I took a weekend trip to the Lake District to participate in the first of this year’s Kong Mini Mountain Marathons, held on the Sunday in Kentmere. Leaving home on Saturday morning, I broke the journey with another parkrun just off the M6, this time Haigh Woodland, near Wigan. It was a lovely sunny morning for a run and the perfect time of year to visit this parkrun, with the bluebells in flower in the woods. Considering the course is a pretty accurate 5km distance and features around 80m of ascent, all in the second half, I was pleasantly surprised to reach the finish in 20:04, which seemed a little better than my recent form. I hoped I hadn’t tired out the legs excessively before the following day’s endurance race!
The finish area at Haigh Woodland parkrun
After parkrun, I pottered on to Arnside Knott, where I met the Patricks around midday in the upper car park. We spent a couple of hours pottering up to the summit at toddler pace, which gave a good opportunity to catch up for the first time this year. There were good views over the estuary into the Lake District, and inland towards the Howgill Fells.
Looking over the Kent estuaryLooking towards the Howgill FellsEmma, Ian and dufflings at the summit of Arnside Knott
I spent the rest of the day relaxing at Ruth’s house. In the evening, Andrena and Joe joined us for a chiminea barbecue – bonus opportunity to catch up with a couple more Old Duffers.
Sunday started fairly early as I had chosen a start time around 8:30am from Kentmere village, and the event parking was a mile down the valley from there. The day again dawned bright, clear and calm, but thankfully some high level cloud formed in the first hour of my run and prevented it getting too warm! My chosen route was up the Garburn Pass to the ridge then over Ill Bell to High Street, then down via Nan Bield to Mardale Head. From there, I reascended steeply to Gatesgarth Pass and a short way down the other side, then went over the ridge of Harter Fell and down to Kentmere Reservoir, and down the valley back to the village. A total of around 28km and 1600m ascent, and well-judged as I finished with just 29 seconds of the four-hour time limit to spare! A really enjoyable mountain run and excellent views throughout, but no time for photographs! I was pleased to finish in 10th place out of 129, my best result at a Kong event to date. You can see my route here: https://www.kongmmm.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#11&route=50010
I took a couple of days off work to join Ruth for a six-day long-weekend Easter break in the Highlands, based at the campsite in Roybridge. A prompt finish at work on the Tuesday afternoon and favourable traffic conditions got me into camp at a fairly civilised 10:30pm. I was glad that Ruth had arrived earlier and got the tent set up before it had started raining though!
On Wednesday, the forecast was for a grey start, with the cloud gradually lifting off the higher summits. We decided to start the trip with a walk on the Creag Meagaidh range, the main bagging objective being the far eastern Munro Top, Stob Coire Dubh. We ascended by the main Munro-baggers’ path up Carn Liath, entering the cloud at around 800m, then followed the easy-angled ridge down and back up to the Munro Top, also in the cloud but at least offering some kind of view over its corniced eastern corrie.
Looking into Coire Ardair from Na Cnapanan
We retraced our steps to Carn Liath, crossing a couple of large snowfields, then continued west over various other tops to the second Munro, Stob Poite Coire Ardair. We used our ice axes for security on a couple of the steeper slopes, but did not need crampons on the fairly soft snow. Even down at the bealach known as ‘The Window’, we had not dropped out of the cloud, so we opted to descend via Coire Ardair rather than head up onto Creag Meagaidh itself. A good covering of snow in the head of the corrie made for an enjoyable descent, breaking free of the cloud after a while to reveal impressive views of the celebrated cliffs and gullies to the south. From there, it was easy path walking all the way back to Aberarder. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1877040
Lots of snow at the head of Coire ArdairThe crags of Coire Ardair
We drove to Fort William to pick up supplies for the week at Morrison’s, before returning to camp for the night.
The next day, the forecast cloud level was lower, so we chose a route that would keep us fairly low for much of the day, but still tick off a Munro Top on Beinn Eibhinn. We caught the morning train from Roybridge station in to Corrour, and spent the next couple of hours walking along the south shore of Loch Ossian, with good views over the water to Beinn na Lap, and up the lower parts of Uisge Labhair.
