Ambleside (17th-19th April 2015)

I joined a few of the Duffers in Ambleside for the weekend, to catch up with Emily and her family who were here on holiday from the USA. We enjoyed good walks around the Scandale Horseshoe and over Loughrigg Fell, plus the obligatory pub dinners and visits to tea shops!

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Looking over High Pike to Windermere

Ardgour (2nd-7th April 2015)

Ruth and I spent six days over the Easter weekend bagging Corbetts in Ardgour, an area of fine remote hills we had not previously visited due to its lack of Munros! Particularly memorable were a sunny walk in the Kingairloch hills, an inversion on Sgurr Dhumhnuill, and scrambling on Garbh Bheinn. Eight new Corbetts over the course of the trip took my total to 83.

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Looking north over Ardgour to Sgurr na Ciche, the Glenfinnan Munros and Gulvain

Kinder Scout (21st February 2015)

Today’s walk in the Dark Peak was less sunny than I’d hoped, but more snowy! I didn’t like the look of the steep snowy road over Mam Tor into Edale (my original intended start-point), so I headed instead to Hayfield for a short-ish loop of the eastern skyline. The low cloud persisted much of the way, but it was mostly clear from Kinder Downfall onwards.

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The River Kinder, just above the Downfall

Wharfedale, Northumberland and Weardale (6th-8th February 2015)

A varied and mostly sunny long weekend based around a visit to Ian and Emma in Chester-le-Street. I broke the drive north on the Friday by bagging Yockenthwaite Moor, in Wharfedale. On the Saturday we pottered around Bamburgh on the Northumberland Coast. And on the Sunday I ticked off three more Nuttalls south of Weardale.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/DiwDTTUnmqBKwEpj9

Sunshine in the fields above the hamlet of Cray

Lake District (30th January – 1st February 2015)

With good weather forecast for the Lake District, I persuaded Ruth to let me visit at short notice for a weekend of winter walking! We enjoyed two fantastic hill days with awesome snowy views, tackling the Easedale Horseshoe on Saturday and the Newlands Horseshoe on Sunday.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/XY2Ft1pYdW8tiL8r7

Awesome views over Fleetwith Pike and (just visible!) Haystacks to Pillar

Shiel Bridge (27th December 2014 – 3rd January 2015)

For this year’s Duffers’ New Year trip, we headed to Glen Shiel, where we stayed in the spacious and comfortable Shiel Lodge. Two days of good weather to start the week made for excellent snowy walks on the South Shiel Ridge and the Five Sisters. The wetter, windier conditions that followed were still generally suitable for Corbett- and Graham-bagging. A super week!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/wPukoCwEz8n73UPUA

Alex and Alex on Beinn Bhuidhe

Visiting Alex & Ausma in Müllheim (30th October – 2nd November 2014)

For the second half of my week’s holiday I headed to Müllheim in the Black Forest to visit Alex and Ausma. I walked locally on the Thursday, exploring the foothills of the Black Forest and the vineyards of the Rhein valley. Then on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we sought higher hills (all around 1400m) in the Vosges (France), Jura (Swizerland) and Black Forest (Germany)!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/6HzbnD2jeMi22KYe9

Alex and Ausma below Hohfelsen