Third time lucky!

helvellyn summit views

We did it. For the third time of trying. At last.

I would hazard a guess that if you asked most people to name a mountain in the Lake District, the answer is usually Helvellyn, This is now helped by it having been voted 'Britain's Favourite Walk'. We have been visiting the Lake District in earnest for well over a decade now, but when we tell people about our experiences of trying to complete the challenge of climbing all the Wainwright peaks, the question had always inevitably been 'have you climbed Helvellyn?' We were always slightly embarrassed to admit that we hadn’t.

The first attempt failed because we were woefully unprepared in almost every way, so that attempt was aborted at Grisedale Tarn. Attempt two was slightly better from a preparation point of view, but the weather, coldness and Bro's thigh cramp scuppered that attempt, but we were at least on the Dollywaggon end of the Helvellyn ridge that time. Fast forward half a dozen years and lessons have been learnt, mistakes rectified, experiences put into practice and we finally conquered the mountain.

thirlmere from the climb up brown cove

worth the wait - the view from helvellyn

We have been to Swirls car park opposite Thirlmere countless times over the years. With an old dog, then a young dog then a sick dog, it provided a lovely little spot to park and take a really gentle walk up to Helvellyn Gill where the dogs could potter around by or in the water, without any real effort. The views down the valley towards Skiddaw gave the humans something to look at as well. This time it was different.

We once met a couple on Tarn Crag and got talking about climbing the Wainwrights. They had at that time done around 50, as had we. The difference was that they had done the 50 highest and we, the 50 lowest. As we parted, Bro and I pondered which approach was best. A friend of mine who had never been to the Lakes before, went with her new husband who persuaded her to climb 'something'. That something was Scafell Pike and she hated every minute of it and hasn't been back since. I really think, for us, it has been better to build up to the bigger fells; to make all our mistakes on the relative safety of grassy banks with lower elevations and shorter distances. For all of the first half of the Wainwrights, we had a hugely strong dog on a lead with us, which could have been dangerous on some of the bigger, rockier fells. We've also been able to build up fitness, amass all the right equipment, work out what food and drinks works for us and most importantly, enjoy it and face it with the right attitude.

striding edge from helvellyn

yes, i did look at the view!

So back to Swirls car park. We decided to go for the rocky path up to Brown Cove; a 2.5km climb which is not too bad, if a little relentless, but with the added advantage of gaining height quickly. The views of Thirlmere and the northern fells were welcomed at each pause for a breather. Eventually, we summited on a lovely mild September morning and had breathtaking panoramas all around us. It was wonderful and real sense of achievement.

striding edge

helvellyn’s summit trig point

Hail and hearty!

We haven’t been back from the Lakes for long and I'm already missing it. Strange yes, without our furry buddy, and while we tried not to visit too many places with strong associations, it was still disconcerting and upsetting to be walking without a dog after the last 16 or so years with one or other. Anyway, we decided to tackle a few high fells that had been in mind for ages and for one reason or another, hadn't been done. These are what we climbed in four days.

Dollywaggon Pike: We first attempted this about seven years ago when we were green, naive and inexperienced. We walked (slowly) up from Patterdale in torrential rain, got cold and wet and Bro got the worst cramp of his life on the ridge so we went straight back down without actually reaching the summit. This time we went up the Raise Beck gully from Dunmail Raise, branching slightly left before Grisedale Tarn and tackling the immensely steep grass bank which leads you up onto the ridge. As we started this slightly soul destroying climb, the heavens opened and a job lot of hail was deposited on us from then until the minute we got back to the car. It was absolutely freezing on the summit, but we did get the views, so that made up for the drenching!

