Sneaky

Hawker Hurricane BN382 at Wiley Sike..
(Distance covered =1.0 miles/Ascent = 33 metres)

Not too far along the A69 from where I live is RAF Spadeadam Air weapons and Electronic Warfare Range. Scattered around Spadeadam are several intact but battered airframes placed there as targets, including a T33 that is very near to a public road.


The T33 seen from the public road.

The Grandson had been to a couple of crashsites with me already, on both those occasions there was very little left to see; he'd asked if he could go to look for another one where there might be some bigger bits.

Above and next 2 photos. It's rumoured that this airframe was placed here to distract members of the public from going to look for the dummy airfield to the north of here, where quite a few aircraft are located including more T33's, French Mysteres and a russian jet and helicopter, as well as several tanks and vehicles.

Finding a site within his walking range that still had substantial remains was a bit problematic.There was a Hawker Hurricane site that I wanted to go and check out near Spadeadam that was easily within his range, but there would probably be nothing there to see. So to keep the Grandson happy I could take him to see the T33 that's near to the public road on the way, and as an added bonus we could go and have a look at Crannel Linn waterfall, which is just over the other side of the road from the T33.


Theo enjoyed having to splodge through a very wet bog to reach the Jet.

Although this T33 is very near to a public road, it is still on Ministry of Defence land so no-one should be walking across to see it without prior permission from the MOD; but it seems everyone just does. Although it's a very short distance to reach it, the terrain is extremely boggy and rife with Adders, as Theo found out when he almost stood on one.


This one still has it's engine.

After sneaking over to the T33 for a quick look we then nipped over the other side of the road to have a look at Crannel Linn Waterfall. The path down to the waterfall proved a little bit too muddy and a little bit too slippy and as the Missus  was wearing white trainers she was not amused, so we aborted part two and three of our excursion and took Theo to see some nearby Roman forts and stuff instead.


A little further east of the T33 is a Harrier, most probably XZ966: a little bit too far and exposed to sneak across to this one for a look.


Photo from https://www.demobbed.org.uk, original author unknown?

A few weeks later I made a return trip to Wiley Sike to have another go at the muddy path down to Crannel Linn, this time I just had the Wife as company and this time she had fetched her hiking boots. Before checking out the Waterfall I took the opportunity to nip along to have a look at the Hurricane crashsite.


Back at Wiley Sike a few weeks later to check out the Hurricane site.


Nice quad track to follow for most of the way,


Hawker Hurricane BN382 came to grief in a boggy area of moor over the other side of this small hill.

As the wife had no interest in scratching around in long tussocky grass interspersed with hidden boggy bits looking for some 'bits of scrap metal', she waited in the car while I set off on the mammoth 0.5km hike to reach the area where the Hurricane is reported to have dove into the ground.

Above and below:- At the grid reference I had for the Hurricane crashsite, long tussocky grass interspersed with hidden boggy bits!

I had fetched along my metal detector to this one, not, as I keep saying, with the intention of doing any digging, but merely to find any bits hidden in the vegetation or under some moss, mud etc. The only bit I managed to find was lying on the surface and although it was made of alloy and looked old enough to be a piece of the Hurricane I couldn't be 100% certain it was; so this one can only go on my list as a probable.

above and below:- The only bit I found, it is very similar to a piece located at a Hawker Sea Fury site on Hill of Wirren.


A very similar part amongst wreckage of a Hawker Sea Fury, it was roughly the same dimensions and made from a similar metal. There was also a similar bit of gauze at Wiley Sike lying near the alloy ring, but I came across that first and didn't take a photo, then when I found the ring and realised the gauze probably used to be attached to that I couldn't find it again!

More crash details.


Back along the quad track to the car, which is parked near the farm


Above and below:-Made it down to Crannel Linn as well this time.

Saying as this was a very short walk, so consequently not a very long webpage, I will make it a bit longer by describing the 'Crannel Linn Waterfall Incident'.

As myself and the Missus were walking down to check out the waterfall we could see another couple ahead of us making there way down there as well. When we got to the bottom of the path we noticed the same couple loitering on a stony beach area next to the river. The wife wanted me to pose for a photograph in front of the waterfall, so of course I decided it would be a better photograph if I climbed up to the top and posed up there instead; so off I went to find a way up. After failing to find a way to the top of the waterfall that didn't involve falling down a cliff and breaking my neck or falling in the river and drowning I returned to the beach area at the bottom to find the wife standing with her back to the river as a hairy arsed bollock naked bloke was walking into the middle of the river to have a swim. I didn't dare look to see where the woman was at this point but instead shouted "What the F**k"; my wife told me to calm down as apparently they'd asked her if it was OK. They'd also asked her if we wanted to join them in their skinny dipping antics. "F88king time to leave right now" was my response.

So my lasting memory of Crannel Linn was not of a beautiful waterfall, but of a massive hairy arse!!

P.S I didn't get a photograph of that either!