Beinn a'Chliabhain & Goat Fell

Friday 13th April 2007

I returned to Goat Fell on this walk for the last day of my holiday, but I first tackled a couple of tops that I had missed earlier in the week. The first of these was Beinn a'Chliabhain which I approached by retracing my steps from Wednesday in walking along Glen Rosa to the confluence with the Garbh Allt. As an alternative I took a path, towards the end of the glen, up to a weir over the Garbh and discovered why this path is no longer in use as it is dangerous in places. With some care I reached the weir which itself proved to be interesting to cross and climbed back onto the main path.

Upon leaving the enclosed gully I headed out across the hillside to Cnoc Breac and the start of the ridge up to the top of Beinn a' Chliabhain. My progress up to this top must have been rather slow as it was past one o'clock by the time I reached the summit so I decided to stop for my lunch. I think I was feeling rather low in energy and just didn't have the drive to go any quicker. Lunch should have remedied that situation but events soon worked against me. Crossing the col I took the lower path below Beinn Tarsuinn traversing a narrow ledge high above Coire Daingean. This was a fun little route but unfortunately over far too quickly as it soon brought me to Bealach an Fhir-bhogha.

Now ahead of me was A'Chir which I should have bypassed, just as I did on Wednesday, but I had seen someone else go over it, so why not me? Because it is very dangerous, it requires rock climbing skills that I don't possess, as I found out. I got so far using only medium scrambling skills and I was feeling rather proud of myself until I came to a point that I couldn't overcome. Rueing my arrogance I backtracked till I found a heather slope that I could use as an escape route. After following this for a while I noticed that the grass slope above me led all the way up to the summit. I couldn't resist the temptation and dashed up the very steep slope to the top. After feeling rather smug with myself for reaching the summit I continued along the top of the ridge until once again I was stuck and this time I was really stuck. I couldn't go up and I couldn't go down. I was cragfast.

After a moment of thinking about the embarrassment of having to call the mountain rescue I tackled the rock above me again and after some terrifying moments I managed to get back up. Once again I retraced my steps and found a heather-clad slope that I could possibly use to escape. After a prolonged and agonising descent I eventually reached the bypass path just as it was climbing back up to top of the ridge. By now the weather was really hot with the same blue skies of the day before but without the cold wind, so by the time I reached the path I was seriously overheating and the climb back to the top of the ridge didn't help. I paused at the top for a rest and to have something to eat but I was so worn out it would take me a long time to recover, and the next climb, to the top of Cir Mhór, was not going to help.

I think the lesson to learn from this is 'rock climbing skills required' means a rope is needed. I deliberately don't take a rope with me in order to stop me going to places I shouldn't be going. So why didn't that stop me on this occasion? I'm planning on going to Skye in the summer and I mustn't get similar ideas about the Inaccessible Pinnacle (!). Even if it is possible to scramble up it (which it isn't as it is usually described as a very difficult rock climb), a rope would definitely be needed to get back down. A'Chir was a lesson for me to not get any stupid ideas, I can't rock climb, especially not on my own. Even Cir Mhòr proved very challenging for me and I don't recall the scrambling being this bad on Wednesday! When I reached the top of Cir Mhór I didn't linger but immediately started the descent on the other side.

With my legs still shaking I found the early part of the descent very tricky. I don't know if there was an easier route but I had to scramble down some rather tricky sections, or maybe it was just me. The descent to the Saddle is very prolonged, but it got easier as I descended and also as I recovered from my ordeal on A'Chir. Upon crossing the Saddle I began the long climb up the narrow ridge all the way up to North Goat Fell. Near the top the terrain became very rocky and yet loose (part of the local rock is very crumbly) and so it was rather tricky to get a grip, but by now I had regained my strength and I was able to get up to the top where I had previously been in very different weather conditions.

When I reached North Goat Fell On Tuesday  I was faced with very strong westerly winds and low cloud that forced me to stay on the eastern side of the ridge and keep away from the stacks. Now with very little wind and bright sunshine I was able to walk along the ridge right over the top of each and every stack. On Tuesday they had seemed so intimidating, but after A'Chir they were a piece of cake and I was soon at the top of the highest hill on Arran for the second time in a week. The views this time were actually not much better because of a heavy haze that was surrounding everywhere all day, which is ironic really. Just as on Tuesday I descended Goat Fell by the manufactured tourist path to Cladach and I enjoyed every moment as I said goodbye to the fabulous mountains on this beautiful island. I went home the next day with some happy memories, even of A'Chir!

Beinn Bhreac & Beinn Bharrain

Thursday 12th April 2007

After my excesses of the day before I decided that for this walk I would take things easy and do a easier walk over the hills on the western side of the island. Spurning the bus I walked from Lochranza in bright sunshine along the road as far as the next village along the coast at Catacol Bay. I really should have continued on to Thundergay but I couldn't be bothered to continue walking along the road so I tried to find a way up onto the hillside to 'cut the corner' to the mountain, but of course 'Short cuts make long delays', and after dragging myself up onto the top of the hill I had do a long and tiring tramp through heather and bracken while barely gaining any height. The clear blue skies may have produced amazing views but it was making the slog very hard going.

Eventually I reached the path from Thundergay up to the picturesque Fhion Lochain with the first hill directly ahead of me. Crossing the path I climbed up the ridge on the western side of the lake, where I had my lunch at the top of Meall Biorach. All the hard work of the day was now over and for the rest of the walk I had a slow, relaxing stroll along the ridge over several tops that culminate at a Graham. At the 653m top a cold wind was blowing so as I climbed up to the top of Beinn Bhreac, despite the clear skies, I had to put my cagoule on. The views across to the Corbetts, in the east that I'd climbed the day before, were amazing and as I crossed Bealach an Fharaidh my eyes were locked on the hills to my left.

After climbing up to the trig point at the top of the Graham, Mullach Buidhe, I took a longing look at the north-easterly ridge and it's scrambling possibilities. Unfortunately I had one more hill to top so pulled myself away I walked around to the top of Beinn Bharrain. Once again the views were stunning, this time westwards across the Kilbrannon Sound and also south over the island, but the delights didn't last as I turned my head towards the bottom of the hill. At the end of the northern ridge I had to cross boggy ground to the Allt Gobhlach, which I followed beside it's southern bank all the way into Purnmill. This became increasingly difficult as I passed through farmland and a negotiation of the wooded ravine to gain access into Purnmill. I should have crossed over to the northern bank where the path would have led me safely down to the road. C'est la vie.

The Arran Hills

Wednesday 11th April 2007

This walk was a big one doing the ridge on the other side of the valley from the previous day's walk and involved going over three Corbetts with some really fearsome scrambling. Fortunately the weather was brilliant with light wind (at last) and warm sunshine in amongst the breaks in the clouds. It was perfect walking weather even though not great for photos. I started the walk from the North Sannox Bridge, a mile or so north of Sannox, i.e. in the middle of nowhere with nothing there but a bridge and a small car park. Heading from the car park straight up the hill I immediately realised that I had left my walking pole behind, but since I hadn't been using one for long I soon forgot that I didn't have it. After a steep climb I crossed the heather moorland to the foot of Suidhe Fheaghas and climbed the steep face up a badly eroded path. Once out of the deep channel I climbed up to the 660m top and beheld an awesome sight of the valley ahead. I had walked in this area just the day before but I had not seen anything then because of the poor weather. The rugged mountains in this area are amazing; they are an awesome sight and as I was about to discover, very challenging. Continuing along the ridge I arrived at a steep climb with a fun scramble up to the top of Ceum na Caillich. Unfortunately this is also known as the Witch's Step, and a sheer cliff lay below me.

