Axe Edge and Birchenough Hill (29th March 2009)

I made an early start to explore some of the the moorlands SW of Buxton, enjoying a clear, crisp, sunny morning with a dusting of snow! The route passed through Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire, with notable landmarks including Axe Edge, Oliver Hill, Three Shire Heads (where the three county boundaries meet) and Birchenough Hill. I had planned to continue to Shutlingsloe, the ‘Matterhorn of Cheshire’, but unfortunately had to cut the walk short to head into work to look at some engine test data, hot off the test-bed!

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Looking towards The Roaches, from Wolf Edge

CUHWC Snowdonia Trip (20th-22nd March 2009)

I spent another weekend in Snowdonia for part of CUHWC’s Easter trip, staying at the Pinnacle Club hut in Cwm Dyli. We enjoyed sunny spells for the Snowdon Horseshoe on Saturday and Moel Hebog on Sunday, though the views were somewhat obscured by haze.

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Snowdon, from Crib Goch

Edale skyline (7th March 2009)

I made an early start for a brisk round of the Edale skyline, starting in Hope, with the aim of finishing before the forecast afternoon rain. Surprisingly, this was only my second local walk of the year so far! The rain never actually materialised, but at least the early start gave me time for some gear shopping in Hathersage!

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Grindslow, from Rowland Cote Moor

CUHWC Twentieth Anniversary Trip (20th-22nd February 2009)

I joined 85 other former and current members of CUHWC to celebrate the club’s twentieth anniversary with a weekend of hillwalking and a black tie dinner at High Close Youth Hostel, in Langdale. My walks took in most of the Langdale fells and included, on Saturday, Ruth’s completion of the Wainwrights on Lingmoor Fell.

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Ruth, Jo and Alex on Silver How, with Fairfield beyond

CUHWC Snowdonia Trip (6th-8th February 2009)

As there were spare places available in the bunkhouse, I made a late decision to spend the weekend in Snowdonia with CUHWC. We enjoyed lots of fresh powdery snow on the hills, but thankfully almost none on the main roads! On Saturday we walked to Creigiau Gleision via Crimpiau and Craig Wen, returning by Llyn Cowlyd Reservoir. On Sunday we did a morning walk up Moel Siabod, before an early journey back home ahead of the expected snowfall!

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Emma, Ian and Michael on Creigiau Gleision’s north top

CUHWC Teesdale Trip (23rd-25th January 2009)

I spent a weekend in Teesdale with CUHWC, staying in a camping barn in Holwick – my first visit to the area. On the Saturday, I walked (through lots of snow!) to Cross Fell and Great Dun Fell from Garrigill. On the Sunday, I did a lower-level walk taking in the High Force and Cauldron Snout waterfalls. The weekend was also memorable for the car having to be towed up the steep track from the camping barn by the farmer, having been snowed in overnight, but I didn’t get any photos of that!

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Cauldron Snout

Lake District, from Carnforth (16th-18th January 2009)

Alison and I visited Ruth in Carnforth for a weekend of Wainwright-bagging (or just walking, in my case!). Storm force winds and blizzards had been forecast, but we got away with just a couple of showers. On Saturday, we walked in the Far Eastern fells, including High Street, and on Sunday we did four short, low-level walks up obscure Western, Northern and Central fells!

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Ruth and Alison on The Knott

Brassington and Aleck Low (10th January 2009)

My first local walk of 2009 was in one of the nearest parts of the White Peak, starting in Brassington. I took in a few minor summits including Rainster Rocks, Roystone Rocks and Aleck Low, as well as parts of the High Peak and Tissington cycle trails. Unfortunately, the cloud was lower than forecast (i.e. I was in it all day despite staying below 400m!) so I didn’t get any views.

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Frosty trees near Roystone Grange

Corrour (27th December 2008 – 3rd January 2009)

The ‘Young Duffers’ (plus a few undergraduates) spent New Year week in the remote Highland estate of Corrour, staying in a pair of cottages at Strathossian. With not a drop of rain or a flake of falling snow all week, it was perfect weather for walks up all the nearby Munros – eleven in total – and we also had a couple of spectacular cloud inversions! Definitely a trip to remember!

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Alison, Jo, Ruth, Alex T and Michael, at the summit of Ben Alder

CUHWC Coniston Trip (21st-23rd November 2008)

The last CUHWC trip of term was to the Coniston Fells, staying at the Tranearth bunkhouse. I did two very good walks, on the Coniston Fells themselves on Saturday, and on the much-less-frequented but very attractive Dunnerdale Fells on Sunday. Add to that an excellent evening of cooking, eating, singing and games and it made a particularly enjoyable weekend trip!

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A sunbathed Grey Friar, from the memorial on Great Carrs

CUHWC Edale Trip (19th October 2008)

On the Sunday, we headed to the Dark Peak, for my sixth (and Ruth’s fifth) annual CUHWC Edale Trip, to help introduce the new intake of freshers to the club’s activities. Before the Cambridge party arrived, Ruth and I had walked over from Hayfield via Edale Cross (to avoid a car-faff!). I then took a more scenic route back to Hayfield, co-leading one of the groups with Alex P.

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Edale from the path up to Ringing Roger