Beinn na Lap across Loch Ossian
From there it was a fairly steep climb up to the Munro Top, Meall Glas Choire, which was just in the cloud. We continued up the ridge to the summit of Beinn Eibhinn, crossing a few more large snow patches on the way, then retraced our steps and descended via Mullach Coire nan Nead (which I had visited previously). Part way down from there to the minor top of Creagan an Amair, we dropped back out of the cloud, to reveal the best views of the day, over Strath Ossian and Loch Ossian.
Strath Ossian
Once back at the Lodge, it was just a few miles of easy track walking back along the north side of the loch to the station. We arrived with a little over half an hour to spare before the mid-afternoon northbound train was due, and it turned out to be running about half an hour late anyway. Nevertheless, we were soon back in Roybridge to cook and then head to the pub for an evening drink. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1877046
The weather looked more promising again on Friday, with a 90% chance of cloud free Munros by late morning, so we decided to head up onto the Grey Corries, where I needed to bag another two Munro Tops. Driving up the Lairig Leacach track a mile or so beyond Corriechoille meant the initial track approach wasn’t too long. It seemed a long way up the broad northern slopes to Stob Coire Gaibhre, in the cloud again. From there, the gradient and terrain was much easier up the ridge towards Stob Choire Claurigh. A little short of the summit, we diverted off the main ridge to follow the easterly spur to Stob Coire na Ceannain, the other Top I needed to bag. This ridge offered pleasant easy scrambling and a good feeling of exposure despite the lack of visibility! Luckily there was no snow on the crest to make it tricky.
The rocky ridge to Stob Coire na Ceannain
Having returned to the main ridge, it was only a few minutes’ further climb to the first Munro. Disappointingly, the cloud didn’t show any sign of clearing as we continued west over the various tops to the second Munro, Stob Coire an Laoigh, but the well defined rocky and snowy crest of the ridge made for an enjoyable walk anyway.
The snowiest section of the Grey Corries ridge
The wind was a bit too chilly to linger for a long time in hope of improvement, so we descended north via Beinn na Socaich, intermittently breaking out of the cloud there to give some views over the corniced eastern crags. An easy descent of the northern slopes and a more awkward crossing of the Allt Choimhlidh below the small hydro dam brought us back onto the forestry tracks that led back to the car. Even by then, the cloud hadn’t properly cleared the ridge, with only a couple of the lower saddles appearing below the cloud base. Better luck next time! Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1877049
The best views we got towards Aonach Beag
Saturday was another day with a better forecast in the afternoon. That meant there was plenty of time in the morning for me to take the short trip to Nevis Range for a run at Fort William parkrun. This is an attractive course on the forest tracks and trails, mostly downhill in the first half but inevitably mostly uphill to the finish!
Afterwards, we opted to head to nearby Graham, Cnap Cruinn. We had previously walked half way up one very wet and windy early-January day a few years ago, so hoped for more favourable conditions to motivate us to complete the ascent this time! It turned out to be the clearest afternoon of the trip so far, with most of the surrounding Munro summits clearing at least some of the time. The hill was just high enough for the summit ridge to offer easy walking on short heather, so we made the effort to walk along to the northern end and enjoy the views before descending back to Inverlair. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1877052
Ruth on Cnap Cruinn, with views of the Loch Treig Munros
On Sunday, we had another leisurely morning in the campsite, reading and relaxing as the weather improved. Around 11am, I set off up the valley for walk over the two attractive Grahams south of Loch Laggan, Binnein Shios and Binnein Shuas. Ruth was suffering with a sore knee so opted for a proper rest day. I was surprised to find that the layby at the foot of the track into Corrour was almost full – popular with mountain bikers I think.
I followed the advice in the Graham guidebook and headed for the further peak first, following the forestry tracks around the back of Loch Laggan before making the very rough ascent through tussocky grass onto the ridge of Binnein Shios. As I got above the bealach, the ground improved a little, but it was still quite hard going all the way to the top, with lots of dispiriting false summits! It was worth it for the views over Loch Laggan to Creag Meagaidh though, as well as over Lochan na h-Earba and along the ridge to Binnein Shuas.
