Part 4 of 4
Handley page
Halifax L9619 on Ashgill Side.
(Distance covered = 5.2
miles/Ascent = 269 metres)
I had originally, and rather over optimistically planned on visiting the four crashsites scattered around Great Shunner Fell in the northern Pennines in one trip; it eventually, for one reason or another ended up taking me four trips.
Off up that path there, at least there was a path once up that initial steep bit.
On this, my fourth visit to this hill, I was going to have a look for the one outstanding crashsite of the four I had originally tried to reach around Great Shunner Fell, I was also going to revisit the second one that I had made it to on my second visit here; Chris, my website buddie from up Inverness way had visited that one not long after I was there, and he had found more bits of it down the hill a bit.
Above and below:-The Shitroen, parked at a picturesque little spot on the B6270 in Birkdale, a couple of miles west of Keld.
After an initial steep but short climb away from the road where I had parked the car there was a nice little path to follow which crossed over 3 stone walls; the type of wall which also had a bit barbed wire fence running along the top. Luckily here there were stiles across all of these walls, which I was very pleased about considering the difficulties I experienced crossing a similar type when I was visiting a couple of crashsites on Whernside*.
above and next two photos:-Negotiating the stone walls.
Once I'd climbed over the last wall I turned right and followed it to the south to where it formed a T-junction as such with another wall, I then turned right again and followed this wall across to an area called Keld Dike Nook.
Following another wall along to Keld Dike Nook.
While following the wall along to Keld Dike Nook I heard a familiar howling noise coming along the valley. I had heard the same howl while on my way to visit a DH Sea Vampire wrecksite in Scotland; on that occasion I was not quick enough with my camera to catch the culprit as it roared a couple of feet over my head and disappeared off down the Glen, today I was quick enough, but unfortunately on this occasion it didn't come quite as close as the one in Scotland had.
Above and next four photos:-Flypast by an RAF Typhoon.
OK, I'll come clean, I didn't take the last photo; that was taken by Stephen Cheatley at Cad West in the Mach Loop in Wales. The previous 4 sh1t photos of the Typhoon were, alas, taken by me!
Below is the best photo I've ever managed to take of a flypast, BAE Hawk T1's of the Red Arrows, taken from a boat on the Norfolk Broads over 40 years ago with my old Canon AE1 35mm SLR; below that is 4 more rubbish photos of another BAE Hawk, this time a T2 I believe, flying past not long after the Typhoon.
After ascertaining that aerial photography was not my forte I continued along the wall until it decided to head off to the north, I did not follow it but instead continued on the same trajectory which took me across onto Ashgill Side where hopefully I would find an area of Halifax wreckage.
Onto Ashgill Side and into the search area for HP Halifax L1619
All of the wreckage appears to have been collected together and hidden under the heather in this ditch. Which explains my difficulties in finding it. More wreckage photos. Happy that I had found something I set off uphill, checking out a couple of objects on the way that had been spotted on satellite imagery; all white rocks apart from one which was a discarded Dumpy Bag. I made my way up to an area called Jewel Seat where I found a nice spot in Great Ash Gill to sit down and have some bait**.
Looking down from Jewel Seat to the area where HP Halifax L9619 met it's demise.
In Great Ash Gill looking for a nice boulder to sit on and have some scran.** **-Bait,scran = Geordie dialect for food. After my bait stop I contoured around the hillside so that I would arrive below the Mosquito site, I could then walk uphill to it and on the way have a quick search for any more bits which may have made their way further down the hill. I failed to find anything else other than the bits Chris had previously found.
The area where DH Mosquito NT544 crashed.** After getting some photos of the other bits of Mosquito I made my way across to where the recovery crew at the time of the crash had dragged pieces of Mosquito across to yet another stone wall and burnt them, leaving a large bare patch of ground containing hundreds of small parts. I was then able to follow that wall back down off the moor
above and below:-area where remnants of the Mosquito were
burnt.
Another Halifax (W1146) crashed over there, just right of centre on the skyline.**
above and next 3 photos:-Following the wall down off the moor.
Almost back
to the route I followed on the way out, the previously mentioned T-Junction of
the walls can be seen on the left.
Above and next 6 photos:-Retracing my steps from earlier, the
barn appeared to be very old and had long vertical slit windows
similar to the archers windows that you see in castles.
I would love to live there like!
Above and below:- Nice little spot to park, might come back
one day with the wife and grandkids for a picnic.
*-- Whernside.**--Halifax W1146 and Mosquito NT544.