tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57871679662313703622024-03-06T09:20:26.150+00:00My PenninesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-68689240349675194852015-12-31T15:55:00.000+00:002015-12-31T15:55:02.808+00:00Walking Review 2015<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It is that time of year again where I dust off my Blogger page (I really must integrate this properly into my website) and submit my walk review for the year. While I almost always post what an excellent year it has been for walking I think that has been especially true of 2015. First though some stats, in total I managed 67 walks over the course of the year (just one short of 2014) during which I clocked up around 520 miles in distance and over 85,500ft of ascent, not bad going!! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My longest walk of the year, a near 15 mile exploration of Whernside and Scales Moor.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Approximately half the distance I walked was in the Yorkshire Dales. Indeed the 33 walks I managed in the Yorkshire Dales in 2015 equals my best since 2005. The Yorkshire Dales has always been the area I return to the most but for some reason it seems that this year I have been on a voyage of discovery in the Dales, not only finding new places to walk but retreading some of my early adventures. In fact one of the highlights of my walking year was enjoying the superb views from the likes of Buckden Pike, Fountains Fell and Nine Standards Rigg that were denied to me in earlier visits.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was third time lucky for me when I finally got a good view from Nine Standards Rigg.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">During the course of my wanders in the Dales I finally got round to visiting all the trig points within the boundary of the National Park when I bagged the trig on Calton Moor at the beginning of December. Meanwhile, back in June, I revisited the top of Yockenthwaite Moor and in doing so completed my second round of 2,000fters of the Dales. </span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By the trig point on Calton Moor, the final one I hadn't visited in the Yorkshire Dales.</td></tr>
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</span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Although not comparable in terms of the quantity of walks I also had a fairly productive year in the North Pennines, with a total of 8 walks covering almost ninety miles of this often overlooked Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Highlights of 2015 included a superb walk contrasting the dramatic scenery of High Cup and the tarn laden moorland of Backstone Edge. Another grand walk was the linear walk from Murton to Stake Rigg visiting all the major summits in the Warcop Range</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading towards Mickle Fell on a cracking linear walk across the Warcop Range.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">By concentrating mainly on the Dales and North Pennines I did somewhat neglect the more southerly Pennine areas, something I will have to try and make up for next year. Away from the Pennines I fulfilled a long held desire to go walking in the Galloway Hills in south-west Scotland. The walk over Merrick, the highest in the Southern Uplands, gave me a real taste of what a rough, lonely and utterly beautiful walking area it is. If I can get over my distaste for driving long distances it is definitely an area I'd like to explore further.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Minigaff Hills in Galloway as seen on my return to Loch Trool from Merrick.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">While I've always enjoyed a good waterfall I think it is fair to say that in 2015 I've gone a little bit waterfall mad. This is partly because I've finally cracked the art of getting a good waterfall shot (thanks Tim and Jack!). Perhaps also it is just a reflection of my obsessive nature and the need to tick off lists of targets. Having visited just about every summit, trig point and tarn in the Dales perhaps it is unsurprising that waterfalls would be next. On the other hand it could be that they are just so damn beautiful.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aysgill Force, one of a number of beautiful waterfalls I visited in 2015.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Weather-wise I personally can't have too many complaints, indeed for the first ten months of the year the weather was remarkably kind. I didn't get wet very often, the skies were remarkably clear of haze and nor was it too hot during the summer. Of course it all started to go a bit wrong at the end of the year. While there has been a lot of press coverage of the flooding in December the wet weather really started at the beginning of November. The horrendous scenes we've seen on our television screens are a result not just of heavy rainfall over a few days, but from prolonged wet weather stretching back almost two months. It has stopped me from heading out a few times but that is but a mild inconvenience compared to the pain and misery it has inflicted on communities that have been flooded. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water everywhere above Cray Gill after the start of the heavy rain in mid-November.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2015 saw a record number of visits to my <a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk/index.html#sthash.EgFzKRx4.dpbs" target="_blank">My Pennines</a> website. In total the website saw over 78,000 visits during the course of the year, a 13% increase on the number of visits in 2014. In addition to a record number of annual visits 2015 also saw a record month in August when over 8,500 visitors came to the website. Strangely the most popular landing page continues to be, for the third year running, a walk I did on Winter Hill back in 2010. The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mypennines/" target="_blank">My Pennines Facebook Page</a> also continued to grow and with one day of the year to spend I reached the milestone of 1,000 likes. Thanks to everybody who has supported my website, Facebook page or Twitter Feed during the course of the year. Truly it would not be worth doing all this without your support.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friend Wally on Wild Boar Fell's Nab, visited on one of my favourite walks of the year.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As always at this time of year I not only reflect on what I've achieved over the last 12 months but look forward with anticipation to what I hope to do in the next year. I've already started planning my walking itinerary for the coming year and unsurprisingly it includes more walks in the Dales and lots more waterfalls! In addition to making up for hardly visiting the South and West Pennines in 2015 I also hope that 2016 will be the year that I finally get round to visiting Kinder Downfall.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watergrove Reservoir and Brown Wardle Hill on my only walk in the South Pennines in 2015.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Finally, as has become a tradition, here are my favourite walks, views and walking moments of the year...<br /><br /><b>Top 5 Walks of 2015:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Click on the links to read the full walk reports.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk/yorkshire-dales/walks/050915.html#sthash.M7X6ZKye.dpbs" target="_blank">Wild Boar Fell and Swarth Fell</a> (Yorkshire Dales)</span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk/galloway/walks/030815.html#sthash.mkqdvBH7.dpbs" target="_blank">Merrick</a> (Galloway)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Honourable mentions go to Cray Gill, Yockenthwaite Moor, Sir William Hill, Cross Fell, Attermire Scar, Mickle Fell, Cosh and High Seat.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My walk along High Cup and Backstone Edge was my favourite walk of the year.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>Top 5 Views of 2015:</b></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mallerstang from High Loven Scar</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Three Peaks country from Cosh Knott</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Murton Fell from across High Cup</span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Westmorland from Nine Standards Rigg</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxQtr1Zr6V_KkZQds4aMZC0akwWiSeRq5l6ybWZ56OGKbYX08gjfGJv-ql4Uv34arFA5MjZNpa5t5Y4OVrLQX6B8RUWh29YE4W3O4kTif0wNuTqD3H4IZDq-RaxCXzDYYgntlWJJChJk/s1600/loch-enoch1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxQtr1Zr6V_KkZQds4aMZC0akwWiSeRq5l6ybWZ56OGKbYX08gjfGJv-ql4Uv34arFA5MjZNpa5t5Y4OVrLQX6B8RUWh29YE4W3O4kTif0wNuTqD3H4IZDq-RaxCXzDYYgntlWJJChJk/s400/loch-enoch1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The views on the descent of Merrick towards Loch Trool were simply stunning.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>Top 5 Most Memorable Walking Moments of 2015:</b></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">More than a 'moment'. Spending an hour and a half in the company of the red squirrels of Snaizeholme. Utterly delightful.</span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Descending Merrick towards Loch Enoch in the heart of the Galloway Hills. A whole new world ahead of me.</span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Standing on Murton Pike, a small island in a sea of cloud during a temperature inversion.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Taking my ten year old nephew Liam to the top of Helvellyn.</span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Bagging the trig point on Calton Moor to complete my set of Yorkshire Dales trigs.</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJMuD17pTbcZdvOae0DMXY39gOArxsAUKkO6LfviT7c6zn90WtJii9NZd8PtijzxYfAsoAa8t7_Kc_IyEemYOwcNEdFiIxNOLr1LM78iqJLCbbTX3W-Ej9SrI6XMFthbKnlJ0kE4-4z0o/s1600/red-squirrel6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJMuD17pTbcZdvOae0DMXY39gOArxsAUKkO6LfviT7c6zn90WtJii9NZd8PtijzxYfAsoAa8t7_Kc_IyEemYOwcNEdFiIxNOLr1LM78iqJLCbbTX3W-Ej9SrI6XMFthbKnlJ0kE4-4z0o/s400/red-squirrel6.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spending time with the red squirrels of Snaizeholme was my favourite walking moment of 2015.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>5 Least Favourite Walking Moments of 2015:</b></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Being ambushed by a herd of beef bullocks in a field outside of Knaresborough. I had to take cover in a fence corner and wait for the farmer to rescue me.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My Panasonic camera, having survived a number of falls, finally came a cropper on 28th March when I slipped and dropped it on Sigsworth Crags in Nidderdale. Fortunately the replacement camera I bought, an Olympus EM-10 has proven to be a more than worthy replacement.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Slipping in the snow on Norwood Edge and landing knee first on a rock buried under the snow. Very very painful but thankfully no lasting damage.</span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Forgetting to put my gaiters on before heading over the full length of Darnbrook Fell in the snow. I got so much snow in my boots I began to get seriously concerned about how cold my ankles were getting and was very relieved to get back to Arncliffe.</span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Getting a bollocking from a farmer in Raydale after rescuing a new born lamb that had been abandoned and was freezing up on Wether Fell.</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMW1cpCvd5ecQh5ZezXApUwcCuL2xXg8WLG3njmZcmpGFgBusaRmq4o1NgewzFakPlyfUqQMUffDg7pXCVAY3ZZ7lpFNlrrIL6GXJRwEK9GKyXDfuhXAW1AFgyOk2S_9Wfw_TZ5mKmvpg/s1600/cows6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMW1cpCvd5ecQh5ZezXApUwcCuL2xXg8WLG3njmZcmpGFgBusaRmq4o1NgewzFakPlyfUqQMUffDg7pXCVAY3ZZ7lpFNlrrIL6GXJRwEK9GKyXDfuhXAW1AFgyOk2S_9Wfw_TZ5mKmvpg/s400/cows6.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting hemmed in by bullocks on a field near Knaresborough</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-1845017428675562842015-10-23T18:30:00.000+01:002015-10-23T20:22:06.745+01:00Book Review: A Three Peaks Up and Under, Stephen C. Oldfield, Scratching Shed Publishing (2015)<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I first came across Stephen Oldfield via his superbly
informative blog, also named ‘</span><a href="http://www.oldfieldslimestone.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Calibri;">A Three Peaks Up and Under</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">’
and so when I heard he had a book coming out I knew I would have to get it. Due
to my tendency to stockpile books it has taken me longer to get round to
reading it than I’d hoped and in fact the book was published back in May.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaN1-6T3-JvKJCC_Gljt_Jqbhi7xgW5a_FN8alQYPoL9lu6rQdBOur5rnkT_m-vZ2_4ElEhgot2cSe9zMxIEevXGKMDvXGd7pNcplvcGLylOISovUOBUDCOYzx8Hd67pNsAHSh5agw50/s1600/three-peaks-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaN1-6T3-JvKJCC_Gljt_Jqbhi7xgW5a_FN8alQYPoL9lu6rQdBOur5rnkT_m-vZ2_4ElEhgot2cSe9zMxIEevXGKMDvXGd7pNcplvcGLylOISovUOBUDCOYzx8Hd67pNsAHSh5agw50/s320/three-peaks-cover.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sub-titled ‘A Guide to Yorkshire’s Limestone Wonderland’, the
book is the result of the author’s lifelong passion for the limestone scenery
of the Yorkshire Dales and in particular the Three Peaks area of the Dales. It
is, in the author’s words, “a celebration of a landscape”, both above and below
ground, hence the book’s title. The author’s recollection of the origin of the
phrase ‘Up and Under’, involving a toy monkey taking a 260-ft plunge off Malham
Cove, is just one of the many amusing anecdotes that are sprinkled throughout
the book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After a fascinating introduction, in which Oldfield recounts
the geological history of the Dales, the book is split into two main sections,
‘Up’ and ‘Under’. Rather than these being described as ‘walks’ or ‘caving
trips’ Oldfield calls these ‘adventures’. The phrase is telling and it
perfectly encapsulates the author’s approach to heading off to visit all sorts
of features that can be found off the beaten track.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Throughout the book Oldfield recounts times when his
children have accompanied him on his adventures. Considering the horrified
reaction my own daughter has whenever I mention the dreaded word ‘walk’ I
realise that I’ve been making a huge mistake, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I should have been marketing them to her as
‘adventures’ all this time. Certainly the fact that the author has been able to
share so much of his love for the Dales with his own children did make me more
than slightly envious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In total there are thirteen adventures above ground and
seven adventures below ground, with a chapter devoted to each. Each chapter
contains information on where to start, how to get there, what to take with
you, an overview of the adventure and then a fairly detailed description of the
adventure itself and the sights that will be seen on it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">While adventures over each of the Three Peaks are described
I can guarantee that few people will have walked these particular routes. I’ve
always thought that I knew them very well but even I came across a few features
that I’ve missed on the slopes of Penyghent and Ingleborough. For example, after
reading the book I’ll certainly be making a trip to visit the Allotment on the
slopes below Simon Fell and Ingleborough. An unremarkable area as viewed on the
OS map it is seemingly full of remarkable potholes, including Juniper Gulf. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">While Oldfield and I are in many ways kindred spirits in our
approach to exploring the Dales above ground I have to say that going
underground has never really appealed to me. I’ve stood outside or above plenty
of caves and potholes but apart from once going about 40m into Attermire Cave
my underground experience is very limited. I’ve always thought that the dangers
far outweighed the benefits. Having read this book I’m now reassessing that
view. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Not that Oldfield doesn’t make it clear that these can be
dangerous places - they are, particularly after rain. However, he also shows
that with the right equipment and common sense some of these caves can be
enjoyed by people of all ages. It is to Oldfield’s credit that he makes it all
sound like so much fun, even crawling through a narrow passage or getting very
wet wading through underground pools. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Overall the book manages that rare feat of being both
humorous and at the same time incredibly informative in an easy to understand
way. The author’s background as head of a primary school standing him in good
stead in this respect. What shines through the most though is Oldfield’s sheer
passion for the subject. Despite over forty years of exploring the limestone
wonders of the Yorkshire Dales the author’s enthusiasm remains undimmed and
positively shines through on every page. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Highly recommended.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A Three Peaks Up and Under is available to purchase online
from </span><a href="http://www.scratchingshedpublishing.com/products-page/general-non-fiction/a-three-peaks-up-and-under/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Calibri;">Scratching
Shed Publishing</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-42501653846103476432015-01-01T10:57:00.002+00:002015-01-01T10:57:26.502+00:00Walking Review 2014<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Well it is fair to say that 2014 was another wonderful year of walking. The short Boxing Day walk around Swinsty Reservoir just nudged me over 500 miles for the year, spread over 68 walks. Although it was not a year in which I tackled lots of big hills I still managed to clock up almost 82,000 feet of ascent, the equivalent of climbing Everest almost three times from sea level!! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wpcfuIC8r1XoYLFbUqBkXLO-WnxYEi_YC_VfL7rMDf_3X_r_b-ku5D9eXJvlH7CA_EO8vFCXxz_pWcKbVOwFpoj1ncMRr-ow0rklYC26i23v_b_M6o1iHDi8vprckfaCNwp2j-eJz8E/s1600/P1290233a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wpcfuIC8r1XoYLFbUqBkXLO-WnxYEi_YC_VfL7rMDf_3X_r_b-ku5D9eXJvlH7CA_EO8vFCXxz_pWcKbVOwFpoj1ncMRr-ow0rklYC26i23v_b_M6o1iHDi8vprckfaCNwp2j-eJz8E/s1600/P1290233a.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Numberstones End enjoying one of my favourite views of 2014.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2014 was a milestone for me personally as it saw me celebrate my 10th anniversary of hill walking. To mark the occasion my friend Matt and I relived our first walk taking in Gordale and Malham Cove. Unfortunately there was too much water to risk scrambling up the waterfall on Gordale Scar but we still had a great time reminiscing about our early days walking together. Shame we don't get to do that very often anymore.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrpV18QFEP2Q0UhAKJ0xFwQ0CY48rR70p3W3LDHz8TbVL_6b98iTzDa2AwyrXvLwSzANHLrmcD_a6OXeURxUUDtYkJXk6EMz3Mucts4B7M9CJBICcoRqxXG-iGnrQ_K3q0qRKApKa7Xo/s1600/P1240897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrpV18QFEP2Q0UhAKJ0xFwQ0CY48rR70p3W3LDHz8TbVL_6b98iTzDa2AwyrXvLwSzANHLrmcD_a6OXeURxUUDtYkJXk6EMz3Mucts4B7M9CJBICcoRqxXG-iGnrQ_K3q0qRKApKa7Xo/s1600/P1240897.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reliving my first walk around Gordale and Malham</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Back in 2004 virtually all my walking activity was restricted to the Yorkshire Dales. While it is still one of my favourite destinations for a walk, these days I do like to mix things up. In addition to covering nearly all the upland regions of northern England in 2014 I also got my first taste of walking in the Shropshire Hills. Based for a week in Church Stretton I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the Long Mynd, the Stiperstones, Caer Caradoc and the Clee Hills. Definitely somewhere I'd like to go back to in the future.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYRMaTi_AH0SkXW_QpO4Pr0pt4AoXuadJhopMuKUBax4cWGbcAXztwIWGVfnCFG2jfrAxZ-YJlUL4QLmx55_N9Wbx-vYq_UEFoZpXNefEmVZ28QQvGpEwI8DpUISnuE7-6zIsqd3SnMM/s1600/29+-+Stiperstones.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYRMaTi_AH0SkXW_QpO4Pr0pt4AoXuadJhopMuKUBax4cWGbcAXztwIWGVfnCFG2jfrAxZ-YJlUL4QLmx55_N9Wbx-vYq_UEFoZpXNefEmVZ28QQvGpEwI8DpUISnuE7-6zIsqd3SnMM/s1600/29+-+Stiperstones.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Stiperstones, one of the highlights of my visit to Shropshire</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The main reason for visiting the Shropshire Hills was to bag the five Deweys (hills over 500m) in the area. Indeed, having completed all of the Wainwrights and all of the English Hewitts and Nuttalls (with the exception of a couple on Dartmoor), ticking off my list of Deweys was the main focus of my hill bagging activities in 2014. During the course of the year I completed all the Deweys in the Peak District and the North Pennines, managed another seven in the Cheviots and several more in the Lake District. With just seven left to do now in the north of England at some point I'm going to have to drag the family down to Devon for a couple of weeks, so that I can make some inroads into the Deweys on Dartmoor and also finally complete the Hewitts as well</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SO8TZXaZyYq6kqNdC75EbnTplCpbFczvA8CSqW33HcuIZY33jCzn4tpwvQmsiAmjMxOaFY-GWE8M_GFiP6n8QdkGyD2unALXvpMeXvazNIvf1-HumQ7hEDXqUgPv6cFAaeuKwag6O9Q/s1600/82+-+Top+of+Shill+Moor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SO8TZXaZyYq6kqNdC75EbnTplCpbFczvA8CSqW33HcuIZY33jCzn4tpwvQmsiAmjMxOaFY-GWE8M_GFiP6n8QdkGyD2unALXvpMeXvazNIvf1-HumQ7hEDXqUgPv6cFAaeuKwag6O9Q/s1600/82+-+Top+of+Shill+Moor.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the top of Shill Moor, one of seven Deweys in the Cheviots I bagged in 2014</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2014 also saw, after months of hard work, an upgrade to my <a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk/index.html#sthash.EgFzKRx4.dpbs" target="_blank">My Pennines</a> website. A host of additional features were added including route maps and many more photos. The changes seem to have gone down well and in April I achieved the highest number of visits to the site in a single month with 7,922. Strangely the most popular landing page continues to be a walk I did on Winter Hill back in 2010. I do find it interesting to see what my website ranks for on Google. Perhaps the most bizarre is a photo of me and Matt on Great Pinseat taken back in 2005 which ranks as one of the top Google images for the search term 'thigh slapping'!!!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EYTfDZKM4oIdR3GAMZZnLh3Yo_JHpqSCSs6Ay9h11jtQ4WeehIQ2W2NaXRS6vtmzwVug-kuraBalLk0DKiCgmPDzCeWFPZ7rAEEWXASSatRiPFXZDUcQnQUDJoprReqicBzExeM-kFE/s1600/37+-+Gratuitous+act+of+thigh+slapping.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EYTfDZKM4oIdR3GAMZZnLh3Yo_JHpqSCSs6Ay9h11jtQ4WeehIQ2W2NaXRS6vtmzwVug-kuraBalLk0DKiCgmPDzCeWFPZ7rAEEWXASSatRiPFXZDUcQnQUDJoprReqicBzExeM-kFE/s1600/37+-+Gratuitous+act+of+thigh+slapping.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bizarrely this photo of me and my friend, taken in 2005, ranks highly in Google search for 'thigh slapping'!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Weather-wise I can't have too many complaints despite my long standing frustration with the accuracy of weather forecasts. Although the Met Office still got it wrong on more than a few occasions in truth I cannot recall many times when a summit view was obscured by hill fog. Nor did I get wet that often - a notable occasion being an absolute drenching during a thunder storm on Haystacks. The weather was rarely that dramatic, one other occasion that is still fresh in the mind is the sideways snow while walking across Gilmonby Moor. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsOXLZtmR6fajOR71KX75yxisvzzE1H7pKIY041tith1r0MbHKDrAE5U-fHhpDVVpSrSomGZdNWLlm3kQbGBUmUb_iz6wJNVS5chv5xc-HhbKe7aglToPOz-GGf-iRLyJPaLoCgbjCWLo/s1600/18+-+On+Fleetwith+Pike.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsOXLZtmR6fajOR71KX75yxisvzzE1H7pKIY041tith1r0MbHKDrAE5U-fHhpDVVpSrSomGZdNWLlm3kQbGBUmUb_iz6wJNVS5chv5xc-HhbKe7aglToPOz-GGf-iRLyJPaLoCgbjCWLo/s1600/18+-+On+Fleetwith+Pike.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Fleetwith Pike with my nephew Liam not long before encountering a thunder storm on Haystacks.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">By far the longest walk of the year and the most challenging one I've done for some time was the inaugural <a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk/yorkshire-dales/walks/280614.html#sthash.M724yZa5.dpbs" target="_blank">Wharfedale Three Peaks Challenge walk</a>. Mainly to protect my knees I've generally avoided these kind of walks but I wanted to help raise money for what is effectively my local mountain rescue team. Taking part in a mass organised event was also something of a departure for me. I managed the 22 miles in 7 hours 36 minutes which I was really pleased with especially considering I'd hurt my knee a fortnight before and just ten days before the walk I was still having problems walking up and down the stairs. I may well have a crack at a few more challenge walks in 2015.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHseu22dHjxHLB4EUJ3bTmGKN78WLcPAtQB4ekgFDwaNcvl7hWdIskmmG1ds53VLZFLJ8yve8coghkilWlNspocEAB8X_5BiS0qWrjkJZSj96ouGFm8M9VGBo_YdNhN_ecXCNS-ZxtA9E/s1600/P1290840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHseu22dHjxHLB4EUJ3bTmGKN78WLcPAtQB4ekgFDwaNcvl7hWdIskmmG1ds53VLZFLJ8yve8coghkilWlNspocEAB8X_5BiS0qWrjkJZSj96ouGFm8M9VGBo_YdNhN_ecXCNS-ZxtA9E/s1600/P1290840.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The summit of Great Whernside, the third final summit on the Wharfedale Three Peaks Challenge Walk</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As it always does at this time of year I not only reflect on what I've achieved over the last 12 months but look forward with anticipation to what I hope to do in the next year. I do love a list and I've already got an idea of about 50-odd walks that I'm aiming to do in 2015. These include revisiting Darnbrook Fell and Yockenthwaite Moor so that I can complete my second round of 2,000fters in the Dales. Elsewhere in the Dales I plan on doing a lot more walks in Wensleydale after a wonderful walk up on to Ellerkin Scar in December. I'm also hoping to do a fair few more walks in the North Pennines as well as making my way down to the Peak District to finally visit Kinder Downfall.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCEd90_zt9ynpEKcGoj_EXIgrNUaC98SlGjoejh1x9akHb4LW3Rz-e4XSLnC9Ri5EwtN_qhajDL5RsCV14POhzCFtvNhEMDRXhRvPce_ygCOT9RPQrBkCGyZkdNPmzNjcMWSyOMqjGvok/s1600/68+-+Ellerkin+Scar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCEd90_zt9ynpEKcGoj_EXIgrNUaC98SlGjoejh1x9akHb4LW3Rz-e4XSLnC9Ri5EwtN_qhajDL5RsCV14POhzCFtvNhEMDRXhRvPce_ygCOT9RPQrBkCGyZkdNPmzNjcMWSyOMqjGvok/s1600/68+-+Ellerkin+Scar.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After a superb walk on to Ellerkin Scar in December I hope to visit Wensleydale again in 2015.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Finally, after a great deal of agonising, are my favourite walks, views and
walking moments of 2014...<br />
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<b>Top 5 Walks of 2014:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Click on the links to read the full walk reports.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk/howgill-fells/walks/230314.html#sthash.8w0tYFHh.dpbs" target="_blank">Calders and The Calf</a> (Howgill Fells)</span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk/north-york-moors/walks/010614.html#sthash.OwpsumNS.dpbs" target="_blank">The Cleveland Hills</a> (North York Moors)</span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk/lake-district/walks/090814.html#sthash.4McajqNK.dpbs" target="_blank">Dale Head to High Snockrigg</a> (Lake District)</span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk/shropshire-hills/walks/270814-1.html#sthash.dPli8oXH.dpbs" target="_blank">Stiperstones</a> (Shropshire Hills)</span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk/yorkshire-dales/walks/201214.html#sthash.QEQruCyt.dpbs" target="_blank">Ellerkin Scar and Mill Gill Force</a> (Yorkshire Dales)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Honourable mentions go to Musgrave Scar, Long Mynd,
