Mountaintreks

Sat 22nd Aug, VF Vallon and Piz Boe

2009-09-01T20:19:00.004+01:00

Our last day in the Dolomites and we decided to head back over to Corvara and up towards the Refugio Vallon for another VF route that would take us toward Piz Boe, the highest peak in the range at 3152m. According to the Cicerone guide this route has been closed for many years but we had discovered locally that it has now been fixed and was reopened recently. Because of this it was a very quite route and the only other team we seen was starting the route as we finished.

The route crosses over a waterfall by means of a wire bridge before climbing steeply up some good rock to a high hanging valley. From here we gained the ridge line and enjoyed a pleasant scramble to the summit and the comforts of Refugio Piz Boe. Shortly after we sat down in the Refugio the only bad weather of our trip passed through the area with a heavy downpour of hailstones. However by the time we had finished our drinks the sun was out again for a pleasant walk back down to the valley. A good mountain day highly recommended.

Friday 21st Aug, Piz Da Cir V and Gran Cir

2009-09-01T20:16:00.004+01:00

This morning we drove back over to Passo Gardena to explore two short routes near the top of the pass. As we headed up the first route, Piz Da Cir V, we saw a number of large groups just ahead of us. Fortunately we managed to get geared up and started before them and were able to enjoy this route to ourselves ahead of the crowds. The top 5m of the route is a steep climb onto a platform which supposedly can hold 10 people but seemed rather busy with just the two of us on it. This was a pleasant route on good rock with a few fun moves.

At the foot of the descent gully we followed a contour path across the slopes to the start of our second route of the day on the highest peak in the range, Gran Cir at 2592m. This is not quite a VF route but is a mixture of fixed lines and scrambling to reach the top. It is a pleasant route and worth combining with Piz Da Cir V to make a short day.

Thursday 20th Aug, VF Piz Da Lech

2009-09-01T20:13:00.004+01:00

We opted to walk up through the alpine meadows to the start of this route high above the valley on the Sella range. Again this proved to be a very popular route and we had to wait to get started on the route. This was also quite physical and technically more demanding route.

The location was amazing and the route follows an obvious fault line to the ridge. Part way up the route has two 30m ladders that need to be climbed to cross a steep wall that has no breaks. After this it is an easy walk to the summit at 2910m and some amazing 360 degree views.

Wed 19th August, VF Brigata Tridentina

2009-09-01T20:09:00.004+01:00

This morning we drove over to Passo Gardena to the next route we planned on one of the classic VF routes in the Dolomites . Despite having made an early start the car park was almost full when we arrived.

The route starts a short distance from the car park and is broken into three sections. The first section is straight forward and finishes between two very large boulders on a balcony above a line of crags. A short walk took us to the foot of a waterfall and the main section of route. The rock was good and it had a number of interesting exposed moves following the line of a waterfall.

The final section is much steeper and strenuous it was also very busy as the other teams on the route had been moving slowly and became bottlenecked on this section. The route finishes with a short bridge across a deep ravine which can be seen from the main road to Corrava. From here it is a short walk to the Refugio.

This is a big long route but very enjoyable.

Tuesday 18th Aug, Lagazuoi Tunnels and Via Ferrata Averau

2009-09-01T20:01:00.005+01:00

We are in the Dolomites enjoying the sun and sampling the via ferrata’s, these are mountain routes which are equipped with fixed cables, stemples, ladders and bridges, to help you climb the route.

We opted to start with one of the more unusual via ferrata’s in the eastern part of the Dolomites, the Lagazuoi Tunnels. During WW1 whilst fighting for control of Mount Lagazuoi the Austrian and Italian troops built a series of tunnels through the mountains. Some of these tunnels have now been restored, with a via ferrata, which starts at the top of the mountain, and follows the route of one of these tunnels down into the mountain back to Falzarego Pass.

It is an interesting route which needed helmets and head torches but did not have any technical sections.

After a short lunch break we headed back up for our second route of the day on an area known as Cinque Torri. This is a group of more than 5 rocky towers that lies on the south slopes of Falzarego Pass above Cortina. This was a short but pleasant route, Averau, on good rock and gave Jane a good introduction to the technical skills needed on Via Ferrata’s. The route finished on the summit of Averau at 2649m

Friday 14th Aug, Dolomites and Via Ferrata

2009-08-10T23:15:00.004+01:00

We are off to Arraba in the Dolomites for a few weeks to do some walking and scrambles on Via Ferrata's. Details of our trip will be posted when we get back from Italy.

Sun 9th Aug, Part 2, Ingleborough

2009-08-10T23:13:00.006+01:00

After our climbing session, Jane and I decided to take a short walk up onto the top of Ingleborough. As we set off the skies became very dark and cloudy however within 10 mins it was hot and sunny again. The route from Ingleton offers fast, easy walking on good tracks and we soon reached the steeper section onto the summit plateau. Visibility from the top was good and we enjoyed 360 degree views of the surrounding area. As we approached the top the wind had picked up and made it much cooler and not good for standing about, after a short break for a drink we headed back down the same route to the car.

Sun 9th Aug, Part 1 Twistleton Scar

2009-08-10T23:11:00.002+01:00

We went to Twistleton Scar, Nr Ingleton, with Jane for a climbing day. It was hot and sunny when we set off and the crag was very quite with only one other team climbing. We managed a number of routes on the main crag before lunch which we were able to enjoy in sunshine for a change. After a few more routes we decided to walk over to the summit Ingleborough to enjoy the last of the afternoon sun.

Sat 8th Aug, Crinkle Crags

2009-08-10T23:09:00.002+01:00

Today I am on Crinkle Crags, our route went from the Old Dungeon Ghyll hotel and into Oxendale before ascending steeply to Red Tarn. The summits were covered in low cloud when we set off but as the morning progressed the cloud gradually cleared to give some fine views. From here the route was much easier and a gentle inclined path led up to the first of the Crinkles. The route over the ridge was undulating with options for a few short scrambling sections. We chose to scramble over the “bad step” to reach the summit. Our descent route was from Three Tarns down the main path on The Band to the car park.

Fri 7th Aug, Stickle Tarn

2009-08-10T23:07:00.001+01:00

We took an early evening walk following the ghyll to Stickle Tarn. It was a nice clear evening and the views were good. As we descended we were able to enjoy the orange glow on the full moon as it rose above the horizon. We got back to Sticklebarn pub in time for last orders.

Sun 2nd Aug, Aonach Eagach Ridge, Glencoe

2009-08-05T09:50:00.007+01:00

The forecast for the day was for improving weather so Jane and I set off early for a trip to the Aonach EagachRidge in Glencoe. On the climb up to Am Bodach the rain didn’t stop and by the time we reached the Bad Step, it was like down climbing a water fall. The ridge was very wet and the rocks were slippy so our progress was slower than usual.

We meet a few other teams on the ridge who would suddenly appear out of the mist. The conditions made it a very atmospheric day but it would have been nice to have seen the route. Just as we reach the col before Stob Coire Leith the clouds began to lift and we enjoyed some views back along the ridge.

By the time we reached the second Munro , Sgorr nam Fiannaidh, the cloud had lifted completely and the sun came out. The forecast of good weather was correct ,it was only about 8 hours later than we had originally had expected. We enjoyed our descent back into Glencoe and the walk back up the glen to the car in sun which helped to dry out our kit.

Sun 26th July, Glencoe and Coire Gabhail (The Hidden Valley)

2009-07-30T23:27:00.005+01:00

The weather has changed today and we have high winds and driving rain, but at least it kept some of the midges away in the Glen Nevis campsite. After a leisurely start waiting for the weather to improve we headed down to Glencoe and took a short walk up into Coire Gabhail(The Hidden Valley) With all the rain we had some of the waterfalls were running full and looked quite spectacular. Staying low in the valleys gave us shelter from worst of the winds and we did manage to enjoy a walk and avoid the heavy rain showers that were passing through

Sat 25th July, Ben Nevis

2009-07-30T23:26:00.004+01:00

We are in Fort William this weekend with Estelle and friends, and today’s walk took us up onto the summit of Ben Nevis following the main footpath from Glen Nevis visitor centre. The route was busy with lots of poorly equipped holiday makers, fortunately the weather was great with little wind and lots of sunshine, This was my third time on the Ben this year and the first I had been able to see anything. The views from the summit were very good although it was rather crowded.

Sun 19th July, Pinnacle Ridge, St Sundays Crag

2009-07-20T20:12:00.005+01:00

This morning I set off early with Jane to make our way up onto Pinnacle Ridge, on St Sundays Crag. The route involves a short but steep climb up an old path to a grassy balcony before following an easy traverse path to just below the ridge.

A final short steep ascent up loose scree brings you out at the foot of the ridge. The route was very quiet with no one else around when we set off. The ridge is an enjoyable and airy scramble on good blocky rock which was dry and very grippy today. We were also very fortunate to do this in good weather. The highlight of the route is a short chimney section which is climbed and the traverse of the pinnacles. We exited the route on the summit plateau of St Sundays Crag. The visibility was good and we enjoyed 360 degree views of the Lakes before descending back down into Patterdale.

Sat 18th July, Millican Dalton's Cave

2009-07-20T19:57:00.003+01:00

After we left Sally and her family, Jane and I went for a short walk in Borrowdale to explore the home (cave) of one of the first mountain guides in the Lake District. Many people have considered walking out of the office and chucking it all in for a life of simplicity. Millican Dalton, an insurance clerk, from London had the courage in the 1900's to follow his dreams and to live by his convictions. He lived under canvas, in a cave or in his woodland hut for the most part of his life. He styled himself ‘Professor of Adventure’ and the following quotes are attributed to him.

“You can't feel lonely with nature as your companion”

"Don't Waste Words Jump to Conclusions" This later one is carved in the wall of the cave if you know were to look.

Sat 18th July, Scafell Pike

2009-07-20T19:18:00.003+01:00

We are on Scafell Pike today with Sally and her family. We set off from Seathwaite in pleasant conditions for the long pull up Ruddy Gill to Esk Hause. As we gained height on Great End the wind speed picked up and low cloud rolled in making visibility to the summit, over the last few kms,very poor.

As usual at this time of year there were a number of large groups of "three peakers" resting on the top. After a short break for pictures we headed down towards the Corridor Route and our way back to the valley. As we reached the col near Lingmell we came back out of the clouds and enjoyed some shelter from the wind and warm sunshine for the rest of our descent back into the valley.

