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King Edward monument – Burgh by Sands

Yesterday our update ended after our walk in Finglandrigg Wood  however, we managed to get a second walk done as we visited the King Edward 1 Monument at Burgh by Sands.

Burgh, pronounced brough as in woof, is on the Solway plain between Scotland and England and is the site possibly for the remotest monument for a monarch anywhere.

We followed the roadsigns from the village to a small car parking area and then continued on foot down a farm track.

You can see the monument in the distance slightly to your left as you walk away from the carpark.

Charlie once again was in charge and covered most ground as he sniffed first oneside of the road then the other not wishing to miss anything.

The firm, but slightly dirty, farm track led to a stile and onto the Solway Marshes.

A finger post sign indicates, as if you can’t work it out, that the monument is to your left and that we need to be kept on our leads as it is lambing time. 

The grass here tasted quite salty and was quite short.  In the distance were a number of sheep and we kept our distance following the faint path across the undulating  marsh.

Unlike our earlier walk this land was not really too boggy so we could scamper about quite easily without getting too dirty.

As we approached the monument we noticed that it was surrounded by a small wall with very tall railings.

A padlocked gate stopped us from entering onto the actual memorial site  so we walked all around to see what we could see.

As we looked out across the Solway the monument was the tallest structure for miles around and in winter this place must be horrible as no shelter could be seen.

King Edward I, or Longshanks as he was known due to his height of 1.88m, made camp here as he made one of his many campaigns against the Scots.

A plaque at the base of the sandstone monument reads

King Edward I Monument ( built 1685)

Edward I fought a long bitter campaign to conquer Scotland

Old and sick he made camp on these marshes whilst preparing to subdue his enemy Robert The Bruce.

Edward died here on July 7 1307

 
King Edward was laid in the nearby St Michael’s Church, in the former county of Cumberland, before being taken to Westminster Abbey in London for burial.

His tomb is marked by a simple stone slab which bears the epitaph ‘Here lies Edward, the Hammer of the Scots’.

After we had enjoyed the sunshine and had a bit of a rest we started our walk back to the car.

This meant we had to negotiate the stile again and as is now customary we did a bit of limbo and sneaked under the fence whilst mum and dad struggled to climb over the top whist holding onto our leads.

Charlie spotted a drinking trough on our journey back up the hill and just stopped, as by now he was thirsty again.

Dad reached through the fence to see if the inlet valve worked, it did, so now came the question of how to get our drink.

Dad thought he would be clever and using a trick he learnt in the Scouts many years back made a paper cup from a piece of paper.  It fell apart as soon as we started to lick.  

Mum then had an idea and using a small plastic bag she had in her pocket  she proceeded to make a small bowl.  

Fantastic,  fresh clean water and loads of it.

After two walks we had started to look a bit grubby and so when we returned home it was straight to the bath and a good wash down.  

We were actually very muddy and mum had to was us both twice.  

We had had a great day and some fantastic new sniffs.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie.

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We visit Finglandrigg Wood near Kirkbride

With the dry weather continuing we managed once again to get in to the big world for another adventure this week and our travels took us to a place where we could have so much fun.

Finglandrigg Wood was until now unknown to any of us and was another one of those places you would normally just pass by in the car on your way to somewhere else.

Our original destination was to be Silloth by the sea and our route was to be via the backroads out of the city.  

Dad prefers the quiet country roads when he has time as he says you can stop easily if something takes your eye or you can enjoy the drive a little more at a slower speed.

We left the City behind us and headed out on the B5307.  After about eight miles we noticed a pull in spot ahead and a big white notice saying National Nature Reserve.  

With a place to park the car and the prospect of some new sniffs we just had to stop and investigate.

At the entrance to the reserve was a large noticeboard explaining that we should be kept on a lead so as not to frighten sheep or disturb the wildlife.  The information panel also went on to explain the route we could take and what we could hope to see on our visit.

