This is the blog of Dave Shaw, who was accompanied by Roger Clarke and David King. Phase One of the walk began on Saturday, 18 June 2011 and ended on Thursday 23 June, in Carlisle. Phase Two began on 19th July from Carlisle and concluded in Saltaire on Tuesday 26th July.

Back in the World of Silent Monitors…
Date: 19th June 2011, morning

Roger Clarke and Dave Shaw

It’s 7 am on Sunday, and t’eagles have landed. We arrived safely in New Lanark yesterday afternoon, courtesy of David King’s excellent driving and navigation. It took us four hours to drive from Saltaire to New Lanark. The plan now is to turn round and walk back – which will take a tad longer.

A view of New Lanark and its water wheel.

Ready, steady, go! Dave Shaw and Roger Clarke get set to walk home to Saltaire.

New Lanark World Heritage Site is looking great! The carding machines and the spinning mules in the mill are producing skeins of yarn which are sold in the mill shop; the Clyde flows clear; the mill lade (goit to Yorkshire folk) is generating lots of cheap hydroelectricity for the site; children of the 21st century are playing in Robert Owen’s Institution for the Formation of Character. Owen would be proud to see today’s New Lanark.

New Lanark from upstream.

The on-site hotel is doing such good business that we’ve spent the night in the site’s other available accommodation – the very comfortable Scottish YHA hostel.
New Lanark’s Director Lorna Davidson and her predecessor Jim Arnold very kindly met us for a drink yesterday evening – lovely to see them both and catch up on the news. Jim is now chairman of a project to develop Owenstown. Google it to be excited at the latest plan for town development! Lorna tells us that hydroelectricity is a great benefit for the site – in Saltaire the possibility has been looked at before & not proceeded with, but the economics may have changed since that time, so time to revisit the issue?

Roger Clarke, Dave Shaw, New Lanark’s Director Lorna Davidson, Dave King,
and Lorna's predecessor Jim Arnold.

We’re off up the Clyde now, en route to an overnight stop at a place called Leadhills. Waterproofs on – it looks like being wet…

The photo is of a silent monitor – a four sided, four coloured device used by Owen to assess the quality of performance of a mill worker. We’re going to use the monitor to mark the quality of our lives in the coming days as we head back south. Today’s mark? – Pure white, for the hospitality shown by everyone here in New Lanark.

Silent Monitors

 

Best Before Apr 2002
Date: 19th June 2011, evening

“Best Before Apr 2002” – the story at the end of the first day’s walk – Sunday 9pm, dispatched from the lounge bar of the Hopetoun Arms, in the delightful village of Leadhills.

David King has been playing on a train – the Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway – the highest regular passenger line in the UK. He’s also been to a Mining Museum, and Roger’s green with envy.

Meanwhile Roger & Dave have been walking the 20 miles to Leadhills from New Lanark, in mixed weather. Peregrine falcons at the Falls of Clyde, tedious roads for 15 miles, then banks of wild violets, pansies and orchids in the fells above Leadhills.

Roger Clarke

Dave Shaw and David King at the Falls of Clyde

“Best before Apr 2002” refers to the bar of Kendal Mint Cake which provided Roger’s only sustenance between breakfasts, apart from a slice of bread & two pots of jam, stolen from an unspecified Youth Hostel (Roger calls it Stollen Cake).

Dave’s had a bath to ease his aching feet, daunted by a further 20 miles tomorrow over testing terrain, en route to Moffat. According to meteorological experts (“the only people who are paid to tell lies”) it’s going to be fine tomorrow…

Last mile of the day. A bit of a relief!

 

More tomorrow…
Like the Clyde, flow gently,
David, Roger & Dave aka The Saltaire Missionaries (which name has been chosen under the influence of wines, beers & ciders.

Today’s “enjoyment colour” on our Silent Monitor: Yellow – not a perfect a perfect white, but not far behind…