological and cultural change. One so rapid, it has been called by some historians 'an explosion!' </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">This was the Great Bantu Migration.</span></h3><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Origins of the Bantu</span></b><br />If we draw a line from south Nigeria to the East African coast, modern Bantu speaking peoples now comprise 90% of the population south of this line. There are over 2000 Bantu languages spread across East, South and Central Africa, with common terms and grammar. Linguists have traced the timeline of this divergence back to around two to three thousand years ago, to a source area we now call the Nigerian-Cameroon border. <br /><br />Chronology of the Bantu is also supported by looking at the shape and decoration of artefacts. A method known as typography. From common forms, a strong regional diversity and stylisation developed among Bantu groups who had settled following their migratory radiation. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmVMJ1B1Az8n-edVvzsD_KbqeyPNzwIc-iGBO7mE1NtjW3FxHQdzILtXRYdBIHUQ6D4XcPoQAlKvp65Bpt1bYwZmVmGmdeCybnke_o1uBWiQQo14KmzkGJNTgqquVKOngPNYne8RjZrPGGh2xH-9iugHBHQ2jSK3TY0MpmqdwXrUrKagJfSJhJD-wq/s700/Bantu-Expansion.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="700" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmVMJ1B1Az8n-edVvzsD_KbqeyPNzwIc-iGBO7mE1NtjW3FxHQdzILtXRYdBIHUQ6D4XcPoQAlKvp65Bpt1bYwZmVmGmdeCybnke_o1uBWiQQo14KmzkGJNTgqquVKOngPNYne8RjZrPGGh2xH-9iugHBHQ2jSK3TY0MpmqdwXrUrKagJfSJhJD-wq/w400-h379/Bantu-Expansion.png" width="400" /></a></div><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">The end of the Stone Age in Africa</span></b><br />Archaeological studies of later pre-history have shown that peoples were living at different stages of technological development contemporaneously in different parts of Africa. There was no single end to the stone age. Many hunter gatherer communities were still using stone age technology right up to the first millennium of the Christian era. While developments such as agriculture and iron usage had become established elsewhere for several hundred years.</p><p>We can compare this to Mesolithic Britain populated by bands of hunter, fisher, gatherers. Meanwhile, Neolithic agricultural practices and animal domestication were spreading across the European continent from the Near East.</p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Iron and the 'Explosive' Bantu Expansion</span></b><br />There are several theories as to the origins of iron working in West Africa, from introduction via trade routes to indigenous development associated with the Nok people. What is more certain is that iron was already in use by the migrating Bantu people and that the beginnings of arable agriculture occurred with the first appearance of iron technology. Linguistics supports this, as words associated with iron working were in use before the migration and diversification of the Bantu language.</p><p>It is clear that iron made possible new methods of higher yielding agricultural practices, producing an excess, facilitating population growth and trade. Iron also enabled faster clearing of forest and efficient tilling of the land. The early Bantu migrants sought out areas similar to from which they came and were familiar with: Wooded or forested lands, near to rivers, which had sufficient rainfall for yam based agriculture. </p><p>Over the next three thousand years the Bantu vectored along rivers in their canoes and forest trails. The expansion was not linear but spread in pulses and different directions. The early migrations (3000 to 1000BC) went into the forest lands south to the Congo river and east into the Great Lakes region.</p><p>Around 500BC the migration entered East Africa and by 500AD the Bantu had reached southern Africa. Most of the migrations were complete, circa 1000AD. So, while the migration timeline of thousands of years hardly sounds explosive in a modern global context, for the period it was an incredible rate of population movement for a single origin culture in pre-history.</p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">So what happened to the Bronze Age?</span></b><br />Unlike the British pre-history sequence (Mesolithic - Neolithic - chalcolithic - bronze - iron), there was no specific bronze age in sub-Saharan Africa as technology progressed from stone to iron.</p><p>The earliest copper usage comes from Mauretania between the 9th and 5th centuries BC. Culminating in some of the finest examples of bronze work made in 16th century Benin. Although evidence of iron smelting to 2000BC pre-dates the earliest bronze and copper metalwork in West Africa. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOrdb6OmhhxDv08FpgiQ_sPbxhdboxp821xBOab4-g5qHU4xFo1g_xWqlcRN0GQlkkWdmLhZN2J7DUSEjQQTVaNlz8XZ2lGCHgYJrebGhHYER0ZWMBUnhS9SZCWvmOSsBj_kMxUmRXUpwPekJ-2a4UugKwxYOt320elpF8Fq5jkG8QVa9pHH3Z0tw/s9248/IMG_20220715_115421231.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6944" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOrdb6OmhhxDv08FpgiQ_sPbxhdboxp821xBOab4-g5qHU4xFo1g_xWqlcRN0GQlkkWdmLhZN2J7DUSEjQQTVaNlz8XZ2lGCHgYJrebGhHYER0ZWMBUnhS9SZCWvmOSsBj_kMxUmRXUpwPekJ-2a4UugKwxYOt320elpF8Fq5jkG8QVa9pHH3Z0tw/s320/IMG_20220715_115421231.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Benin Bronze. Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>And the cows?<br /></b></span>Bantus were agriculturalists not pastoralists. However, cattle keeping does pre-date iron in East Africa, spread by the Central Sudanic (Cushitc) speakers living in North Uganda and Tanzania (near Lake Victoria). Generally the Bantu moved into spaces which were unexploited or unsuited to the cattle herders. It is possible that the incoming Bantu learnt about domesticated sheep and cattle from these herders. </p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">And the indigenous populations?</span></b><br />The Bantu expansion into the Congo basin encountered forest dwelling pygmy tribes, also known as African rainforest hunter gatherers. Who's distinctive diminutive stature and physiology were well adapted to the dense forest environment. Genetic studies have shown that the Mbenga and Mbuti pygmies are direct descendants from Middle Stone Age peoples of Central Africa. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_yMiHHIbtf_0z-lw-Na2OnJ6mL_VXjH7yvy8eUT6KImJmurpXy0S5el_SBo8t4F7diFv1e4qGwvm0GuZa87e0rj7mvD-tioWV5266x5FdIpwX4VMf0jPb6oJp8qp30jWoYL04WiVYOOlP-3orUiYaLnk9zIDMI6elB-zpxHwyGW3HTUu-XI71cj4/s2048/265912_10151165734701072_691449336_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_yMiHHIbtf_0z-lw-Na2OnJ6mL_VXjH7yvy8eUT6KImJmurpXy0S5el_SBo8t4F7diFv1e4qGwvm0GuZa87e0rj7mvD-tioWV5266x5FdIpwX4VMf0jPb6oJp8qp30jWoYL04WiVYOOlP-3orUiYaLnk9zIDMI6elB-zpxHwyGW3HTUu-XI71cj4/s320/265912_10151165734701072_691449336_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nyamwamba river valley, Uganda</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Scholars have characterised the Bantu expansion as fast and purposeful. And as colonsiation rather than conquest. At first, the impact would have been small, even inconsequential, in the vast forest and so the pre-exiting population was not over run. However, forest clearance for agriculture was completely incompatible with indigenous hunter gatherers way of life.</p><p>Over time, a burgeoning Bantu population would have limited the local hunter gatherers natural food resources. This led to assimilation of many pygmy groups. Others managed to retain their independence by living in areas which supported game, but not agriculture, trading skins with the neighboring Bantu.</p><p>The Batwa of Uganda are traditional forest dwellers, who lived by hunting and gathering. Remarkably, for thousands of years their homeland, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest was left sufficiently intact by the bordering Bantu communities.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieN_fC0V3M3eC2LyQcaHbM2OCz4zBfrMKCyU_i8optdpK-H-GC0m-p37PmhTzoHDcDZcKAj-V09pLMRL0PpL0V4aFFAvPiwhxkETmj_MmHhPKvx_T-nVwEidmRfGQ73ccZpJrKs7DCmv5GSIV3ZKQ2OaAAgL4jZY5YafLyGCHEwngfbeUGqko9SRDi/s960/292027_10151165765101072_1798037761_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieN_fC0V3M3eC2LyQcaHbM2OCz4zBfrMKCyU_i8optdpK-H-GC0m-p37PmhTzoHDcDZcKAj-V09pLMRL0PpL0V4aFFAvPiwhxkETmj_MmHhPKvx_T-nVwEidmRfGQ73ccZpJrKs7DCmv5GSIV3ZKQ2OaAAgL4jZY5YafLyGCHEwngfbeUGqko9SRDi/s320/292027_10151165765101072_1798037761_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: C Dawson</td></tr></tbody></table><p>This all changed in 1992 when the forest was made a national park. In order to protect the mountain gorillas the Batwa were evicted. As is common with many indigenous tribes in modern times, their rights were poorly represented. Displacement and discrimination continue to have adverse impacts on their health, culture and welfare.</p><p>In 2021 the <i>PBS Newshour</i> reported that the Batwa population of Uganda has an average life expectancy of just 28years and 40% of children do not survive to the age of 5.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8t6lU3QlccjJSuYzzAAoMEKZMiUivJWCOQ6GDZBZ9ftoCPsOj8lvjo5exvHjjWO4M9VBde0jh4f_ORBkLo1EQ8GOldUjeGDn2z1nFBE8HS_wTQjKLcmRoPm3ZeP5PnYEfLXESwQ93Nz8YroBLxQ9yZzpBa8wpYAtBHtoBRSWqpmGLf0aRDLcwJqY/s960/308307_10151165764146072_302850477_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8t6lU3QlccjJSuYzzAAoMEKZMiUivJWCOQ6GDZBZ9ftoCPsOj8lvjo5exvHjjWO4M9VBde0jh4f_ORBkLo1EQ8GOldUjeGDn2z1nFBE8HS_wTQjKLcmRoPm3ZeP5PnYEfLXESwQ93Nz8YroBLxQ9yZzpBa8wpYAtBHtoBRSWqpmGLf0aRDLcwJqY/s320/308307_10151165764146072_302850477_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: C Dawson</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Some hope for the Batwa is capitalising on their relatively recent co-existence in the forest environment, creating employment as tour guides, cultural experience leaders and trekking porters. This is a far cry from actually living in their ancestral range and comes with the distinct possibility of reducing their skills to a tourist show. It's an imperfect choice now faced by many first-nations the world over.</p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">The job offer of a lifetime</span><br /></b>Back in 2012, I was leading a trek in the Rwenzori and had a final couple of nights at the Kampala Backpackers hostel before the flight back to Blighty. My group was on a school's expedition and we had journeyed through Rwanda into Uganda, with a moving, enlightening and amazing range of experiences to reflect upon.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianq8n7gQs9MioIkcFj4rbHHtKSZWddYRR_mlfx0qZ7wQ_D-h7ErS6BsVTXQFJHBYC0RSMukq43eFAJi_o0NE1Ff1QbZ6bPxCYqOiP3YmrBqJmLO-SzWl4VrAXaYC0Z9smdKUrZ-nnctfyX7rUWUpVGci-jjWLD8k204i0cDYkoAqAWqbVh2hQIZ5_/s960/480814_3008817838961_447730686_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianq8n7gQs9MioIkcFj4rbHHtKSZWddYRR_mlfx0qZ7wQ_D-h7ErS6BsVTXQFJHBYC0RSMukq43eFAJi_o0NE1Ff1QbZ6bPxCYqOiP3YmrBqJmLO-SzWl4VrAXaYC0Z9smdKUrZ-nnctfyX7rUWUpVGci-jjWLD8k204i0cDYkoAqAWqbVh2hQIZ5_/s320/480814_3008817838961_447730686_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The proprietor of the hostel and Rwenzori Trekking Services was the charismatic John Hunwick. John and I had shared a couple of brief phone discussions during the trip, mainly to confirm a few logistical details and arrangements. I liked his straight taking, he was businesslike but also very generous with his local knowledge.</p><p>Relaxing in the Kampala hostel, my group had time on our hands as the flight had been delayed a further 24 hours. John and I struck up several conversations, I got to know how he came be in Uganda and founding the Backpackers Hostel and RTS. He had some great stories. He also seemed to like how I'd conducted the expedition and with some on-the-hoof forward planning, circumvented a few local difficulties without any drama. Then he suddenly came out with a jaw dropping offer...</p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;">"Stu, I need a guy like you to help run the hostel and treks in the Rwenzori. Come and work with me."<br />"Blimey, John, I'd love to. But I have a wife and two dogs back home."<br />"Come back with them!" John was quite insistent.</span></p><p>Sadly, I could never had taken him up on the offer. Although well into her remission and at the time reasonably able, Dolores still had the lasting effects of cancer to deal with. An outpost in Uganda, really wasn't the place to be taking her to. However, the recognition that John's offer inferred was good to hear.</p><p>Here's a few words from John, his work, vision and thoughts on progress in Uganda...<br /><a href="https://experts.gorillahighlands.com/daily-dose/2022/02/20/rwenzori-trekking-ugandas-interventions-in-congo-john-hunwick-see-africa-breathe-africa-episode-13/">John Hunwick Interview & Show Notes - Gorilla Highlands Podcast</a><br /><br /></p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Conclusions to Part 1</span><br /></b>The European historical view, presents Africa as somewhere humans left and then more recently returned to colonise. This notion conveniently ignores the history of the continent in the intervening thousands of years. Indeed it fits a narrative of colonising 'empty lands' as a policy without consequence to people. Where people were present they needed to be converted to conform to European religious and political values. Here we tread a line between judging the past with today's values and acknowledging that some actors of the time most certainly set aside their probity in order to treat other human beings so appallingly. <br /><br />The Great Bantu Migration story, is but one illustration that people in Africa were thriving, innovative and sophisticated, long before European influence. The evidence paints a picture of loose collections of independent but interacting communities. As Bantu communities became adapted to specific environments, so direct interactions with more distant communities grew less and their languages and material cultures diverged. </p><p>On a local scale, three way exchange was mutually beneficial between the Bantu, hunter-gatherers and pastoralists. Within the Congolese economy Bantu speaking peoples traded in fish, salt, cloth, mats and baskets. <br /><br />The Bantu diaspora went on to built some of the Great African Kingdoms, such as Great Zimbabwe founded in the 9th Century and Mapungubwe, in the 11th Century. Long distance trade routes spread cross the continent and incredibly, the Great Zimbabwe network reached as far as China.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh--LvdrK3uIvNlQCGgH4M0_wsNqC4D3nZbL4ye5mYZjDT39YXMwT2iGg4B62tiwQTMeUZp7VIX2q9GsULTKnbBGsJmpeHyO3ftRphmwBjCk9gcrCjTdV1Jo9x-tbi27wpE4UnqARQBn5DbMt7SbYQPVwYeSExpCkvd6hHADFyjttuKIVNpKRRZhFm9/s674/slide_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="674" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh--LvdrK3uIvNlQCGgH4M0_wsNqC4D3nZbL4ye5mYZjDT39YXMwT2iGg4B62tiwQTMeUZp7VIX2q9GsULTKnbBGsJmpeHyO3ftRphmwBjCk9gcrCjTdV1Jo9x-tbi27wpE4UnqARQBn5DbMt7SbYQPVwYeSExpCkvd6hHADFyjttuKIVNpKRRZhFm9/w400-h355/slide_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>In the next parts of the story, we shall look in more detail at other tribes and cultural groups, particularly in East Africa. The Hadza hunter gatherers, the Wachagga whos identity stems from the Bantu migration and the Maasai who arrived later. </p><p>I'll leave you with a short film from my first visit to the Rwenzoris in 2007 as a client, before I became an expedition leader. Indeed, it was this experience and the people I met that set me on the path to becoming a Mountain Leader. Looking at the film now its is perhaps a little cliched, but it was put together for fun and made with a heart full of appreciation for Uganda.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mAPgB6Fslrc" width="320" youtube-src-id="mAPgB6Fslrc"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z3jgzY-6He4" width="320" youtube-src-id="Z3jgzY-6He4"></iframe></div><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Sources</span></b><br />UNSECO General History Of Africa Vol 2<br />Ch 21: M. Posansky, historian and archaeologist<br />Ch 22: A.M.H. Sheriff, Lecturer, University Dar-es-Salaam</p><p>UNSECO General History Of Africa Vol 3<br />Ch 22: C.Ehret, linguist, University of California, Los Angeles</p><p><i>The Chronological Evidence for the Introduction of Domestic Stock in Southern Africa -</i> C Britt Bousman, African Archaeological Review, Vol. 15, No. 2, 1998 <br /><br /><i>A brief history of Botswana</i> - Neil Parsons, Botswana History Pages<br /><br /><i>Sub-Saharan Africa, Early Bantu Migrations</i> - Barratt, Long Branch School, New Jersey</p><p><a href="https://thebantutribe.weebly.com/">https://thebantutribe.weebly.com/</a></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYchW7HFbaSUZ39TIoAI-8gI9NiX-ied8ZJOOrN09XO1XDQXeMp8NkBI1vMKUWL6s7PQm-_fkbYUcnlkK1fT-RTVyCL6ypzHdbsJtpLcP1ydhvO0O8Dd9rML22gvzDI-OAKGFRnVuFejYxIhZKtHfsmQWpamd2N11lfXOtkoRqzptzAgo-LUE9LiK/s1559/Ranger%20Ultras%2010Ybasehead%204Black.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1559" data-original-width="1559" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYchW7HFbaSUZ39TIoAI-8gI9NiX-ied8ZJOOrN09XO1XDQXeMp8NkBI1vMKUWL6s7PQm-_fkbYUcnlkK1fT-RTVyCL6ypzHdbsJtpLcP1ydhvO0O8Dd9rML22gvzDI-OAKGFRnVuFejYxIhZKtHfsmQWpamd2N11lfXOtkoRqzptzAgo-LUE9LiK/s320/Ranger%20Ultras%2010Ybasehead%204Black.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-7200614698213105202022-07-23T23:22:00.001+00:002022-07-24T09:27:12.075+00:00#069 A day at the museum (part 2) - The Elephants In The Room<p>In part 1 of <i><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>A Day At The Museum</b></span> </i>we experienced the World Of Stonehenge exhibition at the British Museum, which concluded on Sunday 17th July 2022. On display were many wonderful artefacts which demonstrated the creative imagination and craftsmanship of ancient hands.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhJPxO3l8OcWhUliAPUOM825XHJxiU8QvW7VIvyFAtx0Tnc9WmavlhjLQwuO1nStneXWp_zVsJUPpDoCQCU2keLS8e6S8B_8wk6-Jx7X5OeHqagRbuZ_SVtruinTkuDvZUSuul-fxz3h4A8VkLpTIT72_tiySI7A_j7GIClBx0iUT5agGGuR7UlXk/s5547/IMG_20220715_121648345.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5547" data-original-width="5515" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhJPxO3l8OcWhUliAPUOM825XHJxiU8QvW7VIvyFAtx0Tnc9WmavlhjLQwuO1nStneXWp_zVsJUPpDoCQCU2keLS8e6S8B_8wk6-Jx7X5OeHqagRbuZ_SVtruinTkuDvZUSuul-fxz3h4A8VkLpTIT72_tiySI7A_j7GIClBx0iUT5agGGuR7UlXk/s320/IMG_20220715_121648345.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gold Gorget (collar), Bronze age 800-700BC<br />Gleninsheen, Rep of Ireland</td></tr></tbody></table><br />There were on-loan exhibits showing that modern archaeology can achieve amazing feats of conservation. Such as the sacrificial oxen, dated around 3300-3000 BC. Archaeologists in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, had lifted these skeletons of two full grown oxen and the impression of the Bronze Age cart to which they were harnessed, in one enormous unbroken piece of substrate.<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYzsnmNRcHUYQa-ehf4L_zTElQhlfuGjhgqNaBETWjPcLdPJsQaMSmsgCY5DI--Lmino4Bzv5vJxkxmFddntrVt80rN8WRSrAzCLPEnLuw6PHeeOJCg_vMI-jW70U7u1LTd85B19e_X3hCvAzioMtKRMz41yABRSvz3qjaBK9_FIoOkmkTsFofRBE/s9248/IMG_20220715_123034898.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYzsnmNRcHUYQa-ehf4L_zTElQhlfuGjhgqNaBETWjPcLdPJsQaMSmsgCY5DI--Lmino4Bzv5vJxkxmFddntrVt80rN8WRSrAzCLPEnLuw6PHeeOJCg_vMI-jW70U7u1LTd85B19e_X3hCvAzioMtKRMz41yABRSvz3qjaBK9_FIoOkmkTsFofRBE/s320/IMG_20220715_123034898.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">However, some pieces within the British Museum have, for many years, courted controversy regarding their provenance and ownership. In this blog we shall discuss the elephant in the room...or should that be the elephant in the museum, regarding how items such as the Benin Bronzes came to be on view and in private collections in London, across Europe and America.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-o8yl6JTUGG19iLA34STMgMIZgjhwO5f5kIuMYopQqBtnqeefG8K-0HkC5pjlgjvrr5zf59-NWWkNfvGIZVxfOeW1yN8BDCroTBOwJ34jc9_4H3PZi30vEHI02mtQ8ObU3egdFM9600p9zO3lwwcww4tqjHFqMnO9tPfq2G5Eb5NhxOFGWR9ZUQdL/s9248/IMG_20220715_120517710.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6944" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-o8yl6JTUGG19iLA34STMgMIZgjhwO5f5kIuMYopQqBtnqeefG8K-0HkC5pjlgjvrr5zf59-NWWkNfvGIZVxfOeW1yN8BDCroTBOwJ34jc9_4H3PZi30vEHI02mtQ8ObU3egdFM9600p9zO3lwwcww4tqjHFqMnO9tPfq2G5Eb5NhxOFGWR9ZUQdL/s320/IMG_20220715_120517710.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Benin bronze plaques, 16th Century<br />Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">The Benin Bronzes</span></b></h3></div>So what are the Benin Bronzes, why are they so special and what is the contention over them?<p></p><p>Not to be confused with the modern country of Benin. The Benin Bronzes originate from Edo State, in Nigeria. Created in the 16th Century onwards, the elaborate plaques, commemorative heads, animal and human figures were used in rituals and ceremonies which represent Nigerian social history. They show the exemplary skill and high art of a specialist guild of craftsmen working in the royal court of Benin City. These bronzes are some of the finest casting ever seen.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_csAVd8g1KEFcjTr2IARJHeccDSyYyB6JaKX5ifCe9uQJQPjaWW21lH37TprqtHU97ssODcKMJoNl1nECsB98RlJviCJ02SvFN_XRRkBjWgmSy4l-8yS3eW96yWtAhZUdj1OJ46tbZ8h2RrSpf8KxJn6kxVYsxy9mARHmVyxGgixv60nuiBqKMEad/s9248/IMG_20220715_115341742.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6944" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_csAVd8g1KEFcjTr2IARJHeccDSyYyB6JaKX5ifCe9uQJQPjaWW21lH37TprqtHU97ssODcKMJoNl1nECsB98RlJviCJ02SvFN_XRRkBjWgmSy4l-8yS3eW96yWtAhZUdj1OJ46tbZ8h2RrSpf8KxJn6kxVYsxy9mARHmVyxGgixv60nuiBqKMEad/s320/IMG_20220715_115341742.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brass heads were cast only for the altars<br />of dead kings and Queen Mothers.<br /> Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In the 19th Century, the Nigerian coast and trade were dominated by the British under an aggressive expansion of colonial power. Under military occupation, Benin palaces and shrines were looted and destroyed. Items with a perceived ceremonial or anthropological value were taken to the United Kingdom as spoils of war. Some of them were destined for museums, others found their way through dealers into private collections. </p><p>The Benin Bronzes can also be found in many of the West’s other great museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. They’re in smaller museums, too. The Lehman, Rockefeller, Ford and de Rothschild families have owned some. As did Pablo Picasso. There are currently at least 3,000 items scattered worldwide, maybe thousands more. No one’s entirely sure (1).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTUnQppfRMinPB9WBBKpSy1l9-zeQhoZAa-AuHlfc1E6xXh4vz-OJ8JqINw1qbFUa8kd3qtT8ehDocBZS3-KRiti-6EEV0kp0bvec8Q98brA3BLdDATUAuDZbgl1BestY38HYpR0eVAse-8XSjGFobmcIVMOmowWMERQcV5xRoEj-JijCOOiixZIM/s9248/IMG_20220715_115714991.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6944" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTUnQppfRMinPB9WBBKpSy1l9-zeQhoZAa-AuHlfc1E6xXh4vz-OJ8JqINw1qbFUa8kd3qtT8ehDocBZS3-KRiti-6EEV0kp0bvec8Q98brA3BLdDATUAuDZbgl1BestY38HYpR0eVAse-8XSjGFobmcIVMOmowWMERQcV5xRoEj-JijCOOiixZIM/s320/IMG_20220715_115714991.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Altar of a hand for an Oba<br />Brass, Benin, 18th Century<br />Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">The beginnings of restitution</span></h3><p>With so many artefacts absent, it's no surprise that Nigerian institutions such as the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) have long campaigned for a return of the bronzes on behalf of the country's people.</p><p><i><span style="color: #04ff00;">“The descendants of the people who cast those bronzes; they’ve never seen that work because most of them can’t afford to fly to London to come to the British Museum,” </span></i><br />- Osarobo Zeickner-Okoro (founding member) Ahiamwen Guild of artists and bronze casters. (2)</p><p>In 2021, Jesus College Cambridge became the first UK institution to restore a looted Benin Bronze to Nigeria (3). Other institutions have subsequently begun the process of repatriation of their bronzes.</p><p>On 9th March 2022, the <i>New York Times</i> reported: <span style="color: #04ff00;"><i>'the Smithsonian Institution is planning to return most of the 39 bonzes in its possession to Nigeria, as part of its review into collection practices and ethics behind them'.</i></span></p><p>And on 1st July 2022, the <i>Guardian</i> reported that:<i><span style="color: #04ff00;"> 'Germany has physically handed over two Benin bronzes and put more than 1,000 other items from its museums’ collections into Nigeria’s ownership'.</span></i></p><p>Meanwhile, the British Museum's position is: <i><span style="color: #04ff00;">The Museum is committed to active engagement with Nigerian institutions concerning the Benin Bronzes, including pursuing and supporting new initiatives developed in collaboration with Nigerian partners and colleagues.</span></i></p><p>However, under the 1963 Museums Act and 1983 Heritage Act, the British Museum is currently bound by law, preventing the return of 900 Benin objects (4). Essentially due to the artefacts being deemed the property of the British people and not the British Museum itself.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlsc9n7L2Fn-DI85PZoSbtP34wznkDRIK9xt8uzbOg9W1Inhez0ZH7i-bO-KaWaU2IMn-GXrAg1TKS77I6GklU58h88Nunio6zUagw4l_VwbDkWnXAlOoug9ZeJzWex6vmgBFNTNJ6duzQXqWiZWQoPQbhq2sqhvQMGowEpALzCdDU8AYSSo4_lFEN/s9248/IMG_20220715_120109643.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6944" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlsc9n7L2Fn-DI85PZoSbtP34wznkDRIK9xt8uzbOg9W1Inhez0ZH7i-bO-KaWaU2IMn-GXrAg1TKS77I6GklU58h88Nunio6zUagw4l_VwbDkWnXAlOoug9ZeJzWex6vmgBFNTNJ6duzQXqWiZWQoPQbhq2sqhvQMGowEpALzCdDU8AYSSo4_lFEN/s320/IMG_20220715_120109643.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A page at the royal court.<br />Cast brass, Benin, circa 16th-17th Century<br />Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">A herd of elephants</span></h3><p>Similarly, Greece has long contested the legitimacy of ownership of the Elgin Marbles and Egypt the many Pharaonic artefacts which are now residing in, generally northern hemisphere, museums around the world.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_pOKUp4XPXZrDX-jnXlq2bJxP30uPo31lF9Fwpqm-lgZ4NmrBnjj01BktO_V6BtelsXM38fx5gXcYM43QpoYuFIs-sFLFhBYBpfvhX3klGwR-8d0nRL1m4c4jgTcJez1vE8K6CWTwoQeHbHacrklLzty74HhNfqTIp2hVoVfCoiwR12dF4YkZK6zx/s9248/IMG_20220715_153939596.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_pOKUp4XPXZrDX-jnXlq2bJxP30uPo31lF9Fwpqm-lgZ4NmrBnjj01BktO_V6BtelsXM38fx5gXcYM43QpoYuFIs-sFLFhBYBpfvhX3klGwR-8d0nRL1m4c4jgTcJez1vE8K6CWTwoQeHbHacrklLzty74HhNfqTIp2hVoVfCoiwR12dF4YkZK6zx/s320/IMG_20220715_153939596.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nebamun hunting in the marshes.<br />Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Conservancy is an expensive business. Historical research and archaeology comes at a price. The British Museum collection comprises at least 8 million objects, of which around 80,000 are on public display, attracting 6 million visitors each year. Many of whom come to see iconic exhibits such as the Benin Bronzes and the Egyptology rooms. The Egypt And Sudan department itself holds tens of thousands of artefacts.