MMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMM MMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMM MMM M MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMM MMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMM MMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMM MMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MXXXXXXXMMMXXXXXXXX/.\\\XXXXXMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMM MMMM MMMMM XXXMXXMXXXXXXXMXXX/.:.\\\\XXXXXXXMMMMM MMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MM XXXXXXXXXXMXXXXXX/:__:.\\\\\XXMXXXXXXXMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM ++++++++++XXXXXX/:| |:.\\\\\\XXMXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXMMMMMMXX ++MM++++++++++++|.|__|.:|: . |XXXXXXXXXXMMXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ++++++++++++++++|:.:.::.| : |XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXMXXXXXXXXXXXXX ++++++++++++++++|.:..:.:|. :| signal station +MMMMM++++ Virtual Tars ---|:.::.:.|.____ and observatory ++++ ++++ M M ++++++ ++ SIGNALLING M M M M aaaa rrr sss ++ ++ TO M M M a a rr s + + M M a a r ss + + M M a aa r s + + M M aaa a r sss + + + + an unofficial Electronic Newsletter for Members + + of The Arthur Ransome Society + + + +content is the personal opinion and the intellectual property + +of the contributors and does not reflect the opinion of TARS, + + any other person or group [but not too intellectual we hope] + + + + e-address: peter@physics.otago.ac.nz + + [more addresses at foot of message] + + NB: any mail received Will Be Publishable unless Marked + + Otherwise!! This includes senders' + + identities! [name and email address] + **Arthur Ransome Page on World Wide Web** http://newton.otago.ac.nz:808/arthurpage.html We're not junk emailers! IF YOU DO NOT WANT THIS NEWSLETTER please send Reply to that effect _______________________________________________________________________ ISSUE NUMBER 10 January 1995 *******HAPPY NEW YEAR******** & *****HAPPY RANSOME'S BIRTHDAY***** ....to all the Virtual Tars, and those intercepting us via SIGNALS. Ransome's anniversary falls on Saturday, 21. January. Let's remember the date and mark it in some way. There have been many new subscribers this month, in spite of Rod Welch's attempts to sabotage Signalling to Mars and the AR Web Page by calling my advertisement in _Signals_ a "cartoon"! 8-( Thanks Rodders! Anyway, a warm, tarry welcome to all of you. I'd like some more content for the web page, especially colour photos. The Web page, incidentally, is the only Tars publication that is available in full colour! This issue has another of Hamish's wonderful walks in Ransome land; the *very* last word on the secrets of the Turner family, from David (let's hope it's the last word!) (Did everyone see the article about the GA, Maria Turner, in Mixed Moss?) A huge pile of letters follows, many following-up issues from previous S2Ms, and saying lovely things about the signaller. It's really been encouraging to get all these kind comments: signalling to Mars has never decayed into merely a chore with this sort of support. However, I'd gladly take a break if someone else would like a turn - have a wee think about this, you Virtual Tars. Peter The Signaller. ------------------------------------- HAMISH'S WALKS IN RANSOME LAND an occasional series From: Hamish@gunn.demon.co.uk (Hamish Gunn) Peter, another walk for you. An Ordnance Survey map would be a useful accompaniment. East Woods, High Moor, Swainson's Farm, Allan Tarn, Boathouse * Start at Nibthwaite Car Park. This is the one between Peel Island and High Nibthwaite village. * Take the track heading SSE at the southern end of the car park. * Cross the beck and go round the field. * The track climbs up through beech, oak, ash and hazel, becoming a less distinct path. It turns away from the lake and a wall may be seen higher up. * There is a steepish climb for about 100 yards towards the wall. * Just before the wall is reached the path turns SSW. * Keep the wall on the left until a gate is reached behind the wall which becomes broken down. * Go through the gate and head SE across a field towards a large rocky outcrop with a small building beyond. * Cross the gate next to the building following the track for a short distance until it joins another running parallel to the lake. * Turn left onto this new track and follow it upwards for some distance. * When the trees are left behind watch for a beck crossing under the path with a wall curving up hill above on the right. * Round the next corner, Darien, Peel Island and Parkamoor Gondola Pier can be seen. * Look for a rocky outcrop on the right of the path with an arrow engraved on it. * (Peel Island bears 296degM and the Old Man bears 334degM.) Opposite this stone is a path leading up to Top o' Selside. It is marked by a small cairn. * Climb on this path being careful to turn off onto another path on the right which heads first northwards then eastwards towards the highest point. * Nearing the top, the path takes the South side of the hill then turns northwards through rocky outcrops to a cairn at the top. * From the Top o' Selside take the path ESE towards Arnsbarrow Tarn. * The path skirts the tarn some distance from it. * Just before a curious flat rock outcrop with curved striations (giving the impression of the side of an igloo), the path turns southwards. * Just past the tarn it heads SSW and rises. * Keep to the lake side of the higher ground while climbing and heading generally SSW. * The path disappears amidst numerous sheep tracks. * When the highest ground is reached a small cairn should be seen ahead. Make for this. * From the cairn take the path heading south. * Not far from the cairn the path turns toward the flat lower ground of the moor ahead. * In this direction a track may be seen crossing the moor away from the lake. * The moor is very roughly like a soup plate in shape. The track is a little way above the flat lowest part of the moor on the other side of the "plate". * Make your way