Wed 16th July, Ben Vorlich

2009-07-17T00:26:00.009+01:00

Ben Vorlich lies on the side of Loch Lomond and is a munro that is often driven past by walkers heading further north. Despite it proximity to Glasgow it is a quiet but interesting mountain without the usual broad paths that scar many of the munro's.

Conditions were very mixed today with a few heavy showers and very humid atmosphere. Out of the cloud visibility was good and conditions made for some very atmospheric views.

My route up was from Ardlui railway station climbing over the Little Hills a complex ridge that leads directly to the summit of Ben Vorlich. On reaching the summit I followed the ridge to the north top and then followed this down into Coire Creagach and an easy walk back to the cars.

Sun 12th July, Snowdon

2009-07-17T00:02:00.006+01:00

Today is Day 2 of our Expedition training course and we set off with the group to walk up the Miners Track from Pen Y Pass to the summit of Snowdon. Conditions were slightly better today although high up visibility was still poor. We had a few sore legs in the group today and this route is good to help loosen up muscles before we start the steep ascent up to the summit ridge.

One member of our group, John who a lost a leg, was fundraising for Help the Hero's and his efforts over the two days on his crutches was amazing .

Since I was last on Snowdon a few weeks ago the cafe has re-opened and the train is running to the top station again, It was very cold on top and a strong wind was blowing so we headed to the cafe for coffeee and cakes. Surprisingly it was quite and prices seemed very reasonable and our Exped Doc, Jackie, showed us how to eat scones and cream to boost energy levels.

We returned to Pen Y Pass by the Pyg Track with a short diversion over The Horns.

Sat 11th July, Y Garn, Snowdonia

2009-07-16T23:17:00.006+01:00

I am in North Wales today leading a two day training course for a group who are heading out on charity fund raising challenges later in the year. Our route today was from Idwal Cottage, round Cwn Idwal before ascending steeply up the ridge of Y Garn. Weather conditions were poor and forecast to get worse during the day with very strong winds.

After stopping briefly for a group photo on the summit we headed down to the Llyn y Cwn to find some shelter for a lunch break. For most of the time on the top we had been in cloud with poor visibility. From here we descended down through the Devils Kitchen back in Cwn Idwal and a gentle walk back down the valley.

At the end of the Cwn Idwal we climbed steeply up the slopes to reach a hanging valley below Y Gribin Ridge and follwed a traverse path under the ridge before crossing over to Llyn Bochlywd and back to the minibuses.

Tuesday 7th July, Evening Scrambles in Barbondale

2009-07-07T23:45:00.005+01:00

My son Scott is back in Kendal for a week and we opted for an evenings scrambling in Patterdale, unfortunately a serious car accident blocked the main road into the Lakes so we headed off to Barbondale again.

We followed the same route as a few days ago and enjoyed a pleasant scramble up the gyhll with no one else around.

There is a second ghyll a few hundred metres away and we decided to visit it after we finished the first ghyll. It has many more large blocks to scramble over and a large 8m wall to climb to escape from the ghyll. Conditions were still damp but we managed a good evening before retiring to the local pub for a few beers.

Sunday 5th July, Ghyll Scrambles

2009-07-06T23:48:00.003+01:00

After a long day yesterday and a poor forecast for today we opted for a short scramble in Barbondale. The route starts with a short crawl through a tunnel under the road before entering the ghyll which was still damp from the overnight rain and some of the rocks were very slippery. It was surprisingly busy today with two school groups have started just ahead of us but they kindly let us past.

It is an interesting little ghyll with a few interesting problems and some steep walls to climb, a rope can be useful. It finishes with an intersting problem of a limestone keyhole you have to pass through before emerging from the gyhll on open fell side. A fun morning and it stayed dry.

Sat, 4th July, Scafell Pike

2009-07-06T23:24:00.003+01:00

We set off early today from the Old Dungeon Ghyll (ODG) in Langdale with Estelle and friends for a walk over to Scafell Pike in the early morning sunshine. Our route involved an ascent of Rossett Ghyll before heading up to Esk Hause and a walk along the ridge connecting Ill Crag and Broad Crag before the final short pull up to the summit.

As we gained height it became much cooler today and by Esk Hause we had walked into low cloud and mist with poor visibility. After summiting we retraced our route bback to Esk Hause before returning by Esk Pike and Bowfell, descending down the Band to reach the ODG for a well earned pint.

Thurs 25th June, Helvellyn by Striding Edge

2009-06-25T19:23:00.002+01:00

Another bright and sunny day in the Lakes. I am with Alison, James, Nick and Richard for a days guided walking on Helvellyn. They route they have chosen is to ascend by Striding Edge and descend by Swirral Edge. Shortly after we set off I realised my camera was in the car so sorry no pictures today.

We reached the hole in the wall after a steady pull up the path from Patterdale and enjoyed the views across the Lakes before making our way up onto the ridge. By setting off early we had managed to get ahead of the crowds and crossed the ridge with only a few others about.

Helvellyn summit was as usual very busy and despite the warm weather in the valley was very cold on tops, mainly due to wind chill effect, after a quick lunch break we set off again. The route back down followed the crest of Swirral Edge and we continued onto the summit of Catstye Cam before dropping down to Red Tarn. Our route back to the valley was over Birkhouse Moor before dropping into Glenridding for a well earned pint.

Sun 22nd June, Hadrians Wall Day 2 GOSH

2009-06-23T21:51:00.006+01:00

Today is the second day of our trek on Hadrains Wall with Great Ormond Street Hospital. It is a slightly shorter route today, 10 miles, and will take us via Housesteads Fort to our final destination of Brocolitia.

We set off early from the campsite in some good weather to rejoin the wall where we had finished the previous day. We had a few tired legs and aching muscles as we set off but soon everyone got into their stride. This section of wall is very undulating and very scenic and the miles past quickly. Soon we reached Sycombmore tree Gap, part of the film set for a Robin Hood movie. After a short break we continued onto Housesteads Fort where some folks got dressed up as Romans before we stopped for lunch. The section in the afternoon is much less undulating and finishes with a long flat section to the fort at Brocolitia and our finish line.

Again Debbie and Alex showed great speed and ran head to cheer us in a pour a glass of champagne for the challengers to celebrate. All of the clients succesfully completed the challenge and helped raise a large amount of money for a good cause.

More images of today can be found by following this link

http://picasaweb.google.com/george.mountaintreks/LoResHadriansWallDay2GOSHJune200902?authkey=Gv1sRgCNWX3M6_mdrKtgE#

Sat21st June, Hadrians Wall trek with GOSH

2009-06-23T21:18:00.006+01:00

Today I am working on a charity trek on Hadrians Wall for Great Ormond Street Hospital with Bruce , Sean and charity reps Alex and Debbie. We have a large group of 37 clients who are fund raising for GOSH.

Our route today is to walk 15 miles from Lanercost Priory due east along the line of the wall back to our campsite at Melkridge. After the obligitory team photo we set off to get to our first major milestone at Birdoswald Roman Fort. Just before we arrived at the fort the rains came and we decided to have a well earned break in the cafe. When we set off again the weather had improved and the sun even came out. The lunch stop was just after Greenhead at the top of a long incline where we meet our caterers Antony& Kirstin who had warm drinks and food waiting for us.

After lunch the route become more interesting with more section of the wall visible and it is also slightly more undulating terrain. Late afternoon we finally arrived at the end of the days walk and had a short section on the roads back to our campsite.

Alex and Debbie showed a remarkable turn of sped in the final 500m running ahead to cheer our trekkers back into camp at the end of day 1

More images from day 1 can be found if you follow this link

http://picasaweb.google.com/george.mountaintreks/LoResJPEGHadriansWallDay1GOSH?authkey=Gv1sRgCNGUsrfVnrzbOQ#

Sunday 19th April, Raven Crag and Shepherds Crag

2009-04-19T20:47:00.008+01:00

I was back out on the hills again today with Jo for an introduction into rock climbing. Some wonderful sunshine and almost no wind continued to be in the Lakes today as we set off for our first climb of the day. We choose the classic route of Corvus in the Borrowdale valley for Jo's introduction to multi-pitch climbing. The route has a long walk in but has a nice mountain top finish high on Glaramara.

The route was in good condition with the rock being dry and warm. We made good progress working our way up to the classic pitch which route involves a "hand traverse" along the line of a horizontal crack in the rocks and this provided an opportunity for some good pictures as Jo made her way across to the belay. After topping out on this route we enjoyed lunch and some stunning views down the Borrowdale valley.

We then set off for Shepherds Crag further down the valley to climb some shorter routes on Brown Slabs. Jo seemed to enjoy this crag and quickly climbed the two routes we had chosen. The rock was catching the afternoon sun and we enjoyed climbing in the warmth with views over Derwentwater.

Saturday 18th April, Night Navigation

2009-04-19T20:42:00.002+01:00

It was a lovely cold but clear night and I went out with Jo to improve her night navigation skills on the hills above Kendal. We set off just before dark to allow Jo the chance to practice her pacing and navigating accurately before it was completely dark. We stayed on the hills till late doing fine navigation techniques. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures to show but it was an amazing night for stars. We got back to town just in time for last orders.

Saturday 18th April, Pillar and Great Gable

2009-04-19T20:41:00.010+01:00

I decided to go for a walk over to the far western fells today. Conditions were good with clear blue skies, little wind and good visibility. My starting point was the Youth Hostel near the old mines at Honnister. From there I headed out over Moses trod towards the remote Black Sail YH in Ennerdale valley. It was very quiet in Ennerdale and after a short break by the river A long pull back up took me to Black Sail Pass. My route then headed toward Pillar but via the climbers high route to Robinsons Cairn. The views over to Pillar Rock were very clear and I made my way up the ramp to the balcony overlooking Pillar Rock to watch some climbers. Another steep pull up the ridge soon put me on the summit of Pillar with views over to Scotland.

From here I headed back toward Black Sail Pass before starting the rocky ascent up onto Kirk Fell. A short walk from here and I was at the foot of Great Gable and another rough rocky ascent. The route from here back to Honister invovled picking off a few more tops in Green Gable, Brandeth and Grey Knotts before dropping down to the old mines at Honnister YH.

A nice little walk, a good warm up for tonights navigation session with Jo.