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIlsDuMya-UeMnaIiWr1Em-pOIofnpEVP1pSZdJMndHDEAV-sYbEJsyw4C-1HjKn2DSNZmG6sTXJub_o2zqvjMDzEPiJFv4LHfKJr2q8N2t5i2KtW0_a0uEh3YZFNPsAfw1ChyrsGtyFIV7lZD6D2K46GNDQmhEk6UjKpcj0rJTAUzr2cND0WRHwt/s4624/IMG_20220715_154626468.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIlsDuMya-UeMnaIiWr1Em-pOIofnpEVP1pSZdJMndHDEAV-sYbEJsyw4C-1HjKn2DSNZmG6sTXJub_o2zqvjMDzEPiJFv4LHfKJr2q8N2t5i2KtW0_a0uEh3YZFNPsAfw1ChyrsGtyFIV7lZD6D2K46GNDQmhEk6UjKpcj0rJTAUzr2cND0WRHwt/s320/IMG_20220715_154626468.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Louvre holds 50,000 pieces in their Egypt section, spanning ancient times to the Byzantine periods. The New York Metropolitan Museum Of Art's collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 26000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance.<br /><br />Artefacts which are significant tourism, donation and research grant revenue generators. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Legitimate ownership or plunder? </span></b></h3><p>No doubt a significant portion of artefacts in European and American institutions are there through ill gotten gain. </p><p>Most of these items were acquired during the colonial era. The route of artefacts is, in many cases, far from direct. Being sold and handled by several intermediaries, some as gifts, others with permissions and varying degrees of legality. It is a process which continues today with artefacts being smuggled out of their indigenous countries to foreign collections.</p><p>Minister of Antiquities for Egypt, Dr Zahawi Hawass claims that 60% of objects taken out of the country has been done so illegally, but also acknowledges many items were legally exported too.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Is there a case for wholescale repatriation?</span></b> </h3><div>Previous arguments against repatriation have questioned the ability of indigenous countries to appropriately conserve artefacts. The quality of modern Egyptian scholarship and museum facilities debunks the notion that European and North American institutions are intrinsically better. To keep rolling out this standard response has more than an uncomfortable whiff of paternal colonialism. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMlF8J5NQON1nV05ilOMDcKEekCIGPzVhBGGHQFGmK7NDwhL6slwcfEmdbkx5e65ag7J8WNoAIX6ixiEyQdEt2zjJwa6nuWBgmmkcdPczERIKYVz9m3q2e9woLlFXX4sNo1_sjSXjHbkJgH6mKGXLpNE7jeiNStGSaKchONpZDuwsIfUqFTvjKOFRW/s9248/IMG_20220715_120255774.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6944" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMlF8J5NQON1nV05ilOMDcKEekCIGPzVhBGGHQFGmK7NDwhL6slwcfEmdbkx5e65ag7J8WNoAIX6ixiEyQdEt2zjJwa6nuWBgmmkcdPczERIKYVz9m3q2e9woLlFXX4sNo1_sjSXjHbkJgH6mKGXLpNE7jeiNStGSaKchONpZDuwsIfUqFTvjKOFRW/s320/IMG_20220715_120255774.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leopard in ivory, copper and coral. Made from five separate tusks.<br />The copper spots tapped into undercut depressions were probably<br />percussion caps used to fire 19th Century rifles.<br />Benin, Nigeria, 19th Century<br />Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>As is the case with the National Museum in Benin City which has amply demonstrated its ability to hold and display the artefacts safely and appropriately. </div><p>Restitution of ownership does not necessarily need to equate into return of all items. Most museums are open to lending objects and the British Museum lends around five thousand items each year. Some of which are on a long term basis.</p><p>Indeed there is both a practical and judicious case for, at any one time, decentralising a proportion of items of a typographically important collection. Having pieces on loan, is a form of insurance against complete catastrophic loss.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_IOEuZd6VPJ5X6IUavCYzatjOIV156_6BXbzu-7WfDToNIzO6JFG7Lk_MVILM_DA57fGQI2pekfytcZAq13fmpmyRIxdMvN0uO5W3Ede1EAH2oNBty5BPb3Nh-Sl2OT6OFsgd5ueEKP06Zo-kaABYrdE-wn-Tas3dNr-gm8wAqNesa35Rkwg_jNI/s960/pjimage-2021-08-07T202455.841.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_IOEuZd6VPJ5X6IUavCYzatjOIV156_6BXbzu-7WfDToNIzO6JFG7Lk_MVILM_DA57fGQI2pekfytcZAq13fmpmyRIxdMvN0uO5W3Ede1EAH2oNBty5BPb3Nh-Sl2OT6OFsgd5ueEKP06Zo-kaABYrdE-wn-Tas3dNr-gm8wAqNesa35Rkwg_jNI/s320/pjimage-2021-08-07T202455.841.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A living culture: <br />The Oba Of Benin & Princess (Oloi) Iyayota Ewuare II<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><h3><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">To see and experience is to love</span></b></h3><p>Items such as the Benin Bronzes are uncontrovertibly of huge cultural importance to the people of Nigeria. Osarobo Zeickner-Okoro of the modern casting guild is at pains to emphasise that the Bronzes are not just attractive items from the past:</p><p><i><span style="color: #04ff00;">"Part of the crime that's been committed is that Benin has been portrayed as this dead civilization. The reparation is not just returning the Bronzes. It's also acknowledging us, that we're a living civilization." (5)</span></i></p><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gOrzwBiXGkc" width="320" youtube-src-id="gOrzwBiXGkc"></iframe></i></div><p></p><p>It's not unreasonable that people who's heritage is less accessible to them, either through legitimate means or historical mis-appropriation, should have the right to experience their history first hand. Just looking at the numbers there is a gross imbalance between the quantity of artefacts held in industrialised northern hemisphere institutions compared with indigenous countries, roughly south of thirty degrees latitude. </p><p>About 90% of Africa’s cultural heritage is believed to be in Europe. French art historians estimate. Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac in Paris alone holds about 70,000 African objects and London’s British Museum tens of thousands more (6)</p><p>Not everyone has the capability to travel to distant countries or exotic locations to view pieces in-situ. So, is the question more about accessibility rather than ownership? The answer still, no doubt, depends on which end of the colonial legacy your country has ended up.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6aqe2eHX1I88YRy8pijNrugzCvJcu_HmokD6o8wmNG0tfEtKWlWu_x98gjM4xKQE7WJCHF9ukPXsMON51k0ZzfWyaCNa_LH3htDxIGJQP74r3R4X-lJI-25ScdbsGc83FLSIJbuyml3D_YPYre1Bxfi0tUe72NKQyePJoe1IBntCmRiqmiCC9HCqw/s9248/IMG_20220715_120647827.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6944" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6aqe2eHX1I88YRy8pijNrugzCvJcu_HmokD6o8wmNG0tfEtKWlWu_x98gjM4xKQE7WJCHF9ukPXsMON51k0ZzfWyaCNa_LH3htDxIGJQP74r3R4X-lJI-25ScdbsGc83FLSIJbuyml3D_YPYre1Bxfi0tUe72NKQyePJoe1IBntCmRiqmiCC9HCqw/s320/IMG_20220715_120647827.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cast plaque, Benin, 16th Century<br />Image: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>We learn to love what we see, experience and cherish. The first time I saw the Benin Bronzes, I was speechless with wonder. And each time I am fortunate to return to the British Museum, I make a course straight for the Sainsbury rooms. Happy to sit and awe at the creativity and symbolism. The quandary is that had the bronzes not been there, I could not have appreciated them, spent time learning about their history. And would not be writing this blog.<br /><br />Whether you care or not for the blog is to miss the point. Although having got this far, I may assume that you're at least a little engaged or interested.</p><p>What is important is the sense of creativity that spanned the centuries and made a connection. It is these moments which bring a deeper understanding to humanity and help bridge nations and identities. And so, there is also a sadness that the people of modern Benin City, more than anyone else, should have the same opportunity for wonder and connection to their heritage.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijY9MTChmozphlesDmo9nTbo1BshUqrGJi93w_TPGAakrTKxgrXxgJ-Dz0wg1w0yDB1XEKZawqUaXTj1p8pODZgC7dGc5sGMBSzm2T1Tz23BLb2j-CepRPBnjp-OmRK4jhaTZuIUMu628mHGq8AJfVPvHe175DEl4yfvf7QpvO0vIhT96coHEVoEUD/s9248/IMG_20220715_120540893.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6944" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijY9MTChmozphlesDmo9nTbo1BshUqrGJi93w_TPGAakrTKxgrXxgJ-Dz0wg1w0yDB1XEKZawqUaXTj1p8pODZgC7dGc5sGMBSzm2T1Tz23BLb2j-CepRPBnjp-OmRK4jhaTZuIUMu628mHGq8AJfVPvHe175DEl4yfvf7QpvO0vIhT96coHEVoEUD/s320/IMG_20220715_120540893.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cast plaque, Benin, 16th Century<br />Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">A World Heritage Solution?</span></b></h3><p>We have seen that important and iconic historical items bring in tourist revenue. But concentrating these items in just a few public places and in private collections is blocking access to cultural heritage. So, while I would like to see the return of a good number of the Benin Bronzes return to their indigenous home, I would also advocate that some examples remain on public display around the world. </p><p>Instead of ownership, should artefacts be considered as portable versions of World Heritage Sites, for the curiosity, education and enjoyment of all humanity?</p><p>Stu Westfield<br />Ranger Expeditions</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBGQxM-YCKvHNXJWvDAY8f7ylIFCwSlzGQ_yB3eRFrybGq1_qfJS_OcQlkFS3e88XQSvLWGwb2fO2yqo898KX_ckRTZOHtF1qF7S8ZZb2Zy-RNaekkp_SKyeUuxtrXlKSlhxnZj5qmpjE53QCj_1UTvg4z_qlX4REBteeg0KTKcbi-oBqVAVSf6pgH/s1559/Ranger%20Ultras%2010Ybasehead%204Black.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1559" data-original-width="1559" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBGQxM-YCKvHNXJWvDAY8f7ylIFCwSlzGQ_yB3eRFrybGq1_qfJS_OcQlkFS3e88XQSvLWGwb2fO2yqo898KX_ckRTZOHtF1qF7S8ZZb2Zy-RNaekkp_SKyeUuxtrXlKSlhxnZj5qmpjE53QCj_1UTvg4z_qlX4REBteeg0KTKcbi-oBqVAVSf6pgH/s320/Ranger%20Ultras%2010Ybasehead%204Black.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">Sources</span></h3><p>(1) <i>This Art Was Looted 123 Years Ago</i> - New York Times, Alex Marshall, 23 Jan 2020<br />(2) <i>Return The Benin Bronzes And We'll Give You New Ones In Exchange</i> - Taylor Dafoe, Artnet News, 23 Sept 2021<br />(3) <i>The Benin Bronzes, Silence Is Not Golden </i>- The Guardian Editorial, 29 Oct 2021 <br />(4) <i>Berlin Hands Over Two Benin Bronzes To Nigeria</i> - Philip Oltermann, The Guardian, 1 July 2022<br />(5) British Museum accepts Nigerian artist's gift but keeps looted bronzes - Reuters, 30 Sept 2021 <br />(6) Reuters in Benin City, The Guardian, 19 Feb 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /><br /></p>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-91352364574864238052022-07-16T22:29:00.004+00:002022-07-17T10:17:00.313+00:00#068 A day at the museum (part 1) - The World Of Stonehenge<p>This spring and summer the British Museum hosted the <i>World Of Stonehenge</i> special exhibition.</p><p>Short of lifting in the renowned stone circle, you couldn't have wished for a more comprehensive and thorough storytelling of Stonehenge. From its Mesolithic beginnings through to the late Bronze age. Although, having mentioned megalithic stones, this major exhibition did not stop short of presenting several excellent and no doubt extremely weighty examples of rock art from across Europe. As the title indicated, the assembled artefacts truly represented the people of the stone age, their culture, origins, inspiration and connectivity. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Gj8nKk6Sd_xEr5_dxZIIy1mfba82pJY9hu1ACCLV9HRLcP4XD3Pe1CL9313LMbhZ-Qc00dYFvgYWhSPOA_K0jH3dy2dkGTr75Y4vniAIwvnKb2cSRGRoypl8l-sMSBxxsA7qGa8qhvs2WiWz4mMJN_pnhYQMXS4tfJwZZZle9c3BUYFhJCoIOSEa/s9248/IMG_20220715_121558568.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6944" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Gj8nKk6Sd_xEr5_dxZIIy1mfba82pJY9hu1ACCLV9HRLcP4XD3Pe1CL9313LMbhZ-Qc00dYFvgYWhSPOA_K0jH3dy2dkGTr75Y4vniAIwvnKb2cSRGRoypl8l-sMSBxxsA7qGa8qhvs2WiWz4mMJN_pnhYQMXS4tfJwZZZle9c3BUYFhJCoIOSEa/s320/IMG_20220715_121558568.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">This stele from the alps was revisited for centuries, with new decoration and<br />meaning added by successive generations. It depicts the sun over gatherings of <br />people, the migration of wild animals and the farming seasons. In the age of the<br />first farmers, the heavens governed the timing and tempo of domestic and ritual<br />life. (Text: British Museum). Capo di Ponte stone, Cemmo, Italy circa 2500BC.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhww6bZgIVI82swPSra2Od1B9c6GtSuSC-PXQX_qLGrNRCCdxBD8xaA54NSkbmEvY8o4nS81JrMgaemD3KNFv9ujTg-WfG00eeUfuzSv5K1TjuZwglfcITm0zx0k2us78HeDkTGKgZq1INZkZlQ8dP4ubbctn8mZ-fcgHjK7U2SDA_rTNfxCHgkTePb/s3898/Stones%201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1772" data-original-width="3898" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhww6bZgIVI82swPSra2Od1B9c6GtSuSC-PXQX_qLGrNRCCdxBD8xaA54NSkbmEvY8o4nS81JrMgaemD3KNFv9ujTg-WfG00eeUfuzSv5K1TjuZwglfcITm0zx0k2us78HeDkTGKgZq1INZkZlQ8dP4ubbctn8mZ-fcgHjK7U2SDA_rTNfxCHgkTePb/w400-h181/Stones%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Stepping into the exhibition space, it started where all journeys do, at the beginning; in this case 10,000 years ago in ancient Britain when bands of hunter-fisher-gatherers lived off the land. Which, at the time, was still connected to the European landmass.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblOiV3SvUl9LMMQg2OntdassysXcqYc7OgABsUCYmTgsxCpqT_9zhhw89NOazZ17rzMAMmc-xw1-4c-_16_5PQsaB8o3qZ1fESXKRQ20y-Lsoiq5GG_U5oPPPNrMctNwy14VhJH34XInjfoQa94q6CKLskYNl5FXwZsvHNeVEDpoyuesBRBcG9tkA/s992/Star%20Carr%20BM%20Headress.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="992" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblOiV3SvUl9LMMQg2OntdassysXcqYc7OgABsUCYmTgsxCpqT_9zhhw89NOazZ17rzMAMmc-xw1-4c-_16_5PQsaB8o3qZ1fESXKRQ20y-Lsoiq5GG_U5oPPPNrMctNwy14VhJH34XInjfoQa94q6CKLskYNl5FXwZsvHNeVEDpoyuesBRBcG9tkA/s320/Star%20Carr%20BM%20Headress.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: British Museum</td></tr></tbody></table><p>It was wonderful to be reunited with an example of the enigmatic Star Carr red deer headdresses, which I had first seen at the Rotunda museum, in Scarborough, several years ago.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ikPoqae1kfsCCv4Dr9msU4etfhHu0_n7W8xGetpoxyo6O-Dbesd4npCWENPSWCD6gSILO5FM293wHSLJi_QISr8bKaWz2g_dUidOmXnzVLgFykkpQgHeEFEblyM2Hr4-He6rxHNNMHBddMBq3j9qItcKQYoLOVeIP3J7dHgJusfHnxsmPAGhuvar/s3898/Axes%201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1772" data-original-width="3898" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ikPoqae1kfsCCv4Dr9msU4etfhHu0_n7W8xGetpoxyo6O-Dbesd4npCWENPSWCD6gSILO5FM293wHSLJi_QISr8bKaWz2g_dUidOmXnzVLgFykkpQgHeEFEblyM2Hr4-He6rxHNNMHBddMBq3j9qItcKQYoLOVeIP3J7dHgJusfHnxsmPAGhuvar/w400-h181/Axes%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>A number of excellent examples of stone and bronze axe heads, hafted onto wooden handles, gave a tangible sense of our ancestors connection to their environment. In hands that cleared the wild woods during the Neolithic farming revolution and beyond. </p><p>Without doubt, for me, the most stunning exhibit was the Nebra Sky Disc, named after the village in which it was found in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany and on loan from their state archaeology office. This was too convenient a chance not to miss seeing it.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-cXCHL5KLBBMc_hGTz7On0ex2USHnwrpDa6C07-rRIh4qKpyr4vy6zYmzJskvfoHREw1pt4fHc0FjCRn6ZDqXkeIip4AjX6YiGVbYQQpfa2jjq7jZlKUISzYiXHgixqEFDhghTtGBoRSvfXPkiyOd1bNvyKQU74XfqsLHlJpMS5UUyVHKgA43vnOc/s9248/IMG_20220715_125402685.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-cXCHL5KLBBMc_hGTz7On0ex2USHnwrpDa6C07-rRIh4qKpyr4vy6zYmzJskvfoHREw1pt4fHc0FjCRn6ZDqXkeIip4AjX6YiGVbYQQpfa2jjq7jZlKUISzYiXHgixqEFDhghTtGBoRSvfXPkiyOd1bNvyKQU74XfqsLHlJpMS5UUyVHKgA43vnOc/w400-h300/IMG_20220715_125402685.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00;">The Nebra Sky Disc reveals the creativity and advanced astronomical<br />knowledge of cultures without writing. The distinctive rosette of seven<br />stars represents the Pleiades. These stars play a key role in an ancient<br />rule, known from a 2700 year old Babylonian text, that allowed the <br />shorter lunar year to be kept in step with the solar year. A leap month<br />should be added every third year of a crescent moon a few days old <br />appears next to the Pleiades in the springtime sky. (Text: British Museum)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The 12 inch diameter thin disc, made from bronze and gold, is the oldest depiction of the cosmos in the world. Dated to about 1600BC, it underwent four stages of development. But also of interest is the diverse origins of materials: The first phase gold and tin from Cornwall, copper from Austria and later additions of gold from the Carpathian mountains. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwsKF3OI9Xw9_AMm8V3ysT2sOOipyy7RaHpU49tovh5mKY3E_H45cWCUkHsUO7ZdJQXTnqMEaBkTjJ68rgw8hhjXK7qDrHmMc7lpLX_zDd7YOFhCMD5uKTw7tS4j5DstDMgRyxwRLK6kj2UlzhJ1F37IrFST9rlNakU25Pwn_IWWuhf5JAVPnolJl/s3508/Nebra%20Phases%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2480" data-original-width="3508" height="453" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwsKF3OI9Xw9_AMm8V3ysT2sOOipyy7RaHpU49tovh5mKY3E_H45cWCUkHsUO7ZdJQXTnqMEaBkTjJ68rgw8hhjXK7qDrHmMc7lpLX_zDd7YOFhCMD5uKTw7tS4j5DstDMgRyxwRLK6kj2UlzhJ1F37IrFST9rlNakU25Pwn_IWWuhf5JAVPnolJl/w640-h453/Nebra%20Phases%201.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>As with all the displays, there was a wealth of supporting information and other exhibits to provide all the context one could wish for.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNY2LwcBpX1D890Gwl2EzB93dtz_3ZQud9LZ5s7PQe-gfUzxG6couvD7EiDGxVm1XWIfrkA4D4gskbHtIdu00GRWckuweL0dXLc_eCeC9LskWH6kYgAaVj5kh2Iz-dW2um4sM_BJJDKZVkRGdpAr5MGXQ8DCr8dhMrWutY8sWKihyDW1JC0bzey_z/s9248/IMG_20220715_132043359.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6944" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNY2LwcBpX1D890Gwl2EzB93dtz_3ZQud9LZ5s7PQe-gfUzxG6couvD7EiDGxVm1XWIfrkA4D4gskbHtIdu00GRWckuweL0dXLc_eCeC9LskWH6kYgAaVj5kh2Iz-dW2um4sM_BJJDKZVkRGdpAr5MGXQ8DCr8dhMrWutY8sWKihyDW1JC0bzey_z/s320/IMG_20220715_132043359.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Astonishing, was how much gold was in use during the Bronze age for adornment, ritual and practical purposes. Melted in sufficient quantities to be fashioned into some substantial items, such as the cosmos calendar headwear (on loan from the Louvre) and cape (found in Flintshire). </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZB8HHogjRmPi6mcVUyxgr0dLjsoRmZaj0UWbOHMJvhDUfkHZG_GGiYBweKvySz4WK7MONuKjNRFEGSyJ9o75klxcAUULmYzfP_Rm-RyqjHWb7ukLcMlLJSnOMrxSDLdQEI6SRwmFkcuQRacD2g3v7RB9BOLSDso3-Pn15pny9Yhx69MqP3diHOd5/s8187/IMG_20220715_131742175.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5785" data-original-width="8187" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZB8HHogjRmPi6mcVUyxgr0dLjsoRmZaj0UWbOHMJvhDUfkHZG_GGiYBweKvySz4WK7MONuKjNRFEGSyJ9o75klxcAUULmYzfP_Rm-RyqjHWb7ukLcMlLJSnOMrxSDLdQEI6SRwmFkcuQRacD2g3v7RB9BOLSDso3-Pn15pny9Yhx69MqP3diHOd5/s320/IMG_20220715_131742175.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Although, humble by comparison, the Amesbury archer display brought a smile, as I had cited the impressive array of grave goods as an example in my 2020 Oxford Uni Fundamentals Of Archaeology short course assessment.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPIKZ2JPF2llhooGPMXSoZ9bO6ni8DF5F1C_HuCEydOqg31tesGsu0LWc6orzu56sGwxNX6awU19AqHFNvSOqE4vAtsTMJ_6YBstjUAyw3efoXpKbS7euN-tvNUFBUNOqcBv7ZPhmbHnxZhpnlj8_nHUbGouUUFmw5t29swdRE0xEQmEPzv6smPCs/s8820/IMG_20220715_132124749.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5534" data-original-width="8820" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPIKZ2JPF2llhooGPMXSoZ9bO6ni8DF5F1C_HuCEydOqg31tesGsu0LWc6orzu56sGwxNX6awU19AqHFNvSOqE4vAtsTMJ_6YBstjUAyw3efoXpKbS7euN-tvNUFBUNOqcBv7ZPhmbHnxZhpnlj8_nHUbGouUUFmw5t29swdRE0xEQmEPzv6smPCs/s320/IMG_20220715_132124749.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amesbury archer grave goods. Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Near the exit, the final artefact was a diminutive sun pendant, crafted around 1000BC, found in Shropshire. But in its size, there was such exquisite work and beauty.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW5vR3pnA1mH-FWROPZBufajia6lf0UWbPehmuUzPEVFD6AjKQMqhGUUuQw2sRIVgCrM7k9iW_YiryQmYEKQ-nP_7ZHTv7lOplCAmVfFAwGU940f4I1B7PnTT14zeXiPPlwS0m-YL-51TTDB_eW2o7zZ67WZ6Su34aTW-wQYD0Sf9wRcP4_D8sxglv/s9248/IMG_20220715_134556299.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW5vR3pnA1mH-FWROPZBufajia6lf0UWbPehmuUzPEVFD6AjKQMqhGUUuQw2sRIVgCrM7k9iW_YiryQmYEKQ-nP_7ZHTv7lOplCAmVfFAwGU940f4I1B7PnTT14zeXiPPlwS0m-YL-51TTDB_eW2o7zZ67WZ6Su34aTW-wQYD0Sf9wRcP4_D8sxglv/s320/IMG_20220715_134556299.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sun pendant. Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Having feasted on the stone age for two hours, which passed so quickly, it was time for some feasting of a culinary nature. Trips to London are infrequent, so I treated myself to a pleasant mid-afternoon lunch in the Great Court restaurant. Then, degustation's completed with a refreshing black coffee, there was time to head down into the Sainsbury rooms to see some favourite African displays.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnBNHvUM-NF88MTBXAfY6cnrRvePISgmyXiAb3hieEA_qgm2TACKNiVFT_Nf-IedfxJlqWU9iBTG_sdiehrUAJW_usyVn2Y7rZCmNdaJtHT7VYxMVRRo2NjROmvA6W9o0FILwhYze1KZaoEmntlSunWHKzYkeyEd4EOluatPw9sDfuZ2lJWMedjn2/s9248/IMG_20220715_120612493.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6944" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnBNHvUM-NF88MTBXAfY6cnrRvePISgmyXiAb3hieEA_qgm2TACKNiVFT_Nf-IedfxJlqWU9iBTG_sdiehrUAJW_usyVn2Y7rZCmNdaJtHT7VYxMVRRo2NjROmvA6W9o0FILwhYze1KZaoEmntlSunWHKzYkeyEd4EOluatPw9sDfuZ2lJWMedjn2/s320/IMG_20220715_120612493.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Benin bronze plaques. Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I'm always filled with wonder at the high craftmanship of the cast Benin Bronzes and in comparison, the simple, yet efficient, functionality of the San bushman's hunting kit.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHCgoHyLOT76_oqxtoUbivPaZ_iHGkIDmxTTc4vFR0Tg4IIz0bKv75fEftwllQ6dKKLM0rCwi3rJ0k2wAs1ay7Wbj4R1_youi8G9zN8x5Oci4T787-4NSUwm-fZG1FK1wbcXtIVEg8EdvMdWsYMkwRa6oCjVn8pBOGQQlV2daV8Or62DUXLPURV6H/s8149/San%20Bushman%20Kit.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="8149" data-original-width="6210" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHCgoHyLOT76_oqxtoUbivPaZ_iHGkIDmxTTc4vFR0Tg4IIz0bKv75fEftwllQ6dKKLM0rCwi3rJ0k2wAs1ay7Wbj4R1_youi8G9zN8x5Oci4T787-4NSUwm-fZG1FK1wbcXtIVEg8EdvMdWsYMkwRa6oCjVn8pBOGQQlV2daV8Or62DUXLPURV6H/s320/San%20Bushman%20Kit.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The display of Kenyan and Tanzanian kanga fabrics adding a vibrant splash of African colour.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSZTCZUGrG5iBcLhdb_Kp3FkDJ8ZWZLxOz99W4yA2YNnHnWfzfrL0_YgtLXMpnayxkW44Nl9NGdIIgV2P_NY2KTwZZla4onMXftI0fZ1eGC7A47s7oHsJAEtK8FSi37ScQzmBGwDi14VMUznbX3hzI8iWggZo5tQ2pv8P_HvS7O-oT0LyZKyeSNHx/s9248/IMG_20220715_114425834.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6944" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSZTCZUGrG5iBcLhdb_Kp3FkDJ8ZWZLxOz99W4yA2YNnHnWfzfrL0_YgtLXMpnayxkW44Nl9NGdIIgV2P_NY2KTwZZla4onMXftI0fZ1eGC7A47s7oHsJAEtK8FSi37ScQzmBGwDi14VMUznbX3hzI8iWggZo5tQ2pv8P_HvS7O-oT0LyZKyeSNHx/s320/IMG_20220715_114425834.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>My day finished with a quick visit to the UCL Zoological museum on the way back to Euston train station. Specifically, as I had found out that it held a rare specimen of the extinct thylacine, otherwise known as the Tazmanian Tiger. I had written about the thylacine back my 2016 blog <a href="http://stuwestfield.blogspot.com/2016/08/023-expeditions-projects-extinctions.html">Expeditions, Projects And Extinctions</a>. But only ever seen grainy depictions of the animal on the television. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi400s_J8p1V2AXDWLAzHlW2XcWQI1PlfijTDv-mqNrNYPooASCgeQrA-J_Q3wAD5YO9H4XVt0hrgPSz5nOQmQDKYyrmNMJqpE4tnShkGcUielvs8hdrYx5TNuxYLUSDxlgLuUN4ZjiZfwFPySUbY69owTEObVk3Om4680VDtWvfPzJKPevoWBfkGBw/s9248/IMG_20220715_164153525.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi400s_J8p1V2AXDWLAzHlW2XcWQI1PlfijTDv-mqNrNYPooASCgeQrA-J_Q3wAD5YO9H4XVt0hrgPSz5nOQmQDKYyrmNMJqpE4tnShkGcUielvs8hdrYx5TNuxYLUSDxlgLuUN4ZjiZfwFPySUbY69owTEObVk3Om4680VDtWvfPzJKPevoWBfkGBw/s320/IMG_20220715_164153525.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>What surprised me was how small the skeleton appeared. Just the same as a medium size dog.</p><p>Any extinction impoverishes us, but the tale of the thylacine at the hands of humans is desperately sad and could have been so very different. If you care about species on earth, I urge you to watch the film <i>The Hunter</i>. It is fiction, but offers a salutary tale.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uZjK9uIBJMQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="uZjK9uIBJMQ"></iframe></div><p>Full of thoughts and ideas, I boarded my train home and glad to be out of the oppressive humid heat that had been building up throughout the day. I took a sip of water and started writing.</p><p>In part 2 of<span style="color: #04ff00; font-style: italic;"> A day at the museum</span><i> </i>blog, I'll return to talk about the 'elephant in the room'. As we should not pass-by artefacts like the Beinin Bronzes without discussing how they came to be where they are now and what future possibilities might be.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5n3LLdfDTAx866oZCNx1fjlAb-fIiJYhCGEsfjKOn8FteJvVVTltXEXqlwK8T9cPKkB892IZqB3aNwLPePBU5lVMCTcvFax3p5KQQlaoeX98OIMqqb0qzrBVm35Nbl4SN4syO4UeNGiFnVHa0EnKj010UULlNZ_15Olr-Gfj0BnmWI3G6X2YkY4M/s1559/Ranger%20Ultras%2010Ybasehead%204Black.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1559" data-original-width="1559" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5n3LLdfDTAx866oZCNx1fjlAb-fIiJYhCGEsfjKOn8FteJvVVTltXEXqlwK8T9cPKkB892IZqB3aNwLPePBU5lVMCTcvFax3p5KQQlaoeX98OIMqqb0qzrBVm35Nbl4SN4syO4UeNGiFnVHa0EnKj010UULlNZ_15Olr-Gfj0BnmWI3G6X2YkY4M/s320/Ranger%20Ultras%2010Ybasehead%204Black.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /><br /><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-77016504356623805762022-06-19T17:19:00.004+00:002022-06-20T16:54:15.869+00:00#067 Your trail to the PB270 - Part 1 <p>A couple have months have passed since the inaugural edition of the Ranger Ultras' PB270km Pennine Bridleway Trail Challenge when a pioneering group of trail runners stepped forward to the start line on a sunny April morning. From an organisers perspective, the race delivered everything we had hoped and planned for. Whether finishers or not, the athletes praised how fresh and special this event felt. Comments which were echoed by volunteers on the Ranger Ultras Safety Team (RUSTies).