Trig 1 was easy. A 800 walk in from the road to the west. Very grateful that we hadn't had a wet winter as it was pretty boggy.
Trig 2 was a clamber over a couple of barbed wire fences and a mound/ditch affair but views were terrific.
Trig 3 was fun. It sits the corner of a raised bank which, again, required some fence and ditch hopping. What I really liked about this one was the fact that the farmer has tied his/her barbed wire using the trig as an anchor. And, no, I wasn't tempted to walk across the log to the right of the pillar post trig bag.
Onto to trig 4, Shilstone Hill. A positively easy bag helped by the fact that there is a bridleway linking the trig and the carpark. Got my first glimpse of the Bristol Channel from this one and stupidly excited at spotting a tanker. If you peer carefully at the grey sea behind the trig you may spot it.
The wind was picking up by Trig 5 so I got blown up (or was it down?) to this one. The field looked freshly ploughed when I pitched up. Indeed, very fresh. So much so that the farmer was still in it. He'd just ploughed around the trig so I waved at him and pointed to it. He seemed quite happy for this looney woman to go visit something he'd far rather put to one side of his field.
The next treat was a drive by FBM. I don't think I've ever bagged a Fundamental Bench Mark. It is in the entrance to a National Trust car park and is dead cute. It has its very own stone wall surrounding it. If I ever return I'm half minded to plant some daffs and primroses and to leave a gnome. I think that would complete the look very nicely.
I didn't understand why the actual height above MSL wasn't marked on it. Unless it was kept hidden so the Ordnance Survey could sell it to you.
Walked up to Trig 6, Butter Hill, and had stunning views across to Wales and the coast towards Lynmouth.
What you can't see in the photo is that I'm finding it hard to stand upright. The wind was vicious!
Wandered around Lynmouth for the latter part of the afternoon. Look what I found?
Today headed off up Hollerday Hill to hunt a surface block. Very easy to find as it was smack bang on the highest point. Hope you like the slant on this photo. It was so windy I'm surprised I got the horizon that level!
My very first surface block.
Wandered to the Valley of the Rocks in the wind and drizzle (lovely stuff) for a reviving coffee before my final bag Castle Field. I didn't find the local signage terribly helpful.
A stiff climb up to the last one of the day and major relief on my part that the inquisitive bullocks that had lived in the field were elsewhere.
Not bad for a weekend although perhaps I should throw in a buried block next time?
The reason I get these weekends out is that Rog and the girls are on Dartmoor training for Ten Tors. He obviously had a conversation at some stage with another teacher about what I was up to this weekend. To quote Roger - "I tried to explain trig bagging to them, Ruth, but no matter how I said it, I couldn't make it sound even remotely interesting."
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