Rosedale Head, Rylstone Edge, Carter Fell, Ingleborough, Ilkley Moor and a lovely evening walk on Cracoe Fell.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisRIVSuNG3TJHRQysKMeeTPF-QddctVRiJS1ArGHsWca1IOKLsHfiC55OOzKaWNOluZtjWPjOKAvZ9oKRP-scJmbC9GKQl6BcSE1fnLW4etbr37Sa8ajAChhWYz6cYdZ0ppjVMf773K4E/s1600/P1240301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisRIVSuNG3TJHRQysKMeeTPF-QddctVRiJS1ArGHsWca1IOKLsHfiC55OOzKaWNOluZtjWPjOKAvZ9oKRP-scJmbC9GKQl6BcSE1fnLW4etbr37Sa8ajAChhWYz6cYdZ0ppjVMf773K4E/s1600/P1240301.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The direct route up Calder, my favourite walk of 2014.</td></tr>
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</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>Top 5 Views of 2014:</b></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Wensleydale from Ellerkin Scar</span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Crummock Water from High Snockrigg</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Wildboarclough from Shutlingsloe</span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Wharfedale from Numberstones End</span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The 360 degree panorama from Brown Clee Hill in Shropshire</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mAYKlaUiHQW1aYc8fZTdtZd_1a-yIG5leDAbwb3lAVGUiuRamApgJs_mBlrCp2ROYxxJBORhTJT5q7a8bqPjdwkhV2-Hup13TpKQk8bz5KZ0pPhI7-EvM2llKeZvPrf1zsFG8EorNKQ/s1600/83+-+Crummock+Water.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mAYKlaUiHQW1aYc8fZTdtZd_1a-yIG5leDAbwb3lAVGUiuRamApgJs_mBlrCp2ROYxxJBORhTJT5q7a8bqPjdwkhV2-Hup13TpKQk8bz5KZ0pPhI7-EvM2llKeZvPrf1zsFG8EorNKQ/s1600/83+-+Crummock+Water.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crummock Water from High Snockrigg - one of my favourite views of 2014.</td></tr>
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</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>Top 5 Most Memorable Walking Moments of 2014:</b></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Completing the Wharfedale Three Peaks Walk, my longest and toughest walk for over nine years. So glad my knees managed it!</span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Exploring the chasm of Lud's Church in the south-west Peak District</span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The beautiful evening sunset as I descended Ilkley Moor in late July</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Watching Tim and his sons, Dan and Jack, sledge down Park Fell on their backsides</span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The moment when the sun hit the superb waterfall of Mill Gill Force. An almost mystical experience.</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGgTLGgCRloMSbfIWmLrrorkSaJemLYhhwIFK6XFcKPHCla8P73t1N2zVAOM49T-OjGsMf0B0TeqUAKlWKIe3M7rbESqCKAxik-ndXWE9iR9jh68H0vPSZNJH5jfLzMxnC78EPJU19fI/s1600/P1310084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGgTLGgCRloMSbfIWmLrrorkSaJemLYhhwIFK6XFcKPHCla8P73t1N2zVAOM49T-OjGsMf0B0TeqUAKlWKIe3M7rbESqCKAxik-ndXWE9iR9jh68H0vPSZNJH5jfLzMxnC78EPJU19fI/s1600/P1310084.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sun sets as I descend Ilkley Moor, one of my favourite moments of 2014.</td></tr>
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</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>5 Least Favourite Walking Moments of 2014:</b></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The car breaking down just short of the car park on Titterstone Clee Hill. What should have been a bonanza walking day of four walks was mostly spent waiting for the car to be fixed.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My camera and tripod getting blown over on Great Wolfrey Crag. Fortunately it was only the filter that was smashed, the lens was intact but I didn't know that until several hours later when the camera shop had managed to remove the filter.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Losing my brown leather hat on Grassington Moor. I'd not been sure of it when I bought it the previous year in Malham but as it got more battered I got really fond of it. I'll have to buy another in time for spring.</span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Injuring my knee coming off Cracoe Fell, a fortnight before attempting the Wharfedale Three Peaks. For three days I could barely walk up the stairs. Amazingly it recovered and with the help of a knee support I did the challenge walk without too much difficulty.</span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Getting the worst soaking of my life during a thunderstorm on Haystacks.</span></li>
</ol>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibd5veQvwJYfGKdQrkp_eqmL6LS6uY5Hy8p2HYENO8jY5KnUy2agaMeQECkK7Cl3E20klTrjVWlPLReEZoyIiowcukJUQI6t07ANJZUrQeRPMyPzyvUfG_ThvixDoc0HPNGsE8LX-GtkE/s1600/great-wolfrey-crag1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibd5veQvwJYfGKdQrkp_eqmL6LS6uY5Hy8p2HYENO8jY5KnUy2agaMeQECkK7Cl3E20klTrjVWlPLReEZoyIiowcukJUQI6t07ANJZUrQeRPMyPzyvUfG_ThvixDoc0HPNGsE8LX-GtkE/s1600/great-wolfrey-crag1.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My camera very nearly copped it when strong winds blew my tripod over on Great Wolfrey Crag.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-25581858479497807572014-04-03T08:26:00.001+01:002014-04-03T08:26:45.863+01:00 Book Review: A History of the Peak District Moors, David Hey, Pen & Sword (2014)Ever since my childhood I've had an abiding fascination with history. Although my university days, where I concentrated on ancient history, are a long time ago now I've continued to read history of all periods. Of course one of my other great passions is for walking across the hills and moors of northern England. Therefore when I was given the opportunity to review a copy of 'A History of the Peak District Moors' by David Hey I jumped at the chance.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVaRzOsta6JB8mQTmQoFmr_x49u3bTMNc70HpeoKDxR7GbuwoqLoXfs60SB_ncFJrd6yylGtUERh9BQiOruH8IEEP0MzZ6O88A1aKmIFIGLpC-sbFJwjkiu248tOnv5C9weBDWZFnL88c/s1600/book-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVaRzOsta6JB8mQTmQoFmr_x49u3bTMNc70HpeoKDxR7GbuwoqLoXfs60SB_ncFJrd6yylGtUERh9BQiOruH8IEEP0MzZ6O88A1aKmIFIGLpC-sbFJwjkiu248tOnv5C9weBDWZFnL88c/s1600/book-cover.jpg" height="320" width="222" /></a></div>
<br />
Whether it be the natural formation of the landscape over millions of years or by the (historically speaking) more recent
activities of the human race whenever we set out on a walk we are literally walking through history. In his preface Hey states that the book is, "<em>aimed in particular at the sort of people who realise that the enjoyment of a good walk in beautiful surroundings is enhanced by a knowledge of how that environment has come to be what it is today.</em>"<br />
<br />
Although the better walking guides often provide interesting nuggets of historical information they are not written by historians. Hey is not just a professor in local history at Sheffield University but has been a keen walker all his life and has even served as the president of the South Yorkshire and North-East Derbyshire Area of the Rambler's Association. He is therefore uniquely well qualified to write a history of the Peak District Moors. It is worth adding that the book concentrates on the area that is often referred to as the Dark Peak together with the surrounding settlements with particular emphasis on the northern and eastern moors. It is therefore not a history of the area covered by the modern day Peak District National Park.<br />
<br />
The opening chapter looks specifically at the many layers of history that can be found in a relatively small area - the National Trust's Longshaw Estate. The remaining chapters of the book then work chronologically through history starting with the Stone Age through the Middle Ages and concludes with an interesting chapter looking at some of the early campaigns for the right to roam.<br />
<br />
One aspect of the book, and a theme that runs through most of the chapters that I found particularly fascinating is the formation of paths and trods. Many of today's rights of way once existed for more practical purposes and the book provides numerous examples including peat roads (where villages could exercise their right to cut pear for fuel), corpse roads, holloways, sheep driving trails, turnpike roads, packhorse routes, miners paths and saltways. The latter are something I've only previously come across in the Forest of Bowland where the Salter Way is an historical route through northern Bowland. In the book Hey details the routes of a number of saltways across the Peak District moors where from medieval times onwards salt was transported from Cheshire east across the Pennines.<br />
<br />
The book is very successful in detailing how human activity and the development of technology have had a lasting impact on the moors. For example Chapter Six charts the development of huge grouse moor estates in the late 19th century. We find out that the increase in the popularity of the 'sport' was partly due to advances in weapon technology as well as the more efficient technique of beating the game towards grouse butts. To help meet demand and increase the number of birds heather burning was introduced and drainage ditches were cut across the moors. So successful were these techniques that the Peak District moors became famous for their grouse and Broomhead Moor, near Stocksbridge, had the reputation for carrying more grouse per acre than any other moor in Great Britain. Of course shooting tracks, lodges, grouse butts and grouse feeding stations are now a regular feature of the moors.<br />
<br />
Equally interesting is the changing attitude towards the moors. Hey quotes the negative judgement handed down by seventeenth and early eighteenth writers such as Daniel Defoe who described the High Peak as, "the most desolate, wild , and abandoned country in all England". Such opinions are a far cry from modern times when the Peak District has the distinction of being the second most visited national park in the world. <br />
<br />
Indeed the campaign for the 'right to roam' across the Peak District moors is the subject of the final and perhaps most interesting chapter of the book. Like many people I had heard about the famous Kinder Mass Trespass of 1932 without actually knowing too much about it. Hey does an excellent job of putting the trespass into the context of other campaigns for greater access to the moors especially the efforts of the Sheffield Clarion Ramblers and their leader Bert Ward. I confess I'd not heard of Ward before but he is well served by Hey and he is clearly someone that everyone who enjoys the moors today should feel indebted to.<br />
<br />
Although much of the book chronicles the changes the Peak District moors have experienced over the years there were also times when I was struck by the thought that in many ways things haven't really changed at all. For example, Hey recounts that in 1283 an Adam Hawkesworth purchased land to create a new farm and that over seven hundred years a Brian Hawkesworth is still farming the same land.<br />
<br />
One gripe is a lack of maps. Some historical maps are reprinted but these are generally quite small and I felt that in certain chapters, particularly the one on the Longshaw Estate a modern map of the area would help readers who aren't as familiar with area as the author. This is just a minor complaint though and overall I found the book well written and informative. Strongly recommended for visitors to the Peak District who would like to learn more about the area's history.<br />
<br />
'A History of the Peak District Moors' can be purchased from the <a href="http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/A-History-of-the-Peak-District-Moors/p/6072/" target="_blank">Pen & Sword</a> website.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-70570134507136132802013-12-31T17:40:00.000+00:002013-12-31T17:40:43.205+00:00Walking Review 2013<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Although very different from some of my more peak bagging
focused exploits in the past I would definitely count 2013 as a classic walking
year. In total I managed 70 walks, all but two of which were in the north of
England, the most walks I’ve managed in a year since before my daughter was
born in 2007. From Axe Edge in the Peak District to Hedgehope Hill in the
Cheviots, from Black Combe in the Lake Distict to Dalby Forest in the North
York Moors I covered around 440 miles of northern England’s footpaths, bridleways and
open access land. About a dozen or so walks, mainly with my daughter, were in
places I’d been to before but the majority of my footsteps were along ways new to me.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQPTjRxdYSX0JZNxxTbtbTiMgQt3fFTROZNqSL1DhKXjmzsvmPbXvQaZrc3964uRp9koyCz0WVN-2KsSFiFtzY9Zaotyri7z2z9zESnS4QIuDBWRwH4gUHc3tRvB9xT2K5wOak4OLk0w/s1600/20+-+On+Cunyan+Crags.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQPTjRxdYSX0JZNxxTbtbTiMgQt3fFTROZNqSL1DhKXjmzsvmPbXvQaZrc3964uRp9koyCz0WVN-2KsSFiFtzY9Zaotyri7z2z9zESnS4QIuDBWRwH4gUHc3tRvB9xT2K5wOak4OLk0w/s320/20+-+On+Cunyan+Crags.JPG" title="Enjoying the view from Cunyan Crags in the Cheviot Hills" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I tried, as usual, to sample as many different areas as I
could. With eight walks this was by far my most productive year of walking in
the North York Moors and these walks in the Moors were some of the many
highlights of the year. On the flip side I only managed two walks in the North
Pennines and only three in the Peak District. With the latter this was partly
due to my dislike of the drive down which involves plenty of motorway driving
and / or driving through or round large towns or cities. I hope to visit the North York Moors many more times in 2014 as well as visit the North Pennines more than I have in 2013.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
With</span>out doubt my single biggest achievement in 2013 was
finally completing the Wainwrights. Having started off with a bang in 2005 my
rate of Wainwright bagging dropped markedly following a knee injury and
subsequent operation in 2009. The last couple of years being so close to
completing has been something of a source of frustration so it was with large
sense of relief, as well as joy, that I made it to the top of St Sunday Crag on 2nd May to finally complete the set. In addition to completing the Wainwrights I
also ventured into the Duddon Valley for the first time, particularly memorable
was the walk up on to Caw, a fell that is excluded from but superior to many of
the fells that make up the 214 Wainwrights.</span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJZXMMVXtcw0SXfpIWMeBqt5Uf__VhWSOlV6YpVb-_15DLWb0Sj1PLH8HQqoHNpxhyphenhyphenazrNLvdpQlNvd6FXz6Zz_uOIHBVmBJ-oCz_i0C5eQWWwtZlTX5Qf99-ixYBgNxvygLYYtTuI-8/s1600/A111+-+On+St+Sunday+Crag.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJZXMMVXtcw0SXfpIWMeBqt5Uf__VhWSOlV6YpVb-_15DLWb0Sj1PLH8HQqoHNpxhyphenhyphenazrNLvdpQlNvd6FXz6Zz_uOIHBVmBJ-oCz_i0C5eQWWwtZlTX5Qf99-ixYBgNxvygLYYtTuI-8/s320/A111+-+On+St+Sunday+Crag.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In making it to the top of St Sunday Crag it also meant that
I’m only one top, High Willhays, away from completing all the English Hewitts
(hills over 2,000ft with 35m of re-ascent). As this is situated on Dartmoor it
may be some time before I complete this particular hill list. With the
exception of 27 Deweys (many of which are in the Cheviots) I’ve now bagged
most of the hills in the north of England that appear on the major hill lists.
Perhaps it is for this reason that I’ve gradually begun moving away from
planning a walk to bag a specific summit and towards planning a walk around
visiting a particular feature or simply to explore an area I’ve not visited
before. I think I’ve surprised myself as to how much I have enjoyed this
approach and I’m planning a lot more of these kind of walks in 2014.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwc-yoLKn4utYdE4waITmwZrDnnXemoUawgb0NrNMH0dHlqobYTEBtVIjs1kXQo5Nw90Jfft4fQLSf2uCSPU7nQgGzqnuja9Ix1XR3Psf9A37ZvZFY0O5Z7Wc-KZ8JbFZtDNy_YLdzUc0/s1600/12+-+Kirkby+Malzeard+Moor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwc-yoLKn4utYdE4waITmwZrDnnXemoUawgb0NrNMH0dHlqobYTEBtVIjs1kXQo5Nw90Jfft4fQLSf2uCSPU7nQgGzqnuja9Ix1XR3Psf9A37ZvZFY0O5Z7Wc-KZ8JbFZtDNy_YLdzUc0/s320/12+-+Kirkby+Malzeard+Moor.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">With my original walking partner Matt now devoted to running
and limited opportunities for my wife and I to go for walks I’ve spent much of
the last few years walking on my own. This began to change in February when I
met up for the first time with Tim and Jack from the </span><a href="http://www.bowlandwalks.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Bowland Walks</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> website for
a walk up on to Nicky Nook. We got on really well and we’ve subsequently met up
for further walks in the Forest of Bowland as well as the Lake
District, Peak District and Yorkshire Dales. In April I also met up with Wally
from Sedbergh for a long promised walk in the Howgill Fells. Again we got on
really well and had another fabulous walk across the Howgills in September. Forging
these new friendships has been undoubtedly one of the highlights of 2013 and I
look forward to more walks with Tim, Jack and Wally in the coming years.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Another enjoyable aspect of 2013 has been filming many of my
walks and creating short 3-5 minute videos. I’d begun attempting this back in
2011 but my PC didn’t have the processor power to edit the files. I upgraded in
late 2012 and put together my first videos at the back end of last year. This
year I’ve produced over 40 videos that can be seen on my </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/MyPennines" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">YouTube channel</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. I’m
in no way narcissistic but I do enjoy spending the time filming short clips of
me walking in the hills and being able to see myself in the environment I love
so much. Similar to when I got a bit more serious about my photography, going
out on a walk with the intention of creating a video adds an extra dimension to
the walk, especially as you are keeping an eye out for what would make a good
shot. Of course taking 100-200 photos a walk plus video footage does slow me
down somewhat and the length of time it takes me to complete a walk has
certainly increased in the last year!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/4vPR_6E5LPw/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4vPR_6E5LPw?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4vPR_6E5LPw?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">After a particularly wet 2012 I managed to stay largely dry
in 2013, a notable exception being an absolute soaking on Thieveley Pike at the
beginning of December. Indeed, when looking back at the year I can have very
little complaint about the weather. I certainly enjoyed more good weather than
bad, which has most definitely not always been the case. Perhaps I didn’t take
quite as much advantage of the late snows as I could have done but on the other
hand I didn’t have the correct gear to have done so safely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Due to the late snows there was a general delay in the appearance of springtime
flowers and when they did arrive they seemed to do so in abundance. Daffodils
could still be found well in to May, bluebells into June and I
cannot recall seeing as many buttercups in the meadows and as much cotton grass
on the moors as I did this summer. One theme of my walks from late April to early
June was trying to find somewhere that the bluebells were in full bloom. From
the Forest of Bowland in the west to the North York Moors in the east I went
seeking bluebells with varying degrees of success.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A major source of frustration has been the slow process of
revamping my website </span><a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk/"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">www.mypennines.co.uk</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">.
Now four years old I wanted to give it a makeover but having spent a month on
the redesign I found it extremely slow going updating rebuilding a website
that now contains of 600 pages of content. However, there is light at the end
of the tunnel and having not updated the ‘live’ website since May I’m hoping to
get the new version online by the end of February. The time devoted to the new website has meant that numerous ideas for this blog haven't gone any further. I look forward to updating this blog more regularly in 2014.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Finally, after a great deal of agonising, are my favourite walks, views and
walking moments of 2013...<br />
<br />
<b>Top 5 Walks of 2013:</b><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Haycock
and Caw<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Howgills
Traverse<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Goathland
to Levisham Station<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Farleton
Fell<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Gunnerside
Gill and Rogan’s Seat<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Honourable mentions go to the Crummackdale Horseshoe,
Whitcliff Scar, St Sunday’s Crag, Melmerby Fell, Hedgehope Hill, Caw, Hole of
Horcum, Bride Stones and a lovely early morning walk around Fewston Reservoir.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ip1Ii3dSrz6Vw5EXNM2Jc7AVcAdg8I9pvSGoxaOxw3vvVKR6e8R7bz1g9jvpNzhTn1Q3pxKW5YYJWwjSMa7runsN44TSwFnZnoQpGDoLgyQq3nP_8aQQECu58RhL9u8USYKoE1bFnS8/s1600/94+-+Ennerdale+Water.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ip1Ii3dSrz6Vw5EXNM2Jc7AVcAdg8I9pvSGoxaOxw3vvVKR6e8R7bz1g9jvpNzhTn1Q3pxKW5YYJWwjSMa7runsN44TSwFnZnoQpGDoLgyQq3nP_8aQQECu58RhL9u8USYKoE1bFnS8/s320/94+-+Ennerdale+Water.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>Top 5 Views of 2013:</b></span></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The
buttercup filled view of Muker and Swaledale from Ivelet Side<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The panoramic
view from Farleton Fell incorporating the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales,
Forest of Bowland and Morecambe Bay<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The
view of Ennerdale from Piper’s Crag as the light began to fade<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The
view along Combs Edge from Castle Naze in the Peak District<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The
view of the frost-filled Hole of Horcum</span></li>
</ol>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhxnQT2Qlqe1AS5AAYlE8DlvoMzeEQ9HPAbaJXyGF2DoAzZ04DG2SIXpyCPQpfJIIRW8DxhAyqOoBMLySYgfupSkvQ3A0nGNC6ghYAS1gyLhS0ZNN-OKcGETBPDc7k3pZ8Tgc5N9lOIA/s1600/A144+-+Muker.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhxnQT2Qlqe1AS5AAYlE8DlvoMzeEQ9HPAbaJXyGF2DoAzZ04DG2SIXpyCPQpfJIIRW8DxhAyqOoBMLySYgfupSkvQ3A0nGNC6ghYAS1gyLhS0ZNN-OKcGETBPDc7k3pZ8Tgc5N9lOIA/s320/A144+-+Muker.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>Top 5 Most Memorable Walking Moments of 2013:</b></span></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Reaching
the top of St Sunday Crag, my 214<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> and final Wainwright<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Walking
through the narrowest part of the spectacular Avakas Gorge in Cyprus<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Visiting
the magical waterfall of Mallyan Spout near Goathland<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Watching
my nephew Liam, dressed as a Roman centurion, pretend to fight off the
Pictish hordes on the top of Windshield’s Crag, the highest point of
Hadrian’s Wall<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Rescuing
a sheep that had fallen into the Lancaster Canal at Tewitfields and which
was unable to get out on its own</span></li>
</ol>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC95o34MXX1a1QuoYUOWoSz4c8QNeb1xEuNQEGg4SLk3PhvCTnxIQgfORrUvSlrgyYfnKzi0YCa1o7d068Dk7GYI1T87AsEuMnMBtOxJihz1zsfdWVR5dnuWoUGkBNY7RKxtcmLDMFmSA/s1600/P1120952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC95o34MXX1a1QuoYUOWoSz4c8QNeb1xEuNQEGg4SLk3PhvCTnxIQgfORrUvSlrgyYfnKzi0YCa1o7d068Dk7GYI1T87AsEuMnMBtOxJihz1zsfdWVR5dnuWoUGkBNY7RKxtcmLDMFmSA/s320/P1120952.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>5 Least Favourite Walking Moments of 2013:</b></span></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Suffering
with some terrible blisters on a 10 mile walk in the Peak District that
I’d acquired the previous day. One particular blood blister on my heel
stayed with me for two months – this was all very unusual as I hardly ever
suffer from blisters.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Dragging
my daughter around Hollybank Woods, near Ripley, in the snow on her
sledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was back breakingly hard
work not helped by the fact that she was cold, hungry and decidedly
unimpressed with my plan to get her out on a winter walk.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Negotiating
a large patch of wind compacted snow on my hands and knees at the top of
the steep climb on to Yarlside from Kensgriff in the Howgill Fells.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Taking
new friends Tim and Jack all the way to Littledale in the Forest of
Bowland to see the bluebells only to find that they hadn’t flowered yet.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Finding
a couple of dead sheep huddled together in a melting snow drift, just two
of the many victims of the heavy snow in the spring.</span></li>
</ol>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVy-AwLMO5ELKjvMdOLntWuqGJ4b6ma9FicNV9D9h6P_X3EsT18VtMtLMT9Med_UTbIQN4cfb5O02aRMzoaxocib86Fa1oLrgRhJFhfTv4VimZeazkY7QUaGqCPkzXR4jo3QqS5NAX_c/s1600/48+-+Combs+Edge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVy-AwLMO5ELKjvMdOLntWuqGJ4b6ma9FicNV9D9h6P_X3EsT18VtMtLMT9Med_UTbIQN4cfb5O02aRMzoaxocib86Fa1oLrgRhJFhfTv4VimZeazkY7QUaGqCPkzXR4jo3QqS5NAX_c/s320/48+-+Combs+Edge.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-1661196044044163572013-05-17T22:39:00.002+01:002013-05-17T22:39:36.224+01:00Book Review: Great Mountains Days in the Pennines, Terry Marsh, Cicerone (2013)With the exception of those covering the Pennine Way it is very rare to see a walking guide treat the Pennines as a continuous
range of hills and provide a variety of walks covering the whole region. It is more typical to find walks about specific areas, particularly the Peak District and the Yorkshire Dales. Therefore, When I saw that Cicerone were publishing a new walking guide called, 'Great Mountain Days in the Pennines' I was rather curious and more than jumped at the opportunity to review it. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zSNeVM4IEDcjZtlWUMdnn2SF1TJDIm1haEpq2Kake7pz7_wR_L6mB7f5E9ZRgT383lp-FPQm6-hRqxlihJMwPTDnGvWOchl0Xi38TZu-0u9mSJt_PNWb1bIX1MZgtdaFU-35-MIxx3E/s1600/9781852846503+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zSNeVM4IEDcjZtlWUMdnn2SF1TJDIm1haEpq2Kake7pz7_wR_L6mB7f5E9ZRgT383lp-FPQm6-hRqxlihJMwPTDnGvWOchl0Xi38TZu-0u9mSJt_PNWb1bIX1MZgtdaFU-35-MIxx3E/s320/9781852846503+(2).jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The guide is written by the Lancashire-based writer and photographer Terry Marsh, a name that will be familiar to those who have collected a number of Cicerone walking guides. I for one found his book of walks on the Isle of Man of particular use when I spent a week on the island back in 2008. In his introduction Marsh explains that the walks in this book are largely confined to within 10 miles of the Pennine watershed, exceptions being routes on to Ilkley Moor, Pendle Hill and Ingleborough. Unfortunately this approach means that the Forest of Bowland and the West Pennine Moors, both outliers of the main range, are omitted entirely so don't expect to find a route up the likes of Winter Hill or Ward's Stone.
