To me, To you!
HP Halifax DK116 on Glendhu Hill
(Distance covered (1st visit)= 10.5 mile/Ascent =+400m)
and Gloster Meteor WD778 on Knock Fell
(Distance covered (1st visit)= 15.6 mile/Ascent =+1091m)

Heather wasn't born the first time I visited these two crashsites, when I visited them again about 10yrs later she was, but had only just started learning Highland Dancing so wasn't competing yet, and the Meteor crashed on the North Peninnes and the Halifax in Kielder Forest.
But never mind I'll include them anyway's!

I can use my Dog Dating system to work out roughly when I first visited these two crashsites, that doesn't mean I used to go to the pictures with canines, it means I can tell when it was by which dog was with me at the time,in this case it was Sharni so it was early 1990's.


Above and next 5 photos:-Sharni sitting in amongst Halifax wreckage.

On my first visit to this wreck I took the long way around, first going up through a firebreak onto the open hillside of Glendhu Hill, which made it much easier to locate a burn which passed close to the crashsite. There was a distinctive fork in the burn just downhill of the wreckage, so once I found that I knew I was pretty close.


Sharni and a rather thinner version of me. I was taking selfies before the mobile phone was invented.

One thing I can remember was the vast amount of rather large flies that plagued me every second I was at the site, a bit like rain they don't show up on the photos, but they were there. Because of the insect assault I didn't spend much time taking photographs, it was also the age of 35mm so I only had a roll 36 photos to play with anyway. I planned to revisit later on in the year when it was less likely to be overrun with flying insects, but as things transpired I have still not been back.(update:-was back again in 2015*)


Since my visit the site has been tidied and a memorial erected.

The next one on my list at the time was a Gloster Meteor which crashed on Knock Fell in the Northern Pennines.


Sharni, looking fed up as usual, she was always happier lying in front of the fire than doing 10mile hikes with me!

There was actually 6 crashsites on my itinerary for this day, the Meteor being the first. As most of the route was along the Pennine Way it was easy going until the last half a mile which was across bogs and peat hags. The grid ref I had was reasonably accurate so I found the wreckage no bother.

Above and below:-Large crater where the Meteor struck the hill, wreckage is scattered in a north easterly direction for quite a distance from here.

Above and below:-Large lump of wing


Bits of the jet engines,considering the mud, Sharni is amazingly clean.


Jetpipe still attached to a lump of wingspar.


A quick release buckle from a harness, found quite a way to the north east, this will have no doubt now been stolen by souvenier hunters.(update:-yes it indeed has!)

After visiting the Meteor I headed north to Cross Fell to look for a DH60 Moth, a Lockheed Hudson, an Avro Anson, a Handley Page Halifax and a Supermarine Spitfire. As it was rather a warm and very sunny day I had taken my shirt off to walk the mile or so across to Cross Fell and then back down to the car, big mistake; I ended up at the Doctors with an imprint of my rucksack burnt into the sunburn on my back. I've never taken my shirt off in the sun since.
I had no luck whatsoever finding the DH60, Anson and Hudson, because, as I was to find out at a later date, I had innacurate grid references. As it was so hot and I was fed up at my lack of success in finding the three crashsites I didn't bother looking for the other two**. When myself and a very hot and tired Sharni made it back down to the car an old man came out of the adjacent house, I thought he was going to complain about me parking at his door but he had just taken pity on Sharni and asked me into his kitchen so she could cool down and have a drink of water. He also asked if I wanted a cold beer and I can honestly say to this day that is the best beer I have ever had. I just wish he'd offered me some of the Sunday Dinner that I could smell cooking in the arga.


Note the "I really can't be arsed" dog lying on the left on the photo.

About a decade later I attempted to reach the Halifax in Kielder Forest again, hoping that there would be less insects in attendance. I was accompanied this time by my two sons and one of their friends and also our latest Retriever called Misty.


Ben, Connor, Stuart and Misty.

Early enthusiasm from the three boys didn't take long to evaporate and it wasn't long before they were moaning that they were bored or tired, I didn't dare tell them how much farther we had to go still.


Less than a mile from the car and already two of them are looking fed up

There are two questions that need to be asked about the photo below, not why did I take it(look at the sign and work out the joke) but why did I have white trousers? and why did I wear them to go Hiking?


