The Fourteenth Winter Solstice Walk
Blake Moor trig, photo © painterman61
We are fourteen years in now and for this year we will be going somewhere a little less visited, this location is maybe more in the style of some of Foinavon's earlier events. Blake Moor (or Little Holder Stones as the OS map names it), is a 420m trig sat a top of a boulder in the middle of a fairly bleak area of moorland.
Rather than take people to an area they have previously visited geocaching, perhaps on quite a few occasions, this summit has never had a geocache to my knowledge and it is a rare opportunity therefore to find one here, in the form of an event, whilst the walk in only passes a couple of hides. The moor falls away to the east and if we are gifted a clear sky, we could get a nice sunrise. The location isn't all that many miles from Stoodley Pike where the twelth instalment took place, but the approach and views here are very different.
The Winter solstice walks have become a caching tradition, which are now in the 14th year. For some reason, there is a perverse enjoyment in getting up before the larks and climbing to a remote summit in the cold winter weather to try and see the sunrise - so please come and join in the annual solstice walk. Around 350 will attends have been logged over the years. The walk in this year is largely relatively flat, but be prepared for a potentially boggy path to the actual summit.
Where/When.
- Saturday 14th January 2022.
- Meet from 6:30am. We will depart around 6:45am.
- Meet at the walkers car park. Please don't park in the pub one.
- The event is officially at, or near, the trigpoint between 8:00am and 8:30am. Sunrise is at 8:19am.
We aim to arrive on the hill to see civil twilight - 'blue hour' - and then watch the light change as 'golden hour' arrives and the sun rises.
We encourage you to join us for the walk which has always been a good laugh no matter the weather. However, the event itself takes place at at the listed coordinates during the specified timings so you are more than welcome to make your own way up and meet us there (note the warnings below) - please state on your will attend whether you are coming for the walk or making your own way up.
Warnings.
We will walk as a group from the given parking shortly after 6:30am. The walk in is along flat reservoir tracks to White Holme Reservoir. Then take the concrete bridge at the waypoint and follow a rough path from there to the trigpoint. This path may well be boggy. The trigpoint isn't quite the highest point, so an option walk over to the actual summit for any hill baggers will take place around the event times, a waypoint for that is provided. Check the forecast - it may be below freezing, drinks and hair were frozen in 2009. There could be wind and rain, as those who climbed Black Hill will remember. Do not treat this walk lightly, it is a remote moorland location in Winter. We will do our best to look after everyone but we do suggest bringing your own torch as it will be dark when we leave and bring a GPS etc in case you should need to navigate yourself off the hill for any reason.
A warning to anyone not planning to walk with the group - many approaches to this trigpoint are treacherous and very boggy. There is a horseshoe shaped reservoir conduit from Warland Reservoir to Whitelands Reservoir - it encircles the trigpoint like a fortress moat and from what I gather, there are not really any bridges so be very carefully planning alternative access. It is suggested to use the given access point waypoint, the parking and walk we are taking is likely to be the quickest and easiest.
Astronomical spiel.
This event has always been associated with the winter solstice even though it has never occurred on the actual date of it - for the 2009 event Foinavon just did a play on words for the event title which stuck, but we actually always have it early January as something to look forward to after Christmas! So in fact this event occurs more towards the latest sunrise of the year which does not occur on the shortest day (i.e the Winter Solstice). If you are curious to know why, Google it.... something to do with the length of a Solar day in relation to 24 hours.
The definitions of twilight are:-
Astronomical Twilight - The stars begin to fade and disappear. On our solstice day that will occur at 6.11am. We will be driving to the meeting point at this time.
Nautical Twilight - The horizon becomes visible and sailors can navigate. On our solstice day that will occur at 6.53am as we are beginning our walk.
Civil Twilight - This is what people regard as dawn. On our solstice day that will occur at 7.38am. We should have finished our climb and be able to enjoy the view by this time.
Sunrise - The disk of the sun becomes visible. On our solstice day that will occur at 8.19am, shortly after we arrive at the monument.
The blue hour is the period of twilight in the morning or evening, during the civil and nautical stages. When the Sun is at a significant depth below the horizon and residual indirect sunlight takes on a predominantly blue shade favoured by photographers. The golden hour is the period of daytime shortly after sunrise which daylight is redder and softer than when the Sun is higher in the sky.
History of the events.
Perfect Sunrise 2008,2010,2012,2022
Visible Sunrise 2016,2018,2019(ish)
Total Mist and Fog 2011,2013,2014
A Raging Tempest 2015
Ice and Snow 2009,2017
Cloudy but clear 2020
(Sat at home due to covid 2021)
Role of honour for anyone who has attended 10+ events
12 winter walks - bargee/Lodgebarn
11 winter walks - Foinavon
10 winter walks - The Magna Defender