Part 2 of 4.
Handley Page Halifax W1146 on Little Shunner Fell
and
De Havilland Mosquito NT544 on Blackburn Edge.
(Distance covered = 8.2
miles/Ascent = 373 metres)
On my last walk of 2024 I had attempted to visit 4 crashsites in the Northern Pennines; because of several reasons I only managed to make it to one of them. For my first walk of 2025 I decided to go back and try and reach the other three.
On this occasion I didn't have to contend with three things that had conspired against me reaching all four crashsites on my first attempt:- Midges, very hot weather and 3.5 stone of weight.
Amanda the Panda parked at an area called 'Bull Bogs'; other quaint names in the vicinity were
'Butter Tubs', 'Lovely Seat', 'Sweet Hill','Grimey Gutter Hags', 'Swallow
Hole' and best of all 'Willy Road End'.
As it was School Half Term I was able to attempt this walk on a Thursday, but to keep the Missus happy I had to give her a lift to her work first and I also had to promise faithfully to be back in time to pick her up. I arrived at 9:45am after a 1hr 45m drive so that gave me 7hr 15m to reach the three crashsites on my planned route and be back at the car in time for the 1hr 45m drive home; plenty of time I thought.
My planned route was off up that quad track on the left there.
There was a quad track marked on the map which went as far as Grimey Gutter Hags so my plan was to follow that to it's end, then follow the fenceline that ran in a north westerly direction towards Little Shunner Fell. On arrival at what was meant to be the end of the Quad track I was pleased to find it actually continued all the way to the top of Little Shunner Fell.
At Grimey Gutter Hags with Little Shunner Fell in the distance.
Following the Quad track to the base of Little Shunner Fell.
Before reaching the top of Little Shunner Fell I left the Quad track and struck off to the north to have a look for remains of Handley page Halifax W1146. As I emerged around the north side of Little Shunner Fell I had a good view up to Great Shunner Fell which still had snow on the top so I pencilled in a visit up there on the way back to see if I could acquire a nice wintery photograph.
Great shunner Fell.
In an area called Thwaite Common on the
north eastern flank of Little Shunner Fell; the crashsite of the Halifax
is just up ahead.
Pitiful remains for such a large Aircraft, unfortunately
now the case at a lot of crashsites thanks to the efforts of Museums, Recovery
Groups and Souvenier Hunters over the years.
When I set off from the car it was bitterly cold but as the day progressed it got warmer and warmer; because of this I could see that I most likely wasn't going to get a nice wintery photo on the top of Great Shunner Fell on the way back as the snow was rapidly disappearing, so most probably by the time I got there it would be gone.
Another nice view up to Great Shunner Fell.
From the Halifax site across to the next site I was visiting was only about a mile distance, but there was a deep valley to cross containing the Thwaite Beck. I had considered backtracking and going around the top of it, or at least go uphill to where it wasn't as deep but on the day I decided just to straight line it.
Passing the remains of a small building while descending into the Thwaite Beck valley.
above and below:-Crossing the Thwaite Beck.
Above and below:-Nice views down to Swaledale.
Not the most impressive waterfall but the only one I was going to see today.
Climbing out the other side.
After negotiating the Thwaite Beck I had to contend with a very large area of bog, once over that I crossed the Pennine Way and entered the search area for The second crashsite I was hoping to find today, a De Havilland Mosquito. I knew before I arrived that there was very little left at this one and because of that it did prove quite difficult to locate.
Crossing the massive bog, crashsite number two is over the other side of the ridge up ahead.
Searching for bits of Mosquito, turned out it was actually just behind me when I took this photo.
Where Mosquito NT544 ended it's final flight. More crashsite photos. There was reported to be a lump of armour plating and hundreds of brass screws here but they seem to have vanished, perhaps sunk into the peat; Chris, my website buddy from Inverness visited here not long after me and found some more pieces a little further down the hill, so another visit here required to check those out.
above and below:-More views od Great
Shunner Fell with some snow still lingering on the top.
The third crashsite I was planning on visiting was another Halifax, it
was only just over half a mile to the north west of the Mosquito.
