Pen-y-ghent.....the start of Spring....

The forecast was glorious for the day a couple of weeks ago, and, rarely, it was a weekend when Claire wasn't on-call - part of the reason for our lack of getting out recently has been Claire doing some on-call weekends (thus freeing up most of the rest of Spring and Summmer). I wanted a break from marking books and preparing lessons so we set the alarm and headed up to the Dales.

Pen-y-ghent from Brackenbottom

It's not actually that far to the Dales from ours - only about 1 1/4 hrs - and so we didn't need a crack of dawn start. Upon arriving at Horton it became obvious that we weren't the only people with the idea of going up Pen-y-ghent that day. We did manage to find a parking spot on the road next to the campsite and, having got boots on etc, we headed off. Given Pen-y-ghent's name (it means Hill of the Wind) and the fact it was still March we had brought along fleeces etc...it soon became evident that they were redundant in the extreme; it was a glorious day, as can be seen. It was also painfully obvious that other people were taking advantage of the glorious day. Our ascent of Pen-y-ghent was slow, due to lack of exercise and fitness in the most part. The lower section was like a procession and it got worse when we joined the Pennine Way and the path through the escarpments. Those who were zooming along earlier now slowed right up and it actually became quite frustrating. Claire put in a spectacular burst of speed to overtake some of the pink perspiring person's on a section where there was a choice of two paths - but suffered for it a bit higher up.

The summit was utterly heaving and so we wasted no time in carrying on. Bizarrely, once over the summit and starting the descent the number of people thinned out on the spot. Going down thus became a nice pleasant late morning walk - with lovely weather and views over to Ingleborough.

Looking to Ingleborough from the descent path.

Lunch at Hull Pot was another great idea - only 300 metres of the main path (and on the path round towards Foxup and Halton Gill) it was almost like being in another world with hordes of people wandering off the hill and turning left for Horton  - almost robotically. We were able to bask in the sun with rolls, cake and hot ribena and enjoy our lunch - before joining the hordes for the descent to Horton....followed by pints of tea at the cafe (and being able to sit outside) and a gear fix at the Rohan shop....

Home over the holidays...

Alderman Hill

the plan was Scotland - however Claire was too tired after a long stint at work without a break; not to mention we were both worn down by the non-stop rain. Even by autumn in Manchester the weather over the last couple of months has been depressing.

Not going turned out to be a very good idea - as Claire came down with a cold on the 24th and I woke up this morning feeling pretty grotty....that being said; today was too good to miss without some exercise. Clear skies and some snow overnight made Dovestones an alluring place to go.

Defrosting the car took some time; then sliding down the hill to where the road had been gritted. The road up to the reservoir hadn't been gritted either (not being a public road), and even though it was near 10am when we arrived we were one of only a few cars...maybe people were still in holiday lie-in mode.

The light and views were amazing as can (hopefully) be seen from some of the shots. A thought was to walk around the second of the reservoirs, however that was closed for shooting. As it turned out, energy levels were quite low and a gentle circuit was fine - with time to stop to talk to humans/dogs and take some photo's. Car-park was much busier when we got back to the car; but the road was in a lot better nick as well!!

Looking towards Chew Valley from Dovestones

A circuit of Seat Sandal...

Ullscarf and Wythburn Church from Wythburn car -park

which is a lovely little hill above the Ambleside - Keswick road; guarding the approach to Grisedale Tarn from Dunmail Raise.

OK, it wasn't what Gary and I had planned; when we had rendezvoused at the car-park at 9am. The drive up from Manchester was agreeably quick - something to bear in mind for future trips - and the hills looked agreeably white as well; whilst the roads were clear.

