04/01/17  Please Note the change in the starting point of the walk!!

The Tenth Early Start.

Here we go again for out 10th "Winter Solstice" walk.  Last year's event declared it was the 8th one but that's if you just count the ones which are official events. The very first one in 2008 was just an informal gathering with nine of us making early morning climb to Round Loaf. To make it an even more round number related event it will probably be my 2000th cache. Its only taken me 12 years! So we've had 9 Winter Solstice Walks where we have got up early in the hope of seeing the sun rise. Of these we've had

Perfect sunrise - 3 times (2008,2010,2012)

Partly obscured sun rise - once (2016).

Nothing but cloud - 3 times (2011,2013,2014)

Ice, Snow and Fog - once (2009)

 A raging tempest - (once, and that was enough!) (2015)

What will 2017 bring us? This year we are back on the West Pennine Moors after a three year absence. We are heading to the highest point on Turton Moor, Hanging Stone (it's known locally by the singular despite being plural on the Ordnance Survey).

 Turton Moor and Holden's Farm ruin

The Plan

14/01/2017 Meet at Bolton Sailing Club car park 53 38.720 -2 29.809 at 5.45am. We aim to set off at 6.00am to reach Hanging Stone (the event coordinates) by nautical twilight so that's 6.53am. This will be the actual event and we will be there for at least half and hour hopefully watching the dawn.We have to cross the road, whilst its unlikely there will be a lot off traffic at that time its also true that drivers won't be expecting to see people so please take care, wrap up warm, bring a headtorch and keep an eye on the page for updates to the date (this is because one year we had to postpone it as severe weather made it unsafe to drive). Over the years some people have chosen to make their own way to the event coordinates by a different route. That's absolutely fine.

After the Walk - Bolton Sailing Club

As well as letting us use their car park, Bolton Sailing Club are opening afterwards and allowing us to use their facilites.  These include showers, toilets (including disabled toilets), refreshments (we are talking tea, coffee and bacon butties here!). So afterwards if you want to reflect on the walk please come and join us in the sailing club, but please take any muddy boots off before you enter! I'd like to thank Bolton Sailing Club and Don (The Syllogiser) for helping us out in this way.

Familiar Astronomical Speel

Although though the events frequently refer to "The Solstice". The event has nothing to do with the actual Winter Solstice which in 2016 is on December 21st. For first official event in 2009 I called it "Winter Hill Solstice" just as a play on words and the name has stuck ever since. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year and these events are timed to be as close as possible to the latest sunrise. If you are curious as the why the latest sunrise is not on the shortest day the answer is here.

Whilst people often refer to "being up before sunrise" at actual sunrise it will have been day light for a good while. The definitions of twilight are

Astronomical Twilight - The fainter celestial objects start to dissapear - on the day of the walk this will start at 6-11am
Nautical Twilight - The horizon becomes visible so sailors are able to navigate using well known stars. On 4th January this will be at 6-53 am.
Civil Twilight - This is what we refer to as dawn. By law its the time you are allowed to switch of your headlamps! As stated this will be 7.38am
Official Sunrise - (i.e. when you can see the Sun's disk) will be at 8.19 am

Hanging Stone

The Highest Point on Turton Moor is an isolated and lonely spot that few people have visited (me included). The following is take from the Landscape Britain website.

Mr. Rasbotham, a Lancashire magistrate in the last century, describes the ancient monuments, as they existed in 1776: "About three miles from the Wilder Lads, upon piece of rock, is a huge, hard, gray moor-stone, fourteen feet long, five feet thick, and nine feet broad at the top, which is five feet eight inches from the ground. A rude mark of a cross, of about seven inches by six, has, at a remote period of time, been cut upon the top. This is called by some the Hanging Stone, and by others the Giant's Stone, from a tradition of the common people that it was thrown by a giant from Winter Hill, on the opposite range of mountains. Antiquaries consider it to be a Druidical remain." The Hanging Stone is easily identifiable by a deeply carved graffiti shown in the photo. On visiting this causes mixed feelings. A similar text on a nearby rock seems to read: "PR 88 ALSO 94". It is disturbing to note 1994 is around the time the Pikestones were unforgiveably defaced with a spiral carving of a similar depth and thickness. Today the Hanging Stone is much changed since Rasbotham's description and it is difficult to interpret the original structure among the large fragments of rock remaining. Several large rocks align as though they where once a single huge stone. There is no sign of Rasbotham's carved cross, only the intriguing but commonplace grooves and markings that are characteristic of the local gritstone. It seems erosion has been quite severe over the two centuries since Rasbotham's visit, which is rather dissapointing after the site appears to have been in one piece from ancient times to at least the 19th Century.# Hanging Stone  Looking Towards Winter Hill and Noon Hill from Hanging Stone.# The Hanging Stone Boundary Marker  The Hanging Stone, is on the line of a current boundary that is perhaps ancient as many large natural rocks or features have been used over the centuries. Strangely, a reinforced concrete post is slotted into the shattered widest part of the stone. Contemporary markers are found nearby as shown in the left photo.# Carving near Hanging Stone  This rock carving was found and photographed by Shazza near to the Hanging Stone and appears to be a boundary marker perhaps Victorian. It is located close to the wall below the Hanging Stone. It is possible to make out further perhaps amateur addition to the inscription above and below. Maybe an 'S' top left and a date below? Possibly related to the noted defacement of the Hanging Stone itself.
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