...nothing but footprints

  The day after climbing Skiddaw (see previous blog entry) I awoke expecting to find myself with stiff and aching limbs and, in view of what I had planned for the day ahead, I was both pleased and relieved to realise that this wasn't the case.   Because for the third day of our short break in the Lake District I had a circular walk of 14 miles in mind, which was to begin with a climb of one of the most well-known and popular fells in Lakeland.   The charmingly named Catbells. Situated on the western shores of Derwentwater, just three miles from the town of Keswick, Catbells has a modest height of 1,480 feet (451m).   Its name is thought to originate from "cat bield" which meant "shelter of the wild cat".   The walk we had planned was taken from Country Walking magazine and began with a climb up Catbells via the most popular route, which is very well defined, and visible from the lower slopes of Skiddaw. The path up Catbells is visible on the left

For as many years as I care to remember I've wanted to climb a Lakeland mountain and at the start of this year I decided that I would achieve this ambition before the year was out.    It's not that I'd never climbed a mountain before.   I had done so once, many years ago in the Brecon Beacons and even before that, in my teens,   I had made an attempt on Ben Nevis, which failed due to lack of preparation and a poor choice of footwear.   Around the same time, on a trip to visit family in Cumbria, I recall a bus journey past the lower slopes of Skiddaw, peering upwards to the clouded summit at which point a lady sitting opposite me suddenly said "Ah Skiddaw, shrouded in mist as usual".   For some reason, that moment has always remained with me and so, for this reason if no other, Skiddaw was the mountain I chose to be my first true Lake District climb. So it was, on the Friday of the second weekend of my week's leave in September, we drove out to Cumbria, to

It was whilst on the Grassington and Mossdale Scar walk, back in August, that I discovered my wet weather gear was far from ideal.   In fact, it would be fair to say it was useless!   All I had up to this point was a so-called waterproof and breathable jacket which I discovered was neither.      And so it was the day after getting soaked at Mossdale that I bought myself a "proper" waterproof jacket and, a few days later, a pair of overtrousers. These days there's a huge and bewildering selection of waterproofs to choose from and I didn't know where to start looking.   As it happened though, a little outdoor clothing shop in Grassington had a jacket I liked the look of on special offer and, having read its specification and tried it on for size, I knew this was the jacket for me.   The Rab Momentum ladies' jacket is made from eVent fabric , which employs a waterproof and breathable membrane. Its unique composition allows millions of tiny pores to

In mid September I decided to take a holiday, but instead of going away for an entire week I chose to have extended weekend breaks at each end of my week's   leave.   It was time, I had decided, to climb a little higher. The first weekend was spent in the Yorkshire Dales at Ingleton, my aim being to climb my second Yorkshire Three Peaks mountain - Ingleborough.     At 2,372 feet (723 metres), Ingleborough is the second highest mountain in Yorkshire, just under 100 feet higher than Pen-y-Ghent's 2,277 feet and only 43 feet less than Whernside's 2,415 feet.    There are several routes of ascent, but as our base was the village of Ingleton we decided to leave from the car park of the pub where we were staying for a couple of nights.   The weather was perfect for our walk - blue sky, sunshine and only a light breeze.   As we set off along the lane towards Ingleborough the ascent was gentle and across the fields, over the limestone valley, we could see the distant peak

August is a good time to visit the North York Moors.   At this time of year the heather is in full bloom; a carpet of purple in every direction, at some points extending as far as the eye can see.   It really is very beautiful.   In late August we drove to Castleton on the northern edge of the moors to walk a 12 mile circuit through Westerdale, to Rosedale Head and then back to Castleton via the village of Botton.   We drove to Castleton early in the morning, driving through thick fog for the entire 40 mile journey, all the while believing it would soon burn away with the rising sun.   However, this didn't happen until well past midday and so the first half of the walk was very damp with poor visibility.   Occasionally a light breeze would pick up and the mist would swirl, giving a brief glimpse of features in the landscape.   Just outside the village of Westerdale, nestling amongst trees in a valley bottom, we came across an interesting little bridge which I photograp

Our trip to Pen-y-Ghent called for an overnight stay so that we could enjoy a second day's walking in   the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.   We chose to stay in the popular Dales village of Grassington and to walk a circuit of 12 miles directly from Grassington, taking in the dramatic and tragic Mossdale Scar.   The forecast was for a chance of showers but the day started out with bright sunshine, providing perfect lighting to pick out the drystone walls and barns for which the Yorkshire Dales are famous. Soon after climbing out of Grassington the terrain became gradually more rugged and we started to see exposed sections of limestone.     The Great Scar Limestone of the Yorkshire Dales was laid down on seabeds some 300 million years ago .   During the last ice age glaciers scraped away the surface exposing the natural joints in the underlying limestone rock. Slightly acidic rain dissolved these vertical joints creating the limestone clints and grikes (blocks

One of the most unsuitable items of clothing to wear on a walk is a pair of denim jeans.   They're heavy, with thick seams and if they get wet they're very slow to dry.   At the start of the year jeans were all I had and so finding suitable legwear quickly became a priority. As the year has progressed I've acquired a variety of shorts, cropped and full length trousers and this short review is about my two favourite pairs. First there's the Berghaus Ortler Ladies' Walking Trousers.   These are lightweight, three season pants which basically means they're most suited to spring, summer and autumn conditions, but not suitable for the depths of winter.   Having now worn them on a cold windy day, I can vouch for this being the case.   However, in warmer conditions they are very comfortable indeed.   The fabric is light and breathable and temperature control is aided by the addition of a zipped vent on each leg.   The bottom of the legs can be cinched wi

One of the most demanding walks in the UK is the "Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge", which   requires walkers to climb to the peaks of Pen-y-Ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside in under 12 hours.   This entails walking a distance of 25 miles and approximately 7,000 feet of ascent in total.   Those who successfully complete the challenge within the 12 hour timeframe are eligible to join the Yorkshire Three Peaks Club.   Whilst it is certainly one of my ambitions to complete this challenge, in the first instance my aim is to concentrate on conquering the peaks one at a time. And so it was in August this year that I set off to tackle Pen-y-Ghent.   This wasn't just to be my first "Three Peaks" summit,   but also at 2,277 feet   Pen-y-Ghent is officially a mountain.   At the beginning of this year, when I took up walking seriously again, I promised myself I would start to tackle hills and eventually mountains.   It had taken a little longer than I anticipated, but