Loch Laggan and Creag MeagaidhCreag Pitridh and Binnein Shuas
I found slightly better trods on the way down to the col, and the re-ascent the other side was on easier grassy ground. Good visibility made it easy to determine the best route up between the large crags onto the upper terraces of the second hill, which had lots of interesting rocky outcrops to appreciate, and good views back to Binnein Shios. It was only a short descent west to rejoin the track to the car, and the full descent took less than an hour. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1879967
Approaching the summit of Binnein Shuas
On the final morning of the trip, Ruth again chose to rest while I nipped up another nearby Graham, Creag Dhubh. This was a very short walk of only about 2.5km from the small car park by the chapel of Cille Choirill, and quite fast going as the slopes were fairly gentle and mostly short grass. The mist was swirling around most of the surrounding Munros, but broke for long enough to give decent views of the Grey Corries and Aonach Mor, as well as the Loch Treig Munros. Soon I was back at the car to start the drive back to Ruth’s house in Natland. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1879968
The Loch Treig Munros and Aonach Mor, from Creag Dhubh
Ruth was back at work on the Tuesday, while Rolls-Royce had a day of fixed holiday, so I stayed the Monday night at her house and spent the Tuesday morning tackling a three-hour MapRun score course on the outlying fells around Staveley, set up by Saunders as a training exercise for their main Mountain Marathon later in the year. Very enjoyable in the sunshine, although pretty exhausting as I haven’t done a three hour run or any run this hilly for several months! I was pleased to finish in second place, out of the 51 people who’ve had a go at the course since it was published in January. Clear flowing motorways made for an easy drive back to Derby after lunch at Ruth’s house.
Overall, not a bad week in the Highlands despite the disappointing cloud levels. It was generally dry and the winds were mostly light, and I ticked off four new Munro Tops (only 10 to go now!) and four new Grahams (taking me past a quarter done), as well as revisiting various Munros and Tops.
I took advantage of an empty weekend to tick off some Marilyns in the unfamiliar terrain of the Forest of Dean and Herefordshire. Travelling from home on the Saturday morning, I broke my journey in Redditch for a run at Arrow Valley parkrun, a flat course of two differing laps around a lake, and was pleased to finish comfortably inside my current target of 20 minutes.
Another hour’s driving then took me to May Hill Village, from where it was only a short ascent to the hill of the same name. Once I’d taken in the views, I headed west, following a section of the Wysis Way as I made my way over a couple of lower ridges to Mitcheldean, then through the woods to Drybrook and up to the summit of Ruardean Hill, where a marker proclaimed it to be the highest point in the Forest of Dean. I descended south through the woods then followed the Gloucestershire Way most of the way back to May Hill Village. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1870223
Looking back to May HillDrybrook
On my way to my Airbnb in Fownhope, I paused for a short walk up Seagar Hill, which proved to be an excellent viewpoint for the Malvern Hills. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1870227 Once I’d settled in to my accommodation, had a couple of cups of tea and showered, I enjoyed a pub dinner at the New Inn before bed.
The Malvern Hills, from Seager Hill
Sunday dawned just as sunny as Saturday had been. I started the day with a short walk on Aconbury Hill, surprisingly owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, which is covered in attractive forest and has extensive defensive earthworks near the summit. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1870229
On the ridge of Aconbury Hill
Then I drove further west to Grosmont. I had a quick look around the castle before starting off on my walk up Graig Syfyrddin, the Welsh name befitting its location just west of the border. The ascent was through a mixture of forest and pasture, and gave good views of Garway Hill (which I would visit later) and towards the Black Mountains. Lots of fallen trees and branches in the woods provided evidence of the recent stormy weather. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1870238
Looking up to Garway Hill from Grosmont CastleYsgyryd Fawr, the Sugar Loaf, and the Black Mountains, from Graig SyfyrddinHay Bluff in the distance
It was only a very short drive to Kentchurch for the start of my final walk of the day, up Garway Hill. I chose a clockwise loop, traversing north of the hill then following the Herefordshire Trail south over the summit and back to the start point. Although not as high as Graig Syfyrddin, the hill felt wilder thanks to the unimproved moorland terrain at the top. Once again, I enjoyed views towards the Black Mountains as well as some of the other peaks I’d visited this weekend. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1870242
Looking west from Garway Hill towards Graig Syfyrddin and the Black MountainsBlossom on the descent from Garway Hill
Six Marilyns bagged over the two days (five in England and one in Wales) takes me to 747 in total. I only have 25 to go in England now, mostly near the south coast, plus a few in West Cumbria and Northumberland.
After a couple of sunny weekends distracted by running and orienteering, I finally managed to keep a day clear for a good walk in the Peak District, a clockwise round of part of the Woodlands Valley. The start of British Summer Time unwelcomely shortened my sleep by an hour, but I needed to be out early to bag a parking place in the popular layby at Ashopton!