Sunday 12th April, Night Walking Orrest Head

2009-04-13T21:41:00.003+01:00

It was a lovely evening and I decided to take a short walk up onto Orrest Head, above Windermere, to watch the sunset over Crinkle Crags. I arrived about 15mins before the sun went down behind the hills and stayed on the top for over an hour watching the wonderful display of colours over the lakeland fells.

Sunday 12th April, Ullswater

2009-04-13T21:25:00.003+01:00

Today I am in Ullswater with Myra on a walk round part of the Lake. Our route started at Patterdale and we followed the path round the lake and under Place Fell towards Howtown. Conditions were perfect again and we enjoyed a pleasant walk with some stunning views across the lake towards the Helvellyn Massif. Our plan had been to get the steamer from Howtown back to Glenridding but unfortunately we both "forgot" to bring money with us so had a slightly longer walk than was originally planned.

Saturday 11th April, Winter Skills and Striding Edge

2009-04-13T21:05:00.004+01:00

Today I am working with Marta who is on holiday in the Lakes for Easter, we set off from Glenridding in perfect conditions with clear blue skies and no wind. Our plan was to climb up onto Raise in search of some snow patches to practice winter skills in preparation for Marta's trip to the Alps during the summer. Fortunately we found a number of large patches of snow and were able to cover the basic winter skills.

We stopped on the summit of Raise for lunch and were able to enjoy views over the Solway Firth and into Scotland. From here we went over White Side before ascending Helvellyn Little Man to the summit cairn of Helvellyn. The remaining snow on the Red Tarn side of Helvellyn was still in good condition so we walked down to the lowest point and climbed back up on the summit ridge to get some more snow skills pratice for Marta.

Helvellyn was extremely busy with and we decided not to stay for long on the summit and to cross over Striding Edge to get back down to Glenridding. This is a nice Grade 1 scramble and is good fun and it was also useful training for the alpine ascents Marta has planned.

After we finished the ridge we enjoyed a pleasant walk down off the hills in the evening sunshine.

Sunday 5th April, Cairngorm Plateau

2009-04-10T18:11:00.002+01:00

Today I am in the Cairngorms enjoying the spring snow and sunshine, unfortunately I forgot the camera today so no pictures. The coire floor is now clear of snow but the gully lines looked in good condition with very few folks about today. Up on the plateau there is still good snow and ice cover all the way across to Ben MacDui. Large drifts of snow still exist in some area and around Ciste Mhearad I was able to measure over 2 metres into the snow bank with my avalanche probe a few snow holes were in existence but most from my previous visit had been covered over by the large drifts of snow.

Despite the good conditions I saw relatively few people all day.

Sunday 29th March, The Glyders

2009-03-29T20:40:00.005+01:00

We were back out on the hills today with the "girls" from Newcastle on the second day of their walking weekend in North Wales. Conditions today were great, a cold crisp morning and beautiful clear blue skies with little or no wind.

Our route was from the Ogwen valley up to Bwlch Tryfan, between Tryfan and Bristly Ridge. Before making our way up the steep scree slopes to the top of Glyder Fach, 994m. We stopped to investigate the Cantilever Stone but could not get unto safely it as it was covered in ice.

The visibility from the summit was very good and after enjoying the views and taking lots of pictures we headed off toward Glyder Fawr, 999m. The summit was covered in amazing rime ice formations from the previous days and we made our way down from there to Llyn y Cwn before descending through the Devils Kitchen to Cwn Idwal and the main path back to Idwal Cottage.

A nice day out in almost perfect weather conditions for walking, it seemed a shame to be coming off the hill.

Saturday 28th March, Snowdonia

2009-03-29T20:30:00.006+01:00

Today I am in North Wales with Estelle, Emma, Jackie, Pauline and Sarah for two days walking. Conditions in Snowdonia today were poor with strong winds and fresh deposits of snow on the paths. We opted to use the Miners Path on the ascent to try and get some shelter from the winds durring the early part of the day and our plan seemed to work. When we joined the Pyg Track conditions worsened and visibilty at time s was poor. The paths were icy in places and lots of windblown snow was present in places.

When we reached the railway line the weather improved slightly for the final walk to the summit although we were not fortunate enough to get any views today. All of the group made it to the summit and we retruned to the car park using the Pyg Track. The weather conditions were improving as we were descending but were still difficult. Snowdon was extremely busy with many hundreds of walkers on the hill and all car parks full. Given the wintery conditions on the mountain many of the groups we seen were ill equiped and look very inexperienced for these conditions.

Thursday 26th March, Climbing Wind Turbines

2009-03-26T21:57:00.003Z

Today I was climbing wind turbines on the moors above Rochdale with colleagues, Alan and Kev, from Heightec in Kendal. When we arrived on site the rain was horizontal and the wind speed very high. Which would limit what we could achieve today. Fortunately late morning the weather cleared to give beautiful blue skies and we were able to climb but not work outside on the roof as wind speed was still too high for safe working. Whilst I was there I managed to get a few images of wind turbines from a new angle for most folks. These machines were over 60m high to the Nacelle and height to blade tips was over 100m. Each machine is capable of producing 2.5MW of power.

Thursday 19th March, Scouts Scar, Lake District

2009-03-23T22:12:00.002Z

It had been a really nice today today and I decided to go out on the hills this eveing to enjoy the last of the evening sun. My route was a short walk along the tops of the scars above Kendal. Having found a nice location I sat and waited for the sun to go down to get some nice sunset pictures for a project I am working on.

Saturday 14th March, Marrakech

2009-03-23T21:51:00.005Z

Today was a rest day in Marrakech for the group and most folks spent the day exploring the sights and trying their negotiating skills with traders in the souks. Cookie and I took a bus trip around the town before exploring the souks for some great picture opportunities.

In the evening we went to a local restaurant for our celebration meal and awards ceromony. Details of the awards need to be kept secret due to the embarassing nature of a few of them. However we can reveal that the overall winner succeeded in achieving a medical first according to Doctor Cookie who is hoping for a new medical paper from this incident.

We returned back to the UK on Sunday morning.

Friday 13th March, Iriki Salt Pan to Track out of desert

2009-03-23T21:36:00.003Z

Today we had a short 10km walk to a road head. This walk was planned to be a sunrise walk. My job was to wake camp at 0400hrs to get packed and be ready to walk by 0500hrs. We set off in the dark using our headtorches and followed the route of the Paris Dakar rally which would take us to the road head.

Sunrise came about 0630hrs but unfortunately today it was not as wonderful as we had been hoping for. Just after 0700hrs we reached the road head where we were collected by truck for a bumpy ride through the desert back to the tarmac road to meet our bus. The weather was poor today hece not many pictures.

It was a long and dusty ride in the trucks followed by a 5 hour bus ride through the High Atlas mountains to Marrakech. We decided to move our celebration meal to the following evening as most folks were very tired after an early start and lots of travelling and went in search of beer instead.

Thursday 12th March, Jebel Bani to Iriki Salt Pan

2009-03-23T21:19:00.006Z

The winds died down during yesterday afternoon and we enjoyed a nice sunset and sunrise over our camp. The route today was a long one over the salt pans of what was Lake Iriki. It was our longest walking day, 22km, and it also turned out to be the hottest with temperatures reaching 40 C during the day.

The local crew had put up a tent in the middle of the salt pans so we could get some shelter from the sun during lunch and for some clients to have their midday naps. An enterprising local spotted the tent and appeared with a case of Coca Cola and managed to sell his total stock to the group.

During the afternoon walk we saw countless mirages before emerging from the salt pans onto part of the Paris Dakar rally route. We finally reached a small mound and behind this was the finish line for our 100km walk in the Sahara and camp for night. A large banner marked the finish and the local crew cheered and sung as the group arrived.

The whole group had succeeded in completing their challenge and we enjoyed an evening of celebrations and sharing experiences on a very enjoyable trip. Most of the group choose to sleep under the stars on our final night in the desert.

Wednesday 11th March, Erg Chagaga Camp to Jebel Bani

2009-03-22T19:21:00.010Z

We had showers in camp last night and everyone was feeling refreshed and ready to go this morning as we set off to tackle the largest sand dune - Chagaga - one of our challenges on this trek. On route we passed through a nomadic village with tents where we rested for a few minutes before starting the long climb up the soft sands of this monster dune.

The temperature was in the 30's again but a strong wind was cooling us although it would prove to be a problem later in the day. We followed the line of some natural ridges and slowly made our way towards the top. It was very heavy walking due to the soft sands and we seen some good examples of team work. At the top the wind speed was high and we were all getting blasted by sand so it wasn't a pleasant place to stop for too long although the views across the desert were stunning. Vicky's hat blew away and one of the local crew ran after and saved the day.

After we descended we meet up with the camelmen and refilled our drinks bottles before our onward trek to the next camp site at Jebel Bani. The route followed a dried up river bed and we all got covered in sand due to the windy conditions and needed googles and our sashes to keep the sand out. Eventually we reach lunch in a sheltered spot under some trees.

The afternoon started to take us out of the dunes and soft sand and back onto the harder but easier walking Hammada terrain. We camped near a nomadic camp and managed to meet many of the local children fortunately the wind died down and we enjoyed a nice sunset and sunrise at this camp.

Tuesday 10th March, Bourganne to Erg Chagaga Camp

2009-03-22T18:20:00.005Z

After we left this campsite our route followed a valley across stony ground and across a saltpan of a dried up lake on the edges of the dunes. In this type of terrian it is very difficult to judge distances and items that appeared close took much longer to reach than we had expected.

Problems with blisters on feet became a problem for many folks due to the effects of heat, soft sandy surfaces and getting sand in the boots. The temperature again today reached 35 C and lots of fluids were required to avoid being dehydrated. Lunch today was at the only tree for miles around and it provided some good shelter from the heat of midday and for a few tired legs.

After lunch Cindy and Sarah opted for a ride on the camels over towards camp which is on a large flood plain. Richard and I also took a short ride on the camels into the camp but decided we would walk in future. The camp was on the site of an old nomadic camp and in an area very green with Rocket plants. Here we found large herds of camels and their young being watched by Nomadic herdsmen. In the distance we got our first views of Chagaga the large sand dune we would be walking up tomorrow morning.