<br />
<br />
The 50 walks are organised from north to south starting in the North Pennines, perhaps the least visited and certainly the most underrated area in the Pennines. By happy coincidence the first walk in the book is a climb on to Thack Moor, which, following a survey proving that it reaches the magical 2,000ft mark in height, has the distinction of being England's newest mountain . Presumably the book went to print just before Thack Moor's elevation to mountain status was known as it is not mentioned.<br />
<br />
Each walk is generously illustrated with photos and contains an introduction, detail on the route (including OS map) and an overview 'Route Information' box that includes detail on distance, height gain, how to get there and where to find after walk refreshment. In what must surely be an editorial mistake this 'Route Information' box is missing on walks 23 and 48 (Rye Loaf Hill and Alport Castles respectively).<br />
<br />
The walk descriptions are well written without being overly detailed. It should be noted that the book is quite large and would be quite unwieldy to carry around on a walk. This is perhaps a good thing as most of these walks definitely require the possession and ability to use the relevant map so it would be a mistake to rely on the book for direction anyway.<br />
<br />
Occasionally Marsh lets himself go a bit with some nicely evocative passages, for example, he describes the South Pennines as, "<em>a great swathe of harsh moors where the lovely orange and gold crystals of millstone grit have oxidised to a black that makes your eyes hurt and portrays, falsely, a land of darkness and dirt</em>". His frequent description of the Howgill Fells as 'bosomy' will ensure that I for one will never quite look at those hills in the same light again!<br />
<br />
Whilst opinions on the 50 best walks in the Pennines will always be a subjective one I think Marsh has, on the whole, chosen many of the routes, or at least variations that I would have picked myself. There are a few notable exceptions. It is a shame that Cold Fell doesn't feature. Not only is it the northernmost mountain in the Pennines, and one of only five Marilyns to be found in the North Pennines, it is also a great walk to the top with some stunning views. Personally I'd have liked to have also seen a walk around Crummackdale featuring Norber and Moughton, an area that is second only to Malham for limestone scenery. Finally there is Bleaklow, the omission of which from a book subtitled '50 classic hillwalking challenges' is quite frankly perplexing. Surely these were more worthy of inclusion than than some that are included and while I love the Howgill Fells did we really need three separate walks that visit the summit of The Calf?<br />
<br />
These latter reservations aside it is a great book, especially for people who are not familiar with some of the less frequented areas of the Pennines. Marsh deserves a lot of credit for including places such as Thack Moor, Backstone Edge, Gragareth, and Thievely Pike and resisting the temptation to fill the book predominantly with routes in the Dales and Peak District. As a result even walkers, like myself, who have already explored a lot of the Pennines are likely to find much of interest in this guide. <br />
<br />
Recommended.<br />
<br />
'<em>Great Mountain Days in the Pennines</em>' can be purchased from the <a href="http://www.cicerone.co.uk/product/detail.cfm/book/650" target="_blank">Cicerone website</a>.<br />
<br />
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-67348647438294287412013-05-15T21:28:00.000+01:002013-05-16T07:11:13.228+01:00Completing the 214: My Wainwrights Journey<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"></table>
At 3.39pm on Thursday 2nd May 2013 I arrived, tired but elated, at the summit of <a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk/lake-district/walks/020513.html" target="_blank">St. Sunday Crag</a>, my last Wainwright summit. I'd finally done it. It had taken ninety-three walks, 665 miles, over 219,000ft of ascent and 214 summits to get to this point, so some celebratory leaps in the air were called for (luckily I had the place to myself).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGAJfxfJfyms7pBW9xjJCod5fcRwhierCCej93OpsBrJDJe5sIGwWyqNNbJ5UrirQnupKy9VN1j1JLDK0pXc5wu0hcK0FngxECs016lr5_c0IB1I-L7TcjYHcNwkrj0reMrM3Va0ltII/s1600/P1110880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A celebratory leap into the air upon reaching the top of St Sunday Crag" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGAJfxfJfyms7pBW9xjJCod5fcRwhierCCej93OpsBrJDJe5sIGwWyqNNbJ5UrirQnupKy9VN1j1JLDK0pXc5wu0hcK0FngxECs016lr5_c0IB1I-L7TcjYHcNwkrj0reMrM3Va0ltII/s320/P1110880.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
My Wainwright journey started more than seven years ago on 4th August 2005 when I first climbed Cat Bells. It was also my first proper visit to the Lake District and I was enchanted by the views of Derwent Water, the Newlands Valley and particularly the pairing of Hindscarth and Robinson. But it wasn't until the next day, when Lisa and I climbed Fleetwith Pike on our wedding anniversary that I well and truly fell in love with the Lake District.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKo5xnwoIa_FN4tWyzNGOroB60YsC12mPk8WIEksAtUnFXSNOwcu5JwJ9vttXlTE30QNEQeSouq5q7NYaYdYzvYLhflpjwwzPBUx5DtCKtJt3HMEIMJp9Meb1CwpPB1JZ543PhxH-SfHY/s1600/17+-+Matt+on+Catbells1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="On the top of Cat Bells, my first Wainwright" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKo5xnwoIa_FN4tWyzNGOroB60YsC12mPk8WIEksAtUnFXSNOwcu5JwJ9vttXlTE30QNEQeSouq5q7NYaYdYzvYLhflpjwwzPBUx5DtCKtJt3HMEIMJp9Meb1CwpPB1JZ543PhxH-SfHY/s320/17+-+Matt+on+Catbells1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was one of those days when everything combined to make it perfect. The climb was steep with magnificent retrospective views of the Buttermere valley and the lakes of Buttermere, Crummock Water and Loweswater. From Fleetwith Pike we walked round to Haystacks before starting our equally memorable descent. At one point I remember turning to Lisa and saying, 'if there's a heaven I hope it's like this'.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_4tIZPSnnzGv5Ja2-gcopO79fRYh9aDWVVDctj5cKiGhYykT18DPYywavUa1V86e-diztWxLnnkEdAo1-RfQpOjU9xDgHZZt720opE5zDZ-HxqUTLEyWnZdyqvB_RxRA_MDs5VZ83dg/s1600/78+-+Matt+and+Buttermere+Valley2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Enjoying the descent into Buttermere" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_4tIZPSnnzGv5Ja2-gcopO79fRYh9aDWVVDctj5cKiGhYykT18DPYywavUa1V86e-diztWxLnnkEdAo1-RfQpOjU9xDgHZZt720opE5zDZ-HxqUTLEyWnZdyqvB_RxRA_MDs5VZ83dg/s320/78+-+Matt+and+Buttermere+Valley2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The next day I got up early to climb Blencathra on my own, via the Hall's Fell ridge. At the time I was more used to the gentler ways of the Yorkshire Dales, so it's fair to say I found it more nerve-wracking than I would find Sharp Edge three years later when I was a more experienced fell walker. Still, it was a memorable climb and that afternoon I bought my first Wainwright book: Volume Five, 'The Northern Fells'.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVlgjAtPqYUf2oKcJ1Uz5ZDbh6qr1WXlmTRAyOClGY4hIOWjPLTF0v4urkkTmt-Z_l_SFZNJVYg9EtiMKMzSbtEwr6QNEXEYY_HqKw5NME4YRcB3Bs-bD8ziJSwrtZiLo1gmW98onrzg/s1600/24+-+Hall's+Fell+and+Narrow+Edge+from+Gategill+Fell+Top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Looking back at the Hall's Fell ridge on Blencathra" border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVlgjAtPqYUf2oKcJ1Uz5ZDbh6qr1WXlmTRAyOClGY4hIOWjPLTF0v4urkkTmt-Z_l_SFZNJVYg9EtiMKMzSbtEwr6QNEXEYY_HqKw5NME4YRcB3Bs-bD8ziJSwrtZiLo1gmW98onrzg/s320/24+-+Hall's+Fell+and+Narrow+Edge+from+Gategill+Fell+Top.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Six weeks later, I had bought and read all seven volumes. It's hard to describe the impact Wainwright's books had on me. Beautifully laid out and jam-packed with exciting walks, lovingly detailed drawings and witty prose, it marked out an author who, in his idiosyncratic way, could describe the sheer joy of exploring the hills far more eloquently than I ever could. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVoNZpewgDGIgX1P5V5ktfc0j5FEX8dbrEr_n3n1z4jNotrStaNrSfapzlCdOo0wzsoGDMxZvw9BSQAMkNTcmtY7XJyCVWpXNP8xRwQmkISO1pIgDjGwLJvmEQxuqV2cqhNJ-tGqDMfg/s1600/01+-+High+Street+and+Riggindale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Haweswater and High Street" border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVoNZpewgDGIgX1P5V5ktfc0j5FEX8dbrEr_n3n1z4jNotrStaNrSfapzlCdOo0wzsoGDMxZvw9BSQAMkNTcmtY7XJyCVWpXNP8xRwQmkISO1pIgDjGwLJvmEQxuqV2cqhNJ-tGqDMfg/s320/01+-+High+Street+and+Riggindale.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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By this time I'd decided I wanted to climb not just all the Wainwrights, but every Lake District fell that qualified as a Hewitt, Nuttall, Dewey or Marilyn. I'd only been hill walking for about a year and a half at this point, but I'd already discovered the joys of peak bagging and was well on my way to completing my first, fairly modest, goal: all the 2,000ft tops in the Yorkshire Dales.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrgbzt4PP7H636LqMoH35iexX6oY0wpNHgJoGNnkeIQhyphenhyphen0nTQBciy8NXHXEmlMDcG6bmAln6KxbRoNdb3AotjuarVmeynGEMOFosyjJmXmKnv3QLFSErupI32EPCVl6It4j23SiQb_ls/s1600/33+-+Heron+Pike.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Winter on Heron Pike" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrgbzt4PP7H636LqMoH35iexX6oY0wpNHgJoGNnkeIQhyphenhyphen0nTQBciy8NXHXEmlMDcG6bmAln6KxbRoNdb3AotjuarVmeynGEMOFosyjJmXmKnv3QLFSErupI32EPCVl6It4j23SiQb_ls/s320/33+-+Heron+Pike.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I approached this new Lake District challenge with a real fervour. Over that first year I took numerous day trips, a week in a cottage in Uldale, a few days in a cottage in Chapel Stile, two trips to a B&B in Coniston as well as camping trips to Borrowdale, Buttermere and Lamplugh. By the end of 2006 I'd already bagged 86 Wainwrights.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHjewd6OxfTreWoVZrWITR_yfBo-Ybc5CmJ_pq8ljhsU-jJii1rVjPTggcyuqu2ybCKOCEBUpCuiU6tXZI3eeUfo3AbIOUYF-03tvucLZFCxIH1geo2_I0qCswTa8n3Pn1zzRpjEZ_8I/s1600/83+-+Matt+on+top+of+Striding+Edge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="On Striding Edge" border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHjewd6OxfTreWoVZrWITR_yfBo-Ybc5CmJ_pq8ljhsU-jJii1rVjPTggcyuqu2ybCKOCEBUpCuiU6tXZI3eeUfo3AbIOUYF-03tvucLZFCxIH1geo2_I0qCswTa8n3Pn1zzRpjEZ_8I/s320/83+-+Matt+on+top+of+Striding+Edge.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Highlights of those early Wainwright walks include spending my 32nd birthday climbing Skiddaw via Ullock Pike and Longside, the splendid climb on to High Street via Rough Crag and Long Stile, my first visit to Helvellyn and Striding Edge, the atmospheric pairing of Dow Crag and Goats Water, and the Fairfield Horseshoe from Ambleside. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaAHV0pwzI4BmzRy6aD82hq_0IAubM8XdDa3rrcAxKYDgfxnh0ZBA0QFeh4gcdkH4gH0Ypxno5cKV-aRGdIHujMFM5zFN4b3Swtet0EC-4WBvrSXGP91PwZpst9_WtoyWWpUxt6F03iZU/s1600/81+-+Matt+and+Dow+Crag.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="One of my favourite spots, Goats Water below Dow Crag" border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaAHV0pwzI4BmzRy6aD82hq_0IAubM8XdDa3rrcAxKYDgfxnh0ZBA0QFeh4gcdkH4gH0Ypxno5cKV-aRGdIHujMFM5zFN4b3Swtet0EC-4WBvrSXGP91PwZpst9_WtoyWWpUxt6F03iZU/s320/81+-+Matt+and+Dow+Crag.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Equally memorable, for different reasons, was the frequent bad weather I encountered - particularly the heavy rain and thick hill fog I encountered when I climbed High Raise via Blea Rigg and Sergeant Man. In what is (so far) my only major navigational error, I contrived to descend from Greenup Edge into the morass of Wythburn rather than Far Easedale two valleys to the south. As punishment I had to endure a long, completely sodden walk back along the road to Grasmere, trying not to get flattened by passing traffic in the dark. Oops.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETTGU-e2n25tjk8DPcWa64YxHRN9SdK9a9J_bmDkR5t4S99hQoWT9g17dwMY0n3YyxYHriaXcWR6VKGQanckgmM91rhCkGh0p2VmC0p2Em-bVbphBA6Zo0un1XGuL5eK5t7_jIqyBCsk/s1600/31+-+Matt+on+High+Raise.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="On High Raise not long before I took the wrong turn off Greenup Edge" border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETTGU-e2n25tjk8DPcWa64YxHRN9SdK9a9J_bmDkR5t4S99hQoWT9g17dwMY0n3YyxYHriaXcWR6VKGQanckgmM91rhCkGh0p2VmC0p2Em-bVbphBA6Zo0un1XGuL5eK5t7_jIqyBCsk/s320/31+-+Matt+on+High+Raise.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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In the first half of 2007 I continued apace and bagged another 39. But that old cliché about having too much of a good thing proved true. After climbing Great Gable, Helvellyn, Bow Fell and Crinkle Crags in quick succession I overdid it and aggravated an on/off injury to my left knee on Middleboot Knotts, just below Lingmell, at the start of an ambitious route over the Scafells. I stubbornly continued over Great End, Ill Crag and Broad Crag on to Scafell Pike, effectively climbing using just my right leg. On reaching Mickledore I knew there was no way I could make it on to Scafell so instead, in the company of my father-in-law, I started the long, rocky descent to Wasdale via Hollow Stones. It was one of the most painful experiences of my life.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbPQZoGDudB2n614HqAH46uDloafS01z2ukErAzi0fvXQzAAq567A1PCENeF2lLBpFAhd-uoxNoTZbh4r5CxkY85Qv47GGg6YGyKLHTmJtxEgtLY3GvOGUqwUALITVoUX2kU_YV3PNUI/s1600/63+-+Matt+on+the+top+of+England.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="On the top of Scafell Pike, it might not look it but I was in great pain" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbPQZoGDudB2n614HqAH46uDloafS01z2ukErAzi0fvXQzAAq567A1PCENeF2lLBpFAhd-uoxNoTZbh4r5CxkY85Qv47GGg6YGyKLHTmJtxEgtLY3GvOGUqwUALITVoUX2kU_YV3PNUI/s320/63+-+Matt+on+the+top+of+England.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It took me a good few months to properly recover and in the intervening time my daughter was born, so there was a shift in my priorities - not to mention a reduction in how much time I could spend walking. Family holidays to Keswick in October 2007 and March 2008 helped keep things ticking over but my peak-bagging rate went into a steep decline.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNX2cNqADnd59vCcsND8zZxfYlh3xTzot5P4uNh7OzEeIH9lDyLFZamF7-3KQ_141p1z52Hv1YJvCSw0R7_3dnLUahw5wOWdDIif4IuXqChLMuCWQisfu47KPG67aEqlAOFcwDNCTcRZo/s1600/44+-+Top+of+Red+Screes3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Red Screes was one of my favourite summits of 2008" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNX2cNqADnd59vCcsND8zZxfYlh3xTzot5P4uNh7OzEeIH9lDyLFZamF7-3KQ_141p1z52Hv1YJvCSw0R7_3dnLUahw5wOWdDIif4IuXqChLMuCWQisfu47KPG67aEqlAOFcwDNCTcRZo/s320/44+-+Top+of+Red+Screes3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Matters weren't helped by a bad back in early 2009 followed by another knee injury later that year. Another painful descent - this time off Seat Sandal in June 2009 - finally convinced me to go to the doctor. I was diagnosed with a cartilage tear in my right knee, which required an operation, and this knocked my confidence so much that I didn't set foot in the Lake District again until March 2011. Instead I sought solace in the less rugged landscapes of the Pennines (a direct result of this period was the creation of my website, <a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk/">www.mypennines.co.uk</a>). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcCF8i7d7O-khG8Ij_loGn3_yYGk0q4i-dfqSonHdmRZBf_rEUbr8Yeu2uwMOS1RpAPm0mHJLK4ENg-brcFqteOInkdEi_B4o2ImetyxIz1R2AeKKoOPYU7mvn0pJrsyzsNRs7ukOgjs/s1600/27+-+Matt+on+Seat+Sandal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="On Seat Sandal, this would be my last Wainwright for almost two years" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcCF8i7d7O-khG8Ij_loGn3_yYGk0q4i-dfqSonHdmRZBf_rEUbr8Yeu2uwMOS1RpAPm0mHJLK4ENg-brcFqteOInkdEi_B4o2ImetyxIz1R2AeKKoOPYU7mvn0pJrsyzsNRs7ukOgjs/s320/27+-+Matt+on+Seat+Sandal.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Managing my come-back climb onto Whiteside and the steep descent off Grasmoor in March 2011 was a big moment for me and reignited my hopes of completing the Wainwrights. Although I only had 29 to climb by this point I resolved not to overdo it again, hence me strictly rationing myself over the last two years.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguiDnInXa9Jmr4HZlXzqgVfYACBeEPY1X2c-YNPFI4PlcPiU9R69w4_yIYH3w6IiFkk44SccgbC4dx1GUgrzfPx7nC1WkjCdWQZwARX1czaPDoGvAi1QrTNSGHGgr0yGcNDRtLN_txeAk/s1600/28+-+On+Whiteside.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguiDnInXa9Jmr4HZlXzqgVfYACBeEPY1X2c-YNPFI4PlcPiU9R69w4_yIYH3w6IiFkk44SccgbC4dx1GUgrzfPx7nC1WkjCdWQZwARX1czaPDoGvAi1QrTNSGHGgr0yGcNDRtLN_txeAk/s320/28+-+On+Whiteside.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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At times, being so close to completion has been almost unbearable, like a huge weight around my neck. The last few walks seemed more like something I had to do rather than something I wanted to (which isn't to say I didn't enjoy the walks themselves). So at first, when I arrived at the top of St. Sunday Crag I felt more relief than achievement: finally! It has only been later that a real sense of satisfaction and pride has begun to sink in.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvirSe7_hllxm_EE6W9xUrLOizvrMGxxY6kq2eCC_4cIwDjPB-lWWk71GSQWk0qB2Pf8gwDTrtfw4-uQW9zD72WV-INWpqHFOjoIog_LMREFQd13O513ToVAOfCWzO7uv39lGOhbUD_M/s1600/A126+-+Above+Ullswater.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvirSe7_hllxm_EE6W9xUrLOizvrMGxxY6kq2eCC_4cIwDjPB-lWWk71GSQWk0qB2Pf8gwDTrtfw4-uQW9zD72WV-INWpqHFOjoIog_LMREFQd13O513ToVAOfCWzO7uv39lGOhbUD_M/s320/A126+-+Above+Ullswater.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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For me the Wainwrights have been a remarkable journey, physically, emotionally and mentally. But it's not a done deal - there are so many summits, tarns and ridges I'd like to revisit and new routes of ascent I'd like to try (Jack's Rake!). In fact, in many ways my journey may only just have started.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-63752084730584300782013-02-21T19:32:00.000+00:002013-02-21T19:32:15.471+00:00Music inspired by the hillsThe beautiful hills and valleys of northern England have for centuries inspired some of this country's most famous poets, writers and painters. However, it seems that this is not the case with the country's most famous classical composers. One could search in vain through the catalogue of works of Britten, Elgar, Holst, Vaughan Williams or Walton for music inspired by the countryside of northern England. <br />
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In addition to my love of hill walking I also have a passion (nay, addiction) to collecting music. Over the last 4-5 years I've spent quite a lot of time exploring the music of well known, and not so well known, English composers and during this time I've discovered a small, but interesting body of work, that does have direct links to the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and even the Forest of Bowland. This blog is about this music and the composers who wrote it.<br />
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Perhaps the best known of these composers is <strong>Frederick Delius (1862-1934)</strong>. Born in Bradford to German parents the young Delius was brought up in Yorkshire. After brief stints working in Sweden, and most notably on an orange plantation in Florida, Delius studied music in Germany before settling down in France. Probably his most famous composition is 'On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring' one of a number of quite beautiful musical portraits of nature. Delius composed a number of works inspired by his love of the hills including, 'Over the Hills and Far Away' (a personal favourite of mine), 'On the Mountains' and 'Song of the High Hills'. The latter is Delius's own personal vision of, "the joy and exhilaration one feels in the mountains and also the loneliness and melancholy of the high solitudes and the grandeur of the wide far distances". Interestingly, these works all seem to stem from his love of the Norwegian mountains rather than the landscape of his native Yorkshire.<br />
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The one work of Delius's that seems to have definitely have been inspired by Yorkshire is his <strong>'Northern Sketches'</strong>. First performed in 1915 the work is an orchestral suite with the following sections; 'Autumn: The Wind Soughs in the Trees', 'Winter Landscape', 'Dance', 'The March of Spring: Woodlands, Meadows and Silent Moors'. It has been noted that the first two pieces in particular are, for Delius, surprisingly bleak, even desolate. On the other hand anyone with any knowledge of the Pennine moors near Bradford will know that, especially in autumn and winter, the words 'bleak' and 'desolate' are often apt.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2O2Og3S67zndycGQ3RfLn0Rm1pG29GB4A3Me1G97crtXT5pi1IKip2Juzrlah71GKhCiR3hm6YcjGMK88DGFQNYVMHKs0uKF97vq_VSZz_KIhWUVHcGaWOSWTQEyBHx2n0FjG05vJlP8/s1600/16+-+Top+of+Little+Wolf+Stones3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2O2Og3S67zndycGQ3RfLn0Rm1pG29GB4A3Me1G97crtXT5pi1IKip2Juzrlah71GKhCiR3hm6YcjGMK88DGFQNYVMHKs0uKF97vq_VSZz_KIhWUVHcGaWOSWTQEyBHx2n0FjG05vJlP8/s320/16+-+Top+of+Little+Wolf+Stones3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bleak Pennine moors in winter</span></div>
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After 1918 Delius began to suffer the effects of syphilis and by the late 1920's he had become blind and virtually paralysed. In 1928 a young Scarborough-born musician called <strong>Eric Fenby (1906-1997) </strong>travelled to France and volunteered to act as Delius's amanuensis. With Fenby's help Delius was able to commence composing once again. Fenby himself was also a composer, however he later destroyed most of his own works. One of the few pieces to have survived is the overture, 'Rossini on Ilkla Moor'. The piece apparently came about following a walk on Ilkley Moor with the actor and director Charles Laughton. Fenby skilfully takes the theme of the well-known Yorkshire folksong, '<em>On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at'</em> and uses it as the basis for a work written in the style of the early 19th century Italian opera composer Rossini. About as far away from Delius's delicate nature pieces as can be imagined <strong>'Rossini on Ilka Moor'</strong> is a brilliant pastiche and a hugely enjoyable piece in its own right. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUrTaEhvMc8O0Fith68A8T8bMFfAKMKD6WUkewzbo6wNaqlBhNNLIQb2YUDSWBxvJ4dWxrJ6CLycK94njMT0tHeyN0nhYr64ARgq9AZVKlbvBjn4ZOIuHXFsHPrCz4eDbeN_2YGIkR0ls/s1600/45+-+Ilkley+Moor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUrTaEhvMc8O0Fith68A8T8bMFfAKMKD6WUkewzbo6wNaqlBhNNLIQb2YUDSWBxvJ4dWxrJ6CLycK94njMT0tHeyN0nhYr64ARgq9AZVKlbvBjn4ZOIuHXFsHPrCz4eDbeN_2YGIkR0ls/s320/45+-+Ilkley+Moor.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ilkley Moor, not the best place to be caught in bad weather without a hat!</span></div>
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The piece by Fenby tends to be classed in that wonderful sub-genre of classical music called British Light Music. British Light Music tends to be fairly short, often descriptive, orchestral pieces in which melody and tunefulness is generally given more importance than the more intellectual strains of classical music. Although it had its heyday in the mid-20th century some of the most famous pieces of British Light Music can still be heard as the theme tunes for radio programmes today including Eric Coates's 'By the Sleepy Lagoon' (Desert Island Discs), Arthur Wood's 'Barwick Green' (The Archers) and Ronald Binge's 'Sailing By' used to precede the shipping forecast. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfsjCLfheetgH97EjyVx6OxyqMd9tLxlEtmJHZxqZZEiVAXloQGU2Ts_2e4pJzV8cThyphenhyphenk0GIyuI3pu1hnzK6CxVWTFMcx9rhWt-OXv7vwl__nMgYbd_Fs1isQcKsy1rKlWo1KaQzpmsPg/s1600/10+-+Deadwater,+Grey's+Pike+and+Monkside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfsjCLfheetgH97EjyVx6OxyqMd9tLxlEtmJHZxqZZEiVAXloQGU2Ts_2e4pJzV8cThyphenhyphenk0GIyuI3pu1hnzK6CxVWTFMcx9rhWt-OXv7vwl__nMgYbd_Fs1isQcKsy1rKlWo1KaQzpmsPg/s320/10+-+Deadwater,+Grey's+Pike+and+Monkside.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The vast expanse of Kielder Water</span></div>
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One of the most prolific composers of light music is the Rawtenstall-born composer <strong>Ernest Tomlinson (b.1924).</strong> After a period living in London after the war Tomlinson later settled down on a farm near Longridge Fell. In addition to a six year stint conducting the Rossendale Choir, Tomlinson also founded the Ribble Vale Choir in Longridge in 1989. The only 'northern' themed piece I've so far come across by Tomlinson is <strong>'Kielder Water'</strong>, a short orchestral piece commissioned for the opening of the Kielder Dam in 1983. The piece describes the tranquil beauty of what was, when it was built, the largest man made lake in Europe. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The beautiful Tarn Hows</span></div>
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Two Lakeland themed pieces of light music are <strong>'Tarn Hows, A Cumbrian Rhapsody'</strong> by Maurice Johnstone and <strong>'Striding Edge'</strong> by Matthew Curtis. <strong>Maurice Johnstone (1900-1976)</strong>, was born in Manchester and was, for a while, BBC Head of Music in the North. His 'Tarn Hows' is a fairly substantial piece of about 14 minutes which evokes the mood of the popular beauty spot in the morning, noon and evening. Johnstone also wrote a 'Pennine Way March' which I'd love to hear but which does not seem to be available on a recording. The Embleton-born <strong>Matthew Curtis (b.1959)</strong> belongs to a much later generation of light music composers. His 'Striding Edge' (2006) is a very catchy and surprisingly jaunty march, however, as the composer himself admits, anyone who approaches the real Striding Edge at anything like the tempo of this march would be risking injury or worse! <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Striding Edge</span></div>
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A more extended, and more sombre work, that has strong connections to the Lake District is the <strong>'Symphony No.3 - Westmorland'</strong> by <strong>Cecil Armstrong Gibbs (1889-1960)</strong>. During the Second World War Gibbs and his wife were forced to evacuate their London home and move to Windermere. The Symphony No.3 was composed between 1943-1944 and was a reaction, not only to his new surroundings, but also to the tragic death of his son, David, who was killed in action on 18 November 1943. The subtitles of each of the four movements are, 'I will lift up mine eyes', 'Cartmel Fell', 'Weathers' and 'The Lake', the latter presumably Windermere itself. It is a moving work with many lovely passages and one which should be much better known.<br />
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Other than his 3rd symphony Gibbs wrote a number of other works inspired by the northern countryside including 'The Yorkshire Dales - Three Impressions for piano, violin and cello' (1926) whose movements are, 'Walden', 'Whernside' and 'Woodale'. The 'Three Pieces for String Quartet' (1927) has clear Lake District links with subtitles of, 'Above Blea Tarn', 'Winster Valley' and 'Loweswater: Calm After the Storm'. Neither of these two pieces seems to have been recorded and neither has his 'Lakeland Pictures - Eight Preludes for Piano' (1940). One piece that has been recorded is his suite for string orchestra <strong>'Dale and Fell'</strong> (1953), whose three short movements, 'The Beck Climb', 'Rest at Noon' and 'Over the High Fells' describe in musical terms a walk out into the hills.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Walden, one of the less well known valleys in the Yorkshire Dales</span></div>
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Perhaps the composer most inspired by the north of England is the Manchester-born Arthur Butterworth (b.1923) who has for many years been a resident of Embsay, near Skipton. It has been said that, "virtually all his music has been the outcome of a contemplation of the aura of Northern England". Some of the more obvious of these includes the orchestral 'Dales Suite', another orchestral suite called, 'The Moors' and the 'Moorland Symphony' with words by the Saddleworth poet Ammon Wrigley. Whilst none of the above seem to have been recorded two that are available are, <strong>'The Quiet Tarn'</strong> (about Malham Tarn) and <strong>'The Path Across the Moors'</strong>. Both are beautifully scored and atmospheric orchestral pieces. Also worthy of note is his <strong>'Coruscations'</strong>, a depiction of the twinkling lights of the Morecambe Bay coastline as seen on a summer evening from a high and remote moorland road. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Malham Tarn</span></div>
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Although largely unknown to the wider public Butterworth is still by far the best known of a group called the <a href="http://www.lakelandcomposers.org.uk/index.htm">'The Lakeland Composers'</a>. Their website features a few musical samples including a couple of works by Chris Gibbs, 'The Western Dales - 3 pieces for flute and piano' as well as a suite called, 'The Forest of Bowland'. The short extract to be found on the website is enough to make me wish that the full piece is available. Another member of the group, Leslie Meurant has written a suite for strings titled, 'From Eamont to Eden' and whose Piano Concerto No.4 is subtitled 'Rothay'. A short sample from his piano piece 'Neath Gable's Crags' can also be found on the Lakeland Composers website.<br />
