It's a few years since I walked all the way up to the trig point on Baildon Moor. It's only 282 feet above sea level but it's a long, slow climb from Saltaire in the valley bottom - and always windy up there! Trig points are triangulation stations, usually a concrete post with a metal disc in the top into which you can slot a theodolite, used for surveying in the days before aerial photography and electronic positioning aids (GPS) were available. There are over 5000 of them across Britain and some people make a habit of visiting as many as they can, a pastime known as 'trig bagging'.
It wasn't a totally clear day but nevertheless you could see quite a few miles in all directions from the trig point. I could see Emley Moor TV mast, which is 26 miles away, supposedly the tallest freestanding structure in the UK at more than 300m, 20m taller than the Shard in London.
On the walk up, I passed this ancient 'cup and ring marked' stone. These are examples of Bronze Age (2000 - 800 BC) rock art and have been found all over the Baildon, Rombalds and Ilkley moors, though their purpose isn't really clear. The markings have almost eroded away but there are examples preserved in local museums too.
Just a short walk down from the trig point, beside a caravan site, an excellent little café has opened: Moor View Cabin. Friends had recommended it so I stopped there for lunch, choosing scrambled egg and smoked salmon on toast, with chives and dill mayonnaise - very tasty and beautifully presented. ☆☆☆☆☆ from me! Forgot to take a photo though!
Good sounding walk there, with a necessary reward of lunch!
ReplyDeleteFunny how we can get sentimental about hideous lumps of concrete in our most remote wild places. Though I must admit to offering up a small prayer of thanks when finding one exactly where I expected it one foggy day in the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog, if you prefer).
ReplyDeleteI can see that becoming a bit of a mission to find as many trigs a s possible.
ReplyDeleteThe views would have definitely been worth the upward walk for myself, Jenny, and I suspect they were for you as well 😀
ReplyDeleteI've always just thought of them as survey markers. They can be found here
ReplyDelete