The local crew have been great always smiling, making some fantastic meals and having a hot brew and cakes available when we arrive tired in camp in the evenings

Monday 9th March, L’oued L’autruche to Bourganne

2009-03-19T23:24:00.003Z

We left early again this morning as the group began to get into the routine of life on a trek. Our trek today was 19km and took us over a mixture of terrain and low dunes and stone desert. The trail meandered through the low dunes and at times only heads could be seen above the dunes. Part of the route took us through fossil beds where we quickly found good examples of bellomites and ammonites some over 250 Million years old.

After the usual long lunch to avoid the heat of the day, 35 C, we set off for the walk to the camp at Bourganne which was on the edge of a stony area next to some large impressive sand dunes. Shortly after arriving in camp I set off with Carly and Max to explore these large dunes. We were rewarded with some wonderful views from the tops and walked along some sharp wind swept ridges before returning to camp for mint tea.

Sunday 8th March, Erg Louida to L’oued L’autruche

2009-03-17T22:36:00.004Z

We left camp early next morning for an 18km walk across the desert. The terrain was different and more varied than what I had expected. We encountered open desert before moving onto “hamada”, (an area of wind swept bare rock) and “reg” (a flat plain with fine sand blown away leaving stones and gravel) before entering an area of dunes and Tamarisk trees.

To avoid being out in the hottest part of the day we stopped for lunch in a dry valley where we could shelter from the sun under the trees. After lunch we continued through similar mixed terrain before finishing at the base of small dunes near an old well. The sand began to take its toll on the client’s feet today with Dr Cookie busy dealing with numerous blisters while we enjoyed mint tea and cakes.

We were entertained by the local crew after dinner around the campfire. As it was a nice evening most of the group decided to sleep out under evening sky and watch the stars. Around 0300hrs the wind picked up and it started to rain and we had to make a run for the tents to keep our kit dry.

Saturday 7th March, Ouarzazate to M’Hamid

2009-03-17T22:33:00.005Z

We left the hotel early for a long bus ride to the start of our trek near M’Hamid, a small village in the Zagara region. On route we stopped for refreshments and the group had the opportunity to buy some local sash's to protect us from the sun and sand before we entered the desert. We followed the Draa Valley before crossing the Jebel Bani mountain range to the edge of the Sahara desert. Where the local crew were waiting for us along with the camels that would carry our kit across the desert.

After loading the kit onto the camels we set off for a short walk to our first camp. The first few km’s were across flat open desert before we began trekking into the sand dunes. During the afternoon the temperature reached a pleasant 35 C. We arrived at a small area of sand dunes in the middle of the Erg Louida plain which would be our first camp site where the group had the opportunity to relax and watch the sunset over the desert.

Friday 6th March, London Heathrow

2009-03-17T22:31:00.000Z

I am working for Discover Adventure this week with Lucinda and Cookie (trip doctor) on a 100km trek through the Sahara desert in Morroco. We are meeting our group of 18 clients at the airport for our flight to Casablanca and onwards to Ouarzazate. After arrival in Ouarzazte we transferred to our hotel where we would spent our first night in country.

1st March, Winter Skills, Cairngorms

2009-03-04T07:48:00.008Z

We were out on Day 2 of our winter skills course on Cairngorm. The weather had improved slightly overnight and a light covering of fresh snow had fallen. Our route onto the plateau today was across the Fiaciall Ridge. A fine scrambly ridge with great views into the coires on either side and a great opportunity for the group to develop their winter skills.

There were some very good snow conditions on the ridge and we soon reached the plateau without any problems. There were many teams out climbing in both corries today. After we arrived on the plateau we decided to walk over to Ben Macdui to practice our navigating.

As we approached the summit the weather closed in and visibility became poor. This was great as the group learned how weather conditions can change very quickly in this area and the need to be able to navigate efficiently and effectively.

After a short break for summit pictures Jo was given the task of navigating us back off the mountain and into Coire an Lochain. In the coire we look at a number of techniques for descending and moving about on the steep snow slopes of the headwall. Before returning to the car park.

Matt was staying on an extra night in Aviemore and he was going to try his first night in a bothy at Ryvoan, a short walk from Glen More lodge

28th Feb, Winter Skills Course, Aviemore

2009-03-04T07:18:00.005Z

Today I am working in the Cairngorm's on a winter skills course with Jo, Matt and Tony. The weather was better than forecast with the occasional appearance of sun. The temperatures were unseasonally warm and it was very hot on the walk in. There was still enough snow on the headwall of Coire Cas to enable us to practice the basic winter skills although it would have been better if the snow had been slightly harder for cramponing.

After practicing all of the basic movement skills we headed up to the spot height of 1141m before making our way over Cairngorm to Ciste Mhearad. We found very little snow on the summit of Cairngorm but lots of good ice to use our crampons on. We dug an emergency shelter and had lunch in a large snow hole we found in the Coire. Before navigating our way back down to the car park.

22nd Feb, No 4 Gully Ben Nevis

2009-02-24T19:11:00.005Z

Today we were on Ben Nevis on day 2 of the course taking our group up to No 4 gully for their first winter mountaineering day. Conditions were better today with less wind and freezing conditions overnight consolidating the snowpack.

The walk in to the CIC hut was free of any snow and it wasn't till we approached the small lochans in Coire na Ciste that we needed to put on our crampons.

There were lots of other teams about today but surprisingly we had No 4 Gully to ourselves. We found some signs of old avalanche debris but the snowpack at present appeared very well consolidated and a low risk of avalanche.

Our group made good progress on the route and we soon reached the top of the gully.

Conditions on top were good with low wind speeds although the visibility was poor. We navigated carefully across the plateau using compass and pacing. It was also a good opportunity to orientate our group with the various gullies on the Ben before making our way across to the summit cairn.

The descent route was down the ridge towards the CMD arete and the abseil posts. We descended from here down into Coire Leis before walking down to the CIC hut and the path back to the cars.

21st Feb, Winter Mountaineering Aonach Mor

2009-02-24T07:43:00.010Z

Today I am working for Adventure Peaks on their two day winter Mountaineering Course along with Chris Walker.

The weather was warmer and wetter than than forecast and the snow pack was thawing quickly. Perhaps wellies instead of boots would be required.

We decided to take our group onto the Nid Ridge area of Aonach Mor today to teach them the basic snow and rope skills they would require for winter mountaineering on day 2.

The group learned how to rope up to ascend steep slopes using various forms of snow belays.

Digging a large snow bollard which we will use to set up a retrievable absail to descend the slope.

Preparing a bucket seat belay reiforced with a buried axe

We also looked at various forms of snow shelters. Yorkshire crawling out of one of the shovel ups that someone had previously constructed. This shelter was big enough for 4 people.

The wind strength appeared to have increased during the day but fortunately for us the Gondala was still running and we were able to get a lift back into the valley.

15th Feb, Winter Climbing, Crinkle Crags and Bowfell

2009-02-16T19:07:00.010Z

Today I am in the Langdale valley and planning to climb the gullies and butresses on Crinkle Crags. The forecast thaw has arrived with spring like temperatures in the valley of around 8 degrees C.

The camera was carefully packed last night to avoid a repeat of yesterday. However low cloud was giving poor visibility on the tops as we set off up Oxendale Dale towards Crinkle Gill and I wasn't very hopeful of getting any good pictures today.

As we gained height the cloud began to break up and visibility improved. The snowpack was starting to thaw and I dug a few hasty pits to check for stability before we moved onto the steeper ground.

As we climbed we got got views back down the valley and over to Pike O Blisco which was enjoying some sun.

Despite being half term the Lakes seemed very quite and I saw very few people on the hill for for whole day.

After climbing on the buttresses we headed up to the summit of Crinkle Crags and walked round to the Bad Step to check conditions. It was disappointing to find it was only wet rock, with little or no snow remaining on most of the route.

The walk across the Crinkles was pleasant with a few deep snow fields to cross. The thaw had softened the snow pack and it was possible to walk over here without the need for crampons today.

The route onto Bowfell was in sun and it looked Alpine like with clear blue skies above. After a quick break at the top we desended down the Great Slab and returned along the Climbers Traverse.

This route had not been used for many days and there was no trace of the normal path which was buried under lots of wind blown snow. Again we tested for stability and found no evidence of any weak layers and decided to proceed.

I was able to kick steps and create a good path for Annie and Nick to follow along easily behind me.

When we reached the Band all of the snow had gone and we enjoyed an easy walk back down the path to the ODG car park just as it was starting to get dark.

14th Feb, Winter Skills Course, Greenside

2009-02-14T19:21:00.003Z

Today I was working for Highpoint on a basic winter skills course with a large group from Kendal Hillwalking Club. Snow conditions in the Lakes are still good.

I forgot the camera today so unfortunately we have no pictures. The area around Greenside and Raise holds the snow well during the winter and has some excellent slopes with safe run outs for teaching winter skills.

During the day we found the remants of a recent avalanche activity with a large crown wall and some sizeable pieces of debris still very obvious. This was on the lee slope of the hill and it was evidence to the amount of recent wind blown snow that we have. It was quite rare to find in the Lakes as avalanche activity is normally very low.

We dug some test pits in this area and the snowpack down to ground level was well consolidated and a low risk of further activity. A slight thaw is forecast for tomorrow but with the depth and condition of the snowpack it will be around for a while yet.

8th Feb, Kendal MRT winter skills training

2009-02-08T20:02:00.005Z

Today I was out with Kendal Mountain Rescue Team, training team members about personal skills for security on steep winter ground and looking at the types and uses of various snow anchors that we could use.

We held the training session in Over Cove near the top of Kentmere Valley. Lower down the snow cover is poor but gradually improving to deep powder before becoming rock hard neve near the top of the Cove.

We opted to look at the skills for security on steep ground initially in ascent in a gully and later in Descent down a steep ridge back into the Cove. Lower down we found some good snow and looked at building and testing the strength of the snow anchors we built.

7th Feb, Winter climbing, Browncove Crags, Helvellyn

2009-02-08T19:16:00.007Z

I was out today with Ian on his first pitched winter climb. The weather was much more overcast and windier than forecast but the snow and ice conditions for climbing were very good. The Lakes has enjoyed some amazing conditions this year. Probabaly the best for over 10 years. Browncove Crags is a good area for an introduction to winter climbing with a relatively short walk in to the foot of the crags and a good choice to grades to climb at.

Based on the weather forecast we decided to head off early to try and get ahead of the crowds on the most popular route gully climb on the crag, Left Branch, which was to be our first climb of the day. When we arrived at the crag a team was just setting off up the short ice pitch at the start of the route.