I had promised the Missus I would pick her up from work at 7pm so I
barely had enough time to get back to the car as things stood, but if
I walked another half mile in the opposite direction, which would then
mean a further half mile to get back to where I was at present; plus
any time I spent searching for that site, looking for bits and taking
photographs then I would definitely stand no chance of being back in
time. I therefore reluctantly abandoned my plans to visit the third
site and set of for the trudge back to Bull Bogs.
above and below:-View from the Pennine Way across to Little Shunner Fell and Thwaite Common, the first Halifax site lay about centre on the skyline.
After deciding to leave the third crashsite for another day my next
predicament was which route to take back to the car:- straight line it
back the way I came or go the longer but potentially quicker route
along the Pennine Way up and over Great Shunner Fell.
Leaving the Mosquito site and heading back to the Pennine Way.
After changing my mind several times I finally decided on the longer
but quicker route, this would also enable me to complete another 1.85
mile of the Pennine Way, a long distance walk that I've utilised
several times when visiting crashsites, so perhaps one day I might
inadvertently complete it as I did with the Three Peaks Challenge*.
On the Pennine Way heading towards Great Shunner Fell.
The more I looked at the other route option the more I was pleased I took the longer but easier route.
Looking back down the Pennine Way to where the Mosquito crashed.(Over the other side of the bump in the middle distance.)
View down to Swaledale.
above and below:-Location of another crashsite in Great Sled Dale,
Hawker Hurricane AG680**.
To stand any chance of getting back to the car in time I had to put
quite a spurt on, this was helped immensely by the Pennine Way
pavement which had been laid along this section. By the time I'd
reached Shunner Fell Rake I'd made quick enough progress to allow
myself some time to have a sit down and some refreshments.
Approaching Shunner Fell Rake, the paving slabs made for very easy going and were a major factor in my decision to take the longer route.
A bit of a 'Leap of Faith' moment. Although I couldn't see the paving slabs I put my faith in them being there and in a straight line, so I just walked straight across this pool.
I often wonder who builds these and why? As I could see there was very little if any snow on the top of Great Shunner Fell I didn't bother going up there but instead turned south after the cairn on Shunner Fell Rake and joined the Quad track that I had followed at the start of my walk then followed that over Little Shunner Fell back to where I'd parked Amanda the Panda.
Bit of an opportunity for a shortcut.
The summit of Great Shunner Fell now devoid of snow.
On top of Little Shunner Fell.
above and below:-Following the Quad track back to the car.
I was back at the car in enough time but then I got delayed by a
Norwegian Bloke who after learning where I'd been started telling me
about some of the crashsites in Norway, then I had to drive home
rather sedately as the Panda was making some terrible clunking noises
from the front suspension, it transpired that I had managed to snap
both front shock absorbers on the way down after driving
too much like Colin Macrae along the windy and very bumpy Pennine
roads.
Nearly back to the car, the Norwegian bloke had hired that 4x4 parked next to the Panda, after delaying me by talking he then delayed me some more by driving in front of me at 20mph for over 10 miles before I managed to overtake him. Despite my best efforts I was late picking the wife up from work!
During the Easter School Holidays I returned to Swaldale to visit some
other crashsites to the north of Shunner Fell and to visit the other
Halifax that I didn't have time to get to previously. After finding
the remains of that Halifax I took the opportunity to revisit
Blackburn Edge to check out the other pieces of the Mosquito that
Chris had found.
One of several more pieces of Mosquito that Chris found a little further down the hill. Next to the other pieces of the Mosquito was a bit of pipe sticking out of the peat, any thought so this being connected to the crash were quickly dispelled when I found more of it running right across the gully from one side to the other, some exposed, some under the ground. It looked like old water or gas pipe but a bit of a mystery why it was on top of the moor?.
Mystery pipe, there was about 10m of it exposed in the gully then it went underground either side. After having another search around to see if there was anymore bits that had been overlooked I headed off to the south east where about 300m away was a scar where the RAF recovery crew had dragged the Mosquito remains and burnt what was not needed beside a wall. The scar was full of tiny pieces and lumps of melted alluminium.
Scar where the Mosquito remains were burnt. More Wreckage photos.
above and below:-A view over to the area where Halifax W1146
crashed; just below the step on the skyline, just left of centre in
the photo above.
*--Three Peaks Challenge.
**-Hurricane AG680