Absolutely baltic

Mellbreak: We've done a few in the Loweswater area and Mellbreak was the lowest of the ones we still wanted to do. We set off a bit later than usual in beautiful sun, after treating ourselves to coffee at the Kirkstile Inn before we started. The path down Mosedale was lovely with fantastic views of the famous lonely Holly Tree, and Hen Comb on the opposite side of the valley. After a while, we decided to turn left directly up the side of Mellbreak, about half way along its length. This brought us out on a sort of saddle in the middle and it was an easy walk to the top. Once again, the hail hit us, but it couldn't dampen our enjoyment of the stunning views down the full length of Crummock and Buttermere to Fleetwith Pike and Haystacks. No wonder lots of people have told us it's their favourite.

what a view

Blencathra: Another we'd been wanting to do for ages and it was a beautiful day. In the valley. We parked at the bottom of Mousethwaite Combe quite early where there was an older lady and another couple about the same age as us already there, and we only saw each other all morning! As we started the climb up from the top of Mousethwaite Combe, the cloud/mist came down and that was it for the rest of our time on Blencathra. I quite like walking in the mist; it's really quiet, a bit spooky and it also hides the climb ahead so it seemed in no time at all we had run out of mountain and realised we were on the summit, but couldn't see anything. The mist cleared on the way down and we did get views which were stunning and we both really enjoyed this one. Obviously it was a beautiful day when we got back to the car and the cloud/mist lifted for the rest of the afternoon.....

just beginning to see the views…..on the way back down

Helvellyn & Nethermost Pike: Yes, after all this time, we still hadn't climbed Helvellyn. In the south, most people I speak to have heard of Helvellyn and yes, every time they ask if we've climbed it.....We have tried twice before and have been thwarted, once by our own woeful inadequacy and then by the aforementioned Dollywaggon Pike experience when we didn't even reach that summit. So, fully prepared this time and again, in beautiful, hot sun we set off from the Swirls car park, taking the direct route up to Brown Cove. Steep, but short, on a fantastically well made rocky path. The views over Thirlmere and beyond were stunning and made the climb easier. Once on the broad summit plateau, there were jaw dropping views in all directions, but especially down to Red Tarn and over Striding and Swirral Edges. We decided to go on to Nethermost Pike and we got more wonderful views down the Grisedale Valley towards Patterdale. As we turned to go back up to Helvellyn again, the cloud descended and we couldn't see anything, but we had had the views. We ate a soggy sandwich in the shelter with a few others, then began the long, wet, windy descent. As we got lower, the weather improved and we ended with a well earned meal in the Kings Head.

just stunning

THe view towards patterdale

On our last day, we bumped into and had a chat with Chris Jesty, then took a boat from Waterhead to Bowness, had lunch and a walk around and sailed back. It had been a wonderful week with some great weather, wonderful walks and relaxation after a difficult August. We'll be back in November for some winter summiting. And more hail no doubt.

Bletchley Park

bletchley park

In the middle of September, Dad and I visited Bletchley Park, somewhere I'd wanted to go for a very long time. I find the history of what went on there fascinating and I've read a lot around the subject; Alan Turing's biography, memoirs of the ladies of Bletchley, Gordon Welchman's story of Hut 6 as well as more general histories of the war effort.

Bletchley is situated just outside Milton Keynes. Dad had been before about a decade ago and couldn't believe the wonderful restoration work that has taken place. The way the exhibits and stories are laid out is amazing. Everything is beautifully presented and you are either free to wander at will, take a guided tour or use an audio guide. Dad and I wandered freely around the huge and impressive site.

The big house is stunning and the rooms are staged as though their occupants have just stepped out for a breath of air. The huts are probably the most interesting and, although the layout of each is not known specifically, they are set out as though work is still ongoing. The interactive, touch screen exhibits are fantastic - you can have a go at cipher and code cracking, mathematical problem solving, pattern spotting or memory puzzles which are all fascinating. They also have holographic projections of characters on the walls, so it's like you're joining a conversation that started just before you walked in.

an enigma machine

inside one of the huts

There is also a fascinating museum with huge number of Enigma machines, films, deciphered messages, a lot of examples of Alan Turing's papers and books and crucially, his apology.

