An obsession with lists - my walking plans for 2011

Today it was black ice that stopped me going out for a walk. My street was like an ice rink and I witnessed one driver braving the roads skid within inches of hitting my parked car. By the time the ice had begun to melt it was too late to go anywhere. After previously being grounded by a mixture of snow and ill health it was deeply frustrating to be kept away from the hills again, particularly as it was such a nice day overhead.


My enforced inaction over the last few weeks has meant that I've had a lot of time to think about and plan where I want to go walking in 2011. It should be pointed out here that I like lists. In fact I love them. If I can make a list and tick things off it even better. In terms of hill walking this obsession with lists manifested itself fairly early when I discovered hill lists such as the Nuttalls, Marilyns and the Wainwrights. For me a walk always seems that little bit more satisfying if I can tick a summit off one of these lists.


When I first began working on my website just over a year ago I made the decision that I needed to try and spread my walks evenly over each of the nine areas that I had broken the Pennines down into. Guess what I did to help me do this? That's right - I came up with a list of walks for 2010.

There are positives and negatives to this approach. On the positive side it is a useful way of setting out your goals for the year and acting as a reminder of what you wanted to achieve. On the negative side the list can become a bit of chain around your neck. Even by early autumn 2010 it was obvious that I wasn't going to complete all the walks I had hoped to, a problem exacerbated by the fact that I had also begun to deviate from my plans. A list that you can tick things off is great, when you don't have the opportunity to cross things off it gets a little bit more frustrating.


Anyway I've clearly not learnt my lesson as I've drafted numerous lists over the last few weeks over where I aim to go walking in 2011. A major difference this year, and somewhat ironically given the name of my website, I will probably be doing less walking in the Pennines in 2011. The main reason for this is down to another list, one of my most cherished, the list of Wainwrights.


For those who don't know the Wainwrights are a list of 214 mountains in the Lake District each of which were featured in Wainwright's magnificent 7 volume 'Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells'. On 13th June 2009 I climbed Seat Sandal thus ticking off my 184th Wainwright leaving only 30 for me to climb. Unfortunately that was also the day I realised that there was something seriously wrong with my left knee. That something turned out to be torn cartilege which was repaired in an operation in December 2010.


I've not been back to the Lakes since Seat Sandal, this was initially because after my operation I didn't want to rush back too quickly and do further damage on the steeper gradients and rockier ground of the Lakeland mountains. I also felt that after creating a website called 'My Pennines' I shouldn't then keep rushing off to the Lake District at every opportunity. While I still want to try and resist doing this I do want to try and get over to the Lakes this year and resume my quest to complete the Wainwrights.


I'm hoping my quest to bag more Wainwrights will be aided by the other major difference to my walking plans for this year, i.e., to go wild camping. Inspired by the V-G website I had initially planned to start wild camping a few years ago but never got round to it. While I kept prevaricating Matt went ahead and bravely went out on his own and had some wonderful backpacking experiences in the Lakes and Howgill Fells.

I have now begun investing in the necessary equipment and just a few days ago bought my Terra 'Nova Laser Competition' tent and a Petzl 'Myo XP Belt' head torch. I must not also forget the ipood trowel that Matt got me for Christmas. One of the more practical tools for going wild camping it is also perhaps one of the more disturbing. Anyway I'm hoping to go for 2-3 wild camps this year starting in the Lake District and hopefully also in the North Pennines.


The North Pennines is an area I've definitely been neglecting of late. I only managed two trips last year and it was the section of my list that I really failed to get anywhere near completing. I'm not quite sure why this is, perhaps it is the long journey times to get to the areas I've not really covered or maybe (and I hate to admit this) it is just that I find certain areas of the North Pennines a little dull. Anyway I need to make a concerted effort to visit the North Pennines more often this year because if for no other reason that it is the only area in England now outside the Lake District and Dartmoor that I have not completed all the Nuttalls. High on my North Pennines list of walks to do in 2011 are Mickle Fell, Cold Fell and Burnhope Seat.


The other Pennine area I feel I still need to visit more often is the Peak District. I've thoroughly enjoyed all my walking in the Dark Peak but the problem is again one of travelling times. For me this problem is made worse by the fact that any journey to the Peak District means driving on the M1 or M62, neither of which I particularly enjoy. While I would love to visit the south western area of the Peak District and summits such as Shutlingsloe they are just too far away to get there and back in a day so I think in 2011 my forays into the Peak District will once again be restricted to north of the Hope Valley. Top of my 'to do' list in the Peak District in 2011 are Win Hill, Howden Edge, the north Kinder edges and the Wessenden valley.


I have a holiday booked in Northumberland in August so am looking forward to being able to reaquaint myself with the wonderful Cheviot hills. In order to factor in more walking in the Lakes, Peak and North Pennines I will probaby do fewer walks in the South Pennines, West Pennines, Nidderdale and Howgills. As for my first love, the Yorkshire Dales, my aim for 2011 is to continue revisiting some of the hills I walked back in 2004 and 2005. Hopefully this time on hills such as Baugh Fell I will enjoy much better weather than last time.


Finally I will also be returning to North Wales in late spring and (back to the lists again) I'm really looking forward to ticking off some more Welsh Nuttalls. There are so many I haven't done it is difficult to choose where to start but, if given the choice of two, at the moment I'd say Cnicht and the Moel Hebog ridge. Or perhaps Rhinog Fawr and Mynydd Mawr. Or maybe Moel Siabod and Yr Aran. Oh I don't know.


So there are my plans for 2011. Just thinking about all these potentially wonderful walks has already helped me put aside the disappointment of today.