 |
24.01.10 Snowdon Leaving flat and boring Cambridgeshire just before midnight on a saturday night we drove for 4 hours to Snowdonia. We pulled up at Pen-Y-Pass and attempted to have an hours snooze. This was nearly impossible due to Alan's snoring as he lay stretched out on the back seat. We set off in the dark with head torches along the Pyg Track. It was pitch black and also foggy but the silence was wonderful. About half way along the Pyg track the occaional patches of snow from before was now constant and very slippery. Towards the end of the track we were preparing ourselves for the steep zig zagging path which would take us to the top. Due to all the snow though this path was completely buried and what was in front of us in the dark was a steep snow slope. We could see very faint footsteps that we chose to follow but also repeatedly checked the gps. This was not a place to slip over. The snow was very icey and slippery without crampons. We eventually made it to the top in a pretty dense blizzard with no views and a very hold wind. We didn't hang around for long before descending back down the Pyg track. |
 |
14.02.10 Roaches When I asked Noah if he wanted to go walking with Daddy and his friends he got very excited! I packed his little rucksack with sweets and flapjacks which I figured could be used as motivational pit stops and told him about Lud's Church and the bottomless Doxey Pool. The next morning Alan picked us up and we drove up to the foot of Hen Cloud where we met Rod. We left Rod's car behind and drove up to Gradbach to start our walk. We followed the path alongside the river through the woodland and the Dane Valley Way, we then took the very narrow footpath left back into the woodland and up to the Hanging Stone. This was Pit stop No:1 for Noah where I had promised him a drink and a flapjack. We then followed the path to Lud's Church (a highlight for Noah), up through the top of Back Forest and onto the Roaches. We stopped about half way for something more substantial to eat and then continued along until we descended down the climbers path and back to the base of Hen Cloud. I was very proud of Noah :-)
|
 |
12.03.10 Everest Base Camp Trek Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Kathmandu A slightly different format for these photos. I'm not all that knowledgeable of this area so i wont be able to list all of the peaks. Instead of going through the huge task of detailing each day, i'm just going to load up the photos and I may interject the occasional detailing for some of them. Completing the trek was definitely one of my biggest dreams coming true. Our trip started and ended with some time to explore Kathmandu and 12 days of trekking through Sagamartha National Park in the Himalayas. |
 |
08.05.10 Grindsbrook Grindsbrook again! This really is one of the most fun places to walk in the peaks. We arrived in the morning at Edale and set up the tent at Fieldhead campsite. It was a windy day and was threatening to rain. This route is basically the reverse of what I did back in 2008. We made our way out of Edale and up Grindsbrook Clough. We stayed down in the Clough and followed the water up. It's more fun that way. Once at the top on the Kinder Plateau we turned right and followed the edges of Upper and Nether Tor. We stopped along the track for a sandwich and admired the view out to Edale and the Great Ridge. The wind had died down and it was very peaceful. We then took a route around the bottom of Ringing Roger to the viewpoint on The Nab and back down into Edale. The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent in The Old Nags Head drinking Burton Black. Perfect! |
 |
02.06.10 Carneddau - 6 x 3000'ers With the car parked at the foot of Tryfan we set off our first summit of the day, Pen yr Ole Wen. It was a very sunny and warm morning. We followed the Afon Lloer up to Bryn Mawr and took the light scramble up the ridge to the left and onto the top of Pen yr Ole Wen. From here we contined on the obvious ridge track to the cloud covered summit Carnedd Dafydd and then the summit of Carnedd Llewelyn. After a stop for lunch we then descended to the summits of Foel Grach, Garnedd Uchaf and then a slight rise to the top of Foel-fras. There really wasn't any choice but to do a big back-track to Carnedd Llewelyn where we then took a southeastern turn down to the Ffynnon Llugwy Reservoir then straight down to the A5 and back to the car. It must be said that both Geordie and myself had sore feet. A well earned trip to McDonalds, we thought. |
 |
03.07.10 A Beacons Horseshoe Parked up approx 1km from the Filter House we set off into the unknown. This was our first trip to The Brecons. We followed the path to the right of the Neuadd Reservoir up onto Cribyn for a brief rest and admired the view over to Fan-y-Big. We then took a steep descent and then back up just as steeply onto Pen-y-Fan (highest peak in southern Wales) Here is where i gave Natalie what I had promised her. No, not an engagement ring!, but a chocolate flapjack. This route has some very good paths that are gradual and not at all bumpy. Unfortunately there was a brief tarmaced section that i wasn't too keen on. After another breather on Pen-y-Fan, we then crossed over for a quick visit of Corn Du and made our return via Craig Gwaun Taf, Graig Fan Ddu and down the cairn marked scree slope to the Filter House. |
 |
04.07.10 Ystradfellte Waterfall Walk Waking up in the tent at Priory Mill Farm campsite in Brecon (brilliant by the way) the weather was mild and warm. This all changed in the car journey over to the part of the national park called Waterfall Country. By the start of our walk from Pen-y-Porth it was raining. The walk involved following the Afon Mellte river to four waterfalls. The trail branches off giving you a few different options but we stuck to the one that would keep us close to the river. This trail consisted of sections of high narrow paths with sheer drops down to the river below. Considering it was raining we had to be extra careful not to slip or trip on the exposed tree roots that covered the floor on sections of our journey. The waterfalls were stunning and the valley had a very amazonian feel to it. Definitely somewhere i would like to take Noah in the future. We returned following the path by the farm at Hendre-Bolon. If you go there you will notice the well maintained path that looks like a long green carpet. I would have photographed it but my camera was hiding from the rain in my my pack. |
