22-23 -3-09 A trip West of the County

Sunday a visit to the Roman Wall area but it was blowing rather wild, called in at Grindon Lough to try for the White Fronts, 50+ Canada & 30 odd Greylag, with about 100 each Teal & Wigeon, lesser Black-back, and a few Black headed, with 6 Whoopers that flew off North, stopped here Monday also still no sign of the White fronts, but Peregrine sitting along the edge. A walk from Once Brewed over to peatrig past Greenlea Lough ,which has a new boardwalk and hide, not sure what gets here nothing on any of the loughs (Broomlee & Crag ) I could see, the water well churned up with small white topped waves ,back up and along the wall on the Pennine Way, I never thought to take my camera ,for those that have not visited this area, the view looking back to the Wall is stunning, as you get to see a good section as it snakes along the crest , so I will visit again with camera and wide angle lens.
Monday I headed further over towards Whitfield Moor then Acton Moor , Curlew, Lapwing and Golden Plover, all over but the wind still blowing very strong, had another Ermine Stoat cross the road I stopped in the hope of seeing it go along the wall but it had disappeared, Black & Red grouse, Red Legged partridge added to the list, very large Hares here , there is a huge amount of Industrial Archeology in this area I came across one of these flues that I had read about , they go along the ground to a high point and a chimney, given the wind strength the outflow must have settled well to the East , two days of being blown around , and it was time to go home ,an area well worth a visit , the views and atmosphere is brilliant.
Another chimney on the skyline

Not sure what this site was used for

Standing on the flue looking to a collapsed section







I think this was used to draw the smoke etc: along the flue , would you go in !!!

Couldn't resist a look in the flue ,loads of bones scattered around , not human as I could see

Showing the costruction of the flue

This flue leads to the chimney on the top of the hill , this one looks collapsed and robbed out, I think I read one was about a mile long

This was miles from anywhere , and one of the few birds I could get close enough to photograph