across this flat part until the track is met. * Keeping to heather or myrtle patches will help avoid the worst of the boggiest sections. * Aim for the highest hill on the other side (254oM). * Turn left on the track and follow it, watching for a turn off to the right down a valley. This occurs just before a patch of badly eroded ground on the track. * Take this fork which leads to a gate and style in a wall over which Low Bethecar farm can be seen. * Follow the wall to the right (signposted Nibthwaite). * Keep following the wall round and down into another valley with a beck at the bottom. * The path initially goes between the wall and the beck, then crosses the beck. It is quite rocky in places. * Having crossed the beck the path leaves it behind, turning towards the lake. * Allan Tarn comes into view at this point. * Descend to Nibthwaite on the path. * Look out for possible Knickerbockerbreakers. * At the bottom go through the gate. * On the right is the farm where AR stayed as a boy during the holidays. = Diversion to bridge over the Amazon and past Octopus Lagoon: * Carry on to the lakeside road and turn left onto it. * Leave the village heading south. * Just past the last house Allan Tarn can be seen. * Carry on until a public footpath sign is seen on the right, by a style and gate. * Turn off here onto the footpath following it close by the wall. * From here houseboats can be seen on the tarn. * Go through the little gate at the end of the wall next to some curiously- shaped beech hedging. * Head for the gate in the wall across the field. * Go through the gate and follow the river downstream. * Cross the wall just before the bridge and make for the road. * The sign on the bridge reads BOUTHREY BRIDGE. * Return to the farm at Nibthwaite retracing ones steps. = Diversion to Amazon boathouse: * Follow the road right round the corner toward the lake. * On the left hand side heading north, an iron gate and wooden gate mark the start of a public footpath down towards the lake side. Go down to the quay where a boathouse can be seen. (This once housed Mavis, the model for Amazon.) * Return to the road and the farm. * Those not wishing a further climb may return directly to the car park following the lakeside road north. * From the farm turn north along the track by the farm wall. * Follow this up past the point where it was joined near the start of the walk. * Here there is a field on the left. Continue until the field stops and there are trees on the left. * A short distance on, the wall on the left turns downhill and a beck crosses under the path. * On the other side of the beck is a style on the left. * (Just upstream is a shady waterfall and pool but watch for the midges!) Cross the style and take the path which follows the beck quite closely. It can be rather steep and rocky in places. * Following the beck takes you to the south end of the car park where the walk started. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FURTHER SECRETS FROM THE TURNER FAMILY From: CHORLEY@VMS.OCOM.OKSTATE.EDU I acquired the original of this document by bribing a certain Comte Moriarty, and present it for your perusal... all applicable disclaimers apply, void where prohibited (now there's a nasty thought)..... Intercepted by our monitoring department: Departemente de Surete Aout 15 1932 Monsieur Le Directeur: It is with great pleasure I forward to you our appraisal of the Englishman known as James Turner. While I believe he presents no threat to the internal affairs of France, his whereabouts, carefully monitored, should give us some insight into the interests of Britain and her Empire. Subject: James Turner Occupation: Adventurer, sometime mariner, mining engineer and author. presently we believe him to have been a secret agent for the British Foreign Office since the Great War. Education: Haileybury, Dartmouth and Chatham College. His rapid promotion under Admiral Jellicoe was brought to an abrupt end at about the time of the Gallipoli campaign when his naval record seems to have ended. His re- emergence as an adventurer without any open ties to the Foreign Office has not been adequately explained to this day. Modus operandi: Turner's chief method of approach is to assay the political situation on site, as it were, and negotiate support for whatever faction will benefit Britain's interest:- most recently on what was ostensibly a prospecting trip to Chile, he, together with a certain operative known only to us as "Timothy", was able to assure the restoration of Alberto Alessandri, and a government which was officially neutral in its dealings with Great Britain, but unofficially assuring her of an uninterrupted supply of nitrates and copper. Previous operation, notably providing support for the White Russians, have been less successful, indeed one of his operatives, an unnamed Englishman he believed to have lost to the Bolsheviks, however, one of our sources in Moscow leads us to believe that the operative is alive in Siberia, apiece of information which could be of use to us should we ever need to avail ourselves of his services. Other information about his activities on the continent include several vacations in France, mostly with an older woman, stated to be his aunt, and mostly on the Cote d'Azur. However in Aout of 1925, while in the North, he and his "aunt" were briefly detained by the Gendarmerieof Les Andelys upon a complaint of assault within the precinct de l'Eglise Du Grand Andelys upon a certain M.Louis Anquetin. In the report, Turner statedthat both he and his aunt had been pestered for a whole week by M.Anquetin, who had been following them doggedly, proclaiming the lady to be Maria Bolkonskaya, an actress of the Moulin Rouge who mysteriously disappeared at the height of her popularity in 1891. Turner's "aunt", who evidently was the most serious of English dowagers, apparently assaulted M. Anquetin with an umbrella. By mutual agreement, no charges were filed and the matter was dropped. {hope you liked these idle typings...;-) regards, David Chorley