With considerable difficulty I scrambled back down the way I had come and tried to find a way round. This proved very difficult and I had to descend a very steep crag that would have been difficult to climb. Eventually I was at the bottom and now I had to climb back up to the top of the gap where the scrambling still hadn't ended. Another tough scramble brought me to the top of the western side of the Step and the scrambling still hadn't ended as my onward progress along the ridge frequently involved more scrambling. Right up until the top of Caisteal Abhail I had many scrambling challenges, often in descent. This walk is usually done the other way, and now I can see why.

During lunch on top of Caisteal Abhail the clouds descended turning the air very cold, but fortunately this was short-lived as while crossing the bealach to Cir Mhór the sun came back out and soon I was hot again. The rest of the walk was relatively easy and left me being able to relax and enjoy it, especially in the improving weather as I descended from the small summit of Cir Mhór towards A'Chir. I had heard that rock climbing skills are needed for a traverse of A'Chir so I gave this a miss and followed the clear path that diverts around the western slopes. Onward I avoided the ridge to Beinn a Chliabhain and instead climbed up a fun path to the top of Beinn Tarsuinn which twists and turns, constantly varying and made for an easy but fun climb.

With the sun now shining and clear views all around me I followed the ridge over Beinn Nuis, the final top of the walk, before a long but fun and relaxing descent led me all the way down to the Garbh Allt and along Glen Rosa back into Brodick. This was a long and challenging walk, but the second half proved be to relatively easy and relaxing, so overall it was a really great and enjoyable walk.

Goat Fell

Tuesday 10th April 2007

My first walk on Arran proved to be difficult, tricky and made most demanding by the weather which was windy, cloudy and wet. This was not the best weather for hard scrambling, but I gave it a go and I lived to describe it in this blog. Taking the bus to Sannox I initially set off along Glen Sannox, but soon climbed up the hillside besides the Allt a'Chapuill climbing towards the imposing face of Cioch na h Oighe. This was a very tiring and frustrating stage of the walk as the ground was boggy and heather-filled with any semblance to a path soon disappearing as I forced my way up the hillside against many obstacles. Eventually I reached a path that runs across the face of the hill leading to the northern ridge where I was faced with a very steep, rocky ascent that involved a lot of scrambling in rather wet conditions. The wet rocks were making things rather tricky, and I was constantly having to look around for a better route up the rocks.

Eventually the gradient levelled off but the challenges remained as I negotiated the rocky ridge in strong wind, low cloud and also at this point, rain. I was climbing above what my Harvey Map called Coire na Ciche, a name that meant nothing to me but the OS gives it a much more ominously sounding English name: The Devil's Punchbowl, but I didn't learn that till later. I think I may have been more reluctant to do the walk in these conditions had I known. Eventually I left the tricky, rocky ridge behind and went up to the eastern end of Mullach Buidhe and after stopping for lunch I passed over the 830m top, which the OS calls Mullach Buidhe, while Harvey gives the impression that Mullach Buidhe is at the end of the ridge. The ridge continued up to the top of North Goat Fell where the wind really hit me. Up until this point I had been pretty well sheltered from the westerly wind, but now I was totally hit by the full force of it as I approached the top of the ridge, so staying at the top was just not an option and I was forced to stay low on the eastern side to keep away from the strong wind. If the weather had been good I would have tried climbing over all the stacks between North Goat Fell and Goat Fell, but not on this walk, maybe later, so once all the stacks were behind me I climbed up to the top of Goat Fell. Because of the bad weather I had the summit all to myself and it wasn't even very windy at the top; presumably all the wind was going around the summit rather than over it. After a while I headed down the stupendously easy tourist path, which after all the challenges of the ascent was a piece of cake; it was almost too easy to find my way down as the manufactured path could easily be seen. As a relaxing descent this was brilliant, especially after the challenging ascent and I soon arrived at the road and passed on into Brodick, where I was able to buy some groceries. This was really quite a short walk as I wanted to have some time to visit Brodick, but the next day wouldn't be so easy, as I had a much longer walk planned.

Ben Vane & Beinn Ime

Sunday 8th April 2007

The fabulous weather of the previous walk had now deteriorated such that it was overcast and extremely windy all day. The weather was even worse the day after this walk as it rained all day, but that was all right as I didn't do much that day except travel to Arran. Back to this walk, and it didn't start off too bad as I caught the bus to Arrochar and started to walk along Glen Loin; this was a quiet easy start to the day as I walked all the way to Coriegrogain. After walking along the Loch Sloy service road for a very short distance I turned up a valley track, but soon also left this as well to start the climb up the east ridge of Ben Vane.

What can I say about this climb? It was fantastic, thrilling, unrelenting and exhausting. A brilliant path wove it's way up the steep ridge into an increasingly strong wind all the way up to the top. Having lunch just before I arrived at the summit I was able to, I thought, minimize my exposure to the strong westerly winds, but unfortunately my route took me over to the western side of the mountain and directly into the wind. Battling against the wind all the way I dropped down the grassy slopes making my own route to the col between the Uaine and Coiregrogain valleys. After the popular eastern ridge of Ben Vane I was now totally on my own for the rest of the walk as I climbed up the steep grassy corrie to Glas Bhealach. With the weather worsening I was now well into the clouds as I slowly dragged myself up the impossibly steep northern face of Beinn Ime and having reached the summit I then had to get back down again. Sometimes I wonder why I do all this; I waste a lot of effort trying to get to the top of a mountain and then I have to waste a lot effort trying to get back down again. And in this sort of weather conditions I didn't gain anything by being at the top: there were no views and it was so unpleasant I don't want to linger there. Dropping steeply down the south-western slope of Beinn Ime to the Luibhean Bealach I then walked down the short valley to Butterbridge, where a bus was caught back to Inveraray.

The Cobbler & Beinn Narnain

Saturday 7th April 2007

The day before this walk I travelled up to Scotland for my first walking holiday of the year, and frankly I wished I was back in the Lake District. I had spent the last three Easters in the Lake District and it was weird not being there again for this Easter, but I'd been to the Lake District so many times in the last year it was getting too familiar. I'd be back soon, but until then I was in Scotland, in Inveraray, having caught the train first thing the day before to Glasgow and then the bus in the afternoon to Inveraray. The journey on the train didn't go smoothly as I spent most of it feeling rather sick after eating some roasted nuts. I won't eat them again. I arrived in Inveraray mid-afternoon and after a look around the picturesque town I decided the best place to go was to have a look around Inveraray Castle, seat of the Duke of Argyle. To be honest, it was nothing special, typical of inherited status and wealth. I felt more drawn to the spectacular surroundings rather than the contents of the house. I was planning to spend some more time in Inveraray on Monday but first, over the weekend, I wanted to walk up the Arrochar Alps. So for this walk I got back out onto the hills and it was so good to be back out there, especially in such brilliant weather. Broken cloud and bright sunshine between the clouds was marred by a stiff, cold, northerly wind that sometimes produced a harsh wind chill. After a lie-in I caught the bus at ten to Succoth and when I got there I immediately headed up the hillside staying on the main path and zigzagging up the steep slope through a felled or recently planted forest. Arriving at a dam on the Allt a' Bhalachain I despaired at the large numbers of people on the tourist path and decided to abandon my planned route and instead I climbed up steep grassy slopes to the foot of Cruach nam Miseag. I was eager to climb the SE ridge of Beinn Narnain, but doing so didn't accord with my planned walk. Ignoring such complications I climbed up to the start of the ridge and began the exhilarating climb over Cruach nam Miseag and up to the top of the Munro.

