Windy Edge....aka Stanage!

With the sky blue and the sun shining, I thought it would be good to stroll up to Stanedge Pole and then along Stanage Edge (Unpopular End!). It wasn't the peaceful walk it may have been, as the quad bikes and trail bikes were out in force along Long Causeway. When I got to Stanage Edge, the wind nearly blew me over....so I didn't go too far. Still, it was good to get out of the house!

Moel Siabod

The forecast promised a good day with a temperature inversion, so we set off for North Wales. My parents dropped me off in Capel Curig, and I set off to walk up via the Daear Ddu ridge. Near the start, a stream joined the path and was frozen solid, and I hoped that this wasn't a sign of things to come, but the temperature inversion really was there. As I climbed higher, the streams started to flow again, making it easier underfoot.

The downside was the haze that meant that while I could just about make out Dolwyddelan Castle, it wasn't in a photogenic mood. The good thing about the Daear Ddu ridge, is that you can scramble it, or walk it, depending on your mood. I alternated between the two, and after a short lunch stop, made it to the summit.

The view across to Snowdon was clear, but I couldn't quite make out if the new cafe was open!!

I decided to take the path down to Plas-y-Brenin, which was straightforward. As on the way up, I reached a point where the streams had frozen, and the path became slippy. This slowed down the progress, but I just timed it right, arriving at PYB just in time for the Snowdonia sunset.

Grasmere

As is now a Boxing Day tradition, we went up to the lakes for a stroll around Grasmere. I wouldn't normally blog such a short walk, but I was quite pleased with a few of the photos, so decided to post them. The weather was perfect for a walk, and we wandered up onto Loughrigg Terrace before finding a coffee shop in Grasmere!


This robin was so friendly that it was eating out of my friend's hand. I guess that's why it's fat!!

Ingleborough

Today certainly wasn't the sort of day that I would have chosen to go out in, but having stayed the night in Ingleton, I thought I'd better take the opportunity. I left my car at the Youth Hostel and headed up towards Ingleborough. It wasn't raining, but there was a lot of moisture in the air and visibility was near zero! There were a couple of occasions where I came close to turning back, but I pressed on and made it to the top. The winds up there were fierce, and it was very cold, so I took the decision to return by the route I'd taken. The advantage of this over the route I'd planned, was that I avoided the 3 miles along a road at the finish!

I made it back down, and as I got near the bottom, the visibility started to improve...but not by much! It wasn't the weather to press on and do Pen-y-ghent, so I haven't yet conquered the Yorksire 3 Peaks.

Whernside

Having finished work for Christmas on Friday, I was watching the weather forecasts with interest. MWIS predicted that the high pressure system in place would give good clear weather, so I booked into Ingleton Youth Hostel for the princely sum of £8.

I drove up from Sheffield first thing this morning, and was met by low cloud and mist at Ribbleshead. I had decided that I would just do a round walk by Whernside, rather than attempting to do the "3 Peaks" in the day. Because of the number of people that are attracted to the area, the paths are well marked and generally bulldozed. This meant that navigation wasn't an issue, even in the poor visibility.


There were a few breaks in the cloud, but not when I was at the summit. It wasn't a day for lingering on the top, so I ate lunch as I started the walk back down. There were some people out, but only the occasional one or two. With it not really being the day I'd hoped for, I cut the walk short and headed back to the car. I'll save Ingleborough for another day!

Winter Highs

One of things I love, is a Winter high pressure system. The sky clear, the air fresh and a bit of frost on the ground. Obviously I like snow as well, but not for walking!

I only had a couple of hours, so went for a walk around Ladybower. Conditions were perfect, if a little cold. Despite the good weather, there weren't too many people around, even at Fairholmes.

Westend Moor

I'd not got up as early as planned, but headed off for Bridge End Car Park hoping there would still be space. In fact, it's been turned into a home for logging vehicles. Plan B was to park by Fairholmes, so I utilised the empty spaces by Derwent Dam and headed up the path towards Lockerbrook. The temperature guage on my car was telling me that it was below freezing, but the stiff climb soon resulted in me taking off the ski jacket and making do with a thin fleece.


Beyond Lockerbrook, the path climbes up to Alport Castles, where it levels out quite nicely. The views along the way take in the Edale Valley, the Snake Pass and Alport Farm. There were a few people around, but not many. I stopped for a brief chat with one of the park rangers, but otherwise just lost myself in my thoughts and my ipod!


