August 04, Sellirk and Bowhill

 Maybe you read about the Three teenagers who used Google Maps to navigate the Howe Sound Crest Trail in British Columbia; it did not go well, to say the least.  Well, let me tell you that even the apps devoted to hiking sometimes get it wrong.  This is nowhere near as serious, but it is an example.  This morning I set out on a four mile (more or less) walk to Bowhill Estate and Gardens using a route generated by Komoot.  It looked fab and I had really been looking forward to this excursion.  I was not very far into the walk when the lovely river path did not seem right.  In fact, it became treacherous.  I knew it had to go up, away from the river, but up was deadly.  Then I spied some metal rings on a cement block and thought, "I can do that," and so I did, but the path was just as deadly.  "I am not Alex Honnold, (again) I cannot do this, it is too steep, too narrow, too slippery, too rocky; I am going back to see if I missed something.  Four times I searched for a trail going up, but nada, so I went back and took the road.  (The conclusion to this story, and the connection to Google Maps will come later!)

I don't know if it was an A road or a B road, but it had no shoulder; it was awful.  At one point there was a parallel path next to the road.  Oh, joy!  That ended and there was a field. 

Sheep in the field:

Two horses conversing: 

The gate could be unlocked, so I went in and headed for the other end, not knowing if there would be an exit.  There was not.  There was a wire fence topped with barbed wire.  

This is how you deal.  Before you climb over the fence, you prepare:

But you have to be very careful removing the garment so as not to tear the fabric.  I did get a small tear in my rain pants.  Oh, it was raining only not very hard.

Bowhill House and Gardens is rated the #1 attraction for Selkirk, so I had to go!  It is grand and the lady who did the tour—they do not let you wander around freely, nor do they let you take photos—was animated and engaging.  I honestly do not care about the tenth duke of where ever or about the family gossip, but there was one guy who died in a hunting accident: he must have tripped or something, and his gun went off, hit him in the shoulder, and he died from loss of blood.  But anyway, the furniture and fabrics, and wall coverings, and what not  were gorgeous.  The family acquired a fair amount of stuff from France because at the time of the French Revolution, French nobility had to do some big time selling to raise funds. In the end, it did not do them much good, or your loss is my gain.)

There are many beautiful walks through the estate, but I only had time to do a short one around a little lake:

See the lake through the trees?

It was full of lily pads in some parts:

When the tour was over, I had to figure how to get back.  I decided to do the path in reverse and take my chances.  I could always turn around and figure out how to get to a road.  Come what may I would make it back before dark!

The path started out very nicely:

Then it became like this:

Then it passed through some water treatment facility where there was a major leak and the path was flooded, flooded enough to reach the top of my boots.  Unpleasant.

After that I spied an major construction thing going on.  Many expletives were uttered, but aha! there was a special way through for pedestrians.  Baruch haShem!

There was a stint on the road, which eventually led to a path above the river.  THIS is the path I wanted to be on when I set out. I was eager and scared to see how this would resolve.  Oh, but wait, there was another hazard!  This damn bridge:

Wet, round logs, no railing.  I looked at this structure for some minutes.  Then I did the only sensible thing: I sat down and pulled myself across, even managing not to drop my poles.  

Mon Dieu!  Will the obstacles never end?  Eventually I reached the point where that lower path was supposed to lead to the upper path.  Komoot got it wrong!  Yes, there was a connection but it was not a straight line as the app showed, it was a big Z. The app showed a zig, but the path was a zig and then a zag and finally another zig!! I was extremely nervous following this zigzagzig (looks like a word for the Spelling Bee) down not knowing where it would come out, but it did meet the lower path just not where or how the app indicated.  I was so relieved!  

Yes I was, little fellow!

Back at the inn, so to speak, I took off my gaiters, boots, poncho, raincoat and rain pants, put on sneakers, and headed up the hill a mile to see Halliwell House.  Unlike Bowhill Estate and gardens, this is a very little house. It got its name from Mr Halliwell, a wig maker, who owned a bunch of houses in the area in the early 19th century, but the major industries were iron mongering:

May I help you, Madam?

textiles, and shoe making.  Back in medieval times, the area around Selkirk was the only settlement around that ahd an abundant supply of animal hides and the oak bark needed for tan them into leather, so shoe making was a natural development.  the last shoemaker, John Guthrie, retired in 1975.

It was interesting to read about factors that affected various industries:  changes in fashion and living trends, inventions that made traditional techniques obsolete or that increased the ability to increase supply, and make items more cheaply, where the railway lines ran and then the effect when the railway lines closed and transportation was by road.  But, you know, I cannot stop thinking about Mr. Halliwell, who made wigs.....who were the customers?