route: caley deer park trig from surprise view
Date: 17th jan 2015
distance: 3.2 miles
ascent: 288 feet
time: 1 hr 30 mins
walkers: abigail, andy, dave, freddie, jane, karen, leanne, sandra, & sarah
Our first walk of 2015 had been pencilled in for over a month but there were last minute changes due to the sudden arrival of snow and falling temperatures. The conditions were never going to put us off, but I had to be mindful that Freddie was only 5 months old and so the route was shortened a little to reduce the amount of time we would be out. That said, by the time he was wrapped in all his layers he will probably have been the warmest person there.
The team shot consisted of two new faces who both looked the part and waited patiently as we killed time until Ramblo turned up. There were actually three new faces if you include Lottie who along with Izzy would form the canine division of the Badgers.
With everyone now in attendance and wrapped up (apart from me in my customary shorts) we left Surprise View car park and began the search for today’s trig point. As mentioned above, the intended route was sacrificed in order to keep the whole experience pleasant for the younger members of the group, so we didn’t join the footpath opposite the car park and instead turned left to follow the road. It was hoped that along with saving us distance and therefore time it would also give us better conditions underfoot.
Away to our right some sheep were having a mid-morning snack kindly provided by a farmer and every single one was tucking in. Subconsciously I must have wanted to join them as I soon found myself chomping on a banana I had, although I only got half with the rest being consumed by the passenger sat on my back. It was at roughly this point the snow began to fall gently which added a nice little touch to the simple start to the walk. We were now in groups of two and every now and again the cry of car would come from the front and be passed down the line to me or I would start the chain should I hear something approaching from behind.
Five minutes later the snow was coming down thick and fast and Abigail was trying to catch it with her tongue. Every so often she would giggle to herself and it was a wonderful reminder of how children can find enjoyment in almost anything, and in some ways a sad reflection of how adults make life so complicated by worrying about materialistic things. The giggles continued and with the terrain being almost flat we made decent progress despite the worsening conditions and the fact I was now having snow shoved down the back of my top.
We reached the junction at the end of the road, turned left then almost immediately right onto a snow covered lane. I have since found out that the Tour de Yorkshire will come down here in May when no doubt it will be busier than we found it.
Ahead of me Jane, Sarah and Andy were chatting away as were Leanne, Sandra and Karen a similar distance behind me. I had my own conversation with Abigail discussing the snow & the various episodes of Peppa Pig that are set it snowy conditions. A short while later we saw the footpath sign pointing along the edge of the woods and nipped through the narrow gap in the wall to join it. We followed this for a short distance with the wall to our left and trees to our right until we reached a clearing where numerous paths converged.
Jane spotted a carved wooden thingy… which I am finding hard to describe as I didn’t go over to look at it. Instead I asked for help lifting my backpack off so my cargo could stretch her legs for a bit as we headed towards the trig point.
Abigail had great fun running around in the snow as we made the short journey to the trig point. As on most occasions I knew roughly where the trig was thanks to my GPS but I kept reminding everyone to keep an eye out as it would be found through the trees on our right. I soon heard a voice towards the front of the group shout that it was in sight and we left the path to cut through the seasonally sparse undergrowth before finally reaching the trig. It wasn’t our greatest achievement but it was a tiny bit special in the fact it was the first one Abigail had reached on foot, even if she only walked the last few hundred yards. It was soon clear that she wanted to walk some more as we couldn’t get her to stay still for the team trig shots but that just became a game to her and entertainment to everyone else. Happy days! 🙂 
As is usually the case when the weather is a little chilly we found our core body temperature dropping as we stood around and it wasn’t long before we were moving once again. The overall speed was a little slower due to little legs (Abigail not Leanne), but with a little cajoling along she kept up for the main part. When she slowed down we chose somebody ahead for her to “catch” and she was off once again shouting “can’t catch me” as she ran off.
Ahead of us the path began to drop away and turn right a little before sweeping left to join the Dales Way link route. The snow was coming down once again and the trees offered little shelter, it’s days like this where I wish I hadn’t forgotten to bring my sun hat 😉 
The path dropped down to a bridge over a little stream where we posed for a family picture as Freddie was now finally awake, and could just be seen peering out of multiple layers of clothing. This was also the point Abigail decided she had walked enough and the temptation of a snack was too large, so she went back on my shoulders and began to munch on a banana. The path climbed gradually until we reached the East Chevin Road which we followed for a short distance before continuing on the Dales Way link. From this point on the route was all uphill which was a perfect way to work up a thirst before we head to the pub.
At roughly half way up the climb we came across a gate informing us we were entering the Chevin Forest Park which we did without any fuss. I sensed that the younger contingent were just about ready to finish for the day so it was a good job we weren’t too far away from completion. As the incline levelled off Abigail informed me that not only did she want to go to the “pub now daddy” she also wanted to walk the last little section.
Freddie was coming up to feed time and he wasn’t afraid to let us know but we were so close to the end we pushed on with the decibel level seemingly rising every few steps. Fortunately for him, and us, we were back at the car within minutes and he was safely inside guzzling 7 ounces of milk. It wasn’t long before we got chance to get a drink for ourselves during our post ramble chat in the pub. The log fire was just being lit and we spent the next half hour or so chatting as we warmed up. I was chuffed that today had gone as well as it had. Not that I expected a failure, but with the weather being as it was it would have been easy to not bring the little ones and in turn Leanne would have stayed at home too. With a slight change of the route and more importantly the flexibility and understanding of the other Badgers we could all enjoy the fresh (and it was fresh at times) air. As we approach our fifth birthday it seems that we may be evolving as a group, but we are just as strong as ever 🙂
Sir Edmund
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