As we climbed we noticed a large number of teams beging to appear in the valley floor and also start to climb. Conditions were good and Ian quickly completed the first route without any problems. We descended by Central gully which was also in good nick and set of to climb the popular grade 3 route of Stepped Ridge which follows the line of the summer scramble route. This is more of a mixed route with a combination of snow, ice and rock. A number of short ice pitches existed which were fun with good ice. We also had some excellent turf to climb on and use as anchors with

Part way up this route is a large wall which appears to block the route but hidden in a corner is a chockstone with with a window which it is possible to crawl through to access a large snow slope and means to continue on the ridge to the summit.

It was cold and windy on the tops and we quickly dropped back into the valley to gain some shelter. Before heading back down to the cars at Swirls car park.

6th February, Winter Skills with BBC Radio Cumbria

2009-02-06T20:43:00.006Z

Today I was with Martin Lewes from BBC Radio Cumbria who was recording an outside broadcast about fun and risks of Winter Walking in the Lakes. The weather was fantastic with clear blue skies and plenty of sunshine.

We headed up to Red Screes, at the top of Kirkstone Pass, to get quick and easy access to the snow. Over the course of the morning we covered the basic winter skills walkers require to learn to enable them to move safely in mountains including the use of ice axes and crampons.

It was an interesting day for me as I got to see how Martin worked as a broadcaster and some of the challenges he faces in getting news stories for the radio. It was also challenging trying to demonstrate skills with a microphone in one hand and ice axe in the other.

Martin's recording can be heard on Radio Cumbria on Saturday morning. The following weblink was the report that was on the BBC Radio Cumbria website http://www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria/content/articles/2009/02/10/mountain_safety_feb09_feature.shtml

Monday 26th January, Night walking Helvellyn and Striding Edge

2009-01-27T09:14:00.009Z

Ian and I set of late on Monday afternoon for a night walk over Striding Edge to Helvellyn and returning by descent of Swirral Edge. We had hoped for a clear evening but unfortunately by the time we reached Red Tarn we were walking in the mist.

Todays pictures are not as good as I had hoped for due to the mist reflecting the light from the flash.

As we left the valley we spoke to some skiers who had just come down from the ski hut on Raise and they estimated a snow covering of 1m between the snow fences. The snow conditions on Helvellyn are the best I have seen for years and both ridges were plastered in good firm snow.The plateau was very wind swept with just a fine covering snow.

Having arrived at Red Tarn we climbed steadily up the hill side to gain Striding Edge and our route to the summit.

The ridge looked very different with most of the usual landmarks buried in deep snow. The route had an Alpine feel to it this evening with good snow and deep dark drops on either side. It was a nice still evening so we were able to stay on the true ridge line for most of the traverse.

At the chimney section we found this to be banked out with snow and an easy downclimb kicking snow steps got us to the bottom.

The final pull onto Helvellyn was quickly dispatched and we headed over the plateau to the shelter for a brew. Unfortunately the shelter was banked out with snow and was not the best spot for a brew stop tonite. Visibility in the mist was poor as we made our way across the plateau to the Trig point and the descent cairn on Swirral Edge.

There appeared to be a greater concentration of snow on Swirral Edge compared with Striding Edge and all of the rocky steps on the ridge had been filled in with snow. This made for a very easy but enjoyable descent on good snow before we left the ridge and headed back down to Red Tarn and the short walk back to car in Glenridding.

We had pleasure of enjoying Striding Edge, Swirral Edge and Helvellyn without meeting any other groups.

Saturday 24th January, Lochnagar

2009-01-26T09:17:00.010Z

This weekend I am in Braemar with Rick hoping for good snow conditions for some winter mountaineering. Our route today started from the car park at Loch Muick up to the main path towards the col beside Meikle Pap. We had great visibility on our walk in with the early morning sun shining on the hills. The wind was a strong southerly and lots of snow was being blown about as we walked in.

From the col we had a good view of the crags and gullies on Lochnagar and there appeared to be some very large cornices present at the top of most routes this combined with a avalanche forecast of Cat 3 on all N facing slopes encouraged us to change plan and we carried on up the hill following the corrie rim towards the summit cairn.

The cairn was covered in some amazing rime ice formations and we managed to find some shelter from the winds to enjoy a quick brew.

Our Plan B for the day which had been developed the previous evening involved us snow shoeing over the plateau and following the line of the Glas Ault burn down to the waterfalls. We had a pleasant afternoon playing around on the snow shoes and watching other walkers sink up to their knees in drfting snow.

It had been well worth the extra effort in carrying them up hill today.

We descended down the line of the waterfalls which were partially frozen and joined the jeep track near the lodge at the far end of the Loch Muick. Before heading back to the car park at the other end of the loch.

Tuesday 13th Jan, Meall Nan Tarmachan

2009-01-14T10:28:00.017Z

Today I am winter mountaineering in Scotland with Adam on Meall Nan Tarmachan, near Killin. After the past few stormy days the weather has settled down again to give us a cold frosty start to the day with fantastic visibility.

We set off from the car park as sun began rise over the hills giving a nice pink glow.

As we gained height on the path we were able to look over into the crags of Cam Chearg and pick out a few gully lines which we could to explore today.

The thaw had removed a lot of the snow and ice from the gullies so we had to resort to mixed climbing on many of the routes. We managed a total of 5 routes and a traverse of the Tarmachan Ridge today and didn't meet any other walkers or climbers all day

Adam topping out on one of our routes

After our final climb of the day we walked over to the summit of Meall Nan Tarmachan and were fortunate to see a Broken Spectre of our shadows and the cairn on the clouds below.

On the east face of the summit we found some easy gullies we could use as a descent route and followed those down towards the main path back to the car park.

Sunday 11th January, Kentmere

2009-01-11T19:58:00.003Z

Today I was out in Kentmere with a group training for an overseas expedition. After a prolonged period of good weather in the Lakes it finally changed to being cold, wet and very windy. Due to the poor weather conditions I did not bother taking any pictures today.

We set off from Kentmere Church in relatively calm conditions and headed off up the Garburn Pass before climbing steeply up the gully to reach the flat ground below Yoke. The wind speed had picked up by now and the group were being blown around by strong gusts of wind. The walk up to the summit of Yoke was difficult and after reaching the summit we decided to drop back down into Kentmere valley and go for a low level walk instead.

We found some shelter in an old building at Calfhowe Crags for lunch before continuing up the valley to Kentmere Reservoir. The route back followed the track on the east side of the valley and was walking into the wind and rain for most of the journey back to the cars.

After a quick discussion at the cars we make a group decision to head for Wilf's Cafe for some hot drinks and food.

Tuesday 6th January, Mountain Biking in Grisedale

2009-01-06T21:49:00.003Z

We awoke to another very cold day in the Lakes, with temperatures at Shap only a few miles away of -10 degrees C.

Today Scott and I decided to have a day off from walking and headed over to Grisedale Forest to play on our mountain bikes on the North Face Trail.

This is a man made trail running though the forest and being mid week it was relatively quiet. Temperatures never got above freezing but we soon heat up as we worked our way round the trail. We managed a few runs before heading home.

Monday 5th Jan, Blea Tarn and Lingmoor

2009-01-06T21:16:00.007Z

We awoke to another cold and clear day, overnight it had snowed in the Lakes and the Eastern fells had slightly more snow than in the centre and western side.

Our walk today was from Blea Tarn up onto the ridge and then along the tops to the summit cairn.

We made a short detour to the Lingmoor Tarn and Oakhowe Crags to take some pictures of the Langdale valley before rejoining the ridge down towards Side Pike and the descent to the car park.

The paths were still very icy in places but these sections could be easily passed.

Sunday, 4th Jan, Crinkle Crags

2009-01-04T19:43:00.007Z

Another cold and frosty day in the Lakes with clear skies and sunshine. Today is the final walk in the series of festive walks we have been running over the holiday period. We have a large group and I have been assisted today by Sarah.

Our walk started at The Old Dungeon Ghyll car park and headed up Oxendale, before starting the long steep climb up to Red Tarn. This part of the route had lots of ice on the path and we had to choose our route carefully. The hills were much quieter today than they have been recently despite the good weather and we seen relatively few groups.

From Red Tarn we followed the path up past Great Knott to the ridge of Crinkle Crags. From the top of the first Crinkle we had some wonderful 360 degree views of the Lakes and beyond. Our planned route included an ascent of The Bad Step and we made our way across the ridge to the foot of the large rock step.

The group easily managed to scramble up the step and the made their way up the remaining part of the scramble to the summit cairn for our well earned lunch break in the afternoon sun.

The descent route involved traversing the remaining Crinkles towards Three Tarns and the long path down The Band. As I discovered yesterday this route has a number of large patches of ice covering the path in places and care is required at present to avoid slipping.

When we reached the valley and the ODG car park some of the group were keen to test out their head torches. So a smaller group set off up the hill again to Side Pike. Our route here would start in the Blea Tarn side of the hill and after climbing steeply to the col we traversed the hillside to pass through "The Squeeze" and onto the summit by some easy scrambles in the dark. The descent back down to the cars involved a number of short down climbs and everyone had the opportunity to test their headtorches before we completed our day in Great Langdale.

Saturday 3rd Jan, Esk Pike and Bowfell

2009-01-03T20:08:00.005Z

Another cold day in the Lakes with some good visibility although none of the sunshine we have been enjoying recently.

Todays walk started at Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel and we followed the path into Mickleden before ascending the new path up Rossett Ghyll. The path was very icy in places and care was required to cross these patches. At the top of the ghyll we turned left and made our way to the summit of Rossett Pike to enjoy some views back down the Langdale valley. A cold wind was now blowing and extra layers were needed to keep warm.

As we descended towards a frozen Angle Tarn we watched a group playing on the ice in the centre of the tarn hoping that it was strong enough to hold them until we were past.

From here our route climbed again to Esk Hause and then onto Esk Pike. The hills were busy again with lots of groups moving around and most heading towards Scafell Pike or Crinkle Crags.

Our route descended to Ore Gap before the long traverse up to the summit of Bowfell and our lunch stop. The route down was by descending the great slab onto the climbers traverse path below Bowfell Butress and following this back to the Band and the path back down to Stool End Farm. Sections of this path were particularly icy and great care is required.

Another enjoyable day on the hills.

