Aran Fawddwy in the snow

Looking towards Pen Main

This weekend was spent in the Arans a fantastic walking area in North Wales. The drive up on Friday night was uneventful and relaxing, even getting through Birmingham on the M6 was easy going. The lanes around Dinas Mawddwy were on the other hand more challenging.
Saturday morning and the sun was shining and it promised to be a good day despite the ominous weather forecasts. Beyond Dinas Mawddwy there is a small car park near Cwm Cywarch. The path leaves the track by a bridge across the stream and then a sunken lane takes you out into the valley above Afon yt Hengwm. The path slowly climbs above the valley and swings around to Drysgol.

View from Drysgol to Aran Fawddwy

 The snow was increasing in depth by this stage and the icing on the mountains was rapidly becoming more of a reality. As we followed the ridge keeping the fence on our right Aran Fawddwy could be seen in its full winter glory.

The path passed a memorial cairn for Mike Aspain of RAF St Athan mountain rescue team who was killed by lightning here. The path would normally be fairly straight-forward but with snow and ice covered rocks it was a more interesting experience.

Following the ridge, looking towards the memorial cairn by Drws Bach

The summit of Aran Fawddwy

 The final trudge led to the summit of Aran Fawddwy with its snow caped trig point & time for a bite to eat. The snow in places was up to knee deep and invariably your boot slowly descended through the snow layers making it tough going.

The descent was along the fence line running in a south-westerly direction towards Glasgwm. An extremely boggy path even at this time of year. The sections of board walk were more of a hindrance with their ice covering, but no doubt a blessing at other times of the year.


After 2 km or so the path veers downhill along a gully. The pond beside the fence marks the beginning of the path down which becomes very steep. Now below the snow line the path was still slippery due to film on the rocks and a saturated top soil. The path crosses a few side streams before reaching a wide footbridge and a more gentle path down to Bleaencywarch. The path passes around the farm and back to the car park. In total this was a 12 km walk which took around 5 hours of walking through snow and bog.

The view or lack of it

 The Sunday was an altogether different day, with poor visibility and gusting snow/sleet showers all day. as the day progressed it descended further into the valley and a slog up to the pond below Glasgwm was the limit of the days activities.
The lure of warm soup and time to dry out before the journey home proved too strong.

Dunnerdale, Lake District Weekend

This weekend has been my first real opportunity of the year to get out into the hills. The weekend started with a shared lift up to the lower part of the Dunnerdale Valley with members of one of my local mountaineering clubs. The accommodation was in club hut which provided an excellent base for getting into an area of the Fells I haven't been to before.

Dunnerdale Fells
Saturday presented us with bright skies and interesting light to view the fantastic views. The walk was not overly ambitious and took us through the coniferous forests at Ulpha Park along a forestry track past freshly felled trees. The low temperatures meant that in the main the churned up ground was rather crispy, otherwise it would have rather less pleasant. The Dunnerdale Fells looked rather promising and we could clearly pick out our target, Stickle Pike in the distance.

Looking towards the Dunnerdale Fells

A short section of road took us to Ulpha Bridge where we could get into our first area of Open Access land. The route up to Stickle Pike was a bit non-descript in places but it was easy to pick out a route to its cairned top. Passing Stickle Tarn on our descent we headed off downhill and eventually found ourselves on the banks of the River Duddon. Two places to cross were marked on the map but the large stepping stones were rather unappealing. A brief attempt was made at crossing but the flow and slippery nature of the stepping stones looked likely to lead to a dunking in the sub-zero water.

Stickle Pike, Dunnerdale Fells

Retracing our steps we headed back to Ulpha Bridge along the bridleway which rejoined our original route at Birks Wood. The latter part of the walk took us through numerous fields bounded by drystone walls. Each had protruding stones to enable you to walk up and down the other side of the wall, however the low angle of the light made spotting them rather problematic. By the time we reached our destination the light was rapidly failing but it had been a refreshing day.

Harter Fell
The logistics of Sunday meant we only had time for a short walk, so we decided on a quick assault of Harter Fell. Parking up at the Forestry Commission carpark at Birks Bridge in Dunnerdale Forest we route marched up along the forestry tack to its termination point. Here it joined a rather boggy and frozen bridleway along the south western flank of Harter Fell. The final 300 or so metres up were a bit of a slog, especially after Christmas festivities and inactivity.