Leading away from the carpark, past some picnic tables and a bike rack, was a slightly muddy farm track.  It was at this point mum pointed out that her shoes were ideal for the paths at Silloth and not ideal for tramping.  She should have known better coming out with us and dad.

We soon left the track and emerged into a woodland with a dry cinder type footpath underfoot.  Marker posts with green and blue arrows showed us which way to go but Charlie just led the way.

To one side of us were cattle grazing in a field whilst to our right was the quite open forest.  

It was not a heavily wooded forest but quite airy and full of sniffs.

Mum commented that she did not see many of the usual flowers or plants living on the ground as she would have expected and wondered how unusual this seemed.

Above us in the trees were many bird boxes and quite a few unusual conical shaped white fronted houses.  The entrance holes to these  were more like a slit and mum thought these could be homes for bats.

The firm path gave way to a slightly damp path after about 15 minutes.  Although sprinkled with large amounts of wood chips the path was a little soft in places and we heard again about mums shoes…. Oh well, we were enjoying ourselves.

We continued  along the path and stretched out before us was many hundreds of meters of what looked to be decking made from recycled plastic.  

This kept the worst of the dirt from our legs and tummies.  Dad still hasn’t arranged mud flaps for us yet.

The gaps between the boards were also quite close so we didn’t get our paws stuck.

Following the blue arrows we came upon a strange construction to the edge of a field.  

The associated sign board read that it was an Chalybeate Well. I investigated and looking down the hole bordered by the three stone slabs could not see anything to drink.   We were quite looking forward to a bit of a drink and were disappointed.

Mum read the sign nearby that explained that this kind of well was used in olden times for it’s healing properties as the water was rich in sulphates.

After seeing the muck at the bottom of this well I don’t think we would be drinking from it.

We retraced our steps back to the last marker post and started to follow the red arrows to Little Bampton Common, as the path in front of us looked a little muddy.

It was noticible as we passed through the gate between the woodland and the Common area how the vegetation changed and how open the sky had become.

Yellow flowered gorse bushes now littered the landscape and we had grass under our paws.  The ground also felt a little soft and springy.  

The path led us to a wooden pathway which stretched out in front like a big white snake. 

Wire mesh covered the boards to stop mum and dad slipping.  The installation of this bit of path must have taken weeks of work as it made it’s way across a peat bog.

If we peered over the low safety edge we could see water for a drink but it did look a bit funny all black and strange.  

It also smelt a little unusual, like the garden compost bin at home.

Around half way along this path was a seat where we took a moment to take in our surroundings.

The landscape, like the water seemed a little wierd.  We could not see any animals or hear anything scuttle on the ground but we knew we were being watched.  

We found that we could only walk on the wooden platform or we would be swallowed by the soft ground.  This was unlike anything we had experienced before.

Time was getting on and we were in need of a drink so we turned back and headed back to the car where some fresh water awaited us.

On our return journey mum spotted some foxgloves and a wild daffodil.  You can read about these over at OldVarieties.com

You can read more about this area in this leaflet

Our adventures continue….

 

Buster and Charlie

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Walk: Cummersdale to Denton Holme. Carlisle

Just off the Dalston Road in the south west corner of Carlisle lies the small village of Cummersdale.  

Our walk starts on the far side of the village down by the River Caldew at map reference NY393531.

We park the car in the free road edge car park and head off towards a factory gate.  

The factory, hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the nearby City, is the Stead McAlpin, Cummersdale Print Works.

To the right of the main gate is a tarmac path sandwiched between the factory, on our left and the river to our right.
 
A word of caution here and we must say that the path is shared with cyclists, so take care not to get in the way.
 
The path is well maintained and is of a tarmac construction bordered by a wooden fence to one side so we feel safe and above all stay clean.

Once the factory is behind us we exit onto some wide open fields with the path leading off into the distance.

We see no evidence of sheep or cattle but to be sure, we stay on our leads.  