After a couple of kilometres around the shore of Ladybower Reservoir and across the dam, I was soon climbing steeply up Parkin Clough onto Win Hill. There were quite a few people about already this sunny morning, fellrunning, mountain biking and walking. A bit of early haze seemed to gradually clear as I continued over Hope Brink and past Hope Cross, up onto the eastern end of Kinder Scout, giving good views up Edale and towards Derwent Edge.
Ladybower Reservoir and Derwent Edge, from Win HillEdale
I walked along the northern edge of the plateau, along Blackden Edge, around the head of Blackden Brook, then along Seal Edge. After the busy bridleways over Win Hill, this was a real contrast, almost totally deserted!
Alport Dale, from Blackden EdgeBlackden Edge
I then descended beside Fair Brook, which was dry at the top but had some attractive cascades lower down.
Fair Brook
After a short section up the (currently closed) Snake Pass past the (former) Snake Inn, I re-ascended through the forest to pick up the traversing footpath to Hayridge Farm, pausing for a lunch break on Cowms Moor. Soon I was at the foot of Alport Dale, which I ascended to reach Alport Castles, before following the ridge back to the southeast over Rowlee Pastures and Crook Hill, pretty much back to the car.
Looking over the Hope Cross ridge towards Mam Tor
A lovely day to be out on a long walk in the hills.
With a few more days of 2021 annual leave to use up before Easter, I took Friday off for a long weekend of hillwalking in the Lakes, based at Ruth’s house. After the wet and windy weather on her visit to mine two weeks ago, I was pleased that she had not laid on the same treat for me, with dry and bright conditions expected for all three days!
On the Friday, the best of the sunshine sounded like it would be in the south, so I headed to Coniston for an anticlockwise round of the fells. My ascent route to Wetherlam was a little indirect, following the valley up to Levers Water – passing an impressive waterfall that I was not convinced I’d seen before – then heading up the rocky south ridge of Black Sails. I was in sunshine but I could see that the Scafell group was intermittently in the cloud, while Helvellyn was still well enveloped.
The waterfall below Levers WaterLooking towards the Old Man, from Black Sails
From Wetherlam, it was pretty much the standard route via Swirl How to Great Carrs, where I paused for lunch, then on to Grey Friar, by which time even Helvellyn had cleared, looking much snowier than anything else. On the Coniston Fells there was just a light dusting on the tops, gradually reducing to be just the northern slopes as the sun melted the rest.
Looking over Great Carrs to the Scafell range, from Swirl HowThe Matterhorn Rock, on Grey Friar, with Helvellyn in the distance
I continued south along the ridge, with the cold breeze behind me, to Brim Fell, the Old Man, and finally to Dow Crag. From there I dropped down to the Walna Scar road and followed that back to the village.
The snowy north face of the Old Man of Coniston
Ruth joined me on Saturday for a big walk from Seathwaite at the head of Borrowdale – not a place I have often visited since it used to be the base of our CUHWC New Year trips all those years ago! We ascended via Sour Milk Gill to gain the rocky south ridge of Base Brown, soon escaping the frosty valley into the warmer sunshine and enjoying the views north down the valley towards Derwent Water.
Borrowdale from Base Brown
We continued up the ridge to Green Gable, a particularly fine viewpoint in these clear conditions, with Great Gable looming overhead, and longer-distance views west down Ennerdale, northwest to Grasmoor, north to Skiddaw and Blencathra, east to the Langdale Pikes and Helvellyn range, and south to the Scafell range. As yesterday, the northern slopes were white with a thin layer of snow, with most of the rest of the terrain clear.
Great Gable, Kirk Fell and PIllarRuth on Green Gable, looking towards the Scafell range
A short drop to Windy Gap was followed by a short but steep climb up to the summit of Great Gable, where we didn’t linger long in the cold wind before dropping back down again to Styhead Pass. There we picked up the Corridor Route, with excellent views of Piers Gill and Lingmell, to eventually reach the tourist path that led us to the summit of Scafell Pike – a busy spot as usual! We continued along the rocky ridge in search of shelter, eventually finding somewhere good for lunch on the way up Great End.
