Highs and Lows

ROUTE STATS (including map) The Kentmere Round When people learn that I like to climb mountains in the Lake District, they’ll often ask for a recommendation. And that presents a dilemma. Because while there’s no shortage of choices, committing to a single hill is not easy. It all depends on what you are after. If you haven’t done any hillwalking before, I might suggest something like Catbells. If it’s a nice day, you want something bigger and look capable, then…

Read More Read More

ROUTE STATS (including map) The Coniston Fells We tend to think of places like the Lake District as typical natural environments. But look a little closer and you’ll see it’s not as unspoilt as we like to imagine. After tectonic plate movements, volcanic eruptions and glaciers had done their thing, it’s we humans that shaped the landscape we see today. For hundreds of years we’ve exploited the fells for minerals, the forests for timber, the lakes for water and the…

Read More Read More

ROUTE STATS (including map) Crinkle Crags My favourite rollercoaster is The Big Dipper at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. It’s a classic wooden attraction which has been thrilling riders for almost 100 years. Unlike modern rollercoasters, there are no loops. You don’t go backwards or wear virtual reality goggles. It’s hardly a smooth ride either, as your train clatters along the dips and bumps of the rickety track at what feels like warp speed. It’s the simplicity of the experience I like….

Read More Read More

ROUTE STATS (including map) Great Gable Speed. It’s a way of life these days. Getting things done quickly is the name of the game. Racing around to achieve as much as we can in as short a time as possible. Life in the fast lane. The corporate world is partly to blame. Management’s answer to the more-for-less conundrum often being to push their staff to breaking point with ever increasing targets and tighter deadlines. Sustainable only for a short time…

Read More Read More

‘The valley of Coledale is without charm but will be remembered with affection by those who walk around the mountain skyline of its perimeter and by so doing enjoy one of their most rewarding days on the tops.’ Alfred Wainwright ROUTE STATS (including map) Ups and Downs Many walkers instinctively know whether they prefer going uphill or downhill. Perhaps you like the prolonged thrill of the climb. Your lungs screaming out for air. Legs burning. The slow, simple, rhythm of putting…

Read More Read More

ROUTE STATS (including map) High Street and Harter Fell Arriving at Haweswater feels like stepping into another world. A world far removed from the trappings of modern life. One where the balance is shifted in favour of nature and where humans aren’t necessarily in charge. Even on the greyest of days, it’s like someone has turned up the intensity dial. The diversity of flora and fauna jumps out with a vivid clarity. You might see deer and red squirrels. The…

Read More Read More

ROUTE STATS (including map) Haystacks I became a bit obsessed with the weather in February. Reading different forecasts. Reading between the lines of different forecasts. Trying my best to see the positives in a month of storms battering the mountains. Everyday I hoped for a break in the weather. And one which fell on a day I didn’t have work commitments. But it didn’t come. And I really started to miss the mountains! Just as my patience was starting to…

Read More Read More

ROUTE STATS (including map) The Newlands Round I love the night before a trip to the hills. The well-rehearsed routine of planning the route, checking the weather, making a sandwich, packing the rucksack, cramming pockets full of snacks, lining everything up by the door, early night. Ready to go. A dress rehearsal for the following day’s adventure. And it continues afterwards too. The debrief. Jotting down thoughts in my notebook. Cleaning dirty boots and reproofing gear. Packing it all away….

Read More Read More