A homepage for my hillwalking photos
As usual, I headed to the Highlands for the long Easter weekend. An awesome few days in the hills with sunshine every day, snow on the high ground, and probably the best air clarity I’ve seen in Scotland. Hills were mainly chosen based on the others’ bagging needs this time, but I did tick off a couple of new Corbetts and a Munro Top!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/8Demd1aUrqz5dVVaA
I went on a three-week business trip to Rolls-Royce Deutschland to provide Thermals support for a new engine being developed there. I made the most of the two weekends to explore most of well-known landmarks in the city and surrounding area.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/mTcvu82o3LjBJSN9A
I made my first visit of the year to the Dark Peak, where I enjoyed sunshine all day for a circuit from Ladybower Reservoir. I started on the familiar ridge of Derwent Edge, then looped back round to the east to explore some of the hills around Bradfield Dale.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/2uH1R6y3Vu1S8K4E9
Mum and Dad visited for the weekend. On the Saturday, we walked in the Manifold and Dove valleys, starting in Ilam.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/7dWq6wGAzDNM2TCY8
For today’s local walk in the White Peak, I started in Winster and did a circuit to the northwest, including Stanton Moor, Lathkill Dale and Robin Hood’s Stride. A good cloud inversion in the Derwent Valley lasted most of the morning, and the sun shone most of the day. At 36km, this was my longest walk in almost a year.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/8Vyu2TPYkbpBpuYGA
I joined CUHWC for a weekend in Eskdale, staying once again at the Eskdale Centre near Boot. On Saturday, I did a snowy horseshoe of Bowfell, Esk Pike and Scafell Pike from Brotherilkeld. On Sunday, I opted for a shorter, lower-level walk to tick off the nearby Marilyn of Muncaster Fell.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/eFHNingoR3y67NSj6
I visited Ruth in Carnforth for the weekend. On Saturday, we enjoyed sunshine, superb visibility and well-frozen ground for our walk in the North Pennines from Dufton. Sunday, in constrast, was rather grey and windy, so we opted for two short walks up outlying Marilyns of the Forest of Bowland: Longridge Fell and Easington Fell.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZgwNLVzBhzpxdhJQ8
Finding myself with an empty diary for the weekend, I made an impromptu trip to Shropshire to tick off a few Marilyns, staying at Wilderhope Manor youth hostel. Saturday’s walk took in the Clee Hills, with snow on the tops, and Sunday’s visited a few lower hills around Craven Arms.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/kJuRojn1ZYmh7uhc7
This year’s Duffers’ New Year trip was to Kingussie, where fifteen of us rented a spacious and comfortable ‘cottage’, the former posthouse. This proved to be an excellent base for walks in the Cairngorms and Monadhliath, and we managed to reach a summit every day, despite strong winds all week. A few of us spent a couple of days in Aviemore before the main trip started. I ticked off three new Munros (281 down, 1 to go!) plus five that I’d done before, two Corbetts and two smaller Marilyns, plus a few Tops.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/fTRksb68RZLBXV9NA
I visited Ruth in Carnforth for the weekend. On Saturday, we headed to Wharfedale, in the Yorkshire Dales, for a snowy round of Great Whernside, Buckden Pike and Birks Fell. Sunday’s shorter walk was from Longsleddale, in the SE Lakes, taking in my final two Lake District Nuttalls.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/mNqWybDaP5AuvfMb9
Today’s local walk started at the Cat and Fiddle Inn, between Buxton and Macclesfield, and explored some of the minor summits to the west and north: an area I had barely previously visited. A decent day out, though the weather was not as amazing as forecast.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/rL6RYJG4FEjgwmFQ9
On the way back from a weekend in Saltash, Ruth and I broke the journey north by visiting a couple of Marilyns near our route up the M5: Christ Cross, near Collumpton, and Staple Hill, the highest point of the Blackdown Hills.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/vM8DifyZEieDHVTR8
I joined CUHWC for their weekend trip to Snowdonia, staying near Capel Curig (though I opted for the youth hostel at Betws-y-Coed). Despite showers on Saturday and low cloud on Sunday, I enjoyed two good walks, on the northern Moelwynion with Peter and on the southern Carneddau with Dave and Jo.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/FJkf2zDKiZrhfdpM8
DC organised a well-attended Duffers’ weekend on Dartmoor, staying in a comfy bunkhouse just outside the National Park at Galford Springs. We had reasonable weather both days, with sunny spells and just the occasional shower, which allowed for two pleasant horseshoe walks: from Meldon around the West Okement valley, and from Belstone around the Taw valley.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/oAvB6XiHPyGdN5bc9
I spent a long weekend in the Southern Highlands. My rather complex itinerary comprised a weekend in Glen Etive (with Alison, and variously joined by Will, Peter and Alex!), followed by dinner in Edinburgh on Sunday evening, and some solo Munro-ticking on Ben Lawers and Ben Lomond on Monday and Tuesday.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/sU6VmhHnEnMnWxuK7
We enjoyed sunny spells rather than the customary drizzle for my tenth CUHWC Edale Trip. As has become traditional, a few of us parked in Hayfield and walked briskly over to Edale first thing, and I joined one of the club groups for a more leisurely and scenic route back to Hayfield via the Kinder plateau.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/McikzMdkYV53GAEBA
As usual, Ruth visited me for the weekend of the CUHWC Edale trip. On the Saturday, we walked in the central Peak District. Our varied route from Pilsley took in Eyam, Sir William Hill, Froggatt Edge and Chatsworth Park, in varied weather!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/FRAcGEfxwbo1C5up8
Today’s short morning walk was in the Derwent Valley near Matlock. Starting at Lea Bridge, my route took in Bow Wood, the subHuMP of Bilberry Knoll, and a section of the Cromford Canal.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/nLFmzANyrd1zzKso6
Before returning to Derby, I joined my parents for the first couple of days of their short break on the Somerset coast, staying near Watchet. This enabled me to tick off the four nearby Marilyns: one on the Quantocks and three in Exmoor National Park.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/uCweYq1qDeR1b9Ji9
I visited my parents in Cornwall for a long weekend. We took advantage of good weather for a couple of walks on Dartmoor: to Beardown and Higher White Tors from Two Bridges, and to Fur Tor and Cut Hill via Tavy Cleave.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/QeGbYHm2cH9AQBHr9
David Pettit's photo blog 