Get up early or Get up Late!
The walk - from Horwich Town Centre up to Rivington Pike. The do - Come for a warm up, bacon butty, pint, brew, natter at Blackrod Cricket club. I'd be grateful if when logging a will attend you indicate which one(s) you are attending.
This year we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Solstice Event. In 2008 seven of us Foinavon,Stora,Disley, Cache Hoppers, Carlos and the Birdie Crew, Muttoneer and Bargee, got up at an ungodly hour to see sunrise over Round Loaf. Since then 260 attended logs have been made on the subsequent events. We've had all weathers
Perfect Sunrise 2008,2010,2012 (we are due one!)
Visible Sunrise 2016
Total Mist and Fog 2011,2013,2014
A Raging Tempest 2015
Ice and Snow 2009,2017
So what's in store for 2018? Here's where we are going
The plan is to get to the summit of Rivington Pike for Blue Hour (yes I've changed the Astronomical Speel this year :)
The Plan...
Meet at Winter Hey Lane Car park (N 53° 35.911 W 002° 32.847 ) for 6.00am with the aim of setting of for 6.30am. We will walk through Horwich and through Tiger's Clough and up to the Pike. It's a route not many people take. The plan is to get up there for Blue Hour and watch Golden Hour come in.
So that would be an event time from 7.40 to 8.30
All New Astronomical Speel!!
Yes I think by now you have got the idea of what the difference between Astronomical, Nautical and Civil Twilight is!. Here is the new one!
Blue Hour will occur at 7.43 am. Blue Hour is the time in which is the sun is below the horizon so that the indirect residual sunrise takes on a predominantly blue shade! Blue "Hour" will last for 16 minutes!
Golden Hour will occur 7.59. This is the period before or after sunrise where the sunlight is redder and softer than when the sun is higher in the sky. The Sun Rise will occur at 8.25 am it will rise at a bearing of 128 degrees to the North. If Manchester City Centre is visible it will just be over there. The most famous Landmark that it will hit is Manchester Library. It will rise just to the right of Chinley Churn in the Peak District!
But some things never change!
Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year it will occur on Thursday 21st December. These events have been associated with the word solstice simply because I did a play on words for the first one! The event is timed to be as close as it can to the latest sun rise of the year. It's often a surprise to people that that doesn't coincide with the solstice. If you are curious, here is why
Caution
It's going to be dark so bring a head torch - it will also be cold. Even I got caught out last year. I've been doing this for years now but last year for the first time in my life I got hypothermia on a hill. Fortunately it didn't last too long but it just shows you can never be too careful!
Routes and dates are subject to change due to weather etc. Please keep an eye on the cache page or the NWCaching facebook group.
The Solstice 10th Birthday Party
This is an informal do at
Blackrod Cricket
Club Vicarage Road
Blackrod
Bolton
BL6 5AB
N 53° 35.506 W 002° 35.135
The weary walkers will head there after the event for refreshments etc and anyone else is welcome to join us, the bar will be open. The only food will be myself rustling up bacon butties and cake for the weary walkers so don't expect a big lunch menu (or any lunch menu!). If you are coming straight there (i.e. not walking up the hill) then an official start time would be 12.30pm and the event will last until at least 3.00pm