A homepage for my hillwalking photos
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
As part of her holiday in England, Emily organised a Duffers’ weekend in the Lake District, staying at Ambleside Backpackers’ hostel. Except for a little low cloud first thing on the Saturday, we had excellent weather for our walks from Grasmere up to the Langdale Pikes, and from Ambleside up Loughrigg Fell.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/FLAnS7U9wqTNhMGU7
Tom and Helen got married in the Temperate House in the attractive Jephson Gardens by the river at Royal Leamington Spa.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/MJz6QSqgA9ssVkdg6
For the final three days of the trip, we moved south to Glen Shiel (for the three Munros on the North Ridge which Ruth needed, plus a bonus Corbett), and then Loch Quoich (for an excellent horseshoe around Coire Reidh to Sgurr na Sgine from Kinloch Hourn in the best weather of the trip, and a quick bag of Sgurr a’ Mhaoraich in the worst!). All in all, another great week in the Highlands, ticking off another twelve new Munros and five Corbetts for me. Only ten Munros to go!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZHQfDc7EPGyUZ5ye9
We then spent a couple of days in Glen Carron, ticking off three Munros and two very fine Corbetts to the north of the valley. Again, the cloud cleared the tops enough of the time to show us most of the views on offer.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/hqYJye4W1dpJdPn57
Ruth and I spent a week in the Highlands, bagging some of our remaining Munros, plus a few Munro Tops and Corbetts. We spent the first three days in the Cairngorms, doing a day walk to Driesh and Mayar and a two-day bothy trip from Linn of Dee to Cairn Toul (and surrounding peaks). The summits were mostly cloud-free, and the superb visibility gave some fabulous views that more than made up for the odd shower!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/AeZi4ZzbBGd58wfq8
The Peak District felt a bit of an anticlimax so soon after returning from Corsica and the GR20, but the good weather nevertheless made for a pleasant circuit north from Hayfield. I ticked off three new P30s around Glossop, and Doctor’s Gate was also new terrain for me.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/mJ5BhfEYu5UXvaHW9
This year’s main summer holiday was to the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, where six of us from CUHWC tackled the famous ‘GR20’, regarded as Europe’s toughest trail. For extra challenge, we completed the route in twelve days rather than the standard fifteen, taking all the high-level variants and adding ascents of Corsica’s three highest peaks along the way! An awesome fortnight, with great company and truly spectacular scenery from start to finish.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yEmCxbKJCNcvkwTu9
As I was staying at Ruth’s house for the night, ready for our early-morning flight from Manchester the following day, I decided to head up a few hours early to watch her concert in Grasmere with Kendal Concert Band. We broke the drive up with a quick ascent of Gummer’s How, a Marilyn above the eastern shore of Windermere.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/5SoG6XQkWpSaLs6e6
I joined a few friends from FoCUBB for a weekend in Welshpool. We spent Saturday at the nearby Country and Western Festival (of which Neil’s family are involved in the organisation). After a leisurely start on Sunday, we had a pub lunch in Melverley (just over the English border) and I had time for a little Marilyn bagging before the drive home!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/FJb26bRhzm6aJgUx5
I headed to Mid-Wales for the weekend to tick of some obscure Nuttalls, plus a few Deweys and Marilyns. On the Saturday, I walked in Radnor Forest, before heading to a bunkhouse near Rhayader for the night, followed by a Sunday walk in the Elan Valley.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/eev3TEyufqE3DyXy8
The final two days of the trip were spent climbing the three Munros near Glenfinnan. Pleasingly, the fine weather continued, despite some less-favourable forecasts! I thus finished the week with just 22 Munros yet to be climbed: the finish-line is definitely in sight!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/wTzQkG3MUyGuBuVcA
Our next destination was Arnisdale, where we climbed Beinn Sgritheall and the two nearby Corbetts.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/J45WvTLBacp9pLCu5
I spent Spring Bank Holiday week Munro-bagging in the North-west Highlands, where the weather was excellent: far better than elsewhere in the UK, in fact! We spent the first few days on Skye, ticking off all the Munros on the island, including the most difficult of them all: the Inaccessible Pinnacle! Thanks to Will for his help with the ropework.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Yy4qJa1ERY3GDiqj9
I broke a drive down to London with a short walk up Arbury Hill, a HuMP in Northamptonshire.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/BHC6XNJjg4BwchpK9
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