Had the day been longer, I'd have liked to have carried on to Bleaklow, but decided to be content with making it as far as the Westend Moor trig point. Initially I decided not to return by the same route, and tried to hack a path down towards Black Clough - but eventually common sense took over and I headed back to the path I'd come on.

My timing was impeccible, arriving back at the car just as the last bit of light was disappearing. As you would expect at this time of year, I had been deep into the bog, so was glad of zip-off legs for the drive home!

(Technical Data: distance = 17.5km, ascent = 550m)

Weather Forecast

Anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors will know the importance of a good weather forecast. Last Saturday's forecast on most websites was for wind, snow, and generally horrible weather. It didn't happen - but then I wasn't expecting it to. Why? Because I'd looked at the surface pressure charts, and they had forecast pretty much what we experienced.

Today was a similar situation. The BBC were warning of snow and fog, but Mountain Weather Information Service (IMO the best forecast around) were telling me that the fog would be restricted to the valleys, and the sun would be out. Had it not been for that, I may have missed out on today and stayed in bed.

Burbage

Today was our annual Duke of Edinburgh's Award navigation training. All those who are interested in doing their D of E, come out to Burbage Moor with us and we go through the basics while getting cold, wet, fed up and stuck in bogs. We're quite happy for it to be nasty, as bad weather sorts out the serious ones from the "I've only come because of my mate" types.

For the first time ever, we had good weather. There was no rain, there were not really any bogs, there was no fog, and there was no snow. Okay, so it was cold, but the sun was out and visibility was excellent.

It's not a day where we walk very far - more a day where we walk slowly and deliberately. Oh, and as usual it was rounded off with fish & chips in the pub!

Snowdonia Navigation

Today's exploits were courtesy of Snowdonia Adventures who had put on a beginners navigation training course for some members of snowHeads. I had asked if I could tag along, as I teach navigation to my D of E group, without ever really having been taught how to teach it.

The course started off classroom based, before we headed out onto the hill. Most people had done some nav before, but there were a few total beginners. It was useful practice for me, with the 1st D of E trip coming up next weekend, as it is easy to get out of practice with taking bearings. I was encouraged that I seemed to get everything right!

As everyone was doing so well, we stayed out after dark, enduring a steep, uneven descent. This was particularly good as it was testing, and was interesting to see how the instructor managed the group to ensure everyone got down safely. Having done two night sessions in a week, I'm now keen to get out and do more :)

Brown Knoll

Having worked the past two evenings, I decided to take advantage of the weather and headed out to the Peaks. I'd planned a while back to do Rushop Edge/Brown Knoll, but never got round to it. The plan evolved into....park at the far end of Rushop Edge, walk over Brown Knoll and up to Kinder Downfall, then return by the same route.



Having [almost!] reached the trig point at Brown Knoll, I decided that it was far too boggy to want to return by the same route, so started to formulate plan B. I continued on, but stopped when I got as far as Kinder Low. Looking at the map, it appeared that there was a path that would link me to the Pennine Bridleway at South Head, without me losing too much height. WRONG!

As the terrain came into view, I realised that I had misread just how many contour lines I was crossing, but decided that it was still a better option that retreating back across Brown Knoll. So, my next target/challenge was to make it onto the Bridleway before it went dark. I reckoned that the final 2.5 miles would be okay with just my headtorch, but in fact the moon was full so I didn't need to use the artificial light.

The beauty of staying out late is that you get to experience views like this one below.

Tignes

I've only ever skied once before at October 1/2 term, so set off with expectations of icy pistes, lots of sun, and lazy afternoons. We were staying with Mountainsun in Les Boisses and were delighted to wake up on the 1st morning to fresh snow. In the village! Conditions on the glacier were a little windy, and visibility wasn't amazing....but what fantastic snow!

Over the three days, we got a mixture of heavy snow and sunshine. The race teams that were trying to train, gave up attempting gates in the 70cm of fresh powder and just free skied. On a couple of occasions we thought that they may close the area due to high winds, but fortunately they didn't.