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As the 'Lakeland Composers' website shows, the amount of music that is both inspired by the lakes, dales and moors of northern England <strong>and </strong>which is currently available on recording is probably the tip of the iceberg. Hopefully more of this music will be recorded in the future. Whilst many of the composers mentioned are fairly obscure it is not to say the music they have written is not worth listening to. It is anything but and for me personally I enjoy listening to a composer's attempts to put into music their feelings about the beautiful landscape I take such pleasure in exploring on foot.<br />
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<strong>Discography</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
The following works are all currently available on CD.<br />
<strong></strong><br />
Butterworth, Arthur - 'The Quiet Tarn', 'Coruscations', Dutton Epoch, CDLX 7253<br />
Butterworth, Arthur - 'Path Across the Moors', Resonance, LC 11303<br />
Curtis, Matthew - 'Striding Edge', Campion Cameo, Cameo 2085<br />
Delius, Frederick - 'Northern Sketches', Chandos, CHAN 9355<br />
Fenby, Eric - 'Rossini on Ilkla Moor', Resonance, LC 11303<br />
Gibbs, Cecil Armstrong, - 'Symphony No.3 'Westmorland', Marco Polo, 8223553<br />
Gibbs, Cecil Armstrong, - 'Dale and Fell', Hyperion, CDA67093<br />
Johnstone, Maurice - 'Tarn Hows - A Cumbrian Rhapsody', Resonance, LC 11303<br />
Tomlinson, Ernest - 'Kielder Water', Marco Polo, 8223413<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-51791976308892809912013-01-04T22:49:00.001+00:002013-01-04T22:49:50.205+00:00Variety is the spice of life - my walking year 2012Considering that 2012 has just been named the wettest year on record for England and the second wettest on record for the whole UK it is perhaps fitting that it rained on both my first walk of 2012, on Pendle Hill on New Years Day, and my last walk of the year, on Whitestone Cliff in the Hambleton Hills. Whilst I did get caught in some real deluges (Green Crag in the Lake District and Alston Moor in the North Pennines spring to mind) I think that overall I managed to avoid the worst of the weather. Nevertheless it did still impact on the type of walking I did in 2012.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5-_pxkRS3YqXjq1FPZUkU1eTe5OqxZA2D5rw1hQhfJKBO649Ht7uhXsrLz-bRUbF6xZcjSSHtb4o73awF_4gLF5hKsciG0GhWl8SUgHY3-P6YIzr4SL4rzp-Ixhkp7kg4CjG4Qlb6w8/s1600/24+-+Descent.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="2012 got off to a wet start on Pendle Hill" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5-_pxkRS3YqXjq1FPZUkU1eTe5OqxZA2D5rw1hQhfJKBO649Ht7uhXsrLz-bRUbF6xZcjSSHtb4o73awF_4gLF5hKsciG0GhWl8SUgHY3-P6YIzr4SL4rzp-Ixhkp7kg4CjG4Qlb6w8/s320/24+-+Descent.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Wintry weather early in the year, particularly icy conditions meant that I avoided higher ground and instead led to my first forays into the Howardian Hills (nice but definitely not hilly) and the Arnside & Silverdale AONB (absolutely lovely) as well as a couple of walks in the North York Moors, an area that I've enjoyed re-acquainting myself with in 2012 and plan on visiting more in 2013. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyOgqO0OLOn7xU_U0SD8_JRlyt0oT3KrpK3d3-eKC5JAV1cgNEGqeiPiwRJtnMusDG2EKhCBL80db2iugObiKj0vFkR6UeL9rTj1bFdYMRZ0-msusttfzPtne3gUtAXWwazAivizDkNPg/s1600/57+-+Matt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Enjoying the view from Arnside Knott on my first visit to the Arnside and Silverdale AONB" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyOgqO0OLOn7xU_U0SD8_JRlyt0oT3KrpK3d3-eKC5JAV1cgNEGqeiPiwRJtnMusDG2EKhCBL80db2iugObiKj0vFkR6UeL9rTj1bFdYMRZ0-msusttfzPtne3gUtAXWwazAivizDkNPg/s320/57+-+Matt.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The weather perhaps had its biggest impact on my Easter holiday in North Wales. I'd been particularly looking forward to walking in the Carneddau for the first time but it was not to be. For the most part the weather was wretched and the highest I managed to get was Great Orme and even then I got to the top via the cable car (a memorable ride). Abandoning my plans for the Carneddau I instead managed a series of short walks in between bands of rain exploring the small hills and headlands in the Llandudno / Colwyn Bay area. They were all very nice little walks but ultimately it wasn't what I'd been hoping to do.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_Z61IsAOQYgzspWnDXOSlZXPeVVWNJsWRsR_B3zr0cRdldMUXzwHWEV4FRZwrfujQZRxcY-033FFN40OaXdCE0C8IaRjav_hgvDyNz1HkfqvtVBFrwAUR6O3ddUokUat1EPpqn0PIlg/s1600/51+-+Dave.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The top of Little Orme looking across Llandudno Bay to Great Orme" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_Z61IsAOQYgzspWnDXOSlZXPeVVWNJsWRsR_B3zr0cRdldMUXzwHWEV4FRZwrfujQZRxcY-033FFN40OaXdCE0C8IaRjav_hgvDyNz1HkfqvtVBFrwAUR6O3ddUokUat1EPpqn0PIlg/s320/51+-+Dave.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Thanks largely to trips to the youth hostels in Wasdale (in March) and Eskdale (in September) I managed another 12 Wainwrights leaving me agonisingly five short of completing the set of 214. I did however complete both the Northern Fells and Southern Fells. If I'd made a concerted effort I perhaps could have done the remaining 5 over the course of the year but I had limited opportunities to get out to the Lakes during the summer (again partly due to the poor weather). Fingers crossed I'll get to do the remaining five (Caw Fell, Hartsop Above How, Haycock, Lank Rigg and St Sunday Crag) by the end of spring 2013.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLmz5uxv6zm29wZQyCACKjov4vHcbZXNtJ3OXwf8cEvtepAPO94wM4fPX5r_SoPwXyVfJcdeBZxdvGj2TiUnYhiY2qRWLPXdGxZ9ikqQS3-Xdakmh6h_foI50vmafwuuacjuuEuRQCzI/s1600/74+-+On+Great+Calva.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="On the summit of Great Calva, my final Wainwright in the Northern Fells" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLmz5uxv6zm29wZQyCACKjov4vHcbZXNtJ3OXwf8cEvtepAPO94wM4fPX5r_SoPwXyVfJcdeBZxdvGj2TiUnYhiY2qRWLPXdGxZ9ikqQS3-Xdakmh6h_foI50vmafwuuacjuuEuRQCzI/s320/74+-+On+Great+Calva.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Although I didn't quite manage to complete the Wainwrights I did manage the last few tops I needed to complete all the 2,000ft summits in the North Pennines and, by extension, the Pennines as a whole. My final top was Flinty Fell, perhaps not one of the most interesting 2000fters around. Instead the highlight of that particular walk was a return visit to the superb Ashgill Force, definitely one of my favourite waterfalls in the country. In terms of Hewitts this just leaves me with Haycock, Iron Crag and St Sunday Crag to do in the Lakes and High Willhays on Dartmoor to visit in order to have completed the set of English 2,000fters. To complete the English Nuttalls I just need to also do Yes Tor on Dartmoor and Caw Fell, Little Gowder Crag and, ahem, Pillar Rock. Not quite sure about the last of those but it would be nice to try and organise a 'smash and bag' raid on the two highest tops on Dartmoor sometime in 2013.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZIZeagnzrXLWUMCqcj8T98uICR66oRKkg_Oys6aSsuNeJt6qIKRde36-At8VQKfM8b_a656Z_tJYf8d3wuidRBjXPLk57NyBPHVldmJX-VaH2aCvpK_V2VPs3U5uOmna9BeDTojE-OYU/s1600/11+-+Ashgill+Force.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Stood behind Ashgill Force in the North Pennines" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZIZeagnzrXLWUMCqcj8T98uICR66oRKkg_Oys6aSsuNeJt6qIKRde36-At8VQKfM8b_a656Z_tJYf8d3wuidRBjXPLk57NyBPHVldmJX-VaH2aCvpK_V2VPs3U5uOmna9BeDTojE-OYU/s320/11+-+Ashgill+Force.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The 'new' area that made the biggest impression on me was the week I spent in the Scottish Borders in August. Staying in the lovely town of Melrose I walked the Eildon Hills twice and had a fantastic full day's walk in the Manor Hills when I did the Dun Rig Horseshoe just south of Peebles. I arrived at the top of the first Donald on the walk, Birkscairn Hill, in low cloud and rain. Minutes later the skies began to clear and within half an hour I had an absolutely fantastic prospect of the Southern Uplands. When I've completed the Wainwrights I'm going to give serious consideration to having a go at the Donalds.<br />
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Apart from the North York Moors another area I got re-acquainted with in 2012 was around my home town of Harrogate. Between April and July I did a number of short walks in the Harrogate area, including lower Nidderdale and lower Wharfedale. Despite bringing me into increasing contact with the dreaded cows I really (somewhat to my surprise) enjoyed these outings. Although most of these walks were fairly short my longest walk of the year, and indeed for a number of years, was the 21 mile Harrogate Ringway. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVcUktXaRgut7KQAPE4tQQ58ynnV1NlLLStSfiFNb3zi2bq82rpVb-LsxvaJItmTn3H6l4BUZKryXnouAnGIMeJiRXqY2dmWOu59AzTyTrGlfcID7lKSK4I2vlI5Mfg5uWm-vvrkHGQyU/s1600/21+-+Bluebells.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bluebell woods at Ripley just north of Harrogate" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVcUktXaRgut7KQAPE4tQQ58ynnV1NlLLStSfiFNb3zi2bq82rpVb-LsxvaJItmTn3H6l4BUZKryXnouAnGIMeJiRXqY2dmWOu59AzTyTrGlfcID7lKSK4I2vlI5Mfg5uWm-vvrkHGQyU/s320/21+-+Bluebells.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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In total I did 64 walks over the course of the year, in addition to the areas already mentioned I also did walks in the Forest of Bowland, South Pennines and Yorkshire Dales, the latter including a visit to the trig point on Horse Head for one of my favourite views in the Dales. Whilst it would be tempting to spend most of my time walking in the Dales and the Lakes there really is so much great walking country elsewhere in the north of England that I much prefer to mix things up as much as I can. In walking terms variety really is the spice of life. One slight disappointment is that I didn't quite manage a step in the Peak District National Park, the nearest I got was Harridge Pike and Wild Bank which both stand above Stalybridge, just a mile or so west of the National Park boundary.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6A_Ou-xChIXVT8Jdku4GnmdXqps2EdM37Tj8Zq_NGJyPHw0cQuKTCL72y6y-uzdsNQstUdb1QCA_VpOL0P5ThL4ZS4v2KNRMiCIDM9M3H6f4nzgCxVNaY0Hnv3y_q9TrZYLbTSGbVnak/s1600/43+-+Top+of+Horse+Head.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6A_Ou-xChIXVT8Jdku4GnmdXqps2EdM37Tj8Zq_NGJyPHw0cQuKTCL72y6y-uzdsNQstUdb1QCA_VpOL0P5ThL4ZS4v2KNRMiCIDM9M3H6f4nzgCxVNaY0Hnv3y_q9TrZYLbTSGbVnak/s320/43+-+Top+of+Horse+Head.JPG" alt="The trig point on Horse Head looking towards Penyghent and Ingleborough"/></a></div>
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Anyway here (after a great deal of agonising) are my favourite walks, views and walking moments of 2012...<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Top 5 Walks of 2012:</strong><br />
<ol>
<li>Horse Head & Birks Fell</li>
<li>Arnside Knott</li>
<li>Great Calva</li>
<li>Dun Rig Horseshoe</li>
<li>Harrogate Ringway</li>
</ol>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTIVWh1rUJ0FNTQla7bnUDL09Gpw7cH8_-jejVBg-yBiG4vkBhcawiwga9ATgX7jOGaHqUmwuq8770xbz1sRwwpyaGFCb06IvoL8kD77cN4v8jbnMeymmcMU1TvxCUgx3Vv_8yB1kujl0/s1600/42+-+Crimple+Viaduct.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTIVWh1rUJ0FNTQla7bnUDL09Gpw7cH8_-jejVBg-yBiG4vkBhcawiwga9ATgX7jOGaHqUmwuq8770xbz1sRwwpyaGFCb06IvoL8kD77cN4v8jbnMeymmcMU1TvxCUgx3Vv_8yB1kujl0/s320/42+-+Crimple+Viaduct.JPG" alt="The impressive Crimple Viaduct as seen on the Harrogate Ringway"/></a></div>
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<strong>Top 5 Views of 2012:</strong><br />
<ol>
<li>The view of the Manor Hills, Tinto, the Pentlands and Moorfoots from Stob Law on the Dun Rig Horseshoe</li>
<li>The view of Eskdale from the scarp above Low Birker</li>
<li>The view of Ingleborough and Penyghent from Horse Head</li>
<li>The view of Dentdale from Galloway Gate on Great Knoutberry Hill</li>
<li>The view of Hackfall Woods, near Masham, from 'The Ruin'</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEE96OiynwuY_W-T_zK_qTlJYszpMFUQ0SC_fGV0ouBYtpomysiuyEyGh0YEOLzfmEyrZwrdqOBb4hblVhpar2CZDgMCOs53mK1wgxpX6UJtiJ9ftyDTWvFquuxwl4LJdQ-QuIUR1g4ko/s1600/39+-+Dentdale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEE96OiynwuY_W-T_zK_qTlJYszpMFUQ0SC_fGV0ouBYtpomysiuyEyGh0YEOLzfmEyrZwrdqOBb4hblVhpar2CZDgMCOs53mK1wgxpX6UJtiJ9ftyDTWvFquuxwl4LJdQ-QuIUR1g4ko/s320/39+-+Dentdale.JPG" alt="Enjoying the view of Dentdale from Galloway Gate"/></a></div>
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<strong>Top 5 Favourite Walking Moments of 2012:</strong><br />
<ol>
<li>The rain and cloud clearing on Birkscairn Hill to suddenly reveal a huge expanse of the Scottish Border hills</li>
<li>Stepping out on to the seemingly endless sands of Morecambe Bay on a super walk from Arnside</li>
<li>Jumping into the Wharfe, near Linton church, to carry my daughter to the other side after getting half way across the stepping stones and finding a stone missing in the middle. I ended up with very soggy boots but we both loved it.</li>
<li>The late evening sunshine at Low Birker Tarn and the subsequent views over Eskdale made up for the horrendous rain and hail shower minutes before</li>
<li>The delightful walk along the banks of Long Preston Beck in an unsung part of thr Yorkshire Dales</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CCGwLrOQ-uZl_XSPVZvb_1WfCvNYOu_hHul9UaX5fsKqXxeR2cK4jQUWlGwpep5004_8eHi-X1DW79XRZnTYWtn9CyevrvsKVHRYlts8uEAMuXQSej8Md6t8utYyn6YtflliW3QoTds/s1600/70+-+Low+Birker+Tarn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CCGwLrOQ-uZl_XSPVZvb_1WfCvNYOu_hHul9UaX5fsKqXxeR2cK4jQUWlGwpep5004_8eHi-X1DW79XRZnTYWtn9CyevrvsKVHRYlts8uEAMuXQSej8Md6t8utYyn6YtflliW3QoTds/s320/70+-+Low+Birker+Tarn.JPG" alt="After the storm - evening sunshine on Low Birker Tarn"/></a></div>
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<strong>5 Least Favourite Walking Moments of 2012:</strong><br />
<ol>
<li>On an evening walk up to the Huller Stones on Eavestone Moor a swarm of flies took a liking to me and followed me over a mile across the moor, very unpleasant</li>
<li>Getting drenched on the pathless moor between Flinty Fell and the trig point on Alston Moor, to make matters more uncomfortable I also had to cross a large stretch where the reeds were between waist and chest height.</li>
<li>Out of a number cow incidents I'd have to pick the occassion near Markenfield Hall where a whole herd of cows made a beeline for me from the far corner of the field to send me retreating back through a gate.</li>
<li>The tremendous rain and hail shower shortly after leaving the top of Green Crag in Eskdale, I don't think I've ever got so wet while out on a walk</li>
<li>Another unpleasant hail shower, this time on Pendle Hill on my first walk of the year</li>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-82415331418878446162012-12-18T20:38:00.002+00:002012-12-18T20:43:40.130+00:00Exploring the towns and villages of the northLocated on the A65 between Skipton and Settle, and just within the boundary of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the village of Long Preston has always been somewhere I've travelled through rather than being a destination in its own right. In fact I've worked out that I must have passed through the village no less than 180 times on my way to, or on my way back, from walks in Bowland, the Dales, Howgills and Lake District. Prior to last weekend when, for the first time I stopped in Long Preston for a walk, the most memorable thing about the village was the horrible blind right-hand turn back on to the A65 from the Slaidburn road.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DT58s0ekBou7QBe2N_4AfMpZRV0qCBXKsguDtBCpRNvMvUkT8r5k2wkNVYo6PpRHOlslsMgG1ma7bo2ZwWD17CMDznX8_s5qFak7cjJg6Ua9fNN5R08Ow4uvPz9qO_y6Kc6yvMS1tAs/s1600/02+-+Maypole+and+Maypole+Inn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The maypole on the village green in Long Preston" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DT58s0ekBou7QBe2N_4AfMpZRV0qCBXKsguDtBCpRNvMvUkT8r5k2wkNVYo6PpRHOlslsMgG1ma7bo2ZwWD17CMDznX8_s5qFak7cjJg6Ua9fNN5R08Ow4uvPz9qO_y6Kc6yvMS1tAs/s320/02+-+Maypole+and+Maypole+Inn.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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As it happened I had a wonderful walk (in particular the path along Long Preston Beck is a real gem) which made me regret not stopping there earlier. More to the point though it made me think in a wider sense about how many villages and towns I had now visited, either at the start, finish or during the course of a walk. I've worked out that, since 2004, I have set foot in over 200 towns and villages in the north of England from Castleton in the Peak District to Hethpool at the northern end of the Cheviot range during the course of a walk. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1AH5A-UbwHEQNJbxGrbmrA_s-cZjE6102brXA8Rczgu1dC7utDwMJGf7ZbzJAPXysBIuO_-Xsjyp2s63Ri5qCLnyzMiC9-NiiCctQSwYy3Nnk0FinPPD3OE3S90HXerJdnIlahSoJ-Dw/s1600/99+-+Hethpool.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hethpool, the small village at the entrance to the beautiful College Valley in the northern Cheviots" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1AH5A-UbwHEQNJbxGrbmrA_s-cZjE6102brXA8Rczgu1dC7utDwMJGf7ZbzJAPXysBIuO_-Xsjyp2s63Ri5qCLnyzMiC9-NiiCctQSwYy3Nnk0FinPPD3OE3S90HXerJdnIlahSoJ-Dw/s320/99+-+Hethpool.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The objectives of most of my walks have been particular summits, trig points or specificr features such as a crag or waterfall. Inadvertantly, it seems that my passion for hill walking has led me to hundreds of places which I'd never have visited otherwise. If you also include all the places I've driven through but not actually stopped in the number would probably rise to over 500.<br />
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Out of all the towns and villages I've visited while out walking it would be extremely difficult to pick out a handful of favourites for this blog. Instead I've decided to highlight five places, in alphabetical order, that I've set foot in for the first time this year and which have made a particularly strong impression on me.<br />
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<strong>Arnside</strong> - Arnside, along with Silverdale to the south, lends its name to the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, one of the smallest AONBs in the country. Arnside sits below the northern slopes of Arnside Knott looking across the Kent Estuary towards the Lake District. The seafront itself is understated and rather quaint. Carrying the train line from Arnside Station across the Kent Estuary is the magnificent 50 arched Kent Viaduct, a feature that, for me, adds immeasurably to the attraction of the view across the estuary. The combination of the village, estuary, viaduct, the views across Morecambe Bay, low limestone cliffs and Arnside Knott together make an irresistable package. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4yUMssO7eH6QxeOuKbJfELWGV0zwwo0-ioNphyVvjeF8AWjNYvhOZPzz9wBMy-vL7N_Xvk8hscIw5cD9tVU95lR4MqGq6KPc39KoVQUMZnk3K300NNkCPIbBU-QWQ5Mofdu0_MMpSck/s1600/55+-+Kent+Estuary.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Looking down to Arnside and the Kent Estuary from Arnside Knott" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4yUMssO7eH6QxeOuKbJfELWGV0zwwo0-ioNphyVvjeF8AWjNYvhOZPzz9wBMy-vL7N_Xvk8hscIw5cD9tVU95lR4MqGq6KPc39KoVQUMZnk3K300NNkCPIbBU-QWQ5Mofdu0_MMpSck/s320/55+-+Kent+Estuary.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>Blanchland</strong> - Situated on the Northumberland side of the border with Durham in the North Pennines the medieval village of Blanchland is located in the upper Derwent Valley. The village is largely built of stone from the remains of a 12th century abbey. In the 19th century it became a centre for lead mining, the archaeological remains of which add interest to the vicinity of the village. Apart from being very attractive in its own right the village is also a good place for starting a walk up on to the moors above, as I discovered just a few weeks ago.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimThO2RTe9U_cGZvk58rfDRvnnLhNrFjuQe8wfzE_StdhfqRSnKyF7cuNgZAbBMuNtlkRMMs8LHH4rMqv-u2XUh1gX5BeSCTydLyiPhxhRlofvzRbZJZSw3I-O4BHyYmUrUBTNedDukW4/s1600/02+-+Blanchland.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Blanchland" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimThO2RTe9U_cGZvk58rfDRvnnLhNrFjuQe8wfzE_StdhfqRSnKyF7cuNgZAbBMuNtlkRMMs8LHH4rMqv-u2XUh1gX5BeSCTydLyiPhxhRlofvzRbZJZSw3I-O4BHyYmUrUBTNedDukW4/s320/02+-+Blanchland.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>Hutton-le-Hole </strong>- I do like a nice village green and I don't think I've come across one quite as impressive as that at Hutton-le-Hole, it even has its own beck running through it. Hutton-le-Hole is apparently one of the honeypot villages of North Yorkshire but when I first visited there in January it was very quiet. It is not hard to see why it is so popular, the village is beautifully situated in the Tabular Hills with the heathery moors of Hutton Ridge and Spaunton Moor just to the north. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5zzxcEdlvSKYtHvkwEyNs-jmNUVnl-5flxSSszT9YgBhQ-gmExE8_H12tbe-lug7JPm4KnkNcQ-SWfF3Nlqz1_zAeZ5tVGa_uuDZ1n6_1KxrkQUQO0o_sipPeYBB8iSkMyGj1SJ1boMk/s1600/60+-+Hutton-le-Hole.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The impressive village green at Hutton-le-Hole" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5zzxcEdlvSKYtHvkwEyNs-jmNUVnl-5flxSSszT9YgBhQ-gmExE8_H12tbe-lug7JPm4KnkNcQ-SWfF3Nlqz1_zAeZ5tVGa_uuDZ1n6_1KxrkQUQO0o_sipPeYBB8iSkMyGj1SJ1boMk/s320/60+-+Hutton-le-Hole.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>Melrose - </strong>In August I spent a week's holiday with my family in the Scottish Borders where we stayed in a house in Melrose. It is no exaggeration to say thay by the time we left I was seriously thinking of forsaking the hills I love in northern England to move north of the Border and settle in Melrose. It is a lovely little town with great character helped by three outstanding features; the fantastic mini-range of the Eildon Hills, one of the UK's finest monastic ruins in Melrose Abbey and a beautiful stretch of the River Tweed. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8fkkVGx9uBsi_T8AzG5LGPzRPfTCSg5ixCejxGi1ueeCTQ-kFjQr56jNqheYyFTs8igSQCYAeM0Pp2WPAoV3ieZTT215Lf7Sba3XEjAfh6U23odFYSlv55pcRpdNPeLMMkNisTid8fo/s1600/P1060765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Melrose Abbey and Eildon North Hill" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8fkkVGx9uBsi_T8AzG5LGPzRPfTCSg5ixCejxGi1ueeCTQ-kFjQr56jNqheYyFTs8igSQCYAeM0Pp2WPAoV3ieZTT215Lf7Sba3XEjAfh6U23odFYSlv55pcRpdNPeLMMkNisTid8fo/s320/P1060765.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>Walsden</strong> - Squeezed on either side by steep moors Walsden, like neighbouring Todmorden to the north, manages to pack an awful lot into a small space. The presence of a train station on the Leeds - Manchester Victoria line means that the village is easily accessible by public transport, something which cannot be said of a lot of places I go walking. Whilst the hill walking options from Walsden are quite varied the real gem in my mind is the presence of the Rochdale Canal that also runs through the village. I walked the section from Warland back into Walsden and it was a lovely, and in the autumn at least, colorful path. I aim to be back at Walsden station next year to head up Reddyshore Scout.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN1VGEuu519fNnY0W0H1CHJh_qKB3rLGFfZ7vpdBa0JnP4T8SLPU4sp14xA6-Av4aipe4SZrJ-wPFlj8WnhWsJA3hKMzUkJyLqJOEgfRahatPY_k21Axxkdfo20n0EK8InMUsrhzi8e-o/s1600/72+-+Rochdale+Canal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Walsden Church and the Rochdale Canal" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN1VGEuu519fNnY0W0H1CHJh_qKB3rLGFfZ7vpdBa0JnP4T8SLPU4sp14xA6-Av4aipe4SZrJ-wPFlj8WnhWsJA3hKMzUkJyLqJOEgfRahatPY_k21Axxkdfo20n0EK8InMUsrhzi8e-o/s320/72+-+Rochdale+Canal.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I look forward to visiting even more new towns and villages during the course of my walking adventures next year. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-76404626488343891602012-12-15T15:20:00.001+00:002012-12-15T15:22:44.501+00:00Horse Head and Birks Fell VideoThis is my latest attempt at putting a short video together from one of my walks. I actually took this footage back in April but my old computer was unable to handle editing the video files. <br />
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On this video there is less of me actually walking about and I've also added some music and a few stills as well. It was a super walk. Littondale is a beautiful valley in the Dales whilst the ridge walk from Horse Head to Birks Fell featured great views. The trig point on Horse Head Moor is one of my favourite places I've been to (<a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk/yorkshire-dales/walks/150412.html" target="_blank">read my original walk report</a>).<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-20893986864003006952012-12-12T19:26:00.001+00:002012-12-12T19:26:30.358+00:00Newton Moor VideoThis is my third attempt at doing a video. The footage was taken on last Sunday's walk up on to the modest height of Newton Moor in the southern Yorkshire Dales.<br />
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I'm quite pleased with some of the footage but I don't seem to be having much success in reducing the wind noise. See what you think.<br />
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</center>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-80702861628420605292012-11-29T19:57:00.000+00:002012-11-29T19:57:27.408+00:0010 reasons to love the Northern Fells On the 5th May earlier this year I got to the top of Great Calva and in doing so completed all the fells covered in 'The Northern Fells', Book Five in Wainwright's series of pictorial guides to the Lakeland Fells.<br />
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It had taken me 11 walks to do all of the 24 fells and I thoroughly enjoyed each one of them. Indeed I have a real soft spot for the Northern Fells. It is obvious though that not everyone holds them in such high esteem. For instance, I remember meeting a couple of other walkers on Brae Fell and when I said how lovely the area was they were fairly dismissive. Even Wainwright, who at one point in his conclusion to Book Five realises he is in danger of becoming too enthusiastic, backtracks somewhat and adds that compared to the fells surrounding Borrowdale, Langdale and Wasdale the Northern Fells are, "not in the same class."</div>
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Of course what constitutes good fell-walking country is highly subjective but I'd guess that most people would concur with Wainwright and that the Northern Fells wouldn't rate too highly in many people's favourite Lakeland areas. In an attempt therefore to change perceptions of the Northern Fells here are, in no particular order, my '10 reasons to love the Northern Fells':<br />
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<b>1. Sharp Edge</b> - Wainwright lists no less than 12 routes to the top of Blencathra. I've so far only done two of them, the first time up the Hall's Fell ridge and then the second time via Sharp Edge, perhaps the finest ridge in the Lake District. Striding Edge is more famous but Sharp Edge is better. For a start you'll meet a lot fewer people and there is a reason for that - it is a lot scarier!<br />
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<b>2. Mungrisdale Common</b> - The very antithesis of Sharp Edge, the broad, featureless expanse of Mungrisdale Common is, by any reasonable way of measuring these things, not even really a separate fell at all. It is actually, like Sharp Edge, a part of Blencathra. It is tempting to think that Wainwright included it in his 'Northern Fells' as something of a joke. Yet by including it far more people have crossed its 'summit' than would ever have done otherwise. My visit to Mungrisdale Common came on the same walk as Sharp Edge. It was on Mungrisdale Common that I sat and ate my lunch with no one else about whilst listening to the song of the local skylarks. In truth I enjoyed these moments of pure relaxation as much as the adrenaline rush of Sharp Edge. Where else in the Lakes can you get such a contrast? <br />
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<b>3. I wandered lonely as a cloud</b> - While the opening line of Wordsworth's most famous poem were inspired by a walk in the woods on the lakeshore of Ullswater they could refer to the Northern Fells. Wainwright claimed that apart from on Skiddaw and Blencathra he didn't pass any other walkers in two years of tramping the Northern Fells. While that is highly unlikely to happen nowadays (ironically, thanks in part to Wainwright) these fells are still remarkably quiet compared to most areas of the Lake District. For hill walkers who like to get away from the crowds the Northern Fells hold an appeal far greater than the fells of Borrowdale, Langdale and Wasdale. The only Wainwright I've visited three times is Knott and, apart from my wife who was with me the first time, I didn't see a single other person each time.<br />
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<b>4. Skiddaw</b>
- Recently, whilst staying in the Eskdale Youth Hostel, I got talking with a couple of other walkers who expressed some surprise when I said that Skiddaw was one of my favourite fells. It seems that despite being the 4th highest mountain in England (as well as being much older than most of the Lakeland Fells) there have always been doubters as to the worth of Skiddaw, hence Wainwright's eloquent defence of the fell. As Wainwright notes Skiddaw is one of the noblest looking fells in the Lakes. I don't think I could ever tire of the view of Skiddaw from Keswick and Derwent Water. It is the true overlord of the surrounding fells, something that cannot be said for Helvellyn for instance.While the main path from Keswick may not be the most exciting climb in the world the approach via Ullock Pike, Long Side and Carl Side is magnificent and gives you a real appreciation for the sheer size of Skiddaw. My first visit to Skiddaw was via the Ullock Pike ridge with the descent made via Bakestall and the Dash valley and it remains one of my favourite walks. The views from the top are pretty awesome too.<br />
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<b>5. Great Cockup</b>
