above and below:-Took a bit of a shortcut here before joining another one of the Coast to Coast Path options, but following that one in the opposite direction, i.e. east to west.


This photo illustrates quite well the massive corner cut off by my shortcut. My planned route was following the Coast to Coast Path down the valley on the right to those buildings in the valley below, then turning left and following the other Coast to Coast route up the valley on the left.

Information on the PDAAR website suggests that Hurricane L1670 crashed at a shallow angle and was scattered over a narrow bit of moorland in amongst the hillocks; this meant that there would probably be no impact crater and as most of the wreckage probably remained on the surface it would most likely all be gone.

Above and below:-The remains of the Hurricane (if any) lay on the lumpy ground up ahead on the other side of the valley.

above and below:-Back on the Coast to Coast Path for a short while.

This sheep shelter served as a good marker for where I needed to leave the path and head up the slopes on the other side of the stream.

On arriving at the crashsite I wasn't surprised to find that there was absolutely no trace that there was a crash here. I had a good search around the area as I knew some pieces had been found in the past but all I found was some bits of metal from an old sheep shelter.

Above and below:-The area on the lower slopes on Ravenseat Moor where Hawker Hurricane L1670 landed itself after it's Pilot bailed out.

This would normally have been a one for my 'FTF' list, but because I knew in advance that there was most likely going to be nothing visible on the surface I had fetched along my metal detector to locate anything that may be hidden in the vegetation.

Some .303 bullets found under some moss.

More wreckage photos.

After having a good search around the area I managed to find several small pieces hidden under vegetation so happy that this one could go on my 'crashsites found' list I set off to rejoin the coast to coast path which I was going to follow as it made it's way north for about 1 mile then turned to the west where after about another mile it joined the alternative route I had passed earlier. Once onto the alternative route I was going to follow that south for yet another mile to where it passes close to Coldbergh Edge.

Going off the metal detector pings I surmised the Hurricane was travelling in this direction.

I could of actually omitted the previous paragraph because once I'd crossed back over the Whitsundale Beck I decided to ditch my 'follow the Coast to Coast path' plan and instead straight line it over Cogill Hill, which would cut 2 mile off my route. Taking this second shortcut would then save me a bit of time as I was hoping to get to two more crashsites and I had, as usual, spent way too much time at the first one.

Crossing the Whitsundale Beck on my way to Coldbergh Edge.

View back over to where the Hurricane crashed.

above and next 2 photos:-Making my way over to Coldbergh Edge.

On approaching Coldbergh Edge I could see a row of cube shaped objects spread out along the skyline, I thought perhaps they were beehives but in retrospect why would anyone put so many beehives up here and spread them out along a very exposed ridge, I then thought perhaps they were shooting butts, but again, why so many and so close together?

Above and next two photos:-The strange cubes on the hill; actually piles of paving slabs waiting to be laid on the coast to coast path. Wonder who had the job of pushing them up here on a wheelbarra?

Once I'd solved the puzzle of the mystery cubes on the hill I dropped down below Coldbergh Edge and began walking around it's base on the lookout for bits of a Supermarine Spitfire that crashed here. I'd seen photos on the interweb of some pieces and I had a 10 digit grid reference so I was confident this one would not be an 'FTF'.

Skirting around below Coldbergh Edge approaching the area where Spitfire NM814 dove into the ground.

On arriving at the grid reference I had my earlier confidence of finding this one, quickly evaporated, as an initial search of the area proved unsuccessful. I began expanding my search area and a short distance uphill I began finding some pieces lying in a small landslide. A little farther uphill from that was an obvious crater which contained quite a few buried pieces.

There were several pieces lying in here, perhaps initially buried but then exposed by the small landslide.

The crater, I think I can say safely say this is where the Spitfire dove into the ground. There was lots of pings on the Metal Detector suggesting there were still some bits buried here.

More wreckage photos.

After visiting the Spitfire site all I had left to do was pop up onto the top of Coldbergh Edge then follow the Coast to Coast path back to the car. As it had started raining quite heavily and as I'd spent way too much time at both of the sites I'd been to already I decided to leave the other one on Great Shunner Fell for another day.

Heading back to the car, as can be seen by the water on the lens it was now raining quite heavily.

The piles of paving slabs made for extremely easy navigation on the way back.

Where the paving slabs had been laid made for even easier navigation.

above and below:-Kind of looks like the Shitroen has sunk into a bog.