With some opportunities for a bit of scrambling, the climb was great fun but over all too soon and I was at the summit of my first Munro of the year: Beinn Narnain. After lunch at the summit I headed down grassy slopes to the col with the Cobbler. As I descended lower I despaired over the large amount of height I was losing, with the steep slopes of the Cobbler ahead of me looking more and more intimidating. At the bottom I joined the constructed path/steps up the steep slopes, wearily climbing up and resolutely keeping to the path all the way up to the top. When I finally reached the summit I squeezed through the crowds and scrambled up to the very top of the hill. This is very tricky and a little nerve-wracking, but being up there with loads of other people rather dampened the experience. Turning my back on the southern top (which would have required hard scrambling) I headed across to visit the northern top before heading down the ridge and keeping to the top I forsook the path until the ridge ended and then skipped all the way back down the hill. It's always tremendous fun descending a ridge like that and I always really enjoy myself when I do it, especially when the weather is as good as it was for this walk, but now my fun was over. Climbing up to Bealach a'Mhaim I contoured around the northern slopes of Beinn Narnain, crossing a boulder field towards it's north-west ridge. The logical way to have done this walk was to have gone up the Cobbler first and then gone up Beinn Narnain, but by spurning the tourist path to the Cobbler I had forced myself into an annoying out and back on the Corbett. After crossing the steep northern slopes of Beinn Narnain I was now back on track, crossing the undulating landscape above Creag Tharsuinn to the top of A'Chrois.

From the summit of A'Chrois I put the strong wind behind me and headed off the hills down the grassy southerly ridge in company with two guys I had met on the summit. Crossing the Allt Sugach by a dam we followed a path across the hillside to the top of a steep track straight down the hill, the remnants of a cable track. This brought us back to the road where we parted company and I wandered into Arrochar wasting almost an hour as I waited for the bus. This was a memorable walk in fabulous weather and over tremendous mountains. The Cobbler is considered to be the best mountain in Scotland below Munro status and on this walk I saw that this was justified, unfortunately I also saw how popular this Corbett is as well.

Bleaberry Fell & High Seat

Thursday 21st December 2006

My last day in the Lake District proved to be good, even if I was rushing at the end to catch a bus to the railway station. After leaving the youth hostel for the last time and buying my sandwich for lunch, I headed along Ambleside Road past the church and at Spring Lane I turned right up the road to Brockle Beck where I walked up a delightful path to Rakefoot. Emerging onto open country I followed a path up the hill towards Walla Crag, but leaving the path through a gate in the wall I followed a thrilling path on the other side, which afforded me with amazing views across Derwent Water and Keswick, so it was just a pity it was rather grey. With the views getting progressively more stunning I made my way along the wooded cliff edge to the summit of Walla Crag where I had the best views yet. Did I have to go home? I was still having too much fun.

Dragging my eyes away from the awe-inspiring views I headed across moorland towards Bleaberry Fell. Soon the path deteriorated into a quagmire, however I had something to my advantage: it's December and a lot of the mud was frozen and what wasn't I was able to test with my walking pole as my stick started proving its worth, and I'm glad I bought it. On reaching a sheepfold the route turned into a constructed gravel path that was a doddle to walk along and when the going became very steep turned into steps. With relative ease the summit of Bleaberry Fell was achieved.

On top of the fell it was very cold so now with a second fleece and a woolly hat on I braved the crossing from Bleaberry Fell to High Seat. Once again the near freezing weather was a great help; there are only two times in the year when a walk across these fells is advisable: the height of summer or the depths of winter. I think it almost qualified on this walk for the latter. Eventually I made it across the morass onto the top of High Seat, the highest point on my walk, and the highest point on the ridge (okay, that's not very accurate, let's call it the long boggy upland) north of Ullscarf.

After I had admired more of the stunning views I left the summit venturing pathless across the wet heather moor towards Castle Crag and the Shoulthwaite valley. As luck would have it since I was now coming down off the fells, the clouds parted and revealed glorious blue skies with even better views (what I could still see). Sitting on Castle Crag near the Litt Memorial while basking in the bright sunshine I had my lunch; thankfully no stomach problems now! After lunch I made my way down into the deep, hidden valley of Shoulthwaite Gill, which is rarely visited and looks like it. The path was hard to see despite the map claiming that there is a right of way up the valley. Very carefully (especially when crossing Mere Gill) I made my way down the steep sided valley until it opened out and a clear path manifested itself. The whole valley is a sheer delight and almost made up for my being stuck in a deep, dark valley while up above were clear blue skies.

After a hasty backtrack I took a forest track near the end of the valley onto a farm track and thence to a road. With little sunlight now left I passed over farmland to the main road and crossing the road I began a traverse of High Rigg. In diminishing light I made my way across the complex landscape while trying to stay on the highest ground without any unnecessarily climbing of an insignificant mound. The undulating terrain finally revealed a significant peak that was clearly the summit, which inspired a spurt of speed from me that quickly closed the gap. By the time I reached the summit there was very little light left and I still had to get all the way over to Threlkeld to catch a bus, but it was so dark I didn't know where the path was.

Picking my target I headed straight down the grassy slopes and eventually encountered the path down to the road. That was the easy bit, but I still had to go over Low Rigg and there was hardly any light left. Finding a path I headed in the right direction, but prudence eventually prevented me from going up to the top of the cliff-like Low Rigg in the dark (!). Using my map and compass I guessed where the path should be going and eventually managed to find the path past Tewet Tarn to a road. A short cut along a farm track brought me onto the old Penrith road and now direction finding was easy as I hurried along the road, crossed the A66, and hurried into Threlkeld. I caught the bus, and was able to catch the train in Penrith back home. This was my fourth visit of the year to the Lake District, so it seems I just can't get enough of the place. When am I going back?

Lord's Seat and other Wainwrights

Wednesday 20th December 2006

This day was horrible. There was nothing wrong with the walk itself but when I started I had a killer stomach ache that soon went south. Miles from the nearest public toilet I was desperate to go, so the only thing for me to do was pull my trousers down and squat over a hole in the ground and I ended up having to do that three times during the course of the walk, and I had never had to do that before; I was lucky I was walking in an unpopular area. I was in the far north-western corner of the Lake District bagging all the Wainwrights in the area north of the Whinlatter pass.

To start I caught a bus to Embleton and then I walked past Wythop Mill almost all the way to Kelsick, but just before I reached the farm I came off the road and followed a wall onto Sale Fell. After making my first deposit I continued up to the highest point where I turned left following a path that passes over the summit. The views were fantastic with the early fog quickly clearing to once again leave me with glorious blue skies on this holiday. Descending from the summit I followed a path down until I reached a wall, turned left and descended back down to the road.

Returning to Brumston Bridge I climbed up to what the map calls the Corpse Road, which climbs around the northern side of Ling Fell. At the point where the track starts to descend I took a path past a series of disused grouse butts before veering off onto the summit where the views were getting even better. Tramping through the heather I made my way down to a fence which I followed until the gradient became too steep whereupon I turned diagonally down to the bottom of the fell and the start of the crossing that I had been dreading for weeks: Wythop Moss.

Following Wainwright's advice that the driest route across the marsh was in the middle between two fences, I proceeded in his footsteps soon finding that at this time of the year I was never going to be able to get through the moss with dry feet. Mostly, it wasn't really too bad apart from the occasional boggy patch until near the end when all semblence of a path disappeared along with the remains of the walls. Squelching through the wet ground I was very thankful to finally reach higher, firmer ground. There I followed a miner's track until I reached a fence and turned uphill dragging myself up the fellside to the summit fence near Graystones.

After a very runny deposit under the trees I climbed up to the top of Graystones and pondered a perplexing situation. The OS map indicates that the summit is in the middle of a large area of high plateau on the eastern side of the fence while Wainwright claimed the summit was on a prominent peak west of the fence. Walking over all the tops in the area before going up to Wainwright's summit I decided that despite what the actual summit may be, Wainwright's was definitely the best looking. With my third Wainwright of the day bagged I returned to the edge of the wood and walking over Widow Hause, I left the wood behind and headed across the moorland up to the top of Broom Fell, Wainwright no.4.

