Walking Wanders 7 - Some of Scafell Pike and Great Gable

The Rocky Mountains

Who: Those crazy enough to head to the Lakes in November; Hannah, Monica, Nathan, the dogs and I.

Why: The winter is coming, the days are getting colder (or trying to) and the nights are getting longer. Time for one last trip to the lakes before full on winter gear is required!

The route: Day 1 - an attempt to climb scafell pike aborted due to adverse weather conditions and a slight detour, Day 2 - Great Gable. Here is the map:

The walk:

6.30am is a time no-one should be awake on a Saturday morning, but that is the time that Hannah and I set off from Newcastle to make the sunrise trip along the A69 to the end of a lane known as Seathwaite. Once Monica, dogs and Nathan (who'd sensibly stayed overnight nearby) had arrived and we were all fully waterproofed we were off. 1st landmark, Stockley bridg and from there it was steadily upwards along Styhead gill to Styhead tarn. 

Stockley Bridge

Styhead tarn, with the ominous clouds and Hannah

The promised rain was mercifully absent until we were stopping for a break at Sty Head ( a mountain resuce post with stretchers, so if you're in a party where someone breaks there leg, its a good place to know about) when the heavens opened and our waterproofs tested (one failed, but luckily I had brought a spare). The dogs were looking very sorry for themselves and with the weather only forecast to get worse we decided to part ways and meet at the pub in Wasdale Head. Hannah and I decided to continue up along the corridor route so off we plodded merrily following the other walkers along a very well-kept path until we reached a tarn. Odd, thought we, there is no tarn along the corridor route, so being a sheltered spot and the rain absent we consulted the map. We had reached sprinkling tarn; a very nice spot for lunch but entirely in the wrong direction. With high winds and a crag in the way, there was nothing for but to head back to Sty Head and start again. Take 2 and we discovered that the corridor route is not such an easy path as the name would suggests and involves some fun scrambling and rather steep drops. The dogs would have not got very far! The wind added to the fun but thankfully the rain stayed at bay. At one point we met a stupid man who had set off sans map from Seathwaite at the same time as us on his way down from Scafell Pike and we looked dry enough for him to have to ask if we had had any rain too. I'm glad we met him on his way down as I would have been worried about him otherwise.
We made slow and steady progress and came to decision point, to summit or head back down. We were only about half a kilometre away from the summit horizontally, but ~150m vertically and although the cloud had lifted as we'd climbed we had now reached the cloud base. With the shortened day, the winds strong and the paths scrambly we decided to cop out and head back down to return another day when we may have a chance of a view from the top. The route down Lingmell gill was mostly easy, being the route that the three peakers would take as they peg it up the pike.
After quick drink at the pub in Wasdale Head we had another 4 miles to walk in the dark and pouring rain along the road to our accommodation for the night, yha Wastwater. The spare waterproof was my hi vis which was donned and must have helped as neither of us got run over!

Day 2: Quick march back along the road which looked very different and far more beautiful in the daylight. There were loads of sheep which we must have passed in the night and had not noticed at all! Picking up Monica, Nathan and dogs en route (who'd sensibly stayed at Wasdale Head) we headed up Lingmell Beck to Sty Head along with a mountain rescue lady and her dog. The night previous they were scrambled to go rescue a group that had got 'benighted' on Scafell pike (but thankfully managed to rescue themselves) so our decision to head down early felt justified. Having made good progress and the weather far improved on the previous day we headed up to Great Gable. As expected we went into cloud near the top and Jake (dog) had to be carried partway as he's a wuss and dislikes rocks! Following the well-cairned path we reached the top, success!

The motley crew  and the beautiful view

Success!

 Taking careful bearings as we made our way off the summit to avoid any navigational mishaps we headed off down arran slack and back to Styhead tarn where the sun came out and it was beautiful. Aside from the changeable weather, I think Autumn is a wonderful season to go walking in because the sunshine is just such a beautiful shade.

Sunlit Styhead tarn (and Hannah)

Proof that there was sun

Onwards and downwards back to Seathwaite. Thus ends a weekend of autumn walking in the Lakes. It's just such a beautiful part of England, Praise God! 

Relief Reads 20 - Shadows of the Workhouse

Shadows of the Workhouse by Jennifer Worth

Charity Shop: Hope House, Children's Hospice, Ludlow

Charity: Located in the village of Morda near Oswestry, Hope House offers its service for the repsite of terminally ill children, covering Shropshire, North and Mid Wales.

Price: £1.75, almost as expensive as Cambridge book!

Book Blurb: When Jennifer Worth became a midwife in the 1950s, she joined an East End where many lives were touched by the shadow of the workhouse. For, although the institutions were officially abolished in 1930, in reality many did not close until several decades later. // In the follow-up to here bestselling Call the Midwife, Jennifer Worth tells the true stories of the people she met. There's Peggy and Frank, who were seperated in the workhouse when their parents died - until Frank's strength and determination enabled him to make a home for his sister. Jane was a bright, lively child, whose spirit was broken by cruelty, until she found kindness and love later in life. Then there in the matchmaking nun, Sister Julienne, and Sister Monica Joan, who ends up in the High Court...

Expectation: I'm now on the look out for Jennifer Worth books in Charity shops, and was very happy when I found this in Ludlow. I was expecting this to be like Call the Midwife but with stories focussed on the social work of her job rather than the babies.