</p><p><i><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>I love running in Ranger Ultras events, the team and the routes are great. - Ray Poynter (2nd place)</b></span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #04ff00;"></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #04ff00;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIghhtfaSDfcN1t1p499Pi5RPSqDOJ3SMx1oLjCP869hmZc6IFhYhGiioXuvhcalJhidyqa1l4DZ_5jkmcnob8GP4l031rgsLvfXrsMnuVUB0-ygL3xfx-bk68s7s9W9KfF-TjwqU7adj4xAcQz2Ftp1mk7EAJJf1Q1HPI3k7OiBoOx3SxUYLeLgAI/s3456/DSC_0054%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3456" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIghhtfaSDfcN1t1p499Pi5RPSqDOJ3SMx1oLjCP869hmZc6IFhYhGiioXuvhcalJhidyqa1l4DZ_5jkmcnob8GP4l031rgsLvfXrsMnuVUB0-ygL3xfx-bk68s7s9W9KfF-TjwqU7adj4xAcQz2Ftp1mk7EAJJf1Q1HPI3k7OiBoOx3SxUYLeLgAI/s320/DSC_0054%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></i></div><p></p><p>We're delighted to say that the build up to the 2023 edition is well under way. </p><p>In this blog mini-series, we'll talk about our vision for the PB270, which may not be what you'd expect from a trail running events company. As well as hints, tips and topics to help you arrive at the start line yourself - prepared and ready to enjoy the adventure.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA282cKz96HhS5w_MKYKdhds8yHAbJ4DNUNk9Q7aSb_WCT0P1epCgapBoVNzY-eWRa9JBPzpod4V0d4FaB-9GSe8snrDU5rNO9u_qrS5fuPzU3fQVLn-5K-wzQmhf5iv5oPge5Ae-yucJqCkTVOp0tJUBT8i1vjhny79yMS_ax-BEmZZKkAi4wyrln/s2048/274209044_10224010184256023_6282077880645376883_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="2048" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA282cKz96HhS5w_MKYKdhds8yHAbJ4DNUNk9Q7aSb_WCT0P1epCgapBoVNzY-eWRa9JBPzpod4V0d4FaB-9GSe8snrDU5rNO9u_qrS5fuPzU3fQVLn-5K-wzQmhf5iv5oPge5Ae-yucJqCkTVOp0tJUBT8i1vjhny79yMS_ax-BEmZZKkAi4wyrln/s320/274209044_10224010184256023_6282077880645376883_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trophies worth taking home</td></tr></tbody></table><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Why the PB270?</span></b><br />We've already gained a lot of experience of the Pennine Bridleway organising trail running races which use several sections of this national trail. So, a couple of years ago, considering ideas for what our next original race concept would be, a multi-day on the Pennine Bridleway was the next logical step.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDpSR3qSed9tO3uJFo_yM-7oju9VcMjuBzPHSOsBRROc1Z1kFEw4FXZrFDT9qu6nrLITCer80iRS5Hhhv3y6VQTST0SasRhxEJQ2Ml_xiOevRPx8yJEA1mZPjjekgIkE9HDBblAr1bUzL_jnurjt0zvreX8hI5aCeTJhYk__ked4YwBJ9TtXV0za0e/s1455/278917562_10159638814753604_537131579361500152_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1455" data-original-width="1039" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDpSR3qSed9tO3uJFo_yM-7oju9VcMjuBzPHSOsBRROc1Z1kFEw4FXZrFDT9qu6nrLITCer80iRS5Hhhv3y6VQTST0SasRhxEJQ2Ml_xiOevRPx8yJEA1mZPjjekgIkE9HDBblAr1bUzL_jnurjt0zvreX8hI5aCeTJhYk__ked4YwBJ9TtXV0za0e/s320/278917562_10159638814753604_537131579361500152_n.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b><a href="https://run-ultra.com/news/a-race-of-many-firsts/" target="_blank">A Race Of Many Firsts - Run Ultra - Katie Allen (Editor)</a></b></span></p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">The PB270 concept.</span><br /></b>First and foremost, as with all our race routes, the Pennine Bridleway trail has a inspiring mix of picturesque scenery, a real sense of journey, varied terrain and some decent runnable sections which are at times challenging. <br /><br />Also in common with our other trail races, the PB270 offers reasonably generous cut-offs so the event is accessible to folks with walk-jog strategies. Yet to cross the finish line still retains the feeling of an achievement which is earned.<br /><br />As it's a national trail, the route is well marked with fixed finger posts, so navigation is straight forward. We don't add additional waymarking so participants still have to think about the route and engage with the environment. We work closely with National Trails people in planning the event. Ranger Ultras' were the first trail running event company to be awarded the 'Proudly Supporting National Trails' badge. <br /><br />All our PB270 checkpoints offer tasty meals which are wholesome and home cooked with fresh ingredients. The checkpoints themselves are a combination of short-stay, longer-stay, bunkroom and floor sleeping. All have a kitchen, showers and toilet facilities. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YnQy5OlLmv5-QZPEZFanrqM2lbRo10FUrY-af2Cwb4pTfs3T7IgbUWFaZNnocqy8QmPLRGQfMKdbilAUmRyha7RCEyh9Z_H2DaxRpxV08A72Rp7TLwXw28_RjeB4MTp3tUc-FmU8tCs5I66XyvxdBxvVZVfOMdqejPWqpfkHXabjlSFX7NiwrFId/s7411/PB270%20food%201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6267" data-original-width="7411" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YnQy5OlLmv5-QZPEZFanrqM2lbRo10FUrY-af2Cwb4pTfs3T7IgbUWFaZNnocqy8QmPLRGQfMKdbilAUmRyha7RCEyh9Z_H2DaxRpxV08A72Rp7TLwXw28_RjeB4MTp3tUc-FmU8tCs5I66XyvxdBxvVZVfOMdqejPWqpfkHXabjlSFX7NiwrFId/s320/PB270%20food%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creamy pasta with vegetables & cheese</td></tr></tbody></table><p><i><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>'The food and drink in the checkpoints was great and well thought through'. - Bobby Cullen (winner)</b></span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>'Best checkpoint food I've ever had' - Katie Allen </b></span></i><i><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">(safety team & Run Ultra Editor)</span></b></i></p><p><i><b></b></i></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWoSATAfHJ7TC5e1kCYMsgBbYk62XuKHYI4FUdLWrb_dfGJqnA0BrxYOsaG81VqW0EZgkL-cytBiMIetcSNnoRvT5krwXsheHY3DSs7O58zEs9i452zv2sG213iAGJHyNUUSfoJsLC-qx3PwHlKRu5dGt4gi2c0e1DC5gRTQkWJ2UJ_VMEgy95PJEE/s2048/PB270%20food%203.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1686" data-original-width="2048" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWoSATAfHJ7TC5e1kCYMsgBbYk62XuKHYI4FUdLWrb_dfGJqnA0BrxYOsaG81VqW0EZgkL-cytBiMIetcSNnoRvT5krwXsheHY3DSs7O58zEs9i452zv2sG213iAGJHyNUUSfoJsLC-qx3PwHlKRu5dGt4gi2c0e1DC5gRTQkWJ2UJ_VMEgy95PJEE/s320/PB270%20food%203.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">African rice & beans</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><b></b></i></div><p>Then at the finish, PB270 completers are rewarded with lovely, spacious, hostel accommodation, which we exclusively hire. And a themed meal, deserving of your success.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBQC19dkypJuCYipOO86zxrLoHRB7xSI8hpDrUkEkjzc8OyvF7bObof_VmAx8hmGqtOv7NsE-H3vZ8xwQGtsvBkV8fm6ggffpHq41IxQ5mIV9fAgtFVM3kxxEyPKjVi1Fg1SZhpz2QCVnz4kpRjCcQXe5uP2FE3obkirpnTl-jqRIe3xmeEnBinvp/s4624/IMG_20220419_175948976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBQC19dkypJuCYipOO86zxrLoHRB7xSI8hpDrUkEkjzc8OyvF7bObof_VmAx8hmGqtOv7NsE-H3vZ8xwQGtsvBkV8fm6ggffpHq41IxQ5mIV9fAgtFVM3kxxEyPKjVi1Fg1SZhpz2QCVnz4kpRjCcQXe5uP2FE3obkirpnTl-jqRIe3xmeEnBinvp/s320/IMG_20220419_175948976.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wholesome & fresh ingredients</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>But if a participant doesn't make it all the way to Kirkby Stephen, there is no less appreciation of their efforts. </p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00;"><i>'a superb coordinated event and a big shout out to the amazing crew of volunteers and all they do for us both on the course and at the checkpoints' - Dave Wright (dnf at CP2)</i></span></b></p><p>So while we're not big on overhead gantries and lots of razzmatazz, participants on the PB270 and other Ranger Ultras trail running events can see that their entry fee has been invested in offering great value. A spirit which gave rise to our tag line:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">low-key, great-value, big-enjoyment, trail-running</span></b></p><p>Lets not forget, the Pennine Bridleway is so much more than a horse and bike trail. It offers superb and varied, runnable surfaces. Amazing big-sky scenery, expansive moorland and picturesque riverine valleys. There are lots of real local history gems to spark curiosity and 'wow' moments. The trail truly has something for everyone and enjoyment for all trail runners.</p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b><i>'This is new race is certainly going to be a classic one that’ll soon be on many racers year planner'. - Al Pepper (safety team)</i> </b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgI8XAjlsGPk8JSuPheSZ-FzajXvaB1CAgO0s6PLhQXmXQQfKKyY5E2acFTNXzYT1x_8gVm9DV_nX1k5Rz3xtqzBgmKtJYJp8PwZpsUBSu3ukfMe-84Bm4bArhoRMzeT7LuzzmV-OS2i6edODnS-Q9P8X3IG_NfvR3WWDwBGn079hiXejhHXWiL2al/s1359/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-04-20%20at%204.32.15%20PM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="971" data-original-width="1359" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgI8XAjlsGPk8JSuPheSZ-FzajXvaB1CAgO0s6PLhQXmXQQfKKyY5E2acFTNXzYT1x_8gVm9DV_nX1k5Rz3xtqzBgmKtJYJp8PwZpsUBSu3ukfMe-84Bm4bArhoRMzeT7LuzzmV-OS2i6edODnS-Q9P8X3IG_NfvR3WWDwBGn079hiXejhHXWiL2al/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-04-20%20at%204.32.15%20PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">The PB270 for 2023</span></b><br />The success of the inaugural 2022 PB270 has guided our thoughts on how we'd like the event to develop.</p><p>We really like the idea of keeping the event a manageable size and certainly not growing it into a mass participation horror show. A maximum of 40 participants means we can offer many excellent benefits...</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Unobtrusive numbers which is respectful to local communities</li><li>Minimal impact upon the National Trail and ecology</li><li>Participants are not lost in a sea of other runners</li><li>The team has time to give each runner a level of service which is supportive but not too intrusive or detracting from the adventure.<br /></li><li>We can confidently continue offering generous cut-offs to suit walk-jog strategies.</li><li>Quality home cooked food which is nutritious and appetising for hungry runners.</li><li>Sufficient participants to ensure a sense of competition among the front runners, journeying comradeship in mid-pack and mutual support among the rear markers.</li><li>The reassurance of a bed, hot meal, refreshments, shower and rest at the finish, in comfortable surroundings.</li><li>A price point which offers quality and great value. Yet is fair and reasonable to trail runners wallets in these economically challenging times.<br /></li><li>And not least, our usual warm welcome, thorough planning and organisation for all runners and the race safety team volunteers.</li></ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIsRkViA3LYE6cCvw5VcQkCUYqxxqc0JWcix-ELI-w8PdjNN6Bpjo5bu4fl8RIhpoj3zTmgItZZcNO7mt3kJgscAnyVQcv1MWuF3fT-psCl_jw8Pu0hGVwmm_uesBvBPk08ZCzCO24G9gnxTOiv0wgg4GXcYn4MheSULiZ57HsS8fJtMAXWe8fKLR/s2048/IMG_5885A.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1686" data-original-width="2048" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIsRkViA3LYE6cCvw5VcQkCUYqxxqc0JWcix-ELI-w8PdjNN6Bpjo5bu4fl8RIhpoj3zTmgItZZcNO7mt3kJgscAnyVQcv1MWuF3fT-psCl_jw8Pu0hGVwmm_uesBvBPk08ZCzCO24G9gnxTOiv0wgg4GXcYn4MheSULiZ57HsS8fJtMAXWe8fKLR/s320/IMG_5885A.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quality finish comfort</td></tr></tbody></table><p><i><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">'It was a great experience for me to watch a hugely experienced and professional event team in action and to be a member of such a close-knit team'. - Katie Allen (safety team & Run Ultra Editor)</span></b></i></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUTWc8ZN6u4vjZI-NJH8Cp6qfLkrMjHum0cnKgNbRuAgsNFZ0KdK13ksg0CZoRUFZ5VCMeRZMXmG_t8YWrBmJLFJaecUD0bb-TltsBNiANLm3r4vbtS_CU1qcECz_3RBh96_3l9frQIYQTEAgEnJw6YFXPGKtTD10rvdSeFV3la8EkitarV_wWQcB/s2000/IMG_5948.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUTWc8ZN6u4vjZI-NJH8Cp6qfLkrMjHum0cnKgNbRuAgsNFZ0KdK13ksg0CZoRUFZ5VCMeRZMXmG_t8YWrBmJLFJaecUD0bb-TltsBNiANLm3r4vbtS_CU1qcECz_3RBh96_3l9frQIYQTEAgEnJw6YFXPGKtTD10rvdSeFV3la8EkitarV_wWQcB/s320/IMG_5948.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bunkroom beds at the finish</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"><b>Your trail to the PB270<br /></b></span>We have a super selection of trail running races which are both excellent preparation for the PB270 as well as great day's in their own right. More details for each are on Ranger Ultras race pages: <b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://rangerultras.co.uk/">http://rangerultras.co.uk/</a> </span></b></p><p>Here they are in upcoming date order</p><p><b>High Peak 100km</b> <br />(using 25km Pennine Bridleway section between Middleton Top and Chelmorton)</p><p><b>Pen Y Ghent 50km <br /></b>(using 7km Pennine Bridleway section)</p><p><b>Yorkshire 3 Peaks Ultra 70/100km</b> <br />(using 7km Pennine Bridleway section</p><p><b>Peak District South & North 43/50/93km</b><br />(Stage 1 using 10km Pennine Bridleway section Parsley Hay to Chelmorton)<br />Also has accommodation options at the Peak Centre Race HQ)</p><p><b>PB18km & PB55km Pennine Bridleway Trail Races</b><br />(using Pennine Bridleway south of Hayfield)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAPNEZTRkOsXJpXyVjyUnt8zbsEGHJe01_pNqBFjeU9n4WqakqdblwIkIBCTT2-phujakaXUgUPDAtM8koW1-1evyCCH_kmxb6x9LQxV6wZDztvotETSCaMLE47eYreOxnfB8ikgf8ci0bwzl5hjqAokCdbSK3HWCJSBh21oYhFawWteZds8K1kxt/s3456/DSC_0151%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3456" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAPNEZTRkOsXJpXyVjyUnt8zbsEGHJe01_pNqBFjeU9n4WqakqdblwIkIBCTT2-phujakaXUgUPDAtM8koW1-1evyCCH_kmxb6x9LQxV6wZDztvotETSCaMLE47eYreOxnfB8ikgf8ci0bwzl5hjqAokCdbSK3HWCJSBh21oYhFawWteZds8K1kxt/s320/DSC_0151%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Take me to my PB270 entry...</span></b><br /><b><a href="https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php?event_id=9900"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php?event_id=9900</span></a></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_pi8Gwbv2ScHB_twghEwXjOKBBbs3EcFHuN-jzUqFdleW5i-KCb3H_yKtHjfHlPwuWAd0QtyUPJKlveOGn5suU_Fe4YQfv8t_pQGR3cVxDNsKMBJeRVjoyODxN_H68dQJ98aYBL54_WpuUwOu43dVBiTqcYdKlAGyH5CKWVlISoRtd5N3VV3iglkr/s3456/PBTC-FB%20AD.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3456" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_pi8Gwbv2ScHB_twghEwXjOKBBbs3EcFHuN-jzUqFdleW5i-KCb3H_yKtHjfHlPwuWAd0QtyUPJKlveOGn5suU_Fe4YQfv8t_pQGR3cVxDNsKMBJeRVjoyODxN_H68dQJ98aYBL54_WpuUwOu43dVBiTqcYdKlAGyH5CKWVlISoRtd5N3VV3iglkr/w400-h266/PBTC-FB%20AD.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-51743291706799010662022-06-04T13:23:00.005+00:002022-07-28T19:40:32.469+00:00#066 The changing faces of ancient Britain<p>Our previous two blog topics showed how echoes of the ancient past can still be experienced by observing and thinking imaginatively. We also introduced some of the latest academic findings on phenomena and change during the stone age. While researching some background to provide a timeline context, two incredible pieces of information came together in my understanding.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDhrYfiXctlunCczvMIbOOSMc41aLhblj-r3lPiNbxbI__EEtEmWtQ_WdYXhmL1656QOvfUA99fIC3wEX9ZQ2KAytyW7ovXmCVE8RaALIwUGotYGuogIzMXGIi8E0XhKkXBjEFaW47GrwFpQIypqdm0-wKaf4m0-W9Cg2CeCHtN1AaemnzzhPYbnx/s2304/IMG_20220511_123018775_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDhrYfiXctlunCczvMIbOOSMc41aLhblj-r3lPiNbxbI__EEtEmWtQ_WdYXhmL1656QOvfUA99fIC3wEX9ZQ2KAytyW7ovXmCVE8RaALIwUGotYGuogIzMXGIi8E0XhKkXBjEFaW47GrwFpQIypqdm0-wKaf4m0-W9Cg2CeCHtN1AaemnzzhPYbnx/s320/IMG_20220511_123018775_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>From studies of the Star Carr Mesolithic site (blog ref: <a href="http://stuwestfield.blogspot.com/2020/05/044-recreating-star-carr-mesolithic.html">http://stuwestfield.blogspot.com/2020/05/044-recreating-star-carr-mesolithic.html</a> ), I was aware there has long been a debate about whether the incoming Neolithic people (around 4000BC) displaced or absorbed the indigenous British Mesolithic hunter fisher gatherers. This debate appears to be at least partially settled by DNA research showing that very little of the hunter gatherer genome was carried forward into subsequent populations.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbYCkFP7iEA-XMuIj0ywQiAGZlExQBFdFoMRjDAIXz-ijOZlHGX6DYW-M0zbnZ3eFRf_tB-O2QthF48QvswS7NzRWaL7SdADuHuaZ1A2PoP2m6fFx7fXlySkzOMZpRfcTdWBF8O6uGVmcwo5Sv3GFBAUxHMOhAYpzrYP_BRC7A9xIyIRuQgm73gvu/s664/star-carr-recon.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="664" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbYCkFP7iEA-XMuIj0ywQiAGZlExQBFdFoMRjDAIXz-ijOZlHGX6DYW-M0zbnZ3eFRf_tB-O2QthF48QvswS7NzRWaL7SdADuHuaZ1A2PoP2m6fFx7fXlySkzOMZpRfcTdWBF8O6uGVmcwo5Sv3GFBAUxHMOhAYpzrYP_BRC7A9xIyIRuQgm73gvu/w640-h262/star-carr-recon.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Star Carr, 11000 years ago. Image by Dominic Andrews - york.ac.uk</td></tr></tbody></table><p>This indicates that the hunter gatherers were marginalised and outcompeted. At least partly by the felling of forests and land clearance to make way for Neolithic farming practices. Thus taking away the hunter gather tribes traditional food sources. In addition, the Neolithic encroachment may have been accompanied by violence and hostile resistance. The two cultures could not practically co-exist on the same land and were fundamentally incompatible. This polarisation likely made any form of tribal integration unacceptable and taboo. And appears to go a long way in explaining the DNA findings.</p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><i>We found that British Mesolithic hunter gatherer types were closely related to other hunter gatherers living previously in Western Europe, and shared some aspects of their appearance. Like their Mesolithic continental relatives, they had typically dark skin with light blue eye pigmentation.</i> - Dr Yoan Diekmann (UCL Genetics, Evolution and Environment) ucl.ac.uk news 15 April 2019</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6F0moF67JiWFDMnXJthTlY-xiX-dokgerdbxneMTuPRCfLtUW_3R-ki90GOxnpHXAEssWComMQwVyT4mzoiJJc_3NYzXGIfqH_K1EuGzixenfcBIPqu07vZA6Aen9EUnLBRjKLK7XHOWEHK8X2JSkYwvdCVvIRho-p7-Aku-KLwh6CYj0dYewo53v/s1573/star_carr_5-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1035" data-original-width="1573" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6F0moF67JiWFDMnXJthTlY-xiX-dokgerdbxneMTuPRCfLtUW_3R-ki90GOxnpHXAEssWComMQwVyT4mzoiJJc_3NYzXGIfqH_K1EuGzixenfcBIPqu07vZA6Aen9EUnLBRjKLK7XHOWEHK8X2JSkYwvdCVvIRho-p7-Aku-KLwh6CYj0dYewo53v/w400-h264/star_carr_5-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Star Carr digital reconstruction<br />Image: Marcus Abbott, The Jessop Consultancy</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>However, hunter gather populations can only sustainably occupy country at a lower density than Neolithic farming communities with their more intensive food production methods. So even if there was some mixing, the relative population sizes would produce a significant diminishing of hunter gatherer ancestry over time. </p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;">Recent genome studies of ancient European populations have enabled reconstructions with reasonably accurate estimates of skin, hair and eye colour. The Neolithic population that the <i>Whitehawk Woman</i> belonged to, for instance, generally had lighter skin and darker eyes than Mesolithic occupants, such as <i>Cheddar Man. </i>But were darker than <i>Ditchling Road Man</i>, who arrived with the first wave of light skinned, light eyed Beaker People from continental Europe around 2400BC. (ref: National Geographic 24/01/2019 - These facial reconstructions reveal 40000 years of English (sic) ancestry. Kristin Romney)</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZO61diqYTZVQFpNQ4Aafpgp2kfIksUQdgwrOLmLNY0EXYCOmw6NPr-JXzH5CIZF7Z9KIEZtWme9hobj7mfyiTsTrcMzYG5mV7SrFil-6FRYo1Ri6btfFCOoFtTCY27m6pNo0N-sx7ZgPFA9LKrAFcLNv8XF-pbWXgSm2DriGq3r6Wd46e1vvfxvsl/s3508/Faces%20of%20ancient%20Britain.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="2480" data-original-width="3508" height="453" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZO61diqYTZVQFpNQ4Aafpgp2kfIksUQdgwrOLmLNY0EXYCOmw6NPr-JXzH5CIZF7Z9KIEZtWme9hobj7mfyiTsTrcMzYG5mV7SrFil-6FRYo1Ri6btfFCOoFtTCY27m6pNo0N-sx7ZgPFA9LKrAFcLNv8XF-pbWXgSm2DriGq3r6Wd46e1vvfxvsl/w640-h453/Faces%20of%20ancient%20Britain.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The second connection I made was that the process of migration and population replacement appears to have happened again, 1600 years later. Signifying the end of the Neolithic period and establishment of the Bronze Age.</p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><i>The Beaker culture originated in Iberia and spread to Central Europe without a significant movement of people. Skeletons from Beaker Burials in Iberia and not generally close to Central European Beaker skeletons. Beaker culture was taken up by a group of people living in Central Europe who's ancestors had previously migrated from the European Steppe. This group continued to migrate west, finally arriving in Britain.</i> (ref: nhm.ac.uk - Beaker People A New Population For Ancient Britain, James McNish) </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKJgCkENP4QiY17OcgMVgtMbyUOKK6exGe4gk6Y6YJlloAcG2enIJKQq5bYUma2Zuso_zBLE2XBS8IGe13xrkGFZSBEgaUzfQLcOK1Rzkid3ksaKRSvKNrQj4wDiH4mcuEJz5kYwlZ-bk0kYR9nceyPQGsdOI9F9tOYE61UeQsBNZAQTNYBdPBZyW/s761/Bronze%20age%20wonam.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="761" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKJgCkENP4QiY17OcgMVgtMbyUOKK6exGe4gk6Y6YJlloAcG2enIJKQq5bYUma2Zuso_zBLE2XBS8IGe13xrkGFZSBEgaUzfQLcOK1Rzkid3ksaKRSvKNrQj4wDiH4mcuEJz5kYwlZ-bk0kYR9nceyPQGsdOI9F9tOYE61UeQsBNZAQTNYBdPBZyW/w400-h321/Bronze%20age%20wonam.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bronze Age woman facial reconstruction by Hew Morrison: <i>'Ava'</i> Caithness,<br />circa 2250BC. She had no, or few, genetic connections to local Neolithic people. <br />Her parents or grandparents lived in the Netherlands before her birth. She was<br />possibly one of the Beaker People culture. Her straight black hair, brown eyes and a<br />Mediterranean complexion, compared with the fair pigmentation of <i>Ditchling Road Man,<br /></i>shows a marked variation of appearance across the Beaker culture tribes.<br />(Smithsonian Magazine)<br /> <br /></td></tr></tbody></table>DNA results of the skeletal remains from the population before and after the arrival of the Beaker People was astonishing. Only 10% of the Neolithic people's DNA was retained! Essentially, there was a near complete population turnover.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28mza-qcY-ey_GqeaImW97Assh2wP5Mh0HVYEBTZpkxEWuUR0DuKMXwyED9wdIIvQNugPtNrh980_cXkFw7yb_Ryx3Gx3xXMXYoYZbUcaS-u4KxDKV0jJ1QuQAuc2Ix5zrn_TsnWASd_gazj9Vb8k_zoDMQb5Ecrx1Yo3fh-3l2ZUFe3wguUo3KYl/s634/Spread%20of%20the%20Beaker%20Culture.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="634" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh28mza-qcY-ey_GqeaImW97Assh2wP5Mh0HVYEBTZpkxEWuUR0DuKMXwyED9wdIIvQNugPtNrh980_cXkFw7yb_Ryx3Gx3xXMXYoYZbUcaS-u4KxDKV0jJ1QuQAuc2Ix5zrn_TsnWASd_gazj9Vb8k_zoDMQb5Ecrx1Yo3fh-3l2ZUFe3wguUo3KYl/w400-h330/Spread%20of%20the%20Beaker%20Culture.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>But what happened to the Neolithic communities that came together to build iconic megaliths, like Stonehenge and who's visible influence can be seen in the multitude of stone circles and chambered tombs across the British Isles and Ireland? </div><div><br /></div><div>Their organisational skills and ability to draw people together for a common cause had been amply demonstrated in their constructions. They also had grown into a large, cohesive, population so they were not at the same numerical disadvantage that the Hunter Gatherers had been. <br /><br /></div><div>A number of theories abound, linked to worsening agricultural conditions and decrease in cereal production. Including, an increase in communicable diseases caused by people and animals living in close quarters. There is contemporary evidence of a plague like pandemic, occurring at various global locations. With populations weakened and perhaps questioning their beliefs and cosmology, the Neolithic culture rapidly collapsed.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga9vWfBJgT-FzserhWyGcOg9_gchulUh8rEXmPz30_tYi22ndep-jvCzvMreYHLqQ_fScJZUwgrQ2SoAM7oVSJIlFXg8TAiUiFumpEfP8x51lsCe5pJk9AAxrs7QxKrJ9aUnjBxfIncCmTkYyR_43oAW94RJsTF0dZqMAE4qlSUcZOiqUseJaUC6KN/s586/4968AECC00000578-5413607-Beaker_complex_grave_goods_from_La_Sima_III_barrow_Soria_Spain_T-a-139_1519147988235.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="586" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga9vWfBJgT-FzserhWyGcOg9_gchulUh8rEXmPz30_tYi22ndep-jvCzvMreYHLqQ_fScJZUwgrQ2SoAM7oVSJIlFXg8TAiUiFumpEfP8x51lsCe5pJk9AAxrs7QxKrJ9aUnjBxfIncCmTkYyR_43oAW94RJsTF0dZqMAE4qlSUcZOiqUseJaUC6KN/w400-h270/4968AECC00000578-5413607-Beaker_complex_grave_goods_from_La_Sima_III_barrow_Soria_Spain_T-a-139_1519147988235.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bell Beaker and other Bronze Age artefacts<br />Image: Junta de Castilla y Leon, Archivo Museo Numantico, Alejandro Plaza</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Meanwhile, there were massive migrations from the Eurasian Steppe, into Eastern and Central Europe. These people brought the Beaker Culture and the ability to make superior tools from metal, like swords and daggers. If not passively filling the power vacuum left by diminished Neolithic societies, the Beaker People may have forcibly usurped them, accelerating the process of migration and acquisition of territory.</div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4a_cgvf56Wof-5Y1_Xdf9BvII83in4LC75CUMJ6AXRmWwGgj1DuIAlTMd3HpCBPuctMu8kqN3y36Til7_BSqyWnK4mGDB1dWrHqub6xK4UOr9TA01otd4RtxmP3cnCNDokiLxE7VkrH-oA-58HDxBB0gwAAVgubek7sRbIYdRjaZZh7KPoEaftxt/s864/hadzasunset.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="864" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4a_cgvf56Wof-5Y1_Xdf9BvII83in4LC75CUMJ6AXRmWwGgj1DuIAlTMd3HpCBPuctMu8kqN3y36Til7_BSqyWnK4mGDB1dWrHqub6xK4UOr9TA01otd4RtxmP3cnCNDokiLxE7VkrH-oA-58HDxBB0gwAAVgubek7sRbIYdRjaZZh7KPoEaftxt/s320/hadzasunset.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hadza at sunset - Image: The Dorobo Fund</td></tr></tbody></table><p>This made me question other periods of seismic cultural change and the impacts which are still being seen today. I was drawn to the great Bantu migration. Which, from its origins in West Africa, spread across almost the whole of the sub-Saharan continent. <br /><br />In particular, I wanted to look more closely at tribes in East Africa and how they were affected by the great migration or later interacted with the then settled Bantu cultures. Indigenous hunter gatherer groups like the Hadzabe. The Wachagga of Kilimanjaro, whos ancestry traces back to the early Bantu. And the Masai pastoralists who arrived in East Africa much later.</p><p>And then, in some cases, to see how traditional ways of life meet with globalisation.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97FFp1FiMR-TuhsEt72D3oll94xsCgOr4dZPn9um1Ft2LbG12Gv6JfwVXIP5gmf_su_CmRObhHpRmengjPLrwpMMSjQBY1dsNgBEEtBL69XXb-astZN7hOoQYwYLsqNKcx-Zg1gs4EKO7jOuE8tmb4APQGhdmGv5hjh3bZuYecKXO59AkwRP7xBAz/s1958/jimmy-nelson-foundation-masaai-reciprocity-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1958" data-original-width="1958" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97FFp1FiMR-TuhsEt72D3oll94xsCgOr4dZPn9um1Ft2LbG12Gv6JfwVXIP5gmf_su_CmRObhHpRmengjPLrwpMMSjQBY1dsNgBEEtBL69XXb-astZN7hOoQYwYLsqNKcx-Zg1gs4EKO7jOuE8tmb4APQGhdmGv5hjh3bZuYecKXO59AkwRP7xBAz/s320/jimmy-nelson-foundation-masaai-reciprocity-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masai - Image: Jimmy Nelson Foundation</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p></p><p>And so in the next blog, together, we'll imaginatively journey to from West to East Africa and into Tanzania. A country which, through people and places, I feel a deep spiritual affinity.