The Land of the Lune - Drakkar Press

Barbondale: I am increasingly suspecting that I imagined
it, although this scarcely seems possible.
Running north to south across the heather and moor
of Barbon High Fell is a line of disused coal pits, barely
detectable on the ground. This again indicates that
Barbondale crosses a geological line. Below the popular
picnic site at Blindbeck Bridge, Barbon Beck is joined
by Aygill (or Blind Beck), which has a mildly curious
property. As it crosses limestone, some of its water falls
into the Aygill pothole: the water underground runs
The wood near Barbon Manor
Barbon Beck 105
south to emerge on Leck Fell to join Leck Beck; the
water above ground runs north to join Barbon Beck.
Barbon Beck then runs through woodland, where
there is a pleasant footpath passing below Barbon
Manor. The path provides no glimpse of the manor but
from afar it can be picked out as a white island within the
dark plantation. This is one building that cannot be said
to blend unobtrusively into its surroundings. Barbon
Manor was built in the French Renaissance style for
the Kay-Shuttleworth family in 1863. James Kay was
This is Chapter 6 of The Land of the Lune (2nd edition), http://www.drakkar.co.uk/landofthelune.html, Copyright © 2010 John Self