- Up there with Bodmin Moor's Brown Willy and Lord Hereford's Knob in the Black Mountains for having one of the more amusing fell names Great Cockup is certainly a more original name than the endless number of Dodds that can be found in certain parts of the Lakes. However, there is more to Great Cockup than its chucklesome name. On a clear day the view north beyond Binsey, an outlier of the Northern Fells, and across the Solway Firth to Criffel and beyond is magnificent.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJWhZ8gsR6aWeCaIUY5kHoX5cKUz7YcJc7EvhLx-PTawSeCRV9PotXTRMehWNCBXpfIhlX_XoejbnnApELJJ8iAFRYXYkN-bgSSue1bZljw_NUE9Hg227U2WovKFlB0fEQjxva0_zJPQ/s1600/24+-+On+Great+Cockup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Enjoying the view from Great Cockup" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJWhZ8gsR6aWeCaIUY5kHoX5cKUz7YcJc7EvhLx-PTawSeCRV9PotXTRMehWNCBXpfIhlX_XoejbnnApELJJ8iAFRYXYkN-bgSSue1bZljw_NUE9Hg227U2WovKFlB0fEQjxva0_zJPQ/s320/24+-+On+Great+Cockup.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>6. Latrigg</b>
- Is there another fell in the Lakes where it is possible to get such a good view for so little effort? Latrigg is an easy walk from Keswick and the reward is a superb view south across Derwent Water. If the walk is extended by a descent along the east ridge to Brundholme and then a return to Kewsick via the old railway line then a lovely walk will have been had.<br />
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<b>7. Trusmadoor</b>
- A small, narrow pass separating Great Cockup from Meal Fell, Trusmadoor is an atmospheric little gem. <br />
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<b>8. Lonscale Fell's north-east buttress</b>
- It might surprise people when I say the most nerve wracking ascent I've made in the Lake District was up Lonscale Fell. As the fell is for the most part grassy and fairly featureless I decided to add interest by taking the route Wainwright describes up the north-east buttress direct to the east peak. While Wainwright describes the route as 'for scramblers only' he also says, 'there is little need to handle rock'. As the route became increasingly steep towards the top and the view back down increasingly precipitous I began to wish for a bit more rock for something to hold on to. I'll happily admit that when I got to the top my legs were a bit wobbly. At the time I vowed never to do it again, over a year later I quite fancy another crack at it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTehDfKiY74E7oHxNAYzxdy2w-GXOcsi4zpLUQ5N_KRY9ts3vjovNLvcG0vNHky7yf1UNvzWHw-S-ZXPEheah10IpNokCyGPw_ZiC-e-QpM2PPCix7xji6x_f0f8zxX6zSVDn6qodvWmg/s1600/19+-+Looking+down2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The view down from the top of the north east buttress of Lonscale Fell/></a></div>
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<b>9. Uldale Fells</b> - To the north of Knott is a small group of hills called the Uldale Fells, including the likes of Great Sca Fell (about as different from the famous Sca Fell as it is possible to get), Meal Fell, Brae Fell, Longlands Fell and Lowthwaite Fell. The Uldale Fells are smooth grassy hills with steep flanks. They are a delight to walk on and I can think of no better compliment than to describe them as like a miniature version of the Howgill Fells. Like the Howgill Fells there are very few walls of fences in the Uldale Fells and this, combined with the nature of the terrain, means that walkers have a wonderful freedom to explore wherever they want. Another thing the Uldale Fells have in common with the Howgills is the presence of wild ponies. The first time I happened across these magnificent animals in the Northern Fells a small herd trotted right past us on the path leading to Trusmadoor. It was a thrilling moment and not one you are likely to experience in many other areas of the Lake District.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgsntkVPsWB9Rp3p4Lu9FaxgsWzUrk26qztHiou-axLz-dZ-q6SCC65IpmmHjvCJ7sPk4p-37HkZDE_elg8OV05WzqE6cJHvHZE6ZIb6dLm-VyOaAvaY3hfFFf_MVyPtq0iRgj-GueAk/s1600/03+-+Lisa+and+Wild+Ponies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Wild ponies in the Uldale Fells" border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgsntkVPsWB9Rp3p4Lu9FaxgsWzUrk26qztHiou-axLz-dZ-q6SCC65IpmmHjvCJ7sPk4p-37HkZDE_elg8OV05WzqE6cJHvHZE6ZIb6dLm-VyOaAvaY3hfFFf_MVyPtq0iRgj-GueAk/s320/03+-+Lisa+and+Wild+Ponies.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>10. Carrock Fell - </b>At the end of Book Seven, 'The Western Fells', Wainwright, somewhat reluctantly lists his favourite fells. Before doing so he mentions several other fells that were high on the list but didn't quite make it, mainly due to lack of height. Carrock Fell is one of those that didn't quite make it. Compared to most of the Northern Fells it is quite a rough hill with rock and heather in abundance. The climb up from Mosedale is enjoyably intricate, there being a distinct lack of a well trodden path. The best thing about Carrock Fell though is its rocky summit which is adorned with the remains of an ancient hill fort and which provides a super view across the Eden valley towards the North Pennines.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxzMD2YFaYKai1BQ3G8sO7diXRMNfvJZzT58VLt8TsLgUviqcHCKC8MPMaGw_oO9rSdLIykn7JuFULJgPyh5fCOd7TTiJRTwPZEHepcEZQV9Y9Ds6clNEVfgeoNxmICDP3dL6L8jgIqI/s1600/12+-+Top+of+Carrock+Fell+looking+to+the+Pennines.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Looking across the Eden valley from the top of Carrock Fell" border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxzMD2YFaYKai1BQ3G8sO7diXRMNfvJZzT58VLt8TsLgUviqcHCKC8MPMaGw_oO9rSdLIykn7JuFULJgPyh5fCOd7TTiJRTwPZEHepcEZQV9Y9Ds6clNEVfgeoNxmICDP3dL6L8jgIqI/s320/12+-+Top+of+Carrock+Fell+looking+to+the+Pennines.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Those then are my '10 reasons to love the Northern Fells'. Apologies to the east ridge of Bannerdale Crags which deserves a more than honourable mention as does the summit of High Pike with its cairn, trig point and handy memorial bench. I've not yet ventured into Roughten Gill but suspect that that too would prove to be another reason to love the Northern Fells. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-52056730483794593192012-11-08T22:35:00.001+00:002012-11-08T22:35:56.683+00:00Berghaus Freeflow 20 Rucksack Review<p>This is my first kit review so don't expect anything too technical, on the other hand I'm not going to indulge in the kind of 'kit porn' that I've come across in magazines such as Trail.</p>
<p>I've been using a <a href="http://www.berghaus.com">Berghaus rucksack</a> now for just over 8 years. It has served me faithfully but after over 400 walks and being carried for over 2,000 miles it is now getting a bit worn and, if I'm being honest, it is starting to smell just a little bit stale. Therefore when I was given the chance to review the <a href="http://store.berghaus.com/p/day-sacks/freeflow-20-rucksack/434556">Berghaus Freeflow 20 Rucksack</a> I jumped at the opportunity.</p>
<p>I've taken the rucksack out once, on a 6.5 mile walk in Balderdale in the North Pennines. I've been using a Freeflow 25+5 so the Freeflow 20 was a fair bit smaller to what I'm used to. This in itself was not such a bad thing as it forced me to only pack the essentials though I still filled the bag right up. At about 870g it is certainly quite light and, as I'd not packed as much I normally would, I hardly noticed any weight on my back at all whilst walking, it was certainly very comfortable.</p>
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<p>One of the main things to note about the Berghaus Freeflow rucksacks is the Freeflow system itself which is basically a frame that keeps most of the rucksack from direct contact with the wearer's back to increase airflow and reduce sweating. It is a feature I like though it can sometimes be frustating when packing as the main compartment area is forced into a curve.</p>
<p>The Freeflow 20 has one main compartment that can be unzipped to almost half way down which allows good access to the bottom of the pack. There is also a zip compartment on the back for easy access to items such as a map or compass. Other features include a hydration pouch that can hold a 2 litre water pouch, walking pole holders and two angled side pouches, one of which I used for easy access to my water bottle whilst on the move.</p>
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<p>Something I have to mention is the raincover - or lack of it. The information on the tag claims that there is an, "integrated raincover that is stowed away in the top lid". I've searched every inch, not just of the top lid, but of the entire rucksack and haven't been able to locate this raincover. Having said that it is not a feature I'm particularly bothered about. From experience I find that raincovers tend to blow about quite annoyingly in windy weather (a friend of mine used to refer to them as a 'spinnaker'). It was a glorious day when I took this bag out so it remains to be seen how it would perform in wet conditions.</p>
<p>In conclusion the Freeflow 20 is a bag that I will happily continue to use, and indeed recommend - but only on shortish walks in favourable conditions. In reality though it simply doesn't have the kind of capacity I'd need to pack what I'd need for the kind of long pathless rambles in the hills that I often indulge in or even a shorter walk in very wet or wintry conditions. However, for short to moderate country walks in good weather it is perfect and a much better alternative to the heavy bag I'd normally carry.</p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-76940170475058899322012-04-29T17:43:00.000+01:002012-04-29T17:43:39.379+01:00Love walking, love beef, hate cowsThe title of this blog should be fairly self-explanatory. As my website testifies I love walking. At the same time anyone who knows me personally will also know that I am a fairly unashamed eater of meat, my favourite meal is still a traditional roast beef served with yorkshire puddings and lots of horseradish sauce. So I love walking, I love beef but as the title says I hate cows. More specifically I hate coming across cows when I'm out walking as quite frankly they scare the crap out of me! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5iirxzH5hsr00gJEZQAxeZGaZtF4I4_0WhWBYd8dpr6jKmJ2985wtkqdX-uU1ZzyhmUBRFjRfiAVINdGnIoOK5151Hg5OrQ5xwq7v-VGrv_xKtBZD_wpT0pUIbFAic7pOp0goMjynnY/s1600/45+-+Cows.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5iirxzH5hsr00gJEZQAxeZGaZtF4I4_0WhWBYd8dpr6jKmJ2985wtkqdX-uU1ZzyhmUBRFjRfiAVINdGnIoOK5151Hg5OrQ5xwq7v-VGrv_xKtBZD_wpT0pUIbFAic7pOp0goMjynnY/s320/45+-+Cows.JPG" alt="Coming across cows on the path is the sight that I dread the most when out walking" width="320" /></a></div>
Now cows have a reputation for being fairly docile creatures who stand around all day chewing the cud and basically doing very little else apart from leaving very large 'pats' for the unwary traveller to step into. I know better though. You see I seem to have had problems with cows going all the way back to childhood. Indeed it was an incident on a school trip, when a cow took umbrage to the fact that I'd stroked it, that I gained my first nickname - Mattmoo. Since then I've always been wary of cows but it was not until I took up walking as a hobby that I've been forced into regular contact with them, often with scary results. <br />
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For example, last August I was walking back to Renwick towards the end of a superb walk on to <a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk/north-pennines/walks/280811.html">Black Fell</a> in the North Pennines when I was confronted with a field with some cows in it. Now because of my bovinephobia I stood a while contemplating going the long way round via a road. In the end I decided to 'man up' and face my fear, though I still tried crossing the field whilst staying as far away from them as possible and with my eyes averted in order to cause the least offence. I got to within 15 metres of the gate on the far side when they just started to run towards me. I certainly wasn't going to wait and ask them what they wanted so legged it to the gate which I then hit at high speed, flipping me over and landing me on my back on the far side. Thankfully there was no one around to have seen my spectacular vault over the gate nor the subsequent hand gestures I made at the vicious brutes once I realised I was safe. It was more than my pride that was bruised though, I had a sore shoulder for a week and a bruise up the whole of my right shin which lasted about a month. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRXGGIbXp_pzfk6naGKHD7_F470RNmX1a-TypfkvUIbNCIasrvaN1pG3LrmVrerHDzc1-sgezhxDLLigkST8v1OEfNUb8XAGVMxnFPWNZz8wUH4BZjG_5sYzc0cDigg4lGfQm7igvhMo/s1600/03+-+Calves.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="239" alt="Young cows can be quite curious" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRXGGIbXp_pzfk6naGKHD7_F470RNmX1a-TypfkvUIbNCIasrvaN1pG3LrmVrerHDzc1-sgezhxDLLigkST8v1OEfNUb8XAGVMxnFPWNZz8wUH4BZjG_5sYzc0cDigg4lGfQm7igvhMo/s320/03+-+Calves.JPG" /></a></div>
Young cows and calves are a particular problem. Whilst a lot of cows are admittedly just as nervous of me as I am of them the youngsters have, to me, a rather unhealthy streak of curiosity. I remember one time in 2005 when returning from a fine tramp <a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk/nidderdale/walks/200805.html">in the upper reaches of Colsterdale and Nidderdale</a> I was crossing a field full of cows and calves. A small group of calves decided to check me out so the mummy cows followed to keep an eye on them. Within seconds I had cows heading towards me from all directions so I clambered up on to the nearest drystone wall for safety only for all the cows in the next field to come and check me out as well. I stood on that wall for almost 5 minutes completely surrounded before I plucked up the courage to jump off and make a dash to the nearest gate and safety (fortunately I got over this particular gate without any mishaps). On a more recent occassion I can remember being tracked by a young cow, which kept calling back to the rest of the herd, for over 400m across open fellside before it eventually gave up and left me alone.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Jqac-djIRDUKE6RuiKPNcvTAQH39zl2dMO0rXON6_MLm1TU9hwB19gTz-o9VOdw7SCfHNaD026CQM11s9W1Q7ugXRjFziNXTGhZnR0sDZsEK9iv6X_Gpu9GOpNuSpIhQ5nvzl4r0h9A/s1600/26+-+Safely+through+from+the+top.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="218" width="320" alt="The terrifying 'Bull in field' sign" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Jqac-djIRDUKE6RuiKPNcvTAQH39zl2dMO0rXON6_MLm1TU9hwB19gTz-o9VOdw7SCfHNaD026CQM11s9W1Q7ugXRjFziNXTGhZnR0sDZsEK9iv6X_Gpu9GOpNuSpIhQ5nvzl4r0h9A/s320/26+-+Safely+through+from+the+top.JPG" /></a></div>
I've had numerous other incidents over the last few years and just a couple of days ago my mere presence seems to have a sent a gang of bullocks in to a frenzy as they charged up and down alongside the rather flimsy looking fence desperately trying to get to me on the adjacent path. Given the rather dubious protection of said flimsy fence I climbed over into the next field for extra protection. Strangely enough though I've not really had too many problems with bulls. I've seen plenty of 'Bull in field' signs but most of the time said bull was nowhere to be seen (in fact they are almost never seen which makes crossing a field with such a sign all the more nervewracking just in case the local bull is equipped with some kind of invisibility cloak).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6vxE6HjGDzh7CkFB9Z3c-u3OUO1UZYIAVUvdLWbuxZAAs17ny9nD2xkjffz4ZvZVC2znHEKf0GyGS3nDxN1e8Xv0xsj-2PdMqpK0w9kYRxKZRp8C4I3MmXI903oQdi2WXbOlkoTyeuU/s1600/18+-+Bull.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" alt="Bull on Fellbarrow" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6vxE6HjGDzh7CkFB9Z3c-u3OUO1UZYIAVUvdLWbuxZAAs17ny9nD2xkjffz4ZvZVC2znHEKf0GyGS3nDxN1e8Xv0xsj-2PdMqpK0w9kYRxKZRp8C4I3MmXI903oQdi2WXbOlkoTyeuU/s320/18+-+Bull.JPG" /></a></div>
The one time I came close to a bull without the protection of a wall was, rather bizarrely, <a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk/lake-district/walks/171007.html">on the summit of Fellbarrow</a> in the Lake District. It was stood just yards away from the trig point. I'm still rather proud that I plucked up the courage to go up to the trig point and take some photos but to be truthful the bull barely moved, it seemed to be too engrossed in the view across the Vale of Lorton to the North-Western fells to have
any interest in me, and to be honest who can blame him. It should also be said that I've had very little problems with 'hairy' breeds of cattle such as the Galloway, Belted Galloway or Highland cows, all of which can today be found on the high limestone pastures of the Dales, particularly around Malham and in parts of Ribblesdale.<br/>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuaoBUAT6Qj2M9ZA5P_ozhPDZQpTtKwBwlaewys_O68q2FcrjGkLUBx9KmdsoNsx12X19qMKm0NZr8iFVyzbTYRTnouwHGV2sPP4XUwJv9X_LQuJqX60M-4DajfjAUWRX6x-zZ7D6jAI/s1600/07+-+Highland+Cow3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="239" width="320" alt="Highland cow above Malham" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuaoBUAT6Qj2M9ZA5P_ozhPDZQpTtKwBwlaewys_O68q2FcrjGkLUBx9KmdsoNsx12X19qMKm0NZr8iFVyzbTYRTnouwHGV2sPP4XUwJv9X_LQuJqX60M-4DajfjAUWRX6x-zZ7D6jAI/s320/07+-+Highland+Cow3.JPG" /></a></div>
Other than the omnipresent fear of getting trampled by rampaging cows (and lest anyone think I am being over the top it does sadly happen to unfortunate walkers) there is another reason to dislike cows. Farms, often not the most fragrant of places anyway, are usually much worse for the presence of cows. I hate it when I have to cross a muddy farmyard especially when you just know that the 'mud' you are squelching across is an unholy mixture that is at least two parts cow dung and urine. Cows also have a tendency to trample wet ground into a quagmire which makes even crossing a field they have vacated a rather messy experience. <br/>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_ba-cPcci9tLoNzUAFhqZ1xV7r4N_iTGhsjZ-Eewt6o5_s8iFoB4q6bSbALlFNsHmXaeTrcaE4syn1HGIE7NWsf0Y5YgxkO2p7i0O_lTNKDKqPf_AIdSsOl8vfmfcgoBudyOE5bT0as/s1600/01+-+Cows.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_ba-cPcci9tLoNzUAFhqZ1xV7r4N_iTGhsjZ-Eewt6o5_s8iFoB4q6bSbALlFNsHmXaeTrcaE4syn1HGIE7NWsf0Y5YgxkO2p7i0O_lTNKDKqPf_AIdSsOl8vfmfcgoBudyOE5bT0as/s320/01+-+Cows.JPG" /></a></div>
If given the choice I'd prefer to avoid farmyards altogether and it would make me happy if I never had to walk through another field of cows again. Unfortunately this just isn't practical. If I want to continue exploring our glorious countryside I'm just going to have to find a solution to my dislike and fear of bovine kind. Perhaps I could ask one of those bulls if I could borrow his invisibility cloak.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-10894983082698330342011-12-23T19:44:00.015+00:002011-12-24T00:06:56.396+00:00Walk Review 2011It is that time of year again when magazines, papers and TV schedules are chock full of articles and programmes reviewing different aspects of the last 12 months, whether it be the top films, best albums, top news stories of 2011, etc, etc. This blog post then is my personal look back at the best, and worst, of my walking adventures in 2011.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjA1MmTCU_-QAsFZGcOFQrlWMV48IYuCqohBqkXU9_B-3rCcPAqf8aDaCy7BFOOgtaQCA9e08L5EUwSY1SZA1ff6YGhyNYMoAEtekkEZFjfyLm0npuTED4SbOHiL_UQ9dFgfkIn7d5UFU/s1600/24+-+On+Gun+Stone.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjA1MmTCU_-QAsFZGcOFQrlWMV48IYuCqohBqkXU9_B-3rCcPAqf8aDaCy7BFOOgtaQCA9e08L5EUwSY1SZA1ff6YGhyNYMoAEtekkEZFjfyLm0npuTED4SbOHiL_UQ9dFgfkIn7d5UFU/s320/24+-+On+Gun+Stone.JPG" border="0" alt="My walk along the North Kinder Edges was one of the walking highlights of 2011"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689474968768093090" /></a><br />For a start I managed to complete most of the <a href="http://mypennines.blogspot.com/2011/01/obsession-with-lists-my-walking-plans.html">walks I'd planned out for the year</a> and in doing so also managed to visit a fairly good variety of areas. Perhaps the two areas that most stood out for me in 2011 were the North Pennines and the Lake District. Between the beginning of February and the end of May I did half a dozen walks in the North Pennines which together greatly enhanced my appreciation for what is a greatly underrated and often ignored area for hill walking. After 7 North Pennine walks in total in 2011 I now only have a few North Pennine 2000ft tops to visit. More importantly I finally got round to climbing Mickle Fell, the historic top of Yorkshire, but which has awkward access issues due to its location on the Warcop Range.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gQAtGo80ODAdZrug6nOqTuz30WvfQDgKVavDXDftdfNtw6cGvW2X2J4BpsJouh6kCkw2xRuvjWS8WSZQGnxn6ouDTnuoPMrAL2SBLWbDy-dZmi3y3FgIyxvL4-q7Li6dwIjFgOBbxu8/s1600/34+-+On+Mickle+Fell.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gQAtGo80ODAdZrug6nOqTuz30WvfQDgKVavDXDftdfNtw6cGvW2X2J4BpsJouh6kCkw2xRuvjWS8WSZQGnxn6ouDTnuoPMrAL2SBLWbDy-dZmi3y3FgIyxvL4-q7Li6dwIjFgOBbxu8/s320/34+-+On+Mickle+Fell.JPG" border="0" alt="In 2011 I finally made it to the summit of Mickle Fell"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689474457966456914" /></a><br />Another important walk for me was when, in March, I climbed Whiteside, Hopegill Head and Grasmoor in the North Western Fells of the Lake District. This was my first walk in the Lakes since June 2009 when, at the time, I had been struggling with a knee problem which subsequently turned out to be torn cartilege. Having been an avid Wainwright bagger prior to that injury it was great to get back into the swing of things. In total I bagged 14 new Wainwrights in 2011 and have just 17 more to go to complete the whole set.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3yBeIppM9QSmBJzlp_d5jzHVkIQzLJnj1731xxnucupL5Ok_saJGeX5D-qB7XtOQKb-7bdBG2QOQCZOJnwZtm6W7IMnEwYE_WLaIXJKDa2m0WAX9Rr2kRIYz7qpK8EsqBINqf98jAiM/s1600/28+-+On+Whiteside.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3yBeIppM9QSmBJzlp_d5jzHVkIQzLJnj1731xxnucupL5Ok_saJGeX5D-qB7XtOQKb-7bdBG2QOQCZOJnwZtm6W7IMnEwYE_WLaIXJKDa2m0WAX9Rr2kRIYz7qpK8EsqBINqf98jAiM/s320/28+-+On+Whiteside.JPG" border="0" alt="Enjoying the view of Hopegill Head from Whiteside, my first Wainwright for nearly 2 years"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689473773520979906" /></a><br />It was on one Wainwright bagging expedition that I also managed my <a href="http://mypennines.blogspot.com/2011/08/going-wild-at-last.html">first wild camp</a>. Wild camping was one of those things I just knew would add a new dimension to my love for the hills but had never got round to it. Finally in July, with my friend Matt, I camped out by Sprinkling Tarn on Seathwaite Fell. Later on, in September, we also wild camped on Swarth Fell in the Yorkshire Dales. Despite the lack of sunsets and sunrises I thoroughly enjoyed both expeditions and hope to do a lot more in the future.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1BWs8S34VIRrducgUw8GmbrnO5pQdZYS0opiSf5NyBRVQxVaTZWnai0czfK5-e6rgqjXhuJu2fwrFWdyjXV0hnlEpchQNTne8zREvSP0dz7Q32iGgqMTFHuNxBVAMqbTykw_qyn1rHQ/s1600/41+-+Pitch.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1BWs8S34VIRrducgUw8GmbrnO5pQdZYS0opiSf5NyBRVQxVaTZWnai0czfK5-e6rgqjXhuJu2fwrFWdyjXV0hnlEpchQNTne8zREvSP0dz7Q32iGgqMTFHuNxBVAMqbTykw_qyn1rHQ/s320/41+-+Pitch.JPG" border="0" alt="Looking down at our pitch next to Sprinkling Tarn"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689475677833291746" /></a><br />In my <a href="http://mypennines.blogspot.com/2010/12/walk-review-2010.html">review of 2010</a> I mentioned the fact that I felt that I'd been fairly lucky with the weather. Looking back over the last 12 months I'm unable to give such an upbeat assessment. Perhaps I was just unlucky but, certainly for the first six months of the year, an excess of cloud and a lack of good visibility characterised the weather on many of my walks. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUqJetnty3yigiIxjQk-Nss9ASMd-GWn_J6shmDgnqv-A2tG1oFlUxAy3UiJI2odIU5n2Y49i4t685fdFioSmImduZrl5RmcMWg7us8ll1R84Mt8ABDpzH0c8fe0bFZAMXwpDbtq6o60M/s1600/30+-+Matt+crossing+hags.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUqJetnty3yigiIxjQk-Nss9ASMd-GWn_J6shmDgnqv-A2tG1oFlUxAy3UiJI2odIU5n2Y49i4t685fdFioSmImduZrl5RmcMWg7us8ll1R84Mt8ABDpzH0c8fe0bFZAMXwpDbtq6o60M/s320/30+-+Matt+crossing+hags.JPG" border="0" alt="Matt negotiating the peat hags on Black Fell on a tough walk in difficult conditions"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689478878723369650" /></a><br />Frustratingly, even when we had the extended dry spells in March and April when it was sunny it was also very hazy so visibility was poor. On one occassion it so hazy that I could barely make out Derwent Water from Skiddaw Little Man despite there not being a cloud in the sky. It wasn't until my 11th walk of the year in mid-March that I was able to enjoy the dual combination of blue skies and good visibility. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzKLJhd-Ugsi61x4vvJ1XxW4Vo2yZ4H8N2jmpLSMTdqnVky4OLX1Yk_FYE3qeubrJCIFwy7WCHzg8SWOPf9UkqhCz_zTBL1KbmL2xVgsf6cLVJcHHYcBf0YWEW-vdlpSzJtSctNaYCtsw/s1600/51+-+Dried+Peat.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzKLJhd-Ugsi61x4vvJ1XxW4Vo2yZ4H8N2jmpLSMTdqnVky4OLX1Yk_FYE3qeubrJCIFwy7WCHzg8SWOPf9UkqhCz_zTBL1KbmL2xVgsf6cLVJcHHYcBf0YWEW-vdlpSzJtSctNaYCtsw/s320/51+-+Dried+Peat.JPG" border="0" alt="The extremely dry Spring really dried out some of the peaty areas of the Bowland moors"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689479349821648130" /></a><br />Another element of the weather that has characterised the last 12 months has been the frequency of fairly strong winds. Now anyone who spends any time walking in the hills will expect it to be windy but it seems to have been especially so this year, particularly in April and May, although some of the strongest winds I've been out in were on the Win Hill walk I did in the Peak District in November.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcrFc4D6qCCAiE6KGyt7WOGcZOqj1MHJuZk4bfrxLftURJ9CgHdETLsTWrs9_91N8HbTMslbEHqgMnXbLg_kdUL3HWdnu0M7PoTlz1uDQX5WDc_q3Uiv5NKa2_ZCUA3_pJa2VhRum_eI/s1600/17+-+Top+of+Win+Hill.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcrFc4D6qCCAiE6KGyt7WOGcZOqj1MHJuZk4bfrxLftURJ9CgHdETLsTWrs9_91N8HbTMslbEHqgMnXbLg_kdUL3HWdnu0M7PoTlz1uDQX5WDc_q3Uiv5NKa2_ZCUA3_pJa2VhRum_eI/s320/17+-+Top+of+Win+Hill.JPG" border="0" alt="It was so windy when I visited the top of Win Hill that I could barely stand and it is a miracle I got this picture in focus"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689471249616399986" /></a><br />Anyway the following, in no particular order, are my best and worst moments on the hills in 2011. The following are highly subjective and as with all walking experiences were very much dependent on conditions overhead and underfoot.<br /><br /><strong>Top 5 walks</strong><br />1. Cnicht (Snowdonia)<br />2. North Kinder Edges (Peak District)<br />3. Great Hetha and White Law (Cheviots)<br />4. Cold Fell (North Pennines)<br />5. High Raise and Rampsgill Head (Lake District)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2fcjcZMwGvAxedo28rMBSxi4YgGPrQpsV4hAjHVnavaxyoC5OwrXmbHl98XsN8k_NSmLPgHQg7zrAhNKUTgt-QDeJRfyXeui4REvqOeE8rfjo9q5ytpxVfedY2b7xa2NxGJe6gf37wk/s1600/41+-+On+Cnicht.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2fcjcZMwGvAxedo28rMBSxi4YgGPrQpsV4hAjHVnavaxyoC5OwrXmbHl98XsN8k_NSmLPgHQg7zrAhNKUTgt-QDeJRfyXeui4REvqOeE8rfjo9q5ytpxVfedY2b7xa2NxGJe6gf37wk/s320/41+-+On+Cnicht.JPG" border="0" alt="The superb climb up on to Cnicht was definitely one of my favourite walks of 2011"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689472446619758914" /></a><br /><strong>Top 5 views</strong><br />1. View from White Law on the Border Ridge in the Cheviots.<br />2. View of Nantgwynant valley from Moel Hebog.<br />3. Autumn sunshine on the eastern edges and Ladybower from Crook Hill.<br />4. The Howgill Fells from West Baugh Fell.<br />5. Buttermere Valley from Mellbreak.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9agE6nXXe8XjrqHAmeoX-5DgltqqnZGTvip4bcCKx7FtvOln1XpUPYSy2XWND_S-8_Q73RR8oJfvO93jp1FQWwpCUsJVjbMeZBkNqqmktaTvz7EtzhI7fJoOWpJcYuJlp-6UFKbtLmBM/s1600/A148+-+Matt+and+the+Howgill+Fells.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9agE6nXXe8XjrqHAmeoX-5DgltqqnZGTvip4bcCKx7FtvOln1XpUPYSy2XWND_S-8_Q73RR8oJfvO93jp1FQWwpCUsJVjbMeZBkNqqmktaTvz7EtzhI7fJoOWpJcYuJlp-6UFKbtLmBM/s320/A148+-+Matt+and+the+Howgill+Fells.JPG" border="0" alt="The fabulous prospect of the Howgill Fells from West Baugh Fell"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689473227488722098" /></a><br /><strong>Top 5 moments</strong><br />1. Discovering the patch of rare Spring Gentian on Mickle Fell.<br />2. Getting to the top of Whiteside, my first Wainwright in nearly 2 years.<br />3. Enjoying the bluebells in Littledale, Forest of Bowland.<br />4. Descending into Whitendale, Bowland, from the Salter Road.<br />5. My first experience of wild camping.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYdbx-efguXN6ewt4rxVYya2eEZryrXNR2xQTz196hqhv3_XtxJLffQfBe2VKKQoz8LpmjK9j3fx2n69D7ihJxlOga2fQErMR1KNELzZ3VrDS0TPkZvBol2Li12TlXBUqEiuCzGDq7K0/s1600/22+-+Gill+Plantation+Bluebells.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYdbx-efguXN6ewt4rxVYya2eEZryrXNR2xQTz196hqhv3_XtxJLffQfBe2VKKQoz8LpmjK9j3fx2n69D7ihJxlOga2fQErMR1KNELzZ3VrDS0TPkZvBol2Li12TlXBUqEiuCzGDq7K0/s320/22+-+Gill+Plantation+Bluebells.JPG" border="0" alt="Bluebells in Littledale"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689469467056290226" /></a><br /><strong>5 Worst Moments</strong><br />1. Being chased out of a field by a herd of cows near Renwick in the North Pennines.<br />2. The detour on to Soil Hill in the South Pennines, despite the numerous public paths on the map the locals clearly didn't want walkers around and to top it off the summit was a huge spoil tip.<br />3. Getting the wobbles near the top of the north east buttress of Lonscale Fell, I've managed Striding Edge and Sharp Edge no problem but this route definitely got my adrenalin flowing.<br />4. After nearly a whole day of poor visibility and wintry conditions the last few miles of an epic walk over Grey Nag and Black Fell in the North Pennines were mentally very taxing - good recovery later on in The Angel in Alston mind!<br />5. Ripping my trousers from knee to crotch while leaping an innocuous stream on Barden Moor.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVCGoMor6t9AMLJJEd_XFQykI6LGmTHd1ZwRdWeVtyXa2kaW5Cg1a-TddEqWts68nh43ebBZ_gwvd18F0jDclXahcYAb-owlZKWtFT0pqyrQfFnGHx8SV3pFWAwq8wxLS7r7e5YYTdzA/s1600/79+-+Scary+Cows.