Christmas Reads

As I’ve done before, I thought I would do a quick round up of some of the outdoor books I’ve enjoyed this year, and which might make good presents for Christmas.

Lost in the Lakes by Tom Chesshyre

This is a fascinating book. On the face of it, I did wonder what more could be written about a walk around the Lakes, but there were lots of snippets, facts and bits of history I didn’t know about and found interesting. He takes his walk slowly, along the way interviewing local people for their opinions on a range of relevant topics or discussing their life and work in the busiest of our national parks, as well as describing the beautiful scenery around him. He doesn’t spend his time climbing all the fells, but journeys by some of the lower level paths, and this provides a different viewpoint of this beautiful area.

36 Islands by Robert Twigger

The author has a fascination for three things; Arthur Ransome, islands and the Lake District. In this entertaining book, these are all married together as he sets off in his in his inflatable canoe to visit all the tiny islands situated in the Lakes’ lakes. A voyage of discovery to places few venture, it is an interesting read about these tiny areas that seem to be overlooked, both figuratively and literally.

Wild Fell by Lee Schofield

Lee Schofield works for RSPB Haweswater in the Lake District and, with his team, oversees the running of two sheep farms in the valley with a view to bringing the area, ecologically, back to life. It’s a lovely story of hard work, rewilding, redirecting watercourses, finding rare wild flowers, restoring wetlands, woodlands and meadows and being inspired by work taking place in Norway and Scotland. He has encountered some resistance to change, but he tries valiantly to strike a balance between new practices and respecting the old way of doing things. It’s a really positive, uplifting book about positive and uplifting work that is bringing a small corner of the Lake District back to life again.

Touching the Void by Joe Simpson

This is a mountain classic and if you haven’t read it, I would highly recommend you do. I won’t spoil the plot by even summarising it, but it’s an incredible, gripping story of impossibly difficult decisions, determination through adversity and almost superhuman survival instincts. Brutally raw and emotional, this is a fascinating read about the strength of the human spirit.

Solo by Jenny Tough

I find, as I look through my bookshelves, that I don’t read as many books by women, as by men, surprisingly, and I’m not sure why. This was a Christmas present and I’ve now read it twice, finding it utterly absorbing and totally inspiring. Jenny Tough, an endurance runner, sets herself a challenge to run some of the world’s great mountain ranges, alone and having never done anything like it before. These aren’t small mountains either; think the Andes, Rockies and Atlas mountains, among others. She is brutally honest, not hiding how she feels when she’s hurting, frightened, feeling unwell or unwilling to carry on, and she often ponders on why she’s doing it. I could feel her nervousness and anxiety at times and it made me feel nervous and anxious. I became totally involved with her and her journey and was disappointed when I finished reading that there wasn’t more. Really well written and a real achievement.

Time on Rock by Anna Fleming

This was another Christmas present and, as with Solo, shortlisted by the Kendal Literary Festival last year. I also really enjoyed this book, and loved the narrative of how it feels to climb as a woman. Slightly reminiscent of Nan Shepherd’s The Living Mountain, this tells the story of Anna’s journey from novice to confident climber and the appreciation of the landscape around her when she is climbing. Divided by climbing region, (the Peak District, Yorkshire, Wales etc), she explains the challenges of a woman climbing; how it feels, her fears, the demands, her self discovery and her joy. A lovely story and well worth reading.

All that remains is wish everyone a very healthy and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Autumn Equinox in the Peak District

We took advantage of a few days off in mid September to have another short break in the Peak District, with a view to climbing the last three of the nine Edges, and also a couple of the Ethels (all the peaks over 400m of which we’ve now climbed 10 out of 95!) Before checking in to our hotel, we wandered up onto beautiful Stanton Moor on the Autumn Equinox, encountering lots of people celebrating around the Nine Ladies stone circle which sits in pretty woodland. We also visited Cromford Moor and explored nearby Black Rocks with its lovely views.

We stayed one night just outside Matlock, which made climbing Gardoms Edge simple, although the rain made it slightly less enjoyable and the views misty. After coming back down, we went straight up onto Birchen Edge from the same car park, the rain clearing to leave an overcast but mild morning. We walked the length of the edge to the Nelson memorial and found the names of three of his ships carved into three large gritstone rocks just opposite the memorial. It was then a pleasant walk back through woodland, under the edge.