</p><p><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"><b>Stu Westfield<br />Ranger Expeditions - Trek Guide<br />rangerexped.co.uk</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8wvK_dmqj6epukiz5nscJ04v-s3bHaqZzbeZAiGyyYN2TfPKEi22XjOWriB3D0xJUe-SxQ4t8gzPZEwDgcGlMqX0HtWdQyj6unJNEfsZXlR6cssjPTpO5OUMBA7UY_KwvINWBWvde_cSwNWh9KWC1o09i2jwyPYkNmH5MXvRQmvfl_tMs0xtQx0z/s1559/Ranger%20Ultras%2010Ybasehead%204Black.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1559" data-original-width="1559" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8wvK_dmqj6epukiz5nscJ04v-s3bHaqZzbeZAiGyyYN2TfPKEi22XjOWriB3D0xJUe-SxQ4t8gzPZEwDgcGlMqX0HtWdQyj6unJNEfsZXlR6cssjPTpO5OUMBA7UY_KwvINWBWvde_cSwNWh9KWC1o09i2jwyPYkNmH5MXvRQmvfl_tMs0xtQx0z/s320/Ranger%20Ultras%2010Ybasehead%204Black.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"><p style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: large;">Guided experiences & challenge walks</span></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><b style="color: #04ff00; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://beyonk.com/uk/-V6VTH/ranger-expeditions-peak-district-3-peaks-challenge?portal=true" target="_blank">Peak District 3 Peaks Challenge</a><br /><a href="https://beyonk.com/uk/teNWwL/edale-skyline-walking-including-lunch-and-refreshments-on-route?portal=true" target="_blank">Edale Skyline Challenge</a><br /><a href="https://beyonk.com/uk/hMJMiv/kinder-scout-walking-sunrise-breakfast-special?portal=true" target="_blank">Kinder Scout Sunrise Breakfast Experience</a><br /><a href="https://beyonk.com/uk/fpdro55y/kinder-scout-supermoon-special?portal=true" target="_blank">Kinder Scout Supermoon Special</a><br /><a href="https://beyonk.com/uk/kiaia58g/kinder-scout-winter-wonders?portal=true" target="_blank">Kinder Scout Winter Wonders</a></b></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #04ff00;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ranger Ultras<br /></span></span><b style="color: #04ff00; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://rangerultras.co.uk/" target="_blank">low-key, big-enjoyment, great-value, trail-running</a></b></p></span></div><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><p></p><br /></div></div>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-889161614305150302022-05-22T18:27:00.014+00:002022-06-03T15:04:18.563+00:00#065 In search of the Stone Age - Phenomena<p>Situated on and around Kilmartin Glen is an astonishing concentration of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments, including standing stones, a henge, numerous cists and a linear cemetary comprising five burial cairns.</p><p>Indeed, there are so many that in trying to see as much as possible the visitor might flit from one to the next. Thereby missing a sense of place, the interrelation of monuments and how they fit within the environment. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCkOfQfzFrjCZlhkz4L_poPv2T28cX0U3OY9sv8-Z5Vof0BrRcR1Dz-r0ngo9U68t2OWPAkZcooTfDeNPFdeTpnu_pgl0xNhJarnNoujvlKQnL6aQDBJqwhHtHDAuNF6Z3CW9_KcHQ9lmUV9IUjbaJsIx97FZrsWb6OyBxnUjpIf1e8EUNR_Cj-UM/s3888/0%20Kilmartin.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCkOfQfzFrjCZlhkz4L_poPv2T28cX0U3OY9sv8-Z5Vof0BrRcR1Dz-r0ngo9U68t2OWPAkZcooTfDeNPFdeTpnu_pgl0xNhJarnNoujvlKQnL6aQDBJqwhHtHDAuNF6Z3CW9_KcHQ9lmUV9IUjbaJsIx97FZrsWb6OyBxnUjpIf1e8EUNR_Cj-UM/s320/0%20Kilmartin.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: Stu Westfield </td></tr></tbody></table><p>Anyone that has ever journeyed on a lower Nile cruise will understand. The week begins as a feast for the eyes, as you experience the wonder at what the pharaohs and ancient Egyptian society achieved all those millennia ago. By the end of the trip, it's all too easy to feel 'all tombed out'. To preserve the initial magic, its helpful not to cram too much in, but to pick and choose. Also to look away from the obvious eye-catching attraction of the monuments and enjoy the view.</p><p>With a relatively short time available, I took the same approach to Kilmartin Glen. Selecting a handful of accessible sites, each with a particular interesting feature or reason to visit and see. <br /><br />We will also be looking at evidence of how monument style, culture and funerary practice changed within Kilmartin Glen from the late Mesolithic to Bronze Age. So it's worth sharing a timeline for additional context. It's important to remember when referencing any timeline to look at both the date and location. The Neolithic and Bronze age transitions, often called 'revolutions' occurred through migration of people, ideas, culture and portable items.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPuj8Mj8HGlQco0H6W5GQBZCdmBlyW_3ovjktqgMeyKMQdqbryCW-M59kvjZtbV_uiTSr2QiMAOd0TL6kUWCHmry1S5gOliX24VYsg3IpKhbuix3L59oR4auUwLwal9uW1SACzWFCoXusNecisKNa8wK89LMXMZyLW-1j4Rx-6gSjrxNN9EKd2mg2/s1280/neo-ba-ia-timeline.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1033" data-original-width="1280" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlPuj8Mj8HGlQco0H6W5GQBZCdmBlyW_3ovjktqgMeyKMQdqbryCW-M59kvjZtbV_uiTSr2QiMAOd0TL6kUWCHmry1S5gOliX24VYsg3IpKhbuix3L59oR4auUwLwal9uW1SACzWFCoXusNecisKNa8wK89LMXMZyLW-1j4Rx-6gSjrxNN9EKd2mg2/w640-h516/neo-ba-ia-timeline.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Kim Biddulph - Prehistory blog</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Dunchraigaig Cairn</span><br /></b>This was my first stop. Just across the road from a visitor car park. It was unusual in that it has three cists inside, each with a different style of inhumation. (A cist is a burial chamber made from stone).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYD52Vgnt8WSsUzOFH4uyyE7GRE0-MoUB0ONOeN44IIgNb0KGuRGcmdU6lmXEuNwrlpGhY2xRqLZP4FpToA8HosPZTBKAWjngdVwd7fcyfwS8wTgcvWQCqS_JXOzGq6jt8-aco_DwVlF9X-rwY2S3SsCln6JX0czadBCsxIuoK30x_twfsmRZeq8r9/s4974/1%20Dunchraigaig%20Cairn.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3384" data-original-width="4974" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYD52Vgnt8WSsUzOFH4uyyE7GRE0-MoUB0ONOeN44IIgNb0KGuRGcmdU6lmXEuNwrlpGhY2xRqLZP4FpToA8HosPZTBKAWjngdVwd7fcyfwS8wTgcvWQCqS_JXOzGq6jt8-aco_DwVlF9X-rwY2S3SsCln6JX0czadBCsxIuoK30x_twfsmRZeq8r9/s320/1%20Dunchraigaig%20Cairn.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: Historic Scotland visitor information board</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="color: #04ff00;">The cist to the east contained only cremated bones. The central cist contained a full-length body on top of its cover slab, with cremated human bones inside and below this a layer of rough paving which revealed yet another body, in a crouched position.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7YOceZALt12nF2Y696iPkKHn16Bxczl7uSwbysGNvYwys-qbYZ3y5IOGehqqNczgOqhJ0cY8Rpupbn19aZDs27lSZDRcIPAnwgMcyfxvOTZB9177JbdSmMuydhZfXcJ-ZvVuW3yAa4RU8MqN9XKGP8Sj8FFJAl48NNSZ7fE5HETaB_ZaQI-imp8G/s3888/2%20Dunchraigaig%20Cairn.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7YOceZALt12nF2Y696iPkKHn16Bxczl7uSwbysGNvYwys-qbYZ3y5IOGehqqNczgOqhJ0cY8Rpupbn19aZDs27lSZDRcIPAnwgMcyfxvOTZB9177JbdSmMuydhZfXcJ-ZvVuW3yAa4RU8MqN9XKGP8Sj8FFJAl48NNSZ7fE5HETaB_ZaQI-imp8G/s320/2%20Dunchraigaig%20Cairn.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #04ff00;"></span><p></p><p>But the third cist, on the south-east side was the most unusual. Dug directly into the ground, lined with drystone cobbled walls and capped with a massive stone, it contained the remains of up to 10 individuals, some cremated and some not. It also held a whetstone, a greenstone axe and a flint knife.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1b7XZVycNEWm9ky2czFL6Al9WqnQRpLM4rM21NrIOe-1DD7-R4304TvOgu7vbdPPwp4dvURTbHMwqnlKIlNF0Lwr180k33e2R3i-r3aupDKy7gPhXsP0DaEnGiA8tJPD6Ds1KMTEjrERf8wuPQ5h7SMHoguvGnuEJcer_SExSKqv8JaDVMULUYbvo/s9248/3%20Dunchraigaig%20Cairn.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1b7XZVycNEWm9ky2czFL6Al9WqnQRpLM4rM21NrIOe-1DD7-R4304TvOgu7vbdPPwp4dvURTbHMwqnlKIlNF0Lwr180k33e2R3i-r3aupDKy7gPhXsP0DaEnGiA8tJPD6Ds1KMTEjrERf8wuPQ5h7SMHoguvGnuEJcer_SExSKqv8JaDVMULUYbvo/s320/3%20Dunchraigaig%20Cairn.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;">While cairns often became the burial place of more than one individual, it is rare to find so many individuals in one cist. Bronze Age cist burials, like this one, were usually reserved for one person – multiple burials are more often seen in Neolithic tombs. (source Historic Scotland)</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6zyggXFbE11fZr6pnFgm6VSTOOaC4qbKVNpIR_wjOlckQw6Qvzpx6u4QkKiAgZcz6P0xEFwGpaLPlWk9FC0iHLz8ImcTRjs53T-WyiQlVa6NSccAapx5QLscVRkkb9Wl9n8Ljx65Xji0UZRVcxq1US_u3xM-0SscGDoZOofqAIav4R0gSuG00U75/s923/4%20Dunchraigaig%20Deer.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="923" data-original-width="639" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6zyggXFbE11fZr6pnFgm6VSTOOaC4qbKVNpIR_wjOlckQw6Qvzpx6u4QkKiAgZcz6P0xEFwGpaLPlWk9FC0iHLz8ImcTRjs53T-WyiQlVa6NSccAapx5QLscVRkkb9Wl9n8Ljx65Xji0UZRVcxq1US_u3xM-0SscGDoZOofqAIav4R0gSuG00U75/w278-h400/4%20Dunchraigaig%20Deer.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Guillaume Robert, University of Edinburgh</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>At the time of visiting, the south-east cist had been sealed off to protect a chance rediscovery of deer carvings on the underside of the cap stone. Dating back to the early Bronze age, deer carvings are rare. Most rock art dating from this this period in Scotland is cup and ring marks. While prehistoric animal carvings are known in Europe, this fresh discovery in Britain offers new insight and challenges assumptions about culture and migration in this period.</p><p></p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Nether Largie Standing Stones</span></b><br />Stone circles and standing stones are an ongoing topic of research and debate regarding their significance in terms of celestial alignments. Stonehenge, for example, has long since been associated with the summer solstice sunrise. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2iaH03olMOvbHy1wY2Zbtrpv_KqMItf81jmY7VHvMV9SMyZ_iHeWqSznlf0HOBv1DGRKw3I2vCqx1kx_e0I8wejrfFtad8sMAFuabz24Bh5XtZSjt0anJib0zxNM9PUijncm1YcziMCyQ4QGuzjHVhbh---Ug0Ljf6bmTfxHemHPgsWUELGuguX0N/s250/5%20Stonehenge%20Intersection-80-degrees.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="250" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2iaH03olMOvbHy1wY2Zbtrpv_KqMItf81jmY7VHvMV9SMyZ_iHeWqSznlf0HOBv1DGRKw3I2vCqx1kx_e0I8wejrfFtad8sMAFuabz24Bh5XtZSjt0anJib0zxNM9PUijncm1YcziMCyQ4QGuzjHVhbh---Ug0Ljf6bmTfxHemHPgsWUELGuguX0N/w320-h319/5%20Stonehenge%20Intersection-80-degrees.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stonehenge alignments: Source Stonehenge Tours</td></tr></tbody></table><p>But archaeologists now believe that the diametrically opposite alignment to the mid-winter sunset was of primary importance, signifying the sun's rebirth and a new cycle of farming activity. </p><p>Greater discussion of this topic is given in the Stonehenge Tours blog:<br /><b>https://www.stonehenge-tours.com/blog.Astronomical-Alignments-at-Stonehenge.html</b></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjTCEez6_Mch0Mbd0RPvNMLT7sIxTuT0Rx9_B-zvpJpPhMrSberS6LTHMJNANqSW4WsO95-De8w_fexEW18r1KM38LXnzi14eLst2f_3jamwfYt_3Rx4SoYH1Cfxk1SjzGhp7kChB2TdyxGRezLzqUFsgqmmdRrj_OvfiiOekmAtCOaRdsEX1cIU0/s3888/6%20Nether%20Largie.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjTCEez6_Mch0Mbd0RPvNMLT7sIxTuT0Rx9_B-zvpJpPhMrSberS6LTHMJNANqSW4WsO95-De8w_fexEW18r1KM38LXnzi14eLst2f_3jamwfYt_3Rx4SoYH1Cfxk1SjzGhp7kChB2TdyxGRezLzqUFsgqmmdRrj_OvfiiOekmAtCOaRdsEX1cIU0/s320/6%20Nether%20Largie.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Research on the the Nether Largie set supports interpretations as both a solar and lunar observatory. The stones mark where the moon rises and sets at key points in its 18.6 year cycle. They also align with the midwinter sunrise as well as the autumn and spring equinox sunset.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYgrZHsDPjgg5IJeo0IbWLaj06LuMHx6k3IvUM4DkT7koYmJavIfiC76WwabFe0dEvo-pBYYnoU0cglaf4UIEWVh_qW5leCJFjAPjaUfuh154rzxIJ3xQhYTKCj_pRVE1mBuoUbHNnXpQlLSH8pnc44ic3IuTW_sv3J0fWCKmyo_zVjtB9WJ-T5Mw/s3888/7%20Nether%20Largie.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3888" data-original-width="2592" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYgrZHsDPjgg5IJeo0IbWLaj06LuMHx6k3IvUM4DkT7koYmJavIfiC76WwabFe0dEvo-pBYYnoU0cglaf4UIEWVh_qW5leCJFjAPjaUfuh154rzxIJ3xQhYTKCj_pRVE1mBuoUbHNnXpQlLSH8pnc44ic3IuTW_sv3J0fWCKmyo_zVjtB9WJ-T5Mw/s320/7%20Nether%20Largie.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Nether Largie stones were erected about 3200 years ago. However, three of the stones are decorated with cup marks and rings, which typically date from 1500 years earlier. Indicating that the standing stones were probably cut from previously decorated rocky outcrops, like those at Achnabreck. A site which we shall return to later. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfJEXk7QDO4xuocpIu0bhNcX0mKnt4PUdbgppag_SZhQx6vKwamk7cytOptAuNm8lq9yYXQMq6Vj0fY2KNzu7IqqUna9s6Qv85jM4nl5nSFhZc6avJAUHBckuIodfQAcB6bkbeQXQK2lWNqsX6fwYqPzbUdlblWfy1rTlEO-ROdcUXldA0LXFW0PK/s3888/8%20Nether%20Largie.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfJEXk7QDO4xuocpIu0bhNcX0mKnt4PUdbgppag_SZhQx6vKwamk7cytOptAuNm8lq9yYXQMq6Vj0fY2KNzu7IqqUna9s6Qv85jM4nl5nSFhZc6avJAUHBckuIodfQAcB6bkbeQXQK2lWNqsX6fwYqPzbUdlblWfy1rTlEO-ROdcUXldA0LXFW0PK/s320/8%20Nether%20Largie.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The slanted top of the tallest stone is a feature which we have seen in circles on Arran and Orkney. The pleasing aesthetic of this cleaving line as it points to the sky is undeniable. With such a detailed level of planning and intent for the purpose of the stones it would be remarkable if this characteristic was not particularly sought out in the selection of raw materials. </p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Temple Wood Stone Circles</span><br /></b>Walking among the various sites in Kilmartin Glen, they all share a significant sense of being rooted in the landscape. The surrounding hills, nearby river and flat valley bottom are all in common with other ancient sites I have seen in Arran and on the Isle Of Mull. These monuments are a projection of status, cultural identity and perhaps power. Acting as an influence upon the behaviour and compliance of the local habitants. As well to impress, even intimidate, visiting tribespeople causing them to think:</p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><i>'Here is a well organised community. Look at their splendid interactions with the sky. Their reverence for those which have gone beyond to join the ancestors. Our journey to this place is significant and meaningful. </i><i>We should be friends with them. </i></span><i><span style="color: #04ff00;">We wish to make our contribution to the celebration of ancestors. Our people could also trade with them. We should seek joining of relations for our sons and daughters. Together we will be strong.'</span></i></p><p><span>Or they may have coveted what they saw and with duplicity and guile, overcome and placed themselves in the ruling seat. </span></p><p><i></i></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3nHo0el3urjGpTEUW8cavIguegXOkVfeltNctaz4L05IpKMpPzgNcgM_USL6U81-WxSZURexbBBpwrh0HjlWmWFdKADXE5pmYTt4N12VCm7x7vrlcm4WFPyWPBgKNn_ETbPkfrvOIYi1XqdqKEOFQFdognALiVNDMEeUCguP21QBpy1THjNMp7Id_/s3888/9%20Tempe%20Wood.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3nHo0el3urjGpTEUW8cavIguegXOkVfeltNctaz4L05IpKMpPzgNcgM_USL6U81-WxSZURexbBBpwrh0HjlWmWFdKADXE5pmYTt4N12VCm7x7vrlcm4WFPyWPBgKNn_ETbPkfrvOIYi1XqdqKEOFQFdognALiVNDMEeUCguP21QBpy1THjNMp7Id_/s320/9%20Tempe%20Wood.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Southern circle. Image: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><i><br /></i>On first appearance, the Temple Wood stone circles have more in common with a kerb cairn. Like the Moss Farm Road cairn seen at Machrie Moor on Arran. The larger southern circle, has an obvious cist structure at its centre. Both have rounded cobbles graded to size as an infill. With larger cobbles added as an outer ring on the southern circle. <br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9V5kabNBWN28gCvLXNIgg84uBS-vIb7gXJpt08oQQjxkERR0zBlHtMXYjLR8HkrAgAkWySKe9dQlNeStQLf1HN6Hn8B1EJKizIiSUkGUvc-kweqH9g97NBlB51w8KRne5ntiPh4siR6twgjSoSz4M2ztFjrGRzTEZRPcql0KFmwCd2ghEgcbVmAnz/s3888/10%20Temple%20Wood.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9V5kabNBWN28gCvLXNIgg84uBS-vIb7gXJpt08oQQjxkERR0zBlHtMXYjLR8HkrAgAkWySKe9dQlNeStQLf1HN6Hn8B1EJKizIiSUkGUvc-kweqH9g97NBlB51w8KRne5ntiPh4siR6twgjSoSz4M2ztFjrGRzTEZRPcql0KFmwCd2ghEgcbVmAnz/s320/10%20Temple%20Wood.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Southern circle cist detail, dating to 4000 years ago. Image: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Archaeology had given us a 2000 year timeline, during which the circles went through several phases of use. Beginning 5000 years ago with a timber circle on the northern site, which was soon replaced with stones and the second southern circle was built. Phosphate analysis, shows that about 4200 years ago a cist just outside the southern circle was used as a burial. The inhumation accompanied by a beaker and arrowhead. <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFa_arEFjJwzxkzGPEyFNwlCfciuMjIQU7dCjAyzN4bZWt9o7dHU6dd66y0i3ZupGZgQh6zdzEgih5rrCQ8NVB2bZb0SynvhtmJQjuBITgRZtyuaDWF96_POwpvRkG5JIPAGxNVSYrpbkgco2fBmYmYy2WapsvGXiA5DIdrrwBZz35GtxPHG--4Xk/s2543/11%20Temple%20Wood.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2543" data-original-width="1198" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFa_arEFjJwzxkzGPEyFNwlCfciuMjIQU7dCjAyzN4bZWt9o7dHU6dd66y0i3ZupGZgQh6zdzEgih5rrCQ8NVB2bZb0SynvhtmJQjuBITgRZtyuaDWF96_POwpvRkG5JIPAGxNVSYrpbkgco2fBmYmYy2WapsvGXiA5DIdrrwBZz35GtxPHG--4Xk/w302-h640/11%20Temple%20Wood.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple Wood circles timeline. Historic Scotland information board.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="color: #04ff00;">The two cairns built inside the southern circle, around 3300 years ago, have small stone 'false portals' at right angles to their kerbs. Both these fake entrances face southeast, towards the midwinter moonrise. (Source: Historic Scotland information board). </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_kOh4mlJpr2biOxcUUFvaW4_8N8U4jz21Pz5EDRpclxToHq-tVhRZPMzB17K44c5aD2nzEThcA2ND8U-egWEkjOPcg_VyFLiUoALrM0AoYNgzfKBhfYdGXktOCShlKFRXoKadvnln3PjBmrVn4R_Ug-HVgYO7gzpwCKZbAp8sK_YfrDeFwYCUw3V/s3888/12%20Temple%20Wood.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_kOh4mlJpr2biOxcUUFvaW4_8N8U4jz21Pz5EDRpclxToHq-tVhRZPMzB17K44c5aD2nzEThcA2ND8U-egWEkjOPcg_VyFLiUoALrM0AoYNgzfKBhfYdGXktOCShlKFRXoKadvnln3PjBmrVn4R_Ug-HVgYO7gzpwCKZbAp8sK_YfrDeFwYCUw3V/s320/12%20Temple%20Wood.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern circle, with a splash of spring bluebell colour. Image: Stu Westfield.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />A similar false portal cairn is located near to the stone circle at Lochbuie on the Isle Of Mull. In our film <i><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>Neolithic Mull</b></span></i> we describe the lunar impression an infill disc of fresh, gleaming white cobbles would have upon those seeing the tomb, before it had weathered into the landscape. <p></p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;">Link to Ranger Expeditions' Neolithic Mull film (false portal kerb cairn at 3min 14sec):</span><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gTPH8KER0s&t=592s" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gTPH8KER0s&t=592s</a></p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Nether Largie South Cairn</span></b></p><p><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCLmZFlVW-3E4pIrBQ8-VjYNB3lCPjw3NyAzPp_d4XI833LwxDgiJ1IM_ltjNFveEiKo0mMwGuF5fTtdVLk6ZtU7MGyA9Smm1DId3qjvD5UQkIBaaG1eGCpvcnOe2waDqFYqvT4k44tEon-J57zfemY-9g0WR7HqNT8b-W-NhhXpAMDtZE--9r_-K/s3888/15%20Nether%20Largie.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCLmZFlVW-3E4pIrBQ8-VjYNB3lCPjw3NyAzPp_d4XI833LwxDgiJ1IM_ltjNFveEiKo0mMwGuF5fTtdVLk6ZtU7MGyA9Smm1DId3qjvD5UQkIBaaG1eGCpvcnOe2waDqFYqvT4k44tEon-J57zfemY-9g0WR7HqNT8b-W-NhhXpAMDtZE--9r_-K/s320/15%20Nether%20Largie.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>This Neolithic chambered tomb is one of the earliest monuments in Kilmartin Glen, build around 5500 years ago. Typically chambered tombs were originally used as bone repositories, possibly after the body had been excarnated (de-fleshed) in the open. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hlsibvOJ5fkzHUydZkji7y7iHgOUczjyVrjV8V3Z5fx5nezvT6MIo62S7a4Hop8vwLQ_X_4-mEos-8WU6Gv8q54k9sVe7K99GaRfw0U8lCbHjEqq_LrhPR9VF3JxNMGEf8r9Ed9hSbrei2OrxFYlzZgYtv6d2pH_xYbedzdgvnAnYXfe8oSWlY2q/s6055/13%20Nether%20Largie.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5296" data-original-width="6055" height="560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hlsibvOJ5fkzHUydZkji7y7iHgOUczjyVrjV8V3Z5fx5nezvT6MIo62S7a4Hop8vwLQ_X_4-mEos-8WU6Gv8q54k9sVe7K99GaRfw0U8lCbHjEqq_LrhPR9VF3JxNMGEf8r9Ed9hSbrei2OrxFYlzZgYtv6d2pH_xYbedzdgvnAnYXfe8oSWlY2q/w640-h560/13%20Nether%20Largie.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Historic Scotland information board.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Maybe with the aid of animals such as sea eagles, other birds or dogs, if the totemic evidence in contemporary Orcadian tombs can be translated to Kilmartin Glen. The bones were then disarticulated, sorted and interred within the chambers. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lkReljXsVaRPYyKi7ZrmPwhnTjKhYMntWiHgZ-vyRqbj_8t0-M-sqRho5ipErCwnQhZEAFIfh_k4hQUMEa199oc_Mb7Y2YZRfhL9O2iRbAlhuNuRGt9Pt9JdEAQFjaEjZyS6CJiMcGtX1pDgcUg7ahl7OYXWae5FXGpXT6w3Od7mJmY6SnWO-UxK/s3888/16%20Nether%20Largie.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3888" data-original-width="2592" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lkReljXsVaRPYyKi7ZrmPwhnTjKhYMntWiHgZ-vyRqbj_8t0-M-sqRho5ipErCwnQhZEAFIfh_k4hQUMEa199oc_Mb7Y2YZRfhL9O2iRbAlhuNuRGt9Pt9JdEAQFjaEjZyS6CJiMcGtX1pDgcUg7ahl7OYXWae5FXGpXT6w3Od7mJmY6SnWO-UxK/s320/16%20Nether%20Largie.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chamber entrance. Image: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8CD1sM9nG0Zly3McwKfBfWUD6PshWKD5hNKSp6_Uml2BnXvF5ZxXAODNMOBpqrNYtqzlkVyQXJrevhD55v6vujUj5Rw0DYSvGohwq2UTClG555R-DHjkvXGopFvfQrMoGLFemmif6nZnFy26KAPEfYLh4IPvMo1s_7GIlPF5noKqPo62GwlT4ibgM/s3888/17%20Nether%20Largie.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3888" data-original-width="2592" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8CD1sM9nG0Zly3McwKfBfWUD6PshWKD5hNKSp6_Uml2BnXvF5ZxXAODNMOBpqrNYtqzlkVyQXJrevhD55v6vujUj5Rw0DYSvGohwq2UTClG555R-DHjkvXGopFvfQrMoGLFemmif6nZnFy26KAPEfYLh4IPvMo1s_7GIlPF5noKqPo62GwlT4ibgM/s320/17%20Nether%20Largie.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chamber. Image: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="color: #04ff00;">However, later ritual practice, is evident at Nether Largie South. Around 4300 years ago people reused the tomb for burial, also placing pots and flint arrowheads with the dead inside the chamber. Then, a few generations later in the early bronze age, they re-modelled the tomb. Converting it into a circular cairn like the others along the valley bottom. Two stone cist graves were added. (source: Historic Scotland, information board)<br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5B1C47Pcu4Z8Di3xk9PRvEuBzfKIE-AoV9OsAxhWTzEr13fBUw4a9jcEN4h3la0CJYiHU4sGGhi4XGihtSby_fEWCgIC0mnjumFxbezfQCuaf364cLruHdd9Vwm5CaJGMEdSxkmZZYuLAoh5PsHo1HxH76HNGVYP9J_S5Q3fQObmL75Ss90Dal6_O/s2954/14%20Nether%20Largie.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2324" data-original-width="2954" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5B1C47Pcu4Z8Di3xk9PRvEuBzfKIE-AoV9OsAxhWTzEr13fBUw4a9jcEN4h3la0CJYiHU4sGGhi4XGihtSby_fEWCgIC0mnjumFxbezfQCuaf364cLruHdd9Vwm5CaJGMEdSxkmZZYuLAoh5PsHo1HxH76HNGVYP9J_S5Q3fQObmL75Ss90Dal6_O/w400-h315/14%20Nether%20Largie.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nether Largie South tomb contents. Source: Historic Scotland</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRt3fFICPcWdfBBMuNf19_nl8vDTvZNYEvMtrb8QACbOLjWOhl2qJrLPVl9zA2qGXGrLvoXjyQIJBQR5RStComTc846sAnlQQlgQVct4AzkwgbUEJZCZK3WB-6JHt1t2fgHJbx-ru4hpa8B5ewNPhID7p4M5t3SATxdLgIisom23zm95Y64-mCITQR/s3888/18%20Nether%20Largie.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRt3fFICPcWdfBBMuNf19_nl8vDTvZNYEvMtrb8QACbOLjWOhl2qJrLPVl9zA2qGXGrLvoXjyQIJBQR5RStComTc846sAnlQQlgQVct4AzkwgbUEJZCZK3WB-6JHt1t2fgHJbx-ru4hpa8B5ewNPhID7p4M5t3SATxdLgIisom23zm95Y64-mCITQR/s320/18%20Nether%20Largie.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cist structure. Image: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"><b>Achnabreck Rock Art</b></span><br />Just 8 miles south from Kilmartin Glen is Achnabreck, the site of some of the most prolific and impressive prehistoric rock art in Britain. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6eX18FHjGYlNCq0ANj6QhMvB1NUlTlUm285NwnznEdaLADejMx4MeYGJ1qCbNTn9NPKqcujbFVeH66w1xaY0HAl2No_8bULZrKuSS06fiuRmK8a9dGEMUBgY01BIxf5MUnlTi9lsh5piKmJT-DGAF-K9fDxiJajDYfg3367aYQZc2HcD1QIRSYj_t/s9088/19%20Achnabrek.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6703" data-original-width="9088" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6eX18FHjGYlNCq0ANj6QhMvB1NUlTlUm285NwnznEdaLADejMx4MeYGJ1qCbNTn9NPKqcujbFVeH66w1xaY0HAl2No_8bULZrKuSS06fiuRmK8a9dGEMUBgY01BIxf5MUnlTi9lsh5piKmJT-DGAF-K9fDxiJajDYfg3367aYQZc2HcD1QIRSYj_t/s320/19%20Achnabrek.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The use of landscape at Achnabreck appears to be very different to the Kilmartin context. The monuments at the glen draw people in from the surroundings. Whereas the Achnabreck location is on high ground overlooking the valley between Lochgiphead and Cairnbaan. The cup and ring marks seem to project outwards.</p><p>The use of psychotropic substances in rites of passage is common among indigenous communities around the globe. It's not a great stretch to presume that our ancient ancestors used shamanism to induce trance and altered states of mind during ritual activities. They certainly would have had an intimate knowledge of which plants were good to eat, which were toxic and which could be used to produce hallucinogen like effects. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizB5Rd8UlvkNn1GnsSjR-aQJ0MCoXmSJGxU7ivssbXdM429TnJr218ohT7QSGuyBchHBnL_sntSfUZ3gxUkZ-EWo9sqMq1WWBPBtXazhiHZLyGqxMwTuJfe4-A0E9tcCxTLGLEnSBm-8_BX7WjqM4tFd9VZ8NWnJVqoK5EbWPw-XV77nJ2nlGTme4H/s8683/20%20Achnabrek.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6236" data-original-width="8683" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizB5Rd8UlvkNn1GnsSjR-aQJ0MCoXmSJGxU7ivssbXdM429TnJr218ohT7QSGuyBchHBnL_sntSfUZ3gxUkZ-EWo9sqMq1WWBPBtXazhiHZLyGqxMwTuJfe4-A0E9tcCxTLGLEnSBm-8_BX7WjqM4tFd9VZ8NWnJVqoK5EbWPw-XV77nJ2nlGTme4H/s320/20%20Achnabrek.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="color: #04ff00;">The designs at Achnabreck were created between 5500 and 4500 year ago, during the later Neolithic. They look the most remarkable when the sun is low. Among the most remarkable are seven concentric rings 1 metre across on the middle outcrop and the double spirals on the upper outcrop. Some designs seem to run in parallel to the cracks and fissures in the rock, which are naturally aligned to the midwinter sunset. (Source: Historic Scotland information board)</span></p><p>But what to these symbols mean? Why did people take time to carefully peck these motifs into solid bedrock? And why was it necessary to repeat the exercise numerous times? The lower Achnabreck surface contains 83 symbols, while there are more than 100 on the upper outcrop.