On Harter Fell

The view was well worth it and low angle of the sun added an autumnal glow to the scene. The descent down its south-eastern flank eventually led us back to the forest track by Birks and then onto the carpark. An interesting few hours spent in the company of a Fell what described by Alfred Wainwright as "beautiful."

Looking towards Green Crag

Overall a good weekend walking in the Lake District with weather you would not normally expect at this time of year. Hopefully the next trip to North Wales will be as much fun.

New Year Walking Resolutions

The New year has got off to a mixed start. My intention to join the annual hike from Marsden to Edale failed miserably as it proved exorbitant to go by train and the logistics of going by car proved too difficult. However, I did manage to get some climbing in on a indoor wall and compensate myself with some new climbing gear. While the train companies lost out the independent Outdoor Shop in Stony Stratford benefited from the diversion of funds.

Next weeks trip to the Lake District is looking good with some promising weather and transport all sorted. Hopefully the trip to North Wales at the end of the month will prove equally successful but the organiser doesn't seem totally on top of things so time will tell.

Looking ahead I'm planning out my assault on Alfred Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk. I have just got the second edition which has been updated by Chris Jesty and I'm working out how best to approach it. I have used his updated books for various walks in the Lake District and find the picking out of the paths in red very helpful and the various amendments compliment Wainwright's style.

Whether I can get a two week period free is another matter so I am currently considering breaking it into two sections. The first being St Bees Head to Kirkby Stephen which is five days through the Lake District, and then a second week to complete the trip to Robins Hood Bay. The reason for breaking the walk at Kirkby Stephen is that it has a railway station on the picturesque Carlisle to Settle line and booking in advance can give some fantastic deals. So watch this space.

Lots of other weekends and the odd week walking are planned so I hope to get up a lot of hills this year and if time permits even the odd Munro or Corbett.

New Year wanderings

So the New Year has arrived and this is my first post. Without real hills on the doorstep we had to make do with a walk that didn't involve a 5 hour car drive! So armed with Toby a keen outdoors dog we started out walk at Ampthill Great Park. The weather today was pretty good, clear skies and bright and not much of a chill in the air. Ampthill is situated in central Bedfordshire and is a very historic town with lots of interesting Georgian fronted buildings. The Great Park is the remnants of an old mediaeval deer park that was later landscaped by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown. Of interest is the Gothic Cross on the Greensand ridge which runs through the parkland. This was erected to commemorate Katherine of Aragon who was banished to the adjacent Ampthill Castle (sadly nothing remains above ground) while her marriage to Henry VIII was being annulled at Dunstable Priory a few miles down the road.

Katherine's Cross (Edwardian postcard)

Once out of the Park we crossed over the railway tunnel that takes trains from London to Bedford, Sheffield & Nottingham. There are two tunnels here and the second was constructed from the inside out as there had been too many casualties in the first tunnel due to collapses. As a result there was large air vents rising out of the tunnel roof, but sadly an ugly metal fence has been erected to stop people wandering along the wooded tunnel top.

Soon we were heading for Millbrook with its historic church. On the way we could see the historic Cardington Airship hangers  where the fateful R101 flew from and the less historic domed indoor ski centre at the Escape in Milton Keynes. Once out of the village we were passing around the periphery of the Millbrook Proving Ground where new cars are put through their paces and the BBC's Top Gear team demonstrate their 'skills' on a regular basis. The woodland walk provides the occasional view of the different tracks and  provides a pleasant slippery surface as the clay and degrading leaves combine.

After this we emerged into Lidlington through the old church yard and up the hill, passing The Green Man on the way.  The final section of the walk took us to Warren Wood, which is in the process of being turned into the latest Center Parcs holiday complex. The old paths through the wood have been closed and a new circular bridleway around the the edge of the wood created. We took the north side which hemmed us in between raised earth banks and the roar of the A507 traffic. It was pleasant enough but not as tranquil as the forest tracks of old. The ugly metal security fencing with accompanying threatening messages to keep non-paying guests out added to the disappointment on this section.

Finally emerging on the A507 we headed back into Ampthill and its pleasant surroundings at the end of our three hour stroll around this part of 'hilly' Bedfordshire. OK not that hilly really, but there are some steep bits to negotiate in places (well by southern standards anyway).

The rest of the month is looking promising, transport permitting she see some good walks in the Peak district, Lake District and finally in Snowdonia. Well that's the current plan for January and an opportunity to burn off the Christus Pudding and cake! Oh and I must remember to take the camera next time.