That afternoon, we decided to climb Derwent Edge as the weather had brightened up considerably, although it was breezy. The walk from a small layby just off the Sheffield to Snake Pass road, started from Cutthroat Bridge and was gentle and straightforward, the views stunning. In summer, the whole area would have been ablaze with heather and the views were far reaching and wonderful. As we reached the Wheel Stones it began to drizzle again, so we decided to head back, taking a different path and trying to cut a corner back to the bridge which (as it usually does), ended with us crossing some very uneven and marshy terrain which inevitably took far longer…

We then moved to a lovely hotel close to Froggatt Edge for two nights and with that, the weather improved dramatically, with warm sun and clear blue skies. We walked the full length of stunning Froggatt Edge, starting early in the morning up through woodland and past a tiny stone circle to the end of Froggatt where it joins Curbar Edge. These two edges are definitely our favourites and the views were staggeringly beautiful, although very windy at times, but still wonderfully warm. We strolled back and enjoyed lunch sitting outside at the National Trust’s Longshaw Estate cafe, which was beautiful. That afternoon, we explored Padley Gorge; a lovely, cool, quiet and bosky woodland, looking for millstones.

Our final morning was spent exploring Millstone Edge which we had completely to ourselves. For very little effort, there were the most amazing views in all directions. We saw several grouse just ahead of us on the path, beautiful gritstone rock formations, some of which had been carved into animals, and several abandoned millstones. Our final stop before joining the motorway was Haddon Hall, somewhere I’d visited about 30 years ago, but Bro had never been. We marvelled at this stunning house from the Middle Ages with its original furnishings and gorgeous, flower filled gardens, and spent some time sitting in the sun admiring the views.

It really is possible to fit so much into a short break in this beautiful area. We have grown to love the Peak District and will definitely be visiting again in 2024.

Castles, mills and cloud inversions

October and November saw us back in the Lakes for a week each time, making these our last visits of the year. October’s weather was glorious and we had what we considered to be one of our most interesting weeks. Staying on the west coast just outside Whitehaven, we climbed Dent and Flat Fell on a sublimely warm and sunny day, ambling up through fresh, tangy, fragrant spruce woods to Dent’s pretty summit, before dropping down to walk through two tiny hidden valleys, then climbing gently again to Flat Fell with its sublime coastal views.

Ponsonby Fell was reached from our starting point in the gorgeous Blengdale Forest, seeing only two people all day and marvelling at far reaching views of the Screes from yet another viewpoint. We re-visited St Bees in time for a beautiful sunset and wandered round Eamont and Whitehaven’s harbour.

A gentler day was spent in Nether Wasdale, walking to the foot of Wast Water through Low Wood, where we were rewarded with the most spectacular view of the Screes and the head of Wasdale which again, we had to ourselves. Heading back through beautiful pastoral landscape was made more interesting by the discovery of tiny, ancient bridges and delightful old cottages.

Moving on, our next stop was three nights at the very comfortable Boot Inn in Eskdale, catching the tail end of Storm Babet. This made for an exhilarating climb up to Boat Howe in very strong winds which sent us staggering on its exposed summit! We ducked into Burnmoor Lodge for a while to get out of the wind before exploring three stone circles and several old shepherd huts which made the return journey very interesting. We also spent a fascinating hour or two at the exquisite Eskdale Mill; a tiny corn mill dating from the 16th century and as authentic as it’s possible to find.

We then moved on to Ravenglass, to a hotel right on the waterfront with the most beautiful sunsets over the estuary from our bedroom window. We spent a lovely morning at Muncaster Castle, exploring the grounds and enjoying a very entertaining guided tour. The views from the Castle’s terrace towards Wasdale were gorgeous.

Our final morning saw us up and out just after dawn to tackle Stainton Pike and The Knott. The weather had deteriorated, becoming very windy and very cold with more than a hint of rain to come. As we climbed higher, the wind hit us like a solid wall and cold, although light, rain was flung in our faces, stinging like needles. We decided against carrying on to Stainton Pike as the weather was deteriorating fast and the ground was already saturated. We reached The Knott’s summit after a fairly circuitous route involving clambering over walls and through streams, but the wind was so strong it made even talking difficult and we began to get really cold the moment we stopped. It did get marginally warmer as we began to descend and the wind did decrease in intensity, but it perhaps wasn’t one of the most enjoyable walks we’ve done!

In November, we treated ourselves to a second stay in a beautiful flat in Ambleside. This was our chance to be back in the centre of the Lake District which we love and which we’d missed during the year, staying out on the edges of the national park as we continued to climb the Outlying Fells. We completed eight fells in two walks, happy that we’d made them longer, and so giving us a chance to relax a little in between.

