Edale

Or to be technically correct, Upper Booth.

This has to be my favourite campsite in the Peaks. It's isolated enough that it feels like a proper rural campsite, and you wake up to amazing views of the hills around you. It's even nicer when I'm not sharing it with 100s of teenagers, but...hey hum!

We spent both nights at the same campsite, with two of the groups heading up onto Kinder on Sat, and the other heading along Crowden Edge towards Edale Cross, before doubling back towards Edale. Tony & I had a lazy morning, not expecting anyone back before 3pm. We were just about to go for a walk when one of the groups arrived back at the campsite. They were adamant that they had been to Kinder Downfall and back...but couldn't describe what Kinder Downfall looked like! (Yes, it was the same group that didn't know where Stanage Edge was). So we went for a stroll to Edale instead. They've not long opened their new visitor centre, so we went for a look round that. A fair amount of it is dedicated to the Mass Trespass that occurred on Kinder Scout in 1932, and was the catalyst for the opening up of much of our countryside to the general public.

Hathersage

Last year I had good intentions to keep this up-to-date throughout the summer as well as the winter, and it came to nothing. So this year, I'll try harder!

Life is busy at the moment. No sooner had I got back from Austria, I was thrown into busyness at work, with two weekends in the Peak District on D of E practices.

This weekend we've been in Hathersage. One of the great myths about running The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is that I have to do lots of walking. In fact, it's the precise opposite. The students do lots of walking, and I do lots of driving/sitting in tea shops/hanging around the campsite. I was based at Glenbrook Guide Association campsite (on the main road between Bamford and Hope), and had one group with me on Friday night, and two on Saturday. The other night they were at Hagg Farm campsite (just off the Snake Pass). They had a short walk on Fri evening, a long walk between the two camps on Sat, and then a shorter walk on Sunday.

Group dynamics were interesting, as were some of their navigation skills. Quote of the weekend goes to one group who phoned me up lost on Sunday.

Me: "So, where are you?"
Them: "Don't know"
Me: "Any idea at all? What can you see?"
Them: "We think we can see Stanage Edge. What does Stanage Edge look like?"

Er....well, it's big, and it's an edge, and.....

Wagrain - Part 2

This week it's been even hotter than last week. It's been reported to be 24-25C in the valley during the day. Not surprisingly, the snow is suffering, and it is no longer possible to ski back to Wagrain. There's something a bit depressing about "downloading" in a gondola rather than being able to ski home. The snow up top is being well managed, and there is still good skiing around. We've spent more time in Alpendorf this week, as it is more suited to the large numbers of beginners we have.

We did a torchlit walk on Sunday evening. There's something dangerous yet exciting about letting teenagers carry fire! Fortunatley nothing burned that shouldn't have done.

We had one kid visit hospital yesterday. Nothing serious, but after not having any injuries last week, I thought I was on a roll! Still one in two weeks isn't a bad ratio.

Salzburg

Wagrain is only about an hour's drive from Salzburg, so we decided to finish skiing early on Wed and go and visit the city. It's not a big place, but it's beautiful. I really don't know why I haven't been here before. A weekend trip is definitely on the cards, as a couple of hours really wasn't long enough.

The castle dominates the city skyline, with mountains all around...it's amazing to be in a city that has such dramatic scenery. The shops are concentrated around one main street and a market area. I didn't have time to visit the Mozart museum or the tourist attractions on the other side of the river. I'll definitely have to return.

Wagrain - Part 1

One of the great things about working for PGL (other than being paid for going skiing!) is that I get to ski resorts that I wouldn't normally think of going to.

Wagrain is part of the Sportwelt Amade ski area in Austria, along with Flachau and Alpendorf (there are other bits as well, but I haven't skied any of them). It is a typically Austrian village, whose main attraction outside of skiing is the Wasserworld swimming pool. It is also famous for being one of the villages where Joseph Mohr was vicar (Joseph Mohr famously wrote the lyrics to Silent Night).

I'm out here for 2 weeks, this week working with an all boys catholic grammar school. There are over 20 British school groups here this week, so it's busy. The place that we're staying is about 15 mins walk from anywhere, so I'm getting fit.

The snow is holding up well, despite it being warm. The ski area is mainly intermediate terrain, but I'm having fun....I just hope that the snow stays good until the end of next week.