My only previous visit to Espace Killy had been at the end of April in 2004. I'd skied more on the Val d'Isere side, but was really impressed with the ski area as a whole. One thing that I hadn't noticed, that I did this time, was just how expensive the place is. Skiing a lot in Austria has got me used to being able to ski on a budget - and this was no place for a budget! We were staying chalet board, so didn't bother with lunch....after all, only wimps stop for lunch on a powder day!

Because free ski hire was included in the deal, I didn't take my own. I chose to try the Scott Realm. They handled well, and were good for the conditions, but I wasn't convinced to rush out and flog my B2s on ebay so that I could buy a pair.

All in all it was a good pre-season warm up. Just a shame I have to wait 3.5 months for the real season to kick off for me.

Corrour to Fersit

The past few days have been spent pottering round the Highlands, showing one of my friends around. It's her first visit up here, so we've done a bit round the Cairngorms, and been over to Skye. Today we decided to visit one of my favourite haunts and do a walk.

Taking advantage of having two cars, we dropped one off at Fersit, and drove to Tulloch station. From there we got the train to Corrour and after popping in to the Station House we set off for Fersit. The first hour or so s along a path that follows the shore of Loch Ossian. Beyond the Lodge, the route follows the private estate road as far as Strathossian, before heading up into the forest. A short while later it exits the woods and drops down into the hamlet of Fersit, crossing the railway line.

(Technical Data: distance = 20.5km, ascent = 300m)

Cairngorm

Having been slightly put off the thought of wild camping high up, I retreated to Aviemore and found a nice spot near there. The weather was cloudy and very windy, so I decided to have an easy day and tackle Cairngorm.

When they built the funicular railway there, it was written into the terms & conditions that outside of the ski season, passengers were not allowed out at the top. They were to be confined to the restaurant at the top. Walkers could also access the building, but had to be signed in and out by a member of staff. They have recently allowed walkers to buy a ticket down on the funicular, but if you want to go to the top, you have to walk up.

The wind was battering me, so I took refuge in the restaurant on the way up. There is quite a good exhibition there, and the hot chocolate was welcome. I hoped that the cloud would shift, but after an hour I gave up waiting and headed for the summit. The path is clear, and it didn't take long from the restaurant.

It not being a day for hanging around, I beat a hasty retreat back down the car, watching all the "captives" on the funicular. I bet my day was better than theirs!

(Technical Data: distance = 7.5km, ascent = 650m)

Glenshee

Sunday didn't really happen, as I got lost trying to find Loch An Daimh, to climb Meall Buidhe. I ended up having a nice drive round Glen Lyon though!

Yesterday I headed over to the Glenshee ski area, packed up the rucksack and set off for an overnight stop. Looking at the map, Loch Vrotachan seemed a good place to camp.

I set off for the summit of The Cairnwell, one of the most easily accessible Munros, as the top is only about 250m higher than the A93 that runs below it. You could even cheat and take the single seat chairlift up! After The Cairnwell, I headed round the ridge to Carn a Gheoidh. I then had a decision to make. To carry on and bag An Socach, or head round to the loch for a lazy evening.

As the weather was so good, I headed down, crossed Baddock Burn and up the other side to An Socach (dumping my rucksack at the point that I would have to return to). The climb up to An Socach wasn't too bad, but the summit plateau seemed to go on forever.

The slog back up to Loch Vrotachan was hard work, and I was glad to finally find a suitable spot to pitch the tent. Because of the terrain, I ended up high on the ridge. This wouldn't have been an issue had the weather forecast been correct.

At around 5.30 this morning I was woken abruptly by heavy rain on the tent and the distinct sound of thunder. This I could live with, but the accompanying lightning was more alarming. I racked my brain to try and remember what I'd been told about camping in an electrical storm, to come to the conclusion that I'd never been told!

I packed my rucksack and waited for a break in the weather. As I peered out of the tent, I could see that the storm was directly overhead. After what seemed like forever, the rain stopped (albeit for about 2 mins!) and I packed the tent away and ran back to the car. I'm not sure what the staff in the cafe thought this morning when they found me on their doorstep waiting for them to open for breakfast!

(Technical Data: distance = 17km, ascent = 1100m)

Schiehallion

While up in the Mamores in May, I'd taken some photos, and seen a peak that stood out from the others. On investigation, it appeared to be Schiehallion, which lies to the East of Rannoch Moor. While planning my summer trip, this was one of the mountains that I had in my sights.