Our first walk was part of the Bannisdale Horseshoe and took in Lamb Pasture, The Forest, White Howe and Long Crag, We set off very early, mesmerised by a golden sunrise illuminating frosty fields. The weather was perfect; sunny although very cold, but we knew rain was forecast for mid morning, so we were ready with full waterproofs and the hope that we might be back at the car before it started. The walk was long but straightforward, although the pull up to The Forest much steeper than anticipated and, at our furthest point, Long Crag, it felt very remote and much colder. The promised rain thankfully began an hour or two later than predicted and we were on our return journey, but it still entailed a good two hours in heavy rain. Thankfully in our wet weather gear, we stayed warm and dry.

We then spent a day relaxing as Storm Debi hit with a vengeance bringing constant, cold, torrential rain Having been out briefly for coffee early, we hunkered down for the rest of day, enjoying being in the warmth of the flat. The following day was more settled, so we visited Keswick for lunch and a walk in light rain up to Castlehead from where we had the most staggering view of Derwentwater, swathed in mist and weak sun which broke through the cloud every so often.

In a change, we had arranged to meet our cousins for a walk and a catch up as they had been visiting their son in Ulverston, so we chose a simple route round Rydal Water, up to Rydal Cave and on to Loughrigg Terrace giving us a chance to chat, before more heavy rain drove us indoors for lunch at The Swan Grasmere, which was lovely and it was really good to see them.

A day in and around Ambleside preceded our final walk, saved for the last day of the week when sun and clear skies were forecast. We parked in Staveley and headed up Nameless Potter Fell 1, Brunt Knott, Nameless Potter Fell 2 and Ulgraves. Accompanying us first thing was the most spectacular and perfect cloud inversion; something we’d waited about 16 years to see and was utterly stunning and totally spellbinding. Cloud and mist seemed to follow and swirl around us as we walked from peak to peak, but we were always just ahead of it, basking in the surprisingly warm sun. By lunchtime it had all dissipated. The walking was easy, the views were gorgeous and we loved this set of fells, especially the views of the Howgill Fells from Ulgraves. Our return journey took us past Gurnal Dubs and Potter Tarn and through an old mill, now a tiny farm, built in 1542. It was was lovely, as was a chat with the lady clearing the farm’s yard of leaves.

All in all, two lovely weeks despite (or in some cases because of) the weather, leaving us with 34 fells to go to complete the Outlying Fells challenge!

Walking in Mayrhofen

I was lucky enough to have a work trip at the beginning of July, and it was just the sort of trip I would choose. I hadn't been to the Austrian Tyrol before, so went with no expectations and an open mind. What I found was beyond everything I'd hoped it would be.

Sitting in the beautiful Zillertal Valley, the little town of Mayrhofen was delightful; pretty, quaint, lively and bustling and ringed on all sides by mountains that looked huge and impenetrable. The traditional chalet style hotels were beautiful; all with wooden balconies and each painted and flower bedecked. They were at once unique and comfortable. Staff in traditional dress were always ready with a smile and a greeting, and the food they served was good quality, substantial and plentiful.

The main draw, certainly for me anyway, were the views which were all, without exception, staggeringly beautiful. Range after range of peaks appeared as you travelled higher, some still snow capped even in the height of summer, until you saw the glaciers. The air was pure, clean and fresh and the profusion of wildflowers, especially deep pink azaleas, were so beautiful to see. Water was crystal clear, cold and a wonderful glacial aquamarine in colour.

The mountains themselves were spectacular; high, jagged, forest clad and incredibly steep, but a series of cable cars and gondolas sped us upwards smoothly and comfortably. Walking trails to suit all abilities began as soon as we alighted, all graded from easy to difficult, and there were miles to choose from.

On our first day, we took a long, steep cable car up to Mount Ahorn, a winter skiing area, and found ourselves in a flower filled alpine meadow with grazing cows, a small 200 year old farmstead and a series of pools where children played and adults cooled their feet. A further 800 or so feet of climbing up the Filzenkogel felt like a real achievement in the heat of the afternoon, standing on the summit at 7372 feet!

Day two saw us travelling to the end of the Ziller Valley to take a hike up to the Bichalm Hintertux chalet, after travelling to Hintertux in the Tux mountains. Winding up through pine woods, we emerged out onto open hillside where marmots whistled at us in alarm, reaching the lovely wooden chalet after about an hour. Sitting on the balcony, surrounded by red geraniums and views of the Hintertux Glacier, we enjoyed freshly made apple strudel, before making our way back down and on to the lovely Kessel Waterfall.