The plan was simple  - up to Grisedale Tarn and then up onto the ridge between Dollywaggon Pike and Helvellyn....returning by basically the same route. The first challenge was crossing the stile from the lay-by! Wood with a thin skein of ice/verglas on it - once across it we ambled toward the path up the ravine. Gary and I know from first hand experience that this can be very slippery indeed - it gets very little/if any sun this time of year and the path up can resemble a rink. This is my mitigation for suggesting we cross the stream and take a path up the side of the hill leading up to Grisedale Tarn. Crossing the stream proved more 'entertaining' than first thought (we managed not to see the bridge 200m downstream!) and then we struggled up steep grass slopes to meet the path. Neither of us were particularly fit; I had been busy with work (preparing for a new job in Jan) whilst Gary had had far too much real life and not enough walking/climbing, not to mention injury. So the ascent was a struggle; made more a struggle by the snow which got softer and deeper the higher we walked. The forecast was also out  - the snow storms weren't forecast -and the temperature was clearly higher than we'd been led to believe. Honestly, my short ski's would have been perfect in this kind of terrain. Approaching the tarn the snow got deeper and the plod got more tiring. It had been some time since I'd been out in new, soft snow and it was a salutory reminder of how tiring it can be - especially when one is as unfit as I am.

Gary descends towards Dunmail Raise

View towards Grasmere on the descent

Given conditions, snow etc a change of plan was decided upon. We'd follow the path up to Grisedale Hause (a place, embarrassingly, I'm not sure I've ever been) and thence down the path towards the road. The aim was to contour Seat Sandal, worse case was 1.5km up the road to get to the cars. The path down was actually very nice. Even better, a new path left the original path down Little Tongue Gill and contoured the shoulder of Seat Sandal. We gladly took this, and then the path petered out a gate. The gate had a footpath sign on it so we could clearly go through. We then got emeshed in a series of fields and walls that made getting to the road - about 100m away - a real pain. With hindsight, we should have stayed much higher (above the intake wall) and contoured the hillside to get back to Dunmail Raise. Suffice to say that we didn't and had to climb a fence and scramble down to the road. Gary's hamstrings were really troubling him so I went ahead to the car-park; hopped in the Jazz and drove down the road to collect him.....I got a pint for my troubles so :-)...

Wake me up when November ends....

Memories of happier Novs...Ben Alder forest from Beinn Udlamain

(with a nod to Green Day!!)

Not my favourite month really - gets dark too soon, there is usually no snow...although Claire and I did have some excellent days on the Drumochter Hills once...or ice and everyone is cold, bored and depressed...it also marks the drawing down on the longest of the school terms.

This November has seemed very long, longer even than usual. Claire is busy at work; I was busy with work and job applications/interviews; the weather couldn't make up its mind and we haven't done as much as we would like. We do have 4 days at xmas to look forward to - just the two of us and Suilvan heading up to the North - assuming it ever snows up there as well of course...

Today was another nice circuit at Dovestones, being able to get away from the crowds there is good as it allows us a chance to think and talk without hordes of people jostling on the path round the lakes. Our route took us across the bouldering zone - no boulderers there which was interesting (it has rained a lot during the last week) and up to the road to Chew, which we walk down to get back to the car.

Weather was ok - the light wasn't as good as I would have hoped for photo's - having decided to bring the camera today - a couple of shots came up not too bad....hoping for some snow in the North next week.

Wimberry Rocks.

Carn a'Mhaim and Sron Riach cont'd...Episode II - The Ridge!

where our intrepid hero's have reached the summit and now face ' the RIDGE'!!

The ridge in question is something I'd never done; it was supposedly the only partially rocky arete in the Gorms....Martin Moran tells some interesting tales in winter; we shall see.

Beinn a' Ghlo peeks over the shoulder of Carn a'Mhaim

Claire of course had only recently waltzed over the Horns of Beinn Alligin not turning a hair - and to be blunt this ridge is nowhere near that class (to be fair - not much in Britain is). She is also the daughter of a man who has rice on his curry sauce - she didn't turn a hari at this one either..
As a guide it's probably easier than Striding Edge or the ridge from Lliwedd to the summit of Snowden - although a bit more exposed than the latter. This must be qualified by the fact that we did it in perfect summer weather without a breath of wind at all....it probably is a different kettle of marine life in winter given the weather they get up there. Escape from the ridge would be pretty tricky apart from at either end; and it's longer than Striding Edge and somewhat more out-there (you can't see the pub for instance). At the end of were some little lochans - and a big boulder; which said lunch here - so they did.

