Shepherds’ memorial cairn

We met Marion and Steve at Alnham church for a good hill walk over to Ewertly Shank via the memorial cairn in memory of a friend of my dad’s and another shepherd who perished in a blizzard in November 1962, trying to get home. I remember that winter well as our farm road was blocked for 10 weeks. It was a hard winter and in the end I got lodgings in the town to enable me to go to school.

The cairn is at the place he was found within sight of his home about 1/2 mile away. But the blizzard was so severe he wouldn’t know that. There was no road then or telephones. They were not found till 2 days later as his wife had no way of raising the alarm till then.

We had heavy showers but soon dried in the breeze and sun. We continued on from Ewertly Shank to the track we’d taken last week then bore east towards Alnhammoor. From there it was a long steep climb south back up to the moor and then down steeply to the start. Marion is only 61 and superfit, having recently completed TMB and then the 3 Peaks. Mr C reminded me we were doing long days at that age, carrying stuff to bothies when on our Munro challenge so I don’t feel too bad. This was only 9.75 miles, rough tracks and 1758 feet ascent but she kindly said she was tired. We certainly are cream-crackered. It brought it home to me that when she’s my age I’d be 91!