The next day we walked from the top of the sublime Stillup Valley along the Waterfall Trail which was achingly beautiful, dotted as it was with small farms, herds of caramel coloured cows with their softly chiming bells, palomino ponies and a chance to chat to people from all walks of life along the way. Mountain huts and small cafes were a regular sight on the trail, which provided a welcome chance to try delicious home made strudels, cakes, sandwiches and gulp down much needed drinks. The remainder of the afternoon was spent in the lovely pool at our hotel, the Kramerwirt, with its mountain views.

Our last morning was a little overcast as we took two gondolas up to the summit of the Penken mountain at over 6000 feet, for lovely views down into the Zillertal Valley. It was cooler on the summit, so we enjoyed hot chocolate in the conviviality of one of the lovely ski chalets, before gliding down again accompanied by the most stunning views.

We left the next morning, taking the scenic route to Innsbruck Airport, after what had been a wonderful trip to a magical destination with a lovely group of ladies; somewhere, I am sure I shall be returning to very soon.

Perfect Peak District

 Mid June saw us in the Peak District once again, enjoying a wonderful week of walking. The weather, which had been fearsomely hot in the preceding weeks, thankfully cooled and we had perfect clear blue skies every day, except for the first morning. 

This was going to be a week of dipping into lots of things, rather than focussing on two or three long walks. We stayed in Buxton, somewhere neither of us had been before, and which offered new areas to explore. On our first morning in the rain, we climbed up to Solomon's Temple on Grin Low Hill which was lovely, the rain easing as we wandered back down across heathland and through mixed woodland. After a welcome cup of coffee, we headed up onto Burbage Edge in the Goyt Valley, again overlooking Buxton, where the National Park boundary runs right over the summit. Unfortunately, the rain started in earnest once we were at the trig point, so we hurried down again, soaking wet. In the afternoon, we decided to visit the wonderful Lyme Park and thoroughly enjoyed the stunning house and grounds.

The next day found us back in the Dark Peak early, to walk Upper Burbage Edge, one of the nine gritstone edges. Originally planning just to walk this edge, the day was so beautiful and the views so stunning that we walked to its end, before climbing up onto Lower Burbage Edge. The walk back through the valley was an absolute delight.

Looking for a suitable lunch spot, we headed down to the peace and stillness of Stanage End hoping to find some of the iconic abandoned millstones which are so redolent of the Peak District. To our delight, we found five, one lying flat making the perfect table for lunch in stunning surroundings. After lunch, we’d planned to walk Froggatt Edge, but a road closure and long detour meant Curbar Edge was more convenient and this turned out to be an absolutely sublime walk in the warm afternoon sun with the most wonderful panoramas. We spent a long time sitting with our boots and socks off, drinking it all in. This was definitely a firm favourite.

The Roaches was our next objective the following day, in the Staffordshire Peak District; a completely new area for us. Climbing up through bracken and a small wood of Scots Pines, we emerged onto a wide flat plateau dotted with tiny pine trees, heather and interesting weather worn rock formations. We ambled along to the pretty Doxey Pool where we sat for a while watching swallows swooping down to drink from the surface of the water, while revelling in the peace and warmth. Deciding not to walk the whole ridge, we meandered back southwards, enjoying the magnificent views of the Leek Valley before an enjoyable scramble down some large rocks at the end of the ridge.

Joining a path at the bottom, we headed back towards our starting point, pausing to watch groups of children learning to rock climb. We considered for a moment whether to tackle the dramatic looking Hen Cloud, but decided to leave that for another visit. Instead we drove the 20 minutes or so to a small parking area at Gradbach for the walk to Lud's Church; a secluded gorge that has been used as a place of worship since pagan times. It was by then very warm and after a cup of coffee at the tiny Riverside Cafe, we set off through the welcome cool of Back Woods before climbing steeply up and following a path than wound gradually and gently up through the trees for perhaps a mile or two.

We soon came to a fingerpost pointing to what looked like a rockfall, but was in fact the way into the gorge and, after negotiating the slightly slippery route, found ourselves in an incredible cool, shady, fern filled gulley, about 18 metres deep. It was muddy underfoot, but opened out with the sun filtering soft green light into the depths. We walked the length of the gorge, exploring the nooks and crannies  before leaving at our entrance point. It was both mesmerising and unique. We had a quick lunch stop on a shady outcrop of rocks in the woods before heading back.