The summit of Broom Fell sports a very fetching cairn, constructed as a tall narrow stack, but once again the OS have the audacity to claim this magnificent structure hasn't been built at the summit. Here I believe the OS are correct as the terrain clearly indicates that the summit lies on the southern end of the summit plateau and someone has commemorated that fact by placing four stones at the appropriate point. Returning to the path I made my way to the top of Lord's Seat about which there can be no doubt about the summit as it is a clear peak.

Despite skipping lunch I was beginning to realise that I wouldn't be able to bag all the fells that I'd wanted and still get to Thornthwaite in time for the bus at four. My progress was slowed again as my stomach ache persisted and culminated in a third deposit before I reached the summit of Barf. In view of this and the rapidly descending clouds I decided that it would be prudent to save Whinlatter for another day so leaving the summit of Barf by a clear path I descended to Beckstones Gill and entered the wood. Dropping steeply down beside the gill I arrived at the Swan Hotel (now called Powter How) in plenty of time for the bus back to Keswick. I know it may not be fair but I'll be glad if I never walk over these fells again. Apart from Barf none of them had any qualities that would make me want to revisit them again.

Blencathra (and Latrigg)

Tuesday 19th December 2006

This day started very cold and with the same clear blues skies that I'd enjoyed the day before, but it didn't take long for it to cloud over which left me with a grey overcast day. It almost made me wish that I'd done Blencathra the day before when the weather was much better. C'est la vie. I caught the bus first thing in the morning to Scales and proceeded to walk into Mousthwaite Comb climbing above the levels. The path thrillingly clings to the side of the fell as I slowly climbed towards my goal: Sharp Edge.

The cloud descending over the edge ahead of me ominously forebode the later weather conditions as I climbed beside Scales Beck to Scales Tarn where I turned right up to the start of the edge as clouds began to envelop me. It was now time for me to begin the edge and frankly, compared with this, Striding Edge is a piece of cake; this was a terrifying experience especially with rocks that were wet and slippery. The bad weather conditions were making things very tricky, and my new walking pole may not have helped, but through sheer determination I managed to get to the top of the edge where snow dominated the landscape.

With my terrifying ascent over I crossed the snowy landscape at the top of Tarn Crag to climb up to the summit of Blencathra. The scenery was very thrilling and since it was still quite early (before midday) I decided to head back across the snow to have a look at the memorial cross on my way up to the cairn on Atkinson Pike. Returning to the summit I reluctantly began my descent down Hall's Fell Ridge, which was made a lot easier with my walking pole. Without it I would have had to put hand to rock many times, but that wasn't necessary now as I effectively had a third leg to keep me steady all the way down. After emerging from the clouds I found a good spot to stop and have my lunch, gazing out at the dreary, grey scenery that was enlivened only by the awesome landscape of Blencathra itself.

After lunch I descended the rest of the ridge down to the fell wall, though it's funny to recall that when I went up a couple of years ago the lower part of Hall's Fell Ridge seemed to be rather tiresome, but on this walk I simply lifted my pole and ran down; it was great fun. Rather than going into Threlkeld I took the path along the bottom of the fell all the way to the Blencathra Centre. From there I took a path marked 'to Keswick' passing Derwentfolds on my way down to Glenderaterra Beck. This is the route that I took back to Keswick on both my previous walks up Blencathra (the first time I went up Blencathra was in 2003). This time however, rather than turning left after the river onto the Keswick Railway Footpath, I turned right and started climbing Latrigg.

I had never been up this small hill before, but my father mentioned that he had when he came to Keswick as a boy. After he told me about this I felt I had to make a (not big) detour to Latrigg in his memory. Leaving the track I made my way across grassy fields to the top, which I was disappointed to discover were featureless. The path passes over what I assume was the summit before carrying on around the edge of the hill (it doesn't deserve to be called a fell). The only redeeming feature of Latrigg are the views across Derwent Water, which are usually great, but in the diminishing light they were unfortunately nothing special. With the light quickly fading I headed off the hill down into Keswick.

Castle Crag and the High Spy ridge

Monday 18th December 2006

I was back in the Lake District again after a two month drought during which I hadn't done any walking. Not since that glorious morning in October when I had walked up Snowdon had I donned my walking boots, but the long wait had finally come to an end, and after a warm and wet autumn, Christmas was finally here and I had two weeks off from work. That was all the excuse I needed to come back to the Lake District for the fourth time in the year, this time I was staying in the recently refurbished Keswick Youth Hostel for the entirety of my stay. During my stay I hoped to bag several tops that had alluded me thus far, starting with Castle Crag.

Setting off from home very early I was in Keswick by 10.30 and with glorious blue skies everywhere it was difficult to resist the temptation to go up Blencathra but eventually I caught the bus to Borrowdale. Alighting at Rosthwaite I crossed the river and began to climb zigzagging through trees following a clear miner's track using my new walking pole for the first time. I'd never used one before but I'd recently decided to buy one to help with my footing in wet, wintry weather. Reaching the corner of the field I crossed a stile and climbed up the spoil heap on a good path passing a disused quarry on the way. At the summit the views north over Derwent Water to Skiddaw and Blencathra were stunning as were the views south across Borrowdale.

Dropping down to the Rigghead quarry road I headed north but then rather than enter the wood I followed the tree line on a faint and often tricky path where my new walking pole became tremendously useful in helping me to negotiate all the obstacles. My intention had been to go round to Cockley How and take Wainwright's route up High Spy, however when I reached the stream that comes down from Nitting Haws I discovered a path that climbs beside the stream and seemed to go all the way up to the felltop. Despite the steepness of the terrain I dragged myself up the path summoning every ounce of strength I possessed to get to the top. Eventually and with great relief I arrived at Nitting Haws where the gradient levelled off but I still had a long climb ahead of me before I could get to the top of the ridge. Pinpointing a prominent top I resolutely set my focus on it, heading straight towards it and collapsed when I reached it, but I was not at the summit of High Spy. I was on Minum Crag.

After lunch I spurned the summit, far to the south, and headed north, taking in the cairn on Blea Crag on my way to Maiden Moor and down to Cat Bells. With the difficulty of my climb to the top over I sailed along the ridge enjoying the clear views in the diminishing light. This is not something I'm used to; the sun doesn't usually set as early as quarter to four when I'm walking. I had previously done very little walking at this time of the year, and none in the Lake District. On this holiday I had to get used to it as I was there for three nights, so I would have three more days of these early sunsets. When I got down to the bottom of Cat Bells it was quite dark and I still had an hour's walk ahead of me before I could get to Keswick; fortunately I have taken this route several times before so I made it into Keswick with no problems at all.

The Snowdon Horseshoe

Saturday 14th October 2006

While uploading these reports from last year I noticed that I had not written a report on this walk that I did a year ago and yet it was an amazing walk in sensational weather. I guess the reason I didn't write a report for it at the time was because it was a one-off, I drove all the way over to Snowdon and then having completed the walk I drove all the way back. My reports are generally first written in a youth hostel after the walk, but in this instance there was no youth hostel, there was just back home. Well, it may have been a year ago but my memory is not all that bad and I have the pictures that I took while on the walk to remind me. So to start I need to give you a bit of background. Way back, almost 2½ years ago, I walked over Crib Goch for the first time with the intention of completing the Snowdon Horseshoe by going over Y Lliwedd afterwards, however the weather intervened and I chickened out soon after I left the summit of Snowdon. Jump forward a year and I decided to have another go at the horseshoe and I had set things up perfectly by staying at the Pen-y-Pass Youth Hostel, but yet again the weather intervened and I chickened out again, this time of both Crib Goch and Y Lliwedd, though I still had a great walk on the Pyg and Miner's Track.

