Houndkirk

"The Fox House" starting point

The number 272 bus passes close to our house every hour in the daytime. It goes way beyond the city's boundaries to Hathersage, Bradwell, Hope and Castleton. Miss it and you will have a long wait.

After yet another  doctor's appointment this morning, I was at the bus stop in plenty of time for the 11.58 bus and its arrival was punctual. This was the first part of my plan for a linear long walk.

I got off the 272 at a pub-restaurant called "The Fox House" and then made my way to the start of Houndkirk Road. It is an ancient track and former toll road that takes you over Houndkirk Moor to Ringinglow.

Houndkirk Road

I did it in one hour fifteen minutes and I would have been quicker if I had not stopped to chat with another lone figure - a tourist from Hong Kong who has been in Great Britain for the past three months and is heading back home in two days' time. He was delighted to hear that I have been to Hong Kong but wondered why I cannot speak Cantonese! 

At Ringinglow, I entered "The Norfolk Arms" and purchased a pint of bitter shandy and a packet of cheese and onions crisps (American: chips). It was nice to rest for ten minutes before carrying on along Fulwood Lane.

This took me to the "Land of Lost Gnomes" I wrote about yesterday. There I checked up on the gnome lads. Everything was in order though Tasker had been shat upon by a bird - perhaps a wood pigeon. It had been a direct hit. I cleaned him up before taking this picture...

Then down into Porter Clough at the head of The Porter Valley. Fortunately, it was all downhill for me. After passing through the Forge Dam area, I saw a man approaching  - another lone walker.

"Are you all right?" I asked.

He seemed puzzled.

Then I explained that I recognised him from a concert we had both attended in the mid-eighties. It was in the upstairs concert room of a pub on Infirmary Road. We were there to see the legendary Robin Williamson who performed at Woodstock with The Incredible String Band.

The other bloke was astonished that I remembered the two of us chatting with Robin Williamson at the interval and was perhaps even more astonished when I asked, "Is your name Pedro?"

"Yes, yes it is!" he said.

I wished him all the best as he carried on up the valley to Forge Dam and beyond. Little did he know that he had just encountered The Great Yorkshire Pudding, Memory Man, Blogger Extraordinaire and human agent for the "Land of Lost Gnomes"!

After the previous miles, it was such a drag hoofing my way up Highcliffe Road to High Storrs. Another mile and I was back home - as Ludwigsburg resident Meike Riley might say - knackered! The entire expedition had taken exactly four hours.

Old stone guidepost by Houndkirk Road

from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/Ymq7FLs