Author: David Pettit

I'm a keen hillwalker and hill-bagger based in Derby, UK. I also enjoy orienteering, running and playing euphonium in a brass band, but those are not likely to feature so often on my blog.

Kentmere Horseshoe (23rd April 2019)

With Easter Tuesday being a fixed holiday at Rolls-Royce and Ruth being back at work, I took the opportunity for a morning walk in the Lake District before returning to Derby. The recent theme of warm but hazy sunshine continued for my brisk anticlockwise round of the Kentmere Horseshoe, a route I’d not done for a few years.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gHdhXT2WwnpJMNug9

Blea Water and Haweswater from Mardale Ill Bell

Loch Voil, Tyndrum and Glen Lyon (18th-22nd April 2019)

As usual, Ruth and I spent the Easter long weekend Corbett-bagging in the Highlands. With Easter being late this year we’d opted mainly to camp, a decision that was well justified by the excellent warm and dry weather throughout!

As I’d been out running with friends on the preceding Wednesday evening, I made an early start on Thursday to drive up to Loch Voil via Ruth’s, arriving around noon with plenty of time for an afternoon walk up the impressively steep and craggy Stob a’ Choin. We then continued north to Tyndrum to set up camp at By The Way for the first two nights. Friday’s walk was the biggest of the trip, taking in the five Corbetts east of the A82 above the pass to Bridge of Orchy in 21 kilometres packed with over 2000m ascent. This is the only place where five Corbetts can readily be bagged in a single walk.

After breaking camp on Saturday we drove around to Glen Lyon for a couple of days. Saturday’s walk took in two rounded hills above Innerwick, Cam Chreag and Beinn Dearg. The former was grassy and the latter heathery, with both offering hazy views south to Ben Lawers and north to Loch Rannoch. With no campsite nearby, we chose a semi-wild camp by the very quiet roadside just below the dam of Loch an Daimh. Sunday’s walk at the very head of the glen proved more interesting, with Meall Buidhe and Sron a’ Choire Chnapanaich offering excellent views of Beinn Heasgarnich, Beinn a’ Chreachain and Loch an Daimh.

For the final night of the trip, we enjoyed the relative luxury of Loch Voil Hostel, the spectacular lochside setting of which was just about worth the slow and very rough four-mile drive along gravel tracks on the south side of the loch to get there! This remote base gave us the opportunity for an unusual but attractive route to Monday’s hill, Beinn Stacath, ascending via Bealach Griseach and returning via the forestry tracks below Coire Odhar.

11 Corbetts over the course of the trip took me to 185 down, 37 to go.

Full, labelled photo album at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/3J71dGw4uHA6ndHs6

A scenic lunch-spot on Stob a’ Choin, with views of the Crianlarich Munros
Sron a’ Choire Chnapanaich had superb views down Loch an Daimh

Top o’ Selside (13th April 2019)

I was taking part in the Kong Mini Mountain Marathon in Chapel Stile on the Sunday, so I headed to the Lake District for a full weekend based at Ruth’s house in Natland, where my parents also happened to be visiting. On the Saturday Ruth and I ran at Fell Foot parkrun near the foot of Windermere, then went for a couple of hours’ easy walk up nearby Marilyn, Top o’ Selside, which I had not previously bagged. This gave excellent views over Coniston Water to the Coniston Fells.

N.B. I didn’t take photos during the KMMM, but did just about have time to appreciate the great surrounding scenery as I ran through the Langdale and Easedale fells, in weather that was much better than it had been for my previous similar event last August!

Full photo album of our Top o’ Selside walk at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/5c6BHW5ZNXM2TM4DA

Coniston Water and the Coniston Fells

Fauld Crater (6th April 2019)

A few years ago my parents and I were walking near Hanbury in North Staffordshire and saw surprising signs warning of unexploded bombs! We were skeptical, but a little research on getting home that day revealed that it was the site of the Fauld Explosion, in which an arms depot accidentally blew up in 1944, in the largest explosion ever seen in the UK. But I never got around to returning to the area to get a view of the crater… until this afternoon! It was more impressive than I expected, and the short stroll fitted the bill on a rest day before tomorrow’s Loughborough Half Marathon.

Photos at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/raZ4EASufCjMFzDg8

The Fauld crater

Alport Castles and Derwent Edge (31st March 2019)

Loading my photo archive onto this blog over the past few weeks has inspired me to get back out into the Peak District more often. I devote more of my weekend time to running, orienteering and brass banding these days, but that’s given me a break from many local places that had become over-familiar and boring, such that I find myself with renewed interest in re-exploring!

With a good clear and dry forecast today, and following a couple of weeks of dry weather, it seemed a good time to head to the moors of the Dark Peak. I opted for a 28km circuit starting by Ladybower Reservoir at Ashopton Viaduct. I started by ascending via Crook Hill to Alport Castles – always a dramatic viewpoint – then dropped back down to Howden Reservoir and followed the track up to its head at Slippery Stones. Then I took the high moorland route back over Margery Hill, Back Tor and Dovestone Tor, with their interesting rock formations and great views over the Reservoirs to Bleaklow, Kinder Scout and Edale.

Just a couple of photos here. As always, the full album is on Google Photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/QgjhTWyAMMVWGFht9

Looking over The Tower at Alport Castles, to the Woodlands Valley and Kinder Scout
Win Hill, from Whinstone Lee Tor

New Year trip to Crianlarich (30th December 2018 – 6th January 2019)

I joined Dave and Jo (+ baby), Ruth and James for New Year week in Crianlarich, where I enjoyed re-visiting six Munros (including three with baby thanks to the calm, dry, non-snowy conditions!) and bagging four new Corbetts.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/GqbkUqLAmqH4mVhCA

Jo (+1), Dave and Ruth at the summit of Ben Lawers (baby’s third Munro, at just 12 weeks old!)

Band trip to the Yorkshire Dales (5th-7th October 2018)

The third biannual Rolls-Royce Band hillwalking weekend went to the Yorkshire Dales to tackle the Three Peaks Challenge. Plus photos of my solo Friday walk on Kirkby Fell, and a few survivors’ Sunday-morning walk around Gordale Scar and Malham Cove!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zBfiX33vzM5oVES27

The group below Pen-y-ghent: Andrew, Heather, Grahame, Heather, Jeff, Helen, Jo, Pete, Ian and Ben

Bank Holiday weekend in the Lake District (25th-27th August 2018)

I headed up to the Lake District for the Bank Holiday weekend. On the Saturday I walked in the Northern Fells to bag the newly-identified Nuttall of Miller Moss. On the Sunday I tackled my first Mini Mountain Marathon (of which no photos), a four-hour score event on the fells north of Ambleside. Finally, on the way home on the Monday, I bagged Ward’s Stone (a Marilyn) in the Forest of Bowland.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/V9t512Pd11z6dT2a8

Skiddaw