Looking over Styhead Pass from Great GableLingmell
From there, we dropped down to Esk Hause before re-ascending a short distance to Allen Crags and continuing north along the ridge to Glaramara. Descending northwest, we were surprised to find the iciest conditions of the day on the short down-scramble off the summit – tricky enough that, without winter gear, we opted to head back up and bypass the crags to the north. To add to the late excitement, my glasses unexpectedly lost a screw so, having retrieved the lens but inevitably failed to find screw itself, I had to finish the walk in my sunglasses! Soon we were on the steep path directly back down to Seathwaite.
Descending from Scafell Pike, with views towards Bow FellThe ridge of Glaramara
On Sunday, Josh also joined us for a somewhat shorter walk from Ambleside. We started past the Stockghyll Force waterfall, which I don’t think I’d actually visited before, before continuing steeply up to Wansfell Pike.
Stockghyll Force
From there, we followed the boggy ridge north over Baystones to the road, then ascended the drier ridge of Broad End onto St Raven’s Crag. We picked up the good path back down to the top of the Kirkstone Pass, and up the other side onto Red Screes, pausing for lunch in a sheltered spot two-thirds of the way up. That just left a stroll down the easy-angled south ridge back to Ambleside. Once we were back at Ruth’s, Josh cooked a tasty roast chicken dinner before I headed home – a bonus to end the weekend!
Ruth and Josh on Red Screes, looking towards Ill BellLooking over Middle Dodd into Patterdale
Three cracking days in the hills, with enough snow about to make it feel a bit wintry but enough sunshine to feel like spring when out of the breeze too.
Ruth visited me in Hilton for a weekend at the end of her half term week. Unfortunately it was a particularly wet weekend in the Midlands. We started Saturday with a trip to Conkers parkrun, just about completed before the rain arrived, followed by coffee at the Farrows’ house. After lunch back home, waiting for the worst of the rain to pass, we headed out to Cannock Chase for an afternoon stroll through the Shugborough Estate and back over the chase.
Essex Bridge, over the River TrentCherrytree Slade
On Sunday, the best weather window seemed to be late morning, so we had a leisurely start before heading up to Thorpe for a three-hour walk. We dropped down Lin Dale to reach the Dovedale stepping stones – very much underwater with the river in spate – and continued up the valley as far as Milldale. From there, we turned east to pick up the Tissington Trail back to Thorpe. There had been a some of light rain to start and end the walk, but the bulk of it had been in the dry. We had lunch in the car before returning to mine, then Ruth headed home.
I decided to try out a trip with the Gentian Mountaineering and Hillwalking Club, which seemed like it might be more focussed on hillwalking and less on rambling or rock-climbing than many other clubs, and have members mostly based in the Midlands. Due to the Covid situation, this ‘Welsh Winter’ meet was not based in shared bunkhouse accommodation, but a more informal affair where attendees each found their own places to stay and just met each day for walks. With a few days of carried over 2021 annual leave needing to be used by Easter, I was happy to take the Friday and Monday off to make it four days in the hills. I based myself at the Vagabond Bunkhouse, more of a hostel really, in Betws-y-Coed, which proved to be quiet, economical and convenient but rather chilly!
On the Friday, I had arranged to meet up with Mike and Stuart, two long-time Gentian members, for a walk up the northern Glyderau from Nant Peris. We parked at the Park and Ride car park and soon set off up the footpath up Cwm Cneifio as we got to know each other, with good views towards Crib Goch.
Looking towards Crib Goch and Crib y Ddysgl
Soon after passing Llyn y Cwn, we entered the cloud, which was gradually dropping after a fairly bright start. The top 100m or so of Y Garn had a light covering of snow and rime, and there was the remains of a cornice on the eastern edges of the ridge. Sadly we remained in the cloud as we continued north over Foel-goch and Mynydd Perfedd to the rocky summit of Carnedd y Filiast, finally dropping out of it as we descended towards Marchlyn Bach, revealing good views north over Anglesey.
Mike and Stuart on Carnedd y Filiast
Our descent was on zigzagging tracks through the abandoned Dinorwic slate quarry, which had lots of interesting and dramatic sights to enjoy up close, as well as good views over the valley to the Snowdon range. Afterwards I joined Stuart for a cup of tea at the MAM hut, Glan Dena, where he was staying, before returning to Betws-y-Coed for dinner.
