Lovely morning so a good day for a walk. We had to do a bit of tidying up at the centre this morning so we had a bit of lunch then togged up for our walk. Pretty cold outside so base layer, light fleece, windproof and gilet, beanie and fingerless gloves. We decided to do Weets and decide on our return route later according to conditions. Usual escape, round the Parrock, Westgate, Moorgate then Folly. A lot of the lane has been capped with concrete now and it soon became apparent that it was quite slippy up past the RDA stables then round the bends by Causeway Carr up to Standridge. We decided then that we would not come back on any of the routes that lead back to Folly as the temperature was bound to drop by the time we got back down. Didn't fancy skating down on the way back.
Looking ahead and glancing back once we got into the first field passed Standridge we could neither see the top of the field or indeed Barlick which seemed to have disappeared into the mist like Brigadoon! Visibility on the side of the hill was about 15 yards at best, good job we knew where we were going. Sun was trying it's best to shine through but seemed to be fighting a loosing battle. We pressed on up the Bronze Age banking, quite firm under foot and getting increasingly cooler as we gained height. The normal claggy bits were claggy but with a crust of ice. Not attempted Weet this year and I was finding it quite hard going, more of a challenge than a pleasurable walk. Nothing to see apart from the path ahead. We made it up to the trig and there was just enough wind to make it a bit nithering if you couldn't get your back to it.
We didn't linger long, nothing to see from the top. We tipped off over the side and down the Northern path off the hill, any other of the Southern or Eastern routes would have led us back down Follly so we decided to stick to the fields. Not been this way off the top since my operation so I knew it was going to be a bit of a challenge. I wasn't wrong, coming down at 45 degrees with no functioning toes on my right foot, coupled with the muscle fatigue and drop foot ensured pretty tentative and careful steps, very tiring. We made it down into the valley which was very welcome, over the stream across the moor (happy I could remember which paths) stile was where it should be so over and a diagonal for the stile onto The Edge. Lots of sheep grazing who all scattered when we entered the field. A new fence has gone in here across the line of the path but a stile provided for the route. Field was very boggy lower down on the approach to Edge Lane. We made our way down over the cattle grids and then took the path by the marker stone (now only one, used to be two), to my favourite stile above Dark Hill. We came all the way down onto Hollins Lane then took the side path down to Cow Pasture, noticing that Barlick unlike Brigadoon's 100 year curse had re-emerged from the mist in just a couple of hours. We returned down Calf Hall, back round the Parrock and home.
Warm enough in the kit we had chosen. In fact I was wet through with sweat, you can see this in the stats. The shower was very welcome after shoving most of my kit in the washing basket. Not my sprightliest circular on Weets, I found it quite had going, must get out more.