The reconstruction of the Colossus machine is, as you might imagine, colossal, although it would also have been incredibly noisy, oily and filthy. Soundtracks of the experiences the female operators had working with the machines play over speakers as you walk round.

miles of cables, hundreds of bulbs

A few minutes walk to the far end of the park brings you to the Museum of Computing which houses the only replica, fully functioning Bombe machine in existence and we had a fascinating talk from one of the 15 people who built and operate it. Miles of cabling, thousands of bulbs, hot, noisy and a bewildering array of turning, clicking dials - it's mind boggling that people could have invented and built a machine like it.

the replica bombe machine

how anybody can work this out…..

Bletchley is well worth a visit and I would allow a full day to explore and take it all in. Your ticket will also be valid for a year from the date of issue, so you can go back for free if you wish. It's such a fantastic reminder and memorial to those special, brilliant, dedicated, brave and loyal people who helped us win the war, but were never allowed to tell anyone what they did.

www.bletchleypark.org.uk

North by North East

the view from roseberry topping

At the beginning of July I went north east for the second year running for a long weekend’s house party to celebrate a milestone birthday for my oldest friend and Uni roommate and her family (14 of us!) in a large house in Skinningrove, north of Whitby.

Skinningrove was part of large ironstone mining area and in fact where we stayed was the old power house for the mine. The mine entrance was just behind the house and is now closed, but the soil, rocks and riverbed in the village are a lovely rich terracotta colour as a result of all that ironstone There’s a lovely sandy beach which is huge when the tide is out and Skinningrove is also on the Cleveland Way, following the cliffs towards Saltburn one way and Staithes the other.

the beach at skinningrove

We did a lovely coastal cliff walk from Skinningrove to Saltburn and back which gave us fabulous sea views. Saltburn is a wonderful old fashioned Victorian seaside town which was bustling with holidaymakers on its immense sandy beach and in the sea. After a restorative cream tea, we headed back. It was very hot but cooler in the evenings so we had barbecues outside for every meal, enjoying a drink or two and the hot tub! ​

We took an early evening trip to Staithes, a pretty fishing village clustered around a busy harbour and spent a couple of hours watching the boats and the seabirds nesting on the cliffs. We also had a wander round Whitby which I've visited several times before, although I went up and into the Abbey this time and got a different perspective over the town and coast.

SALT BURN from the cleveland way

giant wind chime on the cliff just outside saltburn

just part of SALTbURN’S huge beach

pretty staithes

On my last full day there as some of the others were staying longer, we climbed Roseberry Topping near Great Ayton in fantastically warm weather, something I've wanted to do for a while and which was absolutely beautiful. A fairly stiff climb but straightforward and the views were superb.

It was a really enjoyable weekend in an area I’m really starting to fall in love with. A few days of laughter with good weather, good food and better friends.

roseberry topping

roseberry’s panoramic view

Favourite Fell Days: Fleetwith Pike, Haystacks, Brandreth and Grey Knotts

fabulous on HAYSTACKS summit

On a beautiful June day three years ago on Bro's birthday, we decided to tackle Fleetwith Pike, but then extended the walk to take in Haystacks, Brandreth and Grey Knotts to make a fantastic circular walk.

Parking in Keswick, we took the Honister Rambler up to Honister Slate Mine which is a great little bus ride with the added benefits of being able to enjoy the scenery and take the dog. The weather was as perfect as it could be; sharp, crystal clear light, a soft breeze but not too hot and being mid week, not that many people around either.

After a fortifying coffee and the best ever Rice Krispie cake from the mine's café, we set off up the track towards Bell Crags, then took our own slightly off piste route up and popped out above the old Hopper Quarry. A simple, undulating walk brought us to Fleetwith's summit and breathtaking it was too; surely one of the best views we'd seen so far on our walks. We stopped for a while just to drink it all in and took lots of photos, one of which ended up in Trail, The Great Outdoors, Trek & Mountain and Lakeland Walker magazines!

