By: Blonde Two
I have described the walk out to the Ten Commandments Stone on Buckland Beacon to you in a previous post http://wp.me/p2OiIR-dQ It is a lovely one for people of all ages (especially those who like peat puddles). It is also a good spot for a bit of simple navigation practice. On the way over from Cold East Cross, there is a row of boundary stones, some clear walls, a steep sided hill and a rather obvious tor; and if you head over the stile to Welstor Common you can find a pond in a quarry and a ruin (beware the boy-sized hole in the ground just to the west of the pond.)
I love the Ten Commandments Stones (more information from Legendary Dartmoor here) and some of the commandments give quite sound advice. Who can blame God (or Moses) for telling people (and flocks) not to kill each other or covet each other’s donkeys? I wonder what Moses would have made of it all if he had ascended Mount Sinai only to find, upon his descent and after his consultation with the Almighty, that he had mysteriously arrived at Buckland Beacon on Dartmoor.
You would surely be disappointed if we didn’t suggest a few Blonde-Commandments of our own:
- Thou shalt not leave thy compass, map or whistle at home (unless you are God).
- Thou shalt eat Jelly Babies (unless you are a Jelly Baby).
- Thou shalt carry a hot drink at all times (unless you have forgotten to clean the mould out of your flask).
- Thou shalt not disturb the ponies by giving them silly names (unless they give you permission).
- Thou shalt not anoint thy legs with bog-juice (unless you have gone in up to your waist).
- Thou shaln’t (note cunning abbreviation) walk up a steep hill without stopping to admire the view (unless you are Moses).
- Thou shaln’t walk down a steep hill carrying two great big stones (unless you are Moses) (sorry Moses).
- Thou shaln’t ever, ever make Blonde Two cross a river on stepping stones (unless you are Daniel Craig and you are on the other side).
- Thou shaln’t forget to go and get your cheesy chips after your walk (unless you are a vegan).
- Thou shall visit Dartmoor as many times as you possibly can (even God has to do this one) (no apologies needed God).
Undoubtedly, Moses would have asked God for permission to invent Goretex, umbrellas and Vibram soles, not to mention cheesy chips and jelly-babies. Of course, he already had the means to part the waters, so he wouldn’t have needed waterwings.
Mould in flasks… A tip here from a hiking chef (not me), interested in food hygiene and avoiding an upset tum on a trip.
Ideally, Thou Shal’t Not use flasks for anything but hot water – but if you do (like to contain tea or coffee for example), then don’t use a flask or mug with one of those push-and-pour stoppers – use only flasks where the stopper has to be unscrewed to obtain liquid, not the sort where the liquid flows through some mysterious inner workings of the stopper itself.
Why? Because, except for use with water alone, the flow-through-the-stopper devices tend to gain a coagulated gunge inside the stopper during use. That may be from the steamy flask contents finding its way in there during portage and before the first pour, or what’s inevitably left inside the stopper when the pouring valve is closed after use. That liquid, if anything but water, will soon cool and congeal. On a hot day it rapidly becomes a crust. If that coagulated lump is sour milk or coffee sludge, neither that nor the mould that can grow on it is tasteful, nor is it necessarily the healthiest foodstuff.
This gunk can be difficult to remove by dishwashing, even inside a machine, because (a) the stopper may have been left closed(!) during the cleaning process, or (b) it’s not easy for a good flush of detergent and cleaning water to get thoroughly through the stopper anyway.
I have noticed this gunge by taste. Yuk. I have also had it revealed by the chef taking my push-and-pour stoppers apart to show me what was inside these supposedly clean items. Again, yuk. I got rid of all my push-and-pour style flasks immediately.
Replacements flasks are from the Stanley Adventure range – all with basic stoppers easy to clean thoroughly. Flasks come in a robust and attractive “Hammerite” green finish and are of a design that keeps contents hot for a loooong time, with no handles to make stowage awkward. The flasks are available in several sizes at very reasonable prices.
Hmm interesting! The same flask has since developed a leak so your recommendation will be of use.