Having been thwarted twice by the weather I decided last year that I would wait for perfect weather conditions and then dash up to Snowdon to do the horseshoe, however those weather conditions never seemed to come when I was free. I was always busy doing something else when the weather was right and the weather was never right when I was free. Eventually we coincided in the middle of October last year when one Friday evening while I trying to decide what to do the next day I read the forecast for the following morning around Snowdon and jumped at the chance to do the horseshoe. I got up very early and left home soon after five in the morning (when I would normally leave for work so it was not a great hardship) and I was at Pen-y-Pass before eight. There was no stopping me and I was soon on my way up the Pyg Track under clear blue skies with the sun only just beginning to appear over the horizon. I zoomed up to Bwlch y Moch and the scramble up to Crib Goch did not trouble me at all. I had waited a year and a half to go over Crib Goch in good weather and now that I was doing it I was going to enjoy every moment. At the eastern end of Crib Goch I gazed around in awe at the scenery around me with the Glyderau behind and Snowdon in front of me, but before I could get to Snowdon I had to cross Crib Goch. Standing up I walked carefully along the very top of the ridge with my senses on constant alert, and then suddenly my left foot slipped a fraction of an inch on a damp patch of rock. Instantly I dropped to all fours clutching the rock. I still do not have a good head for heights despite my attempts to exorcise my fear on occasions such as this. I consider it a very healthy fear of falling hundreds of feet to my death, and it has kept me alive thus far!

At the summit of Crib Goch I again surveyed my surroundings and took more pictures, but this was only the lull before the storm for ahead of me were the Pinnacles of Crib Goch. Previously I had gone around the Pinnacles but this time I was determined to go up them all and largely succeeded, although I missed out one pinnacle that I couldn't reach as it was not on the actual line of the ridge. Descending to Bwlch Coch I now made my way up Crib y Ddysgl enjoying my time immensely now that the extreme exposure of Crib Goch was behind me. Arriving at Garnedd Ugain I was once again astonished at the clear views all around me and, even more surprisingly, by the warm weather. Still gazing out on the scene all around me, I passed along the mountain top and up to the summit of Snowdon. Despite the number of times that I have been up there I still think of the summit as a magical place that just takes my breath away, no matter how many people one has to share it with.

Descending south-west from the summit a little way and before I'd reached the Watkin marker stone, I impatiently dropped down across the screes. On reaching Bwlch Ciliau I began the ascent of Y Lliwedd which, though fun, does not really compare with the traverse of Crib Goch. At the summit I had my lunch before beginning to descend to Llyn Llydaw. I had never been on this part of the walk before and I found it rather tricky. It is steep and since north-facing it was still damp from the dew; I recall slipping over whilst climbing down there, though fortunately I was unhurt. Once at the edge of Llyn Llydaw I joined the Miner's Track and followed it back to Pen-y-Pass and my car. It was still really only lunch time but since I had started the walk at eight I had already done a long, but great walk. The Snowdon Horseshoe is recognizably one of the greatest mountain walks in Britain and having down it now I whole-heartily agree.

Grasmoor

Tuesday 10th October 2006

On this day I woke to great weather, however it didn't last long as soon after I started walking it clouded over, which left me with little to see until I got off the fells, and of course the clouds lifted soon after I'd finished walking! I left Buttermere early and headed up to the top of Squat Beck, and then after expending all that energy I walked back down the hill beside the beck into the picturesque Rannerdale (which was sadly lacking its 'historic bluebells' - wrong time of the year). When I was back at the bottom of the hill the real walking began as I started to climb over Lad Hows and up to Grasmoor, but soon went the wrong way. Instead of moving across the hillside I went straight up and found myself in thick bracken. Using my GPS and some cross-country walking I eventually came back onto the path where route finding was much easier as I gained the narrow ridge over Lad Hows and climbed steeply up to Grasmoor zigzagging up the final stony section before emerging on the grassy plain on top. Since I was now in clouds the views were a bit lacking, but after visiting the summit cairns I had a look at the top of Dove Crags on the northern edge. Since I couldn't really tell what they looked like because of the cloudy weather I angled back over onto the main path and headed across to the top of Crag Hill. Since the views were lacking I couldn't see any point in hanging around the summit so I headed down the Scar, which was a bit nervy in the wet conditions, but still great fun and up to the top of Sail. From this rather dull fell I dropped steeply down to Sail Pass and turned left forfeiting Causey Pike since I had been over it before.

The path from Sail Pass to High Moss is fabulous as it descends steeply across a sheer cliff face with nothing more than a narrow ledge to walk on. This is the sort of path I live for as it's a marvel of engineering. Leaving the main path at the moss I crossed over and climbed up Outerside where I had my lunch even though I was nearing the end of the walk. Descending from Outerside I went up the next top on the ridge, Stile End, and then crossed over to the final top, Barrow. There, finally, the clouds began to lift and I was afforded with stupendous views of the Newlands and Derwent valleys. Descending to Braithwaite was a revelation as the views from the ridge were amazing and made me long for better weather, which ironically appeared soon after I arrived in Braithwaite. Another fabulous holiday in the Lake District had come to an end, except for Saturday.

Seatallan and the Pillar Rock

Monday 9th October 2006

After a wet start to the day I had tremendous weather for this walk with, by the afternoon, bright sunshine and clear blue skies so that I couldn't have hoped for anything better. I left the youth hostel a little later than planned because I'd overslept, waking me up at 8.12, possibly because I had left my mobile, which was supposed to be waking me up, on quiet mode! Anyway I managed to get breakfast and eventually left at 9.30.

My first goal of the day was Middle Fell which required a short walk along the road before a steep climb through bracken brought me to the summit, which has one of those joyfully complex terrains that the lower fells seem to specialize in and somehow makes up for their lack of height. I crossed the top following a faint footpath while having a theological debate with myself! Funny how these things happen, but I think it was the music I was listening to that sparked the debate and it just spiralled away from there into a discussion on the nature of good and evil. It was rather an interesting debate, but I wish I could have saved it for a more deserving moment, like the fell I was about to go up.

After descending to the col, and braving the omnipresent bog, I began to climb the interminably steep slopes of Seatallan. The mind-numbingly steep gradient finally eased and revealed a sheep infested grassy plain with a trig point and cairn in one corner. This is a most depressing top that was totally not worth the effort to get up there (the view wasn't bad though). The only reason I went up there was because it's high and I'd never been in that area before. I don't think I'll be in a hurry to return. Leaving the summit I headed north quickly descending the steep grassy northern slope back down into the bogs. This was the first time I'd ever been to the Lake District in October and the main thing that struck me about it was how wet it was and not just under foot but also how full the streams were. This was a disadvantage as it made crossing a stream a lot trickier and left me finishing every walk with wet feet.

Leaving the bogs behind I turned towards the eastern side of Haycock, though missing out the summit I aimed for the col with Scoat Fell. The traverse from Seatallan to the col had been dull (really since leaving Middle Fell the terrain had been stupendously dull), but now things improved enormously. With smashing views into Ennerdale I climbed up the grassy slope of Great Scoat Fell and onto the gloriously rocky Little Scoat Fell. Pausing briefly to look at Steeple I made my way over to the summit cairn of Scoat Fell which, bizarrely, is on top of the wall since that is probably the highest point on the fell. Moving on from there I gingerly climbed down the rocks, which were treacherously slippery after the recent rain, until I could get back onto more secure footing as I made my way over Black Crag and down to the Wind Gap.

With Pillar ahead of me I ignored the path and scrambled straight up the steep rocky terrain tackling any obstacles direct. The ascent was great fun, but short lived as the gradient eased and hands were no longer required to get over the rocks. Eventually the summit arrived and lunch beckoned. After lunch I headed over to the northern edge and started a tricky descent down the hillside towards the Pillar Rock, which required a lot of care and frequent use of hand support. I visited the Pillar Rock the previous Easter ascending directly from Ennerdale, but this time I wanted to do the whole of the High Level Traverse from the Pillar Rock and without any snow.