A photo opportunity not to be missed.

For some strange reason known only unto 10 year old boys, they cheered up loads when we came across an old Sheepdog Cemetery in the middle of the forest.

Perhaps it was because of the Cairn which had a stone on the top inscribed with the words "Deed Derg Cairn", seems the shepherd must have had a sense of humour. There were also 5 headstones inscribed with the demised Dog's names, some of them looked a lot older than others.

Because the Boyoz were complaining of the distance, I took a more direct approach to the crashsite, going into the woods from the bottom of the hill, but as there were several burns exiting the woods down there it was pot luck if we chose the right one to follow uphill, and we didn't, instead of following Marvin's Cleugh we followed neighbouring Little Marvin's Cleugh. By the time we emerged onto the open hillside above the woods the Chuckle Brothers had had enough so instead of heading half a mile to the west and back down the correct burn they just wanted to head east back towards the car.


Out the top of the woods onto Glendhu Hill.

Because they failed to find the Halifax wreck the boys wanted to go and look for another wreck a couple of weeks later, as the meteor on Knock Fell was easier to find and not such a great distance I took them to see that .

This time it was the Chuckle Brothers + 1 as another of their friends had pleaded to come as well, I was a bit concerned about the other friends fitness but they assured me he cycled for long distances regularly and played a lot of sport.


Up the Pennine Way, the village of Knock can be seen in the distance.


Further up the Pennine way with Dufton Pike in the background


Starting to look fed up


Any excuse for a sit down.

As with the Sheepdog cemetery on their last outing this time they were perked up by some warning signs and by making as much noise as they could to wake up the occupants of a tent pitched on a grassy area beside a burn.


You can tell by the kid's face on the right how much he was enjoying the fresh air and exercise.

After waking the campers up there was a bit of an uphill slog to get to the top of Knock Old Man which involved a diversion to the right halfway up to visit the Meteor wreck.


Above and below:-At least Ben was getting the hang of it.

Not far from the crashsite it became apparent that the only sports that +1 must take part in was on his playstation and the other numpties admitted the long distance cycling he supposedly did was actually cycling to school sometimes.


+1 looking a bit worse for wear.

After +1 had collapsed we had to decide whether to call Mountain Rescue or whether to just leave him there. In the end we had to do neither because after he'd scoffed the pizza he'd brought for his packed lunch he was raring to go again.


Playing in the mud waiting for +1 to catch up.

Once we'd reached the crashsite the main objective of the 4 boys was to find bullets or machine guns, they failed on both counts.

Next 10 photos:-The boys at the Meteor crashsite.

Once they realised they weren't going to find any bullets or machine guns we headed off for the top of Knock Old man. Their main objective now became seeing who could manage to sink farthest into the mud. My warnings that they were going to disappear completely never to be seen again fell on deaf ears and progress became slow as they diverted from one mudhole to the next.


Off boghopping as they called it.


This mud was disappointedly unsinky


Strange white mud!

Once back onto the slopes of Knock Old Man and away from the mud, progress was back to normal. +1 however was soon to provide us with the best laugh of the day.


On top of Knock Old Man, The Radar Station on Great Dun Fell in the distance

There were two ways back down to the car from the top of Knock Old Man, the easiest way, down an access road which went up to the radar station on Great Dun Fell or back the way we came. As a waterfall had drawn their attention and they wanted to continue their newly invented sport of Boghopping the boys chose the latter option.


At this point if I'd had a video camera I would have earned £250 from Harry Hill

After having the boys pose for a photo at the top of a waterfall +1 decided he would give us a laugh by falling off his perch and tumbling into the pool below him, we of course checked he was OK before creasing ourselves laughing!


Its a good job he didn't fall down this one.


Recreating a famous WWII photo.


This one taken on Iwo Jima for those people no good at history.


One last mudhole for a spot of Boghopping.


+1 had the sense to use the bridge.


but not these 3


Stuart pointing to where we'd been


Playstation withdrawal symptoms


Almost back to the car, unfortunately this time there was no offer of a cold beer waiting.

To summarise my Hiking Expedition with a group of Boys,
NEVER AGAIN!


3 of them had a good time.

*-I've since been back to DK116 in Kielder Forest(see here)

**- I have now found 5 of the 6 crashsites I went to look for (see here) (and here)