11 and Counting

Well I did it - 10 trigs in one day. Beat my previous personal best by 6 and suspect it'll be a long time before I do something quite so mad again. It was all meticulously planned; trigs identified, 1:25 000 bing maps downloaded for field boundaries near trig, overview maps printed and parking places dialled into the sat nav. The only detail I failed on - which was unexpected - was that my memory card corrupted in the camera so I only have photographic evidence of 3 of the trigs. Yeh, go on, you believe me! So here goes, the tedious account of the trigs...

1. TP1116 - Beaple's Hill.   The only photo I have been able to download for this is the plastic plug.

First leap over barbed wire hedge.  It doesn't get more fun than this.

2. TP6685 - Venhay Down.  No photo.  An easy find.  Starting to give up (so soon!) on keeping car clean either inside or out.  Mildly amused to see step marks in hedge up to trig.  See?  I'm not the only one.

3.  TP4655 - Mariansleigh.  No photo.  Wasn't looking forward to this as frisky cows were forecast; and I don't really do excitable cattle.  Delighted, stupidly so, to discover mad bleaty ewes and lambs in the field instead.  Jeans starting to mud up.

4.  TP6722 - Wamford Cross.  No photo.  My first contact with brambles; and not my last for the day.  Beginning to regret not brining secateurs with me.

5.  TP3994 - Homedown.  No photo.  A fun find as I had to climb onto the hedge and walk along it to espy this.  The farmer had trimmed the thick hedge to trig pillar height so it was the only way to spot it.

6.  TP1512 - Boarscastle.  No photo.  First rally driving of the day. Unpaved road (ie mud) which in a Citroen Picasso was a tad exciting.  Well, until I spun the wheels.  Car getting very muddy.

7.  TP1602 - Brayley Barton.  No photo.  My first interaction with a local.  "Is that your car parked there?" he asked. "Yup".  "Well, it's in my parking space."  It was up a small lane with only a few houses, and there was no point remonstrating that it doesn't say private road or private parking.  Move on Ruth.

8.  TP4085 - Hutcherton Down.  No photo.  In hedge surrounded by barbed wire fence.  Is it to stop the sheep trig bagging?

9.  TP6779 - Waytown.  No photo.  On the edge of Barnstaple.  Wonderful views of low cloud.

10.  TP5134 - No Mans Land.   Starting to get quite dark with fog and cloud (which ever one it was it feels the same when you're in it) so this was my last for the day.


Was delighted to be able to peer all the way through the trig.

In contrast to the cloud and drizzle for Sat, Sun was a gorgeous day.  Wandered around Ilfracombe for a bit and came across this odd pillar on Capstone Hill.  I couldn't read all the words on it but it was something about a tide and datum.  Any ideas anyone?

Last trig for the weekend was TP3827 - Higher Slade.  Gorgeous views across the Ilfracombe coast.  Trig did a good line in nettles and brambles too.  It's not a trig find if you don't come out wounded is it?