From Fleetwith, it was a fairly straightforward, though steep, descent down towards Dubs Quarry, across Warnscale Beck and then a good, rocky path on up to Haystacks. We had a lunch stop at Blackbeck Tarn, then took another slightly off piste round round Green Crag to avoid the sharp drops which weren’t appealing with a dog straining at the lead. From there it was a good, solid route up to Innominate Tarn where we paid our respects to Wainwright, then hot footed it up to the summit. And hot it certainly was, but there was lovely breeze on the top and the views were just amazing - right down the length of Buttermere and Crummock one way, then swinging round to Great and Green Gable behind with the Ennerdale Valley to the west.

Just beautiful

Fleetwith’s STUNNING summit views

After relaxing in the sun and something to eat and drink, we skirted Innominate Tarn and set off for Brandreth. At a stile in a fence, the path splits, high and low and of course we took the lower route which led away from Brandreth's summit. In our defence, we were distracted talking to a German chap who was walking the entire National Park from west to east and wasn’t too sure of his route.

When we realised we were slightly too far along the lower path, we checked the map and found we were in between Brandreth and Grey Knotts, so we took a direct route straight up and came out on the saddle between the two summits, looking from one to the other like demented tennis watchers.

Having been in this position several times before and ALWAYS making the wrong decision, experience has taught us to backtrack, so back we went to Brandreth, reasoning it would be a lot more effort to come all this way again and knowing that once you're actually on the path, it never seems that far and it wasn’t; really only about 15 minutes to reach the summit plateau, so we were quite pleased with our decision. We lingered a while, before setting off along the ridge back to the summit of Grey Knotts which was very simple and straightforward with fabulous views all around. It was then just a case of nipping back down the nose of Grey Knotts to the mine again.

innominate tarn on haystacks

wonderful views from haystacks on the way to brandreth

brandreth’s summit

A fabulous walk in perfect conditions with some of the best views yet. A great day.

Lake Como

In the travel industry, we have what are called educationals and familiarisation trips. These are essentially free trips provided by tour operators and/or tourist boards to enable you to see and experience the 'product' for yourself.

Educationals involve more looking round hotels and fam trips are slightly more the sort of thing you would do on your own holiday; so some hotel viewings and some sightseeing, to both long and short haul destinations. I have been lucky enough to have had at least one a year and have been to some amazing hotels I probably couldn't afford and even one or two places I might not have otherwise visited. Which is totally their point.

churches clinging to the shore

In the middle of May, I had a lovely three day fam trip to Lake Como. I absolutely love Italy and have been many times, but I'd never visited the Lakes area. My boss knows my love of lakes and mountains, so I was delighted.

Wow, is it spectacular. Ringed by mountains, fringed by sixteenth and seventeenth century villas (and yes, we did see George's!) with tiny villages, markets and churches. It sits almost on the border with Switzerland so you can see the snow capped Alps from Tremezzo. Staying in Como, we took a boat to Como Town, visited tiny villages with narrow alleyways and streets leading down to the water and called into cool, quiet churches perched on the hillsides and lakeshores. We took the ferry over to, and had lunch in, gorgeous Bellagio, famous for its silk and stylish people.​

Carrying on down the lakeshore, we came across the spot where Mussolini was shot, then drove up into the mountains following what was one of the stages of the Giro d'Italia. At the top of the mountain is a tiny church which is a mecca for professional and amateur cyclists as it’s a memorial to those who have lost their lives in cycling accidents. There’s also a large cycling museum nearby. We spend our last evening in Como learning how to make authentic pizzas in an outdoor pizza oven and enjoyed them with a glass of wine by the pool.

beautiful bellagio

the madonna del ghisallo church - a memorial to cyclists

Our last night was at the stately old lady of the lake, the Grand Hotel Tremezzo; a confection of a pile overlooking the lake and backed by pine wooded hills. It was real old school glamour; heavy brocades, deep red carpets, oil paintings and lots of gold. That evening we enjoyed a six course dinner, the highlight of which was the hotel's famous Saffron Risotto with real 18 carat gold which you eat with a gold spoon. Apparently only about 1400 people in the world have eaten it (it is that expensive) and I proudly have a certificate saying I was number 1399!

