I’ve more or less written 2020 off totally, and feeling like I've been defeatist, which isn't my style. With Covid-19 and getting Furloughed among many other personal issues, I've been fighting the demons again, but there's no escape, no matter which way I turn.
What a year 2020 is turning out to be, with Covid-19 across the world and Britain going into a lockdown from 24th March for some three months before restrictions were being lifted, and as I type this, we’re facing the threat of another Covid-19 phase later this year.
The last few years have seen some significant and unwelcome changes to my life, and it seems as time goes on, my life is changing rapidly to something I don’t like, being locked in an urban environment.
Earlier this year, I had to surrender my driving licence while the DVLA reviewed my driving options. While I can still drive, albeit automatic only with adaptations, I've lost the categories I worked hard to attain, and also cost me a lot of money, and a large chunk of my independence has been taken away.
My licence was one that not only had the categories for driving any cars, it also had motorcycle, HGV and bus categories on among a few others, all gone.
First was my accident back in February 2015, with life changing implications forced on me overnight, whether I liked it or not, and I don’t like it one little bit.
As many of you know, the accident resulted in major lower right leg reconstruction after a thoughtless motorist ran a red light while I was on a pelican crossing, which then subsequently saw many complications, which put an end to my hill and moorland walking more or less for good.
This was then followed by my not being able to work in the capacity I enjoyed, though to be fair, my employer has been extremely good and helpful in the way the rehabilitated me back in to the work place, especially as it wasn’t a work-related accident. No one could ask for more, even though my injuries were something they had never encountered before, they were not sure how they could accommodate me, or even if I could be suitably taken back in to the workplace, but they did, and it all worked well, from my perspective.
I used to enjoy getting out a couple of times a month for a good hill and moorland walk, and three or four times a year, a weekends camping and walking.
Camping is out of the question today, I’m unable to kneel and if I get down on the ground, then I need assistance to get up. Unlike normal camping, I’m unable to pack a tent away, because I’m unable to kneel, therefore rolling and packing a tent away is not an option.
You can see how badly misshapen and swollen my leg is from the photo below!
I’ve digressed, but I feel a little background is necessary to help give some understanding of how I’m feeling, very low, depressed and unable to escape out of my situation, which seems to be an ever deepening and darker hole, with a heavy boot from someone pushing me down as I try to resist!
Many people can go down the pub, or go to the gym, but being an outdoor person, those places do not appeal (apart from the post-walk drink, something I miss very much and the evening meals when camping) and gyms I find quite intimidating and claustrophobic.
Even riding a bike isn't an option, the inside of my leg just gets in the way of the pedal crank.
My gym was, the outdoors, the hills, moors and other outdoor places, like wildlife reserves.
I set about visiting the reserves and the money I’d would have spent on walking and camping gear, I’ve invested in decent photography kit, taking not just wildlife photos, but landscapes as well. It is a good second best, though I still don’t get the exercise I need, my leg and/or the weather dictates that one, mainly because camera gear doesn’t like the rain….
I’ve found a couple of local reserves, and with the adapted car (that is an automatic with the accelerator pedal on the left, where the clutch would be on normal cars) to accommodate a right leg that is unable to function, I can travel to some reserves far away from home, and spend time with family located around Britain.
Well, I would if it wasn’t for Covid-19.
Last year, 2019 I managed to get to the reserves around a dozen times in total, on the few times it was dry, and I did manage a quick, but painful wander to Arbor Low Henge and Stanton Moor, which are both small short walks with no real gradients or difficult paths to follow.
This year so far, two reserve visits pre-Covid-19 and a quick grab of a very short wander, again no real gradients or difficult paths in the Peak District, and I did manage to get a decent photo [below] of Snowdonia enroute from a place named Rhydlyan...
As you’d expect, the reserves all closed their gates at the start of lockdown, though many have since opened their gates are reserve only with no facilities, and, the added issue that many paths are so narrow that social distancing, even as close as under 1 metre in many places, making it impossible
Another issue, is how busy all these once quiet places have become, with many folk being on Furlough, and many public places they would normally frequent being closed to contain and stop the spread of Covid-19, making me feel very unsure about visiting many places, not for my wellbeing, but for those around me, like my in-laws, both well in to their 70’s and one of them still in the stages of recovery from cancer.