2011: A hill walking year! (part one)

As this is my first post of 2011 I thought I would write a summary of the past years activities (although it was going to be short, it seems to be growing rapidly so I'll break it into sections). This year has been extremely busy with trips to Wales (Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia), Northern England (Lake District and Yorkshire Dales) and Scotland (Cairngorms, Glencoe and Kintail). With a variety of day walks and multi-day expeditions with some wild camps.


January
The year started in North Wales with unrelenting rain with a bit of hail for light relief. We stayed in Corris and made our way up to Dyfi Forest to attempt the walk described by John & Anne Nuttall in their book The Mountains of England and Wales Volume 1: Wales. I say attempted as the rivers were flowing down the roads in full spate and once out of the forest the wind was driving the hail into your eyes at full force. An interesting start to the year nevertheless!

The following weekend involved a trip to the Peak District, thankfully it was dry. It was cold, but not as bad as the previous November when the return trip from Stanage Edge involved negotiating Bamford Clough which had been turned into a steep ice rink by the 4x4 vehicles (some of which were being winched back up the hill!) The walk this day was instead up to Kinder, starting from Upper Booth via Crowden Brook. The viability was poor but you could certainly hear voices even if you could not see many people. The following day was a pleasant stroll around Bamford Moor with good views to Ladybower Reservoir below.

February
The month started with a trip to Scotland to go on a Winter Walking Skills course. This was organised by TISO and Climbmts, it involved a Friday evening chat about equipment in the TISO shop in Edinburgh and introduction to each other. Saturday morning we all headed off to the Glenshee Ski centre in the Cairngorms for a days training in self-arrest and the use of crampons etc. It was a fantastic day and good introduction to the skills required for winter walking.

By the middle of February a stay in Copper Valley just outside Coniston saw the arrival of snow early Saturday morning. As a result we awoke to find a wonderful carpet of snow through the valley and surrounding mountains. With the snow came streams of walkers up Coniston Old Man, many bottom shuffling their way back! With poor visibility we abandoned the planned circuit for a day of playing in the snow and practising walking with crampons without spearing yourself in the process.

March
The beginning of the month saw me back in the Lakes, this time up by Derwent Water. This was for a three-day navigation and leadership assessment for a walking holiday company. We spent a few days and nights traipsing the nearby fells looking for the slightest bump or tarn marked on the OS maps with a mixture of rain and snow to accompany the gusting wind. As it turned out it was a successful trip, but I didn't discover this until some time later.

Two weeks later and I was back in the Lakes, this time based at the Youth Hostel in Borrowdale. This is a lovely hostel in a good location, it can also be reached easily by bus from Keswick which is a bonus when you take the 5.40am train up from London. The purpose of this trip was to attend a ropework course, this isn't for climbing but more emergency use of the rope when leading groups in preperation for my Mountain Leader assessment later in the year. The organisers were Mountain Sense based in nearby Keswick, Chris who ran the day was very thorough and easygoing. The following day I headed off towards Dale Head, Hindscarth, Robinson and return by way of Fleetwith Pike and Honister. This was a really good day with some hazy views and interesting people en-route.

2011: A hill walking year! (part two)

This is the second part of my summary of 2011's hill walking exploits. For the first part of the year see the posting below.

April
A quiet month for walking, although I did manage to get back up to the Lakes for the Royal Wedding weekend. I made my first visit to Helvelyn via Dollywaggon Pike on a beautifully clear day, the following day was rather blustery so I cut short my planned Fairfield Horseshoe and descended into Grasmere. I arrived a little after midday on the day of the wedding and for the first time in my life I found the streets of the town deserted. It was a bit like an apocalyptic scene from the movies, the buildings were all intact but not a sole was to be seen. The next few days was taken up with an ML refresher course - steep ground management, more ropework, navigation and leadership. A mini-expedition took us over to Cockley Beck and around the Crinkle Crags with a wild camp in a fantastic spot above Lingcoye Beck with views of the Crinkle Crags.