Friday 2nd Jan, Troutbeck Tongue

2009-01-02T17:16:00.004Z

Another cold and frosty day in the Lakes. Our walk today was to Troutbeck Tongue a quiet fell top situated in the shadow of the Kentmere Horseshoe. I was with Myra and we left the car near the Queens Head pub in Troutbeck before descending into Town Head and following the line of Trout Beck towards the Tongue. At this point we headed right into the valley of Hagg Gill and followed the line of the old roman road towards High Street. The valley has many old slate mine workings on the side of Yoke and Ill Bell.

For a short time today it tried to snow but it was only very light flakes and it did not last. After a few kilometers our route swung left up onto the ridge of Troutbeck Park from where an easy walk back along the ridge takes us back to the summit cairn of The Tongue. The views down Windermere are good from this viewpoint despite its modest height. A steep descent back down the nose brought us back onto the track near the farm and an easy walk back to the car.

Thursday 1st Jan 2009, Fairfield Horseshoe

2009-01-01T16:38:00.006Z

Happy New Year, we started 2009 with one of the Classic Lakeland Ridge walks in cold but clear conditions. I was out with Chris, from St Annes, today on one of our guided walks.

The route started in Rydal near the Church from where we climbed steeply up the path to the summit of our first top The Nab. We had started early and enjoyed watching the sun rise over Ambleside and the frozen valley below.

Once on the ridge the walking was easy on the frozen turf and we soon reached Heron Pike and Great Rigg. A short walk took us to the summit of Fairfield and a well earned stop for a brew. A few other walkers began to appear from different routes to join us on the summit but it was much quieter than a few days ago.

After a short break we headed across the plateau towards Hart Crag and Dove Crag. From this point we followed the line of the old wall along the ridge towards High Pike and Low Pike before descending to the Old Coffin Road and an easy walk back to the cars at Rydal Hall.

Another wonderful day for walking in the Lakes.

Wednesday 31st Dec, Codale Tarn and Blea Rigg

2008-12-31T19:31:00.004Z

I was out with Lucy again today on her third day of guiding walking in the Lakes. Our route today was from Grasmere village up to Easdale Tarn and Codale Tarn before climbing up to the ridge leading to Blea Rigg from there we descended to Silver Howe before returning to Grasmere.

The valleys were covered by an amazing inversion of freezing clouds all day although the fell tops were clear, calm and enjoying some winter sunshine. We had set off early again to get ahead of the crowds on a popular Lakeland walk and were able to watch the sunrise as we passed through the fields below Sour Milk Ghyll. Much of the Ghyll was frozen with large ice formation on all of the falls. The paths were also covered in thick ice and we had to pick our route carefully in places.

We were rewarded for our early start when we arrived at Easdale Tarn to enjoy the solitude of the tarn with a mirror like surface and reflections of the surrounding fells without any other walkers present. After a short break we continued up towards Codale Tarn diverting briefly to scramble up the ridge of Belle Knott before visiting the Tarn.

From here our route was up onto the ridge of Blea Rigg were we had some amazing views of all of the Lakeland fells in near perfect conditions. We stopped at the Shelter Stone for a well earned lunch break before completing our walk over Silver Howe. We descended out of the sunshine back into the freezing cloud and a very grey Grasmere village.

A great day on hills in wonderful weather.

Tuesday 30th Dec, Fairfield Horseshoe

2008-12-30T20:31:00.008Z

I was out on Fairfield Horseshoe today with Lucy for the second day of guided walking in the Lakes. Our route today was an anticlockwise circuit of the Fairfield Horseshoe starting from Rydal Hall. We set off early again to miss the large numbers of visitors to the Lakes and enjoy the early morning sunrise over Windermere.

The day started very cold with temperatures of -6 degrees C on the car on the drive to Rydal Hall. Visibility was good to begin with as we ascended up the ridge towards the first of our eight Wainwright tops we would visit today. By the time we had reached High Pike the cloud had come in and visibility was poor. The wind also picked up and it became very cold. When we finally reached the summit Lucy had rime ice growing out of her hat and jacket.

To stay warm on the summit we used a boothy shelter, to get out of the cold wind, for lunch. After a short break we headed back down the ridge eventually dropping out of the clouds just before we reached Heron Pike. The temperature increased also as we dropped and we enjoyed a leisurely bumble for the remainder of the walk.

Monday 29th Dec, Helvellyn by Striding Edge

2008-12-29T21:39:00.007Z

Today I was out with Lucy on a guided walk, our route started in Patterdale and we took the path from Grisedale Beck up to the Hole in the Wall on Birkhouse Moor. Our early start managed to get us onto Striding Edge ahead of the large groups that were on the hills today. The ridge was in good condition despite the recent frosts and most of the rocks were free of ice, although we did travel carefully.

On the final steep ascent to the plateau we stopped to watch the groups we had seen earlier begin to make their way across the ridge like little ants.

We completed the climb and headed over to the summit for a short break, the summit was very busy with approx 50 people and a few bicycles all lying about basking in the sun.

Our next stop was Nethermost Pike and then onto Dollywagon Pike. The conditions on the felltops today were excellent with good visibility.

We descended down the zigzag path to Grisdale Tarn before following the path down the side Grisedale Beck past the Outward Bound Hut to the valley and Patterdale.

Sat 27th Dec, Hayeswater and High Street

2008-12-28T21:44:00.004Z

Today we were enjoyed a circular walk on the fells above Hayeswater. Our route started at the village of Hartsop and followed the line of Hayeswater Gill before climbing steeply up onto Grey Crag. It was a cold frosty morning and as we reached the ridge we were exposed to the effects of the cold easterly winds. The route then followed the ridge along to Thornthwaite Beacon, all the way along we were able to watch the wave clouds rolling over High Street and into the valley below.

From the Beacon we followed the route of the old roman road up to the summit of High Street, unfortunately by now we were in the clouds and not able to see much. After a brief stop at the summit cairn we headed towards our next top, Kidsty Pike. Our route then contoured round the valley to the summit of High Raise before heading back over Rampsgill Head to the summit of The Knott. We finally dropped back out of the cloud and enjoyed the last of the after sunshine on our descent to Hartshop.

Thursday 25th Dec, Wansfell

2008-12-25T19:55:00.005Z

Today we went for a short walk with my daughter Vicki, who is back in the Lakes over Christmas from Barcelona.

Our route started in Troutbeck and followed Nanny Lane up onto the fell before joining the path to the summit of Wansfell. It was a nice day with some strong winter sun and a cold wind on the tops quite a few folks were out walking and the Lakes seemed busier today than earlier in the week with a few Father Christmas about on the fells.

We returned to the car by the same route. Before heading home for Christmas lunch

Wednesday 24th Dec, Langdale Pikes

2008-12-24T15:35:00.006Z

Todays guided walk was in the Langdale valley. Our route took us up to Stickle Tarn which had some fantastic reflection in the still water. Before walking round the tarn for the final ascent up to the summit of Pavey Ark. After a short break to enjoy the views we headed over to visit Thunacar Knott ( a Wainwright top) before heading back to Harrison Stickle. The fells were very quite today and it was good for our group to enjoy the tops to themselves.

Our next top was Pike of Stickle and the easy scramble to its top, before we got there we spent time looking down the valley towards the site of the old stone age axe factory.

After another short break we headed towards our final to of the day Loft Crag before begining our long descent into the valley where we had left the cars. The Wainwright baggers in the group managed to tick off 5 hills on our walk today, only another 209 to go!

Thursday 18th Dec 2008, Sgor Gaioth

2008-12-19T21:44:00.003Z

I was out again today with Rick in the Cairngorms winter walking. Overnight the weather had worsened and we saw much of the snowpack melt due to higher temperatures and heavy rain. The winds also continued to be very strong.

We had decided to attempt Sgor Gaioth although Rick's leg was still occassionally giving him some problems. Again we set off from the car park in Glen Feshie before sunrise and started on the gradual ascent up the hill. Unfortunately after we reached the 650m mark Rick's leg problem flared up again and we made the decision to descend and return home. Perhaps it was good timing as shortly after we returned to the car we were caught in a very heavy downpour of rain for almost 30mins.

Wed 17th Dec 2008, Braeriach

2008-12-19T21:22:00.004Z

For the next few days I am winter walking in the Cairngorms with Rick. The route to Braeriach is a long walk and we set off before sunrise to give us plenty of time. We followed the path from the bends on the ski road and quickly reached the Chalamain Gap just as sun was rising. We were treated to some fantastic early morning light on the hills around Sgor Gaoith before we descended into the Lairig Ghru and the long pull up to the summit.

We crossed a number of large snowfields before arriving on the top of Sron na Lairige by now the wind speed had increased considerably. As we crossed the summit Rick began to have problems with his leg muscles cramping and we decided to head back to the car although we were just short of the summit at this point. The strong winds and Ricks leg made this part of the journey increasing difficult and it took longer than we expected.

After we returned to the car we made a short visit the Avalanche service at Glenmore Lodge where we were abe to check the maximum wind speed recorded at the weather station on top of Cairngorm, during our time on the hills, as 101mph.

Monday 15th Dec, Sergeant Man Helm Crag

2008-12-18T21:03:00.006Z

I set out from Grasmere and followed the track up past Sourmilk Ghyll to Easdale Tarn gradually climbing above the clouds that were hanging in the valley. After a steep climb up to the summit of Blea Rigg I followed the ridge up to the Sergeant Man, higher up the ground had a good covering of snow and by now the sun was out and we enjoyed beautiful clear blue sky's. My route back to Grasmere took me into the upper reaches of Far Easdale and onto Calf Crag before following the ridge along past Gibson Knott to Helm Crag. After a quick scramble to the summit of Helm Crag it was back to Grasmere.

Sunday 14th Dec, Lingmoor and Yoke

2008-12-14T21:11:00.007Z

Not an obvious choice of hills to join together but there was good reasons.

The day started at Elterwater and a gentle walk up onto Lingmoor through the old mine workings. The valley was in cloud but as we gained height we gradually got above the clouds and enjoyed a some sunshine. Despite the good weather few people had seemed to venture out this morning onto this popular hill.

After reaching the summit we dropped down to Lingmoor Tarn before traversing across the hill to Side Pike via The Squeeze. A narrow gap between a spike and the crag that you fit through to reach the summit.

After dropping back into the valley we followed the route of the Cumbria way back to Elterwater and the end of our first walk.