I drove North yesterday, and camped at a site in Rannoch Forest. The weather was a bit cloudy this morning, but I had hopes that it would clear. It didn't!

The path up from the car park is well maintained by John Muir Trust who own part of the hill. But this only goes 2/3 of the way up. After this, there is a rocky section where you are hopping from one boulder to the next. At one point the cloud did break, but only for a matter of seconds. I reached the summit, and had a rest.

While at the top, I got chatting to a few people including two ladies who had a big dog with them. They set off down before me, but I soon caught up with, and overtook them. I was about 100m in front of them when I heard a yell and turned round to see one of them tumbling down the rocks. Years of carrying a 1st aid kit with me, for once it came in useful - although there was not a lot that I could do for the damaged ankle...the RAF helicopter had to take care of that.

I headed back down (very carefully!) and found a really nice campsite - Glengoulandie, which had a deer park attached.

(Technical Data: distance = 9.5km, ascent = 750m)

Scotland - D of E Supervisor

As I have done for the past 4 years, I took a group of students up to Scotland to do their D of E Gold expedition. This year we had three groups, who all started a different points, walked for two days towards Corrour, and then walked away from there for two days to their finish points.

After last year's drama, this year went far more smoothly. As usual, Claire lost her group on Sunday, and I had a bit of an epic trip one evening - but we all survived.

I thought that this was the best conversation I'd had with a group, but this trip had it's challenger. 7am, the morning after I've been out checking on a group until 1am, the emergency phone rings.

Me: "Hello"
Them: "Liz, there's some cows"
Me: "Yeah?"
Them: "But they're blocking our path"
Me: "I'm 1.5 hours drive away from you...what do you want me to do?"
Them: "It's okay, they've moved now"!!

And I'm supposed to be working with the creme de la creme :)

Swiss Summer

This is what Wengen should look like! Having not seen much in March, it was nice to arrive to good weather. Last May when I was here, we had heavy snow, so didn't get much walking done. This time it was far better.

I really wanted to do the walk from Schynige Platte to First, but the path was still covered in snow. The Eiger trail was open, despite still having a few snow patches, so I did that.


The alpine flowers were putting on a good show for all to see, and the cattle were just starting to get up to high pasture.


With the opening of the new rail tunnel, journey times to Zermatt have been cut dramatically, so we decided to take advantage and go for a day trip. I really am in awe of the place. The Matterhorn is just so dominant, and imposing, and the walking looked good. Definitely a place I want to return to again.

Fersit and the Forest

Having waved my dad off on the early train, I headed to Fersit, intending to climb Chno Dearg. As I set off from the car park, so did a minibus load of loud walkers, obviously with the same target in mind. Not wishing for such an intrusion on my planned solitude, I quickly changed my plan and decided to explore the lower paths, via Creag Dhubh and the Corrour Estate road.



My intention was to join the estate road by Strathossian and then head back into the forest, but a minor navigation error brought me out a couple of km north! I followed the road to where it joins the track back round to Fersit, and ignoring the FC notices telling me that logging was taking place and that I would die if I proceded without a hard hat, I continued on. On three separate occasions I was nearly trampled underfoot as deer decided to make a dash for it in front of me, but other than that I succeeded in getting my peace and quiet.

(Technical Data: distance = 18km, ascent = 300m)

The Pipeline

At the start of the 20th Century, a group of navvies built Blackwater dam and reservoir so that they could feed the aluminium smelter in Kinlochleven. The pipeline runs from the dam down into the village, a distance of around 7.5km and a 320m drop. They also built a pipeline linking Loch Eilde Mor to Blackwater reservoir, and it was the path by this pipeline that we walked along.



To spare my dad the initial slog, we parked at Mamore Lodge and followed the track up to Loch Eilde Mor, pausing regularly to marvel at the view back along Loch Leven. Once at Loch Eilde Mor, the track continues to Luibeilt, but we branched off, following the path round to the small dam at the Southern point of the loch.

Yesterday's rain was evident as we joined the path along the pipeline. There were a few patches where we had to detour to keep our feet dry, but generally it wasn't too bad. At the point where the pipeline started to swing back round to the East, we stopped for lunch, and then took the path steeply down towards the River Leven.

Upon arrival in Kinlochleven, I left my dad in the visitor centre and slogged back up to Mamore Lodge to fetch the car.

(Technical Data: distance = 13km, ascent = 490m)