Reality: Rather than being lots of little stories, this book had only 4 main stories, variants of which had been part of the TV series. It was quite tough to read because although it only focused on a handful of people it was indicative of life for many. You hear in the news now where they are trying to get justice for institutionalised cruelty but if what Jennifer Worth says is true then it was just normal and how do you hold a culture to account? You could say lock up the adults and throw away the key, but many grew up in workhouses and never knew a different life. Anyway the lives she focussed on were not all doom and gloom, as life is never (or rarely). Frank and Peggy had a happy adulthood and were a source of friendship for Jane, who ended up marrying Reverend Appleby-Thornton (as on TV) Then there was the story of Joe Collet, a war veteran who had no remaining family and Jennifer was his only friend. He told her the story of his time in the army, he fought in the Boer war. I've never heard anything about the Boer war before, so this book is really good in that it passes on personal accounts of an event of which there are no living memories. There was also an insight into the trenches that I hadn't come across before. History will repeat itself, but the longer we remember these things the longer the gaps between the repetition will be (although Putin seems to want to hurry things along). Joe's workhouse shadow was that he ended up in an old people's home that was a workhouse in its former life, and the conditions were just appalling. According to personal accounts Jennifer had heard of, conditions were such at least until 1985 if not more recently, what about today?
The  story of Sister Monica Jones was a bit different and had no connection to the Workhouse. She is accused of shoplifting and ends up in court. I'll leave it up to you to read the ending. It was a bit of light relief and does highlight the difficulty of distinguishing between senility and mischieviousness!

Overall Rating

It was a struggle           2        3        4        5        6        7        8       9      Gripping page  

to make it                                                                                                        turner

I would recommend it, as a good read and an important read for keeping history alive. However some parts I wonder how Jennifer could have known what happened. She must have changed some details to hide identities, so I do wonder how much artistic licence she used.

Twist Scale:

Knew the beginning,                                                                                 As twisty as the 

middle and end         2       3        4         5       6        7        8        9      bendy wendy road

from the first line

Not that kind of book, but life's not straightforward so there were some twists and turns.

Tear-jerker Scale:

 As dry as a house       2        3       4         5         6         7       8        9     Cried an ocean

 throughout

Yes there were tears shed. But I wasn't reading in public this time, so socially acceptable tears!

Main Character(s): Jane, Frank, Peggy, Jennifer and Joe.

Moral of the Story: I read this on Saturday and on Sunday evening we sang a song at church that I thought was very apt, particularly verse 2. It addresses the sense of hopelessness there is if you remove God from the picture. Praise God that justice will be done! Anyway here are the words of the song;

O Lord, the clouds are gathering,

The fire of judgement burns;

How we have fallen!

O Lord, you stand appalled to see

Your laws of love so scorned

And lives so broken

O Lord, over the nations now

Where is the dove of peace?

Her wings are broken.

O Lord, while precious children starve

The tools of war increase,

Their bread is stolen

O Lord, dark powers are poised to flood

Our streets with hate and fear.

We must awaken!

O Lord, let love reclaim the lives

That sin would sweep away,

And let your kingdom come.

Yet O Lord, your glorious cross shall tower

Triumphant in this land,

evil confounding;

Through the fire your suffering church displays

The glories of her Christ

Praises resounding.

Have mercy Lord, forgive us Lord

Restore us Lord, revive your church again.

Let justice flow like rivers

And righteousness like a never-failing stream

***

Coming up: I have caught up! It will either be Transition by Ian Banks, but I may have temporarily misplaced it so might be Wormwood by ??? instead.

Also coming up, Walking Wanders - Alwinton 

Relief Reads 19 - The Map that Changed the World

The Map that Changed the World by Simon Winchester

When I was in Cambridge recently for Matt and Anne's wedding I may not have made it to King's Parade, but I had to return to Charity shop street for old time's sake and picked up this gem.

Charity Shop: Scope, Burleigh Street, Cambridge

Charity: Scope is a charity that exists to make this country a place where disabled people have the same opportunities as everyone else.

Price: £2.00, Teuer but all for a good cause

Book Blurb: William Smith was not rich or well connected, but his passion for rocks and fossils, and his twenty-year obsession with single-handedly mapping the geology of Britain made him one of the most significant men of the nineteenth century. However, his vision cost him dear - his wife went mad, his work was stolen by jealous colleagues who eventually ruined him, and he was imprisoned for debt. // Simon Winchester tells the fascinating story of 'Strata' Smith, a man who crossed boundaries of class, wealth and science to produce a map that fundamentally changed the way we viewed the world.

Expectation: Combining reading with a bit of CPD I figured this book might teach me a bit about the history of the field I've ended up working in.

Reality: In the word's of the daily telegraph 'Part biography, part social history and part entertaining yarn' It was really informative and taught me a lot about geology but was also an engaging story of William Smith's life. It was all evidential, so where gaps existed, for example regarding his wife, Winchester didn't speculate but merely presented the evidence available. This is in contrast to Pam Gregory's 'historical' books! Whilst I was reading this (on a train as usual) I got chatting to a woman who had spent the last few years researching a geologist from the 1600s. Therefore it peeved me a bit that Winchester was implying that the 1800s were the beginning of geology, when it was a subject studied by many men and some women in the preceeding years. However the 1800s did see the rather dubious beginnings of BGS so I'll give him that.

Overall Rating

It was a struggle           2        3        4        5        6        7        8       9      Gripping page  

to make it                                                                                                        turner

It was well-balanced, informative and entertaining. I'd recommend it to anyone, geologist or not. It also has pretty pictures of fossils and geological maps as a bonus.