We then moved on to Bakewell for a couple of nights, and were out early, parking at Ladybower Reservoir to climb Win Hill; prominent from almost everywhere in the Hope Valley area. We crossed Ladybower dam, slightly intimidated by the two huge 'plugholes' or shaft spillways, then began climbing up through a lovely cool, fragrant pine wood. The path rose very gently upwards to a slightly steeper section just before the treeline, when we crossed open fellside and climbed the last rocky knoll to the summit. The views were beautiful in all directions; to Edale and Mam Tor, down to Ladybower and across to Baslow Edge. We had the summit to ourselves for half an hour before others began to appear from different directions, before we made our way back down. We spent a lovely couple of hours in the afternoon wandering around Bakewell which was ablaze with the most beautiful displays of flowers, strolled by the river and explored the back streets.

After a lazy morning the next day, we had another walk round Bakewell, which was busy and lively as it was a Saturday and there was a dance festival taking place. We had arranged to meet friends in Buxton and had a walk around the lovely Pavilion Gardens with them before drinks, a meal and a talk from 17 time Everest summiteer, Kenton Cool, about the history of Everest climbing expeditions at the Pavilion Gardens, which was fascinating.

Our final morning saw us leaving Bakewell and stopping at Hardwick Hall before setting off back down the M1. I'd been before a couple of times, but about 30 years ago and Bro had never been. It was utterly gorgeous and the gardens were particularly stunning with flowers and flowering shrubs in profusion. The house was a fascinating example of Elizabethan architecture.

We've grown to really love the Peak District, and will be returning very soon.

Upper burbage edge

millstones at stanage end

the leek valley from the roaches

stunning views from curbar edge

curbar edge

A short break in Oslo

In May we decided to take a short break to Oslo. I'd been to Norway before to the Fjords, but Bro had never been. 

We stayed near the National Theatre which turned out to be a slightly quieter area than the more centrally located hotels, although there was a fair bit of revelry on Friday and Saturday nights as people enjoyed themselves. On our first day, we visited Bygdoy - an area of the city reached by water taxi and where there are a number of museums clustered quite closely together, so, you can visit as many as you wish without travelling too far between each one. We went first to the open air Norsk Folkemuseum with its 160 traditional buildings including a beautiful stave church which was the highlight for us. A quick bus ride (all included in our Oslo Pass) took us to the Fram Museum about 10 minutes away which we found absolutely fascinating and has been voted the Best Museum in Norway; certainly one of the best we’ve been to. Telling the history of polar exploration, The Fram was the ship in which Nansen explored the Arctic and Roald Amundsen took to the South Pole in the race to beat Captain Scott. We then crossed the road to the Kon-Tiki Museum which has Thor Heyerdahl's bamboo raft and details of his Ra and Kon-Tiki expeditions which was also fascinating. Finally, we explored the National Maritime Museum and saw wonderful Viking longships.

The next day we decided to have a walk in a proper Norwegian pine forest, as it's something we've always wanted to do and love them in this country. We took a metro train up to Nordmarka, the vast forest of the northern wilderness, where we found ourselves in thick snow! It wasn't cold, so we followed a path through the pine trees on compacted snow, surrounded by local cross country skiiers. It was stunning, with views down over the city and out across the Fjord. The afternoon was spent by the busy harbour and exploring the Akershus Fortress and grounds.

Our third day saw us up and out early to take a wonderfully smooth, quiet and relaxing two hour cruise round Oslofjord on an amazing electric boat. On calm, blue-green water we saw hundreds of tiny coloured summer houses dotting the shoreline, with lovely views back to the city. It was so peaceful and soothing that we almost fell asleep!  On our return we walked all the way round to the Oslo Opera House and went up and onto its amazing (and quite steep) roof for wonderful views. After an hour or so, we followed the water line all the way round to the harbour again, visiting the Civic Hall with its Norse mythology carvings, then up to Royal Palace and wandering round the pretty parkland. 

Our final morning was spent in the Vigeland Sculpture Park, home to the largest collection of sculptures in the world by a single artist (Gustav Vigeland). It was lovely and warm and quiet, with hardly anyone around that early, apart from a few commuters speeding along on their bikes.

Oslo is a beautiful fresh, light, bright, clean and ecofriendly city. Most of the cars, buses and boats are electric, scooters and bikes are the preferred mode of transport and everyone speaks flawless English. It is expensive, especially to eat and drink out, but you can find places away from the main drags where prices are more reasonable. 