The ridge from the climb up MacDui

The way ahead was painfully obvious - quite a big climb up the rockfields that flank MacDui before detouring off to the right to collect Sron Riach....after lunch we began the plod uphill. There is much less of a path than one might think given how popular MacDui is; I guess the %age of people doing the hill from this side is miles less than almost any other way. Much boulder hopping and flogging later we arrived at a path that came down from the summit of MacDui en route to Sron Riach and thence down to the Glen. Although we probably lost 50' of height it was a good path to take; I clambered up to the ridge to find the highest point whilst Claire sensibly didn't - I did grab some rather amazing views of Coire Sputean Dearg however (where we'd hope to climb before heat stopped play).

Once re-united we set off on the descent path - which was a joy. A well constructed path took us down the lovely ridge of Sron Riach and right to the Luiberg burn. We elected to sit in this rather than ford it! very important to cool off in all honesty. We were both out of water as well so the chance to re-fill was taken and the last xmas cake munched. From here - the path led down the glen to join the main path we'd left that morning. Once back at the bikes we cycled (again Claire doing very well indeed) back to Derry Lodge and thence back to the road...the last bit of the descent was a nice fly actually....Once again, the River Dee was beckoning.....

Carn a' Mhaim and Sron Riach...

Some of you will have seen the photos of the floods that hit the Cairngorms last month - with the bridge over at Derry Lodge washed away and the Luibeg ford now impassable....this is from a slightly different time of year!!

For our next excursion of the summer trip Claire and I elected to go onto the main part of the plateau. I had done Carn a' Mhaim one winters day (which really brought home the advantage of bikes on the ride in from Lin o' Dee), but the supposedly narrow ridge to Beinn MacDui was something I'd never done. Also, the 'top' of Sron Riach was one that I needed to add to my collection - Claire of course does NOT tick Munro's (or so she tells all and sundry)-  and the walk made an excellent circuit. It also enabled us to get a close up of Coire Sputean Dearg, an idea we had for this trip was to do some rock-climbing in the big cores - the heat put paid to that.

Derry Cairngorm from the shoulder of Carn a'Mhaim

The morning was another scorcher as we tootled the bikes in from Lin of Dee. Claire was on the hired trek (the last time she would use it) and I was on Andruil. The midges were out in the car-park but one big advantage of cycling is that one gets rid of them - as we did. We went beyond Derry Lodge as we'd been told you can cycle quite a way along the Luibeg path. You can, although it's not easy and full-marks to Claire for her determination and no little skill on this section. A couple of short, steep loose climbs and descents were you have to trust the bike. All pretty easy for me as I have years of mtb experience, Claire doesn't and she rode this very well. A lone tree is a convenient marker to leave the bikes, so we did. Once changed we sweated away on the walk. The path to the Luibeg burn is pretty flat, and it was still reasonably early in the morning - but it was still sweltering. This is one of the few days I can remember that even Claire said was hot - coming from her that is quite something indeed. There is a bridge over the Luibeg burn (which has survived the floods), however it's an extra km walk to get to and there is also a ford. Today - you wouldn't have even noticed. The heatwave of the past weeks meant you could simply splash across anywhere you wanted to. Once across the other side the path begins to climb across the shoulder of Cairn a' Mhaim. This peak is part of the MacDui massif, yet is a separate mountain in it's own right - separated by a drop of nearly 1800'.

Braeriach from near the summit

The path divides at this point - as the main path swings around into the Lairig Ghru and onwards to Coluymbridge and Aviemore. A smaller path, which we took, branches up the hill. It was slow but steady going - however the path seemed to be a lot better than I remember it from my winter ascent of several years ago. It was already hot (for me at least) and that necessitated a couple of stops on the way. The summit of the Carn was reached - with lovely views into the steep defile of the Lairig Ghru....awaiting us was the ridge.....

to be continued.......

UKH Gallery...

UKH for those who don't know is UK Hillwalking; a sister site to UK Climbing. Aside from being very informative and all that they also host galleries of pictures....

I'm starting to create mine and the first load of pictures are up; more will be added over the next few days and weeks...

http://www.ukhillwalking.com/photos/author.html?id=112004

Enjoy...