That along with the fact that many places are getting abused by folk who visit them, leaving their litter, trashing the ground, leaving camping kit, which is a waste, and something I still don’t get my head around, and heaving crowds!
As a result of these despicable events, out of respect for some very quiet and fragile places I’ve walked, I’ve removed the associated blogs and photos from my Flickr stream.
I feel it’s a great shame when it comes to this, but I fear greatly for the countryside and nature, more than ever before.
This is the new normal and things will never be the same again. I may be old, but I’ve lived through some exciting times, and as a child, the 60’s and 70’s may have been uncouth, but they were freer days and saw some great innovations, many of which we take for granted today, like heart transplants, space exploration and many more.
I’ve said this before, we had the Cold War, a period of unease where two super nations flexed their muscles in political arm wrestling games, but overall, I feel things were safer then, once the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 had calmed down, for neither super nation would have dared to push the button, the consequences would have been too catastrophic for not just both nations, but the world!
Something I wrote about in my review of 2018: 2018 A Poignant Centenary Year & Milestone Half Century!
I’m not so sure we’re safe today, biological and germ warfare, terrorists and much more….
And another thing (I detest starting sentences with the word ‘and’, but I felt it was appropriate, just this time), HS2 enabling works for Phase 1 and Phase 2, the later which as I type still has not had the final go-ahead!
Being so close to the hub where HS2 comes in to Birmingham from London Euston [I could almost comprehend it's purpose if it linked directly with St Pancras, the HS1, the Eurostar, but it doesn't] and also departs for the north, that is assuming they do continue the full north bound route and not shelve it because the already over budget project is too costly to complete, a lot of preparatory works are well underway, taking up lots of green space, woodland and annoying road closures to enable these works to carry on, forcing me to become trapped at home!
If you think I’m bleating on, just step back and visualise, all roads from your home to the hills and moors closed, and those times you can get out, the places you want to get to are marred by lots of people desecrating the open spaces and leaving a mess, something that you or I would never dream of doing out of respect for the countryside and locals.
One more thing, I need to be able to park close to where I’m walking, because I still am not able to walk comfortably any long distances (it’s unlikely I ever will be able to), and my leg can become very painful to walk on towards the end, so a long walk back to the car is not a desirable option.
My wander to Sir William Hill and Froggatt Edge was a more than welcome breakout of this prison!
Sir William Hill, just north of Eyam, is quite a small but perfectly formed hill, with commanding and fabulous views around the northern Peak District, and somewhere I’ve been before, and my last visit was too short, but a very enjoyable one, which you can read in: Eyam; a plague village and a walk on Eyam Moor.
Taking a small pack, a folding chair (more like a three legged shooting stick is best way to describe the chair) strapped to the pack, a little lunch, plenty of fluid, my camera and associated lenses along with the newly purchased camcorder, oh and a newly purchased lightweight tripod, I set about the short 500 mtrs walk to the summit, perched myself at the trig point, and set up for a relaxing mornings vista.
The first sighting was the East Midlands Air Ambulance landing on Stanage Edge at Long Causeway, not a good start to the day, which I later found out was to take an injured mountain biker to hospital with the assistance of Edale MRT.
But it wasn’t long before I was able to see wildlife, and the locals walking past and enjoying a nice chat with them, wishing them a good days wander.
Below, some of the awesome views from my viewpoint, Mam Tor and the Great Ridge, Derwent Edge, Stanage Edge, Higger Tor and more....
Some of the wildlife seen, and photographed, a swallow chasing insects over the moor, a small copper butterfly resting in the sun before searching for more nectar and a kestrel hunting small rodents.
It also served as a good day to play around with the camcorder, and a first attempt to video a kestrel hovering, then swooping down on its prey, only to fly off again empty.
It also served as a good day to play around with the camcorder, and a first attempt to video a kestrel hovering, then swooping down on its prey, only to fly off again empty. You can watch the sort video on my Flickr pages and clicking HERE will take you to the video.