It's a lovely place for a weekend break. In a shade over two hours you can be at your hotel from leaving London. There is plenty of walking, hiking and rock climbing if you want to be active, but just sitting looking at the view with a delicious Italian coffee keeping an eye out for Mr Clooney is just as good!

looking down on the lake from the mountains

it is work, honest!

Delightful Discoveries

We've been tramping around the Lake District for well over a decade now and have happened upon some lovely areas that I'm sure we wouldn't have if we hadn't been climbing and walking in some of the more remote areas. I thought I'd share some, but keep them to yourself otherwise everyone'll be there!

Back o'Skidda

I'm sure those in the know will be fully aware of this area, but I think it's still fairly remote, a little off the well worn track, very lonely and utterly beautiful. We walked for 10 miles all over the fells there a couple of years back and didn't see a soul all day.

Uldale Common

Dock Tarn

We climbed very steeply up from Rosthwaite on our way to Great Crag and Grange Fell a few years ago and came across this tarn tucked away amongst the bracken. It's a stunning spot to have a lunch break out of the wind and everywhere you look there are amazing views. A little gem.

Dock Tarn

The view from Rough Crag, Devoke Water

Last year we did the round of the six Outlying Fells surrounding Devoke Water and what a belter of a day that was. Warm, sunny and still and only one other person in the distance all day. The views were breathtaking, the walking straightforward - a day that made you glad to be alive. I chose this one because it's just so darn pretty. Actually, the views from all six summits are stunning.

rough crag’s view - not rough at all

Apronful of Stones

This delightful area sits at the base of the sublime Carrock Fell in the northern fells. Coming down from the summit, this is a lovely, quiet, flat area, slightly reminiscent of the New Forest where we lay with our shoes off, eating rehydrated meatballs and spaghetti. What’s not to love?!

Apronful of Stones

Green Crag Plateau

I'm including this because it was unexpected, as well as beautiful, but it was essentially miles and miles of bog. What was unexpected was that you did a fairly lengthy and steep climb up from the Birker Road (we went to Great Worm Crag first of all) and it was almost as though you were in another, secret place altogether; one you couldn't see from the road and wouldn't know was there unless you climbed. We still had a fairly lengthy and energy sapping boggy climb up to Green Crag from there, but it shows there is another, high level Lake District waiting to be discovered.

views from green crag over the bog

The Stanah Gill pool

This is a lovely, tiny glade on the way up or down Sticks Pass from Legburthwaite. There is a tiny waterfall dropping into a lovely crystal clear pool which, on a hot day, is a welcome cooling off point after a long day on the Dodds - just the right size for a large dog or your bare feet.

lovely and cool on a hot day

Favourite Fell Days : Skiddaw, Skiddaw Little Man and Lonscale Fell

views over keswick on the climb up skiddaw

Continuing the next in the set of my favourite and most memorable mountain days, Skiddaw last October sticks in my mind. It wasn't the best weather wise but it was one of those days at the end of a week of high level walking where everything comes together and you feel great. No aches and pains, no tiredness, no effort to be honest; days when you feel you could go on for miles.

crepuscular rays over clough head

The day was misty, a bit murky and blowing a gale at the top. The clouds scudded over the landscape as we climbed, giving tantalising glimpses of the views, then hiding them again. After climbing Jenkin Hill, we reached the plateau that leads to the base of Little Man where it was very quiet, the wind had dropped and the mist had settled. On Little Man’s summit however, the wind hit again with some force; strong enough not to try and get the camera out, so we carried on towards Skiddaw which was completely hidden in cloud at that point but at least you couldn’t see how much you had to climb!

