Comments on: High Cup ??? And the Rise and Fall of Belfast Sinks

By: McEff

McEff — Sun, 18 Jan 2015 11:22:12 +0000

Hi Steve. Your family day out reads like a script for a Mike Leigh television play. My wife would have mutinied at the first croak of a frog. She suffers from frog-aphobia. There???s probably a proper name for it because there always is.
It???s a shame the weather turned bad. So near, but yet so far. I???ve never been up there from the Dufton side, but it???s a shorter walk and so probably worth trying. It???s a slog from Cow Green reservoir, but the added bonus is that you don???t see the cup until you???re actually standing on the rim. And suddenly it???s there in all its glory. Fantastic.
Cheers, Alen

By: Steve Bibby

Steve Bibby — Sat, 17 Jan 2015 04:38:28 +0000

Ahhh. Here it is…..smashing. This is the sort of story that leaves me in a different place than I expected to be. I came for the cup and left with the sink.

I’ve not actually been to the cup yet. We made an attempt a year or so ago from Dufton. By the time we got to Great Runsdale Tarn it was clouding over….but we pressed on, following the beck. The novelty of bog-trotting was wearing off with the family and the last straw was assault by frog. Every time we hauled ourselves out of an ill-conceived, trench-foot-inducing path/pit we found ourselves confronted by the things.

The final last straw was when the beck wasn’t how it should be on the map, because another beck had appeared after heavy rain. My family took this as crass mis-navigation on my part and committed mutiny. We were yards from the pennine way and the bridge leading to the cup.

We trotted dully back to the tarn. At which point an unforeseeable blanket of inpenetrable mist (4-5ft visibility – no more) appeared quickly, and from no-where, and spilled over the sides of the ‘cut’ leading downhill. Rather like dry ice in a Meatloaf video.

This provided, if it were needed, complete vindication of the cowardly acts of family members.

I’ll go again. Maybe taking the dryer route from the village. Your pictures and story once again nudge me out of the armchair.

All the best.

By: McEff

McEff — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 10:19:44 +0000

We were very posh. We had a forecourt garden and an inside toilet.

By: mountaincoward

mountaincoward — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 01:24:51 +0000

The parlour – that sounds quite posh!

By: McEff

McEff — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 22:15:05 +0000

You can probably swim and launch a super-tanker up there at the moment. The bottom half of my allotment has been under water for weeks and shows little sign of drying up. The leeks don’t seem to be taking any harm though.
We used to call the front room the “parlour”, and it was only used on special occasions. But you’ve jogged my memory there, because we also had a little room joined onto the kitchen that was called the scullery (which is where the Belfast sink was) ??? but I’d forgotten calling it that. Happy days.
My wooden windows rattle like hell and two of them need replacing. Can’t beat traditional materials, that’s what I say.
Cheers, Alen

By: mountaincoward

mountaincoward — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 04:50:15 +0000

You probably can swim in that area now – have you been back to see? Haven’t been to High Cup Nick for years but still keep planning to go…

I remember the tin baths well – we used to bath in front of the fire in the ‘lounge’ (aka the front room) and it was much nicer than the modern-day cold bathrooms. I also remember we had 2 of those sinks (although didn’t know they were ‘Belfast’ ones) – one in the scullery and one in the kitchen. I think those little oval sinklets are for using when someone else has a bowl of washing up in the main sink – possibly for washing your water bottle when you come back in after a walk!

Can’t agree with you on the uPVC doors and windows though – that’s about the only thing which has finally warmed my leaky 70s house up a bit – that and the loft insulation. I had the walls and underfloor insulated and it didn’t make any difference at all! :-( And at least they’re harder to break into if someone’s trying to burgle you. They also make things a lot quieter which is very important if you live on my street!

By: McEff

McEff — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 22:31:10 +0000

Thanks very much for that.
Cheers, Alen

By: northpenninegallery

northpenninegallery — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 21:56:24 +0000

Beautifully written.

By: McEff

McEff — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 21:25:52 +0000

I don???t know Wetherlam or not to compete with this. Hope you didn???t Skiddaw too far when you Mell Fell off your Honda 90cc, Colin. Wouldn???t want you to end up with a Broad End.
This could get addictive.
Cheers, Alen

By: colin lowe

colin lowe — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 20:00:12 +0000

Helvellyn!!! Alen, I would, but sadly I came to a Great End on the High st. A Great Carrs hit this Coniston Old Man and with High Stile I Harter Fell off my Honda 90cc.
The Sergeant Man has booked the Birks. My broken leg is resting on a Pillar in a High Raise position. So always look on the Whiteside of life.

By: McEff

McEff — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 19:12:40 +0000

Hi Colin. Now that’s what I call an expert opinion. I can see there may have been design problems, such as the drain on resources and the harbouring of wildlife (mind you, there were creepy crawlies, mice and other things lurking in all kitchen nooks and crannies in those days) but I’m more than happy with mine.
By the way, are you still doing plumbing jobs between hills because I need a radiator fitting in the living room?
Cheers, Alen

By: colin lowe

colin lowe — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 18:05:17 +0000

Hi, as a plumber and mountaineer I enjoyed reading your article. I spent the late 40s & 50s installing Belfast sinks, and the 60s ripping them out. Downside, unforgiving to crockery, no plastic bowls then, also used to much of the limited hot water reserves, remember hot water came from a fireplace backboiler. The joint between the wooden drainer board and the sink became a hidden damp filthy world for the likes of silver fish and other crawlies. Upside, you could wash all kinds of things from pots to welly boots, soak clothes, bathe children, tough, did not scratch. In fact I have recently installed one to fulfil all of these and more uses, to many to list, but not in the kitchen but a utility room.