Malta Part 3: Heading home

As always seems to be the way, just as we were feeling relaxed and refreshed, it was time to go home. Our flight wasn't until 5pm, so we had plenty of time for a final wander.

Early that morning, we turned away from Valletta city and walked a little of the Historic Trail in the quieter part of the city which was lovely and calm. We looked at churches, war memorials. tiny shops and bizarrely, a cat hotel. We also spent some time in the beautiful Hastings Gardens with its tree sized cacti and views of Marsamxett Harbour.

After a leisurely coffee, we wandered back to Upper Barakka Gardens, a real hub for people of all ages and watched a lady with a film crew obviously making some sort of travel show about the history of Malta, and crikey, we could recite it word for word before they moved on. We also saw the firing of the noon day gun at Saluting Battery which drew a crowd as it presumably has been doing for the centuries the custom has been observed.

valletta’s narrow streets

the noon day guns

After lunch we wandered back to the hotel and sat by the pool soaking up some warmth before plunging headlong back into an English winter again.

Although our pre-booked transfer to the airport didn't arrive, the flight home was thankfully uneventful and we felt much better for the break.

upper barakka gardens

last minute sun soaking

I would thoroughly recommend Valletta for a short winter visit for some sun, fascinating history and lovely beaches. Just check the bus timetables. Or better still, hire a car.

Malta Part 2: Exploring the island

medieval mdina

On our second day in Malta, we thought we'd be really touristy and take an open top, hop hop off bus round the north of the island, ending at medieval Mdina. Typically, the weather changed as soon as we took our seat on the top deck, with a nasty cold wind and spitting rain driving us back downstairs. Our first planned stop was the Argotti Botanical Gardens which were beautifully calm and peaceful after the bustle of Valletta. The weather also thankfully brightened up.

Although there were some impressive trees, the flowers and shrubs were a little lacking except for a lovely hedge of violet Bougainvillea. A surprising number of feral cats and an enormous, stinking chicken coop provided some additional interest. However, we didn't want to miss the bus, so off we went to the stop and waited. And waited. Then waited some more. An hour later, our plans for 3 or 4 other stops en route vanished but at least the bus arrived, although the driver insisted loudly and a little aggressively that we had missed the previous bus because we’d been in the wrong place…

STUNNING bougainvillea

st paul’s cathedral, mdina

mdina’s narrow streets

We whizzed through the countryside in beautiful sun, seeing miles of prickly pear bushes, farmland and small villages. Stopping briefly in Mosta, we carried on to hilltop Mdina.

Mdina is a the old Roman capital of Malta; a beautiful small walled city with narrow streets, tiny houses and large churches. We walked it in its entirety, then had coffee and cake in a tiny cafe perched on the outer wall with beautiful far reaching views over the countryside, back to Mosta and the sea beyond.

Once out of the city, we crossed the main square and headed for St Pauls Catacombs in Rabat - Roman catacombs representing the earliest evidence of Christianity in Malta. I love anything spooky or creepy and I've been in a couple of catacombs in South America where they arrange thousands of bones in interesting patterns, but these were particularly creepy because we were the only ones down there. Deep underground, quiet, dark, very narrow and cold, there were bits of bone in nooks and crannies everywhere, but it was fascinating. Also nearby was St Paul's Grotto, where St Paul was said to have lived and preached during his three months in Malta.

stunning views from the city walls of mdina

in a tight spot!

think this might have been a grave

dark and a litle creepy

However, we had another bus to catch, and for once it was waiting in the main square. We decided to make a stop at Golden Bay in Bugibba which had a beautiful stretch of beach and lovely turquoise sea. We walked around the headland, but by now were a little paranoid about the bus, so wandered over to the stop, hoping it would come within 10 minutes, as it said on our timetable.

An hour and a quarter later it arrived, the ticket office having failed to tell us the schedules changed in February from Golden Bay and the buses were every hour from there......After that, blow it, we stayed on the wretched bus all the way to Sliema and caught a water taxi back across the harbour to Valletta which was lovely. A glass or three of something chilled in the hotel lounge relaxed us sufficiently to decide  No More Buses, although enduring the ear splitting Stevie Wonder tribute act butchering You Are The Sunshine of my Life saw us retire early.

golden bay

Malta Part 1: Heading for the sun

Continuing in the spirit of doing something different this year, we decided we needed a bit of sun and booked a long weekend in Malta in the middle of February. In my job in travel, I'd heard that Malta was a bit of a love it/hate it place, but it was good value and warm, so we though we'd reserve judgement till we got there.