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVCGoMor6t9AMLJJEd_XFQykI6LGmTHd1ZwRdWeVtyXa2kaW5Cg1a-TddEqWts68nh43ebBZ_gwvd18F0jDclXahcYAb-owlZKWtFT0pqyrQfFnGHx8SV3pFWAwq8wxLS7r7e5YYTdzA/s320/79+-+Scary+Cows.JPG" border="0" alt="I had to leap over a gate to avoid these pesky cows when they began running after me across a field outside Renwick"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689470353305046962" /></a><br />Overall it has been another cracking year for walking but now my thoughts are already turning to where I'm going to go next year. Roll on 2012!!!<br /><br />Happy Christmas.<br /><br />Matt <strong></strong><strong></strong>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-60613952910800960952011-10-07T18:44:00.009+01:002011-10-07T19:22:06.708+01:00Walking the BorderYou can encounter many physical barriers when out walking the high places of England. Walls, fences and ditches all act as the boundary line between farm holdings, parishes and counties, both old and new. Some boundaries exist only on maps with no visible sign on the ground. To my mind there is no more enjoyable boundary to visit during a walk than the Anglo-Scottish border as it winds its way northward from above Kielder Water, along the full length of the Cheviots hills.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzIAtklCbh1bZDgrGlY66rB1FZOoMw1Y-jfYo-KWkwQaS2tvf3hK1W2phYtvCNaIQ-YbYOsLan-wMJAL4GQ_HarYYxct6t8pGNvqyOUgGQla6bJTKKWLG6laVOJPzllOchtsfeXoHlO0/s1600/86+-+Eccles+Cairn.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzIAtklCbh1bZDgrGlY66rB1FZOoMw1Y-jfYo-KWkwQaS2tvf3hK1W2phYtvCNaIQ-YbYOsLan-wMJAL4GQ_HarYYxct6t8pGNvqyOUgGQla6bJTKKWLG6laVOJPzllOchtsfeXoHlO0/s400/86+-+Eccles+Cairn.JPG" border="0" alt="A distant view of the Eildon Hills from Eccles Cairn at the northern end of the Border Ridge"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660808898214143618" /></a><br />My first visit to the so-called Border Ridge was back in 2005 when my wife, Lisa, and I went on a camping trip to Kielder. After spending a suffocating night in a midgie infested tent we set off on what proved to be a grand walk over Deadwater Fell and on to Peel Fell which is neatly dissected from south-west to north-east by the border. Here the dividing line between England and Scotland is marked by a line of widely spaced wooden stakes. Without a wall or fence to hinder me I was able to take a child-like delight in literally walking along the border with one foot in England and the other in Scotland.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzciqokYkUFY8iDs7z-22AM8V1flAKptL8KrDFKNKlVMsX8kG5mnjTTv4fpqpvsdtmdGvKFwly7LYtdYR6WD0mZ84CP48dkl_qO-hPLL_7HbUTvog-J6LaYGSj01RuTMZS7cgoOVP2GPM/s1600/41+-+Matt+on+Jenny+Storrie%2527s+Stone.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzciqokYkUFY8iDs7z-22AM8V1flAKptL8KrDFKNKlVMsX8kG5mnjTTv4fpqpvsdtmdGvKFwly7LYtdYR6WD0mZ84CP48dkl_qO-hPLL_7HbUTvog-J6LaYGSj01RuTMZS7cgoOVP2GPM/s400/41+-+Matt+on+Jenny+Storrie%2527s+Stone.jpg" border="0" alt="Jennie Storie's Stone on Peel Fell sits just inside the Scottish side of the Border"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660815192191067506" /></a><br />I’ve since revisited the Border Ridge several times and climbed some of its major summits, including Windy Gyle and The Schil. For much of the way the border is marked by a fence which is shadowed for most of its length by the Pennine Way. The views, both into England and into Scotland are superb and I’d rate the panorama from Windy Gyle as one of the finest in the country. Recently I enjoyed superb visibility from White Law at the northern end of the Border Ridge. Looking into Scotland I could see beyond the distinctive profile of the Eildon Hills to Broad Law, the second highest fell of the Southern Uplands over 40 miles away. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPjwZ6s7KVGAyF2mp3XTdLXqiXqhjMevy-IqWLI-oE01UW2Mgfky7-BzkoQj5Ol-24Bo_2i3sE4UoIhg4yqJkY6o-HzOrpCPCKJjEUunMn0IX4gnuiuVRxpHa_48uBDVkcpD30YVTIrA/s1600/56+-+Scottish+Cheviots.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPjwZ6s7KVGAyF2mp3XTdLXqiXqhjMevy-IqWLI-oE01UW2Mgfky7-BzkoQj5Ol-24Bo_2i3sE4UoIhg4yqJkY6o-HzOrpCPCKJjEUunMn0IX4gnuiuVRxpHa_48uBDVkcpD30YVTIrA/s400/56+-+Scottish+Cheviots.JPG" border="0" alt="The view into Scotland from White Law on the Border Ridge"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660809423022987890" /></a><br />It is not just the colourful hills, the outstanding views, or the thrill of being able to cross at will from England to Scotland that makes the Border Ridge such a special place for walking. Located so far from any major urban centres the Cheviots are anything but overcrowded. Their wild beauty and remote solitude make the area a paradise for walkers. There is also a lot of history as well. Bronze Age burial cairns, Iron Age hillforts and Roman camps can all be found on or near the Border Ridge.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIXWPGapVxKW_GIUrCR1jq0Anb6IoxEAFL8lJSzQ2qt41Gjs1QLPJ4KCVstBDReAJ4uJ_Aone2Oc0ryKVihfr8aZ-aTAAe-PqgFaA4nC-iNNpb5S2MaaFeqBMpqZa3eVqXxA-uC8HZCDE/s1600/21+-+Top+of+Windy+Gyle.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIXWPGapVxKW_GIUrCR1jq0Anb6IoxEAFL8lJSzQ2qt41Gjs1QLPJ4KCVstBDReAJ4uJ_Aone2Oc0ryKVihfr8aZ-aTAAe-PqgFaA4nC-iNNpb5S2MaaFeqBMpqZa3eVqXxA-uC8HZCDE/s400/21+-+Top+of+Windy+Gyle.JPG" border="0" alt="The top of Windy Gyle is marked by a large Bronze Age burial cairn"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660814914337412866" /></a><br />Though quiet and peaceful today it is also an area that has seen plenty of conflict. From the wars between the kingdoms of England and Scotland in medieval times to the raids of the Border Reivers in the years before and after the Union of the Crowns in 1603 the Border Ridge and the surrounding hills has seen plenty of strife. The results of the endless raids, murders, skirmishes and battles all helped form the border as it is today. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUt4n-5rbwUq_wpzkKEi34t9_3Fx6lppzCCEwHX3ZdnDab5YLcpKgPB9UJ2KESr9VR8A7WAcWLK7Y2uDAacDe61SGyPzfmh1Bj1_Ikve38u-IInKVBtg3j26MA2poOczh6a1QciFVnrs/s1600/23+-+The+Schil.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUt4n-5rbwUq_wpzkKEi34t9_3Fx6lppzCCEwHX3ZdnDab5YLcpKgPB9UJ2KESr9VR8A7WAcWLK7Y2uDAacDe61SGyPzfmh1Bj1_Ikve38u-IInKVBtg3j26MA2poOczh6a1QciFVnrs/s400/23+-+The+Schil.JPG" border="0" alt="At 601m in height The Schil is one of the highest summits on the Border Ridge"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660810870143859490" /></a><br />George MacDonald Fraser, author of the ‘Flashman’ series of novels and historian of the Border Reivers described the Cheviots as, ‘the most romantic hills in the world’. Whilst I have not travelled enough to dare to agree with that epithet I’d certainly argue they are among the most beautiful and the Border Ridge itself is certainly one of my personal favourite walking areas. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ4z-TaTd6ZaZd4PAwCGldracJkNWfwiijzA59SLOMMK99-BvFP74HmcyqGXLBb0kvkNWpUgCugMcmVeS7pz7WqcDQWeHn8UkFiOMQu2GLQ1sZUIcFyx8WHMJk39pIKYPcPIVYZLuXxH0/s1600/28+-+Windy+Rigg.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ4z-TaTd6ZaZd4PAwCGldracJkNWfwiijzA59SLOMMK99-BvFP74HmcyqGXLBb0kvkNWpUgCugMcmVeS7pz7WqcDQWeHn8UkFiOMQu2GLQ1sZUIcFyx8WHMJk39pIKYPcPIVYZLuXxH0/s400/28+-+Windy+Rigg.JPG" border="0" alt="Looking south along the Border Ridge from Windy Gyle"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660815087068255762" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-3284867654791684582011-10-03T19:12:00.002+01:002011-10-03T19:21:42.561+01:00Book Review: The UK’s County Tops, Jonny Muir, Cicerone (2011)I love hill lists. Many of my walks have the ultimate aim of ‘bagging’ a previously unvisited summit from a popular hill list (I’m gradually closing in on completing the Wainwrights, the English Hewitts and Nuttalls). Ticking them off my ‘to do’ list panders to my more obsessive side, but standing on a summit is more than just an end in itself – I also use hill lists as a starting point to explore new areas. By tackling lists such as the Nuttalls and Deweys I’ve visited some quite wonderful walking country I would otherwise have missed.<br /><br />So I was excited and intrigued when I was given the opportunity to review Cicerone’s latest walking guide, ‘The UK’s County Tops’ by Jonny Muir. I’ve been aware of the County Tops list for a while but my ambitions in this area have been restricted to the ones within the Pennine range. Rather than being based on the modern system of counties and unitary authorities, this book is based on the “historic counties”, i.e. counties that existed before changes to local government boundaries in 1974. That makes 91 historical county tops; 39 in England, 33 in Scotland, 13 in Wales and 6 in Northern Ireland. The county tops range in height from the 1344m high Ben Nevis in Inverness-shire, to the aptly named, 80m-high Boring Field in Huntingdonshire.<br /><br />The author Jonny Muir is well placed to write this guide, having become the first person to visit all 91 county tops as part of a single 5,000 mile walking and cycling adventure in 2006. It took him more than three months to complete – a remarkable achievement. <br /><br />The book is well laid out, divided into four sections that cover the county tops of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. A short introduction to each county top is given, with a recommended route, a plan of the route using OS 1:50,000 scale mapping, and a ‘Did You Know’ section which provides a ‘Famous Native’ and ‘Interesting Fact’ for each county. Some county tops are so close to each other they can be visited in the same walk.<br /><br />As the author says in his introduction, “No other hill list is quite like this one. No other is as diverse or, frankly, as wonderfully ridiculous”. The list is certainly diverse and admittedly there is something ridiculous about some of the county tops, particularly some of the ones in southern England, like the aforementioned Boring Field. Perhaps the nadir is Betsom’s Hill, the county top of Kent, which is actually inaccessible as it lies in somebody’s garden! On the other hand, for those of us, like me, who live south of the border and feel daunted by the list of Munros, the Scottish County Tops provide a doable list of hills to climb in Scotland. <br /><br />The book has undoubtedly opened my eyes to the potential of the County Tops as a viable hill list, and would prove indispensable if, god forbid, I ever found myself at a loose end in the Home Counties. In particular, it’s reinforced my desire to get myself over to Northern Ireland for some serious hill walking at some point.<br /><br />I do, however, have some problems with the book or, more specifically, the walking routes that Muir provides. Roughly three quarters of them are of the ‘there and back’ variety, usually starting from the nearest point of access from a road. This is fine if the purpose it to get to the summit and back again in the shortest available time, but as this is supposed to be a walking guide, it would have been a lot better if more interesting routes were provided. I was particularly irked by the walking routes that Muir provides for The Cheviot and Hangingstone Hill. The latter is the highest point in Scotland’s Roxburghshire, but in reality it’s merely a shoulder of The Cheviot (county top of Northumberland). Muir provides separate routes, “for the sake of preserving national identities” but rather bizarrely starts both walks from Langleeford in the Harthope Valley. Not only that, they’re both ‘there and back’ walks when the two could easily be combined to produce a more satisfactory circular walk. Besides if Muir really wanted to preserve the national identity of Hangingstone Hill surely he should have provided a route starting in Scotland, perhaps from Cocklawfoot, for example. This is just one example; I could provide a lot more.<br /><br />Another disappointment was the length of some of the walks. In fact ‘walk’ is something of a misnomer as some of them are no more than a 30 minute stroll from the car. Even given that this is all that is feasible for some of the English county tops I do feel more effort could have been made to give more extended and interesting walking routes. Just because you can park right next to the summit of Dunstable Downs, the highest point of Bedfordshire, doesn’t mean you should, especially when there’s a nearby chalk escarpment to explore. In complete contrast Muir’s route for Scafell Pike, which starts from Great Langdale, climbs both Bow Fell and Esk Pike before heading over Great End to Scafell Pike – a very challenging and somewhat circuitous route!<br /><br />For pure, unadulterated peak baggers I would wholeheartedly recommend this book. For anyone who is genuinely interested in completing the UK county tops it is, of course, definitely worth checking out too. The book has certainly piqued my interest in the county tops but I’d be more likely to use it as a reference than a walking guide. There are some fantastic looking hills to visit contained within these pages, just not in the manner described in the book. <br /><br />'The UK's County Tops' is available to buy from the <a href="http://www.cicerone.co.uk/product/detail.cfm/book/629/title/the-uk-s-county-tops">Cicerone website</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-23530512642926536852011-09-07T19:45:00.009+01:002011-09-07T20:02:13.808+01:00A Surfeit of SummitsIt is a well-known saying that you can have, “too much of a good thing”, a sentiment I can whole heartedly agree with in the aftermath of gorging myself on a full packet of bourbon biscuits. Until recently one ‘good thing’ I didn’t think it was possible to have too much of in one go was hill summits. As a self-confessed peak bagger no walk feels complete to me without having bagged at least one summit, even better if I get to visit two, three, four or even five or six summits, no matter how insignificant, in a single walk. That was until a few weeks ago when I walked the Allen Crags – Glaramara – Bessyboot ridge in the Lake District.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGm9foB-cpmdULYq7dvW-__dNYLRbhxb7l1P1hLq9fe1kEHOBXJKyklOaBJsZyBviDTS_0rbzZjrbXSJECdFHuO2sn2qk1UD4VfmFf4KPanSgh9qTfNNRwSsP8C7n0t0nLaFsZ1XRqvso/s1600/62+-+Top+of+Allen+Crags.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGm9foB-cpmdULYq7dvW-__dNYLRbhxb7l1P1hLq9fe1kEHOBXJKyklOaBJsZyBviDTS_0rbzZjrbXSJECdFHuO2sn2qk1UD4VfmFf4KPanSgh9qTfNNRwSsP8C7n0t0nLaFsZ1XRqvso/s400/62+-+Top+of+Allen+Crags.JPG" border="0" alt="The first summit of the day was Allen Crags"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649691420603799666" /></a><br />In total there were 11 summits to visit - on paper it looked like a peak bagger’s wet dream. The reality was somewhat different. Well before I reached the final summit of the walk it was clear that I was experiencing a condition previously unknown to me – summit fatigue, or, to put it another way, I was suffering from a surfeit of summits. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibDzgHEJ5wQlb3aQubUZeYJw0pnEoNmPM5Krh2cNtFi6NmfAEJ1DCaFJjQ_4VveCIhrATfBgxp7DBBciMDAk7_mHhyphenhyphenh-Fd05i6gXExLF5t0eRuYnEVbZieq-gs40CTCn94eSHSBaGCgvM/s1600/69+-+On+High+House+Tarn+Top.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibDzgHEJ5wQlb3aQubUZeYJw0pnEoNmPM5Krh2cNtFi6NmfAEJ1DCaFJjQ_4VveCIhrATfBgxp7DBBciMDAk7_mHhyphenhyphenh-Fd05i6gXExLF5t0eRuYnEVbZieq-gs40CTCn94eSHSBaGCgvM/s400/69+-+On+High+House+Tarn+Top.JPG" border="0" alt="On High House Tarn Top, an area of attractive knolls and tarns"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649692185910748066" /></a><br />I’ve read some critical comments from people who complain that most of the summits on the Glaramara ridge are no more than minor bumps and are of little interest. I disagree. Yes some of them are, relatively speaking, fairly insignificant but in my experience every single one of them was worth visiting.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhMq9fN7J36CURZfM8P4RYU0RVjYjWu3CETK-N9QJ_xckexKi5v_8T5SHCpS7E91LQUro_bNsgZzxKLJm7rTkRZOqbANIkzR6J8ZNyXKiRbABKWAUZqjqGEpUFTuxMsDcaQ2XF58tHfQ/s1600/92+-+Matt+on+Looking+Steads.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhMq9fN7J36CURZfM8P4RYU0RVjYjWu3CETK-N9QJ_xckexKi5v_8T5SHCpS7E91LQUro_bNsgZzxKLJm7rTkRZOqbANIkzR6J8ZNyXKiRbABKWAUZqjqGEpUFTuxMsDcaQ2XF58tHfQ/s400/92+-+Matt+on+Looking+Steads.JPG" border="0" alt="My friend Matt enjoying the view from Looking Steads"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649692652699174450" /></a> <br />Allen Crags was the highest, Glaramara the grandest. Looking Steads had the best view south and Combe Head had the best view north whilst Rosthwaite Cam featured an enjoyable scramble to reach the highest point. However, of all the summits visited, it was the area of delectable tarns around the small knoll known as High House Tarn top that was perhaps the most beautiful.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykjwDuScCl3q6IGH7hKTizsCUPG947ulxoQqjLPluvjCstaLWJjeR0S-PTwJuiK1C0cg7_0qD7aMKXZwLksb1N7iXBokv0e7k_acQzUhu1asFRyGmal8YCo-2fYFLznuvg_Jg-dPc9oI/s1600/95+-+Top+of+Glaramara.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykjwDuScCl3q6IGH7hKTizsCUPG947ulxoQqjLPluvjCstaLWJjeR0S-PTwJuiK1C0cg7_0qD7aMKXZwLksb1N7iXBokv0e7k_acQzUhu1asFRyGmal8YCo-2fYFLznuvg_Jg-dPc9oI/s400/95+-+Top+of+Glaramara.JPG" border="0" alt="The summit of Glaramara looking to the 'Wainwright' summit"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649693288023013826" /></a><br />It wasn’t the quality of the summits on offer that was the problem it was the quantity. The walk was an endless succession of ups and downs with few flat areas to provide any respite for the knees. Instead of getting into a stride we were halting every half mile or so to take photos as we bagged another top. It all began to get just a bit tedious and (I never thought I’d say this) boring. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5pVVsvJyMKd3i3PzPDkC4lH0Y4i-Sy1yh8FY5IyVM1iPSA6YyHOL_am5hT_t-QuVk70qJ9eNAo6H-4F5_Z32fg23ycWJW-z3iOnhNbLX6lq0bgzbIoefBsY3xURmIPz5m7_2oMHogows/s1600/A111+-+Borrowdale.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5pVVsvJyMKd3i3PzPDkC4lH0Y4i-Sy1yh8FY5IyVM1iPSA6YyHOL_am5hT_t-QuVk70qJ9eNAo6H-4F5_Z32fg23ycWJW-z3iOnhNbLX6lq0bgzbIoefBsY3xURmIPz5m7_2oMHogows/s400/A111+-+Borrowdale.JPG" border="0" alt="The fabulous view of Comb Gill and Borrowdale from Comb Head"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649693814205283042" /></a><br />Bessyboot was the final summit of the day. The steep climb up from Tarn at Leaves proved to be a real sting in the tail. By the time the top was reached it had taken four and a half hours to travel the three and a half miles from Allen Crags. I can’t remember a walk where my pace has been so slow (though in my defence it has to be pointed out that I was carrying a heavier than usual pack having camped at Sprinkling Tarn the night before).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLYHAis4z20SjWW-cTuMr0oewVOhxFe8bSqqwe9iuusR_pcDvO-UQdqBJZ3pERuxgMk8Ef9PI1RA0H341IuQ9SAdgjx1GqRURvF0VZ6v-LPYTLO1KlM_GFrjcdTkaROlp8se1hjAXsUI/s1600/A121+-+Comb+Head+from+Dovenest+Top.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLYHAis4z20SjWW-cTuMr0oewVOhxFe8bSqqwe9iuusR_pcDvO-UQdqBJZ3pERuxgMk8Ef9PI1RA0H341IuQ9SAdgjx1GqRURvF0VZ6v-LPYTLO1KlM_GFrjcdTkaROlp8se1hjAXsUI/s400/A121+-+Comb+Head+from+Dovenest+Top.JPG" border="0" alt="Looking back up at Comb Head from the summit of Dovenest Top"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649694455799285330" /></a><br />In the future I think I’ll have to try and make sure I don’t visit too many summits in one walk (there goes some of my walking plans for peak bagging in Wales). As for the Glaramara ridge I would definitely go back but I think instead of taking it all in one go I’ll do it in bite size chunks to allow me to savour it more.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5n7uHERX07kRdirlSQhrvgi1pkxMA2eHNqjKapbHyiB0t3qAUpZKhFajYR-zg0pstnwCNC9AL2OWV_HFQpBtQMqEeTAp42EPdILazA5aN6rXkIbWUxODQs3WGihB5ut7cZrMsZKlZ_0/s1600/A130+-+Top+of+Bessyboot.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5n7uHERX07kRdirlSQhrvgi1pkxMA2eHNqjKapbHyiB0t3qAUpZKhFajYR-zg0pstnwCNC9AL2OWV_HFQpBtQMqEeTAp42EPdILazA5aN6rXkIbWUxODQs3WGihB5ut7cZrMsZKlZ_0/s400/A130+-+Top+of+Bessyboot.JPG" border="0" alt="The summit cairn on Bessyboot, the final top of the day"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649694797742639890" /></a><br />For hill-bagging geeks who are in to this kind of thing I bagged 9 Nuttalls, 4 Hewitts, 3 Wainwrights and 1 Dewey. While you try and work out how all those added together adds up to 11 summits I think I’ll go in search of some bourbons.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-58454606182487348982011-08-08T18:24:00.001+01:002011-08-08T18:43:11.689+01:00Going wild at last<div>Having talked about it for at least six years and having purchased an appropriate tent back in January I've finally had my first wild camping expedition. The location for this momentous event was Sprinkling Tarn, perhaps not the most original of choices given its popularity as a wild camping site, but it is a beautiful spot and perfectly placed near a number of well known walking routes in the Lake District.
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<br />Whilst the initial walk up to <a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk/lake-district/walks/300711.html">Sprinkling Tarn from Seathwaite</a> and the following day's <a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk/lake-district/walks/310711.html">peak bagging fest on the Allen Crags - Glaramara ridge</a> can be viewed on the main mypennines website I thought I'd take the opportunity to blog about both my reasons for wanting to go wild camping and how I found my first attempt.
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<br />I should perhaps point out first that I'm not a complete novice at camping. Back in 2005, when I first began to consider buying a backpacking tent, I opted instead to purchase a 3 berth tunnel tent for Lisa and I to use for weekends away. We used this tent on numerous occasions over the next two years for weekend breaks visiting the North Pennines, Hadrian's Wall country, Kielder, the Ogwen Valley in Snowdonia, the Northumberland Coast as well as the first of a number of trips to the Lake District.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglq6QU-kpHgf3ZdDmvbj0eBUgnuK36_ClESLIrSWxi0u1r6ahOMDJ_vm85cls9CDshzIKgWUUvyTuUfrfX6D3CroW8l5RfyJn3l0HIQoLpIMTBmT0SMhg6UVVw1GUr5VynWS-ueWFZTWg/s1600/15+-+Morning+Frost.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636715101509348514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 299px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="My first camping trip at the end of April 2005 resulted in a particularly cold and frosty night in Alston" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglq6QU-kpHgf3ZdDmvbj0eBUgnuK36_ClESLIrSWxi0u1r6ahOMDJ_vm85cls9CDshzIKgWUUvyTuUfrfX6D3CroW8l5RfyJn3l0HIQoLpIMTBmT0SMhg6UVVw1GUr5VynWS-ueWFZTWg/s400/15+-+Morning+Frost.jpg" border="0" /></a> Whilst I had thoroughly enjoyed all those trips (though the midgies at Kielder were a nightmare!), and especially the liberty it gave us to explore new places, I have always still wanted to try out a wild camp. The main reason for this is quite simple - I love the hills and mountains of this country and, more specifically, I love being high up in the hills. As something that would allow me to spend even more time on the hills then wild camping was something that I just had to try sooner rather than later. The opportunity to enjoy seeing the sun come up and go down from a high vantage point was of particular appeal to me.
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<br />In January of this year I finally took the plunge and purchased a backpacking tent along with a new, lighter, sleeping bag and a few other necessary accoutrements. Earlier, for Christmas, Matt had already bought me a Spork and a trowel ...
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<br />Having all the necessary equipment it was then a case of waiting for the days to grow longer and for a time when both Matt and I would be available for a whole weekend. Our trip was first scheduled for the middle of June but just the day before I cancelled, the forecast for that weekend being heavy rain and gale force winds neither of which I particularly wanted to experience on my first wild camp, especially in the 'wettest place in England'.
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<br />So it was that last Saturday I <em>finally</em> got to pitch my tent by Sprinkling Tarn. So how was it? We arrived at Sprinkling Tarn just as the light was beginning to fade and we soon both donned our head torches as we pitched our tents. I'd only had one practice attempt at putting the tent up (on my front lawn) so thankfully it was easy enough to manage 'out in the field'. I was also a bit concerned that, given the popularity of Sprinkling Tarn as a wild camping location, that there would be loads of people up there and it wouldn't feel very wild at all. I needn't have worried, while there were a few other tents dotted about none were visible from where we pitched and to all intents and purposes might not have been there.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MnvqrUAtmWFJ-C6TpNbEnximdiq4P27C7CELJoGysBi4ie1YNnFH49KydZ2QtzfJ_ygHVBKSG_7XO6H1kkHvASjMHEUwnE0eHoaDH2-UDGLLiK8A9IblN2SSX4qYCVRWh4NqmfZ6Quk/s1600/31+-+Pitching+Tents.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636380304793034210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="Pitching our tents by Sprinking Tarn as the light begins to fade" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MnvqrUAtmWFJ-C6TpNbEnximdiq4P27C7CELJoGysBi4ie1YNnFH49KydZ2QtzfJ_ygHVBKSG_7XO6H1kkHvASjMHEUwnE0eHoaDH2-UDGLLiK8A9IblN2SSX4qYCVRWh4NqmfZ6Quk/s400/31+-+Pitching+Tents.JPG" border="0" /></a> Having pitched our tents and stowed most of our gear away it was time for some long overdue dinner / supper. For ease of cooking I'd brought a couple of Wayfarer meals along with me, the first time I'd tried these. For supper I had beef and dumplings. It was tasty enough but I found the portion size a bit disappointing especially as, by this point, I hadn't had anything to eat for about nine hours. Half way through heating up the water the pan and stove overbalanced tipping all the water out so I had to start again. Thus I learnt my first lesson - I needed a smaller pan as the one I'd brought with me was far too large my camping stove.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxkyZkkVihHXmR_RYDrssJeRnQ2TWV8beUbMfmfxbcafWegxB4NIrzMprdrfkMDvGlt8tC5cpu83J2YtW76rj4MuxLEcYKN4HOI7rBwwNUoiM6BD36EYo-pM2ik3qLf5UlY94Xv_ot-E/s1600/33+-+Supper+time.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636381514837821730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="Cooking a late supper by Sprinking Tarn" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxkyZkkVihHXmR_RYDrssJeRnQ2TWV8beUbMfmfxbcafWegxB4NIrzMprdrfkMDvGlt8tC5cpu83J2YtW76rj4MuxLEcYKN4HOI7rBwwNUoiM6BD36EYo-pM2ik3qLf5UlY94Xv_ot-E/s400/33+-+Supper+time.JPG" border="0" /></a> Having finally finished our supper at about 10.30pm we then played around for a while testing out the range of our respective Petzl head torches (boys and their toys!) before finally retiring for the night. Strangely enough I never sleep well in a tent, at least not on the first night. This time was no exception. While I managed to get to sleep I was awake by 3.30am and couldn't sleep for the next couple of hours as I kept peeping outside the tent to see what the weather in the hope that I'd get some nice photos of the early morning sun.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANLIXBb13mG5y11Y2v90_9oQajDoqz3Qs1n2OEqQQ1StSty2rjy44QCTFV3Ht2EuwGrQIqmoNBq8rQA4V365QZU7n3oxMZcoBXLloWsoxAhTCyJJxYWAvMrbDBG8dwBqecyi9tEXZF0E/s1600/39+-+Pitch.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636381408994636210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANLIXBb13mG5y11Y2v90_9oQajDoqz3Qs1n2OEqQQ1StSty2rjy44QCTFV3Ht2EuwGrQIqmoNBq8rQA4V365QZU7n3oxMZcoBXLloWsoxAhTCyJJxYWAvMrbDBG8dwBqecyi9tEXZF0E/s400/39+-+Pitch.JPG" border="0" /></a> Unfortunately it was not to be, patches of hill fog kept rolling over the higher fells and at one point (at about 4.30am) I couldn't even see the tarn just a few metres away. Finally giving up on some dawn photos I managed a bit more sleep (where I dreamt that I woke up to find dozens of tents surrounding us) before I eventually gave up on the idea of sleep altogether so got out of my sleeping bag and went to take some pictures of our pitch.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17zgVMXFtQNNQt5pI4KzS5-OnB57_m0ylRc9E69nIH8ppodd-zsfgr4F7oj71kmcxZFWg8V9PFj6C9dG3oeYyMIpMiyq7vuRVYhBT9tWjTlO_VVnnDU5dPDoZXlSanOhHPaAqQhTj6A4/s1600/41+-+Pitch.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636381193870359330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17zgVMXFtQNNQt5pI4KzS5-OnB57_m0ylRc9E69nIH8ppodd-zsfgr4F7oj71kmcxZFWg8V9PFj6C9dG3oeYyMIpMiyq7vuRVYhBT9tWjTlO_VVnnDU5dPDoZXlSanOhHPaAqQhTj6A4/s400/41+-+Pitch.JPG" border="0" /></a> After accidentally waking Matt up we were soon cooking breakfast. This time it was beans and bacon for me and another disappointingly meagre portion from Wayfarers. After breakfast we had a little wander over to the western flank of the fell to enjoy the views of Sty Head, Wasdale Head and Great Gable (which seemed to be attracting what little sun that was breaking through the clouds). By 9.30am we had packed up and were ready to head for Allen Crags.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7XQHjXLuaQJ2Sx5P2eokywvyYLNOAO6ER52cwQLR45DQLnnVbiFR1haKO9QLEz9pDAHgbzOEBqtsGGCaS00S3J_JQDh-y7nTOMETt1-_qt7uoIEkiTrPs4pDHIo3BEfOSZf4BW-NmV4Y/s1600/42+-+Pitch.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636380979862515266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7XQHjXLuaQJ2Sx5P2eokywvyYLNOAO6ER52cwQLR45DQLnnVbiFR1haKO9QLEz9pDAHgbzOEBqtsGGCaS00S3J_JQDh-y7nTOMETt1-_qt7uoIEkiTrPs4pDHIo3BEfOSZf4BW-NmV4Y/s400/42+-+Pitch.JPG" border="0" /></a>Sadly I didn't get to experience a sunset or a sunrise but on reflection Sprinkling Tarn may not be the best location for either of these as the views are fairly enclosed by the surrounding mountains. I'd also taken plenty of water with me so I didn't need to go in search of a decent water source and (thankfully) neither did I need to make use of the trowel. In some ways then, both in terms of the romance and practicalities of wild camping, it wasn't what I had hoped / expected.