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMqs7fwnTFm30XlISM_eU0OtaAawqMpfD7qthOU-vSmnZcGyza_xiSZK4I2BXmg-rvIfF_2Br7mvSqa8KDXIZ4PLFR0EUaYA8oHclvDXaOUf6dOrysIfAnOhimu_YCzDDV401Y3_vb7I0zbllZYX4UbX6YmcFx_X1IScxE5JRXjAihKwPuSNtsmGa/s3888/21%20Achnabrek.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMqs7fwnTFm30XlISM_eU0OtaAawqMpfD7qthOU-vSmnZcGyza_xiSZK4I2BXmg-rvIfF_2Br7mvSqa8KDXIZ4PLFR0EUaYA8oHclvDXaOUf6dOrysIfAnOhimu_YCzDDV401Y3_vb7I0zbllZYX4UbX6YmcFx_X1IScxE5JRXjAihKwPuSNtsmGa/s320/21%20Achnabrek.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="color: #04ff00;">More than 3000 panels of rock are have been found in Scotland, while thousands of prehistoric carvings are occur along Europe's Atlantic fringe. The common symbols hint at shared knowledge and beliefs among people that created them. (Source: Historic Scotland information board)</span></p><p>There have been many theories as to their meaning. Some more outlandish than others and quite a few which are frankly ridiculous and belong in the pages of science fiction comics. One of the more plausible which is backed up by experimental reconstruction, is that the symbols are an artefact of the mind, created when either under the influence of, or remembering, a shamanic type experience.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1D6yutTwsYS28w06T4yz86WpSsJl0bgrmptgMVoXF8-qtmoSI2rw8RYyif9ZAI9F4Ud1kHoSrdhv4XGIis3kQ6FRLZq2Yx9iMtVnm3A2frIrzXT1Bx_Ph-g_k2gxVr8Ebiir509rMzfV-glBYsBDd85GHsyJVPcAjbYAuuJSrAeI51aIy1mCEoVPB/s3888/22%20Achnabrek.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1D6yutTwsYS28w06T4yz86WpSsJl0bgrmptgMVoXF8-qtmoSI2rw8RYyif9ZAI9F4Ud1kHoSrdhv4XGIis3kQ6FRLZq2Yx9iMtVnm3A2frIrzXT1Bx_Ph-g_k2gxVr8Ebiir509rMzfV-glBYsBDd85GHsyJVPcAjbYAuuJSrAeI51aIy1mCEoVPB/s320/22%20Achnabrek.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: Stu Westfield</td></tr></tbody></table><p>We have explored this concept previously when looking at the the markings etched on a mesolithic pendant from Star Carr, Yorkshire. </p><p><a href="http://stuwestfield.blogspot.com/2020/05/044-recreating-star-carr-mesolithic.html">http://stuwestfield.blogspot.com/2020/05/044-recreating-star-carr-mesolithic.html</a></p><p>Mesolithic hunter gatherers and Neolithic farmers had different ways of life and culture. There is a possibility that shamanic etchings are a cultural carry-over, but this presumes the Neolithic revolution absorbed and integrated with hunter gatherer societies. The DNA evidence does not always bear this out. Comparative studies of ancient British hunter gatherer skeletal DNA with Neolithic remains, show that the immigrant continental Neolithic farmers replaced the indigenous hunter gatherer populations.<br /><br /><span style="color: #04ff00;">Interestingly DNA analysis of the next major cultural change - the arrival of the Beaker People, which signified the end of the Neolithic and beginning of the bronze age - showed that more than 90% of Britain's Neolithic gene pool was replaced by people related to the Beaker people of the lower Rhine at the start of the bronze age. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2DBeZFK0KWfloILZqxCfQAOQOfS2qTk0U0k9-u6r5Vck7nGQPmwUJQox5cqQVeCXW6LdeTgZgk6UB2kR8nnZszT3H0Zm02LpaOW0EuhOfKzRwoTNwk1swo5hwFbJLMrnnj8L_i0wfzEKvDmJqTZ1E36lU-UJst9TMs9Y6jDmb2LHd8rc8exgNd3_v/s1600/23%20Achnabrek.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1178" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2DBeZFK0KWfloILZqxCfQAOQOfS2qTk0U0k9-u6r5Vck7nGQPmwUJQox5cqQVeCXW6LdeTgZgk6UB2kR8nnZszT3H0Zm02LpaOW0EuhOfKzRwoTNwk1swo5hwFbJLMrnnj8L_i0wfzEKvDmJqTZ1E36lU-UJst9TMs9Y6jDmb2LHd8rc8exgNd3_v/s320/23%20Achnabrek.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: D Lewis-Williams & D Pearce </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>In their book <i>Inside the Neolithic Mind, </i>Professor David Lewis-Williams and David Pearce propose that the fundamental shapes stem from the deep consciousness of homo-sapiens as a species. Hence, they have commonality across continents and millennia, with stylistic differences influenced by and attributed to local or contemporary culture.<p>However, to us, the enigma is what did these symbols represent in the consciousness and cosmology of Neolithic people? Monument structure and styles, funerary practice and portable artefacts can lead us to speculation and a best guess. We are looking back as if through a frosted window and we may never know is what rituals, rites of passage or ceremonies, prompted the creation of these symbols.</p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">The Stone Age Re-Crafted In Hayfield</span></b></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBywY5jj6fpOONKtNEBPhD-IlcgUapPTb4ve0D6Im5At05REwwchjQRde_NLfqUc2Ha9EoxAFvN4JVpEf5D9cyE4IKIzdnPj3tFDTX--JAhj5NDLnl_Qx50g5wogQa5ZFivXFX_ZfZNa1Bk2xv0n0HfBSQDJObnSlUpcfbXcB-rrWUfYS6GeKxTT8B/s1018/Web_Slider_Stones_Bronze_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="1018" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBywY5jj6fpOONKtNEBPhD-IlcgUapPTb4ve0D6Im5At05REwwchjQRde_NLfqUc2Ha9EoxAFvN4JVpEf5D9cyE4IKIzdnPj3tFDTX--JAhj5NDLnl_Qx50g5wogQa5ZFivXFX_ZfZNa1Bk2xv0n0HfBSQDJObnSlUpcfbXcB-rrWUfYS6GeKxTT8B/s320/Web_Slider_Stones_Bronze_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><p>I have recreated a range of stone age motifs from the ancient past. Inspired by the distant paleolithic, through the continental and British Neolithic, bronze age and into the Viking era. Some pieces are fashioned into tea light holders, all are distinctive and highly decorative.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://rangerexped.co.uk/index.php/stone-age-crafts/"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://rangerexped.co.uk/index.php/stone-age-crafts/</span></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkpdcLFS9iS_PdICl6jWByKLm-Z3Bs97lb6OiPxuuJPTrXzrlnkFfwe6nakUEdhTaDNWY53k7HDItg5dzn5tgbp-y9jzlzbiAmSEswntWxDHnooPqoCv5CF-voK29S8L2a_Oy0flPy-TILNkY4VhWhhyrjMnSFb5hRiY-IEVpdhTWReajsIXijxfY/s1018/Web_Slider_Stones_Scandi_4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="1018" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkpdcLFS9iS_PdICl6jWByKLm-Z3Bs97lb6OiPxuuJPTrXzrlnkFfwe6nakUEdhTaDNWY53k7HDItg5dzn5tgbp-y9jzlzbiAmSEswntWxDHnooPqoCv5CF-voK29S8L2a_Oy0flPy-TILNkY4VhWhhyrjMnSFb5hRiY-IEVpdhTWReajsIXijxfY/s320/Web_Slider_Stones_Scandi_4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Stu Westfield<br />Ranger Expeditions - Trek Leader</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHMP9CLYTA3sXij3Um9AgtZkp9xk6_Ak439hiWD9kuHqBpQ4A4VFmLLozZtB8CMiH_fH_H59P7QdRrAyV8jm8V1tgHgeo1WCtItTQkmTKQsyoNBWlCgV3KHWrjjpBIxJmoaFOLazU_V66zrAnnwtwDVJDnTwdTclm9NZVKIZSv40m7L0B2Y4CY6WV/s1559/Ranger%20Ultras%2010Ybasehead%204Black.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1559" data-original-width="1559" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHMP9CLYTA3sXij3Um9AgtZkp9xk6_Ak439hiWD9kuHqBpQ4A4VFmLLozZtB8CMiH_fH_H59P7QdRrAyV8jm8V1tgHgeo1WCtItTQkmTKQsyoNBWlCgV3KHWrjjpBIxJmoaFOLazU_V66zrAnnwtwDVJDnTwdTclm9NZVKIZSv40m7L0B2Y4CY6WV/s320/Ranger%20Ultras%2010Ybasehead%204Black.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: large;">Guided experiences & challenge walks</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #04ff00; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://beyonk.com/uk/-V6VTH/ranger-expeditions-peak-district-3-peaks-challenge?portal=true" target="_blank">Peak District 3 Peaks Challenge</a><br /><a href="https://beyonk.com/uk/teNWwL/edale-skyline-walking-including-lunch-and-refreshments-on-route?portal=true" target="_blank">Edale Skyline Challenge</a><br /><a href="https://beyonk.com/uk/hMJMiv/kinder-scout-walking-sunrise-breakfast-special?portal=true" target="_blank">Kinder Scout Sunrise Breakfast Experience</a><br /><a href="https://beyonk.com/uk/fpdro55y/kinder-scout-supermoon-special?portal=true" target="_blank">Kinder Scout Supermoon Special</a><br /><a href="https://beyonk.com/uk/kiaia58g/kinder-scout-winter-wonders?portal=true" target="_blank">Kinder Scout Winter Wonders</a></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ranger Ultras<br /></span></span><b style="color: #04ff00; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://rangerultras.co.uk/" target="_blank">low-key, big-enjoyment, great-value, trail-running</a></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><br /></span></p><p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-41054377834906537892022-05-17T14:12:00.008+00:002022-05-22T09:41:34.449+00:00#064 Ranger Ultras - Footwear and kit survey - PB270 Pennine Bridleway Trail Challenge<p>The inaugural PB270 Pennine Bridleway Trail Challenge is complete and we're delighted with how it went. There's been lots of great positive feedback, support and interest, for which we're hugely grateful.</p><p>The pioneering year 1 athletes enjoyed the challenges of the trail as well as the checkpoints, safety, hospitality and other infrastructure we put in place. Our take-away points from their feedback was that it was <b>just the right amount of support and safety cover</b>, but never too intrusive to diminish the sense of journeying and adventure. Also that the menu and selection of meals was very tasty.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsccBV3RO9uP8pJoIGiM2SIq9QlB3wcQKbM9cqN5F18aNzMkdvaH5f_1QU-eWgeLZ22b3jA3mx06FC-BzsDqcFp8raTlwsjp2FrEX99aQ0VWSmOQD7vinfiuiWexKdQ2Ql6dWdJ7q_VWzdbw8p5KraJx92bhm4XjWzQ3mSgtH3Uwwk5HKVz1VuTHVU/s3456/DSC_0054%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3456" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsccBV3RO9uP8pJoIGiM2SIq9QlB3wcQKbM9cqN5F18aNzMkdvaH5f_1QU-eWgeLZ22b3jA3mx06FC-BzsDqcFp8raTlwsjp2FrEX99aQ0VWSmOQD7vinfiuiWexKdQ2Ql6dWdJ7q_VWzdbw8p5KraJx92bhm4XjWzQ3mSgtH3Uwwk5HKVz1VuTHVU/s320/DSC_0054%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The food selection was something I took a lot of time to get right. I wanted to offer something fulfilling and nutritious, whilst fresh and different in style. The East African rice and beans (<i>mwali na maharage</i>) was a nod to where the inspiration for Ranger Expeditions & Ultras all began, back in Tanzania twelve year ago. Next year, I've plans to upgrade the checkpoint coffee from instant americano to the proper stuff. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKk4J3ZdIaOMGnai8C0V6gsAvBEM8OeEP0nPSkONs8N8SCA7e_sKTkVeo2QfEI-N1rmRKJlpvuRNJzED7ZcDBQ5CnOKHNSiRMP_hehwbvzM4tHZi8_oQ48jXZYSyIPgxM5bLVhwylERNa2jXDm32YBFPdL3rUzDga29k7LU634dZ32zY73vZZUi8vp/s2048/273338824_10223942746210114_9101366299364729100_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1686" data-original-width="2048" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKk4J3ZdIaOMGnai8C0V6gsAvBEM8OeEP0nPSkONs8N8SCA7e_sKTkVeo2QfEI-N1rmRKJlpvuRNJzED7ZcDBQ5CnOKHNSiRMP_hehwbvzM4tHZi8_oQ48jXZYSyIPgxM5bLVhwylERNa2jXDm32YBFPdL3rUzDga29k7LU634dZ32zY73vZZUi8vp/s320/273338824_10223942746210114_9101366299364729100_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Both athletes and the Ranger Ultras Safety Team (RUSTies) commented that the PB270 is certainly an achievable proposition. But the results show that it is a real challenge and definitely no 'gimme' or foregone conclusion. With the generous timings it is an inclusive race for participants with walk-jog strategies as well as extremely runnable trails for athletes going for a place. <b>The scenery is varied, with plenty of countryside and open moorland. </b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8DYW84Re1AjEBSkDv96oWdbLXLh2SfZLCklrccPVFYtD8wPiaxsPpHB21tEytLWuSHiyX_uj4AAHhMfxipwXrCxZLRAr8H2nq44R1Wkhs6wKAg_J0ZO6kTM6ZcIotCVfjWkoaBSQHHdWDpLr6v7Q_p0JJvbSl_V-nCNkLXiwu9Xu00N4fPMC8dEQ/s3456/DSC_0151%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3456" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8DYW84Re1AjEBSkDv96oWdbLXLh2SfZLCklrccPVFYtD8wPiaxsPpHB21tEytLWuSHiyX_uj4AAHhMfxipwXrCxZLRAr8H2nq44R1Wkhs6wKAg_J0ZO6kTM6ZcIotCVfjWkoaBSQHHdWDpLr6v7Q_p0JJvbSl_V-nCNkLXiwu9Xu00N4fPMC8dEQ/s320/DSC_0151%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><br /></b><p></p><p>When setting out our stall for the PB270, we aimed to offer an original, long distance trail running event on the iconic Pennine Bridleway. Striking <b>a sustainable balance between quality, value and low key impact</b> upon the environment and communities. We also wanted the finish to be worthy of athletes achievement with a celebration in a lovely venue accompanied by a hot meal and bed to rest.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWg6iMwpu1pfgT4lv-_WksLLCQ9f_DhuD1CdKR6RMgjGWVs44HZPd8zB0BygZCqzCQARkHMCl2ghWFkw0rgYYKlY-8ScQD0c7j05Ag211PhjUPJfiLgqISop3B0-VbHOmf0UARLzg4nrLh2ytWMhwk4CH0-HyJAxa4b7KULLBRNQvdzEaCiICQ8W7Q/s2048/IMG_5885A.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1686" data-original-width="2048" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWg6iMwpu1pfgT4lv-_WksLLCQ9f_DhuD1CdKR6RMgjGWVs44HZPd8zB0BygZCqzCQARkHMCl2ghWFkw0rgYYKlY-8ScQD0c7j05Ag211PhjUPJfiLgqISop3B0-VbHOmf0UARLzg4nrLh2ytWMhwk4CH0-HyJAxa4b7KULLBRNQvdzEaCiICQ8W7Q/s320/IMG_5885A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />In the current economic climate, where many hard-working folks leisure budget is being eaten away by ever increasing domestic bills, it seems even more timely that we should offer multi-day trail running which doesn't cost thousands of pounds to enter. <p></p><p>It's these combination of factors which has guided us to set the 2023 entry at a maximum of 40 participants. With this number I'm confident, as a team, we can roll out the same level of quality, service and experience to each runner. While team members equally enjoy the camaraderie and a fulfilling time with fellow RUSTies. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNS1z84Fs-eGKZEyONeXuauXStesC4xHhIKIErMfWrw0N17KC5NljRtuPjhje2CsTSOdZLLZFGga4LEHqfmXq1KBBn2fxI5053xp_mflUsvEpEfZDyrjwu_dgd51yZ4vVO4CarE7kU5ViDBQqW-cy_7EhhBifOELfdiWaJx4avnv9fNOgoje7Nrtq2/s1196/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-04-20%20at%203.49.43%20PM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="854" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNS1z84Fs-eGKZEyONeXuauXStesC4xHhIKIErMfWrw0N17KC5NljRtuPjhje2CsTSOdZLLZFGga4LEHqfmXq1KBBn2fxI5053xp_mflUsvEpEfZDyrjwu_dgd51yZ4vVO4CarE7kU5ViDBQqW-cy_7EhhBifOELfdiWaJx4avnv9fNOgoje7Nrtq2/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-04-20%20at%203.49.43%20PM.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><p><br /><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"><b>Si-Entries to the 2023 edition are now open...</b></span><br />We look forward to welcoming you to a great second edition of PB270 trail running.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php?event_id=9900">https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php?event_id=9900</a></span></p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">In the media...</span></b><br />These excellent reports and podcasts featured the 2022 PB270...</p><p>Run Ultra - Editor Katie Allen, has collated reviews and thoughts from athletes (including the winner Bobby Cullen) and members of the Ranger Ultras' Safety Team (RUSTies) in the following feature <i><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">A Race Of Many Firsts...</span></b></i></p><p><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://run-ultra.com/news/a-race-of-many-firsts/">https://run-ultra.com/news/a-race-of-many-firsts/</a></span></p><p>Martin Slack (3rd place finisher) interview with Kev Robinson from <i><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Running Your Stories...</span></b></i></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KtHRZWtBoE"><span style="font-size: medium;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KtHRZWtBoE</span></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZAX_NZ8H6gHrIznUA8THIQiEHXdosDWQCjDOdenfL93oXgX9ghUS2NvDBCMcS31dGnAc_GDxG16NLt_4l3x-3yPk2MQf5WqRwa7nyqAdD2hSOhJqXOz9vdJb_oboEp-FqLALNiH8VBv0e3Lw3L_EN630QJic1UhmCtahsL7NRI-W8uXF1-BCInA5/s1455/278917562_10159638814753604_537131579361500152_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1455" data-original-width="1039" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZAX_NZ8H6gHrIznUA8THIQiEHXdosDWQCjDOdenfL93oXgX9ghUS2NvDBCMcS31dGnAc_GDxG16NLt_4l3x-3yPk2MQf5WqRwa7nyqAdD2hSOhJqXOz9vdJb_oboEp-FqLALNiH8VBv0e3Lw3L_EN630QJic1UhmCtahsL7NRI-W8uXF1-BCInA5/s320/278917562_10159638814753604_537131579361500152_n.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><br /><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">The Survey</span></b></p><p>We asked 2022 PB270 starters to share their thoughts behind kit selection and in retrospect what they might do differently next time. I've collated the answers from both DNF as well as finishers. Naturally, choice of kit, clothing and footwear is subjective and personal. Ideally, any item should be tried and tested in similar circumstances (eg prolonged wear, weather, terrain) before it is considered fit for purpose. The intention here is to help future PB270 participants develop their own race finishing strategies. </p><p>For context: The weather during the 2022 PB270 was dry. Temperature ranged from warm during the day to cold at night. The trail is predominantly well defined with consolidated surfaces. Grassy sections were dry. Very little bog or muddy sections. Questionnaire respondents 1) 2) & 3) were finishers, 4) 5) 6) & 7) DNF. </p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;">Footwear:<br />What shoe / sock combo did you use on the PB270?<br />Will you use these again in 2023? Or, if not will you be changing to something different?</span></p><p>1) Two pairs of Scott's, changed to larger half way. Socks, a mixture of Injiji merino and Bridgedale. I had waterproof socks with me but did not use them. I'd go with the same again next time.<br />2) Karrimoor trail shoes, anti-blister socks which I'd recommend.<br />3) I bought Scott Supetrac 3 as I'd imagined hard bridleway surface. I intended to use them for the whole PB race. At Hebden I decided to change to a pair of Inov8 road shoes for a change. They got quite wet in the fields after Gisburn but were otherwise good for the purpose. I changed back to the Scotts for the last leg. I'd wear then again next year.<br />4) Hoka Speedgoat / Mafeate with Injiji liner and med weight trail socks. This suited me on the harder Pennine Bridleway trail. If the weather was too warm, I'd not wear anything over he Injiji to reduce sweating.<br />5) Inov8 Rocklites with Injiji ultra socks and vaseline on feet. Never had a blister of foot issues.<br />6) Topo Ultraventure 2 with long Injiji and twin skin socks. Maybe slight overkill but feet were fine.<br />7) Inov8 Terra Ultra G270 with Injiji socks. I'll be using these again in 2023.</p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;">Rucksack:<br />Which did you use on the PB270?<br />Will you be changing this?</span></p><p>1) Ultimate Direction 30 litre, very happy with it.<br />2) Montane Trailblazer 18. My side pockets were not easily accessible without taking the pack off. I'd recommend at least a 20 litre backpack. <br />3) OMM 25 litre. I'll stick with this in 2023. Good for the job.<br />4) Montane Via 20 lite. Good size and comfortable. I'd wear this again.<br />5) OMM Classic 25 litre. Will probably use again.<br />6) Geko 20. But too much weight on my dodgy shoulder I plan on using Raidlight with a waist strap next year. Wish I had a larger waist pack with water carrier and front carrier for charging, holding map, easy eating etc<br />7) Salomon XA25. I'll use this again next year.</p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;">Bivvy:<br />Did you bivvy out? How did this go for you in terms of kit choice and warmth?<br />If you didn't bivvy out did you wish you had done?</span></p><p>1) Two bivvies. First, 1 hour, shoes off, sleeping bag + bivvy bag, slept well. Second, 45 mins, shoes on, bivvy bag + extra clothes + mat. Cold on waking, but moving within 5 mins.<br />2) I took a basic Mountain Warehouse bivvy which worked well for the time of year and weight considerations.<br />3) I quite often sleep out on the course. My original intention was to get in and out of Hebden then bivvy for a sleep cycle around Gorple reservoir. But I was quite exhausted and decided to sleep for 1.5 hours at CP2. I slept for 15 mins not long after the Cam Road, just wearing my trousers and coat.<br />4) I never bivvy out unless it is an emergency<br />5) Didn't bivvy out but would have done if make it past CP2<br />6) Had a nap in Alpkit Hunka. Previously used in combo with 2 season sleeping bag and Alpkit mat, it was quite cool. I'm thinking that a bivvy at the end of the Cam Road (Pennine Bridleway - ed.) might be cold.<br />7) Didn't bivvy out. I didn't feel the need to and it's more comfortable in the checkpoints.</p><p><br /><span style="color: #04ff00;">Generally:<br />What items of kit worked well for you?<br />And what items didn't?<br />Do you wish you had carried/brought more, or less?<br />If you were to change your strategy what would you do and why?</span></p><p>1) Generally very happy with choices. Macadamia nut mix, nice for days 1 and 2, but made mouth sore on day 3. Good points: Garmin Fenix 6 Pro watch, shoes, rucksack, lightweight poles. I had a transition checklist at checkpoints, that worked really well.<br />2) Haglofs insulated jacket was pretty lightweight, which was necessary given the size of my pack! I should have taken a baseball cap (for the sun - ed.) as well as winter cap and gloves. Also mittens for when my hands were swollen. Extreme cold gloves were overkill for the time of year. Having headtorches which were both battery based would have been a better choice. Not getting dragged into other runners strategies is hard not to do. I should have set off slower at the start. Given more time, I would have reccied more of the course.<br />3) Shoe change was psychological. In the cold high winds with full sun, I wore full length tights, shorts, base layer and a warm layer. Which also helped not getting too sun burned (hood up). It was very odd weather. This would not have worked if there was not the cold high wind. I had everything I needed to keep warm. I should have kept on top of my water intake, but was ok. I could have used streams. Conditions were such that I carried too much food, greater than the 2000 calories.<br />4) All my kit worked well and unlike the Spine I didn't feel my pack was heavy. GPS unit fastened to my shoulder strap and reading glasses around my neck. But this didn't work well as too much to get tangled. I believe GPS watches are much easier to use, but I'm not spending 6 or 7 hundred quid on a watch. My strategy was simply to finish, so I'm determined to have another go.<br />5) Inov8 mid layer and shorts. Comfy not issues. Montane Fleet jacket at night kept the wind out and warm. Black Diamond poles, highly recommended for those hills. I was happy with my kit, but will explore ways to lighten the load. I need to change my strategy to adapt to fueling on the run for a multi-dayer. If sunny, taking breaks in the shade to cool off and hydrate. At checkpoint, organise packs in drop bag into socks, food, batteries etc to change. Checklist, to charge phone & watch on arrival, before food & drink. Check weather forecast, sort clothes, change footwear and freshen up before the next stage. Hopefully this will keep me focused and ensure a smooth transition. In preparation, probably recce more of the course, although I do like an adventure into the unknown. Oh and request a stair lift is installed for the gentle hill up from CP2 <br />6) North Ridge merino top and technical tee, with Montane Icarus and Montane Goretex jackets. Perfect for warmth as far as I got. Grateful for Montane ladies running gloves at night. I did need all the water I was carrying as few water sources or shops open when I was passing. Safety team water and snacks were very helpful. Followed the kit list almost exactly, adding sun cream which was perfect.<br />7) Mandatory kit was spot on for the cold nights and warm days. Using long sleeves and trousers avoided sunburn, taking extra care with the sun (despite sometimes feeling a bit hot) and at night didn't have to change to warmer clothes. Carrying poles sometimes felt like extra weight which wasn't really needed most of the route. I was carrying Montane Icarus and a down jacket which I never used both at the same time, but did so as thinking about safety in case I had to stop for a long period of time. Next time I'd change my strategy to sleep less at Checkpoint 2, where I had my first sleep (7 hours felt a bit of a waste of time). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2EAp2n7YBLUlxlqsNLhasVTbyZf86NDBezbO3geVheom6y_ui89JxBnH3Mw0fgDL_pH-mGhl32m-ZSOdWBlW_CO1nOtVm-gc4MC5vd4R0YT051oLumQzE6MCyOpTbR4MKF_mbwHmsKXMkWsPiUlJPfInttyGgvcagG9X-YGoyk2sSM0gE_I15Wvc/s1359/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-04-20%20at%204.32.15%20PM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="971" data-original-width="1359" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2EAp2n7YBLUlxlqsNLhasVTbyZf86NDBezbO3geVheom6y_ui89JxBnH3Mw0fgDL_pH-mGhl32m-ZSOdWBlW_CO1nOtVm-gc4MC5vd4R0YT051oLumQzE6MCyOpTbR4MKF_mbwHmsKXMkWsPiUlJPfInttyGgvcagG9X-YGoyk2sSM0gE_I15Wvc/s320/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-04-20%20at%204.32.15%20PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Summary</span></b></p><p>Several useful themes come out of the survey: Centering upon how a little preparation buys a lot of time during the race: Having kit within the drop bag sorted into different stuff sacks to transfer into the race pack at each checkpoint. A crib sheet for efficient transitions. Testing kit in advance. And some selective course reccies. Speaking of which, we have published some reccie notes to help future participants. We intend to add more, so that the whole course has a written up recce resource...</p><p>Pennine Bridleway, walkers alternative route around Glossop (avoiding roads)<br /><a href="http://stuwestfield.blogspot.com/2022/01/061-glossop-recce-ranger-ultras-pennine.html">http://stuwestfield.blogspot.com/2022/01/061-glossop-recce-ranger-ultras-pennine.html</a></p><p>Pennine Bridleway, CP2 Hebden Bridge to Wycoller<br /><a href="http://stuwestfield.blogspot.com/2022/03/062-hebden-to-wycoller-recce-ranger.html">http://stuwestfield.blogspot.com/2022/03/062-hebden-to-wycoller-recce-ranger.html</a></p><p>Regarding kit choice, a race pack of 20 litres or more is required. And also, Injiji socks are very popular.<br /><br />A big thanks to all respondents for sharing their race experience with us. I'm sure this will be an excellent starting resource for future PB270 runners. For folks who didn't make the finish this time, all the team look forward to seeing you again and have the pleasure of celebrating a much earned and deserved finisher's PB270 eco-coaster medal.</p><p>Ranger Ultras' offer an selection of trail running events which are excellent preparation for the PB270 and several include sections of the Pennine Bridleway which give the two-for-one bonus of entering a race and reccying at the same time. Do check out our webpage for more details.<br /><br /><a href="http://rangerultras.co.uk/"><span style="font-size: medium;">http://rangerultras.co.uk/</span></a></p><p>Happy trails <br />Stu Westfield<br />Ranger Ultras, Race Organiser</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzA_wRqcQtvr3U58ArAIGpTxgjrRNSMa8YITeGf9Qrf3Saz9M-WM8IFyfaryUTVHmAePs4Es8BELAMCHyHasSkz3coLnOdr2wJy221AWq2VzVju__gosp9vg8XhB4FcheCrDpvPLLTctiVuNgNcRqqQMDBBlUXCwnGqSBZqM0h2I3giCrAzCx0T5A/s3456/PBTC-FB%20AD.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3456" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzA_wRqcQtvr3U58ArAIGpTxgjrRNSMa8YITeGf9Qrf3Saz9M-WM8IFyfaryUTVHmAePs4Es8BELAMCHyHasSkz3coLnOdr2wJy221AWq2VzVju__gosp9vg8XhB4FcheCrDpvPLLTctiVuNgNcRqqQMDBBlUXCwnGqSBZqM0h2I3giCrAzCx0T5A/w400-h266/PBTC-FB%20AD.