Reading, riting and ‘rithmetic … ?

I won’t be mentioning it much on the socials but a few months ago i literally stumbled across a large healthy badger sett not too far from home, up on the moors.

With that anthropological thingy where humans like to name things / animals in nature, and as a very vague hint to its whereabouts (you can work for GCHQ if you crack this one), i’ve called it the ‘Hancock’ sett.

As well as sitting and watching the residents, and treating them to peanuts occasionally, i’ve become very atuned to the sign of any other human activity near the sett. It’s not on a PROW, not visible to the eye (unless using a plane / heli / drone), so human sign thereabouts may not be of the nature loving type !!

A few books have been read and re-read trying to learn more about badgers – as previously mentioned i really like this one (also available as an audiobook) …

The Badger Trust is a useful resource too. They provide advice on the ‘three R’s’ of what to do about crimes against badgers

RECOGNISE

RECORD

REPORT

and have made a FILM about badger crime and what to so about it. N.B. the video includes stills and video of crimes against badgers.

Another really useful tool (because we humans are seldom more than arms length from a smartphone) is the Badger Trust app caller ‘Badger Watch’. Free to download.

It offers a comprehensive reporting tool for badger crime in England and Wales

and also has a guide on what a sett looks like

And advice on what to do if you find an injured badger, or a dog stuck in a sett.

There’s also a ‘find my local badger group’ tool.

Badger crime is an offence and, if witnessed is a 999 call to the police. Do not put yourself at risk in recording or reporting instances to the police.

You can get involved with or donate to organisations that work against badger crime. Badger Trust, League Against Cruel Sports and RSPCA are a few of them.

*the Hancock sett is monitored 24/7 by covert cameras

I received several well intentioned calls earlier this evening from folks that had seen ‘a massive meal being prepared’ in a layby under Stanage.

I messaged the farmer and asked if he could pop by. He did. Ten minutes later he sent me a photo of a pile of curry.

I asked if they would they still be there in 10 minutes and got a 👍

15 Bangladeshi chaps on a day trip in ‘Uncle Phil’s Community Bus’ from Luton.

Once a year they head off for the day and have a walk and then serve food for themselves and strangers. Last year Bournemouth, this year Stanage.

I arrived to find Nick the local farmer giving them a chat about cattle and sheep farming and fielding lots of interested questions about prices and weights and ages and the butchering process.

I was handed a plate and it was piled high. Every time i said ‘that’s plenty thank you’, another 2 ladlefulls went on.

Vast quantities of chicken and beef curry, dahl, pop, tea and cake were consumed. Laughs aplenty.

Nobody has got up Stanage in the last 2 hours without first having at least 2 courses from these lovely fellas. No qualms about who you are, where you’ve come from or what you’re driving. Anyone and everyone got plied with curry.

It was lovely to see Nick, who suffers at the sharp end of much of the anti social behaviour on and around the North Lees Estate, belly-laughing with complete strangers, telling them all about his Belties, and sipping cups of Dudh Cha, the cup held by fingers stained yellow from the turmeric.

I think we have an invite to a curry house somewhere near Tower Bridge ? For some reason we sang Kylie Minogie songs 🤷‍♂️. When the midge started biting the gentlemen said ‘we’re from Bangladesh …. we don’t need any spray, these aren’t proper biting insects’ !!

A lovely evening.

The minute we waved them off on their long journey home the heavens opened.

Thank you and safe journey home my friends 🙏.

Various takes on the causes, damage and politics behind / around the Tintwistle wildfire (*see earlier post by Tom Aspinall RSPB)

For the Daily Mail reading side of the moor there’s this …

and for a nifty bit of *open source* multi-database analysis of the fire site and the impact thereon by slope, aspect, vegetation type and other variables there is this by Keith Challis.

Take your pick.

I spent several pleasant hours yesterday afternoon wandering around the Eastern Moors patch in that warm breeze.

Meandering between the Upper Res and the B6054 i came across a pile of stones i hadn’t visited before. 