Pausing to have a look at the Pillar Rock I noticed a pair of climbers ascending the eastern side of the rock. Knowing that the summit is inaccessible to mere mortals such as myself I headed across to the Shamrock Traverse, itself quite tricky in these damp conditions, especially in descent. Once I was safely across, the difficulties eased and I was able to enjoy the walk across Pillar Cove to Robinson's Cairn and from there across the slopes of the fell high above the valley of Ennerdale to the main path near Looking Stead. From Robinson's Cairn the path seemed to have deteriorated and be infrequently travelled as, when visible, the path was grass-covered and faint. With route finding becoming more difficult I began to understand why I lost the path a year before when I ended up having to climb onto the top of the ridge. My next challenge will be to do this traverse from the eastern end without losing the path.

Finally emerging on the main path I proceeded to the Black Sail Pass with the great bulk of Kirk Fell before me and from the pass I turned left down into Ennerdale. Annoyingly I would now have to climb back out of Ennerdale to get to Buttermere, though I had originally planned on walking around Kirk Fell and below the Gables to prevent any re-ascent, but I chickened out when I realised I wouldn't have time. However when I got to the bottom of Ennerdale instead of going over the Scarth Gap, the most direct route, I headed up Loft Beck into the bogs above Blackbeck Tarn. One has to wonder if it would have taken me any longer to go from Black Sail Pass to the top of Loft Beck via the Moses' Trod path. Even if it was I'm sure it would have required much less effort.

After negotiating another bog I arrived at the Haystacks path and turning away from the infamous fell I headed down the Warnscale Beck path. With an easy bridlepath on the other side of the beck I enjoyed myself on the much rougher footpath that moves across the hillside to Black Beck and then back to Warnscale Beck where I finally joined the bridlepath. With less than an hour left to order dinner at the youth hostel I raced along the bridlepath to Gatesgarth and then along the superb lakeside path to Buttermere. This was another great walk in the Lake District in wonderful weather, and people wonder why I do this. Ha!

Scafell Pike and Illgill Head

Sunday 8th October 2006

After my ordeals on the day before I was still a bit rough and drained of energy at the start of this day, but I still managed to walk all the way from Borrowdale to Wastwater and I went over the highest hill in England on the way. Knowing that I had a long day ahead of me I set off from the Derwent Water Youth Hostel straight after breakfast and started off down the road towards Borrowdale. When I got to Lodore I looked at a path that I'd taken before (admittedly in July 2002) only to find that it was deeply submerged in water. Maybe the level of Derwent Water was high because it was autumn or maybe this field is sometimes deliberately allowed to flood to increase the marsh-land to the south of Derwent Water.

Whatever, I continued south to Grange Bridge and there I decided to abandon my plan of visiting Castle Crag on the way and caught a bus to Seatoller. It's ironic that I could have stayed in the youth hostel forty-five minutes longer and been able to catch the same bus to Seatoller. From Seatoller I walked along the road to Seathwaite Bridge, and followed a path beside the river past Seathwaite and around the headland up a scramble that afforded me with a stunning view of Taylor Gill Force. On my first holiday in the Lake District I walked over Scafell Pike and descended to Borrowdale using this path. I hadn't been back over this path since and I had been missing a great walk. I really enjoyed it and the sun came out in response. Arriving at Sty Head the weather was so good I thought I would attempt a straight ascent up Great End via the Band. I had decided not to attempt this route at Easter due to the weather so I was hoping to be able to do it on this walk. It was too tempting to miss the opportunity so I headed up the path to Esk Hause branching off before the stream to climb steeply up the grass slope. Unfortunately just at that moment it started raining and it soon became obvious that an ascent would not be possible on this occasion. Resignedly I made my way back down to Sty Head and took the path along the corridor route, and I was not too disappointed as despite the rain I was now on an excellent path that hugs the side of the hill below Great End that traverses a great route steadily climbing all the way up to Lingmell Col. I have taken this path many times and never tired of the rugged route.

In a departure from the norm, instead of going all the way up to Lingmell Col I turned left up the path to Broad Crag Col. I had never taken this route before and found the last section to be very steep and tiring as it climbs up a steep scree slope below the col. I was now in clouds as I struggled up the scree and when I eventually arrived at the col I was disheartened to realise that I still had more climbing to go before I finally reached the top of Scafell Pike. I was now so drained of energy, perhaps a holdover from the previous evening, that the last section was a real test of my stamina as I had no strength left for even one more step. Eventually the summit emerged through the clouds and I summoned one more ounce of strength from somewhere to get me over the last couple of metres. With no more strength left I collapsed in the lee of the wind with my back against the summit platform.

Slowly I ate my lunch and gradually my tired body came back to life. Seemingly in response the clouds lifted to reveal the gorgeous views all around me and would persist for the rest of the afternoon. With renewed vigour thanks to my lunch and the clear views I headed across to Mickledore until I was standing below Broad Stand. Carefully I clambered down the slippery slope below Scafell Crag and to the start of Lord's Rake. After being thwarted from doing Great End I was really looking forward to doing Lord's Rake. I had done the rake for the first time at Easter (having previously been put off by the negative comments of certain organizations) when there was snow in parts of the rake. I was keen to do the rake again with no snow in it, plus it made a handy shortcut from Scafell Pike to the eastern slopes of Sca Fell. Once again I really enjoyed the rake, which is a fabulous climb in awesome scenery. It is quite simply the Lake District at its very best.

On the other side of Lord's Rake instead of climbing up to the top of Sca Fell I descended the long grassy slopes to the horrendous bogs at the bottom. With my feet now thoroughly soaked I started climbing up to the top of Illgill Head and on reaching a broken wall I joined a path on the north side that followed the wall all the way up to the top. This is a fabulous route, even if tiring, and afforded me with tremendous views of the scenery around Wasdale Head and of Wastwater. After visiting the summit I headed across the grassy plain towards Whin Rigg exploring the cliff edges above the Wastwater Screes on the way. Once over the top I began a quick descent down to Wastwater Youth Hostel, killing my knees as I ran down the steep zigzags. I love descending that sort of path quickly as it is so challenging and fun. Plus it was necessary as I had to reach the youth hostel before six so I could order my dinner. The final section of the walk that involved crossing the river and passing through a wood was equally quick and after I was well-fed at the youth hostel all my ill-health of the day before was forgotten. After a good night's sleep I was ready for anything, even another gruelling walk.

Grasmere to Derwent Water via the Langdale Pikes

Saturday 7th October 2006

This walk was a bit of a grueller and I didn't even start until 2.15 pm due to repeated delays on the train. Now the logical thing to have done would have been to walk straight over Greenup Edge and down into Borrowdale abandoning my planned walk to the Langdale Pikes including an ascent up Jack's Rake, but of course I didn't do that. I shot straight up the path to Easedale Tarn and was at the lake by three still convinced that I could do the original walk despite starting an hour later than planned. Taking a side path at Easedale Tarn I climbed up the hillside to Blea Rigg and after bagging the top negotiated the complex landscape below slowly descending to Stickle Tarn. And that was when it started raining. Once I had put on full waterproofs I made the obvious decision that Jack's Rake in this weather would be suicide so I made my way up the East Rake onto the top of the fell. In view of the gale force wind and rain, plus the lateness of the time, I bypassed all the Langdale Pikes and headed straight for the Stake Pass.

