Ralfland

The legend of Ralf and his life in the Wet Sleddle area is known to but a few inducted into the secret band of geocachers.  But the setting of his story; of his life and loves, is one that is worth exploring as it’s a remote and barren area with a strange, haunting beauty.  Ralfland, once a hunting ground of kings, receives very few visitors so those who venture there have every opportunity to listen beyond the call of the skylark and curlew in the hope of hearing the faint whispers of Ralf and his jilted lovers’ spirits calling out

Sleddle Hall

I’ve never seen the film “ Withnail and I” but a few weeks ago, we visited the location where the filming took place.

It’s a very remote spot up there at Sleddle Hall, even today when the busy M6 is visible in the distance. Life there in the early 1800s when it was built must have been hard.  Maybe people were tougher in those days, although life expectancy and indeed, expectations were considerably less than today.  The sun was shining on the day of our walk but it wasn’t difficult to imagine the spot on a bleak, cold wintery day