Saturday’s group walk offering was a little short for my taste, on the northernmost reaches of the Carneddau, and nobody else was tempted by my offering on Snowdon. I chose to do my own thing anyway and stuck with my advertised plan, starting in Llanberis. Again, the day started quite bright but the cloud dropped progressively through the morning. Moel Eilio was clear as I set off from the village, but well in the cloud by the time I reached the summit about an hour later. I did drop out of the cloud at the saddles before Foel Gron and Moel Cynghorion at least.
Early morning sunshine through the Llanberis PassMoel Cynghorion
Once over Moel Cynghorion, I joined the Snowdon Ranger path and followed that the rest of the way up Snowdon, reaching the snowline at around 900m and joining the masses where the path converged with the popular Llanberis and Pyg/Miners tracks. An icy cold wind and dampness in the cloud encouraged me not to linger for long at the summit, which was a shame as I could see blue sky above and suspected that lingering might have yielded views if the cloud were just to drop by another few metres! So once I’d donned an extra layer and had some lunch in the lee of the café building, I marched off down the Llanberis path, parallel with the railway (not in operation at this time of year, of course), overtaking plenty of others as I went. Brisk walking and not many stops meant the full walk had only taken me five hours!
I had a leisurely afternoon reading back at the hostel, then met up with a few of the others for dinner at the Plas y Brenin outdoor centre – something I did not previously know they offered to non-residents!
On Sunday, I met up with Mike and Stuart again for a walk that Mike and I had, by chance, independently suggested, around Cwm Eigiau in the eastern Carneddau. As it was a fairly long route, we convened just before 8:30am to make the most of the available daylight. Surprisingly, the small car park at the head of the road was almost full at this early hour!
After an easy approach to Llyn Eigiau along tracks, the initial ascent was on small trods through rough heather onto the north ridge of Pen Llithrig y Wrach. Once we’d passed the northern top, the path became better defined and made for easier going the rest of the way to the summit. We enjoyed fine views over Cwm Eigiau and the route ahead, although Carnedd Llewelyn was in the cloud.
Ascending above Llyn EigiauPen yr Helgi Du ahead
After a snack by the summit, we continued west, dropping steeply then reascending the craggy ridge to Pen yr Helgi Du. The descent west from there required a little easy scrambling, with dramatic views over Ffynnon Llugwy below, before the final ascent up to Carnedd Llewelyn. We entered the cloud not far above the saddle, but could tell at times that there was brightness above and I remained hopeful that the forecast possibility of an inversion might be right. Sure enough, only around 50m below the summit, we did emerge into the clear sunshine to enjoy all-around views over the cloud as we had our lunch. No other peaks seemed to be consistently clear, with only brief glimpses of Carnedd Dafydd to the southwest, and surprisingly none of Snowdon beyond that.
Descending from Pen yr Helgi DuInversion around Carnedd LlewelynMike and Stuart at the summit of Carnedd Llewelyn
We followed the easy-angled ridge north over Foel Grach and Carnedd Gwenllian, then made a pathless descent northeast over easy grass to outflank the crags and steep ground before turning south to reach the pretty hidden lake of Dulyn. A couple of dramatic waterfalls tumble down the cliffs into the northern end of the lake. A short final re-ascent led us to Melynllyn, from where an easy track led us all the way back to the cars. A fantastic day out in the high hills!
On Monday, I finally got the chance to meet all the rest of the Gentian members on the trip, as we all walked together up Moel Siabod. The forecast was for a grey day with low cloud, so I wasn’t hopeful of many views and, sure enough, we didn’t have to ascend far before we entered the murk. We traversed the eastern slopes of the hill, past a couple of small lakes, to reach the bottom of the Daear Ddu ridge, a pleasant easy scramble leading directly to the summit.
To my surprise, it soon became clear that there was blue sky not far above us again, and we were really pleased to break out into the sunshine at around 700m! The peaks of Cadair Idris were visible in the distance to the south, along with others less far away to the southwest – Moelwyn Mawr and Moel Hebog perhaps. We also enjoyed seeing lots of Brocken Spectres to our right, with the cloud below us in the cwm above Llyn y Foel.
Daear Ddu above the cloudBrocken SpectreDeb on the ridge
Once we’d clambered up the remainder of the ridge, the summit of Moel Siabod gave even an better panorama, with the high Snowdonian peaks of Snowdon, the Glyders and Carneddau coming into view. We had lunch in the warm sunshine by the summit trig point, with not a breath of wind to chill us. Then, having said my goodbyes, I made a brisk solo descent of the north ridge then tracks and paths through the forest and along the river back to the start, to make sure I was back in Derby in time for band rehearsal. Not long until the Midlands Championships!
