Battlefield Tour - Mt Longdon - 13 Jan 2011
I've been itching to get out on a battlefield tour. I'd been advised that Mt Longdon was a good one to do because it is a reasonable walk but it also saw some of the bloodiest fighting. You know me, I'm dead enthusiastic about these things... so i was really up for it... daysack packed, packed lunch collected, sun cream applied i headed off with the group by landrover to Stanley. Our first stop was at Moody Brook where we were orientated to the ground. With our backs to Stanley we were looking toward Mt Harriet, Two sisters, Goat Ridge, Tumbledown and to our right Longdon. We were taken a bit further by Landrover along a very bumpy track - i suspect the original road - before getting out to walk. They promised me I wouldn't be yomped - or tabbed!! - but for each stride they made I was making two. The terrain was very uneven, coarse grass, tussocks, dips where your foot disappears into the peat - i can't imagine how the paras had the strength to do this fully laden with kit and supplies. we skirted Longdon so as to climb from the back, the route 3 Para would have taken from Estancia. Once around the back the scenery changed, it was relatively flat and very open, panoramic viewpoint for whoever held the hill. We made our ascent which, at times, was incredibly steep. It really is incredible to think that so few men made a successful assault without being picked off by the machine guns or snipers. The picture top left is one of the machine gun posts. This is one of two that I saw and lots of other paraphernalia which have respectfully been left put. I found it quite chilling to see a blanket in a makeshift bunker and the soles of plimsoles scattered about. Today the privilege was mine to have walked in their footsteps.
I've been itching to get out on a battlefield tour. I'd been advised that Mt Longdon was a good one to do because it is a reasonable walk but it also saw some of the bloodiest fighting. You know me, I'm dead enthusiastic about these things... so i was really up for it... daysack packed, packed lunch collected, sun cream applied i headed off with the group by landrover to Stanley. Our first stop was at Moody Brook where we were orientated to the ground. With our backs to Stanley we were looking toward Mt Harriet, Two sisters, Goat Ridge, Tumbledown and to our right Longdon. We were taken a bit further by Landrover along a very bumpy track - i suspect the original road - before getting out to walk. They promised me I wouldn't be yomped - or tabbed!! - but for each stride they made I was making two. The terrain was very uneven, coarse grass, tussocks, dips where your foot disappears into the peat - i can't imagine how the paras had the strength to do this fully laden with kit and supplies. we skirted Longdon so as to climb from the back, the route 3 Para would have taken from Estancia. Once around the back the scenery changed, it was relatively flat and very open, panoramic viewpoint for whoever held the hill. We made our ascent which, at times, was incredibly steep. It really is incredible to think that so few men made a successful assault without being picked off by the machine guns or snipers. The picture top left is one of the machine gun posts. This is one of two that I saw and lots of other paraphernalia which have respectfully been left put. I found it quite chilling to see a blanket in a makeshift bunker and the soles of plimsoles scattered about. Today the privilege was mine to have walked in their footsteps.