That video explained why when I was taking stills, I wasn’t able to find the kestrel on the ground, it hadn’t got it’s prey and flew off for another attempt.
I could have stayed there all day, a nice 20.8ยบ C with a lovely 11mph breeze, it was perfect, except the plan was just the morning and I hadn’t enough fluids with me to stay, and I would have needed to go back to the car and collect fresh fluids which I wasn’t able to carry, nor had planned, to carry with me.
Back at the car, it was time to move on and find the next location for a short wander, Froggatt Edge. Now for many, it conjures up steep rocky climbs, long open moorland paths and more, but like any moor, there has to be an access point of easy ground, and there is.
I’ve walked Big Moor and White Edge Moor many times so I’m familiar with the area and access points, and know one particular straightforward path no particular gradients, and an easy path to walk, though a lot longer this time, around 2km.
There is parking at the National Trust Car Park at Hay Wood (free to National Trust members, which I am and is safer parking from a traffic perspective), on the A625 just south of the Grouse Inn, and also a layby nearby on a bend that can and often is full from quite early on in the day.
The photo below is White Edge Lodge, which always reminds me of the Weasley's House in Harry Potter, and can be seen before you reach Froggatt Edge.
I picked up my pack once more, complete with folding chair, camera gear and more fluids, set off to cross the A625, which can be a busy road, and on to the path at Stoke Flats.
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I didn’t wander too far, there was no plan to go as far as Curbar Edge, though I would have liked to, in hope of seeing the cotton grass, if it was still in flower, which I would have doubted, it would have been too far, for I know the pain to follow would be worse post walk.
It was nice to get to Froggatt Edge, plonk everything down, set the chair up and chill, taking in the vista, even though the temp was into the low thirties and no breeze!
I even managed to get a decent selfie with my new hat!
The heather was starting to show its purple bloom, and there was a clear view to where I was earlier, Sir William Hill....
The short walk back to the car was slow and painful, and I still use a walking stick, but it was the end of a very pleasant day, and I made an unplanned detour to Stoke Flats Stone Circle, one of many on and around the Eastern Moors, which you can read about some of those in Froggatt Edge, Big Moor and some Stone Circles and Walking Big Moor, White Edge Moor and Barbrook Reservoir.
But I still enjoyed the day and it was a great unwinder, albeit short-lived.
The photos below, Stoke Flat Stone Circle.
One thing I will say before I finish, I’m seeing a lot of “shouting” to coin the phrase on social media from genuinely concerned outdoor folk about the unsavoury events happening around our countryside, something I’ve kept out of, because just like everyone, it winds me up.
Though some conversations have involved those who like to antagonise, the sad truth is, we’re shouting at each other, the converted, those who respect the outdoors, "preaching to the converted"!
Sadly over the decades, successive governments have reduced funding to many organisations, our National Parks being one such suffering heavily, which makes it more difficult for them to keep on top of these problems and try to educate these folk who know no different.
We are creatures of habit, and often many not very desirable habits!
I wonder, how many of them when they visit sports stadiums or retail parks really appreciate, there isn’t always someone to clear up after them, there are litter bins regularly sited and there aren’t public toilets quite so prolifically located in the open rural spaces!
Like a lot of folk who respect and enjoy the outdoors, I started with no real knowledge or experience, though I didn’t litter or desecrate the countryside, but I did learn with the help of more experienced folk, and something I’ve shared in: Early walking days, time to reflect before we judge.
With any organisation, and society is a form of organisation, not necessarily commercial, the problems usually start at the top.
So where is the organisational top with this one!
Stay safe everyone, and remember, even if you are fit and healthy, it isn’t just you, it could be some close family members who may be very susceptible to Coronavirus.
Finally, happy rambling, yes, keep getting out there if you can and thank you for reading,
Eyam; a plague village and a walk on Eyam Moor
Froggatt Edge, Big Moor and some Stone Circles
Walking Big Moor, White Edge Moor and Barbrook Reservoir
Early walking days, time to reflect before we judge