We meet a number of colleagues happy to be out for their walks.  

Many are running free and throughly enjoying a good run as they can see their humans for quite a distance.

The hedges to our left look as if they have been recently cut as they have sharp angular sides and a flat top.

Mum keeps us away from them as she says that we may get sharp clippings or thorns in our paws.

Charlie finds many new sniffs and has to investigate everything crossing back and forth across the path.

Mum gets a little annoyed as our leads get caught up like the strings of a kite flying in a blustery wind.  

Many new green tubes seem to have been tied to sturdy wooden stakes along this part of the path. Dad explains that the tubes are protecting new trees growing inside from being eaten by rabbits and other animals.  They also act as a defence to strong winds and extremes in temperature

After a few years the new trees will grow big and tall and be able to look after themselves as they poke their leaves above the tubes, he adds.

This area is known as Cummersdale Holmes and is maintained by Carlisle City Council.  

Since the floods that affected large parts of the city  in 2005 this area has been classed a floodwater storage zone.   

Leaving the path for a minute or two we turn right towards the river and follow the line of a recently installed post and wire fence.

Ahead of us is the eastern outline of the city and slightly to the left are the large gasometers clearly visible towering above neighboring buildings on this edge of the city.

At the bottom of this slight hill is what appears to be a wildlife pond behind a fence.  

A notice clearly displayed warns of deep water so we keep away and continue towards the river. 

Charlie stands at the river edge and looks down on to a rusting pipe.

At some stage this was possibly covered by rocks and buried but the constant flow of water now has it revealed and the rust has started to form.

We keep away from the river edge as it looks a little fragile and don’t want to fall in. A small notice a little further on warns mum and dad of the danger and they keep us on short leads for a few minutes.

Here we meet up with two scottie dogs out for a walk.  Their pristine white coats have a tideline of general dirt from their adventures.  

Because of their really short legs even dirty grass leaves a mark on their sides.  

We say hello and continue on our way.  Maybe our paths will cross when we return?

Our grass path leads on to firmer footings as we leave the park area and exit to the rear of the former Ferguson Mill complex.

A once thriving cotton mill business the mill brought prosperity and employment to the City throughout the 1800’s and into the latter half of the Twentieth Century.

Ferguson Brothers Ltd opened the The Holme Head Works in 1824, although there was probably a mill on the site since Medieval times.

The mill processed cotton brought in from the United States, through the Port of Whitehaven and for a short time, Port Carlisle.

The sprawling complex has now been turned in to flats, sorry apartments, with some evidence still remaining of the buildings former life.

Above, what was possibly the main doorway into the offices, is an inscription ‘Ferguson Brothers Limited Registered Office’

Badly flooded in the storms of 2005 this area is undergoing flood defence work and river management to secure premises from any repeat damage.

You can clearly see the new wall built on top of the old as we ran down to the water for a well earned drink and a paddle.

It is hard to imagine that the water would even have been above my mums head as we mess about on this bit of shingle beach.

Ahead of us is not a tidal wave but the water cascading down a weir.

A salmon run is positioned in the middle of the fast flowing water to allow atlantic salmon to return to the spawning grounds in late November to early January.  

The source of the Caldew is on the western slopes of Skiddaw, with tributaries draining the western slopes of Great Calva, High Pike and the Caldbeck Fells.

The works to protect this part of the city  involve replacing some of the old bridges that cross from the Denton Holme area in to the Boustead Grassing area of the city.

Two bridge sections and  a works compound cause us to detour from the normal course of the path as we start to really appreciate the scale of the massive £24m scheme.

We are almost half a mile from where similar works have just finished in Victoria Park and these are only two locations of many dotted around the city.

We decide it is about time to turn back when we spot a little way further, one of the recently installed completed bridges.

The smooth white pillars of the new bridges will allow water to pass uninterrupted on the way to the River Eden about a mile away.

With the photograph taken, we turn around and commence our return journey.