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgES-XyXHMpN_1qLE5_9LadLx2T0UVxbXjyYh0K5MJUUqzrogGJ3Llh7CTJR4KifgvJOcq_Sp1hWhBXrAKJ73sobRY-TsfTdBxiqy8B2ZJBJLpqvfVelrcCZbD4UZn2WU-40qA8GFTTkIo/s1600/43+-+Breakfast.JPG"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGdTw9dh8jbYIW-xBQfzhv_te8FezAM8F8HcESyblsROAVlh4xnptCZJwQNJnZWr-3_v7JVBZ6AkbIBnQhEyeMKEDuPlEUeCiDNlRlAULFfDYC_OcVHntEAUnXsoz7RrZnIT3_Leysmg/s1600/57+-+By+the+tent.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636380529083340530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGdTw9dh8jbYIW-xBQfzhv_te8FezAM8F8HcESyblsROAVlh4xnptCZJwQNJnZWr-3_v7JVBZ6AkbIBnQhEyeMKEDuPlEUeCiDNlRlAULFfDYC_OcVHntEAUnXsoz7RrZnIT3_Leysmg/s400/57+-+By+the+tent.JPG" border="0" /></a> On the other hand it did feel good to be sleeping out in the hills and, despite my oversized pan, I especially enjoyed sitting by the tarn in the dark cooking my supper. It all felt so natural. Having had my first taster I'm now really looking forward to the next trip which, hopefully, will be in September and will probably be in the Lakes again as I endeavour to complete the round of Wainwrights (just 19 left to go). If all goes to plan I'll once again go out with Matt but sooner or later I'll also need to try a solo trip. For peaceful solitude that is probably the ultimate although it is also quite a daunting prospect. It took me a few times to feel completely at ease out hill walking on my own, especially in remote areas. Whilst that is almost second nature to me now I imagine I'll have even less luck sleeping the first time I go out for a solo camp.
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<br /><p></p></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-32950890334326398352011-07-20T21:51:00.000+01:002011-07-20T21:51:44.492+01:00The Gentle Art of Fence Following - Peak bagging in the North Pennines<div>There are 33 summits in the North Pennines which, if you are following the list devised by John and Anne Nuttall, attain the exalted height of 2000ft. Although this figure is some way short of somewhere like the Lake District actually trying to attain the summit of each of these North Pennines mountains is still something of a challenge.<br /><br />One of the reasons for this is that, with the exception of the summits that are visited by the course of the Pennine Way (Knock Fell, Great Dun Fell, Little Dun Fell and Cross Fell), none of the other 29 tops can be visited by using a public right of way. A few, such as The Dodd and Great Stony Hill are close enough to a right of a way to require only a short detour but the majority stand well away from well trodden paths and before the CRoW Act would have been seen by most walkers as being quite out of bounds.<br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZoAMhfArGZM5YU8elboBs0qLgeFu0Vfwbc3ZWnSMIgueiyJL40j7dOprgqcohczceDdTzg_QbK9VYkbT7Ew8Honlbtt-MMYBd5Ept1D6977BOnTEgM6il6vMUbPsGeYkaMtLliSBbZg/s1600/51+-+Top+of+Knock+Fell1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630772055985012818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="The summit of Knock Fell is one of the few North Pennine tops visited by a public right if way" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZoAMhfArGZM5YU8elboBs0qLgeFu0Vfwbc3ZWnSMIgueiyJL40j7dOprgqcohczceDdTzg_QbK9VYkbT7Ew8Honlbtt-MMYBd5Ept1D6977BOnTEgM6il6vMUbPsGeYkaMtLliSBbZg/s400/51+-+Top+of+Knock+Fell1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Whilst the CRoW Act has now made it permissible to visit these summits there is still the issue of what route to take, a problem exacerbated by the fact that, without the benefit of a well trodden right of way, walkers are faced with crossing miles of tussocky grass, deep heather and substantial areas of peat hags and groughs. All of this adds up to, in my opinion, some of the roughest walking conditions in the country.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMeD4ziMgupg8CpH2UaQGQK8xiPTO0UB21gH6AHm84_2FB0Vo72-xOYEp2P4x0zbGyQCc9hJ04g1JgmNX4ENGGKw8sRYpUl8wg6SwN_mGBr9gI-8E8vjEutQqZyc6QPoO3a3VYZfaCkE/s1600/70+-+Peat+Hags.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630772516868551282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="Large areas of peat hags are often found on the high North Pennine moors" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMeD4ziMgupg8CpH2UaQGQK8xiPTO0UB21gH6AHm84_2FB0Vo72-xOYEp2P4x0zbGyQCc9hJ04g1JgmNX4ENGGKw8sRYpUl8wg6SwN_mGBr9gI-8E8vjEutQqZyc6QPoO3a3VYZfaCkE/s400/70+-+Peat+Hags.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />While the high places of the North Pennines may be lacking in useful paths or bridleways they certainly do not lack in walls and fences. It is these walls and fences that often provide the key to navigation, especially in poor visibility, where they act as both a collecting feature as well as being a useful hand rail to follow. In fact in many areas of the North Pennines boundary fences are often the <em>only</em> visible feature of note.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmH9SEq6e8s8CgdG4TF1rv5JoGTvx7pt50bdWJXFJEnR03e_A2-3lHWcr8FzQp3bpHIcMsZiemVQX_aJCbW1KBd1Xw2AYQXoitmaggvJgKock-n_VXfPVty6p_Jiac3G2shtqesd5MbPI/s1600/36+-+Matt+heading+to+Benty+Hill.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631528960643094482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="Earlier this year a fence proved to be an invaluable navigational guide when Matt and I did a high level walk above Gilderdale in very poor weather" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmH9SEq6e8s8CgdG4TF1rv5JoGTvx7pt50bdWJXFJEnR03e_A2-3lHWcr8FzQp3bpHIcMsZiemVQX_aJCbW1KBd1Xw2AYQXoitmaggvJgKock-n_VXfPVty6p_Jiac3G2shtqesd5MbPI/s400/36+-+Matt+heading+to+Benty+Hill.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />I've done half a dozen walks in the North Pennines this year and, in addition to the ones I'd already been to, I have visited another 13 'Nuttall' tops (I only have 4 left to do now). A recurring theme of these walks has been the miles upon miles of fence that I've followed. Furthermore many of the summits I've visited have lain within a few yards of a fence. Fences have become an almost constant companion and on at least two occassions this year I must have shadowed about 10 miles of fence in a single walk.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNny6ILiY5cKEbUNZfYQX5trISDsfU7jxSAIevcDVWLsKEWLWWT09GSZ1Hpx4KHfDyWBMJeZ0IfS0qsP9eFQCHmp5lhxxKqu_uph7W5401u45AWuKesoce6ec105aHqyOkRjcjydTrAYk/s1600/22+-+Matt+climbing+Mickle+Fell.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631530447399153298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNny6ILiY5cKEbUNZfYQX5trISDsfU7jxSAIevcDVWLsKEWLWWT09GSZ1Hpx4KHfDyWBMJeZ0IfS0qsP9eFQCHmp5lhxxKqu_uph7W5401u45AWuKesoce6ec105aHqyOkRjcjydTrAYk/s400/22+-+Matt+climbing+Mickle+Fell.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><p>As mentioned there are very few paths that visit the higher summits in the North Pennines. Since fences are often the only navigational guide available a slim trod, created by walkers, will sometimes develop alongside a fence. More often than not though the only sign of anyone else having passed by is the occassional sighting of a boot mark in the peat. Of course sometimes it can get tedious. In poor visibility, when all you've seen for several hours is a frost lined fence and the frozen peat below you're feet then you do yearn for something different.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9eLdtBBj8qeHpCuCXCzVQbgmaz5u8f02m7ye0JPr-8E9xwkKqdjkLdUOoGtQHI03R6mZ0fZmet9zVc99QwnoQbj4jRKNfWXmYzQiNmw-AwVrLWG3g3_KSGRismSMZ4qmiQj2shFXHyo/s1600/25+-+On+Dry+Rigg.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630779490642886242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="The fence running along the top of Dry Rigg is the only obvious feature in a sea of heather and grass" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9eLdtBBj8qeHpCuCXCzVQbgmaz5u8f02m7ye0JPr-8E9xwkKqdjkLdUOoGtQHI03R6mZ0fZmet9zVc99QwnoQbj4jRKNfWXmYzQiNmw-AwVrLWG3g3_KSGRismSMZ4qmiQj2shFXHyo/s400/25+-+On+Dry+Rigg.JPG" border="0" /></a> <br />So far I've not really done a very good job of promoting the North Pennines as a good area to go walking. Certainly it would not be to everyone's taste. However, at a time when areas like the Lake District are becoming increasingly overcrowded the North Pennines offers sanctuary for those who perhaps treasure peace and solitude over excitement. Recently I saw more people on the small summit area of Kidsty Pike (hardly the most popular Lake District mountain) than I have seen in over 60 miles of walking in the North Pennines this year.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehfOWiKMC6ShcyVKTlF5v1vx9BMqiwjzbZXDdjGiegS1OEDuY99mukWzkF6JnEfxnNzinZaOUPqxsuLorNhamWM6F2XMUAb8xTTr-7GPMhloVgFFgQTmvB5A1bna4JXsn4fno8xvNVAA/s1600/23+-+Matt+approaching+Cold+Fell.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehfOWiKMC6ShcyVKTlF5v1vx9BMqiwjzbZXDdjGiegS1OEDuY99mukWzkF6JnEfxnNzinZaOUPqxsuLorNhamWM6F2XMUAb8xTTr-7GPMhloVgFFgQTmvB5A1bna4JXsn4fno8xvNVAA/s400/23+-+Matt+approaching+Cold+Fell.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631534332890898482" /></a><br />Indeed it is the very fact that it is so rare to actually come across another walker that the North Pennines has so much appeal to me. There are of course lots of other reasons why I enjoy walking there; the bird life, interesting flora, the wide ranging views and the general feeling of remoteness are just a few of them. On the other hand I wouldn't want to encourage too many people to go therer, I'd rather it stayed the way it is. I have three more Nuttalls to tick off from my 'to do' list. After that I'll move on to complete the remaining Dewey tops (summits over 500m) that I've not yet visited. I still have many more miles of fence following to look forward to. </p><br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-73879638271239598782011-04-01T20:18:00.001+01:002011-04-01T20:18:09.715+01:00Getting back on track with the Wainwrights<p>Those who have read some of my previous blogs or who are familiar with the <a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk">www.mypennines.co.uk</a> website probably already know that I like hill lists and can be classed as the type of walker who is a 'peak bagger'. My website is dedicated to my walking adventures in the Pennines and as such features my latest progress in completing all the numerous Deweys, Hewitts, Marilyns, Nuttalls and County Tops to be found throughtout the length of the 'backbone of England'.</p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bQ1fe_08sGSMJ4Nal0ZmVvadjrhZuNxoTZO9eMa1O_97dGuzL4cv6PgkxppvZKnrfOK07lvWZn8a0goMrlhMZnYAdRpPrBWEm8a7j9aUo-elbcC-KrGJk7cMk13r-sKGTq7vwKgOCyI/s1600/75+-+Pike+O%2527Stickle.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bQ1fe_08sGSMJ4Nal0ZmVvadjrhZuNxoTZO9eMa1O_97dGuzL4cv6PgkxppvZKnrfOK07lvWZn8a0goMrlhMZnYAdRpPrBWEm8a7j9aUo-elbcC-KrGJk7cMk13r-sKGTq7vwKgOCyI/s400/75+-+Pike+O%2527Stickle.JPG" border="0" alt="The one and only Pike O'Stickle"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590357683381986242" /></a><br /><br /><p>It may be something of a surprise therefore that the hill list that I most aspire to completing has nothing to do with the Pennines at all. The Wainwrights.</p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAiQm3EIagcbF8A-4yPF9nMKYmESIWxWx1QmPpsJNwumL4dEAKp6r9aWwysB0cgAahcAr9nHge9u0My3Alpl09dUH7WhWpFjDSpgho5hpoH3xiVFfL_CA8_mCEMWMOy_Z-J0WwIFjj-OQ/s1600/85+-+Hopegill+Head.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAiQm3EIagcbF8A-4yPF9nMKYmESIWxWx1QmPpsJNwumL4dEAKp6r9aWwysB0cgAahcAr9nHge9u0My3Alpl09dUH7WhWpFjDSpgho5hpoH3xiVFfL_CA8_mCEMWMOy_Z-J0WwIFjj-OQ/s400/85+-+Hopegill+Head.JPG" border="0" alt="Looking up to one of my favourite Wainwright summits is Hopegill Head"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590361430000195042" /></a><br /><br /><p>My first walking trip to the Lake District was in August 2005 when Lisa and I took our recently purchased tent to the Burns Farm campsite near Threlkeld. On our first afternoon we had a nice walk up on to Cat Bells but it was on the next day when we climbed Fleetwith Pike and then Haystacks that I really fell in love with the Lakeland mountains. The views of the Buttermere valley were absolutely stunning and I distinctly remember saying to Lisa at the beginning of the descent from Haystacks, 'if there is a heaven then I hope it is like this.'</p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKtk3gB-A0UwGkXGZQmn2OP7s8cdgnKDyQXuP8KSGYFW8GmZcUy9r676gxdZ4KoXtU_0WHlYRd5FbxMQ3V5mRsE5i8joWUJhKf_pPDerfjtPxpmOdpxDBLF2IL1dH2aFrMSdXB1BkrvI/s1600/77+-+Matt+and+Buttermere+Valley+from+Haystacks.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKtk3gB-A0UwGkXGZQmn2OP7s8cdgnKDyQXuP8KSGYFW8GmZcUy9r676gxdZ4KoXtU_0WHlYRd5FbxMQ3V5mRsE5i8joWUJhKf_pPDerfjtPxpmOdpxDBLF2IL1dH2aFrMSdXB1BkrvI/s400/77+-+Matt+and+Buttermere+Valley+from+Haystacks.jpg" border="0" alt="Enjoying the 'heavenly' views of the Buttermere Valley from Haystacks"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590347943459648162" /></a><br /><br /><p>The next day I got up early and climbed Blencathra on my own via the Hall's Fell Ridge. That evening I sat by the tent reading Wainwright's 'Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells - Bk.5, The Northern Fells' which I'd purchased only that afternoon. There isn't room here to discuss in detail what an utterly brilliant, amusing, informative and beautiful set of books that Wainwright created. The point is that having discovered the joys of walking in the Lake District it was the Wainwright books, and the challenge of visiting each of the 214 summits in the books, that became the major influence on my walking endeavours over the next few years.</p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2lG1_7u_O_6SxqOsvOJtXHVVNW1HifEJC7ZKVA9MgqknIiN2xCKjBp6nXhan5Al4bHwl8dHaTY-Hgd8mS7l0eNVTSDcKpv3v4sooz2WFl-9bEuyb2eOFHnFiDTCqfhZ_Uq8vuHsYHQA/s1600/34+-+Sharp+Edge.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2lG1_7u_O_6SxqOsvOJtXHVVNW1HifEJC7ZKVA9MgqknIiN2xCKjBp6nXhan5Al4bHwl8dHaTY-Hgd8mS7l0eNVTSDcKpv3v4sooz2WFl-9bEuyb2eOFHnFiDTCqfhZ_Uq8vuHsYHQA/s400/34+-+Sharp+Edge.JPG" border="0" alt="On my second visit to Blencathra I took the adrenaline inducing Sharp Edge route"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590355570201832082" /></a><br /><br /><p>I returned to the Lakes a few months later in November when we hired a cottage for a week in the small village of Uldale. For six of the seven days we were there we enjoyed bright sunshine and plenty of blue sky. During the course of the week I visited the summits of 14 Wainwrights in the Northern Fells and a further 6 Wainwrights in the North Western Fells. The undoubted higlight of the week was on my birthday when we climbed Skiddaw via Ullock Pike and Carl Side.</p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMtJL9c4UbRJwpvxxWm2YB97fPzYN2iYkl2OJ6WKFRiHaASMBMIlnQeHTwW95mwqTmcLOQptMiAt6zj3mWyMjeUbM7MpUfAJCOGcW804YVrE6ADdQWbclifjHEjr0_q39dmMwbTkO9cI/s1600/48+-+Skiddaw.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMtJL9c4UbRJwpvxxWm2YB97fPzYN2iYkl2OJ6WKFRiHaASMBMIlnQeHTwW95mwqTmcLOQptMiAt6zj3mWyMjeUbM7MpUfAJCOGcW804YVrE6ADdQWbclifjHEjr0_q39dmMwbTkO9cI/s400/48+-+Skiddaw.JPG" border="0" alt="The summit of Skiddaw"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590348629811693666" /></a><br /><br /><p>Over the course of the following 3 and a half years I returned to the Lakes as much as I could staying in B&Bs, campsites, cottages as well as driving out and back as a day trip. By June 2009 I'd completed 83 walks in the Lake District and taken my Wainwright tally to 183. Along the way I'd enjoyed some amazing experiences as well as a handful of not so good ones (top of the list probably being finding myself in the upper Wythburn Valley in heavy rain, poor visibility and fading light with a long way to get back to Grasmere).</p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrgbzt4PP7H636LqMoH35iexX6oY0wpNHgJoGNnkeIQhyphenhyphen0nTQBciy8NXHXEmlMDcG6bmAln6KxbRoNdb3AotjuarVmeynGEMOFosyjJmXmKnv3QLFSErupI32EPCVl6It4j23SiQb_ls/s1600/33+-+Heron+Pike.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrgbzt4PP7H636LqMoH35iexX6oY0wpNHgJoGNnkeIQhyphenhyphen0nTQBciy8NXHXEmlMDcG6bmAln6KxbRoNdb3AotjuarVmeynGEMOFosyjJmXmKnv3QLFSErupI32EPCVl6It4j23SiQb_ls/s400/33+-+Heron+Pike.JPG" border="0" alt="Heron Pike in thw winter"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590356899994681250" /></a><br /><br /><p>Looking back my desire to complete the Wainwrights had turned into an obsession and in pursuit of that obsession I began pushing my body too hard. As a result I began to pick up injuries. The first was in Spring 2007 when, whilst climbing the Scafells for the first time, I got a sharp stabbing pain on the outside of my left knee. This occurred somewhere between Middleboot Knotts and Round How and whilst I should really have turned back I persisted and effectively got over Great End, Ill Crag, Broad Crag and onto Scafell Pike using only my right leg. Upon reaching Mickledore common sense finally prevailed and I left Sca Fell for another day. Still the descent from Mickledore to Wasdale was one of the most painful experiences in my life.</p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbPQZoGDudB2n614HqAH46uDloafS01z2ukErAzi0fvXQzAAq567A1PCENeF2lLBpFAhd-uoxNoTZbh4r5CxkY85Qv47GGg6YGyKLHTmJtxEgtLY3GvOGUqwUALITVoUX2kU_YV3PNUI/s1600/63+-+Matt+on+the+top+of+England.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbPQZoGDudB2n614HqAH46uDloafS01z2ukErAzi0fvXQzAAq567A1PCENeF2lLBpFAhd-uoxNoTZbh4r5CxkY85Qv47GGg6YGyKLHTmJtxEgtLY3GvOGUqwUALITVoUX2kU_YV3PNUI/s400/63+-+Matt+on+the+top+of+England.JPG" border="0" alt="On the summit of Sca Fell Pike"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590350065582345570" /></a><br /><br /><p>A couple of months and numerous physio sessions later I returned for what should have been a simple walk up to Steel Knotts but the same thing happened again. Again though this did not stop me from hobbling up on to Hallin Fell from the top of Martindale Hause. Eventually the exercise from the physio paid off and I was able to begin visiting the Lakes again. It was some time though before I was confident enough to take my knee support off.</p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VPp6DKysEfzy05T4l2u17vxItdSS3ESybTEETe_5vVWRlXaCYytN2go7ykf2HT6enWu1vbKSUWOZ7ULGei2UoNuQbGVD-iUtseGxEFJ9g13mZwNacUcpp-Uw216HhGWtwCbmsUxrokg/s1600/59+-+Steeple.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VPp6DKysEfzy05T4l2u17vxItdSS3ESybTEETe_5vVWRlXaCYytN2go7ykf2HT6enWu1vbKSUWOZ7ULGei2UoNuQbGVD-iUtseGxEFJ9g13mZwNacUcpp-Uw216HhGWtwCbmsUxrokg/s400/59+-+Steeple.JPG" border="0" alt="One of the finest Wainwrights is Steeple"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590358349335930482" /></a><br /><br /><p>Two years later in May 2009 I began getting pain on the inside of my left knee. I struggled on for a couple of walks but it was on Seat Sandal in June 2009 that I realised that something serious was amiss. Whilst more physio got me out hill walking again by the autumn the problem had been diagnosed as a torn cartilage which was finally repaired during an operation in December 2009.</p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5iPg8OARmPHn9Jx02LyW3MOEP_Q0XLzM8sVKXTf24_Y8NpJCZDAPPwNFOUIxJ4AnixdWw5tPmE57u3KIm7pExOFCSGzcE786aClAAsrxPjtbU1twCn37z81-rPLWlbKwmeIqtxGEtTv0/s1600/31+-+St+Sunday+Crag+and+Grisedale+Tarn.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5iPg8OARmPHn9Jx02LyW3MOEP_Q0XLzM8sVKXTf24_Y8NpJCZDAPPwNFOUIxJ4AnixdWw5tPmE57u3KIm7pExOFCSGzcE786aClAAsrxPjtbU1twCn37z81-rPLWlbKwmeIqtxGEtTv0/s400/31+-+St+Sunday+Crag+and+Grisedale+Tarn.JPG" border="0" alt="This view of Grisedale Tarn and St Sunday Crag was taken from Seat Sandal on my last walk before my self-imposed exile from the Lake District"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590351476102377986" /></a><br /><br /><p>As something to keep me occupied in my spare time and whilst I waited for my knee to heal I began putting my website together. I had actually begun drafting some pages for a website six months beforehand but didn't get very far with it. At the time it was actually going to be dedicated to my walks in the Lake District. Following the operation though I was wary about going back to the Lakes too soon so instead I focused the site on the Pennines. As I began to develop the idea I decided that if I was going to call a site 'mypennines.co.uk' I'd better make sure I'd do most of my walking there, especially as there were areas, such as the West Pennine Moors, that at the time I'd never been to. It is no coincidence that the first hill walk I attempted after my operation was Bull Hill.</p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaAHV0pwzI4BmzRy6aD82hq_0IAubM8XdDa3rrcAxKYDgfxnh0ZBA0QFeh4gcdkH4gH0Ypxno5cKV-aRGdIHujMFM5zFN4b3Swtet0EC-4WBvrSXGP91PwZpst9_WtoyWWpUxt6F03iZU/s1600/81+-+Matt+and+Dow+Crag.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaAHV0pwzI4BmzRy6aD82hq_0IAubM8XdDa3rrcAxKYDgfxnh0ZBA0QFeh4gcdkH4gH0Ypxno5cKV-aRGdIHujMFM5zFN4b3Swtet0EC-4WBvrSXGP91PwZpst9_WtoyWWpUxt6F03iZU/s400/81+-+Matt+and+Dow+Crag.JPG" border="0" alt="Standing below Dow Crag next to Goat's Water, one of my favourite tarns in the Lake District"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590353089955884962" /></a><br /><br /><p>So started what was in effect a self-imposed exile from the Lake District and the joys of Wainwright bagging, an exile that finally ended a couple of weeks ago when I completed the North Western Fells by visiting the summits of Grasmoor and Whiteside. In the meantime I've enjoyed some marvellous walks in the Pennines, from the Peak District all the way up into the Cheviots, all the while though I have continued to miss the rugged beauty of the Lakeland mountains.</p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguiDnInXa9Jmr4HZlXzqgVfYACBeEPY1X2c-YNPFI4PlcPiU9R69w4_yIYH3w6IiFkk44SccgbC4dx1GUgrzfPx7nC1WkjCdWQZwARX1czaPDoGvAi1QrTNSGHGgr0yGcNDRtLN_txeAk/s1600/28+-+On+Whiteside.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguiDnInXa9Jmr4HZlXzqgVfYACBeEPY1X2c-YNPFI4PlcPiU9R69w4_yIYH3w6IiFkk44SccgbC4dx1GUgrzfPx7nC1WkjCdWQZwARX1czaPDoGvAi1QrTNSGHGgr0yGcNDRtLN_txeAk/s400/28+-+On+Whiteside.JPG" border="0" alt="On Whiteside - my first new Wainwright for 21 months"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590352273940908898" /></a><br /><br /><p>So now I've gone back, what next? It should only take me another 3 walks to complete both the Eastern and the Far Eastern Fells and that is my main target this year. I'm also hoping to go backpacking to the Lakes for the first time as well. I'll need to take it steady and I'm sure that the possibility of another injury will always be at the back of my mind. For this reason (as well as the current cost of petrol!) I need to make sure I don't get carried away and go back too often or too regularly. Instead I need to show patience and restraint and accept the fact that it may be a while yet before I finally complete the Wainwrights.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-90755128987892821392011-03-01T20:22:00.010+00:002011-03-01T20:52:13.039+00:00Spring is in the air!Finally, spring is in the air! Daffodils shoots are appearing in the garden, crocuses have been appearing all over town and there were masses of snowdrops on my recent walk around Fountains Abbey. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMkRQbtv6N-PyQZWksR8AvT116IRLzy2PPPDpmlRHj_MMT4uqJwfvLAL-vM-apRwPIbr2e7qWOm-LE-Mca4DCyzehT64RtrSc9lBBYPNWsMEM9vM_bufW9Z6nVvsW9MBtSll4zgP_nRY/s1600/11+-+Snowdrops.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMkRQbtv6N-PyQZWksR8AvT116IRLzy2PPPDpmlRHj_MMT4uqJwfvLAL-vM-apRwPIbr2e7qWOm-LE-Mca4DCyzehT64RtrSc9lBBYPNWsMEM9vM_bufW9Z6nVvsW9MBtSll4zgP_nRY/s400/11+-+Snowdrops.JPG" border="0" alt="Some of the numerous snowdrops I saw in the grounds of Fountains Abbey"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579211295793667202" /></a><br />Spring has to be the season I look forward to with the greatest anticipation coming as it does after the dark days of winter. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy walking in the winter too but to be quite honest by the end of February I'm fed up of the short days and especially the lack of sunshine that has characterised the last couple of months. Hopefully the beautiful weather outside today is a taste of things to come.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkY0YMCQwE79miJHMUN46IjsXPzFwojF3Jl1_Fu2Gu1xiCBqMne-q4ckpzVVpG1bDbn8pqarAcF2eLMSgDfW9Cwb_GaxRBwsi105Oe2iIGLRpp5wdiC6WbAcDUMKc3mRkxcgGMT6JdwAQ/s1600/22+-+Matt+on+the+snow.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkY0YMCQwE79miJHMUN46IjsXPzFwojF3Jl1_Fu2Gu1xiCBqMne-q4ckpzVVpG1bDbn8pqarAcF2eLMSgDfW9Cwb_GaxRBwsi105Oe2iIGLRpp5wdiC6WbAcDUMKc3mRkxcgGMT6JdwAQ/s400/22+-+Matt+on+the+snow.JPG" border="0" alt="There were still patches of snow on Cross Fell well into May last year"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579212522559268802" /></a><br />Of course the arrival of spring is not necessarily a guarantee of better weather, far from it, in fact spring sees perhaps the greatest variety in weather conditions of all the seasons. As I discovered last year on Cross Fell patches of snow can cling to the higher tops well into May. Meanwhile I seem to have a tradition of underestimating the power of the sun in April and getting badly sunburnt as I did last year on Kinder Scout. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUp3yF9qOGLZAMRC8HEOCeM0lcmfKIdCuui0zf8I5vNYHu1u_b5mC2d6OwB-reoIuJ1NMyxEfwWXOgRi0WOITaM31Tdm2Ni3-tFwdv6qntycAKGADc_CU8FiF-MNyETn58InSpV7gglM/s1600/07+-+On+Ringing+Roger.