Twist Scale:

Knew the beginning,                                                                                 As twisty as the 

middle and end         2       3        4         5       6        7        8        9      bendy wendy road

from the first line

It starts with the end, so you know where it's heading, but Smith's life was not straightforward.

Tear-jerker Scale:

 As dry as a house       2        3       4         5         6         7       8        9     Cried an ocean

 throughout

Although William Smith was hard done by, he was never broken. And the as a biography, there was emotional distance between the reader and Smith.

Main Character(s): William Smith

Moral of the Story: Follow your interest, and be glad the rigid class system is less rigid and it is no longer acceptable to exclude someone solely because they are of a different class.

***

Coming up: The Shadow of the Workhouse by Jennifer Worth (I liked Call the Midwife so much)

Walking Wanders 5 - Blencathra, Bowscale and Bannerdale

B is for Bank Holiday

Who: Four non-Geordie Tyneside dwellers, Myself, Clare, Matt and Sheps.

Why: It's a bank holiday and a day trip to the Lakes is feasible, why not? Never mind the heavy rain initially forecast.

The Route: As tradition, here is my beautifully drawn map;

We did the red route which went, up Halls Fell Ridge, Around Foule Crag, down and up again to Bowscale, follow the edge of the cliff round to Bannerdale, then down, over River Glenmaraken (sp?) and up again over Mousthwaite Comb. Pub at Scales, cross A66, rejoin River Glemaraken and follow back to Threlkeld

The Walk: Parking at Threlkeld, we headed a short way up Gates Gill before turning right to follow a wall along to the next valley. As we were walking along the path like the considerate walkers we are, we were confronted by a herd of sheep charging at us. So we stepped off the path as we let sheep, sheepdogs, farmers and quadbike go past. Onwards and upwards and I was soon left trailing..

Sorry Guys, I'm coming!

 You see that ridge in the background, that was where we were heading and walking soon transitioned to scrambling to climbing (although the latter probably more due to my poor route choice than necessity) Putting my bouldering skills to good use, although it is a bit trickier with hiking boots. Being quite high up, it was getting a bit windy so we found a sheltered spot to stop for lunch and to suncream up :o ! My rock seat was incredibly comfy. If it weren't for one slightly back-poky rock I could have had a nap there and then

Nice spot for lunch

Lunch eaten, onwards and upwards we climbed until conveniently popping out right at the summit. It was fairly busy at the top and also really quite windy, so full layering up was required. I was getting very grateful for the gloves I'd brought along on a whim. At the top we had the view of the Lakes on one side and of Mungrisdale Common on the other. The latter was described by Wainwright (paraphrased) as having as much elegance as a blamanche that has been sat on. That is a fairly apt description, especially in contrast to the Lakes, however it did have the sun on it (which had disappeared from our location some time previous) so I was jealous.

As we ploughed on along the ridge against the full force of the wind (or not quite full force yet, as we discovered later) the collective decision was made to forego the original plan of going down to Scales tarn and back up along Sharp edge, a ridge that has claimed lives of far more experinced walkers than I. That collective however did not include Matt, so the three of us continued along and found a sheltered spot on the face of Foule Crag for a rest whilst he did a detour. The good visibility meant we could follow his progress!

Onwards, and time to decide our next action plan! Having visibility to all potential routes on nice undulating ground, we chose to head to what the OS map named 'pile of stones' aka Bowscale Fell and return to the river via Bannerdale, thus summiting 3 B's in a day. Through the wind and bog we plodded with leg length creating a clear boy-girl divide. Clare and I eventually arrived at the windbreak aka 'pile of stones'. Refuelled and taking Wainwright's advice we headed to the left of the bog, along the sheep track. Dry but also incredibly windy. Layering up now also included hood up and pulled tight. We plowed on through the wind, periodically testing how far it would blow us sideways if we jumped. I was frequently blown over, but being at the back no-one saw! The wind was blowing up-cliff so no fear of falling, if anyone did, they'd get blown back up again.

Turning the corner the wind eased, and we soon reached the summit of Bannerdale. Then it was steep steep down to the river. The steepness was such that bum-sliding was possible, no toboggan required.

The footbridge across the river providing a nice resting point, but unfortunately the water was too tempting for Sheps' chocolate which decided to go for a little swim. Chocolate rescued, and Matt off for a jog up Souther Fell, we were on our way. Up and over one little hill and then we were at Scales. We stopped off at the pub to use their facilities, have a drink and play dominos before onwards to Threlkeld. At Scales we faced our most dangerous challenge yet, crossing the A66! Safely over, we headed over some fields to join the river that had nearly stolen the chocolate. A very pleasant walk along the river gave us a good view of the hill we had just climbed

Blencathra in all her glory

Before long we were back at Threlkeld and ended our walk at the Horse and Farrier pub with its massive meaty portions that we easily demolished, and very nice it was too.

Too soon it was sadly time to return to the real world, back to the East Coast. As we left the pub, Blencathra's summit was now well and truely immersed in cloud. 

So long Lakes, till next time!

Relief Reads 18 - Call the Midwife

Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth

Charity Shop: One that uses a green price sticker, lets go with Oxfam

Charity: Oxfam are the provider of charity shops throughout the UK, particularly renowned for its book shops. More importantly however Oxfam is a globally renowned aid and development charity with 70 years of experience, working and campaigning with partners in over 90 countries worldwide.


