Alex and Ausma’s Stag/Hen weekend (27th-29th September 2013)

Alex and Ausma’s stag and hen weekend was held in Littondale, in the Yorkshire Dales. We walked on Firth Fell and around Malham, completing various challenges along the way. Ruth and I also found time for a spot of Nuttall-bagging on Fountains Fell on Sunday morning!

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Limestone pavement above Malham

Maurienne valley, French Alps (11th-25th August 2013)

This year’s main summer holiday was to the Marienne valley in the French Alps, with Ruth, Alison, Ian and Emma. Staying in the village of Termignon, we spent eleven days sampling the excellent walking, scrambling, via ferrata and mountaineering in and around the Vanoise National Park. We then spread the drive home over a few days to visit a few cities and sights along the way.

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Pointe de l’Échelle

Cairngorms (15th-18th July 2013)

Ruth and I spent another week in the Highlands, starting in the Cairngorms, as that was where the forecast was best. On the first two days, we visited the two Corbetts by Gaick Pass, and Braeriach. Then Ruth was on a course at Glenmore Lodge for a couple of days, so I did a solo bothy trip to the Hutchison Memorial Hut to tick off another Corbett (Creag Mhor) and a few Munro Tops.

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Loch Avon, with Bynack More beyond, from the summit of Stacan Dubha

Brecon Beacons (6th-7th July 2013)

To make the most of the sunny weather, I spent the weekend in the Brecon Beacons – my first visit since 2004! On Saturday I did a long-ish walk to tick off a few Nuttalls and Deweys in the east of the range. On Sunday I opted for a shorter walk near Storey Arms, so I could head home in time to watch Andy Murray triumph in the Wimbledon final.

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Looking past Fan y Big and Cribyn to Pen y Fan

Ian and Emma’s Stag/Hen weekend (28th-30th June 2013)

I went up to eastern Cumbria for Ian and Emma’s joint Stag/Hen weekend, staying at Bents Camping Barn near Kirkby Stephen. Among other activities including canoeing on Ullswater and a pub dinner in Ravenstonedale (of which no photos), we did two short walks in the nearby limestone fells, fortuitously including two HuMPs!

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The group above Bents Camping Barn

Snowdonia (8th-9th June 2013)

The weather forecast was too good not to go to the hills, so I made an impromptu trip to Snowdonia. On Saturday, I did a long-ish walk from Bethesda over Carnedd Dafydd, Pen yr Ole Wen, Y Garn and Elidir Fawr. On Sunday, I did the classic traverse of Tryfan, Bristly Ridge and the Glyders, descending via Gallt yr Ogof. Brilliant warm sunshine throughout, and pretty good visibility too!

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Looking back to Tryfan from Bristly Ridge

Assynt (27th May – 1st June 2013)

Ruth, Jo and Alison stayed up in the Highlands with me for the week following my Munro completion. For the first few days, we headed to Assynt, where we camped at Ardmair Point and had fantastic weather for substantial walks on Ben More Assynt and Conival (plus the Corbett of Glas Bheinn), Cul Mor and Cul Beag, and An Teallach (plus a few Munro Tops!). On Friday we drove down to Glen Shiel, pausing en route to climb Ben Wyvis in the rain, and on Saturday we climbed Ben Tee before the long drive home. 44 Corbetts down, 177 to go!

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Looking over Loch an Doire Dhuibh to Stac Pollaidh

Munro completion weekend (25th-27th May 2013)

After six years of dedicated bagging, the Bank Holiday weekend was the appointed date of my Munro completion. We stayed in Edinburgh on Friday and Saturday nights, making a day-trip to the Lomond Hills on Saturday before going to watch Ausma play with the Meadows Orchestra. Then on Sunday, fourteen friends joined me for the ascent of Schiehallion, my final Munro, with champagne and cake on the summit and a celebratory dinner afterwards at the Loch Tummel Inn. On Monday, a few of us climbed the nearby Corbett of Beinn a’ Chuallaich.

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Heading up the ridge of Schiehallion

Dresden and the Sächsische Schweiz (19th-21st April 2013)

For the second weekend of the trip, I headed south to Saxony with Adam, an English colleague from the RRD office. We hired a car and drove down to Dresden on the Friday night, and explored the city centre on Saturday morning. Then we headed into the nearby Sächsische Schweiz National Park, in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, where we spent the afternoon visiting the hilltop fortress of Festung Königstein. On Sunday we went for a walk from Bad Schandau to Schmilka through the mountains, made a brief foray into the Czech Republic, and finally visited Bastei to see the famous bridge. An excellent, varied weekend!

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View from Carolafelsen