May/June
A month later and I was off to Scotland, this time the logistics required the use of the car. After a stop off in Glasgow I took a late afternoon drive up past Loch Lomand, an area I had last visited in the 1980s. By the time I  reached the edge of Glencoe it was getting dark and I parked up near the Kings House Hotel, just off the A82 and headed off into the gloom to find a dry spot for an overnight camp. It was a short walk-in but fantastic to wake up on a mountain side away from it all. A quick ascent of  Beinn a' Chrulaiste and Meall Bhalach (both Corbetts) before the onward drive to Kintail on the west coast. A mixture of walks were undertaken this week, starting with a circuit incorporating Beinn Bhreac and Beinn Bhuide before returning through Morvich. The spate of the rivers, particularly Allt a' Ghlomaich meant our walk from Camas-luinie to the Falls of Glomach was curtailed a mere 500 metres from our destination. Over the next two days we tackled the South Shiel Ridge in two sections and bagged a few Munros in the process.

A long drive across country took me to the Cairngorms with an overnight camp in a secluded forest. The Glen Feshie area was an amazing place to go walking and relatively quiet away from the bulk of visitors to the National Park. After a long days walk around Carn Dearg Beag and Carn Dearg Mor I headed up to Glenmore Lodge and onto Ryvoan Bothy. This was my first trip to a bothy and here I found a DofE group camped outside on the flat grass and two inebriated students staying inside. This was an eventful evening as one of them cut his hand, requiring me to administer first aid treatment and sending them down to the Outdoor Centre for further assistance. They returned after midnight even worse for wear but with the cut glued together by the accident and emergency centre. I left early the next morning and headed up Meall a' Bhuachaille, Creagen Gorm and Craiggowrie before descending into Glenmore Forest. While following the forest tracks I saw a pair of Red Squirrels playing, not something I can see at home being surrounded as we are by Greys. The next few days were spent at Glenmore Lodge on a series of training courses.

2011: A hill walking year! (part three)

With the arrival of the warmer months there were increased opportunities for walking. However, while home was often basking in the heat (as the London based newspapers were keen to remind everyone) the journeys north saw a deterioration in the weather. Having said that I never experienced the torrential downpours that started the year in North Wales.

August
The beginning of August saw the opportunity to backpack across the central area of the Lake District. Another early start saw me catching the 5.40am from Euston to Oxenholme and onto Windermere. A cooked breakfast in Booth's by the station and a bus to Grasmere for the start of a three day hike. The first day took in Helm Crag, Gibson Knott and High Raise before finding a nice secluded area to camp with fantastic views across to the Pike of Stickle. The second day took me past Angle Tarn where a small group was still encamped and up to Scafell Pike via Broad Crag then down Broad Stand to the Esk and around Great Moss and passing through the col between Long Crag and Low Gait Crags to my overnight camp beneath Bowfell. Needless to say the view from the top of Scafell Pike was non-existent and a handful of weary walkers sheltered  in the lee of the cairn before descending into bright sunshine a few hundred metres below its summit. The final day took in Bowfell and a descent to the Dungeon Gill by The Band. With careful timing it was possible to indulge in a little refreshment at the hotel before catching the bus to Ambleside. A successful trip with three full days walking, two wild camps and all the bus and train connections worked perfectly. A few days walking around Malham area of the Yorkshire Dales National Park concluded the month.

Sunset over the Yorkshire Dales

September
Another trip to the Cairngorms occurred at the beginning of the month. Meeting up with Steve B we walked out from Glenmore Lodge to Bynack More and after observing the footpath repair work currently being undertaken we headed down to the Fords of Avon. Here the Emergency Refuge had been completely rebuilt a few weeks earlier and we managed to find two dryish patches to erect our tents, using the refuge for a place to chat & enjoy a brew. The next morning we headed along the north shore of the Loch to the Shelter Stone and up to Loch Etchachan where we saw a solitary Terra Nova Quasar. As we ascended Ben Macdui the winds increased and we both lost our footing to sudden squalls. As we finally reached the ski centre we saw the first person we had seen since midday the day before. We had had the hills completely to ourselves, but the day was not over yet. As the light started to fail we passed a herd of reindeer in the lower carpark and then headed off to find a dryish spot to pitch our tents. Easier said than done! The final day started early and within a couple of hours we were back at our cars ready to drive into Aviemore for a delayed cooked breakfast before the long drive home.

Fords of Avon Refuge

After a short rest I spent a week in the Brecon Beacons leading walks for a group on a walking holiday. They were a great bunch who came for a weeks walking and socialising in a new part of the country, During the week a variety of walks were offered including the waterfalls walk and one across the Black Mountains. My boots having died in the Cairngorms I managed to find a bargain in one of the many outdoor shops in Brecon and christened them on a 10 km hike up Corn Du, Pen-y-Fan and Cribyn.