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUp3yF9qOGLZAMRC8HEOCeM0lcmfKIdCuui0zf8I5vNYHu1u_b5mC2d6OwB-reoIuJ1NMyxEfwWXOgRi0WOITaM31Tdm2Ni3-tFwdv6qntycAKGADc_CU8FiF-MNyETn58InSpV7gglM/s400/07+-+On+Ringing+Roger.JPG" border="0" alt="Enjoying the fine views from Ringing Roger last April, little did I know I was also getting badly sunburnt"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579212810245821154" /></a><br />One of the things I look forward to the most as spring approaches is the arrival of the various species of bird who return to the moors and high meadows in the Pennines at this time of year. Particular favourites of mine are the curlew, lapwing and skylark. The curlew is a magnificent bird and if I could pick just one sound that I would most like to hear while out walking I think it would have to be the haunting cry of the curlew.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCCNWksHJPM27i9C56cLXsng2tlgNxYC4RmyX-wonxeNSy88arVlq3z7DNrHdgld7N51Q0tthsK3YHzPXLy26i7SqlQ8-6OPQQgG_Y34HsQnL_zEWjhR9HSPF9sZvDzNeYU5B1eyC1Bo/s1600/11+-+Curlew.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCCNWksHJPM27i9C56cLXsng2tlgNxYC4RmyX-wonxeNSy88arVlq3z7DNrHdgld7N51Q0tthsK3YHzPXLy26i7SqlQ8-6OPQQgG_Y34HsQnL_zEWjhR9HSPF9sZvDzNeYU5B1eyC1Bo/s400/11+-+Curlew.JPG" border="0" alt="I've yet to get a decent picture of a curlew, this one was taken on Burn Moor in Bowland in May 2009"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579215694941712418" /></a><br />I also find the song of the skylark particularly affecting. There are few things more relaxing than lazing about on a hill top on a nice sunny day listening to the skylarks song. My two favourite memories of being treated to a whole chorus of skylarks was on Little Fell in Mallerstang in March 2007 and Mungrisdale Common in the Northern Fells of the Lake District in May 2008. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdF9ynM7ztF0tn54irRbQY8vT7XdeslXOAkx7BWqYMjoW6UGFqivm63PHUgrEtIlSGNkwl5CFqNbjDvlnYE1sSqpWZDUEeGQ5VAVPm2hZ9d_8X4EgCStfIj8jYfjZ_cRflxPzmDwjR5xw/s1600/38+-+Skylark2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdF9ynM7ztF0tn54irRbQY8vT7XdeslXOAkx7BWqYMjoW6UGFqivm63PHUgrEtIlSGNkwl5CFqNbjDvlnYE1sSqpWZDUEeGQ5VAVPm2hZ9d_8X4EgCStfIj8jYfjZ_cRflxPzmDwjR5xw/s400/38+-+Skylark2.JPG" border="0" alt="A skylark that I caught on camera last year on Pen-y-Ghent"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579214355613426882" /></a><br />As for the lapwing it is one of the most distinctive birds both in terms of its call but also its display of aerial gymnastics if it feels threatened. In early spring I've witnessed huge congregations of lapwings both in Teesdale in the North Pennines and Wharfedale in the Yorkshire Dales - a truly magnificent sight.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzgEi_V7hamhtTmBiNFASOYcmWL3MMd9DyrMIvdfCl4gEkD42fdjek6hi6rI7aggmBGWXMpxhA6irWjXzZntBh-KYzHnZXsCs_4qONtLf9CiTOCTV_C5W-P0SGv55aKS3r78iQXb_0AA/s1600/05+-+Lapwing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAzgEi_V7hamhtTmBiNFASOYcmWL3MMd9DyrMIvdfCl4gEkD42fdjek6hi6rI7aggmBGWXMpxhA6irWjXzZntBh-KYzHnZXsCs_4qONtLf9CiTOCTV_C5W-P0SGv55aKS3r78iQXb_0AA/s400/05+-+Lapwing.jpg" border="0" alt="The lapwing, one of my favourite birds"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579213199569848146" /></a><br />Of course spring is also lambing time as well. While watching a group of young lambs gambolling about cannot but put a smile on my face I confess I do try even harder than normal to avoid walking through too many farm fields during lambing time as the over protective mothers make me even more nervous of livestock than normal. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfuqXshp77qCfWL1GAuBOp4EDbTQiR1is1HIU8R1Xp5LYRFyUtN0dQJWXvVeBJ5f1M90_LyhYb8ktgEpdumOsX_y3PBygZjtUhANQGdYqUFm4NaGixy1HhvOKeN2EuAUp2cMKbYe2qZ4/s1600/27+-+Lamb.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfuqXshp77qCfWL1GAuBOp4EDbTQiR1is1HIU8R1Xp5LYRFyUtN0dQJWXvVeBJ5f1M90_LyhYb8ktgEpdumOsX_y3PBygZjtUhANQGdYqUFm4NaGixy1HhvOKeN2EuAUp2cMKbYe2qZ4/s400/27+-+Lamb.JPG" border="0" alt="A lamb"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579213664997590002" /></a><br />I've already mentioned a number of flowers whose appearance heralds the arrival of spring. My favourite flower though is one that appears somewhat later in the season, the bluebell. Ever since I was a child I've always loved the sight of a woodland floor covered in bluebells. Every year, in late April - mid May I always try and make sure I get in at least one 'bluebell walk'. The best bluebell spot near me is the in the woods outside Ripley. Other prime bluebell areas are the banks of the Wharfe below The Strid and the banks of the Washburn below Thruscross Reservoir. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhnaLeOOAZPd4xuKzDed7_UXi6tKXCiS3PB6VdfIJ_NN7kjIrxXqco5mMnWiNXocdR5PwjmyUhfR2wTzJaHHilFeskUs4i6OtQAGd_VIl-_CylTHQRk_LAYVNWLPn0CAO4vmWwWB5UGg/s1600/07+-+Bluebells.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhnaLeOOAZPd4xuKzDed7_UXi6tKXCiS3PB6VdfIJ_NN7kjIrxXqco5mMnWiNXocdR5PwjmyUhfR2wTzJaHHilFeskUs4i6OtQAGd_VIl-_CylTHQRk_LAYVNWLPn0CAO4vmWwWB5UGg/s400/07+-+Bluebells.JPG" border="0" alt="The woods around Ripley are fine place to see bluebells in May"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579211751649444754" /></a><br />Ahhh spring ... bring it on!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-51615741048110145232011-01-09T19:14:00.014+00:002011-01-09T21:20:05.241+00:00An obsession with lists - my walking plans for 2011Today 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.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBek1ttyY7L3H_DTjsPIjD8mcseX9b3k2CsbRPI-X-dPRp2gxYMOamJntehhDlBjtGSNTKd0yIWnpTzUOJ4gx35_lXZeckrBug2O3Zn17qDsewSwT3fla7XBTbO2ooXXArH_uNmXBGeTo/s1600/21+-+Hail+Storm+Hill.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBek1ttyY7L3H_DTjsPIjD8mcseX9b3k2CsbRPI-X-dPRp2gxYMOamJntehhDlBjtGSNTKd0yIWnpTzUOJ4gx35_lXZeckrBug2O3Zn17qDsewSwT3fla7XBTbO2ooXXArH_uNmXBGeTo/s400/21+-+Hail+Storm+Hill.JPG" border="0" alt="My plans to visit the Scout Moor Windfarm on Hailstorm Hill were 'put on ice' today"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560295222994671298" /></a><br />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. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfNPfpAtkzzDgvbMx_TRkcuvbyHQoFQdh2aCvRyAszFiulSd2MKAVSImhoHSPW06-j1c-ufRawkicF6Jd9mxPbBtVcyEnE71VrN5ArpKs0lONuJcH9oO2uf4ylGjzSXNV4WvOegJ5ENc/s1600/27+-+At+West+Trig.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfNPfpAtkzzDgvbMx_TRkcuvbyHQoFQdh2aCvRyAszFiulSd2MKAVSImhoHSPW06-j1c-ufRawkicF6Jd9mxPbBtVcyEnE71VrN5ArpKs0lONuJcH9oO2uf4ylGjzSXNV4WvOegJ5ENc/s400/27+-+At+West+Trig.JPG" border="0" alt="On Ward's Stone, a Marilyn and Dewey that I successfully ticked off my list in 2010"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560296908951851842" /></a><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJe8sPhNPNHU2WudtdMzLi10F5VCF4huDi4bm7XpSYu4tnTmeQZU3zUSObqoIYR3eIrvIkctVBc758yzWxSUkQ9QdtJeEp6TV0W7pivMGmTfheDRmXI8R-WRdzdBZryCdIQZv_kqP8zI/s1600/08+-+Killhope+Law+and+Dodd+Reservoir+from+Byerhope+Bank.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJe8sPhNPNHU2WudtdMzLi10F5VCF4huDi4bm7XpSYu4tnTmeQZU3zUSObqoIYR3eIrvIkctVBc758yzWxSUkQ9QdtJeEp6TV0W7pivMGmTfheDRmXI8R-WRdzdBZryCdIQZv_kqP8zI/s400/08+-+Killhope+Law+and+Dodd+Reservoir+from+Byerhope+Bank.jpg" border="0" alt="Killhope Law - one of the hills on my to do list for 2010 that I failed to tick off"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560296074992590898" /></a><br />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.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZEBvyDX27CrbZKpQymgaPZmyFiqZGHel_VuVLvNjGTrqQDSy4ROaGGO_u3oS2tNqgDdAEZWJ838eKGwyMrCLjrLJSso4ijoIEeNi7sCSLG2dAVi4B5z5Si5su2CtfQiTWsJN9LGEUhOo/s1600/19+-+Matt+on+Cat+Bells2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZEBvyDX27CrbZKpQymgaPZmyFiqZGHel_VuVLvNjGTrqQDSy4ROaGGO_u3oS2tNqgDdAEZWJ838eKGwyMrCLjrLJSso4ijoIEeNi7sCSLG2dAVi4B5z5Si5su2CtfQiTWsJN9LGEUhOo/s400/19+-+Matt+on+Cat+Bells2.jpg" border="0" alt="On Cat Bells - my first Wainwright"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560289805012604130" /></a><br />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.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99-ntBTZs1RBgqKJuiLAi88zLGrl_qujIwli_rJfferugfbsXsvTzGINP1y9KZIPd_hfZjk-QUMK-ta7bgQyHImCFGWVUWulafvhR6dKJaa7RUKSXobJcppHRpCAU5Dp9ZRFNXptjvM0/s1600/27+-+Matt+on+Seat+Sandal.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99-ntBTZs1RBgqKJuiLAi88zLGrl_qujIwli_rJfferugfbsXsvTzGINP1y9KZIPd_hfZjk-QUMK-ta7bgQyHImCFGWVUWulafvhR6dKJaa7RUKSXobJcppHRpCAU5Dp9ZRFNXptjvM0/s400/27+-+Matt+on+Seat+Sandal.JPG" border="0" alt="On Seat Sandal in June 2009 - the last time I climbed a Wainwright"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560286840945851506" /></a><br />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.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYh3Q2H3J3EViO8kZHUWZM2QmgQcfUwKAKK_JmgIfuqG2KGrJAURj0cIa5zSR6i9RP3tisSItvjK8PuycRWbdKfEtwV6X8H7pDKeD9KDOtBLZtPzrzYpQJQEiNJByN7HhH0ICU5YINn0/s1600/18+-+St+Sunday+Crag.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYh3Q2H3J3EViO8kZHUWZM2QmgQcfUwKAKK_JmgIfuqG2KGrJAURj0cIa5zSR6i9RP3tisSItvjK8PuycRWbdKfEtwV6X8H7pDKeD9KDOtBLZtPzrzYpQJQEiNJByN7HhH0ICU5YINn0/s400/18+-+St+Sunday+Crag.JPG" border="0" alt="St Sunday Crag - one of the highest Wainwrights that I've not yet visited"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560287949768835538" /></a><br />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 <a href="http://v-g.me.uk/">V-G website</a> 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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFyVEvlUfnWuZsBqNvevWp6ai3dh4FXd-12NuvfLkbwzWOFAwgaydA4vP3ILq6aJOX4WBZ0aZrJtnWs4ruxJiGSWWyXu9SzMVbpL4Hd5UvAgqblwREp3JqPNqTr4_6-0yb3hgEmcuXSk/s1600/54+-+Sprinkling+Tarn.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFyVEvlUfnWuZsBqNvevWp6ai3dh4FXd-12NuvfLkbwzWOFAwgaydA4vP3ILq6aJOX4WBZ0aZrJtnWs4ruxJiGSWWyXu9SzMVbpL4Hd5UvAgqblwREp3JqPNqTr4_6-0yb3hgEmcuXSk/s400/54+-+Sprinkling+Tarn.JPG" border="0" alt="Sprinkling Tarn, a potential campsite for my first wild camping expedition"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560287287853168914" /></a><br />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.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLv11FqeaCEvdJ67L8OQvX9uMOw36mYUxOdPUJgW3ylpmhxqpk_PQqGzYfS8TC34QgNjmPpBlYwVbbnOKYcExp0_LgoPKrOUp61IBr9TnHJMr7KgwpcdtICJ7FmKtppIVdv2PbVjFDV4E/s1600/42+-+Mickle+Fell.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLv11FqeaCEvdJ67L8OQvX9uMOw36mYUxOdPUJgW3ylpmhxqpk_PQqGzYfS8TC34QgNjmPpBlYwVbbnOKYcExp0_LgoPKrOUp61IBr9TnHJMr7KgwpcdtICJ7FmKtppIVdv2PbVjFDV4E/s400/42+-+Mickle+Fell.JPG" border="0" alt="Mickle Fell - top of my 'to do' list in the North Pennines in 2011"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560288524601856594" /></a><br />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.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9385l3AtYXO9OePOLay70rAF2m_Dt2Z5C9kz99I0AHoWgMQ5k0MdQW5tGf5pAMYO7P_eB0LD6mbX9agvdJ5LjFcOn7lfxT0mISX-4GSJASAkfjYv_bJa2zTkoLXO4qXaEkyooqWsKZPo/s1600/17+-+Win+Hill.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9385l3AtYXO9OePOLay70rAF2m_Dt2Z5C9kz99I0AHoWgMQ5k0MdQW5tGf5pAMYO7P_eB0LD6mbX9agvdJ5LjFcOn7lfxT0mISX-4GSJASAkfjYv_bJa2zTkoLXO4qXaEkyooqWsKZPo/s400/17+-+Win+Hill.JPG" border="0" alt="Win Hill - one of the hills in the Peak District I want to climb in 2011"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560286305700540210" /></a><br />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.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQ_9xwfW9ArrrVshB-mc-9srpcSnOD6Pc_cfUBAVJQAE7YjF5aFzwoZbelT3hLfDSckwlS73z7HFXpFAyjVk4OsjJv8MfLSkPv4IDzahfVIwHwhHnnLwENWDhgKL6F7G9Uw48riiZ8NM/s1600/22+-+Knoutberry+Haw+Top1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQ_9xwfW9ArrrVshB-mc-9srpcSnOD6Pc_cfUBAVJQAE7YjF5aFzwoZbelT3hLfDSckwlS73z7HFXpFAyjVk4OsjJv8MfLSkPv4IDzahfVIwHwhHnnLwENWDhgKL6F7G9Uw48riiZ8NM/s400/22+-+Knoutberry+Haw+Top1.jpg" border="0" alt="Hopefully when I visit Baugh Fell this year the weather will be kinder than on my last visit in 2005"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560285858451219634" /></a><br />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. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFWMQantZmrfkhVpWCJrnGQ4NaLWliIiiLYSUyPScEyby3KZwVAx3O17gh-_2SzTUz0oR7Cgwu-1nI-fmXSCH0bSh7FUm4VWaQaF5McuKE_prKoy3R7u-6tIzidef-JET2hmMCnx-U30/s1600/18+-+Cnicht.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFWMQantZmrfkhVpWCJrnGQ4NaLWliIiiLYSUyPScEyby3KZwVAx3O17gh-_2SzTUz0oR7Cgwu-1nI-fmXSCH0bSh7FUm4VWaQaF5McuKE_prKoy3R7u-6tIzidef-JET2hmMCnx-U30/s400/18+-+Cnicht.JPG" border="0" alt="Cnicht - one of the mountains I'd like to visit when I holiday in North Wales this year"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560285494071033042" /></a><br />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.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5787167966231370362.post-84801064583664423582011-01-07T18:54:00.015+00:002011-01-07T20:05:05.488+00:00Reminiscences of 2005I've finally finished adding all my <a href="http://www.mypennines.co.uk/walks/2005walks.html">2005 Pennine walks</a> on to the site so as with my <a href="http://mypennines.blogspot.com/2010/11/reminiscences-of-2004.html">earlier blog on 2004</a> I thought I'd share my thoughts on what was another year of discovery.<br /><br />2004 will always be special as it was the year I discovered the joys of hill walking, in 2005 however I went to a whole new level both in terms of the amount of walking I did but also in terms of broadening my horizons.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgC2BxlLB-adLPInJE2vG1V3EGA3gZe8W2Eb3ZLk-cIcnobKfw8UT_r4mHSmBRzdjIAY4RTmfSkYRrjWjW-DaAAfsd3BxVmwGWZlSygAnXrlSlqcNvJYs5KcmrJt4jat4aKU4p2-XlZA/s1600/29+-+Blencathra+Tops+from+Knowe+Crags.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgC2BxlLB-adLPInJE2vG1V3EGA3gZe8W2Eb3ZLk-cIcnobKfw8UT_r4mHSmBRzdjIAY4RTmfSkYRrjWjW-DaAAfsd3BxVmwGWZlSygAnXrlSlqcNvJYs5KcmrJt4jat4aKU4p2-XlZA/s400/29+-+Blencathra+Tops+from+Knowe+Crags.jpg" border="0" alt="Blencathra was one of the first fells I climbed in the Lake District"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559534055081307122" /></a><br />In my first walking season virtually all my walking was in the Yorkshire Dales, the only exception was a fairly easy walk just over the National Park boundary in Nidderdale from Pateley Bridge to Brimham Rocks.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMZMrFumtq8rSsmXrv3venZ8esYtpATMn4cL9oDl3F9XIwumCZe9AyErMmZHBwe9UUpvUInvh9v8q-fRYZoN9TshGRY1sqZdOLT5ep49PIFV10BUQ5ovSuUYDW7dEvYf58fVbpQjxDRI/s1600/26+-+Trekking+through+the+heather.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMZMrFumtq8rSsmXrv3venZ8esYtpATMn4cL9oDl3F9XIwumCZe9AyErMmZHBwe9UUpvUInvh9v8q-fRYZoN9TshGRY1sqZdOLT5ep49PIFV10BUQ5ovSuUYDW7dEvYf58fVbpQjxDRI/s400/26+-+Trekking+through+the+heather.jpg" border="0" alt="Matt trekking through the heather to the remote summit of Meugher in Nidderdale"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559533051301760738" /></a><br />In 2005 I continued my burgeoning love affair with the Yorkshire Dales while at the same time sampling the walking delights in a host of other places. There were three main reasons for this. Firstly in Feb 2005 I passed my driving test. Prior to this I had been lucky enough to be chauffered about by my friend Matt as we explored the Dales together. Being able to drive gave me the independence to go walking more regularly and to go to places that Matt may not have been interested in going to.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFsO0Euf3fSd8c90kiR6KwA4BD3Cdcll6l6TaRKR43byWcSBdv-hR4Labvx1YrbuhuNwaPtxII8QoB6obxM_wYSFjIV3N3007x2lLhGUKsDCb6DUykQSzpmfmd0Tz13mBgo7RxsbCufM/s1600/02+-+Matt+on+High+Lane.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFsO0Euf3fSd8c90kiR6KwA4BD3Cdcll6l6TaRKR43byWcSBdv-hR4Labvx1YrbuhuNwaPtxII8QoB6obxM_wYSFjIV3N3007x2lLhGUKsDCb6DUykQSzpmfmd0Tz13mBgo7RxsbCufM/s400/02+-+Matt+on+High+Lane.jpg" border="0" alt="I celebrated passing my driving test by heading out to Grassington for a walk"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559532595407829938" /></a><br />Secondly, my wife Lisa, following our week away in Dent in October 2004, had begun to increasingly enjoy walking herself. As 2005 wore on I found myself <br />increasingly going out one day with Matt and the next day with Lisa, or even on my own. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifv6kLNTMLsIrrzQiyuZ1V4lMxPkkG2MtLrgpjdNIxEpQixo64gyE7uPpjhk-dqX9NStHy-vRa60kienVil6jtBcVacmNo27RSzta8YA5m4_yy04gs0HHUnvKiMAEV8ARkyyU6xzWKpqQ/s1600/11+-+Lisa+climbing+Pen-Y-Ghent.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifv6kLNTMLsIrrzQiyuZ1V4lMxPkkG2MtLrgpjdNIxEpQixo64gyE7uPpjhk-dqX9NStHy-vRa60kienVil6jtBcVacmNo27RSzta8YA5m4_yy04gs0HHUnvKiMAEV8ARkyyU6xzWKpqQ/s400/11+-+Lisa+climbing+Pen-Y-Ghent.JPG" border="0" alt="Lisa enjoying her first ascent of Pen-y-Ghent"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559529627907135730" /></a><br />Finally Lisa and I also bought our first tent and that year we took advantage of this by spending long weekends in places which were less practical to get to and from in a day. Our first camping trip was to Alston in the North Pennines, this was followed by trips to Hadrian's Wall, Kielder Water and then in August <br />2005 with our first trip to the Lake District. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlcwUOtQyhwAjJhH12ub1oZnxuiFYpsI8npuxmQYDzsxe3oSzewpdlYMPiePD3Q-uThERE42rQdxnHU5sBhZlaeUorpYHpXlOHgQL1BgceO2XBZiWzVBCh5xHy1Xm5smdvT4CufCmif4/s1600/08+-+Ashgill+Force.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlcwUOtQyhwAjJhH12ub1oZnxuiFYpsI8npuxmQYDzsxe3oSzewpdlYMPiePD3Q-uThERE42rQdxnHU5sBhZlaeUorpYHpXlOHgQL1BgceO2XBZiWzVBCh5xHy1Xm5smdvT4CufCmif4/s400/08+-+Ashgill+Force.jpg" border="0" alt="Ashgill Force - one of the finest waterfalls in the North Pennines"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559528091848630658" /></a><br />Thus it was that by the end of the year not only had I completed more walks in the Dales than the previous year but I'd also been walking for the first time in the South Pennines, Bowland, Pendle, North Pennines, Cheviots, North York Moors, Lake District and, thanks to a family holiday in Aviemore in May of that year the Cairngorms as well.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDUAlDx1Zq53E_ekrWXEIMYJ7empqkMoxecZ0DIEx7DANHD7CtX3X0AZMYqw20Lmt7cDFHXj2INH_n87ftkyoKkWH0P3geWcuIsT10nZUMeQLGSQSSLQQVpTFoMc8_xBlop2hPo419ag/s1600/09+-+Matt+and+the+Cairngorms.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDUAlDx1Zq53E_ekrWXEIMYJ7empqkMoxecZ0DIEx7DANHD7CtX3X0AZMYqw20Lmt7cDFHXj2INH_n87ftkyoKkWH0P3geWcuIsT10nZUMeQLGSQSSLQQVpTFoMc8_xBlop2hPo419ag/s400/09+-+Matt+and+the+Cairngorms.jpg" border="0" alt="On Meall a' Bhuachaille looking towards the main Cairngorm plateau"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559530397574016866" /></a><br />The latter holiday featured one of the toughest and most memorable walks of the year up on to Ben Macdui, the second highest peak in Great Britain. Walking with my father-in-law, Dave we started near Glen More Lodge and took a route that went around Cairn Gorm via Strath Nethy and Loch Avon before finally climbing to the top of Ben Macdui via Loch Etchachan. The day had started in beautiful sunshine but just as we began the final hundred metres of ascent it began to snow. Fortunately it didn't snow too long but it was long enough to cover the paths and to make us very careful of our route selection. It also meant that we decided against returning over Cairn Lochan and Cairn Gorm.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNmQ5nO97w-2lokqTqzFZ4IugB44L7Cwby9p0DvKEWO6xXzQzjevJ4tKcd22s99HFbof0pzOfMzQ_tZd7618YS50HMdVBSW74RO-YCkJiCzq-AiuASagRYbmPBizpnm6ax-85aAhIaoo/s1600/15+-+Matt+and+Loch+A%2527an.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNmQ5nO97w-2lokqTqzFZ4IugB44L7Cwby9p0DvKEWO6xXzQzjevJ4tKcd22s99HFbof0pzOfMzQ_tZd7618YS50HMdVBSW74RO-YCkJiCzq-AiuASagRYbmPBizpnm6ax-85aAhIaoo/s400/15+-+Matt+and+Loch+A%2527an.jpg" border="0" alt="Above Loch Avon in the Cairngorms"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559520068426005858" /></a><br />The walk that perhaps had the biggest effect on me was when Lisa and I climbed Fleetwith Pike and Haystacks on our first trip to the Lakes. On the day we'd arrived we had been up on to Cat Bells and enjoyable though that was it was nothing compared to the next day's walk. In near perfect weather we climbed Fleetwith Pike from Gatesgarth, a steep climb but with immaculate retrospective views of the Buttermere valley. By the time we had walked round to and begun to descend Haystacks I was in my own personal heaven. It is perhaps not surprising that over the next 2-3 years it was the Lake District that I began to return to again and again.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeQmAdcFUkL8JXjOjGugAs6GtLtoggh45M4tzVbsSwDqfQdn5eeW2Y3kGcMh6bJZJF_6xn47xL_E-0Me6rnvxxjD4x72LDu12pQWuJ3vs2sUVXK_XtCQfqINkoUYLtiHr6w0Wq66hZOE/s1600/77+-+Matt+and+Buttermere+Valley+from+Haystacks.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeQmAdcFUkL8JXjOjGugAs6GtLtoggh45M4tzVbsSwDqfQdn5eeW2Y3kGcMh6bJZJF_6xn47xL_E-0Me6rnvxxjD4x72LDu12pQWuJ3vs2sUVXK_XtCQfqINkoUYLtiHr6w0Wq66hZOE/s400/77+-+Matt+and+Buttermere+Valley+from+Haystacks.jpg" border="0" alt="On the descent from Haystacks with Buttermere behind me"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559520386111830642" /></a><br />What of the Pennines though? As mentioned above I made some early forays into the South Pennines but unfortunately almost all these walks were in fairly poor weather early on in the year so at the time the area did not make a particularly good impression. I did however thoroughly enjoy my first walk in Bowland up on to Fair Snape Fell and Parlick, this was followed later on in the year by trips to Totridge and to Pendle Hill across the Ribble Valley.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRuP3hvgHeuKA-hDF648LQ8E28zogymIO2zkdkaT-SZVeKi1neHdFvw8xfHhHdVFU_FBeAvNLGmUx4p9tfRbegxj7CSpWVW1px7mxYrbwfZ9tLh0SLIgNyS81Wh8d3g66w0KBsmYzHRY/s1600/07+-+Parlick.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRuP3hvgHeuKA-hDF648LQ8E28zogymIO2zkdkaT-SZVeKi1neHdFvw8xfHhHdVFU_FBeAvNLGmUx4p9tfRbegxj7CSpWVW1px7mxYrbwfZ9tLh0SLIgNyS81Wh8d3g66w0KBsmYzHRY/s400/07+-+Parlick.jpg" border="0" alt="Parlick in the south Bowland fells"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559526000835352322" /></a><br />My trips to Alston and Hadrian's Wall yielded six walks in total. The most memorable from the Alston trip was the short evening walk to Ashgill Force, a fantastic waterfall made all the better for being able to stand behind the falls itself. All the walking in and around Hadrian's Wall was superb and the main walk we did following the wall from Housesteads to Peel Crags still rates as one of my favourite ever walks.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-fDafKvPYMipA3va43tW_j09_Uxhb5iVpTP3CAI9FI0bNse2wf-XQz6A7e88LFNebODFpmlZt9Nb5KWt1PfJEGe2u78LOSqzKdPM195rIzj-CCUoRXfFxVzDWLYQhLMxNiRRy_9UqX4o/s1600/08+-+Cuddy%2527s+Crag+and+Broomlee+Lough.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-fDafKvPYMipA3va43tW_j09_Uxhb5iVpTP3CAI9FI0bNse2wf-XQz6A7e88LFNebODFpmlZt9Nb5KWt1PfJEGe2u78LOSqzKdPM195rIzj-CCUoRXfFxVzDWLYQhLMxNiRRy_9UqX4o/s400/08+-+Cuddy%2527s+Crag+and+Broomlee+Lough.jpg" border="0" alt="The Cuddy's Crag section of Hadrian's Wall"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559526668207982962" /></a><br />The walking up in Kielder was more of a mixed bag. Our main walk up on to the Border Ridge and Peel Fell was excellent but the next day's walk up to Purdom Pikes through thick heather and ravaged plantations was fairly dire. Memories of Kielder are not helped by the fact that the campsite was infested with midgies. I have never, and hope to never, see the like again.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtx_Fn6mxIs5PDxhWGS7LqLUUX3NWQwZpGk0JzEPQCZAFMfwSiN47ggl6RC1ZE5HuPMyayhdPD6u3ZipfO5aO5TVcRrj9Vs6DFugicxK9-08EWZ0346HnbC1x7SbyFxesWpRNS8tqwpho/s1600/41+-+Matt+on+Jenny+Storrie%2527s+Stone.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtx_Fn6mxIs5PDxhWGS7LqLUUX3NWQwZpGk0JzEPQCZAFMfwSiN47ggl6RC1ZE5HuPMyayhdPD6u3ZipfO5aO5TVcRrj9Vs6DFugicxK9-08EWZ0346HnbC1x7SbyFxesWpRNS8tqwpho/s400/41+-+Matt+on+Jenny+Storrie%2527s+Stone.jpg" border="0" alt="On Jennie Storrie's Stone on Peel Fell in the Cheviots"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559527449932791362" /></a><br />As for the Dales there was some pretty bad weather days on hills such as Baugh Fell and Fountains Fell but for the most part they continued to offer some fantastic walking. Hills such as Cracoe Fell, Fremington Edge, Middleton Fell, Pen Hill and Rye Loaf Hill were all definitely worth the visit and offered further proof that there is much more to the Yorkshire Dales than just the Three Peaks and Malham.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTsCTlyGmN5LXra2O0xO_4zl4O3jpZiqWIdNdCjpeN7p2xpoiJ6pUGQ939tT5RUfCMnCyYgA0GejqJdd9kfrkmDR7is8SqulpqSAFbPx2kp-lgKMpKMmi8aLTfRa3WEGMbksMfIHI4Ww4/s1600/13+-+Great+Pinseat+and+Ark%2527dale.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTsCTlyGmN5LXra2O0xO_4zl4O3jpZiqWIdNdCjpeN7p2xpoiJ6pUGQ939tT5RUfCMnCyYgA0GejqJdd9kfrkmDR7is8SqulpqSAFbPx2kp-lgKMpKMmi8aLTfRa3WEGMbksMfIHI4Ww4/s400/13+-+Great+Pinseat+and+Ark%2527dale.jpg" border="0" alt="Looking down into Arkengarthdale from Fremington Edge"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559531091907086818" /></a><br />So finally a year after starting work on my site I've it is now (finally!) up to date in terms of all my Pennine walks. When I started work on the site I did think that sooner or later I'd get to add in my non-Pennine walks as well. That is probably now unlikely - I just don't have the time it would take to add another 100 or so pages to the site. Instead I think I'll concentrate on adding content about specific Pennine summits. <br /><br />2005 was a vintage year for walking, I'm now looking forward to wherever my feet take me in 2011.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13959904605623063987noreply@blogger.com1