little man on little man

As we approached the final pull up to the summit, the mist lifted and we had amazing views down to Keswick and Bassenthwaite basking in the sun that was eluding us. On the summit plateau (which we had to ourselves at that point), the wind was so strong you had to brace against it, but it was exhilarating. At the trig point though, it really was strong and much colder, so we hunkered down in the shelter for some refreshment and were joined by a fell runner donning more clothing before racing off back to Little Man.

sumimt of skiddaw

the cloud lifting for views of bassenthwaite

back o’skidda

As we made our way back down, the summit became much busier, the sun came out and the wind weakened. We dropped down along the path on Skiddaw's eastern flank towards Lonscale Fell which was pretty flat and straightforward, with views to Blencathra and the Back o'Skiddaw accompanying us all the way.

Lonscale Fell is a fairly easy grassy up and back and, after a bite to eat, a bit of 'off roading' saw us back on the path down to the car again which we did at a jog - it only took 20 minutes or so from there and was good fun.

The best part of the day was the Bean on the Fells van serving hot chocolate with marshmallows, lovely home made cakes. free doggy treats and chatting with others about their day in the hills; the perfect end to a perfect day.

loving it

Conistonishing!

the coniston fells

We've just had a lovely week in the Lakes staying in Coniston village, which we haven't done before. Our four legged walking buddy hasn't been at full fitness recently, so we decided to tackle some Outlying Fells which tend to be shorter walks with less climbing, but have equally breathtaking views. We’ve climbed all of the 'big' ones in this area, so it was lovely to see some alternative views, especially on the eastern shore of the Lake, and we just love the whole Torver Common area, which is great for gentle walks and picnics.

We had a fantastic week and didn't move out of the Coniston area - which is lovely - at all. We had warm, sunny weather all week and the dog did really, really well. We ended the week climbing Walna Scar which, at 2000ft, is the highest Outlyer and afforded us some beautiful views.

I can highly recommend the gorgeous Black Bull’s fabulous roast beef on a Sunday. The Crown, the Yewdale and the Sun Inn all serve great food and are dog friendly. There’s a lovely new cafe called Herdwicks, which has amazing cakes and lots of Hardwick related products for sale, and size of the breads and pastries in the little bakery on Yewdale Road have to be seen to be believed!

admiring the views on the way to the top o’selside

tottlebank height

on the way to yew bank

yew bank’s summit looking to the coniston range

yew bank with black combe in the background

coppermine valley

high lite haw on coniston’s eastern shore

brock barrow’s summit looking down coniston water

walna scar’s fairly measly cairn with harter fell in the background looking like mount doom

It doesn’t have to be pointy to have a point...

common HAIRCap moss

I've read a couple of interesting articles this week; one from Stuart Maconie about the pleasures of walking in the Midlands, an area overlooked by many, and another about the joys of walking on the flat.

We can't all be lucky enough to live close to, or in, one of our stunning National Parks, and lots of us are a long way away from the coast, mountains, high hills or dales and, with work and family commitments, it isn't even always possible to get there on a regular basis; for some, it may just be a precious week or two a year.

However, for those of us who like to walk daily, we sometimes have to choose routes that are convenient and fit into our busy lives. Some people (and I know quite a few) don't actually want to walk up hills and down dales, some will only walk in good weather and some don't like to walk recreationally at all. Bro and I have a large dog who needs a lot of exercise and is walked twice a day. Every day. Even Christmas Day. In rain, sleet, wind, storms, mist, hail, snow, fog or shine.

naturally beautiful

this will all be bluebells soon

We don't unfortunately live that near to a National Park or the coast, but we do have the lovely Oxfordshire chalk landscape to walk in, but inevitably, we have to walk close or closer to home on occasion and these walks, frankly, are not always as inspiring as they might be.

Some routes, because of time constraints, we've done dozens of times in one form or another and we're going further and further afield to try and find new areas. So yesterday, I thought I'd take the camera and do a walk in an area we've been to many many times before and see what there is of interest by looking properly.