STAVE CHURCH

THE FRAM

WALKING IN NORWEGIAN PINE FORESTS

CRUISING OSLOFJORD

On Writing

I have always loved photography and the post processing of photos, and have produced one or two photo books in the last couple of years. The spark was lit years ago, when I was very impressed by a photo book a client had brought in to the office to show me. At that time, those sort of books were a fairly new concept, however when I produced my own, I was disappointed with the quality and how dark the photos looked. A year or so after that, I used to create a yearly small, soft cover photo book via a function on my computer which were much better quality, but there was no provision for creating your own layouts or designs; you simply followed pre-set templates. They ultimately went on the bookshelf and I promptly forgot about them. About a decade later, I came across them again, but I wasn’t impressed and consigned them to the recycling bin.

In late 2019, a photographer we used to watch on You Tube talked about producing a photobook. That piqued my latent interest, so I had a look at the website and realised just how far things had moved on. You could produce, publish and even sell a really professional looking book while letting your creativity run wild.

There was just so much choice. A range of different sizes with either hard covers, soft covers or dust jackets, layflat photo books, magazines, small information booklets or large coffee table books. You could choose the number of pages, the paper quality, the background colours, the layout and print options. You could use their templates, or do it entirely your own way. The possibilities for creativity and design seemed endless.

I couldn't wait to get started. A simple download of some software took a few minutes, then all I had to do was choose the style of book. I thought I'd start with a small, soft cover 7 x 5 inch booklet of about 25 pages. I then realised (and I confess, I hadn't even thought about this) that I could add text boxes and actually write a little book.... I watched one or two of the tutorial videos on how to get started, and then off I went.

I thought I'd turn some of my blogs into a small books, and each blog proved to be just about the right length to have a full page of text and a full colour photo on the opposite page. I did 12 small books in the end, making a folio box to keep them in which I was quite pleased with.

Bro and I then decided to produce a large format, coffee table style book using a selection of our favourite Lake District pictures possibly with a view to selling it. We took a great deal of time and care choosing the best photos, the paper quality and the layout. It ended up as a large 90 page book with the slightly lustrous pages showing off our photographs beautifully. I didn't really write very much text as we were trying to make it more about the photography, so it just had one or two pertinent lines on each page. We were really delighted with the results and went on to do a second volume a year or so later, following exactly the same layout and style as the first.

During lockdown, we had the idea of actually writing a book about our Wainwright climbing experiences, and I really relished the challenge, especially as it would be a good memory jogger for the future. It took a long time as we were going back nearly 13 years, trying to get the timelines right, choose the photos, decide which fells to mention and wrack our brains as to anything interesting or funny that had happened, but we soon had quite a substantial book with which we were delighted. I revised it the following year, changing some of the photos and  taking time to expand and increase certain chapters, adding around an additional 25 pages, but in the end, we felt it was as comprehensive as it could be and we were really pleased.

Once I'd finished that book, I was keen to do another as my love of writing was really growing. I thought I’d combine all my small 7x5 booklets into one hardback book, in the same format as before, and it became a lovely way for me to spend an hour or two every so often through lockdown. Once that was finished, I decided to combine all my blogs into another book of the same format, especially as I anticipated deleting my website at some point in the future.

Next, I decided to tackle what is still a big part of my life, my travels, and this really was a labour of love. Firstly, I had over 30 years to pick through, and then, as I've been to over 85 countries, remembering each trip really was a test of memory. Secondly, a lot of my photos from those early trips were not digital and not always the best quality. This involved a lot of hunting through hard to get to photo albums and lots of scanning and editing. That book probably took me the longest to complete up to that point, but it brings back a lot of fantastic memories.

After lockdown, I wrote about my observations in nature whilst out and about during my year and a half on furlough, and I'm particularly proud of how that turned out. However, much as I loved writing these books, I didn't really want an entire shelf full of my own titles, so during 2022 I spent some time revising one or two of those I'd already produced, just to try and get them as perfect as I could. 

Whilst we were writing our Wainwright walking book, we did get a bit tired of constantly having to log on to laptops or computers, of trawling through hundreds and hundreds of photos, of scanning through websites trying to identify summit cairns, or wracking our brains  to remember one or two small details. Bro sighed one day and said ‘this is ridiculous. We just need all this information in one place with a picture of each summit so we can look at it whenever we want without doing all this. Why don't you write a book like that?’ 