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb270/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pb270/</span></a></b></div><p><br /></p>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-36600264198119996912022-05-13T18:45:00.006+00:002022-05-31T15:15:09.218+00:00#063 In search of the stone age - Ancient Arran<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjqDdHMPnD-48OxCIxEbPGWi4Wni9ulGItPHXKXXiI06FQoAZtfNkkwR68WA53zySMERmVbe8ibrl2V6If2QUzM9KoaDS_ORVh9CN9XiWz6wo0mrmOUYryHeaWYJdRVQtpL_bI_WAYZ5MW-2AMsAdo90gt_U1_Ba2dqG9dZUVqTD8Bnr1Ua3EPmDW/s6259/IMG_20220511_122146765.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6259" data-original-width="6239" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjqDdHMPnD-48OxCIxEbPGWi4Wni9ulGItPHXKXXiI06FQoAZtfNkkwR68WA53zySMERmVbe8ibrl2V6If2QUzM9KoaDS_ORVh9CN9XiWz6wo0mrmOUYryHeaWYJdRVQtpL_bI_WAYZ5MW-2AMsAdo90gt_U1_Ba2dqG9dZUVqTD8Bnr1Ua3EPmDW/s320/IMG_20220511_122146765.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><p>Evidence of human activity on the Isle of Arran dates back to the Mesolithic (middle stone age). These people were hunter gatherers who would have taken advantage of the heavily wooded lowland areas for fuel, shelter materials and fruits of the forest. On an island where the sea is never far away, the foreshore offers abundant foraging opportunities. Fresh water rivers and streams consistently flow from the central mountains, lochs and lochans. Roaming in the forest and uplands, red deer were a ready source of protein which could feed a whole extended family.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-mXhLPm7mIQWUojV7pf7NwDRqqNOPJ5wn8OLPjPzNfIr1yZAWVX2F3Hz3I9xOtgauUyF2Uhu6jidPhQa-bk3iQD8RXCCZxw6M1VDb-8caE2F864sF0SCsc-KxdD6ilVhxejyQkAr8wtAw1Zw3zQNXYwlzQ663Njd7x3JKglpxMCDYSjaeUEHbyak/s1277/later-prehistory-timeline.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="969" data-original-width="1277" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-mXhLPm7mIQWUojV7pf7NwDRqqNOPJ5wn8OLPjPzNfIr1yZAWVX2F3Hz3I9xOtgauUyF2Uhu6jidPhQa-bk3iQD8RXCCZxw6M1VDb-8caE2F864sF0SCsc-KxdD6ilVhxejyQkAr8wtAw1Zw3zQNXYwlzQ663Njd7x3JKglpxMCDYSjaeUEHbyak/w640-h486/later-prehistory-timeline.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Kim Biddulph - Prehistory blog</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="color: #04ff00;">Before we get too much further into dates and detail, it's worth at this point adding a timeline encompassing the Mesolithic, to Neolithic, to the metal ages, <b style="font-style: italic;">in ancient Britain. </b>I emphasise our British geographic locality, as the dates of the Neolithic and bronze age transitions vary. These new ideas and cultures did not arise everywhere spontaneously, they spread through migration. Both in people's minds and portable trading goods. So, for example, the Chalcolithic (pre-Bronze copper period) was present in Europe around 5000BC, but would not arrive in Britain until 2400BC in the form of daggers and axes.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-xitWI3GPszqfmU6hAOCgnqk7AmQYTX00So0_kE4cusQHBoVob2DyTtWR-yrG8X1_r79zZyXorTuOhMwC1R_LgBcmTSF9t6-tkL1GGyVf8nOHNyV0DFF95u3zp3lsNX2AB8JlhxMTx3fnKUQJi9fEMrVTErnyUasREf5p7bsRWaAlrHJMwA6ApnB/s4624/IMG_20220511_115507931.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-xitWI3GPszqfmU6hAOCgnqk7AmQYTX00So0_kE4cusQHBoVob2DyTtWR-yrG8X1_r79zZyXorTuOhMwC1R_LgBcmTSF9t6-tkL1GGyVf8nOHNyV0DFF95u3zp3lsNX2AB8JlhxMTx3fnKUQJi9fEMrVTErnyUasREf5p7bsRWaAlrHJMwA6ApnB/s320/IMG_20220511_115507931.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View to the west from Machrie Moor</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Hunter gatherers are typically mobile, moving between temporary or seasonal camps. This has the advantage of following game migrations, sources of edible plants and fruiting berries. Relocation tends to avoid overexploitation of resources and periodically refreshing dwelling structure materials reduces the insect burden.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjPcBvwD5kmxp4GEsUNliGJN9RVGURtbAeGlHBjp5g4DoH9I7hm5gXq9yfIMQIgxPjmkmmy8TGBjOVf5q49qTx8FsXTddQijlqdBYFJa814Gcz6Nq7lws8DG796GfJokiPMrXalFnKiO1ztGEI2jSQu6ebQD8xRe8C3pSRCny6qzJtID9gfo7wlV4/s9248/2A%20Standing%20Stone%20Poss%20Cist.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjPcBvwD5kmxp4GEsUNliGJN9RVGURtbAeGlHBjp5g4DoH9I7hm5gXq9yfIMQIgxPjmkmmy8TGBjOVf5q49qTx8FsXTddQijlqdBYFJa814Gcz6Nq7lws8DG796GfJokiPMrXalFnKiO1ztGEI2jSQu6ebQD8xRe8C3pSRCny6qzJtID9gfo7wlV4/s320/2A%20Standing%20Stone%20Poss%20Cist.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Standing stone, with possible cist at rear</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Machrie is surrounded by an arc of high ground and fed by freshwater, which drains into the sea on Arran's west coast. It is somewhat of a stretch to call it a natural amphitheater, but on first impression its geography did remind me of Lochbuie on the Isle Of Mull, which has all these features in common. Like Lochbuie, there are also caves. Nearby to Machirie is Kings Cave which no doubt was a feature of Mesolithic life.</p><p>However, a 1909 archeological dig found little of note except, an obviously much later, small bronze ornament and a few animal bones. Given that archaeological practice and methods have moved on considerably since the 1900's I wonder what subtle evidence of the Mesolithic might have been there, that is now lost.</p><p>Around 3500BC the Neolithic, new stone age, arrived in Arran. The spread of farming ideas, methods and culture from the middle-East, through Iberia and Gaul then into Britain was not simply a uniform radiation, like ripples on a pond. It vectored along corridors. Based on dating and typography of both portable and monumental evidence, Professor Alison Sheridan, proposes that there were four phases to the Neolithic 'revolution' in Britain:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklZ6jjdyfH0h5DOCsu15bapa-nHwjVGR686-T2WzC-LbLWK5cQI7rDiZSoAKAzVktuszpKBlW1QXxzPwlQf_Rw6CY4pzxmhRpHP2Ts6GzhMXo8b9sWz1RugXeDByD053cvCvrZgMw27r-jtd_LMR93dfTgmdNZm89ueziZhV1JkXdt1PppNg9lpRT/s1005/post-1_image1-10.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="748" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklZ6jjdyfH0h5DOCsu15bapa-nHwjVGR686-T2WzC-LbLWK5cQI7rDiZSoAKAzVktuszpKBlW1QXxzPwlQf_Rw6CY4pzxmhRpHP2Ts6GzhMXo8b9sWz1RugXeDByD053cvCvrZgMw27r-jtd_LMR93dfTgmdNZm89ueziZhV1JkXdt1PppNg9lpRT/s320/post-1_image1-10.webp" width="238" /></a></div><p><span style="color: #04ff00;">1) First early, but unsuccessful, migration from Brittany to Ferriter's Cove in Ireland<br />2) Second, more successful, from Brittany up the Atlantic facade of Britain and Ireland in 4300 and 4000BC<br />3) The 'Carinated Bowl Neolithic' from the near continent, between 4100 and 3800BC<br />4) The Trans Manche Ouest strand from around 3800BC from Normandy, to The Channel Islands, The Bristol Channel and the south coast.</span></p><p>Current evidence suggest that it was people arriving with Carinated Bowl Neolithic culture which displaced or outcompeted the Arran hunter gatherers.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzBt2_wAEGXSqNzMHUeQU-jjXl26c3-wZyiPKbJYHVAjpHIRukeLCCXsMNClNoVkoayOkViqo7nIkk6BwisjVRdDGmNGjrHjnx6i1sNObWBUy3c0VPCC1aN5UQh55R0RKf3FumQ6YxpfhRGtreAWbyjIMwiXxOYgq64Vpeq3KmNYgEyIACzpESwgx/s3888/7%20Machrie%20Moor%2011.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzBt2_wAEGXSqNzMHUeQU-jjXl26c3-wZyiPKbJYHVAjpHIRukeLCCXsMNClNoVkoayOkViqo7nIkk6BwisjVRdDGmNGjrHjnx6i1sNObWBUy3c0VPCC1aN5UQh55R0RKf3FumQ6YxpfhRGtreAWbyjIMwiXxOYgq64Vpeq3KmNYgEyIACzpESwgx/s320/7%20Machrie%20Moor%2011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machrie Moor 11 - on site of previous timber circle</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Around 4500 years ago timber circles were erected on Machrie moor. This type of structure is contemporary with other locations in Britain, such as Wood Henge on Salisbury Plain. However, eight excavated post holes on the site of the current Stonehenge car park have been dated to 8000BC; firmly within this Mesolithic period. A possible indicator of ritualised behaviour involving astronomical interpretation being practiced before the arrival of Neolithic farmers. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_z1hCPNC7LzmxWjrfr92Ri6ok4_L4rin2jFQeR-052D1HquRRRoN9VrcTz2HzV02PkqU7_enJPABkv28aO3YG0LjwqNc_vP3QqKrSQl775G_ND8_ftjTPAeF6-CYd37AWEmbA9Uw7B2TheqCANXXlSy1UGSwWFLifYr5Z2naBFd1FghBbcfSlU36/s3888/8%20Machrie%20Moor%201.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_z1hCPNC7LzmxWjrfr92Ri6ok4_L4rin2jFQeR-052D1HquRRRoN9VrcTz2HzV02PkqU7_enJPABkv28aO3YG0LjwqNc_vP3QqKrSQl775G_ND8_ftjTPAeF6-CYd37AWEmbA9Uw7B2TheqCANXXlSy1UGSwWFLifYr5Z2naBFd1FghBbcfSlU36/s320/8%20Machrie%20Moor%201.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machrie Moor 1 - on site of previous timber circle</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Even using only a rudimentary phenomenology approach to the Machrie moor environment, it feels like a special place. It is the locus of natural features, mountains, rivers and sea. More than just a collection of the practical and useful, Machrie has an aesthetic quality that invites the visitor to stay. Perhaps our stone age ancestors, in deciding where to settle, felt a similar connection.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB21F03xOv7LkjvBQMtJtfxMzK9HWJzQsRkerGVYftszTrH_wDG0ZT-uclLW8yphVv_By_jbxoRdsNGwGxX9pvbyZ5_mR2LBo4Gq9oi93BFhgGDeWSEyK_BR_fkCUIkh-B3iZxocPzwiVkIVdV7DMgSdEuBkqSZPbPqdmIf1xoTJxr97P6mQzmOPN_/s9248/4B%20Machrie%20Moor%204.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB21F03xOv7LkjvBQMtJtfxMzK9HWJzQsRkerGVYftszTrH_wDG0ZT-uclLW8yphVv_By_jbxoRdsNGwGxX9pvbyZ5_mR2LBo4Gq9oi93BFhgGDeWSEyK_BR_fkCUIkh-B3iZxocPzwiVkIVdV7DMgSdEuBkqSZPbPqdmIf1xoTJxr97P6mQzmOPN_/s320/4B%20Machrie%20Moor%204.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machrie Moor 4</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Five hundred years after the wooden circles were created, two stone circles were created on the same sites. Probably around the same time, four other stone circles were erected, one with a double ring of stones - known through local folklore as Fingal's Cauldron Seat.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1AJ47TKad7O5VvZfD40WUGbZMW8Riym4YjhgsPZZeyP3W5o2h9QUWXmuh3JirGVgVyxTOJIeM6AwxOq22dt62V4il2K44B0p9lAGUTa7MeTaLmVT1Pm5sjJg3MaXpUpuY7EAjcm_ABoxjHWDFcW_nqpqHkH3TLqxYpnHq8pv1heK8FxHychy6dQ5N/s9248/3%20Fingals%20Cauldron%20Seat.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1AJ47TKad7O5VvZfD40WUGbZMW8Riym4YjhgsPZZeyP3W5o2h9QUWXmuh3JirGVgVyxTOJIeM6AwxOq22dt62V4il2K44B0p9lAGUTa7MeTaLmVT1Pm5sjJg3MaXpUpuY7EAjcm_ABoxjHWDFcW_nqpqHkH3TLqxYpnHq8pv1heK8FxHychy6dQ5N/s320/3%20Fingals%20Cauldron%20Seat.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fingal's Cauldron Seat</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The result was an impressive ceremonial centre for those that lived or travelled to Machrie Moor. Several of the stones appear to have been carefully chosen. Certainly the tall sandstone uprights bear a striking resemblance to the Orcadian Stones of Stenness in the way they have been cleaved from the bedrock. Burials within stone circles have been dated to within one or two generations after their creation. <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfewsBj1zvDQrmUT4aQeiqJMMYx-hJxqS585XkY6GGfjrWq0xV339Ad3ap0Ph7zGrIDGd7hB4sV9LFIynbS9XoGo2pE3NQfzXVMbBH4LP1yTG823aD05QdCnagyTZo--c_VsS6q08NkCUzUisW8Z1HaUYizzxgMIgGHl9gP_0LkS2CViAKbo5U4el/s9248/6A%20Machrie%20Moor%202.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfewsBj1zvDQrmUT4aQeiqJMMYx-hJxqS585XkY6GGfjrWq0xV339Ad3ap0Ph7zGrIDGd7hB4sV9LFIynbS9XoGo2pE3NQfzXVMbBH4LP1yTG823aD05QdCnagyTZo--c_VsS6q08NkCUzUisW8Z1HaUYizzxgMIgGHl9gP_0LkS2CViAKbo5U4el/s320/6A%20Machrie%20Moor%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machrie Moor 2</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Neolithic and later Bronze age farmers built their dwelling round houses (and there were many of them) in the Machrie moor area. Their locations are still subtly visible as slightly raised 'hut circles'. In 2018 the Norwegian Section For Earth Observation and Historic Environment Scotland published the results of a joint study of Machrie Mor using LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) imaging.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuAMMZ_ZT4J1TEXaLl11oN9ghT4ObvtMtgYKIvL9eLIcZzJeVCJ8tiOChK7prt-CpaVpTSdPecZYPAUAJkJUlUDhl0QRMckdDUwB7iUzHXHf2MoU9xh_EQ3Pa5otAkrmSgRuIE-PvqyW6hndFXR43_RlhOFT2eJGZED0UYWtkWhjNjf8pejZ7XuQN/s417/Machrie%20Moor%20Lidar.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="417" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuAMMZ_ZT4J1TEXaLl11oN9ghT4ObvtMtgYKIvL9eLIcZzJeVCJ8tiOChK7prt-CpaVpTSdPecZYPAUAJkJUlUDhl0QRMckdDUwB7iUzHXHf2MoU9xh_EQ3Pa5otAkrmSgRuIE-PvqyW6hndFXR43_RlhOFT2eJGZED0UYWtkWhjNjf8pejZ7XuQN/s320/Machrie%20Moor%20Lidar.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machrie Moor LiDAR features: Roundhouses (cyan), small cairns (yellow)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The LiDAR technique highlighted even more hut circles and a nearby Neolithic cursus feature which had not been previously identified due to later bronze and iron age dwelling structures being built on top.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKGfKhjl8d8I2iWE5ti6u8sREIkHwbQZvqaL9XHMc8BwWeR9uM-HgEqBrQcivyLPUVdZt1ELTfPkzzCvrZy1_47PYm6HVc35cK24jcASTPszxnl7yF7eji3_RM-0T2jI_r-7ft1S6BexATwzNgFuOqioVr4JDmw-M1HXDGpi_pEYWInTFzNUbybxi/s583/Machrie%20Moor%20Lidar%20Hut%20Circles.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="583" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKGfKhjl8d8I2iWE5ti6u8sREIkHwbQZvqaL9XHMc8BwWeR9uM-HgEqBrQcivyLPUVdZt1ELTfPkzzCvrZy1_47PYm6HVc35cK24jcASTPszxnl7yF7eji3_RM-0T2jI_r-7ft1S6BexATwzNgFuOqioVr4JDmw-M1HXDGpi_pEYWInTFzNUbybxi/s320/Machrie%20Moor%20Lidar%20Hut%20Circles.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machrie Moor: LiDAR roundhouse detail</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I conducted my own desktop analysis using hut circles and other features on Ordnance Survey (subscription) mapping. I plotted these on a screen grab from Google Earth to show the distribution and abundance of these features: </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_COOOYT-KEQonV741w217f1ez3BOQpRalNfkxLm5racYnrK_qDr4NzvPl_rOCo3hc1ovRtePWDKAmXnfUNpsOJnrMxMtRrGkeIKQfOvpZDYcc7I6dOrsZ9K9AelBCEof4H_C6n1UHfikKShfct-m8aaZDPLdlcDBbKApFDyy6CsS847DWgSkU-Y13/s1838/Arran%20Machrie%20Google%20Earth%20Mark%20Up.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="883" data-original-width="1838" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_COOOYT-KEQonV741w217f1ez3BOQpRalNfkxLm5racYnrK_qDr4NzvPl_rOCo3hc1ovRtePWDKAmXnfUNpsOJnrMxMtRrGkeIKQfOvpZDYcc7I6dOrsZ9K9AelBCEof4H_C6n1UHfikKShfct-m8aaZDPLdlcDBbKApFDyy6CsS847DWgSkU-Y13/w640-h309/Arran%20Machrie%20Google%20Earth%20Mark%20Up.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: #04ff00;">Cyan = hut circles<br />Yellow = cairns, cists and burial features<br />Orange = standing stones and outliers<br />Red = stone circles<br />Blue lines = rivers and major streams</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoLS_BPIpMwr7z4hu-s6oG5EjDD541O4dsbQOFWmMzrK5-O9jeG3UZPEZ6b63cpQxSA78rLEfBKV69g1ShlajTO04JlO6ivlni4SLbk25Q6tA0cA4utw8bSPu4mfdmCAVDaKOSIVj1iVNoYAZTTSSAdP1EGaqICelYPF2EjEa51__08-qx2TFQaMa4/s3888/6B%20Machrie%20Moor%202.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoLS_BPIpMwr7z4hu-s6oG5EjDD541O4dsbQOFWmMzrK5-O9jeG3UZPEZ6b63cpQxSA78rLEfBKV69g1ShlajTO04JlO6ivlni4SLbk25Q6tA0cA4utw8bSPu4mfdmCAVDaKOSIVj1iVNoYAZTTSSAdP1EGaqICelYPF2EjEa51__08-qx2TFQaMa4/s320/6B%20Machrie%20Moor%202.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machrie Moor 2</td></tr></tbody></table><p>On the approach to Machrie Moor is a large kerb cairn, around 20 metres diameter. Sadly the condition is much deteriorated through repurposing of the stone for walling and dykes over the centuries. It was made from heavy boulders set in yellow sand, topped with distinctive small pieces of red sandstone. Circling the cairn was a 3 metre outer bank of fist sized stones, then a kerb of upright sandstone slabs.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVFcpWjhsaAqiUqWdPYaJZ2o4Al9Iu0DrySQ88P_2cTviGOydnr_YUMI02zo3SqTUb4Oom6jmUUEAJNPpQSuDbJGIxKEBf6fI-xum7GjoKc9j88W8KUrKAWlYtpY1_4aJjFKp0avEdatpphbHbu_wDxmIsn_ZupXe4kanI2DC-PAuhv53QInR_JQ7j/s5887/1A%20Moss%20Farm%20Road%20Cairn.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5449" data-original-width="5887" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVFcpWjhsaAqiUqWdPYaJZ2o4Al9Iu0DrySQ88P_2cTviGOydnr_YUMI02zo3SqTUb4Oom6jmUUEAJNPpQSuDbJGIxKEBf6fI-xum7GjoKc9j88W8KUrKAWlYtpY1_4aJjFKp0avEdatpphbHbu_wDxmIsn_ZupXe4kanI2DC-PAuhv53QInR_JQ7j/s320/1A%20Moss%20Farm%20Road%20Cairn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The cairn has only been partially excavated, so it is not known what is at the centre. It may conceal a stone-lined cist, in which a body would have been placed in a crouched position with objects like pottery and tools. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CxMSJBIxbE2l3PThwi0uvJMFqbtCpMfFwYVGgh80vrvaYXJsQJ4csl-aTuGb8yQNX8TgtTXN_LuLu-G4n2z92z5IdVK0kQvh0n-AN0S_-UqWmpojoFgw6YlTUvZWShSdJxDe91uON_7eALnRTtOwU5wDNMi3NsJmyT0AmwXEMMnMxmyDpOCEyxGp/s3888/1%20Moss%20Farm%20Road%20Cairn.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CxMSJBIxbE2l3PThwi0uvJMFqbtCpMfFwYVGgh80vrvaYXJsQJ4csl-aTuGb8yQNX8TgtTXN_LuLu-G4n2z92z5IdVK0kQvh0n-AN0S_-UqWmpojoFgw6YlTUvZWShSdJxDe91uON_7eALnRTtOwU5wDNMi3NsJmyT0AmwXEMMnMxmyDpOCEyxGp/s320/1%20Moss%20Farm%20Road%20Cairn.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moss Farm Road cairn</td></tr></tbody></table><p>This type of kerb cairn with a single inhumation dates from around 2500BC. It represents a cultural change from the earlier communal Neolithic burials in chambered cairns and cremations buried within pottery vessels. This date coincides with the brief chalcolithic (copper age) and early bronze age. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaHLsB7TqSZLjfveIH8sN8NIt8sKaPY0b-olTrq1VZQwBLLYucYNum95Fa7DFtVA1JtHCfVCIY_gJRQRtAzuWmiEg_pEcgt7ktr4PMMyuOvA8M4bGuxnrAnREZC1zuKbIWsxXkV6uocY-BuoT4UkSWYaj4h6FKTm0vKgkTrIyvKRYWaXeCG4mewBF/s3888/5%20Machrie%20Moor%203.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaHLsB7TqSZLjfveIH8sN8NIt8sKaPY0b-olTrq1VZQwBLLYucYNum95Fa7DFtVA1JtHCfVCIY_gJRQRtAzuWmiEg_pEcgt7ktr4PMMyuOvA8M4bGuxnrAnREZC1zuKbIWsxXkV6uocY-BuoT4UkSWYaj4h6FKTm0vKgkTrIyvKRYWaXeCG4mewBF/s320/5%20Machrie%20Moor%203.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machrie Moor 3</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The arrival of metal brought new and improved benefits and uses, from tools, to weapons and adornments. It stratified society, elevating those who held and controlled the knowledge above the rest of the population. These 'alchemists' may have displaced the power of the old shamans, as people looked to the new wonder of copper and bronze. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRn6noDtq2k4K2WdiRO7TtqwJSAOV6UwHe5gxfndBhYjtHQYypHJT-9lCx6XmnEDnlbZdOPleZQV9OjlFblm_JzXcjEzxlRim-3HO0okIe-UrBPinCahKgxWYs_y2-QQG2KCyTpSwdxFAXyllAVjcmO8caMz-m4mjpTqksecqImtB1PF_10T5pgE1/s3888/5A%20Machrie%20Moor%203.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRn6noDtq2k4K2WdiRO7TtqwJSAOV6UwHe5gxfndBhYjtHQYypHJT-9lCx6XmnEDnlbZdOPleZQV9OjlFblm_JzXcjEzxlRim-3HO0okIe-UrBPinCahKgxWYs_y2-QQG2KCyTpSwdxFAXyllAVjcmO8caMz-m4mjpTqksecqImtB1PF_10T5pgE1/s320/5A%20Machrie%20Moor%203.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machrie Moor 3</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The people who brought these new ways were called the Beaker People, named after the distinctive bell-shaped pottery beakers found in the archaeological record. The 'bell beaker' style originated in the southern Iberian peninsular and first appeared in Britain around 2475-2315BC.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvpvXOecowoRBxDUHYRwTKaFs4ELYMxihVRCTbAjp6npU8jj4N15XtqXnoTWknEOZBbtQ9QrUky9L0fhqaL8ExFdg7viejbbkEJgxcjrH_oSB8ZSBkw6QWE5-YAcRfef2acPdywmD0HgwsXzEZsUehKQVHJFbisJhiopo2jl6t0n9Fx60NIu7vvpQ/s3888/5C%20Machrie%20Moor%203.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvpvXOecowoRBxDUHYRwTKaFs4ELYMxihVRCTbAjp6npU8jj4N15XtqXnoTWknEOZBbtQ9QrUky9L0fhqaL8ExFdg7viejbbkEJgxcjrH_oSB8ZSBkw6QWE5-YAcRfef2acPdywmD0HgwsXzEZsUehKQVHJFbisJhiopo2jl6t0n9Fx60NIu7vvpQ/s320/5C%20Machrie%20Moor%203.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machrie Moor 3</td></tr></tbody></table><p>By 800BC a profound change in climate had a detrimental affect upon the quality of arable lowland. The moor transformed into peat and bog, forcing people to abandon their farms and move to higher ground. This coincided with the arrival of the Iron Age and another seismic change in culture.</p><p>Artefacts including Neolithic pottery and flint have been unearthed at Machrie Moor. However, with so many archaeological features only partially studied in detail, there may be other remains still buried in the peat.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCqP84dsS6ANXXjhDGzKZMKQ76uh7G9fP7vFdM7GBfRIu5p9LXlsqb98cL8uf8acjW11w-ylldzyXn-YpfW4CzV2URhYlftmhREmQtC2WKQloO8ZlbjAASCP4qogi-VatrLZxeQfzFoDmeCfzVRyrP8O2J1VvarMTQ524nuhA1pAEYJmH2O46AsqnD/s2304/10%20Stu%20Machrie%20Moor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCqP84dsS6ANXXjhDGzKZMKQ76uh7G9fP7vFdM7GBfRIu5p9LXlsqb98cL8uf8acjW11w-ylldzyXn-YpfW4CzV2URhYlftmhREmQtC2WKQloO8ZlbjAASCP4qogi-VatrLZxeQfzFoDmeCfzVRyrP8O2J1VvarMTQ524nuhA1pAEYJmH2O46AsqnD/s320/10%20Stu%20Machrie%20Moor.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>Sources: </b><br /><b><i><span style="color: #04ff00;">Machrie Moor On Site Information Boards</span></i> </b>- Historic Scotland<br /><i><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Invasion, colonisation or intimidation? Debating how and why Britain joined the 'Neolithic Club' </span></b> - </i>Current Archaeology May 2014 thepast.com<br /><i><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Using deep neural networks on airborne laser scanning data. Results of a case study of semi-automatic mapping of archeological topography on Arran, Scotland.</span></b></i> - Trier, Cowley, Wadeland. pub Wiley 2018<br /><i><b><span style="color: #04ff00;">Bronze Age Britain</span></b></i> - warwick.ac.uk</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdrWT1F0jDi1LKJXjk-jbzEUxJaTJgbqDf0qcY6c4BLEV561Ax9dx5DIwyynV6tSasF_7zCZZoXJgSEcVizh-Vc_nUvUotR5ybw7Zqz10prAg6s1JLXSnlUEWkt2YgXZwWpBP8O1MaV2GoEgzajoLSEgxH77VYEyeHmH0bXG2c6DvzkM24AN7YFdz/s1559/Ranger%20Ultras%2010Ybasehead%204Black.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1559" data-original-width="1559" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdrWT1F0jDi1LKJXjk-jbzEUxJaTJgbqDf0qcY6c4BLEV561Ax9dx5DIwyynV6tSasF_7zCZZoXJgSEcVizh-Vc_nUvUotR5ybw7Zqz10prAg6s1JLXSnlUEWkt2YgXZwWpBP8O1MaV2GoEgzajoLSEgxH77VYEyeHmH0bXG2c6DvzkM24AN7YFdz/s320/Ranger%20Ultras%2010Ybasehead%204Black.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://beyonk.com/uk/-V6VTH/ranger-expeditions-peak-district-3-peaks-challenge?portal=true" target="_blank">Peak District 3 Peaks Challenge</a><br /><a href="https://beyonk.com/uk/teNWwL/edale-skyline-walking-including-lunch-and-refreshments-on-route?portal=true" target="_blank">Edale Skyline Challenge</a><br /><a href="https://beyonk.com/uk/hMJMiv/kinder-scout-walking-sunrise-breakfast-special?portal=true" target="_blank">Kinder Scout Sunrise Breakfast Experience</a><br /><a href="https://beyonk.com/uk/fpdro55y/kinder-scout-supermoon-special?portal=true" target="_blank">Kinder Scout Supermoon Special</a><br /><a href="https://beyonk.com/uk/kiaia58g/kinder-scout-winter-wonders?portal=true" target="_blank">Kinder Scout Winter Wonders</a></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><br /> </p>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-120425191939621042022-03-06T22:30:00.006+00:002022-03-21T13:09:30.254+00:00#062 Hebden to Wycoller Recce - Ranger Ultras - Pennine Bridleway 270km Trail Challenge<p><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">PB270 Trail Recces</span></b></p><p>Continuing our recce notes series for the Ranger Ultras' Pennine Bridleway 270km Trail Challenge. </p><p>John Figiel and I drove up course to Checkpoint 2 at Hebden Hey. Our aim for the day was to photo document the race route up to the hamlet of Wycoller. </p><p>Specific areas of attention were the:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Checkpoint 2 re-connect to the Pennine Bridleway at Shaw Bottom</li><li>Diversion off the Pennine Bridleway, on the far side of Gorple Reservoir, to avoid a road section with no pavement. Reconnecting to the Pennine Bridleway at Gorple Gate Track. </li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4gAQcTo0HxDwe4X2DktVtrf1S_ZgnQ59NgkDWCiwLohq9Surkym0bmejXBU9nsL-cp0LqIgGRa__f_b6hXj7MvO7uGKREJag1iFotlqYNqnHxtZRILE39JBXghYBPaUyagi9rMshBvV86WZJh3L6gWZ-0pn6Zra81oNrUzs5InwHLQc2dCoYNtcl7=s960" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4gAQcTo0HxDwe4X2DktVtrf1S_ZgnQ59NgkDWCiwLohq9Surkym0bmejXBU9nsL-cp0LqIgGRa__f_b6hXj7MvO7uGKREJag1iFotlqYNqnHxtZRILE39JBXghYBPaUyagi9rMshBvV86WZJh3L6gWZ-0pn6Zra81oNrUzs5InwHLQc2dCoYNtcl7=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>After several weeks of named storms, rough winds and heavy rain. Spring truly felt like it had arrived for this recce day, with bright blue skies and a crisp light breeze. Perfect walking weather and this itself would have made for a great day as we journeyed through the diverse Pennine Bridleway countryside. However, there were so many more treats that the trail had in store for us. Almost at every turn there were features not shown on the map, which sparked curiosity, amazement and delight.</div><p>Our trail time was limited with car travel required to and from Hayfield as well as a taxi from Wycoller back to Hebden Bridge. That said, we covered 28km of the Pennine way in just under 7 hours, which included a leisurely picnic lunch, plenty of pauses for photos, chat and laughter along the way. <br /><br />At no time did we find ourselves at all navigationally challenged. An occasional quick reference to the Harveys XT40 map was all that was needed. The course is well signposted, with plenty of new fixed finger posts in position and PBW discs on gateways too. <br /><br />Hence, the Pennine Bridleway Trail Challenge terrain is very much an accessible proposition for walk-jog participants, who can adopt a steady pace strategy and still have time for rest, refresh and food in the Checkpoints. As well enough runnable undulations to keep faster participants entertained and keep their momentum if choosing to aim for a 'time' or one of the trophy prizes.