It was a flat walk of around four miles in Oxfordshire. To be honest, it did make the walk more interesting and made us pay more attention than usual to our surroundings. As the chap who wrote the article said, there doesn't have to be a panoramic vista, a trig point, a ridge to walk or a peak to bag; you can get as much pleasure walking on the flat, and I’d have to agree.

enticing valleys

great to see new, traditional hedging

home made mounting block

lovely rich soil, but how did that single tyre track get there….?

big skies

Lots is being written at the moment about walking and our mental health and the concerns over obesity, so wherever it is, whatever the weather, whatever you prefer, however long or short, the most important thing is to keep doing it!

Things that go bump in the night...

I love a spooky story. Those that know me know I love anything mysterious, weird, strange, odd or bizarre. So what can I dig out about the great outdoors? These are a few things I've come across recently and one or two I've known about for a while.

The Grey Man of Macdhui

For ages there has been talk of a presence on Ben Mcdhui, the highest mountain in the Cairngorms. There have been no actual sightings, but many reports of strange noises or people being aware of something; hearing footsteps, but much larger strides than their own or crunching behind them. Many theories exist, but perhaps one suggestion is that people are seeing Broken Spectres where, usually in the mist, you see your shadow against the cloud, surrounded by a rainbow but, as many people have experienced irrational and unexplained fear on Ben Macdhui, perhaps there really is something there on that wild and lonely mountain....

The Black Eyed Child of Cannock Chase

Cannock Chase in Staffordshire is an area of outstanding natural beauty, but it also has a slightly less attractive side. Reports of aliens, UFOs, strange lights and the Pigman but also the Black Eyed Child. Photographers and drone footage have captured what appears to be the spirit of a young girl with a pale face and very dark eyes. Stories of black eyed children have been around since the 1990s, many from America, but urban myth or truth, who knows?

The Hellfire Caves of West Wycombe

These man made caves and tunnels extend nearly half a mile into the chalk and flint around the village of West Wycombe in Buckinghamshire. They were dug in the 18th century for Sir Francis Dashwood who founded the Hellfire Club which held its meetings in the caves (the name actually came later - Sir Francis called the club the Brotherhood of St Francis of Wycombe, among others) and their use was most definitely pagan. Rumours of satanic practices, black magic and one unexplained death abounded at the time although no-one knows for sure what actually went on. The caves are said to be intensely paranormally active.

Schiehallion

Schiehallion is mountain in Perth and Kinross which has lots of myths and legends attached to it. It's situated almost smack bang in the centre of Scotland and translates as the Fairy Hill of the Caledonians but not the cutesy, bottom-of-the-garden variety; no, the aggressive type who drag intruders down to the underworld. It's also said to be home to Cailleach Bheur, the hag of winter who freezes everything and everyone who is unprepared. Interestingly, it was also the mountain used to calculate the weight of the Earth (or average density) and was apparently quite accurate (5.972 sextillion tons since you ask - a sextillion is 1000 trillion apparently) 

Black Shuck

Black Shuck, Old Shuck. Padfoot, Skriker, Old Scarfe or Old Shock is said to roam East Anglia; a phantom shaggy black dog the size of a labrador, calf, donkey or horse with red eyes, flaming eyes, green eyes or one eye, an omen of death or misfortune, a terrifying apparition or a benign presence guiding the lost home, depending on where you live. The best recorded story is that Black Schuck appeared in 1577 in a thunderstorm and burst into a church in Blythburgh in Suffolk, ran up the aisle, killed a man and a boy and made the steeple fall through the roof. He then ran out and disappeared, leaving claw marks on the door which can still be seen today. People in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex still claim to see Schuck to this day....