It's funny when I think about it now, but the only other time I had previously visited this pass was during my 2004 holiday when the weather was just as wet and windy and the last time I was at Stickle Tarn the visibility was so poor I gave up on that walk as well. It may seem like some areas are just cursed, but I went up the Langdale Pikes in the summer of  '03 when the weather was scorching. On this occasion I descended along the bridlepath in Langstrath, a valley that I had never previously been in before and now it was in bad weather! With great effort I eventually made my way to Rosthwaite and the waiting bus. I wish. I had assumed the summer timetable was still in force and pinned all my hopes on a bus at 6.50 which I would have easily caught. But the bus was at 6.15 and there was not another one for two hours.

Resignedly I made my way in the dark slowly up and over the hill to Watendlath and thence along the road, mile after mile, in the dark, to Derwent Water and the youth hostel. For whatever reason this walk took everything out of me and once I started eating my dinner I felt very light headed and threw up the soup I had just eaten. Fortunately a good night's sleep and a filling breakfast the next morning worked wonders, which was just as well as I had a full day ahead of me.

The Black Mountains

Monday 11th September 2006

For this walk I returned to the place of my first ever mountain walk: the Black Mountains. These hills are very familiar territory for me and evoke memories of the many walks that I have done in the Black Mountains over the years, and consequently they hold a special place in my heart so it is always a pleasure to return. My route on this occasion was a long one that went from one end of the Vale of Ewyas to the other. Starting at the Capel y Ffin Youth Hostel I joined the footpath behind the hostel and followed it all the way into the actual village/hamlet of Capel y Ffin. From there I followed a side road up to the Grange and up the side of the valley onto the western ridge at a point marked on maps as 'Blacksmith's Anvil' (actually just a cairn). Heading south from the cairn I was now in my element and enjoying the warm weather despite the hazy views. Passing over Bal Mawr I descended to the saddle of Bal Bach and turned left down Cwm Bwchel dropping all the way down to Llanthony Priory. I have visited this ruin, which is such an icon of the valley, many times over the years and it still commands my attention despite the distraction of its awe-inspiring setting in this beautiful valley. Going around to the north of the ruin I headed back up the hillside onto the eastern ridge of the valley and joined the Offa's Dike Path. The next couple of hours was an endless march across the moor at the top of the ridge heading north, passing Capel y Ffin in the valley below and eventually arriving at Hay Bluff on the northern end of the ridge.

With extensive, hazy views across the Wye valley ahead of me I descended to the Gospel Pass and climbed up to the top of Twmpa. These two hills were the first mountains I ever climbed. After a lifetime spent confined to the Peak District I had eventually been lured out by the promise of a 'town of books', and after visiting Hay I came up to the car park below Hay Bluff. That first day I climbed Hay Bluff and then after crossing the Gospel Pass I climbed Twmpa. That day, as on this walk, I headed south from Twmpa along the tongue, Darren Lwyd, walking along the ridge all the way to the terminus above Capel y Ffin. I didn't have long to go now with a descent through bracken down to and along a wall that took me back to the Youth Hostel. This was another great walk in a great area for walking.

The Brecon Beacons

Sunday 10th September 2006

For this walk I returned to hills that I've walked over many times before but never by the northern ridges. So with an opportunity to correct that oversight I parked at the old Cwm Gwdi Training Camp and set off over a stream across the bottom of the northern slopes of Allt Ddu. Taking a footpath out of the open country I crossed Cwm Sere and Cwm Cynwyn to climb the bracken-covered slopes of Cefn Cyff. After expending all that effort I followed the clearly defined ridge all the way up to the top of Fan y Big. The scenery was, as always, stunning with bright sunshine and clear blue skies, and fortunately the strong winds of the day before had eased. It was a gorgeous day.

Descending from Fan y Big I crossed Bwlch ar y Fan and climbed up around the top of Craig Cwm Cynwyn to the top of Cribyn. The summit was packed with people so I passed straight over the summit and down the steep northern ridge. When the gradient levelled off I stopped and had my lunch while admiring the views of Pen y Fan nearby. After I'd eaten I went back up the steep ridge to the top of Cribyn, where there were now less people. I suppose it had been rather mad for me to go down the ridge only to go back up again but I'd wanted to do all three ridges so why not? Okay, I am mad! From Cribyn I climbed around the top of Craig Cwm Sere up to Pen y Fan, the highest point in the Brecon Beacons, and the highest point in Britain south of Snowdonia. The last time I was there was just before Christmas when the weather was poor with freezing mist and drizzle. There wasn't anyone on the summit then, but now the weather was considerably better and correspondingly there were considerably more people. Good weather at the weekend always seems to draw people out onto the hills, especially hills like Pen y Fan. In some ways I prefer being out on the hills in bad weather as it's the only way to get them on my own.

Leaving the crowds behind I dropped steeply down the northern ridge of Pen y Fan along Cefn Cwm Llwch and down into Cwm Gwdi, back to the car. This is a great, classic walk, but it was a little too short by my standards, as I had to spend the rest of the afternoon wandering around Brecon.

Pumlumon

Saturday 9th September 2006

I was off on holiday again and for the third time in the year I was heading into Wales to the familiar territory of the Brecon Beacons. But first I wanted to go up a hill in an area I'd never walked before: the Cambrian Mountains, Elenydd, and specifically its highest point: Pumlumon. I parked next to the dam for Nant-y-Moch Reservoir and walked along the tarmacked road to Maesnant and further along the track into the Hengwm valley. Now things became a little rough with a track that wasn't so much boggy as under three inches of water, so it was with considerable relief that I eventually arrived at the foot of Craig yr Eglwys and left the saturated path behind me.

Ahead of me were crags in abundance that afforded me with plenty of opportunity for easy scrambling routes, so by carefully picking routes that have plenty of handholds I made my way up the rocks. The scrambling was fun but sadly over far too quickly with the top revealed to be the dull moorland of Bryn Cras. After visiting a magnificent, tall cairn nearby I followed my GPS heading up the gentle slopes of Bryn Cras to a small lake beside a fence and a boundary stone marked "W.W.W. 1865". There I had my lunch before heading up the hill to the top of Pumlumon Arwystli.

Beyond Pen Pumlumon Arwystli I passed over a nameless top (727m) above the source of the River Wye and proceeded up the steep hill to Pen Pumlumon Fawr, the highest point on Pumlumon. After a while spent admiring the view and taking pictures of the summit I continued south beside the fence to the edge of a wood where I turned right and climbed to the top of Y Garn. With the last top completed I began the long descent back to my car walking across pathless, grassy slopes of Drum Peithnant coming down near the Nant-y-moch stream to a road not far from the dam. This wasn't a bad walk as it had quite a bit of variety, but after my recent epic walks it seemed a little short, but that wasn't such a bad thing as I had driven there from home in the morning and then I had a long drive to Brecon at the end of the walk.

The Cheviot Hills

Monday 28th August 2006

This was "The Big One" as described on the website that I got it from (cheviotwalks.co.uk), and it did turn out to be big as it took me 9½ hours to complete, and according to my new GPS I travelled over 36 km. It was certainly a tiring one, but fortunately the weather was good (most of the time) and afforded me with tremendous views in all directions. This was the walk that I had been building up to on this holiday, and indeed the whole point of the weekend had been for a chance to walk up the Cheviot, and while I was there I walked up all the other hills in the area that are above two thousand feet. First off I walked up to the top of Scald Hill above the Harthope valley and on to the Cheviot itself. From there on I followed the Pennine Way over Cairn Hill to the Scottish border and followed that south to my next top at Windy Gyle, which was very windy! There I had my lunch before heading down the hill into the Usway valley and back uphill to Bloodybush Edge. By now I was beginning to feel tired from the constant bog-hopping and ups and downs as I headed east following a fence to yet another top: Cushat Law. From there I headed steeply downhill, pathless all the way, into the upper Breamish valley. With plenty of walking still ahead of me I climbed up to the top of the hill opposite passing over Shielcleugh Edge and Coldlaw Cairn. It was six-thirty by the time I'd finally bog-hopped my way onto Comb Fell with still another 'mountain' to go. With lengthening shadows all around me I passed over Hedgehope Hill and literally ran down the other side of the hill passing over Long Crags and beside Housey Crags until finally I reached the bottom of the valley and back to my car. My mammoth walk was finally over.