</p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Slack to Shaw Bottom </span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyqe7FIUthfK5BhxCRYAQx_DAGuee6Pm9_7VmaqceacTKsAJMfcz8pwp1pfKJjufMR1i7zPryyQxj-d-3gyLdQ_d0oPyYIGP0I3wytvXOA_O6E_aVfvMLBj17p227mB_eMnOfSxgfs_5w2qJJJa0ggAKyAjguFxiE2pDorriIpFs156d0xF05XztNx=s602" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="602" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyqe7FIUthfK5BhxCRYAQx_DAGuee6Pm9_7VmaqceacTKsAJMfcz8pwp1pfKJjufMR1i7zPryyQxj-d-3gyLdQ_d0oPyYIGP0I3wytvXOA_O6E_aVfvMLBj17p227mB_eMnOfSxgfs_5w2qJJJa0ggAKyAjguFxiE2pDorriIpFs156d0xF05XztNx=w400-h263" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRa6BlzLox58tHdmyrZYZeAw7OuR8bnh31BFRMQwadrki5o0jMFWP9a4zrIbqZKPkJqqIrT4P7u0w4AzJoBXXIVxtHdpfS6yitAR-bzqnSc89eaApQFdo9yaG18x6TQ8RXQ5RIVNLmy8y80xff7T3hpSSARqC3xFSdJBMANrCXRlKVT_x_aLc2UA6w=s9248" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRa6BlzLox58tHdmyrZYZeAw7OuR8bnh31BFRMQwadrki5o0jMFWP9a4zrIbqZKPkJqqIrT4P7u0w4AzJoBXXIVxtHdpfS6yitAR-bzqnSc89eaApQFdo9yaG18x6TQ8RXQ5RIVNLmy8y80xff7T3hpSSARqC3xFSdJBMANrCXRlKVT_x_aLc2UA6w=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXv0GF_2_lLcB2l4Zmk8zgiCRakNRGnewtXuODixiy5eWwpD6Uf6GncvxMn5rOreCapzbSkCjqiQUd45eVp0MS6Y9Fg1SI1BuwgVPBUBsdN3XwH96Vq53QWTFnW7TBo5pQ7CWYcooIQCsMGclNSkCLvaJIPPCkx5PKgpKjMqNvMAAeLdFHqrSbQLCB=s9248" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8hsbWsX2IW4FdC7xFfM-BWZFyxSN2TRUhhEEZ_azxhbtYoIUuFb6u4If-WPQucqRtXQI32Ysqj89NOUXJ-tr6PulT2nxgUIN0D8HUjT3FtcFcLtRgbH01aI8qF8XEWPDIkCvBm1Jj39oqiyhhHwU45whW0VrpJdfkUrq_yFtsMk9b0qGt33Lbfi7X=s9248" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8hsbWsX2IW4FdC7xFfM-BWZFyxSN2TRUhhEEZ_azxhbtYoIUuFb6u4If-WPQucqRtXQI32Ysqj89NOUXJ-tr6PulT2nxgUIN0D8HUjT3FtcFcLtRgbH01aI8qF8XEWPDIkCvBm1Jj39oqiyhhHwU45whW0VrpJdfkUrq_yFtsMk9b0qGt33Lbfi7X=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"><b>Gorple Lower Reservoir</b></span><div><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span><div><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghh7rQpXblVSijVGeUI97p2E3_AtXW3jsUWGly_0IBnXDcidCsJOoKjLLxv-wTnAX5iqJeM-3atMcV-hufLV6U0HyFW2-_H9Bcf1C3vd-SSxpwY-cfhrwQw84anmt-FjkL1k_syw_PD2H7KrWyk9MMVLV9haksAHeBNyvPulcCcaZlR4sdB7zrfK7l=s9248" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghh7rQpXblVSijVGeUI97p2E3_AtXW3jsUWGly_0IBnXDcidCsJOoKjLLxv-wTnAX5iqJeM-3atMcV-hufLV6U0HyFW2-_H9Bcf1C3vd-SSxpwY-cfhrwQw84anmt-FjkL1k_syw_PD2H7KrWyk9MMVLV9haksAHeBNyvPulcCcaZlR4sdB7zrfK7l=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrDHhZ8ei0HhGRrHyUGbQJJNyJYa6PIOvEB1LigPs5baBteaib5WdGBArW1ZRKdNXex-kZIqng8OSi4Ig2VN4VCSgFjhgfZEBRRIN3Hg_UJQ2bu5hp_npqvTM952xZZbFyTg6c0Bzlb7oFIC476NXlWgricWd-BGbs7wG2xXeDS8tJ6Uk8D4oJzpnl=s2016" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrDHhZ8ei0HhGRrHyUGbQJJNyJYa6PIOvEB1LigPs5baBteaib5WdGBArW1ZRKdNXex-kZIqng8OSi4Ig2VN4VCSgFjhgfZEBRRIN3Hg_UJQ2bu5hp_npqvTM952xZZbFyTg6c0Bzlb7oFIC476NXlWgricWd-BGbs7wG2xXeDS8tJ6Uk8D4oJzpnl=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhNBWActiI00FAKdqGJWvNI4KXYQv7HEppgFuoDofH-9IHalop6Sd_4rS1-gJ4Q6p4q5JlK2sHBHvPDBpZ6MeFWeQpXy8vF2pEngNg0F0-SAOSK8DdVblyb-x2tkBe2q-zyT681QPkkEboOqgaFZZJttdknN38gSa26ImuWjoUYSzsAT0FJqXQ0Npkh=s9248" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhNBWActiI00FAKdqGJWvNI4KXYQv7HEppgFuoDofH-9IHalop6Sd_4rS1-gJ4Q6p4q5JlK2sHBHvPDBpZ6MeFWeQpXy8vF2pEngNg0F0-SAOSK8DdVblyb-x2tkBe2q-zyT681QPkkEboOqgaFZZJttdknN38gSa26ImuWjoUYSzsAT0FJqXQ0Npkh=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span><b style="color: #04ff00; font-size: large;">Gorple Lower Reservoir - Compulsory safety diversion avoiding road with no pavement.</b></div><div><b style="color: #04ff00; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #04ff00; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFya5SXfOTaOTpbtZcy--Z83z6AYWustMYvvsnkp1h62hauObVxBnCLQG7LkieonxQgwRGOJVfBoro3RMe8NR7IrdsBjLEPCegk-E14L1mlBR_HBH0mlujgaMdQma_OV0z2n1AIW37N5uBwzgRCC2I7NvMhtWGLpDbXnpScyUQJ9AUIWBTOntKqBR0=s602" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="602" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFya5SXfOTaOTpbtZcy--Z83z6AYWustMYvvsnkp1h62hauObVxBnCLQG7LkieonxQgwRGOJVfBoro3RMe8NR7IrdsBjLEPCegk-E14L1mlBR_HBH0mlujgaMdQma_OV0z2n1AIW37N5uBwzgRCC2I7NvMhtWGLpDbXnpScyUQJ9AUIWBTOntKqBR0=w640-h298" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #04ff00; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: #04ff00; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtMUbzGvtQpcYzyPWEzFZyQr71GMfhXYqJ8ThT5J2ML5Qdce-P-hrScaOiWmn9dajDuXdTiNFB_d5_RuHqsfs0_qE21oFlQZ8L9ttFTbpzlHocf5JfSXGuMSStKV3OH3B4XAkme2gNPsKnn-eIkrs9Wic-AfnSJb3tMYTVAM3epimy2Kt7xjTWUR2K=s9248" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtMUbzGvtQpcYzyPWEzFZyQr71GMfhXYqJ8ThT5J2ML5Qdce-P-hrScaOiWmn9dajDuXdTiNFB_d5_RuHqsfs0_qE21oFlQZ8L9ttFTbpzlHocf5JfSXGuMSStKV3OH3B4XAkme2gNPsKnn-eIkrs9Wic-AfnSJb3tMYTVAM3epimy2Kt7xjTWUR2K=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><<< this way<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #04ff00; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyYoTxU-lLrW7f4IpcXVxIH8xFToB2tgQ1KasIOLYmE7y25hWJ_ErdQyqYGZVwz4m15uDNc7ukqmPuxiqlj-LgUOgO1cyJV8bNGbYglMZGsuofQoHxhbJHyXT3icnbUeuiIvQ_afA9bS55mPZ265wgoOoGXJqmeW7LVGjAUdsACCmEjjbZO1z8MToT=s9248" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyYoTxU-lLrW7f4IpcXVxIH8xFToB2tgQ1KasIOLYmE7y25hWJ_ErdQyqYGZVwz4m15uDNc7ukqmPuxiqlj-LgUOgO1cyJV8bNGbYglMZGsuofQoHxhbJHyXT3icnbUeuiIvQ_afA9bS55mPZ265wgoOoGXJqmeW7LVGjAUdsACCmEjjbZO1z8MToT=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: #04ff00; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2F90dj6Hg_q7zLa0TtWg0k4-xT9F6zRydzJMH9OzAoa7N5jR6zhFxhjWlrrBslnEymWURk09KypljRpbG_Za9khjeoxYqGy23d4T5iiZ2OHMmgBcX1OnNqGKzJFJ7TXEY_476fteDXP9yha-nyj03GDxnk37WNnteMwIN7e3-LM00PeJqXYezw-zO=s9248" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2F90dj6Hg_q7zLa0TtWg0k4-xT9F6zRydzJMH9OzAoa7N5jR6zhFxhjWlrrBslnEymWURk09KypljRpbG_Za9khjeoxYqGy23d4T5iiZ2OHMmgBcX1OnNqGKzJFJ7TXEY_476fteDXP9yha-nyj03GDxnk37WNnteMwIN7e3-LM00PeJqXYezw-zO=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Pause at the shooting cabin (private, locked, no access)<br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi60XiiDRHMtXu2y6xcow-T8EIe_H8qQJqAzkxuFq7h8V03HgBtrCdkfeaZCLyVFbcOsAY0JG6rIVy0HF15wP_oC2MuAUoqrXoMmos9Cq7YBNztWYiHr7CM79wl6fkgJ7PfNxSdBsgjWgxP9PzxVInXZZgCenzxN9TOIkyRm3IYkj-Sq-p2OmjnBzCg=s2016" style="font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi60XiiDRHMtXu2y6xcow-T8EIe_H8qQJqAzkxuFq7h8V03HgBtrCdkfeaZCLyVFbcOsAY0JG6rIVy0HF15wP_oC2MuAUoqrXoMmos9Cq7YBNztWYiHr7CM79wl6fkgJ7PfNxSdBsgjWgxP9PzxVInXZZgCenzxN9TOIkyRm3IYkj-Sq-p2OmjnBzCg=s320" width="320" /></a><span style="color: black;"><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: #04ff00; font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhlRFFsX-thKNxxn0efm8lG8I2YBepq5USHABbkr5irJQW5JjUnDMk9ixs4pznSFidSqgcJfVN_ZWWqEb5w9At-wHkFNBsI8vN5AsDpOnhn1cfQu3TYMFRsOVxE7o0_wbL_MnLpSw5Lv5BhKxuetPV2V4qJuLNg4f6UlH3igaRlPYbTT7x1Ttc7for=s9248" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhlRFFsX-thKNxxn0efm8lG8I2YBepq5USHABbkr5irJQW5JjUnDMk9ixs4pznSFidSqgcJfVN_ZWWqEb5w9At-wHkFNBsI8vN5AsDpOnhn1cfQu3TYMFRsOVxE7o0_wbL_MnLpSw5Lv5BhKxuetPV2V4qJuLNg4f6UlH3igaRlPYbTT7x1Ttc7for=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">Dicken Rocks</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiT8lxp_ggo-ndrJNOqlT_r3_tG_4UF8gjyKyrREhh6pfLiwuA0CCNQSgg1pcHTDFLb7hCy_IvjeBVOGYzTZWf-2Q0CtgWmNm_naqn-1ZLrIdBoo230bYtOQhg1nMmQcN4xUYGql58H3BmcbG0-YZChiRPR8GMJxcjcwxpEdTZiWlFO7O-a7l6fL4Az=s9248" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiT8lxp_ggo-ndrJNOqlT_r3_tG_4UF8gjyKyrREhh6pfLiwuA0CCNQSgg1pcHTDFLb7hCy_IvjeBVOGYzTZWf-2Q0CtgWmNm_naqn-1ZLrIdBoo230bYtOQhg1nMmQcN4xUYGql58H3BmcbG0-YZChiRPR8GMJxcjcwxpEdTZiWlFO7O-a7l6fL4Az=s320" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">follow the trod up hill, northward, a small stream on your left side</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: #04ff00; font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlYp4uxyAnHzPuE6TXpDVsJ9WtMbirwr9C8SOa64TafqRJEspKcOcdH-nWjfVBYlYw1bkx5GRARgEVhr2NDAVlX-GisDjTQpY_FFHOfl0_FaTLuF9fjw-ndvQEnO5COH159ZzXLy00lxNymZ2zirwqPQOmlylaKy2vlz3npQ0qkwvSqT13WXr8dVR_=s9248" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlYp4uxyAnHzPuE6TXpDVsJ9WtMbirwr9C8SOa64TafqRJEspKcOcdH-nWjfVBYlYw1bkx5GRARgEVhr2NDAVlX-GisDjTQpY_FFHOfl0_FaTLuF9fjw-ndvQEnO5COH159ZzXLy00lxNymZ2zirwqPQOmlylaKy2vlz3npQ0qkwvSqT13WXr8dVR_=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">Clough Head overlooking Widdop Reservoir</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: #04ff00; font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDCs84LtNfAtgUNus13E7VMTLiTVv2XKqou2VHvI14-yDihvbTsReEVk1Lf1if_n3cEtZzoLLjR3IIXXg-rj_i9BsI3M35ms1OtUixBOdRpvxWrJDDIDuwzIXpSR1Onv6X_1-Hx_2bd7sFloJB8MMURo4dgpIbOYrR2MD6o2h7AFtd9KQEngFNbXOP=s9248" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDCs84LtNfAtgUNus13E7VMTLiTVv2XKqou2VHvI14-yDihvbTsReEVk1Lf1if_n3cEtZzoLLjR3IIXXg-rj_i9BsI3M35ms1OtUixBOdRpvxWrJDDIDuwzIXpSR1Onv6X_1-Hx_2bd7sFloJB8MMURo4dgpIbOYrR2MD6o2h7AFtd9KQEngFNbXOP=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">Reconnect to Pennine Bridleway</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: large;">Gorple Gate Track</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #04ff00; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNFsOfOfL-TRD_BObkpBOd7a7FtsO7v2asB_G1M0YwYt1emLzhCpJYnW3KphbCHEqXagrBaokfPZ6RKCCiXKyNDbbJ-QWvXRV6Nf0P0aCdW64VOSC31kolLCi0F_HcKOyZ3gmG1FaPMK4XPaFgb11Q2u50hek6FjZCwq87sWV88U3OGNtOCr7NBpuU=s9248" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNFsOfOfL-TRD_BObkpBOd7a7FtsO7v2asB_G1M0YwYt1emLzhCpJYnW3KphbCHEqXagrBaokfPZ6RKCCiXKyNDbbJ-QWvXRV6Nf0P0aCdW64VOSC31kolLCi0F_HcKOyZ3gmG1FaPMK4XPaFgb11Q2u50hek6FjZCwq87sWV88U3OGNtOCr7NBpuU=s320" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgb-aPPQav8sZEgASnMd2TNAYRvS6KVYhfVV7kAbRdsPrAznd6H8CKc8aFhitIu7E7V0xdTB4WwmjeHoKYFrMnHx4VZzzXg5s5YXt8kWi7yvzKrGMqnyxIvVhzHzuZ3_Dax8A7MUQiKVySqo587Qxr2KOfMHd-jCPsFuyXVL5NpJwSlSfwEcGzsP2ES=s9248" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgb-aPPQav8sZEgASnMd2TNAYRvS6KVYhfVV7kAbRdsPrAznd6H8CKc8aFhitIu7E7V0xdTB4WwmjeHoKYFrMnHx4VZzzXg5s5YXt8kWi7yvzKrGMqnyxIvVhzHzuZ3_Dax8A7MUQiKVySqo587Qxr2KOfMHd-jCPsFuyXVL5NpJwSlSfwEcGzsP2ES=s320" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: #04ff00; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpCmJrX0pn4LZ8Ttgt2M6f1H7q2aAMa9bsuTa90qFberjblNQtaFtDiOhkuhlLc_bhCtL7Qocnq43G2ZIdG4VtcaB5IMlKiWYoGCzlmH1CMx7tCqrjGs5w0vez67EpdSGf-cy42I4c78uj2RkSh4vXgLraQh7nkL_DjBu36m8VTnVHgcwSmy5RsTvs=s9248" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpCmJrX0pn4LZ8Ttgt2M6f1H7q2aAMa9bsuTa90qFberjblNQtaFtDiOhkuhlLc_bhCtL7Qocnq43G2ZIdG4VtcaB5IMlKiWYoGCzlmH1CMx7tCqrjGs5w0vez67EpdSGf-cy42I4c78uj2RkSh4vXgLraQh7nkL_DjBu36m8VTnVHgcwSmy5RsTvs=s320" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Pennine Bridleway North at Ben Edge (DO NOT continue on the Mary Townley Loop!)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #04ff00; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></div></b><b style="color: #04ff00; font-size: large;">Ben Edge to Dovestones Moor<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivo5bmE6a3T4I3yqtKsFE1KtshF5BgMaltvNUh_sqL5-I2unNzGquwvF-n7agkenEc-CZL4Ufu6VYrXEv2z173SqyfuRAMRdACLi3XcBKW2P_GRKVia__eNzedpZ1gG7-l-hDb8otAHTHTA-Od9GGdelvr_Ffw56FaUqLkwreOy1m2kHUUD717uBRq=s9248" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivo5bmE6a3T4I3yqtKsFE1KtshF5BgMaltvNUh_sqL5-I2unNzGquwvF-n7agkenEc-CZL4Ufu6VYrXEv2z173SqyfuRAMRdACLi3XcBKW2P_GRKVia__eNzedpZ1gG7-l-hDb8otAHTHTA-Od9GGdelvr_Ffw56FaUqLkwreOy1m2kHUUD717uBRq=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">C17th stone doorway arch, remains of a farm built by Robert Parker. In 1886 the house was abandoned and demolished at the same time as the Coldwell reservoirs were being built.<br />Inscription on the door lintel: <br />OTHOV OF MIGHTY MOST SETHEM THAT MADE COSTY RP 1672<br />Refers to the construction date of the farm.<br />There is also an inscription with the names of Robert Parker, his wife and son Robert Henry. <br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1RifzGckPSKybAWDZISHweEoX0afWVYBkmXMks7rxxjDR-r0WC7si8Z-2CD2Dj8CnWgh1E82vWmyAETLiqGDEW3P5y2LXtx3g9WnGGz6uYXxpnsC9pIw1pCGJTT7_GSatmqrM01reWvb04F9TZz6yi0jsHWAGgsdA4H2G_kBsqq-hJtLitjJZoCbr=s9248" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1RifzGckPSKybAWDZISHweEoX0afWVYBkmXMks7rxxjDR-r0WC7si8Z-2CD2Dj8CnWgh1E82vWmyAETLiqGDEW3P5y2LXtx3g9WnGGz6uYXxpnsC9pIw1pCGJTT7_GSatmqrM01reWvb04F9TZz6yi0jsHWAGgsdA4H2G_kBsqq-hJtLitjJZoCbr=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVYqQxTQxKlAmVzbzZz4i0ZjF6bt25c3WoU-fiQGkIk6tVEuSAFMJGbRS0Dqnl_H4Ap5EjPIUJxsDOcRSp8ObZtec54guiMfBOoSalF7TeRXPVLpKpyZp3h-sEkiSiRNzInCZIoKk6vmi__TsTu4LTf7t9s5ilUxWi_aQ3U8BS7Kkn6DMo63NZTOwe=s9248" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVYqQxTQxKlAmVzbzZz4i0ZjF6bt25c3WoU-fiQGkIk6tVEuSAFMJGbRS0Dqnl_H4Ap5EjPIUJxsDOcRSp8ObZtec54guiMfBOoSalF7TeRXPVLpKpyZp3h-sEkiSiRNzInCZIoKk6vmi__TsTu4LTf7t9s5ilUxWi_aQ3U8BS7Kkn6DMo63NZTOwe=s320" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: helvetica;">All farm buildings and private structures are out-of-bounds to race participants</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #04ff00; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVblj9KxEEAu47BTN8cJIYvuD3tzNS7pti2M_43pcuzlLXaf9zG6dQTta6HvaqBhxQiJUq3kfo40dXmxfgT-zSoXPn1L1NAxFTHzR_nz7Wenmxg2kLY7R1vyQpuAvI0wuO7YL6LfG8ohviAJchNYtS_DFGks3R1al_7hptbnEGfRnGS1w6gNe2ro1C=s9248" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVblj9KxEEAu47BTN8cJIYvuD3tzNS7pti2M_43pcuzlLXaf9zG6dQTta6HvaqBhxQiJUq3kfo40dXmxfgT-zSoXPn1L1NAxFTHzR_nz7Wenmxg2kLY7R1vyQpuAvI0wuO7YL6LfG8ohviAJchNYtS_DFGks3R1al_7hptbnEGfRnGS1w6gNe2ro1C=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #04ff00; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #04ff00; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFgHByOmn3YAIpWuxLYEJgTrevFHeFJLajGMLectfpzMmlbi4vB2sxWondNEPQFSzoypDGEp8ztcBNpl2Oqwu1vWiVuqYC1_8Du2B14EN_-l4L9bZSh5ZXtln7RiADHuofHaVo5McuvoAjsLvFfdXJ2lnU-NWAMBCEbDL5ILI_FnBPkQgm0TP1a_hA=s2016" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFgHByOmn3YAIpWuxLYEJgTrevFHeFJLajGMLectfpzMmlbi4vB2sxWondNEPQFSzoypDGEp8ztcBNpl2Oqwu1vWiVuqYC1_8Du2B14EN_-l4L9bZSh5ZXtln7RiADHuofHaVo5McuvoAjsLvFfdXJ2lnU-NWAMBCEbDL5ILI_FnBPkQgm0TP1a_hA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #04ff00; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #04ff00; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><b>The delightful hamlet of Wycoller</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium; text-align: center;">Toilets available at the visitor centre</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium; text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMQ_ozN2dODfh5GFq_heDHtSnTsiZP2hBBi1NG3DKzsnX55_5iT6UJs5mSwilK04Ne3M7xEEMMq9esNcgG_oEvhbQTSiu8ge7E1BtE8Var66lk5fmqXrQMMlxE273WfOGs4kCZtN2uZwF9b5brRcDqEZAW5_tgFFTp0v9M8Kjmp6fzFizOeLFuFG0J=s2016" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMQ_ozN2dODfh5GFq_heDHtSnTsiZP2hBBi1NG3DKzsnX55_5iT6UJs5mSwilK04Ne3M7xEEMMq9esNcgG_oEvhbQTSiu8ge7E1BtE8Var66lk5fmqXrQMMlxE273WfOGs4kCZtN2uZwF9b5brRcDqEZAW5_tgFFTp0v9M8Kjmp6fzFizOeLFuFG0J=s320" width="320" /></a></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #04ff00; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #04ff00; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhz5501Ze5xo-bNpKZy5lUXMjcwxDr_ecjjwNjmMKlx8ESCAASxz4Py8enOKrap64rnk6tDPClkmWSsyMjLnHKrhEyfHYnHSNpWmMLAoMtvnQcpHqX4j1GIlgq1UwS-gt79gk9nrG0gcE89736gS2ax9KCrZxUDu-2p9-lX40BmNQcDF82hauNLIlEG=s9248" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhz5501Ze5xo-bNpKZy5lUXMjcwxDr_ecjjwNjmMKlx8ESCAASxz4Py8enOKrap64rnk6tDPClkmWSsyMjLnHKrhEyfHYnHSNpWmMLAoMtvnQcpHqX4j1GIlgq1UwS-gt79gk9nrG0gcE89736gS2ax9KCrZxUDu-2p9-lX40BmNQcDF82hauNLIlEG=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjItuxz7xIYYw2O_6TmvxeMs-jeDN5P5arge6MkCr0GWi8Ly6hV0H3VgWCIiSCouBy1oAVM8n3KwazWCdrOG8EndmV6XA-hoiyZgPJapLsq8X0d974sy9UHmJ5EGGG_J3trm8lRx38mrXuz0pO3_-vOQ4kKtYnkbG3oyZKV5CYIn6bxRt917rXW9mbf=s9248" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjItuxz7xIYYw2O_6TmvxeMs-jeDN5P5arge6MkCr0GWi8Ly6hV0H3VgWCIiSCouBy1oAVM8n3KwazWCdrOG8EndmV6XA-hoiyZgPJapLsq8X0d974sy9UHmJ5EGGG_J3trm8lRx38mrXuz0pO3_-vOQ4kKtYnkbG3oyZKV5CYIn6bxRt917rXW9mbf=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">Wycoller Hall ruin. Said to be have been the inspiration for Ferndean Manor in Charlotte Bronte's Jayne Eyre.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTcKTKk5jgkessBuu27bMayEh_f7S075ZYqcX55fTk7oc_M6XOiyhoVOSYY_khZOOvirFkj8j7GkmlkQ7jPLlDOpZPZP5O5CC9KpMtQN8KrahCVKY0SU5_WbOYuaTxVjQ5yQcutkM0UEaH2z7fPEKzYJd0rTEt6cGxWLNAD14buO5t6p5N0fiEsBxB=s9248" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTcKTKk5jgkessBuu27bMayEh_f7S075ZYqcX55fTk7oc_M6XOiyhoVOSYY_khZOOvirFkj8j7GkmlkQ7jPLlDOpZPZP5O5CC9KpMtQN8KrahCVKY0SU5_WbOYuaTxVjQ5yQcutkM0UEaH2z7fPEKzYJd0rTEt6cGxWLNAD14buO5t6p5N0fiEsBxB=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #04ff00; font-family: helvetica; font-size: small;">15th Century Pack Horse Bridge</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #04ff00; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZogfsOZJAk_OT3vsK9TH0U3MMUhvZQ8EA_qUn37AlMqOlOuIdcv06TAkvMIfn2p-RiMhrxI-47aJSZ6xepJSrIQQDAXJAHgmgIR8idiWrAWDqK5u_lX1mjG5KO9NLoB_-RbkDm5KyzYNDeM1xk9wgt53GE_oksBHEWznZXD-HL7jIjodEP-31_pIV=s9248" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6944" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZogfsOZJAk_OT3vsK9TH0U3MMUhvZQ8EA_qUn37AlMqOlOuIdcv06TAkvMIfn2p-RiMhrxI-47aJSZ6xepJSrIQQDAXJAHgmgIR8idiWrAWDqK5u_lX1mjG5KO9NLoB_-RbkDm5KyzYNDeM1xk9wgt53GE_oksBHEWznZXD-HL7jIjodEP-31_pIV=s320" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Pennine Bridleway XT40 Map</span></b></div><div>The Harvey's 1:40,000 scale XT40 map is the most cost effective and portable mapping option available (all PB270 participants must carry a hard copy map, irrespective of whether their primary navigation tool is GPS). It is also waterproof and will hold up to a few day's trail running abuse, although it's not indestructible!<br /><br />The screen shots below are from my Ordnance Survey subscription, which at 1:25,000 scale give better definition. </div><div><br /></div><div>However, AtoZ Adventure Series also have their own Pennine Bridleway 'strip map' format planned for publication. The 1:25k scale is easier to discern detail for folks who's eyesight isn't the best.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Enter the 2022 Ranger Ultras' Pennine Bridleway Trail Challenge</span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="http://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pbw-uc/">http://rangerultras.co.uk/index.php/pbw-uc/</a></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgequO-uFCrgw553mn4xTVLWU6esqQKiAnqu0iVw2Duqz-FLDWWk34mD56ZFxqc0WYk1PEElQ2uXS9LkuIfGKKILwI2k4YN7qUnT_2hgvaYCl6HQlMvZOFfofovPbwfN0zelvTKVJUszowIaKfqcVkuHNbB0-GSBcKohHOiWLBsS6zBKP3JUns_yC3Y=s3456" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3456" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgequO-uFCrgw553mn4xTVLWU6esqQKiAnqu0iVw2Duqz-FLDWWk34mD56ZFxqc0WYk1PEElQ2uXS9LkuIfGKKILwI2k4YN7qUnT_2hgvaYCl6HQlMvZOFfofovPbwfN0zelvTKVJUszowIaKfqcVkuHNbB0-GSBcKohHOiWLBsS6zBKP3JUns_yC3Y=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Trail Conduct:</span></b><br />Whether on a recce or during the race itself, please remember that you're representing the trail running community as a whole as well as a Ranger Ultras' participant. Please don't let being in the 'trail bubble' make you forget the following considerations:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><ul><li>Follow the Countryside Code</li><li>Be courteous to other trail & footpath users</li><li>Shut gates after you unless they're tied open<br /></li><li>Please treat cafes, other establishments and their customers with respect</li><li>If you're a bit disheveled or muddy, ask permission to enter / sit down</li><li>Don't litter</li><li>If you need the toilet, use public conveniences where at all possible</li><li>Don't pee or poop in residential areas, beside properties or farm building.</li><li>Go well away from buildings and water courses, bury it or carry it out in a bag</li><li>Move swiftly through and past private residential areas </li><li>Don't shine headtorches into residences or farm building</li><li>Farm buildings are private and should be treated as out of bounds</li><li>Farm building and public toilets are not appropriate bivvy locations</li></ul><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-79462784291341416032022-01-26T20:54:00.004+00:002022-03-21T13:06:24.711+00:00#061 Glossop Recce - Ranger Ultras - Pennine Bridleway 270km Trail Challenge<p> </p><p><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">PB270 Trail Recces</span></b><br />This week, Peter, Rob and I headed out to make some detailed course notes for the Ranger Ultras' Pennine Bridleway 270km Trail Challenge. Our Ranger Ultras' trail races have already covered long sections of the Pennine Bridleway, so in this blog and subsequent reports we'll focus on other areas of the course.</p><p>Our notes will focus on aspects of the route which have made an impression upon us as well as tips which participants which may find useful.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Navigational notes and identifying red herrings</li><li>Trail conditions</li><li>On route facilities such as cafes, shops, food take away and public toilets</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFR5TR2i7SrGEno83JvM2zgS5vsTcRDRG0Ks5NfhOjYRnws_UFENj8c3-4faCYSv5Q3fs26nQ4U7jloVAHdX0KhWz5L3O64j49kSzXiix8xKZ0JGvqYQIYbNHktXLGPq6HoHK8QLsgaiXCaUy6m2m_6pU5St35DgbEln-Pfk8xchbMGc-9wz6diBsL=s960" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFR5TR2i7SrGEno83JvM2zgS5vsTcRDRG0Ks5NfhOjYRnws_UFENj8c3-4faCYSv5Q3fs26nQ4U7jloVAHdX0KhWz5L3O64j49kSzXiix8xKZ0JGvqYQIYbNHktXLGPq6HoHK8QLsgaiXCaUy6m2m_6pU5St35DgbEln-Pfk8xchbMGc-9wz6diBsL=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Pennine Bridleway XT40 Map</span></b></div><div>The Harvey's 1:40,000 scale XT40 map is the most cost effective and portable mapping option available (all PB270 participants must carry a hard copy map, irrespective of whether their primary navigation tool is GPS). It is also waterproof and will hold up to a few day's trail running abuse, although it's not indestructible!<br /><br />The screen shots below are from my Ordnance Survey subscription, which at 1:25,000 scale give better definition. </div><div><br /></div><div>However, AtoZ Adventure Series also have their own Pennine Bridleway 'strip map' format planned for publication. The 1:25k scale is easier to discern detail for folks who's eyesight isn't the best.<br /><br /></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Trail Conduct:</span></b><br />Whether on a recce or during the race itself, please remember that you're representing the trail running community as a whole as well as a Ranger Ultras' participant. Please don't let being in the 'trail bubble' make you forget the following considerations:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Follow the Countryside Code</li><li>Be courteous to other trail & footpath users</li><li>Shut gates after you unless they're tied open<br /></li><li>Please treat cafes, other establishments and their customers with respect</li><li>If you're a bit disheveled or muddy, ask permission to enter / sit down</li><li>Don't litter</li><li>If you need the toilet, use public conveniences where at all possible</li><li>Don't pee or poop in residential areas, beside properties or farm building.</li><li>Go well away from buildings and water courses, bury it or carry it out in a bag</li><li>Move swiftly through and past private residential areas </li><li>Don't shine headtorches into residences or farm building</li><li>Farm buildings are private and should be treated as out of bounds</li><li>Farm building and public toilets are not appropriate bivvy locations</li></ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">The Recce Around Glossop</span><br />Out of all the 270km, the routing around Glossop is the most complex. But, it is far from difficult if a 'heads up' navigation style is adopted to spot the way ahead. The sections we focus upon here are mostly the Pennine Bridleway Alternative Walkers Route. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Keep an eye out for the white discs with black text & symbols on styles and finger posts. Through this particular area we've chosen to use this route, rather than the main Pennine Bridleway, to as much as possible avoid participants walking along narrow country lanes with no pavement. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rest assured there's plenty of countryside to enjoy as well as some impressive bridges and historic buildings dating from the industrial revolution. Further north, the route travels through the dark peat moors along drovers trails, past grand reservoirs and into the Yorkshire Dales. Combined with the white Peak District (from the start to Checkpoint 1), the icons of the Pennine Bridleway are a feast for the senses.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>1) Leave Pennine Bridleway and join Cown Edge Way</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(PB alt. walkers route)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tarmac. Consolidated stone trail. Sunken trail. Grassy moorland, good trail, not boggy</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjer-2jT41r2iJNLSrIlIbOhfMtxBC3c8Hjl4Qp90VbPBQtxIhz7IherrnwZWHZy_IUJqjZ7DM3PNIKDvWvhDaS-enWtRO11jB7Ty1sv5TpCpgMHmfw-Wkdio43B1n_6V9xE6_GL3Jtyn2Grs1O-tZuMgD7fz8Q01H45McW74SivIKh-sikCAOQny8=s258" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="198" data-original-width="258" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjer-2jT41r2iJNLSrIlIbOhfMtxBC3c8Hjl4Qp90VbPBQtxIhz7IherrnwZWHZy_IUJqjZ7DM3PNIKDvWvhDaS-enWtRO11jB7Ty1sv5TpCpgMHmfw-Wkdio43B1n_6V9xE6_GL3Jtyn2Grs1O-tZuMgD7fz8Q01H45McW74SivIKh-sikCAOQny8" width="258" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2r21Y8-8pRyzLhUEYlx0kr5KY-JKitBj35Ob_BdGQwlZTaQDMhQmwPRu2LY34oo_zStGSU3sDbEU3PprKgNFI5X_28hzlC_CwykItDnID1rd0_uWkvoRq4CMPfX7q9Mf3S1D--rh2pvSpYAE57PF4NIEpkfiAEcSGJNBPSFpHO6yJB2undoLjvfA2=s4624" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2r21Y8-8pRyzLhUEYlx0kr5KY-JKitBj35Ob_BdGQwlZTaQDMhQmwPRu2LY34oo_zStGSU3sDbEU3PprKgNFI5X_28hzlC_CwykItDnID1rd0_uWkvoRq4CMPfX7q9Mf3S1D--rh2pvSpYAE57PF4NIEpkfiAEcSGJNBPSFpHO6yJB2undoLjvfA2=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Unfortunately the day was claggy, but it's January so we took what the weather gave us. <br />Which did flatten the colours and depth in the pictures, but took away none of the atmosphere and pleasure of being on the trail.<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>2) Coombes Edge to Charlesworth</b><br />Following Cown Edge Way (PB alt. walkers route) - tip: use fences and boundary walls to avoid drifting off route</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVlr7GRX60BZFFFEhSs9LcaUjcY4MgzsdC7hPLFdRFrsaAC6Gf0iAoi7rHFtbic_YskECW-mMP-Ge762CIHOxTjsu1WDZ-pLb3S8SORsC-N0BeZRZE0ZxNPWc2K_Pnk9x7VbPEe1u9cRdZScIFA3LEtj3eanGA4pcXD5ksBqvEA4zljvquCGfoALcd=s500" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="241" data-original-width="500" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVlr7GRX60BZFFFEhSs9LcaUjcY4MgzsdC7hPLFdRFrsaAC6Gf0iAoi7rHFtbic_YskECW-mMP-Ge762CIHOxTjsu1WDZ-pLb3S8SORsC-N0BeZRZE0ZxNPWc2K_Pnk9x7VbPEe1u9cRdZScIFA3LEtj3eanGA4pcXD5ksBqvEA4zljvquCGfoALcd=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhukeguvMb9qe4sNzGJldruw9bNNSAebdtjzX3wssSy7U6vgUHilIC43Bw_6pg13LslH7Fp9VG-KsI5cPpag-QJMjTqP-qPDjNKjyAGLZVkGTEsQ6dgTKMvRAjwHbACL-yNhHWRNe-GQOmOb53IiNfoCQNROQ0MunW5HTEEHrlHh6Mw2v8K5yV3tZDn=s7088" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="7088" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhukeguvMb9qe4sNzGJldruw9bNNSAebdtjzX3wssSy7U6vgUHilIC43Bw_6pg13LslH7Fp9VG-KsI5cPpag-QJMjTqP-qPDjNKjyAGLZVkGTEsQ6dgTKMvRAjwHbACL-yNhHWRNe-GQOmOb53IiNfoCQNROQ0MunW5HTEEHrlHh6Mw2v8K5yV3tZDn=w400-h99" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLe2JP8fzfQDZ34a3IXuW4-JqYprSZZZGo3TZv4cCR9R0c26WeYCnDt1py8Fr3Ioukkq0sg987GYm0R0ZaelR9yC0eQsS0kQA4FSf_vLlP_Ywey551oTU9Pah_AlolsQ7p5Ym2-1vhpC6o1IMGJMUs9RJ8UXJvwBzpHBJUBtqPaVsrm-Fb3YOZCCWB=s4624" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLe2JP8fzfQDZ34a3IXuW4-JqYprSZZZGo3TZv4cCR9R0c26WeYCnDt1py8Fr3Ioukkq0sg987GYm0R0ZaelR9yC0eQsS0kQA4FSf_vLlP_Ywey551oTU9Pah_AlolsQ7p5Ym2-1vhpC6o1IMGJMUs9RJ8UXJvwBzpHBJUBtqPaVsrm-Fb3YOZCCWB=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then leave PB alt. walkers route and continue on sunken bridleway track to Charlesworth</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjW_ThKItPOIEzYNePOdxjmBOAa4xWzTu-PltxEGTXMhQlnYdyWt7xQtg7ua7q1H9ctadrL_nmMnZFUKj6QLbs3mW7JQO6JWL0-owGtGP4auGU-i1NIX46c9qNV6aXBZVV4pUU6Ds7143esOnKRrO0vIJOpZ18tDwK8BthHRjPW58n4_WS9_hIrBpJU=s951" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="951" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjW_ThKItPOIEzYNePOdxjmBOAa4xWzTu-PltxEGTXMhQlnYdyWt7xQtg7ua7q1H9ctadrL_nmMnZFUKj6QLbs3mW7JQO6JWL0-owGtGP4auGU-i1NIX46c9qNV6aXBZVV4pUU6Ds7143esOnKRrO0vIJOpZ18tDwK8BthHRjPW58n4_WS9_hIrBpJU=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cross A626 at Charlesworth (Care!)