Howden Moor

In March 1997 a strange incident happened over Howden Moor in Northern Derbyshire. Two loud 'booms' were heard, then reports started coming in from people saying they had seen a low flying aircraft, smoke and an orangey yellow glow on the moors. Police in neighbouring South Yorkshire also received similar calls. Military and civilian airports were contacted, but no one had anything flying in that area at that time. The search and rescue services carried out a huge and thorough all night search of miles of moorland but no one found anything at all, and this was from well over a hundred people. The search was eventually called off and it was concluded that there hadn't been a crash. Over the following weeks, people speculated; a UFO being the most popular theory and there were eye witness accounts of strange lights and noises in the sky that night. It was also claimed that a UFO had been tracked on local radar, but no more information was given when pressed. The RAF confirmed they had not been flying that night and hadn't picked anything up on radar. However, no rational explanation has been given for the two sonic booms heard and the UFO theory remains...

Dale Head

My own slightly odd experience was on a beautiful sunny day in June on Dale Head. Blue skies, quiet, warm and not a breath of wind. We had been on Hindscarth and were making our way back up to Dale Head, when we stopped to admire the view down to the Honister Pass and Buttermere. I had taken a photo and Bro was having a drink and we were standing on a small lump of rock when we heard a noise like a rustling Tesco bag. We looked around us to find it, but then realised it seemed to be a wind, and it literally went right round us at about knee height in a circle, moving our trouser legs and the grass but nothing else, all the time rustling loudly and then it disappeared. Very strange.

Sleep tight.

Kites, combes and county tops

I’ve found a few minutes spare to type this blog. In the travel industry, January is our busiest time and it has been really, really manic, but in a good way. Feeling a bit like a wrung rag in the evenings hasn't left much time for anything else so firstly, Happy New Year. Secondly, what thoughts I have been able to muster have turned to holidays for the year, but as those are a little way off, walks closer to home have been on the agenda.

the oxfordshire plain from watlington hill

Here on the north Berkshire, south Oxfordshire border, the weather so far this month (bar a couple of days of unexpected snow) has been really quite good. As someone who used to dislike January and February, we've had a lot of beautiful crisp days with fantastic sun and deep blue skies more reminiscent of spring.

In the south, we don't have too much in the way of big hills; the nearest to us being the Chilterns. Over the decades, we have visited Watlington Hill countless times as it's pretty much the highest point nearest to us, and does have lovely views over the Oxfordshire Plain, some good walks and great places to sit and picnic.

It's an area of chalk downland with mixed woodland of broadleaf and unusually, yew, and is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest for, among other things, butterflies. It's a good place to fly kites or see kites - Red ones to be specific, and there are masses of them - I counted eight the other week. We have two pairs that nest next door but one to us, and once we counted twelve flying around overhead (someone must have put food out I suspect). They are such beautiful birds though, and I love the way they track the dog up and down the garden.

lovely weather for january

Thinking about the high points near us, Bro and I have an app that details various hill lists, and one of those is county tops. We thought we'd try and climb them in the area, and then as and when we travel around. Berkshire's was listed as the top of a road on a housing estate west of Reading, but then as Bowsey Hill, Ashley Hill and Walbury Hill, so we weren’t sure which one it really was. Googling Walbury Hill appeared to be the answer at a whopping 297m, and it has an Iron Age hill fort on the summit, although it’s all on private land, so you can’t actually get to the trig point. We’ve been up there several times and the views are beautiful though. We did 'climb' Bowsey and Ashley Hills (466 and 476ft), but gloss over that; we did.

My overriding memory of Walbury Hill is slipping and falling full length in the mud with Bro filming it and laughing until he saw my muddy bloody knee and at least had the grace to stop laughing, but not to A) help me up, B) give me one jot of sympathy or C) delete the film…

Walbury Hill leads on to Combe Gibbet where there is a replica of the gallows that was originally erected in 1676; a creepy place in the winter when you're the last up there, but beautiful in the summer with far reaching views views and a great starting point for some good walks.

Suffice to say, we haven't really made great headway into the county tops - I think we've done 12 out of 184 but, until we can get up north where it's considerably lumpier, Watlington Hill will do nicely.

more views and with added red kite