The flight was fine, but Cyclone Charlene was hovering over Malta (what is it with us and storms this year?), so we were a little nervous about the landing and rightly so, as it turned out to be a real white knuckle ride that had us both sweating and clutching at the armrests. Bro actually grabbed my hand at one point so it must have been bad!

Somewhat shakily, we got to the hotel and lovely it was too, right on Valletta's harbour front. We even had a balcony courtesy of a room upgrade which was a nice start.

valletta - like rome in miniature

The next day, the weather was warm and calm and we set off to walk right round the city which actually isn't that big. With my professional hat on, Malta has a huge history going back to prehistoric times and everyone seems to have left their mark from the Romans to the British, and the result is a beautiful honey coloured city that looks like Rome in miniature with a really friendly feel.

We walked about eight miles along, up, down and through all the main streets and a fair few smaller ones too. We saw St Paul's wrist bone, beautiful war memorials, lovely parks and lush, flower filled gardens. The weather was wonderfully warm and we felt much better and more relaxed.

In the afternoon we took a ferry across to the Three Cities area; we actually went to Birgu (or Vittoriosa) and wandered through the marina with its vast collection of huge yachts including what we found to be the world's largest mega sailing yacht, the Maltese Falcon, (owned by a woman I’m proud to say), narrow cobbled streets and stunning views back to Valletta.

Getting to the ferry from the Valletta side was a little hairy; you need to negotiate the monstrous Upper Barakka Cliff Lift or else walk miles round to the Grand Harbour. The lift is 58 metres high but we didn’t actually fancy it, so we decided to walk down the hundreds of stairs which spiralled round quite tightly with a horrible little open viewing area at the bottom of each flight letting you know how high you were. We did go back up in the lift which wasn't so bad.

the maltese falcon

yes, you walk the plank to get in

the narrow streets of birgu

The evening's entertainment was provided by a drink and a snack in the lounge of the hotel looking down on the dining room with its huge Chinese buffet. We watched in amusement as people wandered round, picking at dishes they obviously weren't sure about, or those who took huge platefuls and went back for seconds and thirds. The highlight was a lady dropping a dumpling, looking round to see if anyone had noticed, then nonchalantly walking away. It was then a matter of waiting to see who would tread on it!

What do they say; little things please little minds, but bigger fools look on........

Walking with Gertrude

SKIDDaw from longside edge

At the end of December, we lost our wonderful dog and were heartbroken. We decided to do something different in January, just to break the month up a little and take our minds off things, so we booked a long weekend in Keswick.

We had a meeting just outside Penrith on the Friday morning, so driving up on Thursday meant we could have a full day's walking on the Saturday and drive home on Sunday. Perfect, except for the weather...Storm Gertrude was brewing and dire predictions were being made about driving into the eye of a storm (mainly by Mum). The journey of four and a half hours up the M6 was in beautiful sun and we made it all the way to Shap before the rain started, but even then it was only patchy showers. The wind did buffet us on the exposed section over Shap Fell, but nothing too bad, although we did take it steady.

Friday was beautiful all day - lovely bright sun and not too cold, but the wind was still blustery, so we endured more buffeting on the M6 heading towards Penrith but it was much calmer on the way back to Keswick. Saturday was clear, sunny and calm and all the fell tops had a fresh dusting of snow which we love.

We decided to tackle Long Side, Carl Side and Ullock Pike as they were only a 10 minute drive from the hotel and a ridge walk in winter in a looming storm was something we probably wouldn't have tackled with an older dog. We parked at the Old Sawmill Tearooms and set off up through Dodd woods. It was lovely and quiet; no wind, rain, ice or snow and no real flood damage that we could see although one of the trails had been closed. As the gradient eased and we approached the 'Dodd Summit' sign, Gertrude hit us full in the face, but it was still dry and relatively warm.

The views were lovely as were the clouds racing over Derwentwater as we began the climb up to Carl Side. Once we reached the summit, Gertrude made her presence felt again in quite an aggressive way and it got more than a little nippy, so we stopped to don water/windproof jackets and trousers and warmer gloves; I say don which sounds very civilised and calm, but let's just say the air turned bluer than it was already. A slug of freezing water completed the preparations.