Hadrian's Wall

Sunday 27th August 2006 (and Tuesday 29th)

My original plan for this day had been to do a walk in the forests and moors north of Kielder Water, but my heart wasn't really into it. I was not looking forward to the walk so when I noticed a sign for Hadrian's Wall, I immediately changed my plans and headed for Chesters Roman Fort. This was actually the walk that I had planned to do on Tuesday, so I was going to have to think of a new walk for then. After looking around the fort I set off along the Hadrian's Wall Path and soon decided that I'd started at the wrong place. I'd heard that the best bit of the wall was the section in the Northumberland National Park, so I'd started on the edge of the park at Chesters, which was a mistake. The first five miles are dull as I was walking through fields beside a road that had been built right on top of the wall. The path didn't start getting interesting until I left the road behind and started climbing onto a high buttressed ridge.

Only in this sort of landscape has the wall survived the centuries and provided me with a thrilling ridge walk above steep cliffs over the wall and grassy slopes to my left. Although relatively easy at first, the path became harder going after I passed Housesteads Fort as the terrain turned into a series of steep ups and downs that was being made even more tricky by repeated short, heavy showers that plagued me all afternoon. Eventually I arrived at Milecastle 42, where I left the wall, walked across to the Milecastle Inn and caught a bus back to Chesters. I wished that I had been able to walk further along the wall but this was as far as I could go and still get back to my car. Originally I'd planned to walk as far as Greenhead, on the western edge of the National Park, but I didn't have time for that. However I still managed to walk over some of the best bits, even though with hindsight it would have been better if I had started further along the path so I could have gone all the way to Greenhead. The best bits of the wall are definitely at the top of the ridges later on in the walk, which were fabulous.

Two days later I returned to Hadrian's Wall so I could resume my walk beside the wall. I had always intended on walking along the wall on Tuesday and since I had wanted to continue to Greenhead it was an obvious decision to return when I could. I remember those two walks as being really enjoyable and informative as well as being great walks. The second walk started at the Once Brewed Visitor Centre and once beside the wall I proceeded over Windshields Crags and Cawfield Crags to Milecastle 42 where I'd left the wall two days previously. The weather this time was much better and I enjoyed bright sunshine as I climbed up Cockmount Hill and over Walltown Crags where some very good sections of the wall are to be found.

Beyond Walltown there are no traces of the wall as the path crosses the railway and the main road so the Hadrian's Wall Path continues through fields to Gilsland where suddenly Milecastle 48 appears, hidden beside the railway, and beyond a road the wall itself re-appears as good as ever. The wall continues in this fashion to Willowford and drops steeply down to the River Irthing where the remains of the Roman bridge sits in the middle of a field, a short distance from the river itself, which has moved over the centuries. A well-engineered bridge took me over the river and once more beside the wall I soon reached the Fort of Birdoswald. There I caught a bus back to Once Brewed completing another fabulous day on Hadrian's Wall. I would really recommend visiting the wall as it is stimulating on many levels, satisfying intellectually as well as emotionally.

Knock Fell and High Cup Scar

Saturday 26th August 2006

For another bank holiday I was off again walking in the hills and this time I had picked the less popular Northumberland National Park as my destination, but before I got there I stopped off in the North Pennines to visit a geological feature that I had wanted to visit ever since I'd missed out on it when I was in the area in 2004: High Cup Scar. Parking in the village of Dufton near Appleby I walked along the Pennine Way around Dufton Fell and steeply up the hillside onto the open moorland at Knock Fell. The tops north of this point are the highest in the Pennines reaching to its peak on Cross Fell, and I had considered diverting over these tops if the weather was good. When I went over these fells two years previously the weather was lousy, but it was no better for this walk so I hadn't started until after lunch as I just hadn't been in a hurry to get there.

After taking a worthless picture of the summit cairn of Knock Fell I turned my back on the Pennine Way and headed across the pathless moorland, dodging the bogs. This was hard going but eventually I reached the young Maize Beck, beside which I found a faint path. Following this, although still rough, was much easier than traipsing through the bog. The stream eventually led me to a footbridge that takes the Pennine Way over the beck while on its way from Teesdale to Dufton. Passing over the gorge I headed straight towards the top of High Cup Scar, a huge gouge that cuts deep into the hills. It was a stunning sight, but it was a pity that the weather was dull and from there I followed the Pennine Way as it descends the hillside into Dufton. This was a nice walk, so it was just a pity that the weather was so poor.

The Eastern Mamores

Friday 28th July 2006

The last walk of my holiday took me back to the familiar territory of the Mamores. I spent two days there in 2005 (the reports are here and here) walking over the hills in stunning weather and quickly developed a love for them. They are great fun to walk over with many high tops connected by narrow ridges and consisting of many Munros. Last year I went up six Munros in the Mamores, but I had been unable to include the highest in the Mamores, Binnien Mor, so on this walk I wanted to correct that omission while retreading part of the Mamores that I had done the year before, however the weather wasn't as nice.

I had decided to start in Kinlochleven, but it was raining during my journey on the bus so even though it had stopped by the time I arrived full waterproofs were put on and remained on for the entirety of the walk. Starting from Kinlochleven I took a path that led me out of the town through woodland heading towards Loch Eilde Mor. Once out of the wood the steep path settled down to cross the moor before turning towards Sgurr Eilde Beag becoming an excellent path as it zigzags up the side of the hill. This made the final ascent relatively easy and the initial climb out of Kinlochleven the hardest of the day.

Once Sgurr Eilde Beag was gained I continued along the ridge up to the south top of Binnien Mor, now well hidden in the clouds. After a midge-infested lunch I crossed over to the summit of Binnien Mor and enjoyed the short narrow ridge along the top. On setting off back to the south top it started raining again and didn't stop until I arrived at Na Gruagaichean. The path over this Munro was quite tricky, especially in the wet, but that just made it even more exciting. Once safely over I continued along the ridge to my third Munro of the day and one that I had actually been up the year before, Stob Coire a'Chairn.

Turning north I descended and began a thrilling scramble up to the rocky top of An Garbhanach. The year before I had descended from this rocky top while pre-occupied with a Grand Prix on the radio; this time I was going in the right direction and I was able to give it my undivided attention, which was fortunate. After the earlier rain the rocks and my boots were rather wet making for a slippery combination. There were a couple of occasions when my foot slipped a couple of inches and I looked at the sheer drop beside me thinking how close I was to the edge. Needless to say I didn't fall to my death and safely crossed the ridge to the fourth Munro of the day, An Gearanach.

With the last mountain of my holiday behind me I descended along the ridge to the top of Coire Dubh and then followed the excellent path that zigzags many times down to the valley floor, running all the way down to ensure I caught a bus. Reaching the grassy plain before the An Steall waterfall in record time I took a path through the gorge back into Glen Nevis and I was approaching the bus stop just as the bus was arriving. And that was that, my last walk in Scotland for the year. It was a pity the weather was poor for this walk, but the Mamores are such an excellent area to walk in that a little rain and clouds did little to dampen my enthusiasm, and besides the views during the descent of the breaking clouds more than made up for it. All in all I think I was very lucky with the weather on this holiday; only two walks were blighted by low clouds (both Fridays) and this was the only walk to be rained on (excepting rain off the mountain in Glencoe).

Totalling up I went up twenty-two Munros on this holiday, though three of them I'd been up before (and two of those were on this walk while the other was Ben Nevis). That brings my total up to 41 Munros. Only 243 to go!