Price: £0.99

Book Blurb: Life in the London's East End in the 1950s was tough. The brothels of Cable Street, the Kray brothers and gang warfare, the meths drinkers in the bombsites - this was the world Jennifer Worth entered when she became a midwife at the age of 22 (ah, younger than me!) Babies were born in slum conditions, often with no running water. Funny, disturbing and moving, Call the Midwife brings to life a world that has now changed beyond all measure.

Expectation: The TV series. Stories of life as a midwife in 1950s East End, plus incite into behind the scenes at the Nunnery.

Reality: As expected, I recognised some of the stories from the TV series, however it was a bit different. Knowing it was real life made parts heart-wrenchingly sad, more so than the TV version because I get more of an emotional relationship with book characters than TV ones. There was an overriding storyline and that was Jennifer's journey to faith with the closing sentence is 'That evening, I started to read the gospels'

Overall Rating

It was a struggle           2        3        4        5        6        7        8       9      Gripping page  

to make it                                                                                                        turner

I was gripped, helped by the fact I read it (almost) in one sitting on a long train journey. The ending is beautiful and as I finished I looked out of the window to see Durham Cathedral lit up by the evening sun making it even more beautiful.
Didn't give it top rating as as it was lots of individual stories, all linked, it would be possible to put it down and pick it up again later.

Twist Scale:

Knew the beginning,                                                                                 As twisty as the 

middle and end         2       3        4         5       6        7        8        9      bendy wendy road

from the first line 

Can't really rate it, not that kind of book. The individual stories didn't always pan out as expected, particularly the story of Conchita Warren, but I won't give anything away.

Tear-jerker Scale:

 As dry as a house       2        3       4         5         6         7       8        9     Cried an ocean

 throughout

I shed tears in public over the Mrs Jenkins story. I don't cry.
That said it wasn't all tales of woe. There were positives along with the negatives, like real life really!

Main Character(s): Jennifer. It's her story, so everything is from her perspective. 

Moral of the Story: The book made its own conclusion, so I shall quote (from Jennifer's quotes of Sister Monica Joan)
""Do not ask me to immortalise the great Mystery of Life. I am just a humble worker. For beauty, look to the Psalms, to Isiah, to St John of the Cross. How could my poor pen scan such verse? For truth, look to the Gospels- four short accounts of God made Man. There is nothing more to say" ..... "No one can give you faith. It is a gift from God alone. Seek and ye shall find. Read the Gospels. There is no other way.""

***

Coming up: The map that changed the World by ????

Walking Wanders 4 - The Peak District

Walking Wanders

Upper Derwent Reservoir / Ladybower Reservoir

Who: A motley crew of wedding-goers; Myself, Richard VdB and Florence, united by Becky and Pete

Why: Becky and Pete got married! Then we had some time to kill in the beautiful Peak District, and as it was a sunny day sandwiched by rainy ones what better way to spend it than outdoors (who cares if we were in wedding-party attire?)

The Walk: (see the beautiful map below)
Due to our attire, the walk was a sedate one, but it was the perfect place for a slow wander.
Part 1 - the little purple bit, we walked from car to reservoir edge to find a picnic spot. We had a view of this incredible hill that was a mix of green grass, purple heather and jaggedy rocks. All the aspects of the British countryside rolled into one. Deciding we'd better not cross the reservoir on the tempting, and easily accessible pipeline (which imo should be a bridge), we return to the car and drove 50m down the road to begin..
Part 2 - Following the road round, through the Ladybower carpark, and past the toe of the Derwent dam we headed right along the eastern edge of Ladybower reservoir before we headed uphill through the yard of Old House Farm (which oddly is a National Trust property). At this point we were very close as the crow flies from where we had lunch, but there was a large body of water in the way. We were on our way when we heard a loud plane flying nearby. I looked up and saw nothing and then realised it was just to the side of us through the trees, very close. It was a Lancaster bomber! This didn't mean much to me at the time, but I now know there are only two working models in the world, one in Canada and one in England, and at this moment they are both in England and have just done their last tandem flight. So I don't know which of the two we saw. Onwards and upwards we headed into proper countryside. Despite its name the peak district is not very peaky, more moory, and being August it was a beautiful sea of purple as all the heather was in flower.

As we continued along the past, we got a great view down the reservoir..

We were contemplating our route back down when we bumped into a couple coming the other way, somewhat bemused by our non-hiking attire. They were very happy about having seen the Lancaster, apparently it doesn't fly along the reservoir often, we were lucky to see it. They warned us about the steepness of our proposed route and recommended a longer, but still a bit steep alternative. Obviously, we ignored their advice! The path was fairly steep, and probably would have been easier with hiking boots rather than smart shoes, but slowly does it and we made it down in one piece, no problem.
As we were walking back along the boring gravel path we were tempted closer to the water by the beach that the summer had produced. It was formed of soft sandstone which is nice underfoot and good progress was made.
As we continued further along we realised the path we had left was higher and higher above us, making us hope rather than expect that there would be way off this beach further along. I have had this happen before on a beach in Alderney which ended with some cliff climbing to avoid backtracking. However I wasn't wearing a dress then! Luckily we came across a steep grass slope leading back up to the track that was gratefully climbed. From there is was past the east tower of the dam before rejoining the road route back to the car.

All in all the Peak District is a beautiful place despite its misnomer of a name. If you ever end up in Sheffield, just head that little bit further east, so worth it. I can't believe I've never been there before (at least that I can remember) and hope that I will be able to return one day with walking boots this time.

