I first came across this old rusty gate many years ago when I was planning a night navigation exercise. That must have been in the 1990s. I had waded down through the steep heathery slope, stopping on top of the crag and looking down on to the spikes. For an instance, my heart missed a beat as I conjured up an image what could have happened.
It’s a strange feature to find on the moors. Dry stone walling is more usual for stock control. I can not think of another instance where iron has been used locally for fencing. Although I did not look too closely I could see just a fence post visible about two-thirds of the way down towards that tree on the left.
And there’s no sign of a path, so why a gate? The oldest Ordnance Survey map shows no fence or path. I’m on Battersby Crag, northeast of Turkey Nab and above a complex area of jet workings mapped as Otter Hills. In the distance is Park Nab.
I thought it best not to send runners down the slope in the dark but I did recall imagining the plot of a novel, where a skeleton is discovered impaled on the gate.
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