The first weekend trip of term was to South Snowdonia, staying at the Bryn Hafod hut near Dinas Mawddwy. Saturday’s horseshoe walk from the bunkhouse included Aran Fawddwy, in dry weather but with cloud on the tops. On Sunday we did a shorter linear walk on Maesglase.
The first hillwalking formal of Lent term was at Robinson. Afterwards we went to Robinson bar, Emma’s room, Gardies, and finally Alex’s room. The next morning there was a dusting of snow so I took a few photos of Westminster College.
The final stage of our New Year holiday was the Hillwalking Club’s annual trip to Seathwaite, at the head of Borrowdale – my fourth such trip! The walking in surrounding Central, North Western, Western and Southern fells was excellent, as were the evenings in the bunkhouse. By the end of the trip my Wainwright total had reached 183!
We then travelled north to the Lake District to join Mark, Alison, Tom and Michael for a few days around Ambleside before the official club trip to Seathwaite. Despite wet and windy weather at times, we enjoyed walks on the Langdale Pikes, Wansfell and the Fairfield Horseshoe.
Emily, Alex and DC visited Ruth and me in Saltash over the New Year. We visited Plymouth (including the Mayflower Steps and National Marine Aquarium), the beach at Whitsands Bay, and enjoyed a walk on Dartmoor (for which we were also joined by Will).
For the last weekend trip of Michaelmas term, we stayed in the compact but cosy bunkhouse at Causeway Foot, near Keswick. Having read the dismal weather forecast for the weekend, we were surprised to have good weather with many sunny spells and only a few showers! On Saturday I did a long, fast walk including Blencathra and Skiddaw (and everything between those and Longlands Fell!). On Sunday I did two walks, bagging High Rigg with Michael and Alex first thing, and later doing some more Northern Fells, including Blencathra via Sharp Edge. Overall, eighteen Wainwrights, seven of them new for me, taking my total to 168!
The first weekend trip of the year was to the Caseg Fraith bunkhouse in Snowdonia. On the Saturday I did a fairly long walk with lots of scrambling, taking in Tryfan, Bristly Ridge, the Glyders and Y Garn – great fun despite the rain and low cloud! On Sunday the sunny weather was perfect for a circuit of the Snowdon Horseshoe.
This was my fourth freshers’ trip to Edale in the Peak District (and my last as an undergraduate). Michael and I led a group on a route I hadn’t taken before, ascending Grinds Brook then crossing the Kinder plateau and following its northern edge before descending past the reservoir to Hayfield. I also enjoyed the journey there and half way back in Gordon’s car (before switching to the coach to save him the 20 mile drive from Fen Drayton to Cambridge and back)!
This year my room is in Westminster College – it’s just off the Queen’s Road / Madingley Road mini-roundabout for anyone who wasn’t sure. Renovation of some staircases in Christ’s during the Bradwell’s Court redevelopment meant they had to look elsewhere for fourth-year accommodation. Here are a few photos of the College and my room, taken the morning after I moved in.
For this year’s summer trip (well, one of this year’s summer trips!) five of us flew out (and Emily drove) to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Emily’s mum’s Suburban provided spacious, luxurious, 4×4 transportation. After a day in Denver, we visited and camped in Rocky Mountain National Park, the Elk Mountains, and then Leadville. Snow on the ground meant that our walks were a bit different to what we’d planned, but gave lots of fantastic views. Then it decided to snow properly, with two feet falling on the mountains, and a foot in the valleys, over a couple of nights! We therefore moved to warmer accommodation at a condo Emily’s parents had rented in Breckenridge, and did some exciting winter walks including, for four of us, Quandary Peak (a fourteener!).
A couple of friends from the Hillwalking Club joined me over the bank holiday weekend for two walks in the Dark Peak. On Sunday, I walked with Alex and Simon, doing a long, boggy ridge walk starting and finishing near Howden Reservoir in the upper Derwent valley. On Monday, it was just Alex and me for a walk around Ladybower Reservoir, including more classic Peak District edges.
I met up with my uncle Jonathan and his family for a day out in the Matlock Bath area, including meeting my cousin Xavier for the first time. We took the cable car up to the Heights of Abraham and visited a mining museum in the town. Then we went to Haddon Hall, where, by pure coincidence, we met my uncle Michael and his family, on holiday from their home in Dorset!
This week’s walk was a circular route from Buxton, exploring some moorland to the west and north of the town. There were some fine views to enjoy and the weather stayed dry despite some ominous-looking clouds!
I did another fairly long Saturday walk in the White Peak, this time starting and ending in Bakewell. The highlight was a series of interconnected dales northwest of Bakewell: Deep Dale, Monsal Dale, Upperdale and Cressbrook Dale.
I made a day trip to the Peak District by bus, for a long-ish walk from Buxton to Matlock. My route took me along parts of the Midshires Way and Limestone Way, and passed scenic locations including Deep Dale, Lathkill Dale and Robin Hood’s Stride.
While his parents were away on holiday, Chris invited the band to his house in Grove (near Wantage, in Oxfordshire) for a barbecue. Only seven of us actually attended, however. As well as the barbecue itself, we enjoyed driving trains around Chris’s garden (and this seems to have been the subject of most of my photos!).
Two weeks into my summer internship at Rolls-Royce, I spent a Saturday afternoon exploring Derby, including the Cathedral, riverside, and Markeaton Park.
A few hillwalkers decided to make the most of Emily’s last full day in Cambridge, starting with an uncomfortable night in Alison’s very own bunkhouse! This was followed by sunrise-watching on Castle Mound (no photos), a trip to the University Library (again, no photos), punting along the Backs, and fajitas in Alison’s kitchen.