The views were beautiful and we were in full sun. Now properly clad, we were perfectly warm and debated for about two seconds whether to veer off up Skiddaw, but Gertrude was playing rough and we still had Longside Edge to do, so decided against it. Gertrude was rushing about at around 45 miles an hour, so not so strong you could lean against her - although we tried - but enough to make you stagger, which is not a good idea on an Edge, so there was a lot of bracing with the walking poles. It was actually quite good fun and we were sensible, digging the poles in when a strong gust hit side on.

It still wasn't really that cold and looking behind us, Derwentwater was shrouded in mist and gloom, so we felt we'd had the best of the weather. It was a fabulously exhilarating walk that blew the cobwebs away. Gertrude had behaved herself, despite being a little pushy at times!

crepuscular rays over keswick

ullock pike’s view towards scotland

longside edge

Change and Improvement

FLEETWITH pike’s stunning summit

It’s now been eight years since we started climbing the Wainwrights properly and, after walking in the Himalayas, Rockies, Andes, Alps as well as the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors; the Cotswolds, Chilterns, South Downs, Purbeck Hills, Dartmoor, a couple of summits of Snowdon and a good clutch of Wainwrights, we like to think were are now moderately experienced walkers; at the very least we are really beginning to see results in ourselves, both mentally and physically.

Firstly, our fitness levels have improved dramatically. We have both lost weight and toned up and are both a least a size smaller. We also cycle - both mountain and road bike - run regularly, and walk every day with the dog. We both walk much more quickly now, although I still can't keep up with Bro. His ability - honed after 12 years of being yanked down mountain sides on the end of a lead - to find his footing on slippery and rocky paths at speed is astounding, and we're constantly amazed he hasn't broken an ankle in the past few years.

We now wear proper walking clothing after those early days of just wearing whatever was to hand in the drawer. Fitted trousers, wicking tops, lightweight fleeces and soft shells in bright colours, along with down jackets and Gore-Tex waterproofs. Rucksacks were slimmed down and properly fitted with expert advice as were boots, and we have a drawerful of walking socks, gloves and hats.

We take as standard a couple of maps, compass, first aid kit, GPS with spare batteries, head torches and a hat and gloves even in summer. A waterproof is always at the bottom of the pack and we use walking poles which really help your knees on the descents. We have learnt about which foods to take - usually nuts, dried fruit, a boiled egg, energy bars and a bit of fruit. We don't often take sandwiches as we have a decent breakfast, but for a long day, we will take a wrap with chicken in it; even if it gets squashed it's still edible and not too dry. We also carry a water bladder each and use electrolyte tabs in them which has the added benefit of making the water taste better!

We both have a much more positive attitude too which has come organically. Sighs of 'what, up there?' and 'really, that far?' are now a thing of the past. We're always amazed when coming down (much harder I think) how steep the path can be and how we didn't really notice it on the way up. Our determination and confidence has also improved.

Most of all, we've been really enjoying ourselves. Fresh air, great views, good company, a good laugh, an achievement and a pint at the end. Long may it continue!

Welcome to the Website!

the Newlands valley from dale head

Welcome to the website! We, my brother and I and our Golden Retriever, are about three years into a quest to climb all the Wainwright fells from the south of England. We first came to the Lake District (after a couple of times with parents) in 2007, for somewhere different to walk the dog. 

We loved it and came back every year, but only managed to climb about one fell each visit, and I seem to remember we thought they were all a bit of an effort and we much preferred low level, flatter walks! 

Fast forward to 2012, when a climb up to Alcock Tarn was a bit of an achievement, and we fell into conversation with an older couple sitting by the side of the tarn. This resulted in us carrying on up to Heron Pike, at their suggestion. I’m not sure how keen we were, but it would have been rude to refuse, especially as they were watching our progress! 

Heron Pike changed everything however.

We didn’t realise at the time, but we were looking into the Fairfield Horseshoe. We saw how staggeringly beautiful the area was from up high and how it seemed to be a whole new Lake District from our lofty vantage point, and we were  totally hooked. From that moment on, we began climbing in earnest and with enthusiasm, coming up once, twice, even five times a year from then on.

This website is predominantly the story of our Wainwright journey, but also a way of sharing our life outdoors and our travels. We hope you enjoy reading it!

mellbreak across crummock water