Snowdon, the Glyders and the CarneddauLooking towards SnowdonInversion, from Moel SiabodDeb, Mick, Mike, Stuart, Sheena, Ted, Simon and Danni
All in all a very good weekend away enjoying time in the hills with like-minded companions. Even though many of the members are significantly older than me, it felt like we had plenty in common, and I look forward to trying one of their more normal bunkhouse meets at some point later in the year. The cloud inversions on Carnedd Llewelyn and Moel Siabod make it truly a weekend to remember!
After an enforced break from the standard routine last year, Ruth and I resumed normal service with a Christmas trip to our parents’ house in Minehead, and New Year week in the Highlands. Ruth’s boyfriend Josh joined us for both trips.
We drove down to Somerset after work on Wednesday 22nd, and the next day took a local family walk in the afternoon, starting in Bossington, walking down to the pebble beach of Porlock Bay, up to Hurlstone Point, then back around the slopes of Bossington Hill.
Mum, Dad, Ruth and Josh on the cliffs near Hurlstone Point
Christmas Eve was damper, so Mum and I just took a quick stroll down to Minehead seafront before listening to the carol service from King’s in the afternoon. Christmas Day was so wet that we didn’t leave the house at all! And finally, on Boxing Day morning Dad and I went for a trail run over Periton Hill. Then after lunch we tackled the long-ish drive north to Ruth’s house via mine, not meeting any significant traffic or delay.
Low tide at Minehead harbour
Our New Year destination was about as close as any in the Highlands could be, as we were staying in Callander for the week. It was less than three hours’ drive from Natland to Stirling, where we paused for a walk up to the castle, lunch in an excellent café nearby, and grocery shopping at Sainsbury’s. A further half hour’s drive brought us to our Airbnb flat close to the centre of Callander – not the prettiest property we’ve stayed in for New Year but very convenient, cosy, well-equipped and quiet.
Tuesday’s forecast was relatively promising with light winds and a good chance of cloud-free summits from mid-morning onwards, so we decided to start with the highest nearby hills, Stob Binnein and Ben More. We tackled them from the south, starting at Inverlochlarig, in order to include the two southern Munro Tops of Stob Binnein. The walk began, just before sunrise, with a steep 600m climb directly up the hillside to Stob Invercarnaig, which we were surprised was well-enough walked to have a clear path that significantly aided progress. From there, the angle eased, although we were walking in the mist as we continued up Na Staidhrichean. Above around 700m, there was a reasonable coverage of fairly crisp snow.
On the Munro Top of Stob Coire an Lochain, the cloud parted for a few moments to give glimpses of the Munros to the west, Beinn Tulaichean and Cruach Ardrain, but then closed in again. We continued up to Stob Binnein, where we were pleased that the cloud broke up more convincingly to reveal the westerly half of the view, the higher hills looking beautiful with their sunlit snow caps.
Cruach Ardrain, from Stob BinneinCloud shrouding Stob Coire an LochainCruach Ardrain
We continued north, dropping down around 300m to the bealach between the two Munros, passing at a distance one person going the other way having ascended Ben More from the north. A steep 300m reascent, passing a few other groups going down, brought us to the summit of Ben More, which was in cloud as we arrived but cleared out as we ate our lunch in the shelter of the summit rocks, giving good views towards Ben Lawers in particular, as well as back to Stob Binnein.
Looking back to Stob BinneinLooking southeast from Ben More
We retraced our steps down and back up to Stob Binnein and Stob Coire an Lochain, with more excellent views south and east, then turned east to follow the ridge to the other Munro Top, Meall na Dige. Nobody had been this way since the snow fell, so I broke the trail for the others. Descending southwards, we reached the snowline around an hour before sunset, and got back to the car just before dark. A great winter day in the hills!
Josh and Ruth on Stob BinneinSunset over Stob a’ Choin
Wednesday was milder, wetter and windier. Josh was working, while Ruth and I opted for an afternoon walk up the popular Trossachs Graham of Ben Venue, hoping that the best of the weather would be late in the day as forecast. We followed the standard route up from Loch Achray via Gleann Riabhach and up the ridge, staying below the cloud except for the final 100m or so, but not really seeing any distant views. The wind seemed to pick up as we approached the twin summits, which were extremely blustery, and was definitely stronger as we headed back down the valley than it had been on the ascent. We passed only one other person, a fellrunner descending.