<br />Rejoining PB alt. walkers route, continue down Long Lane (use pavement)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>3) Bankwood Gate, </b><br />Following Trans Pennine Trail (PB alt. walkers route)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguQbsWuaiZB1v8dmOkI5fP5Qor7OXb1dP1NTHe_E7E4nGPdIc28KIVCLTLjHyBxYwXz7WmVfPjJ5GSgnbYCMR8hx7b4RvvFkZF3iuwhI-J0zcYNacWPL2-dcNchozhyMjCQ-ZQty3g2ev9NTaG6hvVK5DaIYV9qOqSlZnXf-PEjEnFslv6jfeeoAJ2=s960" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguQbsWuaiZB1v8dmOkI5fP5Qor7OXb1dP1NTHe_E7E4nGPdIc28KIVCLTLjHyBxYwXz7WmVfPjJ5GSgnbYCMR8hx7b4RvvFkZF3iuwhI-J0zcYNacWPL2-dcNchozhyMjCQ-ZQty3g2ev9NTaG6hvVK5DaIYV9qOqSlZnXf-PEjEnFslv6jfeeoAJ2=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cross river over footbridge beside road<br />Uphill on pavement <br />Lymefield Garden Centre Tea Room (outside seating) open Mon-Sat 09:30 to 17:00</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaDaunuX7fzj_4-bm_j8TiKGAmN9tpG59PP-yUcxx2w8sjGjgNfqUWNlHSgnN9KJlmYVL4nQncNU-j1JmQa6cOfGeHxWpXrPM5nRvoLi7yLmWu1RILTuikLbTgIcQ064RygaJMh3NqepF9_P2r-6h6Pb8eG4W5T8x6Pdp5v4k97gIb5muWF2EilVMz=s745" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="745" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaDaunuX7fzj_4-bm_j8TiKGAmN9tpG59PP-yUcxx2w8sjGjgNfqUWNlHSgnN9KJlmYVL4nQncNU-j1JmQa6cOfGeHxWpXrPM5nRvoLi7yLmWu1RILTuikLbTgIcQ064RygaJMh3NqepF9_P2r-6h6Pb8eG4W5T8x6Pdp5v4k97gIb5muWF2EilVMz=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">China Town Chinese Take Away open Wed & Thurs 16:30 to 22:30</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Under railway bridge<br />Turn right onto Hague Road track.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYk_M8guIKFH89U_obrI48NAG50TAkUQDlKZRNiGFlpUSxKBd6STunNVL7qWkIu10wjypMiv2Lp71GbZ4IZucSeRSY3kj9cRcSZhW9enmAUNXqsocel2ozC9XoOize_4DYaxQQymLg758pTb1-0QEzJAHlCK_A344PzAsjwdRd4GMmUBtPJnopt9xd=s366" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="366" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYk_M8guIKFH89U_obrI48NAG50TAkUQDlKZRNiGFlpUSxKBd6STunNVL7qWkIu10wjypMiv2Lp71GbZ4IZucSeRSY3kj9cRcSZhW9enmAUNXqsocel2ozC9XoOize_4DYaxQQymLg758pTb1-0QEzJAHlCK_A344PzAsjwdRd4GMmUBtPJnopt9xd=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>4) Route past through farms at The Hague</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Following Thameside Trail (PB alt. walkers route) </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivFYnBWI5oOkt3PpHkaf2a2JzHCMmbR0Gcj9idX8m8fevxWqP-2sDeU_mS3HJ63p0pZbwH7uBzo_-jZtaI0l37P93aQFQSRngKT7P4tO6Zv0kQywvw6rLoP_oxxOk6pWtsBg7r8lWwLiotHCBoATYjscHaoqnTaqomxv_fQLhPqiHCqAhkYBR_x_mA=s179" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="165" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivFYnBWI5oOkt3PpHkaf2a2JzHCMmbR0Gcj9idX8m8fevxWqP-2sDeU_mS3HJ63p0pZbwH7uBzo_-jZtaI0l37P93aQFQSRngKT7P4tO6Zv0kQywvw6rLoP_oxxOk6pWtsBg7r8lWwLiotHCBoATYjscHaoqnTaqomxv_fQLhPqiHCqAhkYBR_x_mA" width="165" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqZcY59OwEr37WoZRjIL-UgoaV4uVadOuDaBsrtbQkimX4ssbuum2yx3lBLBsVejrY1yt9Gklk-E-2stzHnB_omifjhvcyTcFMjTJW0wGXS_OFRbjK7q14ZD20vSdwv_ANHKVgDpTE_dNiBBK245a2scxCVG7qid2uLFWWUWJza67LTXbPVynMF7Ii=s960" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqZcY59OwEr37WoZRjIL-UgoaV4uVadOuDaBsrtbQkimX4ssbuum2yx3lBLBsVejrY1yt9Gklk-E-2stzHnB_omifjhvcyTcFMjTJW0wGXS_OFRbjK7q14ZD20vSdwv_ANHKVgDpTE_dNiBBK245a2scxCVG7qid2uLFWWUWJza67LTXbPVynMF7Ii=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Through the intial area of farmhouses, up to gate with CCTV sign on.<br />There is a narrow 'kissing gate' on the left side.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxIGXwUyURZWWWv64_YfLrnC_SWQYSDNok_6F94yMdGuxIZlU0xJVZo0OaNyH713LKXk2CB7O3YN4avmX2vpYjmVYgwPvPRKtg6MdsGDocRMy_mKffNe5Rd_Zsyk-fwXQ1A61aL4LloyMSv5J-ExuMyZcn_jCishX0T44qJNq-7C0rumbfJQt4QjQK=s960" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxIGXwUyURZWWWv64_YfLrnC_SWQYSDNok_6F94yMdGuxIZlU0xJVZo0OaNyH713LKXk2CB7O3YN4avmX2vpYjmVYgwPvPRKtg6MdsGDocRMy_mKffNe5Rd_Zsyk-fwXQ1A61aL4LloyMSv5J-ExuMyZcn_jCishX0T44qJNq-7C0rumbfJQt4QjQK=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Keep looking for the black and white PB alt. walkers route disks.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpDiaW0vbe3Gj8UKzyUTzELCmBLGfB8s9_Imh-O3qeAIkH3ZWyMQ47_mGRkEcXf7jVTrpfe-naJgxvb0CjaKfwVMUhMRmKpr38li_Brw-LrwYrMUTYe5e9hivjcG-0wUhgaLbvZnCiSui7XCDFgvqmv9MQGLoXGKG-ic6bgf5AbT1H0L8LvzZk2_ES=s960" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpDiaW0vbe3Gj8UKzyUTzELCmBLGfB8s9_Imh-O3qeAIkH3ZWyMQ47_mGRkEcXf7jVTrpfe-naJgxvb0CjaKfwVMUhMRmKpr38li_Brw-LrwYrMUTYe5e9hivjcG-0wUhgaLbvZnCiSui7XCDFgvqmv9MQGLoXGKG-ic6bgf5AbT1H0L8LvzZk2_ES=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Red herring - our route is not over the style.<br />Pass through the narrow stone pillars on the left side of the iron gate.<br />This is a public right of way.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Past riding menage and emerging into fields.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiF4o5x-LQSKIcgxUUcx3CGkqpxAIQY07OOM0oTOvtLoaZEtP_bDFvJRLvUEa2LkBx6fj4vCu0AuLWP7FZKtMC8643OV60iTiXgPO7oH_oNDdfciM0L8K6KUIhV3hnBYe65uTl1FeqQY6QbG6ugv4Ply3UKYkoe1CTJUI0MO9OwwoaVxmAWPtkXDVVE=s960" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiF4o5x-LQSKIcgxUUcx3CGkqpxAIQY07OOM0oTOvtLoaZEtP_bDFvJRLvUEa2LkBx6fj4vCu0AuLWP7FZKtMC8643OV60iTiXgPO7oH_oNDdfciM0L8K6KUIhV3hnBYe65uTl1FeqQY6QbG6ugv4Ply3UKYkoe1CTJUI0MO9OwwoaVxmAWPtkXDVVE=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGhITjc_vSFXJmAFjaey45xQ76BeY0HW4RJwhqTR8Aw5wga3st-jQV1wX41BtDUI_D4Pq78aQDZkn1Png2h5tYPNVqyyDOrQSXJrfAv_dpBduKiPFF0UAe8GtdZkNF7JEMsqYp-5QejI_npDVdVb9Sx2i7FliDPjjpT4ySJDcS6_Ie42xRC2jjbJZZ=s4624" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGhITjc_vSFXJmAFjaey45xQ76BeY0HW4RJwhqTR8Aw5wga3st-jQV1wX41BtDUI_D4Pq78aQDZkn1Png2h5tYPNVqyyDOrQSXJrfAv_dpBduKiPFF0UAe8GtdZkNF7JEMsqYp-5QejI_npDVdVb9Sx2i7FliDPjjpT4ySJDcS6_Ie42xRC2jjbJZZ=s320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><b>5) Padlocked gate preventing access through Tara Brook Farm stableyard</b><br />Route around - At padlocked gate, turn right follow hedge to track (shown as black parallel lines on map). Use metal farm gate, there's a unusual sliding metal latch. Please close gate. Turn left on a short section of track to rejoin Thameside Trail on far side of the stableyard and use the driveway (public right of way) to main road. <br />Cross A57 (care!) <br />Directly opposite, following Thameside Trail (PB alt. walkers route)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiq_0rbeDYJ71c4yQvRbxoGxA7hwNC1dZaw0QfNVTOnW6912JlaCGZa0vyJ5NPnDsrJ3sNxVte73yKN786RYBNgOuyYhyx8JMUOScR1hzFHTzceMQTqwcEWnVqolUTfSR-x2nqR3eGB2XbsqKoX13tSaD7VoKjn-phW8IOUjQZdOznkXGXGCMHda5dv=s161" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="161" data-original-width="154" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiq_0rbeDYJ71c4yQvRbxoGxA7hwNC1dZaw0QfNVTOnW6912JlaCGZa0vyJ5NPnDsrJ3sNxVte73yKN786RYBNgOuyYhyx8JMUOScR1hzFHTzceMQTqwcEWnVqolUTfSR-x2nqR3eGB2XbsqKoX13tSaD7VoKjn-phW8IOUjQZdOznkXGXGCMHda5dv" width="154" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>6) At Hollingworth, cross A628</b> (Care! Use Pedestrian Crossing)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cosy Cafe open Wed & Thurs 09:00 to 15:00,<br />One Stop & Brightmores food stores within 100m of the crossing</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Green Lane<br />Public Footpath finger post and PB alt. walkers route disk<br />Around Meadowbank Farm and continue north<br />Following Thameside Trail (PB alt. walkers route)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7BHWkiDWv97XR56rhz6yimdaZZkiotS8zI7XG3QOSw-L1QmDDWRwQ7h8TrfpRa4uPkrsGaHVhuJYB1dGNhsXcMnhY2fSZV5Om4XSJuoOakiDAb6CjxhDi27d0-BodAjYHPb2YhQ1v3y9IAolOAOnByCYsnwCL3nIHv6fORqtyI2_Re1qRfbQhqhWY=s239" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="239" data-original-width="202" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7BHWkiDWv97XR56rhz6yimdaZZkiotS8zI7XG3QOSw-L1QmDDWRwQ7h8TrfpRa4uPkrsGaHVhuJYB1dGNhsXcMnhY2fSZV5Om4XSJuoOakiDAb6CjxhDi27d0-BodAjYHPb2YhQ1v3y9IAolOAOnByCYsnwCL3nIHv6fORqtyI2_Re1qRfbQhqhWY" width="202" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0bTIl8l5OA7j3xqMZGAHJ5V1uHhrW4nKIt_-JF8bNljfpqGTZQ_OnIZQZTKrpQuKr0ErmctCP5Q2_naDxoOJZV7G_a4uRzl9l-O_ZbZc7HRDMHTfFHwNDtlJy1PvnVDGn4B-R6frsVMu4oU3ecBZKxVixFd7l0nOGTzbjNtgfZ9ltHR-DdMRAoYR3=s4624" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3472" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0bTIl8l5OA7j3xqMZGAHJ5V1uHhrW4nKIt_-JF8bNljfpqGTZQ_OnIZQZTKrpQuKr0ErmctCP5Q2_naDxoOJZV7G_a4uRzl9l-O_ZbZc7HRDMHTfFHwNDtlJy1PvnVDGn4B-R6frsVMu4oU3ecBZKxVixFd7l0nOGTzbjNtgfZ9ltHR-DdMRAoYR3=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhunzf__wFqU8yJn6dS4l7P9gAIK6NloiXp1d7nWBxBZELgHY3EgDy9ksZT6mOmU4aPiXBAFg9RFONj6l1dFU_BOXWtH5SS6whmIUOSOsWxKYiEfbEAuN9vRKhu4FTLB5_qvidnviSCb101-DIbFcDZOUEHZn7Z7pThMxQlhcFYA97u5eAKOBAHZFRd=s4624" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhunzf__wFqU8yJn6dS4l7P9gAIK6NloiXp1d7nWBxBZELgHY3EgDy9ksZT6mOmU4aPiXBAFg9RFONj6l1dFU_BOXWtH5SS6whmIUOSOsWxKYiEfbEAuN9vRKhu4FTLB5_qvidnviSCb101-DIbFcDZOUEHZn7Z7pThMxQlhcFYA97u5eAKOBAHZFRd=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><p></p>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2700066836432174565.post-47279981035697632582021-05-10T19:37:00.004+00:002021-05-10T20:33:16.130+00:00#060 Peak District PSPO wildfire prevention order<p>On 16th April 2021 the High Peak Borough Council (HPBC) implemented a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to make the use of any flame generating device illegal within public areas of the Peak District National Park.</p><p><a href="https://www.highpeak.gov.uk/article/6595/Protection-Orders-approved-to-try-and-stop-wildfires" target="_blank">Link to HPBC PSPO Wildfires</a></p><p>This action has been prompted by an escalating incidence of wildfires which have been started by careless, ignorant or willfully destructive use of fireworks, disposable BBQ's and Chinese lanterns. These have been the most publicised and predominant causes of wildfires reported in the media, along with arson.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJoQbLGivw6pB-5yPcSsa1PTR5UszTeyx5Mt4nEKIcxCRRBIIC9snlE0PjlXHPXBCR5k-y9xODv9qzxHxaf1-E6IS_QkEt_l5AVw24RtBPrVX3z92JDzkw4xNFIy8sLWmkCRRexyK7bw/s299/Fire-Risk-Sign-WEB.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJoQbLGivw6pB-5yPcSsa1PTR5UszTeyx5Mt4nEKIcxCRRBIIC9snlE0PjlXHPXBCR5k-y9xODv9qzxHxaf1-E6IS_QkEt_l5AVw24RtBPrVX3z92JDzkw4xNFIy8sLWmkCRRexyK7bw/s0/Fire-Risk-Sign-WEB.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Peak District National Park</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Over the years there have been many appeals and attempts to educate the public about the dangers and consequences of using disposable BBQ's on tinder dry moorland. At many entry points to access land there are conspicuous signs warning of the fire danger and stating no lighting of fires. Along with so many moorland fires in the past couple of years seen on television news, its hard to believe that anyone can be genuinely unaware of the causes of this problem.</p><p><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cq5p6wx822pt/england-moor-fires" target="_blank">Link to: BBC - Drone footage of moorland fire aftermath captured by Holme Valley MRT</a></p><p>Its an issue which has obvious consequences for wildlife and our natural environment. The grasses and sphagnum which grow on top of peat do suffer from drying in prolonged periods of drought. This spring, with the exception of a few very wet days, has been very dry. So when rain falls as a deluge rather than consistently, water flashes off the top before having time to soak into the underlying peat. </p><p>This is where the real problems start for firefighters dealing with uncontrolled moorland fires. If the fire also burns downward into dry peat, then the fire can burn underground and unpredictably erupt in different locations. Even after the original area has been extinguished and dampened down.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6Xt3uD2Zcs1AbNS0tcTFD3hnnkD3BiN27Wznh5Y_FLgh2rfNFcLYjd_gNmme_5FQQDj_I6t1FWljzQavdLQ4EGeMeIJ46aEo-eNSxCHJ1JPI-Snk-XqdGgwA3IsBiXoHPdk1AnOYjlk/s710/banner-fre-fighting.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="710" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6Xt3uD2Zcs1AbNS0tcTFD3hnnkD3BiN27Wznh5Y_FLgh2rfNFcLYjd_gNmme_5FQQDj_I6t1FWljzQavdLQ4EGeMeIJ46aEo-eNSxCHJ1JPI-Snk-XqdGgwA3IsBiXoHPdk1AnOYjlk/w400-h131/banner-fre-fighting.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Peak District National Park</td></tr></tbody></table><p>There is also a financial cost to wildfires. Yes, the fire brigade is funded by public money. But every time they are called out to a moorland fire (either set by malicious intent or ignorance) it uses up this public money in time and equipment. As well as taking up resources which are better kept in readiness for saving people's lives. Manchester Evening News reporting in April 2019 on the Stalybridge fire:</p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>"The National Trust, which provided a helicopter to dump water from above, at a cost of £2000 a day, believes that £360,000 which was spent to restoring a habitat on the moor has been lost"</b></span></p><p><a href="https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/moorland-fires-saddleworth-marsden-cost-16175534" target="_blank">Link to: Manchester Eveining News - The True Cost Of Moorland Fire</a></p><p>Then there's the cost of restoring the moorland. The most recent fire on Marsden Moor this April is estimated to have cost £200,000 in damage and resources. All due to the thoughtless use of a disposable BBQ.</p><p><a href="https://www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk/news/19276769.200k-cost-marsden-moor-fire-revealed-national-trust/">Link to: The Oldham Times - Conservation chief fears a 'summer of hell'</a></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9L8Kyd7ognkHqFSyr3MQHPpHe6y9grlwDauWArifCnupodSQcEstV4-Zx_ToXxFyWbVoQpHKqN7JiTIUxD9TD4TKLNozFd9hi1wUew6W8XW_FREPBG6Amg_LkBiqxKZCXMGrvhGRE3Vk/s1200/0_KV_MEN_MarsdenMoor_03.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9L8Kyd7ognkHqFSyr3MQHPpHe6y9grlwDauWArifCnupodSQcEstV4-Zx_ToXxFyWbVoQpHKqN7JiTIUxD9TD4TKLNozFd9hi1wUew6W8XW_FREPBG6Amg_LkBiqxKZCXMGrvhGRE3Vk/s320/0_KV_MEN_MarsdenMoor_03.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Manchester Evening News</td></tr></tbody></table><p>But, if there's no danger to life, homes or property, why not just let the fire burn itself out and save all that money on putting it out? </p><p>What is perhaps not as well known is that blanket bog, the thin layer of vegetation on top of peat, is highly effective at extracting carbon dioxide, a powerful greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere. As older plants are replaced with fresh growth, they decay into peat locking away the CO2. Scientific studies of blanket bog have shown that, for an equivalent area, it is more efficient than rainforest at holding CO2. But when it is set alight, the greenhouse gasses are released back into the atmosphere.</p><p>Therefore, this special but delicate environment is of crucial benefit to us all in buffering the effects of climate change resulting from the activities of a growing global population.</p><p><a href="https://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/learning-about/news/current-news/counting-the-climate-change-cost-of-moorland-wildfires">Link to: Peak District - Counting the climate change cost of moorland fires</a></p><p>"But, I'm a responsible person and only light my BBQ at the roadside"<br />"But, I only light my campfire on stony ground"<br />"But, I use a gas stove and always away from ignition sources"<br />"But, I would only use my device in wet, wintery, conditions"</p><p>While some of these <b><i>may</i></b> sound like reasonable exceptions. The PSPO includes all flame generating devices, <i><b>including gas stoves</b></i>. So, unfortunately, as is the way of the world and the law in the UK, the rest of us pay the price for the actions of the few. The price in this case is a fixed penalty notice of £100 for being in breach of the order. Or fine of £2000 of the case goes to court (ref: <a href="https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/fires-lead-barbecues-fireworks-being-5354304" target="_blank">Derby Telegraph 29th April 2021</a> )</p><p>It seems like enforcement of the PSPO will be a case of being caught in the act. Or at least caught without a reasonable excuse of possession. Making it, absolutely rightly, extremely difficult to justify having a disposable BBQ or Chinese Lantern about one's person while walking up onto Kinder, for example. </p><p><a href="https://www.highpeak.gov.uk/media/6509/Wildfires-PSPO/pdf/IMG_20210416_0001.pdf?m=1619187304987">Link to: Wording of the PSPO</a></p><p>The devil is almost always in the detail. Section 4 b of the order states:</p><p><span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>"...the following is prohibited: Using any article or object which causes a naked flame and thereby poses a risk of fire without the prior written consent of the Borough Council"</b></span></p><p><i><b>'Written consent</b></i> '- if (however unlikely) written consent was given to use a regulated flame device such as a portable gas stove for example. It's safe to say the Borough Council wouldn't grant this without significant indemnity and insurance in case something went wrong and the cost of this ran into hundreds of thousands of pounds. Never mind the public vilification and ensuing reputational damage.</p><p>The PSPO is scheduled to remain in effect for 3 years, with the possibility of extending it beyond this period. It also remains in effect irrespective of season or ground conditions. </p><p>How did we get to a situation where the law has to be applied as such a blunt tool? I've no doubt that the PSPO has the full support of the National Trust, Peak District National Park Authority and the Fire Brigade. For years, these agencies have been at the forefront of putting out and putting right the consequences of wildfires set by people. </p><p>You only have to look back at this guidance poster from 2005, produced by Derbyshire Fire And Rescue Service to see how appeals for moderation and consideration have been long been ignored. But as Dominic Cummins' 30 mile drive to Barnard Castle (to test he was well enough to drive!) during Covid conspicuously illustrated; Human behaviour is very good at justifying how a particular rule doesn't apply because of special circumstances.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKzb9hYuGFaDYI0QX-D4uE6HeeNjUiAvmIC27_bRUddA_lrN2GDyVqDCr0-IQdXNXJOlGNLZGuTyIMTGIl1viTgGPhHOsd9TBjSdb8XxJ0eZUDxXKZWLxO94RKmYERv7-vQ_IEu843NA/s618/Picture1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="618" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKzb9hYuGFaDYI0QX-D4uE6HeeNjUiAvmIC27_bRUddA_lrN2GDyVqDCr0-IQdXNXJOlGNLZGuTyIMTGIl1viTgGPhHOsd9TBjSdb8XxJ0eZUDxXKZWLxO94RKmYERv7-vQ_IEu843NA/w400-h285/Picture1.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjjUrXnxUkVtqlA8F58msykzZgaAlm-YqCOBJIm7N7O24GKx1hYNF1ssjQlTt6IDDMguUzqTWDF2YPtyw5SLPE4DMNS1KbYRccRBeMFzS6f0NPznEDCTq51_99YK3CzMx7x3G5pg5C5Q/s610/Picture2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="610" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjjUrXnxUkVtqlA8F58msykzZgaAlm-YqCOBJIm7N7O24GKx1hYNF1ssjQlTt6IDDMguUzqTWDF2YPtyw5SLPE4DMNS1KbYRccRBeMFzS6f0NPznEDCTq51_99YK3CzMx7x3G5pg5C5Q/w400-h281/Picture2.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>So, where do we go from here? I'm no doubt not the only person who is hoping that the PSPO brings about not just awareness, but compliance with respect to the usage disposable BBQ's and Lanterns. Such that they become unquestionably and universally seen as wholly inappropriate and unacceptable in the Peak District National Park. And all other fragile environments like SSSI's (Sites Of Special Scientific Interest) etc.<div><br /></div><div>While being very conscious of being seen to bleating special circumstances. I don't know what the incidence of fires caused by small portable gas stoves is, although I venture to say that due to the device having a controllable, regulated flame (and semi-enclosed in the case of Jetboil types), it is far less than than open fire BBQ's. Perhaps a degree of tolerance and refinement of the PSPO wording regarding small portable gas stoves, used in <b>appropriate context</b>, may be <b>officially</b> forthcoming <b>in time. </b>So that Mountain Leaders and other hill professionals can lawfully train clients in hill skills. <b>Thus, in the future, hill users can act with informed responsibility.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, what alternatives to portable gas stoves (such as Jetboil) are available to hikers wanting or needing some hot food on a long day's trek?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTl9Bk7bmSZZM_hmxP9aFCdIpR6gq19zgcpiWkD230Mv8nL0UxlRlqy6LabiT7kwDmQ4v67SO2sydSRPPBLp07f2YauHVP91K1XTMR5L2kUMo-mpJrz0Od-AtP5v-gY2is4KEYReggI0/s2048/IMG_20210508_185330.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1658" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTl9Bk7bmSZZM_hmxP9aFCdIpR6gq19zgcpiWkD230Mv8nL0UxlRlqy6LabiT7kwDmQ4v67SO2sydSRPPBLp07f2YauHVP91K1XTMR5L2kUMo-mpJrz0Od-AtP5v-gY2is4KEYReggI0/s320/IMG_20210508_185330.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>Perhaps the easiest, cleanest and most environmentally conscious way is to take a decent flask that will keep water hot for several hours. Then, add it's contents to a dry rehydration type meal. There's obviously going to be an element of compromise here compared to freshly boiled water in that:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The rehydration time is likely to be longer</li><li>The resulting meal is not going to be as hot</li><li>Some meals / brands may work better than others, requiring experimentation</li><li>But, this might still be better than a cold cheese sandwich</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3EjaMQ05TKQ4KGdozEZ3ZY_qqNCnCrLkZCtC27gXbpWVAFsIN2fK6iTlLAwgc2xUO7Hli0SEqsinKR5GDEvT_MYnP47bTMKtQSytXIJYxYySa88S0kfz_MhBbi29pCdqtO3vEwHRj2Eg/s2048/IMG_20210508_185137.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1466" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3EjaMQ05TKQ4KGdozEZ3ZY_qqNCnCrLkZCtC27gXbpWVAFsIN2fK6iTlLAwgc2xUO7Hli0SEqsinKR5GDEvT_MYnP47bTMKtQSytXIJYxYySa88S0kfz_MhBbi29pCdqtO3vEwHRj2Eg/s320/IMG_20210508_185137.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Another method is to use a flameless chemical heater. These sometimes come with RTE (ready to eat meals). Simply place the RTE meal pouch inside the chemical heater pouch and add a quantity of water. A heat generating chemical reaction takes place, making steam inside the pouch and transferring energy into the meal. At least that is what's supposed to happen, but I have a rather hit-and-miss experience with these. They are good when they work but there are a number of downsides:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>You need to use a very precise amount of water</li><li>Even then the reaction might not get properly going</li><li>The chemical and manufacture residue can't be particularly great for the environment</li><li>Increased potential for waste packaging on the moors if not taken home and properly disposed of</li><li>RTE meals have significantly fewer calories compared to dry rehydration meals ref my blog test: <a href="https://stuwestfield.blogspot.com/2015/10/018-hill-food-on-test-rehydrated-wet.html">#018 Hill Food On Test</a></li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPi8-90Wo9mSHNf1_1lIDfBttiodHb80O9DfcJDOzEUtzng-By1M1TSefJWcGDfIIVtYCMO04m5L9JAOiw5BM_R_8MoXHYE4oBW5ollnUjF5f6nZ4DcHVaRMs2dreQa8Dn_M8IjhQ4Rmc/s2048/IMG_20210508_185206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1528" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPi8-90Wo9mSHNf1_1lIDfBttiodHb80O9DfcJDOzEUtzng-By1M1TSefJWcGDfIIVtYCMO04m5L9JAOiw5BM_R_8MoXHYE4oBW5ollnUjF5f6nZ4DcHVaRMs2dreQa8Dn_M8IjhQ4Rmc/s320/IMG_20210508_185206.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div></div><div>For all my <span style="color: #04ff00;"><b>Ranger Expeditions</b></span> guided walks which include on-route refreshments (Peak District 3 Peaks Challenge / Edale Skyline / Kinder Scout Summer Sunrise Breakfast Special) we use flasks with hot water (boiled remotely) along with pre-packaged sandwiches and other food. In our traditions of helping our clients journey with maximum enjoyment of their experience and the surrounding environment.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbE9zvAGWEwoRQnYRU_3WJwJFt2f4ZODE94geUsNWDrlZ7hCsFeIZ9UbbjuvOrDZ6OYN2Mgpfa5EwDmzSGV_So-IAAfooEw5iKdvjMl1HdAcyDyQArv9Q8PswnTWuNKLqb91jlrTzF-XQ/s2048/IMG_20210501_120906_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1876" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbE9zvAGWEwoRQnYRU_3WJwJFt2f4ZODE94geUsNWDrlZ7hCsFeIZ9UbbjuvOrDZ6OYN2Mgpfa5EwDmzSGV_So-IAAfooEw5iKdvjMl1HdAcyDyQArv9Q8PswnTWuNKLqb91jlrTzF-XQ/s320/IMG_20210501_120906_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Also demonstrating our support for the Fire Service and Peak District National Part Authority in the mission to halt the blight of wildfires.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://rangerexped.co.uk/index.php/peak-district-3-peaks-challenge/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Link to: Peak District 3 Peaks Challenge</span></a></div><div><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://rangerexped.co.uk/index.php/edale-skyline-challenge/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Link to: Edale Skyline</span></a></div><div><p><a href="https://rangerexped.co.uk/index.php/summer-specials/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #04ff00; font-size: medium;">Link to: Kinder Scout Summer Sunrise Breakfast Special</span></a><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPEf58Q-GDhEt0KidDicW_hwTOauDiIAF2pXiYtd-b3P5MDgCfwn1iJwvraBY9ZNBr50wsELx0LPhkYnbEl9zue7CHru3OjamVlLDXKXGhsS3m4MlaSHQF_1yxkLo2UjpumoMvX6O6fLY/s1422/RANGER_BLACK.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1421" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPEf58Q-GDhEt0KidDicW_hwTOauDiIAF2pXiYtd-b3P5MDgCfwn1iJwvraBY9ZNBr50wsELx0LPhkYnbEl9zue7CHru3OjamVlLDXKXGhsS3m4MlaSHQF_1yxkLo2UjpumoMvX6O6fLY/w200-h200/RANGER_BLACK.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjos6Sam1bNH36YhlWHryTvyDy9VC0DkzXU-kK3zOyX1aG3q_cso7eHMDwOUHgA2KKflKC9RA4E9lMZifLlmbDLNuhjHmhccft25QuzF6-uEcMVidJFl0N-6dhEnPzNRSczSTyJ_5aGDns/s769/Good+To+Go+England+Green.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="769" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjos6Sam1bNH36YhlWHryTvyDy9VC0DkzXU-kK3zOyX1aG3q_cso7eHMDwOUHgA2KKflKC9RA4E9lMZifLlmbDLNuhjHmhccft25QuzF6-uEcMVidJFl0N-6dhEnPzNRSczSTyJ_5aGDns/w200-h200/Good+To+Go+England+Green.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><br /><br /></div>Stu Westfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12780883354814376358noreply@blogger.com0