That seemed like a good, albeit slightly daunting, idea. We decided each photo would be a simple summit shot with a few notes about the routes we took, the weather and anything memorable that happened. It took me about three months to write and probably another month to sort out all the photos, which really was an effort as some, in fact most, of our early photos hadn’t been labelled, so we spent immeasurable time trying to identify piles of stones! Now that it's finished at 240 pages long, we have a wonderful reference guide to dip into and jog our memories without having to involve any technology. 

I have one last book I'm working on, and it will be the same format as our Wainwright memory book, but for the Outlying fells. It's an ongoing project at the moment, as we still have half of them left to climb, but we now have a small, satisfying pile of books to dip in and out of, which we’ve really enjoyed producing and which remind us of so many wonderful, happy times.

Duddon Delights

Our first trip in 2023 at the beginning of March was to the Lakes, staying in Coniston with the aim of climbing seven outlying fells in and around the beautiful Duddon Valley. Snow was predicted for the end of the week, but we had beautiful blue skies and clear, warm weather all week, except for one afternoon when it snowed very lightly and continued through the night, and we woke to the Old Man resplendent in white against the bluest sky. The roads were clear and it all look gorgeously alpine.

Our first walk was about half way along the Duddon Valley where we parked opposite the river and took a gently climbing path up through the bracken. It was very warm, but easy walking and very dry underfoot. The views out to the coast were beautiful and we soon reached the first of four fells climbed that day, Great Stickle. The breeze was a little cooler on the summit, but we soon warmed up again as we headed towards our next objective, Stickle Pike, very prominent ahead. A simple walk over flattish ground, then a very steep final climb, and we were enjoying fantastic views over to Caw and the Coniston range. A short down and a little climb back up brought us to Tarn Hill, then we dropped down again to Dunnerdale Fells, which took us about 20 minutes to find as there were no obvious paths. The views were beautiful and the whole plateau was dotted with tiny, pretty tarns. Back at the car, we brewed coffee and drank it by the River Duddon.

Our next walk was The Knott and Raven's Crag in Dunnerdale, in the upper Duddon Valley; somewhere we'd never been before and which felt very remote, although it was stunning. This was our favourite walk of the week, and the path took us past the old Stainton mine workings, then very gradually and easily climbed up to The Knott at the end of the ridge, where we basked in the incredibly warm sunshine, admiring the views out to the coast. We spent quite some time soaking it all in before descending a little way, then tackling a steepish although very simple and short climb, which brought us out on the Raven's Crag ridge. It was lovely in the sun, although the breeze coming from the high fells behind us was a little cooler. We spent a lot of time enjoying the warmth before continuing on to the end of the ridge, before dropping down and re-joining our original path back to the car, and lunch in Torver. 

The final climb was The Pike from Ulpha. The sun was really quite hot as we parked opposite Ulpha Church and took a path up through Rainsbarrow Wood, then out onto a fairly steep section of the Birker Fell Road. Branching off at a finger post after only about 10 minutes on the road, we could see The Pike ahead as we crossed a field of Herdwicks and took a signed footpath through a very quiet Baskell Farm, up onto the open fellside beyond. From there, it was a stiff climb to the summit where the wind became much stronger and colder. The views were superb; right down the length of the Duddon Valley one way and over the vast, wild and remote expanse of moorland looking towards Eskdale, the other. We contemplated climbing Hesk Hill, but as snow was predicted, we decided to leave that for perhaps the summer months and more benign weather. We took photos, then made our way back again, stopping for a drink by a drystone wall for a little respite from the wind, but by the time we were back at the car, it was so warm we sat by the River Duddon at Ulpha Bridge brewing hot drinks and enjoying the peace and scenery.

Aside from climbing, we visited Kelly Hall Tarn and Torver Common again, areas we love, we walked by Lake Coniston and sat on the shores drinking hot chocolate. We lazed in the beautiful hotel gardens with their view of the lake and enjoyed looking round the Ruskin Museum. After a week in Coniston, we moved on to Ambleside for a couple of nights, staying at Rydal Hall, enjoying some quiet time before the journey home. It was a lovely ten days away, with beautiful weather and some stunning, new landscapes, topped off with a sprinkling of snow.

THe view from Great stickle

The knott’s sunny summit

duddon valley from the pike

a snow covered old man of coniston

The Ancient Woodland

I write a lot on this blog about the Lake District, Peak District and many other places, some far flung, that I’ve visited, but this time I thought I’d write about somewhere that’s right on my doorstep and which, during lockdown, became something of a godsend.