Wasn’t on the OS map. Nothing obvious via Google. I messaged Craig R – the oracle and a fellow ranger at 1534hrs sending him a photo, a pin drop, and a message

By 1546hrs he had yielded the fruit – and the year and page number of the relevant Clarion Rambler. 1947-48. Page 83. Which considering there are 63 years of CR books and many exceed 150 pages that’s quite some reply time !!!

‘On the left, near the Barbrook Reservoir, a now disappearing cairn was built, so i’m told before 1908, by George Herrington (Robin Hood, Baslow) and J.W. Stone, Duke’s gamekeeper, (one or both), out of an old four-sided sheep lea-shelter wall (“+”) and possibly in memore of a Sheffield herbalist, George Hodkin (74), who, going this way from Owler Bar in Dec., 1887, to Froggatt, lost his life near here, and was not found for several months.’

-Clarion Rambler 1947-48

Thanks Craig 👍

A very timely article and video by Tom Aspinall (RSPB Senior Policy Officer)

A while back me and my mate Paul bumped in to a couple of almost overladen cycle tourers in Hathersage.

After a wee natter the penny dropped that i’d sent them some route advice after they’d asked on instagram for routes in the Peak.

After another few cerebral dots joined together i realised afterwards that it was Samuel Organ and mates …. and he was the bloke (with a mate) that had carted a mini recording studio around Scotland on his Stanforth bike and made an album about it.

I cobbled most of what Samuel had already done on Instagram in to a little playlist and really really liked the vibe of his music …. and waited for if and when the music or film from the Scotland trip would emerge …

And it has today. Front and centre on Bikepacking of all places. He must be chuffed.

Please do read the article because it has a little bit of life advice in there about all of us being more Tony the Trout.

Bikepacking (article and video)

Video on Youtube

Quite a good evening patrol. A couple having pre-wedding photos taken. A couple just engaged. A 17th birthday picnic. A few campers. Lots of walkers and sunseters. A lot of midges.

And then this

8 lads from Staffordshire treating the place like a shithole.

Which led me to think of this tourism campaign …

You’ll probably know the story … but i’ll summarise it anyway …. Tip the collie belonged to shepherd and dog breeder Joseph Tagg.

Joseph and Tip set off from their home near Bamford to walk across the bleak Howden moors. That was on 12 December 1953. The weather was winter foul. 

104 days later later the corpse of Joseph was found on Ronksley Moor by Sam Bingham and Joe Shepherd who were rounding sheep up. By his side was an emaciated bundle of matted hair. Tip had refused to leave her master. She was barely alive and was carried gently back down off the moors and nursed back to help. 

On Whit Monday 1954 at the Bamford Sheepdog Trials, Tip had her own tent and was fussed by everybody. A commemorative stone, paid for by public subscription, was erected near the Derwent Dam.

The story of Tip features in a new podcast by Tom Raine on the bbcworldservice about a collection of songs by Sean Cooney all about dogs. 

One third of The Young ‘Uns, Sean has a rich and multi-award winning legacy of folk songs in his quiver, but it was the recent retirement of Nessie his wife’s guide dog after 9 years loyal service that led Sean to research the life and work of other incredible dogs around the world.

The recounted stories include guide dog Roselle that led her owner down 1463 steps to safety from the 78th floor of the North Tower on September 11th, 2001. 

The podcast closes with Sean singing the song he wrote about Tip at the folk club at the Hallamshire House pub in Sheffield. 

Hopefully the finished collection of songs will be available for us all to enjoy in the not too distant future. 

Dogs are the best. 

Link to the podcast

In amongst various health issues of late i have managed to tootle around the local valleys on Geraldine ( for the uninitiated that’s my Surly Straggler gravel / touring / mental health improving bike).

Of late i’ve been singing along – and inserting my own lyrics and places – to a lovely little song that’s kept appearing on my cycling instagram fees ( @theasventuresofgeraldine) …

It’s by Tagore Chayne and it’s called ‘ride or die’ and it’s available to download and singalong to now

Cue some local bike wanderings pics …

Oh, and the song that influenced the name of my bike is here

a blog post by Ben McMillen owner of Hill Top Packs

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