Having arrived back home and just sat down to enjoy a coffee the Mountain Rescue Pagers went off. Some walkers had become lost and seperated from their group in the cloud on Kentmere horseshoe. We were tasked with walking the ridge towards Thornthwaite Beacon from Garburn to try and locate them whilst another team searched from the Kentmere Valley towards Nan Bield Pass. We had just reached the top of Yoke when the missing party were located in the valley. The remainder of their group turned up in Patterdale and got a taxi back to their cars in Kentmere. It was a nice evening for a walk as we watched the last of the sun setting on the way back to the Landrovers

Wednesday3rd Dec, Winter Climbing, Helvellyn Massif

2008-12-03T19:43:00.009Z

We headed from Thirlmere up to Browncove Crags, on Helvellyn, today for some winter mountaineering in the gullies, there was lots of snow about but it has not consolidated yet and was still very powdery. Lots of ice about and the turf , when we dug down to it, was very good for axe placements. There were a few teams about climbing on the buttresses but we choose to stay in the gullies.

After a few ascents of some gullies we headed up to the top of Helvellyn to get some sun and watch the views over the Lakes in the late afternoon sunshine. Striding Edge loooked inviting so we quickly descend down to the ridge and made a crossing with very few people about. To get back to the car involved descending to Red Tarn and making our way over Swirrals Edge back to the summit of Helvellyn. By now it was late afternoon and the cloud had started to come in as we made our way up the ridge and back to the summit.

Just as we summited the cloud broke and we watched the sun setting over Morcambe Bay before making our way back to the car park,using the moonlight to show us the way back down to the cars.

Saturday 29th November, A Snowy Playground today

2008-11-29T18:52:00.004Z

We had more snow on Friday in the Lakes and it has turned into a snowy playground today, with clear blue skies and almost no wind. I took the opportunity to go up onto Kentmere Horseshoe today and do a partial round due to other commitments today.

My winter walking boots had their first outing of the season today although it proved not to be nessessary as the snow had not consolidated overnight and was still powdery.

I left the car at Kentmere Church and headed up the Garburn Pass to my first top Castle Crag before an easy walk to the second top Yoke. After a short descent and a nice walk along the ridge line this took me to my final top for today Ill Bell. The views were stunning and the south Lakes seemed to have more snow than the other areas. For such a nice day the fells were surprisingly quiet. By mid morning the temperature had risen considerably and snow and ice was starting to melt underfoot and as I descended back into Kentmere the lower slopes were almost free of snow.

Another nice day on the hills.

Tuesday 25th November, Pike O Blisco and Crinkle Crags

2008-11-28T18:29:00.005Z

We awoke to a beautiful clear cold winters morning in the lakes, today I am doing some private guiding with Deborah and Alan from Durham on the Crinkles. Before I joined them I stopped off at Blea Tarn to get a few pictures of the early morning sun on the Langdales. Unfortunately the strong winds made the Tarn very rough and not so photogenic today.

The planned route took us from Three Shire Stone up to Red Tarn before crossing over Pike O Blisco. The wind on the tops was very cold and we did not stop for long on the summit. After returning to Red Tarn we started to make our way up the track to the Crinkles. There was a fine sprinkling of snow on the tops and by now the wind had dropped. We were able to enjoy some fantastic views over the Scafell range in the warmth of the sun. Our route from here took us up over the bad step to the summit cairn where after a short stop we head back down towards Cold Pike, our next objective, before making our way back to the vehicles.

I returned to Blea Tarn to get the last of the afternoon sun on the tarn on what was now very still water with fantastic reflections

Sunday 23rd November, Snowing in Kendal

2008-11-24T11:25:00.010Z

Overnight the snow arrived in the Lakes and we awoke to find about one inch of snow in the garden. I was not scheduled to be working at the film festival till the afternoon so I headed off for a short walk at Kirkstone Pass and Red Screes. There was just a thin layer of snow, not deep enough to use our winter walking skills but sufficient to make the paths difficult underfoot

Having been inspired yesterday by a lecture from landscape photographer, Colin Prior, I took along my camera hoping to get some nice pictures of the snowy hills. The following are a few of the pictures I took.

Then it was back to the film festival for some more films and beer.

Saturday 22nd November, Fund Raising for Mountain Rescue

2008-11-24T10:59:00.008Z

As part of the weekend of films, Kendal mountain rescue team took part in a fund raising activity organised by the Mayor of Kendal. This involved members of the public walking and running up BeastBanks, a local hill in the centre of town, to achieve a total height gain equivalent to climbing Mt Everest.

Our role in this event was to carry the Lady Mayor back down the hill on our stretcher, fortunately for us she is quite a small lady.

After the stretcher carry was over it was back to the film festival for some more adrenalin and a few beers at the festival party.

Friday 21th November, Kendal Mountain Film Festival

2008-11-24T10:48:00.003Z

The mountain film festival is with us again and I am spending the next 4 days working on the theatre doors and loading up on adrenalin for the winter. Information on this years festival can be found at http://www.mountainfest.co.uk

Wednesday 19th November, Loughrigg Fell

2008-11-19T19:45:00.008Z

Today I was on Loughrigg Fell above Rydall doing some private guiding with a group on an easy walk, the weather was very variable and due to low cloud the visibility on the tops was very poor. We took shelter in the old mine workings while a shower passed before carrying on up the hill to the summit. It was quite cold on top and the group quickly head back down hill to find some shelter from the wind.

Sunday 16th November, Grizedale, Tarn How and Conniston

2008-11-16T21:01:00.006Z

It was a lovely day in the Lakes and to make the most of the Autumn colours decided to stay in the valleys today. We set off from Grizedale and made our way over to Tarn Hows before dropping down the hill into Conniston just as the sun was begining to set over the water.

Saturday 15th Nov, Scafell Pike

2008-11-15T21:00:00.006Z

Today Linda and I are working for Summittreks with a school group from Yorkshire. Our plan for today is to start walking from Seathwaite following Ruddy Gill to Esk Hause Before walking over Great End, Ill Crag and Broad End for the final short steep ascent to Scafell Pike.

We set off from the vehicles at 0930hrs and conditions in the valley were good. We had been sheltered from the wind till we reached Esk Hause. As we moved up towards Great End the winds picked up and the cloud base lowered.

We made our way carefully over the wet rock and soon started the scramble up the ridge to the summit of Scafell Pike. All of the group made it to the summit in time for a well earned lunch. The summit was surprisingly busy today with a large number of walkers sheltering from the wind in most of the old stone shelters. Visibility was poor and wind speed had increased to make it very cold. After a quick lunch and team photo we descended down the path towards Wasdale to find the Corridor Route and our way back to Seathwaite via Styhead Tarn.

We arrived back in Seathwaite at 1615 hours which gave the group the opportunity to drive to Keswick to stock up with refreshements for Sunday.

Saturday 6th Nov, Kula Lumpar

2008-11-15T20:57:00.007Z

We had opted to make a short stop over in KL and caught the high speed train from the airport to the new train station KL Sentral. The day was spent exploring the various parts of the city and enjoy the contrast of old and new. We also had time for a spot of shopping in the malls before going back to the airport and our flight back to London.

Friday 5th Nov Hanoi to Kuala Lumpur

2008-11-15T20:51:00.007Z

It was dry outside and I got up early this morning to take a walk down to the lake where the local's practice their Ti-Chi before the city gets busy. There were a number of groups out and this made for some good picture opportunities. I then headed for the markets to try for some pictures there before they also got busy.

After breakfast we still had a few hours available in the morning for visiting other sights before catching the afternoon flight to KL. As we drove out to the airport it started raining again. Myra and I left the flight in KL for a short stop over and the remainder of the group continued on the overnight flight back to London .

Sunday 31st October, Hanoi

2008-11-15T20:31:00.004Z

Today half of the group return to the airport to begin their journey back to the UK. We have another day in Hanoi before heading down to Halong Bay to extend our visit to Vietnam.

We spent the day in the National War Museum to avoid the heavy rains again. This was most interesting and we gained a different view on events in Indochina with the French and American Wars. The outdoor exhibit had a large monument made from wreakage of US plans shot down in action.

Saturday 30th October, Hanoi and Celebration Meal

2008-11-15T19:39:00.010Z

After our epic journey back to Hanoi and the problems with flooding it was still raining when we awoke. However this did not stop us visiting the old quarter, dodging motor bikes and sight seeing. In the afternoon we had organised a bus tour for the group and went to see the main sites of interest in town including Uncle Ho's Masoleum. Unfortunately he had gone to Moscow for his annual holiday (refurbishment) and was not able to meet us in person.

In the evening we went to see the world famous water puppets before the celebration dinner in a nice restuarant in Hanoi after we had a few beers. Unfortunately I can only publish a few of the pictures taken after the meal on this website but it was a fun evening.

Friday 29th October, Ban Hin to Ban Tom, Water everywhere

2008-11-13T19:10:00.006Z

Due to the change of route the early part of our walk today involved retracing our steps to Pho Doan before a long walk down the valley to our bus at the road end. Due to the total distance involved today we used the jeeps to transport the group to Pho Doan before we started walking. There was a sense of urgency in this operation from the local guide. As we started trekking we came across parts of the route that were partially blocked by mudslides which could have stopped our vehicles getting out if we had arrived much later.

After a few hours walking we reached a large swollen river which the road crossed. A large group of locals were standing looking at this and not daring to cross. We decided to join them and wait to see if the water levels would drop before attempting our crossing. Approx one hour later the river had dropped and we made an attempt to cross. The river crossing skills the group had practised earlier in the week were put to good use and everyone made it safely across.

From here it was only a few km to our bus and the end of the trek, unfortunately another river crossing lay between us and the finish. This crossing was much more difficult than the previous one and again I opted to wait and see if the water would drop before attempting to cross.

We took shelter in a local house and enjoyed some drinks and food while we waited. The river had started to drop when more rain came and we made the decision to cross before it had time to rise again. Our vehicle’s managed to get a rope across and with assistance from some of the local villagers we were able to get all of the team safely across this river.

These rivers provided the team with a real challenge to finish their trek with and will be a lasting memory of this trip. Most of the team slept on the bus ride back to Hanoi in preparation for our celebration dinner that evening. This turned out to be an epic 6 hour journey due to severe flooding in Hanoi and other parts of the route. When we finally arrived at our hotel in Hanoi it was too late for our celebration meal so we rescheduled that for Saturday night and had a few well earned beers instead.