In the spring sunshine the new walls with their white stone caps do not seem out of place and could be said to improve the area.

It is a well known fact that a wall, especially with a flat top, is a magnet for young boys and Charlie is not the exception.

He desperately wants to be lifted up and in the end dad gives in.  

Charlie becomes king of the castle, but is on a short lead so he doesn’t jump or fall off.

We are now walking into the wind and the air takes on a new scent as we approach the Pirelli tyre factory in the distance.

You can faintly smell rubber in the air.

It is not a bad nasty smell, just unusual if you have not experienced it before.

We decide that we will take the path all the way home and avoid the river edge.

The path would be ideal for child buggies, bikes and possibly wheelchairs if you have someone to push or a motorised unit.   

These comments bring us on to the gates at either end of this path.  

Our best description is that they were made by a former shipyard worker as they are the biggest gates we have ever seen.

With narrow swing gates, gaps and wide gates they are a sight to behold.

Charlie eventually finds that he can fit through one gap but is not sure why a solid gate, possibly from a high security prison, is at one end.

If you are ever wanting to see an example of engineering by committee it has to be these structures.  They could however be art?  In which case marvelous, a good use of funds and what an expression of stability.

Our walk is almost at an end but not before dad bursts out laughing at the scene the other side of the wire fence, as we pass back alongside the print works.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie.

Further information

You can download a guide to walking in this area produced by the East Cumbria Countryside Project 

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Birdboxes, cleaning and the seedlings get some sun.

What a busy few days as mum gets the garden ready for spring.

Yesterday started bright and early as mum got it into her head that she needed to be in the garden and tidying. I am glad I am not a weed as they got short shrift as the compost bin was given a hearty meal.

The little bugs and crawly things in there must have had a field day as weed after weed were placed on the top of the heap. Plants that had not survived the winter were dug up, pruning not done in the autumn was done and general winter waste was cleared from the garden.

Buster and I watched for a few minutes then retreated to our kitchen step to keep an eye on things from a distance. This is one of Busters favourite places. He sits on the mat with his head on the threshold and watches.

We have a couple of doves, a blackbird and a courting pair of thrushes as regular visitors to the garden at the moment and with our protection they feed or get a drink from the pond on a regular basis.  They patiently sit on the nearby rooftops whilst mum tidies up.

If a cat comes near we have a system arranged with the blackbirds. They let out the alarm and we come out of the house and chase the cat away. Sometimes a visiting cat will just sit on the fence until we bark at it. They soon get the message that they are not welcome and flee.

 

Cleaning out the greenhouse

Mum moved next to the greenhouse and after making sure no spiders were lurking in the door handle, prepared to enter. Mum hates spiders, so this bit is always fun, as her arms flail about sweeping the air to remove any webs that get near.  

The soft long handled sweeping brush is the weapon of choice for mum, as cobwebs are removed from corners and the ceiling pains of glass.

Everything leaves the glass house and the window is opened wide to even let the stale winter air be replaced by bracing spring freshness.  

The wheelbarrow is pressed into action to be filled high with pots, buckets and seed trays.  This keeps them off the ground away from sniffy noses until they are inspected for nasty bugs and general muck.

 

The seedlings get some sunshine

Windowsills in the house have been full of baby plants for weeks now and today they were allowed out into the big world for the first time.

Hundreds of seedlings were placed on the garden bench and given a good watering.

Every pot and seed tray has been pressed into action this year as mum tries to grow loads of new plants.  Some will be for the garden, some for friends and some will be destined for the allotment.  

What do you call a terrace of birdhouses?

Lined up all in a row are the bird and insect boxes from around the garden as they are inspected, emptied and overhauled ready for the returning animals.

All of the homes are made of wood and need annual cleaning to ensure that bugs and old nesting materials are removed ahead of rehabitation in a few weeks time.