It’s a copse of ancient woodland, just over 20 acres in size, which has been there for at least 500 years. It takes about eight minutes for us to walk to, and marks the boundary between North Berkshire and South Oxfordshire. It’s bordered on three sides by houses, but the fourth side leads on and out into open, arable farmland, huge fields and lovely woodlands. It can lead to a fairly sizeable, rural walk if you wish.

In the 1800s it was part of a large, nearby estate where they grazed their black cattle and some of the original iron fencing from that time still exists. Up until the middle of the 1900s it was farmland. Hazel coppicing is now taking place, something I don’t remember seeing there before, to promote new growth and prolong the life of the trees. A large area has just been cleared because of Ash dieback, but is now full of buttercups.

Consisting of two vast fields, one used by local youth football teams on occasional Saturdays, the other is left wilder so that in spring and summer, the whole area is filled with wildflowers. Ancient oak and beech woods encircle the fields with huge, vast trunked, magnificent oaks a particular feature. Elsewhere, whip like hazel saplings have self seeded into mini woodlands of their own, interspersed with hawthorn, silver birch and blackthorn, making the area varied and interesting to walk in. The land is clay; in fact it’s the only patch of clay north of the River Thames, but this does lead to a great deal of mud in the winter months. It is also a nature reserve with a sculpture trail, and marks the beginning of the Chiltern Hills.

When we were kids, we tended to avoid the woods; they had an atmosphere; a little creepy, not that nice and the area had a bit of a ‘reputation’. Whether it was just parents exercising caution for a group of young teens not to stay out too late in case something happened (who knows, but probably), or us just thinking all woods were creepy, it was a still good place to walk our dogs and meet friends. As adults, we have taken our young dogs there to run in the big fields and socialise with other dogs, have ridden bikes and horses down its leafy lanes and have explored every inch of the woodlands, the edgelands and beyond. It’s fair to say we’ve walked there hundreds, if not thousands, of times.

In spring, the hawthorn hedgerow which lines one side of the main field is thick with beautiful May blossom, birds, insects and butterflies. The field is then carpeted in thousands of white daisies. There is a wild cherry which is a sight to see in full bloom, and on a warm summer evening scores of rabbits sit on the grassy rides, grooming each other and playing. Vast areas of the woodland are carpeted in bluebells and wood anemones, and birdsong is loud and beautiful.

In summer, the wildflowers are out in full force; common orchids, yellow rattle and common knapweed amongst many others, then the area is mown and made into hay bales, leaving a sweet, rich and fragrant smell in the air. A tiny pond near the entrance is surrounded by marsh marigolds and occupied by the occasional mallard.

In autumn, there is an abundance of blackberries, hazelnuts and sloes which we gather in earnest. We’ve also found crabapples and even an apple tree which must have been seeded by birds and which yielded a good sweet crop, collected as windfalls. A variety of mushrooms litter the floor and the colours of the oaks and beeches are beautiful.

In winter, there is an area where old Christmas Trees can be left to be chipped for mulch. Huge tangy smelling piles of chipped bark are free for anyone to take, which we have in the past, and by about February, all of it has disappeared. The woods are a lovely, quiet place to walk at this time of year, with drifts of snowdrops appearing after Christmas, but it does become very muddy with so much footfall.

In November last year, friends of the woodland put a Tree Trail up along a path which runs down the south side of the woodland, next to a Saxon bank and ditch we hadn’t noticed before as it was overgrown, but has now been cleared. Little signs were attached to a variety of trees, pointing out those of particular interest. The area had once been part of the aforementioned estate, so there are some trees I wouldn’t usually associate with woodlands, such as a large solitary Yew, but the signs pointed out, amongst Oak, Beech and Holly; Cedar, Elm, Ash, Wild Service, Hazel, Hornbeam and rarest of all, a Rocky Mountain White Pine, reputedly planted by none other than Thomas Jefferson in the 1700s when he visited the estate!

During lockdown, along one of the main paths, someone had pinned plastic bags containing a little knitted heart and a beautiful uplifting message inside, encouraging people to take one, which I thought was a wonderfully thoughtful idea and so charming. It really did cheer me up, and still does when I look at it.

We walked every day we were allowed to during lockdown, and then beyond as restrictions lifted but we were only allowed to walk close to home. It gave us peace, beauty, encounters with nature, time to think, time to clear heads and minds, daily exercise and a sense of purpose in difficult and changing times. We still walk there regularly when we don’t want to take the car out, and always see and find something new and interesting.

I really don’t know what we would have done without it. We are so grateful for it and and we love it.