Helsby Hill

When the three of us wandered over to see DREAM on Tuesday night, Corin told James about the view from Helsby Hill (the views from the top of the hill are here). I've never been there before either, so this afternoon, as the weather was fine, we piled in the car and went over.

I slept most of the way there! I am such a sloth.

The road up to the top is possibly the steepest road I have ever had to walk - only about 150 yards, but my knees were burning by the time we got into the forest walk. Coz bounded up there. Not jealous. Nope.

We saw all sorts of interesting things, including an archaelogical dig that is taking place up on the hill to restore the walls of a fort that have been found under the ground at the top of the hill. James and I got "The fear" at the top, compounded by Corin wandering over to the cliff edges, climbing down onto ledges and standing right on the edge of one particular but of cliff that jutted out. My eyes started seeing the scenery through "tilt and shift" eyes ...the houses below so utterly tiny, everything looking like it was made of lego or matchboxes and carefully painted to look real, but miniature. In the shots I have linked to, there is one where I did take it from a prone position on the rocks because I was terrified of slipping and flying off the edge (I know how clumsy I am - it wouldn't take much for me to briefly turn into a bird, before hitting the deck and becoming roadkill!). I don't have a problem with heights, as long as I am attached to a rope with a harness and I'm wearing my climbing shoes.

On the way back down, we stopped and had a look at the bulls in the fields - I think the farm was actually a stud farm - no cows, just lots and lots of bulls. Corin said to James "Do you know how you can tell they are bulls?" James in his naivety said "No, how?" so Corin said "Well, they have willies and BIG CAHUNAS" to which James giggled for about 5 minutes.

Wandered back down the hill and then into Helsby quarry - sandstone, some fantastic formations and colours, enhanced by the light which was just fantastic.

Then we came home. Yeah - you guessed it, I slept all the way back as well.

Then set up photomatix to start bulk processing a HDR merge whilst I went and slept for another hour and a half. Fish and chips for tea, 3 hours in front of the computer doing the photos, and now, as Zebedee would say, it's time for bed.

Boiiiiiiing.
xx