Walking Wanders 3 - The Great Orme

Walking Wanders 3

Llandudno Great Orme

Who: Me, myself and I

Why: For various reasons I ended up holidaying alone in Llandudno for a few days at the end of July. It was a beautiful day and I wasn't going to let it go to waste. In the morning I had taken the tram to the Great Orme 'summit' with my newly-made friend from the hostel, so rather than do a repetitive summit walk I decided to walk around it.

The Walk: (See my beautifully drawn map below - it was drawn with a touchpad so the wiggles more likely represent my finger wobbling rather than actual route detours!) From Llandudno Hostel I headed to the entrance to Llandudno pier before picking up the Wales Coastal path.

Llandudno pier

 I was disappointed to discover that at this point the path follows a road and there is no alternative route as it is cut into the rockface. I had committed so I continued, and it was a quiet road and the scenery made up for the tarmac underfoot. 

Out of place road markings - the gate leads to a cliff...

At a point where I thought I was approximately half way round I detoured sharply up hill and found a nice spot for some reading and getting sunburnt. I continued uphill and found Llandudno's graveyard which is shared between two small churches, very isolated from the town.

Llandudno's graveyards

 Realising I was in fact nowhere near half way round I followed the road back down to join the coastal path (see big wiggle on map!) Continuing round the path is very peaceful with just the sea for company, with beautiful cliffs and coves below. Concerningly I came across an empty car with no-one to be seen, until I noticed two little figures far below on one of the (almost) inaccessible beaches. Coming around the head of the Orme one is greeted by a view across the bay to the mountains of Snowdonia, quite impressive for a walk that doesn't involve much uphill. Onwards I plodded when I noticed some odd concrete things below along the sides of a road to nowhere. A helpful sign explains that this was a army training base in the 60s(?) which was built to look like an ordinary village. It's now gone but the concrete foundations remain. The path then drops to join more roads and follows above the beach of Llandudno's West Shore. 

Llandudno's West Shore (Why I didn't take a picture of Snowdonia (just off  the picture to the right) I'm not sure!)

The road is popular with cyclists and along this section they were considerably faster than cars! At this point I made a rooky error of taking the less-trodded path, an error as I was wearing a skirt and so had ankles susceptible to the nettles and brambles that comprised this 'path'. However, as before, I had started so I continued and hopped my way through the undergrowth until I popped out into civilisation.

I headed into town to find food and wandered along the promenande to find a spot to sit and eat. I then was drawn further along by the faint sounds of music and discovered the local wind band playing at the bandstand. A lovely end to a beautiful walk.

***

Coming up: Ladybower Reservoir, Peak District

Relief Reads 17 - The Shipping News

The Shipping News by Annie Proulx

Charity Shop: The Cyrenians, Eldon Square, Newcastle

Charity: The Cyrenians is now Changing Lives. Changing Lives provides specialist support services for thousands of vulnerable people and their families. They work with people experiencing homelessness, addiction and a range of other problems.

Price: £0.50

Book Blurb: Quoyle is a hapless, hopeless hack journalist living and working in  New York. When his no-good wife is killed in a spectacular road accident, Quoyle heads for the land of his forefathers - the remotest corner of far-flung Newfoundland. With his delinquent daughters, Bunny and Sunshine in tow, Quoyle finds hinself a part of an unfolding, exhilarating Atlantic drama. THE SHIPPING NEWS is an irresistable comedy of human life and possibility.

Expectation: A comedic story of a city-dweller adapting to rural life.

Reality: It was a strange book, that I wouldn't call a comedy. Set amongst a back drop of grief, sexual abuse and murder the book follows the life of Quoyle as he floats unhappily through life until his aunt encourages him to move with his two daughters to Newfoundland following the death of his wife in a car crash (after she had just sold their children ?!) Life in Newfoundland suits him, and supported by his aunt, new friends and colleagues Quoyle begins to stand on his own two feet and find out more about his (sometimes quite dark) family history. The story borders on the supernatural at time, although most odd occurrences are explained logically, but not all. It's written in an odd way, very jumpy and rarely has full sentences. This probably is trying to convey how Quoyle's mind works but it took me a while to adjust to.

Overall Rating

It was a struggle           2        3        4        5        6        7        8       9      Gripping page  

to make it                                                                                                        turner

It lost some points because the blurb lied, it's not a comedy. It is odd, but not terrible. Overall it's not a waste of time to read this book and I wouldn't mind watching the film if that opportunity ever arose.

Twist Scale:

Knew the beginning,                                                                                 As twisty as the 

middle and end         2       3        4         5       6        7        8        9      bendy wendy road

from the first line 

There were child slavery, crashes, murders, sexual abuse, drowning, houses disappearing and supernatural occurences. Some were surprise, some were hinted at prior to their occurence. Not the most straightforward plot in the world!

Tear-jerker Scale:

 As dry as a house       2        3       4         5         6         7       8        9     Cried an ocean

 throughout

Most events were so incredulous little empathy was generated. However I did feel some sadness at times from the Aunt's life.

Main Character(s): Quoyle - see 'reality' above. Quoyle's aunt is a key and complex character, who's lived through alot. We get her perspective on events too. Her motives are unclear, she is trying to block the past out of her life yet returns to her childhood home...?

Moral of the Story: I'm not sure. Be wary of being blinded by love.

