2nd Time lucky,twice!.
Sepecat Jaguar XX728 or XX731
Mcdonnel Douglas
Phantom XV477
(Distance covered =
8.2 mile/Ascent =+318m -685m)
Stuart was visiting Glasgow for a couple of days and asked me if I fancied meeting up for a walk; so after discussing a few options we agreed to meet up and go for a look at a Phantom crashsite on Thack Moor in the Northen Pennines.
As we would be travelling in two cars; me travelling 67 mile from Blyth and Stuart driving 125 mile from the ferry port at Cairnryan, we were able to implement the 2 car strategy. We arranged to meet in Renwick which would be the finish of our walk and where we would leave my car; then drive up to Hartside where we would start our walk and leave Stuart's car. We timed it so well we both drove into Renwick from opposite ends of the village at exactly the same time.
Gouge where Jaguar XX728 or XX731 crashed
into Black Fell. Starting our walk to the Phantom site from Hartside enabled us to have another look at this Jaguar crashsite on the way.
Stuart had fetched along his two young daughters, so leaving his car at Hartside mean't he could turn back if they became too tired; leaving me to carry on the walk as my car was at the finish. It also enabled us to visit the crashsite of a Sepecat Jaguar on the way; I had been to that crashsite before but failed to find anything*.
Small scrap lying beside the scar on black fell. This wasn't there on my first visit but now
I could promote this one to my 'crashsites found' list.
Stuart and the girls had to turn back once we reached the Jaguar site on Black Fell because it was just too cold for the young uns to continue safely. But at least they got to see the one crashsite. After they set off back towards Hartside and their car I had a bit of a search around for any other bits of Jaguar I might have missed on my first visit. Not far from the gouge was a stone wall with a gap where the Jaguar had crashed through it, so I searched around that for a bit then continued searching farther to the east where I found a couple more pieces including an intact cockpit instrument.
Searching over the other side of the wall.
This bit of metal sticking up out of the peat turned out to be an intact cockpit instrument.
Cockpit instrument or to be more specific a Rad Alt Indicator.
Rad Alt indicator found on black fell above and a slightly less corroded example for comparison below.
After having a good old search over the eastern side of the wall I was a bit dissapointed to find nothing else visible on the surface, but as I struck off towards Thack Moor to look for bits of the Phantom I was still happy that I had found something so that I could add the Jaguar to my 'crashsites found' list.
Heading off towards Thack Moor.
View back to Black Fell, the Jaguar hit the hill about centre of the skyline.
Ruined Cottage below Watch Hill.
Although it was very cold due to a bit of a windchill it was actually a nice sunny day, so it was a very pleasant wander from Black Fell over to Thack Moor and the windchill did a good job of keeping me cool when I was walking.
Above and below:-Cairn on the top of Watch Hill which incoporated an interesting stone in it's construction.
On my previous wreckhunting trip to these fells* I had passed very close to the Phantom crashsite on Thack Moor but I was pushed for time to get back to the car before dark so hadn't looked for it. However if I had found it on my previous visit I wouldn't have come back for another look and then I would'nt have found the bits of Jaguar on the way. Finding the crashsite this time was also made easier by seeing some photos online, taken by ACIA who had found it a couple of years earlier.
The Phantom hit the hill here travelling from right to left. Wreckage was scattered for some distance.
Above and below:- The impact gouge made by the Phantom. There were some fragments to be found in it.
Thanks to ACIA I also knew that wreckage was scattered for some distance over to the other side of Thack Moor and there was a hydraulic Ram to be found sitting on a wall: I managed to find that but nothing else of interest.
Above and below:-Quite a distance from the impact this hydraulic part is the largest bit of the Phantom remaining on Thack Moor; That has been found anyways.
If I'd parked my car at Hartside I now would have had to backtrack all the way; but my car was at Renwick which mean't I could more or less walk straight down the hill from where I now was. To make life even easier I did'nt have to walk far before I came across a farm track which went in exactly the direction I needed to be, and it was sheltered from the windchill, culminating in a lovely warm stroll downhill to finish off the day.
My car's down there!.
On the track which lead me right down to Renwick.