 |
21.08.10 Scafell Pike and Scafell The problem with living so far from my favourite walking destinations is that you really don’t know what the weather will throw at you until you get there. |
 |
18.09.10 Malham Cove and beyond I've been wanting to visit Malham Cove for some time now so a week ago I decided that this would be a great hike for Noah's age group. There is plenty of features to capture their imagination and a lot of fun to be had on the limestone.This was my first trip to the Yorkshire Dales and after the day I have had, I will be returning soon. As we walked I found myself imagining how this landscape once looked due to the constant reminders by the glacial erosion which is evident in many forms. We were walking through 100m deep ravines, scaling rock walls up a cascading beck, walking across Limestone Pavements and visiting the location of a huge ancient waterfall. Oh! not forgetting the highest lake in England and munching on my finest flapjack creation yet, White Chocolate and Sultana! |
 |
23.10.10 Lathkill Dale I've been wanting to do this walk for a long time now and today was finally the day for it. I knew the weather wasn't going to be great so I figured this route may give us just a little bit of protection from the elements. I was also under strict instructions to do something a little less strenuous. Must thank Angela at www.peakwalker.net for this one. We left the car at the car park on Moor Lane just outside of Youlgreave and headed north west on the Limestone Way to Lathkill Dale. After a steep and slippery descent we followed the River Lathkill past caves and weirs to Conksbury Bridge. We crossed the road and continued to follow the river around the bottom of Bradford, then followed the River Bradford and back onto the Limestone Way to the car. The walk had started with light rain and ended the same although we felt fortunate considering the bad weather report and Natalie was pleased to have pain free feet and legs. Objective achieved!! |
 |
24.10.10 Curbar Edge and Baslow Edge Early sunday morning trip to Baslow. I was up on Curbar Edge by 7am and made my way over to Baslow Edge aswell. Apart from a couple of dog walkers, I was pretty much alone to take in the scenery as the sun came up. I also got to see a Virgin hot air balloon which ensured me that my flight later in the day would go ahead. |
 |
24.10.10 Chatsworth Gardens Sunny sunday morning visit to Chatsworth House. |
 |
24.10.10 Peak District Balloon Ride Phew! The weather was good and our flight didn't get cancelled. We took off from Bakewell and were blown south to just beyond Carsington Water. Great experience with fantastic scenery and an amusing bumpy landing. |
 |
06.11.10 Cnicht and Moelwyn Mawr It was either going to be the Lake District or Snowdonia depending on the weather reports. I made the right choice! I had read from a few sources that Cnicht is only a small mountain but when it comes to views it packs one hell of a punch. Well pretty much right from the start the views were fantastic. The ascent of Cnicht was steep, the track to the summit wasn't always obvious and the panorama became more and more stunning. I was having a fantastic time! Shortly after Cnicht we made our way across very boggy and rough terrain to the disused Rhosydd slate quarry where we stopped for some lunch. After a while of admiring the building remains we continued on up Moelwyn Mawr. Great views again from the summit and as we descended we enjoyed the sun setting over the Porhtmadog estuary. A great area to explore away from the busier parts of Snowdonia and some of the best scenery I've seen in Wales. |
 |
07.12.10 Y Garn Well the weather today was certainly milder than reported. It was looking potentially white-out conditions from the A5 but the sky cleared for us and visibility improved throughout the day. Geordie had fun testing out the ice on Llyn Idwal. It was pretty much solid which seemed to attract the attention of a bbc camera man. We made our way up Devil's Kitchen. It was very icey underfoot here but fortunately with the use of my crampons I was able to ascend without any difficulty. Unfortunately though, someone had chosen to leave a sample of their bowel contents directly on one of the scramble sections of the path which was particulary difficult to pass once at head height. Thanks for that! The saddle section leading to the top of Y Garn was a bit of a slog due to the snow depth which in places wasn't far from our knees (especially little Geordie's) but with a few snowballs flung around it wasn't long before we were standing on the summit. I think the summit of Y Garn offers one of the best views in Snowdonia and descending it as the sun began to set was very special. I hope you enjoy the photos. |
 |
08.12.10 Moel Siabod It was only a 2 mile drive to the start of our hike from the accomodation in Betws-y-Coed. We parked up at Pont-Cyfyng and followed the sign posted path towards Moel Siabod. The ground conditions were very very icey and we had to retreat to the side of the path for most of the walk. Our plan was to ascend via the Daear Ddu ridge to the summit but before we reached the base of the mountain we had some fun on the frozen tarns and a disused quarry. The quarry pit was very impressive as its water was completely frozen over. Throwing the odd rock in an attempt to break the ice gave off fantastic acoustics that must have echoed for some distance. Once we reached the start of the ridge it was clear that the sharp side view had hidden it's true width. We were able to easily navigate our way up to the summit without too much exposure although the collected drifts of snow around the boulders made it all the more entertaining. Minus 4 degrees on the summit meant we didn't hang around for long before following the main ridge of the mountain and down the easy grass sided north face back to the icey path to the cars. |