***

Coming up: Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth

Relief Reads 16 - From Notting Hill with Love... Actually

From Notting Hill with love... Actually by Ali McNamara

Charity Shop: Cancer Research UK, Hexham

Charity: See earlier posts

Price: £1.75

Book Blurb: Scarlett loves the movies. But does she love sensible fiance David just as much? With a big white wedding on the horizon, Scarlett really should have decided by now... // When she has the chance to house-sit in Notting Hill - the setting of one of her favourite movies - Scarlett jumps at the chance. But living life like a movie is trickier than it seems, especially when her new neighbour Sean is so irritating. And so irritatingly handsome, too. // Scarlett soon finds herself starring in a romantic comedy of her very own: but who will end up as the leading man?

Expectation: A ridiculous rom-com

Reality: See my comments below. It was passable but was just a trashy romcom.

Overall Rating

It was a struggle           2        3        4        5        6        7        8       9      Gripping page  

to make it                                                                                                        turner

It was passable. This girl is trying to prove to the world that life can be like the movies, which it isn't, but then the book makes out that it is. The storyline is so unbelievable which would be fine in a romcom but because it's a romcom about romcoms it grated on me. All in all though it was a light-hearted story and I did enjoy it except the ending. There was a nice underlying storyline about finding her mother which did move it a bit beyond the sickeningly superficial veneer.

Twist Scale:

Knew the beginning,                                                                                 As twisty as the 

middle and end         2       3        4         5       6        7        8        9      bendy wendy road

from the first line 

It was ridiculous, so the twists weren't much of a surprise.

Tear-jerker Scale:

 As dry as a house       2        3       4         5         6         7       8        9     Cried an ocean

 throughout

As I said, light hearted.

Main Character(s): Scarlett, soon to be engaged who works at her Dad's popcorn machine company. Taking a break from the real world to 'find herself' by housesitting in Notting Hill. She's self absorbed and doesn't have much of a clue about consequences. She just floats along through life letting things happen to her and will continue to do so by the looks of thing

Moral of the Story: I hope it wasn't supposed to have a moral!

***

Coming up: The Shipping News by Annie Proulx (I thought it was called the shipping forecast... But then got confused because it's set in Newfoundland not the North Sea, but then it's the shipping News which makes a lot more sense)

Relief Reads 15 - The Railway Viaduct

The Railway Viaduct by Edward Marston

Charity Shop: Arthritis Research, Newcastle

Charity: Arthritis Research UK is the leading UK funder of research into the cause, treatment and cure of arthritis.

Price: £1

Book Blurb: [There's a oxfam price sticker blocking parts. This book has had an adventure] The Railway Detective faces his most dangerous Adversary Yet // 1852. Inspector Robert Colbeck and his assist##### Victor Leeming are faced with their most complex and difficult ######. As a train speeds over the Sankey Viaduct, a man is hurled fr#### and plummets into the canal below. It later transpires that he has been stabbed to death. With no papers by which to identify the man, the detectives' investigation is hampered from the start. // Suspecting that the victim may have come from continental Europe, Colbeck and Leeming take the case to France where a new railway is being built by a British contractor. But in a new country the detectives face new problems. Anti-British feeling is rife and Colbeck and Leeming must put their own lives in danger to pick up the murderer's trail. // The third in the acclaimed Railway Detective series, The Railway Viaduct is an absorbing mystery that will keep you guessing till the very end.

Expectation: A light hearted murder mystery.

Reality: A light hearted murder mystery. Rosemary and Thyme-esq in terms of far-fetchedness. I loved the beginning as it is a description of the painting of the cover painting with the added addition of the falling body. The bulk of the story occurs on site at a construction of a railway line in France which satisfied the engineer in me. Working conditions in 1852 were quite different from nowadays! Interesting political situation too as the story is set within living memory of the battle of Waterloo so France and Britain are not best buddies. The reader is kept a step ahead of the detective so the statement that it will 'keep you guessing till the very end' is a lie. I won't hold it against the book blurb writer though!

Overall Rating

It was a struggle           2        3        4        5        6        7        8       9      Gripping page  

to make it                                                                                                        turner

I enjoyed the book, but not the highest quality piece of writing in the world. As I said, Rosemary and Thyme esq.

Twist Scale:

Knew the beginning,                                                                                 As twisty as the 

middle and end         2       3        4         5       6        7        8        9      bendy wendy road

from the first line 

It's not the most mysterious murder mystery ever. The explanation has many layers to it, but the motivation is pretty simple.

Tear-jerker Scale:

 As dry as a house       2        3       4         5         6         7       8        9     Cried an ocean

 throughout

As I said, light hearted.

Main Character(s): Colbeck. Genius detective with an obsession with railways. Fairly socially inept and terrible at office politics to the point that he nearly gets kicked out of Scotland Yard multiple times, however he does have a girlfriend (sort of) which is quite a nice side storyline. She helps with some of the detective work, albeit very unofficially.

Moral of the Story: Don't think it was deep enough for morals. How about... engineering companies need to look beyond political divisions, and justice shouldn't stop at our border either.

***

Coming up: From Nottinghill with Love... Actually by ??? Highly intellectual of course!

Relief Reads 14 - The House at Riverton

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

Charity Shop: I don't know! :(

Charity: ??? I bought it too long ago

Price: £1.99 - the sticker is still on.