The wind dropped a little on Thursday, so Ruth and I headed to another Munro, Meall nan Tarmachan. This was Ruth’s choice as she hadn’t previously done the full and much-celebrated ridge. The mild weather meant there was no difficulty driving up to the top of the pass between Ben Lawers and Meall nan Tarmachan to start the walk at around 450m. We went clockwise, starting with the walk west along the traversing tracks below the ridge, in order to have the wind behind us as we returned east along the ridge.
Creag na Caillich, the western top of the Tarmachan Ridge
Sadly, once we were up on the ridge, we were persistently in the cloud and couldn’t enjoy any views. Nevertheless, the path was easy to follow with almost all the snow having melted as the summit temperatures were well above freezing. We could still appreciate the pointy summit of Meall Garbh, and the frozen lochan between there and Meall nan Tarmachan. We passed one group of three going the other way along the ridge, and a few others on the lower slopes as we descended by the main path.
New Year’s Eve was a very wet day. Ruth and Josh opted for a quick walk up Ben Ledi, but I wasn’t very motivated by that plan as we’d done it in similar conditions a few years ago. Instead, I walked solo, directly from the flat, heading southwest to the 427m Marilyn summit of Beinn Dearg. Most of the ascent was on good forest tracks, as far as the transmitters on Ben Gullipen. Then the final kilometre or so was on a surprisingly well-walked trod along the ridge. The mist had been right down to the village, so there were again no views to enjoy. I descended past remote Lochan Balloch and along its outflow burn to reach forest tracks above Loch Venachar that led me back to Callander in a loop of around 15km.
New Year’s Day’s forecast in the Trossachs was no better, with storm force winds expected and frequent showers. It looked much better to the south though, so I started the day with a parkrun at Plean Country Park, just south of Stirling, while Ruth and Josh took a stroll around the park. This was a tough, rough and hilly course that made for a good challenge to start my running year! It turned out, in post-finish conversation, that the man who pipped me to 6th place had been the man we passed at a distance on descent from Stob Binnein a few days previously!
Afterwards, we headed a few miles northeast to the Ochil Hills, which we had not previously visited. We parked in Tillicoultry and started by following tracks traversing west to Silver Glen. There we picked up a large track up onto Ben Ever, and a well-trodden path from there up to Ben Cleuch, the highest hill in the range and high enough to be a Graham. For the first time since Tuesday, the cloud was above the summit, and we had good views over the surrounding peaks of the Ochils, and the Forth valley to the south.
Ascending to Ben EverSunshine over the Forth valley
We had a bite to eat in the shelter of the summit cairn, then re-emerged into the strong winds to continue along the ridge, after a short detour to The Law, to Andrew Gannel Hill, then down and back up to King’s Seat Hill. A good path led from there back down the ridge to Mill Glen and Tillicoultry.
Ascending King’s Seat Hill, with Ben Cleuch in the distanceThe large cairn on King’s Seat Hill
The final day of the trip looked a bit more promising on the high hills, with the forecast suggesting passing showers and manageable winds. We decided to tackle Ben Vorlich and Stuc a’ Chroin from the south, starting at Braeleny, just a couple of miles up the lane east of Callander. Although our walk started fairly dry, by the time we’d covered the three kilometres along the track to Arivurichardich the rain had become heavy enough to merit waterproof trousers.
Gleann a’ Chroin
It only got wetter as we ascended gradually north onto the ridge, and by that point Ruth and Josh had decided they only wanted to visit Stuc a’ Chroin (although I would still have been up for the full planned circuit). We did get a few views over Gleann an Dubh Choirein towards Ben Vorlich as we ascended, but the rain never paused, and the summit itself was well in the cloud. We didn’t stop for long at the cairn before returning the way we’d come and heading back to the flat to warm up and dry out over tea and cake.
Overall, a disappointing week of weather, with only the one good day in the Highlands proper, plus one in the Ochils. We did well to stay motivated enough to get out in the hills every day despite the rain, wind and low cloud! I can add a couple of new Grahams and a couple of Munro Tops to my tally at least.
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