Thursday 28th October, Kho Moung to Ban Hin, Return of the Leeches

2008-11-12T17:05:00.011Z

It had rained again all night and just after breakfast the rains finally stopped. We had arranged to visit the local primary school today before we started trekking. The group and the local children thoroughly enjoyed our visit and we gained a good insight into village life.

This village has no vehicle access and all our luggage had been carried, from the track end to the homestays and back, by the locals. My bag was almost larger and probably heavier than the girl who carried it back uphil to the jeeps.

After our short visit to the school we started our trek to Ban Hin our next overnight stop. Within minutes of leaving the village the heavy rains returned and the path were again flowing with water and very slippy. Chris took a heavy fall on a short descent, badly hurting her arm, fortunately it was only badly bruised and not broken. A number of others performed spectacular bum slides on the thick red mud, on a particularly difficult section of track.

The leeches also decided to return for another bite of the group and three more clients had them removed during the morning and running repairs made to the wounds.

Just before lunch the track improved considerably and we reached a river. We used the opportunity of flowing water to remove the thick mud from our boots and shorts. Jenny and Mike had fun washing each others shorts.

After lunch our route took us through Pho Duan, the largest village in this area. Shortly after this we followed a smaller track to our final overnight stop at Ban Hin. The trail was now much improved and we made good speed through the paddy fields to the homestay. As we arrived the heavy rains returned again and we were fortunate to have reached shelter. Unknown to us these rains were to continue all through the night and make for a very interesting final day to our trek.

Wednesday 27th October, Ban Hang to Khu Muong

2008-11-12T15:53:00.011Z

Today’s route involved crossing two minor rivers shortly after the start of the trek before a long uphill section to rejoin the Ho Chi Minh trial. Despite the heavy rains the river crossings did not pose any problems but we did use the opportunity to practice our skills in case we needed these later in the trek.

The long uphill through rice fields and a small village was very interesting. The locals had created some very clever means of moving water about the hill using bamboo poles as pipes and the water it to power some small machines. Eventually we reached the top of the hill and rejoined the HCM trial. We came across a group of local children on their way back from school and we spent some time trying to communicate with them through our local guide.

After lunch the heavy rains returned to make our descent path down into the valley flow like a river and become extremely slippy. After a cautious descent a very wet group finally arrived at the homestay. Our original plan had been to leave our kit in the homestay and make a short visit to a large cave on the hill above the village however this was not possible due to the adverse conditions.

Just before dinner the rain finally stopped and a few of us went to explore the village. We quickly found the local school and made arrangements for the group to visit it again in the morning.

Tuesday 27th October, Ban Ton, Heavy thunderstorms force change of plan

2008-11-10T20:38:00.005Z

Overnight the heavy rains had continued non stop and we were advised against continuing on our planned route due to some sections of the path being very narrow and having some large vertical drops. Plan B was quickly put in place and we decided to do the original route for the trek in reverse order to avoid this section.

We followed a jeep path back to our start point at Ban Xom and were able to make a short visit to the local market before catching a bus to Ban Sai on the Ma Rver. At this point we joined a section of the Ho Chi Minh trial for a pleasant walk though the jungle to our overnight stop in Ban Hang.

This was a much larger village than previous with much more activity in and around the village including panning for gold.

The villagers were again very friendly and made us welcome in their homes.

Monday 27th October, Ban Xom, The start of our trek

2008-11-10T20:05:00.019Z

We set off from Hanoi early for a 4 hour drive to Ban Xom for the start of the trek. This is a small village high in the mountains on the edge of the Pu Loung National Park. This area is still relatively unexplored by western trekking companies and group attracted a lot of friendly attention from the locals.

The start of the trek was along an old jeep track before we headed deeper into the hills and single track paths through the jungle. On route we stopped in a homestay for some lunch and our introduction to typical village life in Vietnam.

Due to the weather all of the paths were covered in thick red sticky mud and were extremely slippy. However the route was very scenic despite the weather and it was interesting to see the large number of rice fields on the hill sides and valleys.

We crossed through some paddy fields and a number of clients were “attacked” by leeches. Gill was the leeches "tastiest" client with a total of three on her legs.

After a short stop to remove these and treat the wounds we headed down to the first village Ban Ba where we would be staying in the local houses.

The accommodation was basic and the villagers were very friendly and made us very welcome in their houses. This first night was a shock for some but we all soon settled into life in the homestays. The following pictures show typical interiors of the homestays and the activities that take place.

Sunday 26th October, Hanoi

2008-11-10T19:25:00.003Z

After a long day of travelling we finally arrived in a very wet Hanoi with the Discover Adventure clients who we would be trekking with during our visit to Pu Loung National Park. We planned to spend Sunday in Hanoi, recovering from our flights and meeting with our local guide to make final arrangements for the trek.

After a quick sight seeing visit in the Old Quarter we headed out for a team meal in a local restaurant before having an early night.

Saturday 25th October, Travelling to Vietnam

2008-11-10T19:23:00.001Z

Travelled to Heathrow airport to meet group and start our long journey to Hanoi via Kuala Lumpar. We are scheduled to arrive in Vietnam at lunchtime on Sunday

Thursday 23rd October, Flying to Vietnam

2008-10-23T19:13:00.002+01:00

We are off to Pu Luong National Park in Northern Vietnam for a few weeks treking with a group from Discover Adventure. During the trek we will be enjoy the rare opportunity to stay with some of the local hill tribes in their villages.

Our route is through a little visited and fascinating area of Vietnam and we are looking forward to experiencing first hand the every day life and culture of the Thai and Moung people in their villages.

After the trek we head down to Halong Bay for a few days of R&R on a boat amongst the limestone sea stacks made famous in the James Bond movie "The man with the golden gun."

Internet access is likely to be difficult so we will update the blog when we get back.

Sunday 19th October, Loughrigg Fell

2008-10-19T20:14:00.006+01:00

My plans for today had to change due to Kevins ankle injury becoming worse overnight. After some discussion we agreed that Day 2 of the scrambles course should be scrapped and instead I went for a walk onto Loughrigg Fell with Myra. The weather forecast for the day was poor with strong winds and heavy rain showers so I opted for a shortish route.

Our route started at Clappersgate and followed the path up to Lily Tarn before heading over the tops to the summit. The route back was a slight variation on our outward route.

We had a pleasant walk across the top of the fells and managed to avoid the worst of the weather today by having an early finish. We spent the afternoon doing some last minute "gear" shopping in Ambleside for our upcoming trip to Vietnam.

Saturday 18th October, Scrambling in the wet

2008-10-18T21:18:00.005+01:00

Today I am working for Adventure Peaks in the Lakes with Kevin on his two day introduction to scrambling course. Unfortunately the weather is not very kind today, with strong winds and rain, our choice of location's has been dicated by the weather.

I decided to head over to Raven Crag in Yewdale, a Grade 2 *** route, for our first scramble of the day which is a good introduction and not too serious. We practiced movement skills on rock and explored the use of the rope to "protect" your partner before setting off to test these new skills.

After succesfully completing this route we drove to Conniston and headed up Long Crag Buttress, Grade 1***, the rock on this route is almost garbbro like in texture and provided good grip in the wet conditions. It is also a long route and we managed to have some fun working our way up the route.

After decending back to the valley we drove up to Walna Scar road and our next scramble The Bell, Grade 1 **, this is a nice route and after consulting the guide book Kevin lead his first scramble route. By now the weather was improving and we walked up to Levers Water before starting to work our way up the fellside to the start of our final scramble of the day, Great How, the wet rock made this route very slippy in places and we had to move carefully but we had managed to get shelter from the wind.

We stopped for a well earned break just below the summit, and enjoyed the clouds drifting over the fells. When we reached the top the wind was very strong and we opted to drop back down into the valley instead of walking along the ridge to Conniston Old Man. Once we reach the miners tracks it is an easy walk back to the car.

Sunday 12th October, A day of two half's

2008-10-13T19:49:00.008+01:00

Today Myra and I headed off to Grasmere for a walk up to Codale Tarn. Our route followed the path beside the beck up to Sour Milk Ghyll and then Easdale Tarn. The cloud base was very low and only just above the Tarn. We followed the path round the tarn before starting the ascent up to Codale in poor visibility.

After a lunch stop at Codale Tarn we headed to the summit of Tarn Crags before descending back down to Easdale Tarn. By now the cloud had lifted and we were enjoying a tea-break by the Tarn when the Mountain Rescue pager went off. Our easy walk was now over and the second half of the day began.

We quickly descended back into Grasmere and drove round to the Langdale Valley where I was dropped off by Myra. The incident turned out to be on Jack’s Rake, a well known scramble on Pavey Ark, and involved a man who had fallen and sustained some nasty head injuries. The casualty was brought to the top of the route on a rope before being taken down on our stretcher to Stickle Tarn. Fortunately the big yellow budgie from RAF Valley arrived just as it was getting dark and airlifted the casualty to Barrow.

We then enjoyed a nice moonlight walk back down to the valley and the New Dungeon Ghyll where we had left the vehicles.

Saturday 11th October, Hadrians Wall

2008-10-11T20:33:00.009+01:00

Today I was walking on Hadrian’s Wall with Myra to help her prepare for an overseas trek. We left the car in Greenhead and caught the early morning bus to the National Park visitor centre at Once Brewed. After a quick tour of the exhibition we headed off up hill to join the path along the wall.

It turned out to be a fine Autumn day although it was still wet under foot from the heavy rains of the past few days. We saw relatively few people on the path all day and enjoyed the peace and quiet on this part of the wall.

Sections of the wall are still in good condition and are quite impressive. We made a number of stops along the way to explore some of the forts.

Eventually we descended down a long hill to the remains of Thirwell Castle before a short walk along the river led us back to the local tearoom in Greenhead and the end of our walk

Sunday 28th September, London

2008-10-11T20:14:00.008+01:00

Finally arrived back in London at 0630 hours after an overnight flight from Nairobi. Fortunately Heathrow T4 was unusually efficient today and all our bags arrived quickly and in one piece apart from "Monkey" who was last seen in Moshi and rumoured to be possibly going back up Kili with another DA team. We promised to forward it on when it finally gets back to the UK.

We caught the tube into Central London and had a bacon buttie whilst I waited for my onward connection north to the Lakes for a well earned rest.