Book Blurb: Summer 1924 // On the eve of a glittering society party, by the lake of a grand English country house, a young poet takes his life. The only witnesses, sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford, will never speak to each other again. // Winter 1999 // Grace Bradley, ninety-eight, one-time housemaid at Riverton Manor, is visited by a young director making a film about the poet's suicide. Ghosts awaken and old memories - long consigned to the dark reaches of Grace's mind - begin to sneak back through the cracks. A shocking secret threatens to emerge, something history has forgotten but Grace never could. // Set as the war-shattered Edwardian summer surrenders to the decadent twenties, The House at Riverton is a thrilling mystery and compelling love story.

Expectation: Some sort of murder mystery-esq thing.

Reality: This book is the reason for my massive delay in writing reviews (I'm now three books behind) The ending is truely shocking and disastrous and I still can't get my head around it. I've read two/three further books since this and my thoughts keep returning to this book. I can't tell you the ending, lest you read it in future, but if you have read it I'd love to discuss it with you because there's a bit I'm confused about.
The story is written as a dictaphone record of Grace's memory of events to her grandson Marcus. Slowly the overall story of her life is revealed alongside the intricate details of the events from 1914 - 1924. The flicking between times is a little disorientating which I think is supposed to mirror Grace's thoughts as she is a dying women.

Overall Rating

It was a struggle           2        3        4        5        6        7        8       9      Gripping page  

to make it                                                                                                        turner

Knowing the ending from the beginning is a driving force to keep reading as you want to know how it ends up the way it does. 

Twist Scale:

Knew the beginning,                                                                                 As twisty as the 

middle and end         2       3        4         5       6        7        8        9      bendy wendy road

from the first line 

I won't give it 10 as you know how it will end, but what a ride! The story spans the time when the old order of a rigid class system is swept away in the aftermath of WWI. General craziness all round, and spoken through the view point of a girl/woman who is dedicated to her role as a lady's maid. The events of the ending took me by surprise

Tear-jerker Scale:

 As dry as a house       2        3       4         5         6         7       8        9     Cried an ocean

 throughout

The story itself wasn't particulary teark-jerking, but the ending is so sad. It's making me sad just thinking about it now. (So I have very upbeat radio music to counter it!)

Main Character(s): All from the point of view of Grace. She begins her working life age 14 as a housemaid at Riverton, but becomes Hannah's maid when Hannah moves out. Through her relationship (an unequal friendship) with Hannah she know the facts about events in quite some detail, and was entrusted secrets that no-one else knew. Hannah's story is also intertwined with Grace's, which provided very interesting contrast as these two young women were from completely different social backgrounds.

Moral of the Story: I don't know. What secrets are people keeping?

***

Coming up: The railway viaduct by Edward Marston

Relief Reads 13 - The Other Boleyn Girl AND Walking wanders 2

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Charity Shop: Cancer Research UK, Arundel, East Sussex

Charity: Cancer Research UK fund scientists, doctors and nurses to help beat cancer sooner. They also provide cancer information to the public

Price: £1.50 (expensive down south)

Book Blurb: Mary Boleyn catches the eye of  Henry VIII when she comes to court as a girl of fourteen. Dazzled by the golden pronce, Mary's joy is cut short when she discovers that she is a pawn in the dynastic plots of her family. When the caprious king's interest wanes, Mary is ordered to pass on her knowledge of how to please him to her friend and rival: her sister, Anne. // Anne soon becomes irresistible to Henry, and Mary can do nothing but watch her ambitious sister's rise. From now on, Mary will be no more than the other Boleyn girl. But beyond the court is a man who dares to challenge the power of her family to offer Mary a life of freedom and passion. If only she has the courage to break away - before the Boleyn enemies turn on the Boleyn girls...

Expectation: Having paid attention in Primary school, I know the ending to the book and it wasn't going to be a happy one (for anyone not aware of Tudor history, the fate of Henry's wives were 'divorced, beheaded, died // divorced, beheaded, survived'. Anne was the second wife...) I knew nothing about Mary Boleyn, so how this ending came about I hadn't a clue. I expected it to be a book of two parts, Mary's time as Henry's lover, then Anne's turn.

Reality: The change was a lot more fluid than I expected, and I didn't realise there were children involved! It is quite a shocking story, and portrays an incredibly shallow and fickle society. Not one I would like to be part of. At one point Mary is sent away to her family home where she becomes acquainted with and begins to love country life away from court. She ends up marrying for love, resulting in a massive drop in her social standing, but meaning she is free to live. I read the story in disbelief, but I looked up the history after and all characters and events existed (with massive speculation on the part of Philippa Gregory regarding motivation for people's actions) Further reading rounds indicates it is not as historically accurate as first assumed with the more generally accepting historical view portraying Mary as not the sweet innocent child that Philippa Gregory created.

Characters: Mary (like Hannah in the Queen's fool) is portrayed as supremely naive, and the story is told from her point of view. Anne does not have a decent bone in her body and reminded me of Joffrey from Game of Thrones without the love of gore. George (their brother) is a bit of an enigma but seems nice enough.

Overall Rating

It was a struggle           2        3        4        5        6        7        8       9      Gripping page  

to make it                                                                                                        turner

It was a long book, but really good. I would have appreciated a bit more character depth.

Twist Scale:

Knew the beginning,                                                                                 As twisty as the 

middle and end         2       3        4         5       6        7        8        9      bendy wendy road

from the first line 

I couldn't work out what was going to happen next, and Phillipa Gregory has a style of announcing major plot developments very curtly. e.g. That was the last time I saw him alive (wait, what?!)