Two bird boxes need some new roofing felt installed as the old covering has cracked and become leaky.  Some new felt is cut from the roll with a sharp knife and tacked, using wide headed galvanised nails, into position.  I keep my distance as mum uses the hammer and sharp blade.

( Just going to break off typing for a moment as something is going on outside.  Next door has his mechanical sheep out for the first time this year. It is making a loud buzzing noise whilst it eats the grass on the front lawn.  It is a strange beast.  He holds it by the back legs whilst its front round legs guide its hidden mouth along the ground.  It eats so much grass that it has to put some in a pouch on it’s back which the man has to empty.)

Now where was I…..

One of the wooden boxes has very thin slits cut into the front of it.  This is for insects and especially ladybirds.  Ladybugs, as mum likes to all them, are good for the garden as they eat small green flies that live on some of the plants.  So we have a special house especially for them.  

Once inspected all of the houses are installed around the garden.  The ladybird house is first and is positioned near to the ground surrounded by some vegetation but not totally covered.  next come the birdboxes and as we have a square garden mum is going to try something new this year.  

The garden is sheltered by houses on most sides however gets the sun in early morning.  So to try and see which position is best for the returning birds she has covered all bases by installing birdboxes on each of the garden fences around the garden.

We will keep you up to date as to if left, right or infront is the preferred garden residence.

 

Until next time

Charlie and Buster

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We’re For Bumble Bees

You may remember last spring when Charlie found this strange buzzy, fluffy thing.

Well, over the winter we have been doing our research and it turns out that these are Bumble Bees and are very important for our garden.

 

Mum says that Bumble Bees are endangered which means they are dying out and may soon be gone from the gardens for ever.  This made us very sad and we decided to see what we could do.

 

There is a very kind organisation called the Bumble Bee Conseravation Trust and they have a wonderful website telling us all about the different types of Bumble Bee and what we can do to help them. They even have one of us…Toby the Springer Spaniel is a Bumble Bee sniffer dog!

They have a list of garden flowers that the Bees need from spring to Summer so we checked it and are pleased that my mum has nearly all of these plants in our garden.

Bumble Bees can’t travel as far as we can walk and they need food within 1.5Km of their home, so we have asked mum and dad if we can put some Bumble Bee Houses in the garden.  Mum is going to make some…we will let you know how she gets on.

We saw a programme about Charles Darwin last night which showed us how horrible field mice had wrecked the Bumble Bee Homes, so we are going to make sure mummy catches all the mice in the garden, but I think she does this anyway because they eat all her seedlings.

We are going to keep a close eye on our Bees this year and we will keep you updated.

Buster.

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We get involved in a world record attempt.

What  a busy weekend we have had.  We have already mentioned our inspection of the flood defences and the works going on at a nearby garden but we also got involved in a world record attempt.

Towards the end of last week we got a message from the Britglyph project who are trying to recreate a very big image out of stones.

The idea of pictures marked out on the ground, a geoglyph,  is not new and dates back thousands of years, but for this piece of art it is set to be one of the biggest.

People throughout the country have been traveling to a number of set locations with a stone and a camera.

Once in position they record their visit as a photograph and leave the stone behind.

Once all the stones are in place an image, based on  John Harrison’s Chronometer H5, will be visible on a map.

The project is being supported by by Shozu and Moblog

We get involved

It was decided that our stone should be placed in Carlisle near to the castle.

Charlie sat next to the stone we had chosen and had his photo taken.  This photo would join the many others on the Britglyph website when we returned home.

My dad had to help us upload the image to the website. He had a few problems until Alfie, from the website, got in touch and sorted things out.

You can now see Charlie sitting next to his rock just next to Carlisle Castle on their website.  

Once the photo was taken we moved the rock to the side of the castle wall, so that it is out of the way of any grass cutting equipment, but still nearby for the world record attempt.

Get involved

You still have time to get involved as a few of the stones have not been placed.  Go along to The Britglyph Project and Own a Moment.

 

We will let you know as soon as we know if the record attempt has been successful.