Secret Ways
14th March 2016
Secret Ways - 14th March
There is a secret and hidden highway that crisis-crosses the hills and mountains of the UK. A connection of routes that link each Fell, tarn, crag and stream and winds around the slopes of the high places providing safe access to some of the most extreme and vertical locations.
An almost invisible system of tracks, unrecorded on any map and only known by a few and even this small group only know 'their' small area. 'They' are rarely (if ever) given the chance to see how their private network might be part of the bigger picture - grasp a view of the larger map and how these paths link village to city, sea to summit. A tracery of lines, like arteries threading across the landscape.
These are not routes formed by the illicit activity of smugglers and bootleggers, whose surrupticious movements follow secret ways through the hills in an attempt to avoid the authorities; neither are they pathways trodden by a persecuted faithful, who furtively duck behind boulder and tree to safely make their clandestine congregation. Neither are these paths the result of miners, farmers and quarrymen who had daily set out to reach the wild, windswept place of their work - though all these paths are encountered whilst following this network of secret tracks. These tracks are older, and like the secret society of Masons, they exist and operate unnoticed by the mainstream.
The interconnected patchwork of faint lines in the grass, the almost indiscernible consolidation of stones and pebbles, or the mysterious scrape marks over slabs are the only evidence of these hidden pathways. Like the labyrinth that encircles Glastonbury Tor, following these tracks feels like you are on a magical journey, passing through time and journeying into a new and mysterious realm. The subtly of the paths is astounding as the network is enormous and probably larger than any modern man made road network - they are hidden in plain sight.
I refer to, of course, of the sheep tracks (or Trods, depending on your location) that have been formed over hundreds of years by sheep moving across the landscape. These beasts, maybe due to their innate hefting instinct, have crafted an intricate network of tracks all over the UK. When you follow these tracks you are taken on a roller coaster journey that leads the traveller into some wild and unexpected places, but always via a safe means.
Following these routes I have safely negotiated steep drops, found dry ways through boggy and marshy ground and been lead down steep mountain slopes to comfortably reach the valley floor. These tracks, have also lead me to hidden gems that are lost to the cartographer. Following a thin sheep trail, as it winds around the mountainside, I have come across beautiful tarns, cupped by a fold in the rock, reflecting the sharp ridge above and supporting all sorts of wildlife, from Grey Wagtails to Grey Herdwicks. Many tracks have taken me to the remains of old stone buildings. The scattered remains of a forgotten way of life. These buildings are often merging back into the hillside and it is only the sheep track that 'remembers' its existence and its former glory.
Using this secret highway you rarely meet another person, there is little noise and the biggest surprise is for the sheep as they do not expect to see you. These tracks also make you look more intently at the land, as the routes are not on the map or recorded in a guide, so concentration is required. This helps you to look at the landscape again and in more detail. So, these sheep tracks are not only a secret highway, but also a highway that provides a journey of interest and understanding.
There is a secret and hidden highway that crisis-crosses the hills and mountains of the UK. A connection of routes that link each Fell, tarn, crag and stream and winds around the slopes of the high places providing safe access to some of the most extreme and vertical locations.
An almost invisible system of tracks, unrecorded on any map and only known by a few and even this small group only know 'their' small area. 'They' are rarely (if ever) given the chance to see how their private network might be part of the bigger picture - grasp a view of the larger map and how these paths link village to city, sea to summit. A tracery of lines, like arteries threading across the landscape.
These are not routes formed by the illicit activity of smugglers and bootleggers, whose surrupticious movements follow secret ways through the hills in an attempt to avoid the authorities; neither are they pathways trodden by a persecuted faithful, who furtively duck behind boulder and tree to safely make their clandestine congregation. Neither are these paths the result of miners, farmers and quarrymen who had daily set out to reach the wild, windswept place of their work - though all these paths are encountered whilst following this network of secret tracks. These tracks are older, and like the secret society of Masons, they exist and operate unnoticed by the mainstream.
The interconnected patchwork of faint lines in the grass, the almost indiscernible consolidation of stones and pebbles, or the mysterious scrape marks over slabs are the only evidence of these hidden pathways. Like the labyrinth that encircles Glastonbury Tor, following these tracks feels like you are on a magical journey, passing through time and journeying into a new and mysterious realm. The subtly of the paths is astounding as the network is enormous and probably larger than any modern man made road network - they are hidden in plain sight.
I refer to, of course, of the sheep tracks (or Trods, depending on your location) that have been formed over hundreds of years by sheep moving across the landscape. These beasts, maybe due to their innate hefting instinct, have crafted an intricate network of tracks all over the UK. When you follow these tracks you are taken on a roller coaster journey that leads the traveller into some wild and unexpected places, but always via a safe means.
Following these routes I have safely negotiated steep drops, found dry ways through boggy and marshy ground and been lead down steep mountain slopes to comfortably reach the valley floor. These tracks, have also lead me to hidden gems that are lost to the cartographer. Following a thin sheep trail, as it winds around the mountainside, I have come across beautiful tarns, cupped by a fold in the rock, reflecting the sharp ridge above and supporting all sorts of wildlife, from Grey Wagtails to Grey Herdwicks. Many tracks have taken me to the remains of old stone buildings. The scattered remains of a forgotten way of life. These buildings are often merging back into the hillside and it is only the sheep track that 'remembers' its existence and its former glory.
Using this secret highway you rarely meet another person, there is little noise and the biggest surprise is for the sheep as they do not expect to see you. These tracks also make you look more intently at the land, as the routes are not on the map or recorded in a guide, so concentration is required. This helps you to look at the landscape again and in more detail. So, these sheep tracks are not only a secret highway, but also a highway that provides a journey of interest and understanding.