Tear-jerker Scale:

 As dry as a house       2        3       4         5         6         7       8        9     Cried an ocean

 throughout

It was quite sad as Mary was separated from her children and obviously the ending too, but most sad was Katherine of Aragon's dignified fall from grace.

Moral of the Story: Ugh Tudor Courts, glad we've got rid of absolute Monarchy.

***

Coming up: The Railway Viaduct by Edward Marston

Story of my life (aka Walking Wanders)
Whilst still fresh in my mind I'll give you the story of the three peaks.
At 5.30am we awoke to a noisy campsite full of campers preparing to set off on a 25 mile walk. Aiming to leave at 6, we eventually 'checked in' at the cafe with an official start time 6.33am. Initially setting off in the wrong direction, I conceded that following the crowd was probably a good plan so off we went in the right direction (meeting a couple who had checked in at the same time as us reappearing from a different false start) Through a gate and upwards we headed with Pen-y-ghent in site periodically disappearing into the clouds and subsequently reappearing. A line of fellow walkers stretched as far as the eye could see. Initially we were being regularly over taken by keen beans, but as we neared the steep scramble we caught up with a large group of people walking for Pancreatic Cancer Action all in purple t-shirts and carrying balloons. The younger children were struggling with the steep climb, so it was our chance to do some overtaking. At 7.45am we arrived at the summit of Pen-y-ghent, still periodically in cloud but clear enough to admire the view. Photo, food and drink later onwards we marched. Armed with our trekking poles, an impedance on the upwards scramble, we flew down hill overtaking great swathes of walkers en route, competitive Becca had appeared. Marching onwards we set our break target as Ribblehead Viaduct which remained stubbornly far away or out of view. Hunger spurred us on and at 10.20am we arrived at the crossroads by the viaduct with a welcomed tea and coffee van. A slow service combined with a very hot cup of tea gave us time for a longer break until we were sufficiently energised to continue. Setting off, we followed the path to the viaduct (stopping to take a photo of a train crossing it) and continued along the edge of the railway crossing at an aqueduct just before it disappeared into a tunnel. Upwards we walking until we reached the well-hidden (on the other side of the wall and through an almost impassable stile) summit of Wernside at 12.20pm. Quick snack stop and no view (clouds :-( )later we continued down the Wernside staircase. With legs like Jelly at the bottom our pace slowed but we continued to Phlippin' snack bar (that I was very disappointed to discover was infact called Philpin snack bar) The rain had eventually caught up with us so the barn with benched provide much welcomed shelter. Reenergised with Bacon butties and tea off we went to conquer the last peak. By this time tiredness was clearly setting in as I can't remember exact timings. I think we left Phlippin at ~1.30. Upwards we climbed into the clouds and as we scrambled higher the wind got faster making progress tricky. Nearing the top, a couple climbing down said 'not far now, it's a bit confusing at the top but keep going straight and you'll make it'  Reaching the top in the howling wind and dense cloud we were faced with a flat rocky plateau, so on the fellow walker's advice we headed straight and eventually the trig point appeared in the mist with the four way benches. Mysteriously none of the other walkers joined us, but rather opted to head to the left. Being dense fog I don't know where they were going, they all returned a few minuted later, can anyone shed any light? I did climb up to double check we were definitely at the trig point. A couple minute sit down and the challenge now was to find where we came up from and retrace our steps down hill before taking a sharp right toward the finish. Luckily a line of walkers as part of a group who were waiting for each other to catch up marked the way back to the descent, but by now the rain had started and in combination with the howling wind was unbelievably painful. Holding my hands to my face and struggling to not be blown over I followed a pair of feet in front of me off the mountain, periodically checking the feet belonged to Hannah. A couple of minutes later with the wind managebly calmer I realised we were no longer on the path we headed up on. Hannah explained that we had cut the corner and were already on the path back to Horton. Surveying the line of walkers in front of us, I conceeded this was true. Now the wind and rain were no longer conspiring to torture my face (in future, wear buff on top of Inglebrough!) I happily continued our downward march. On and on we went until Horton appeared in site. On arrival you come out of a field and into the railway station where immediately you need to cross the tracks. Having explored the dead-ends of Horton in our attempt to find the campsite the day previous, we successfully made it back to the Cafe at 5.25pm, 10hrs and 52minutes after we had bid it farewell that morning. And so ended the walk, to the pub! 
Accomodation: Holme farm campsite, Horton-in-Ribblesdale. Well priced, friendly enough owners. Run by 3 guys who liked to sport Hi-vis. Reception is in a very wierd tent/shed thing. Basic but adequate facilities with washing up liquid and sponge provided, bonus. Downside it was very over crowded and noisy. I'm sure they were breaking some sort of regulation regarding tent spacings. They have a monopoly on the three peaks campers.
Food: 
- Tea/coffee van at the Ribblehead viaduct road junction - run by one lady, very slow service, decent tea served in polystyrene cup.
- Philpin snack bar - van parked in barn with tables and seat and toilet provided. About 6 people in tiny van meant speedy service. Price and quality of food/drink indistiguishable from aforementioned van, but need for speed recognised. They offer camping here, would consider it if I did it again.
- The Red lion hotel - Had our evening meal here and after a 25 mile walk with a mile ascent, any food tastes nice. The pub was nice and cosy with a fire (not on) in the back room. For food you get a ticket and go to the dining room. This frees up space in the pub and means you can get food straight away. Don't go for a gastronomic experience, I've had better lasagnes!