Monday 28 May 2012

Walking with Guests


I was delighted to receive these photos of a weekend of walking with a couple of delightful guests from the Gilpin Lodge Hotel. Leon and Sara are Americans living and working in London and we had two big mountain walks a few weekends ago. On the Saturday we conquered Pike o' Blisco and Crinkle Crags from Great Langdale and the photo above is taken on the descent via the Band, with Crinkle Crags in the background. On Sunday, Leon and I made a brisk ascent of Dow Crag whilst Sara made the most of the luxurious surroundings at the Gilpin Lodge. The best of both worlds!

Sunday 20 May 2012

Canoeing with Wild River














We have had a great weekend out in tandem canoe with Wild River and a group of 4* canoe assessment candidates. Lovely to meet you all and good luck. Saturday was spent tackling the Eamont in the North of the Lake District and Sunday, as you can see, was a lovely sunny day to spend on Lake Windermere and the Leven. Thanks to Sean for inviting us along to take part - anybody looking for some excellent canoe or Kayak coaching need look no further.

Monday 23 April 2012

Bow Fell and the Langdale Pikes


After a few fantastic days out on Claife Heights with clients recently we decided to head for the big mountains for a change yesterday. The weather was lovely to start with as we set off from Great Langdale towards the Band but we knew that we would be lucky if it lasted the whole day. We walked up the Great Slab to the summit of Bow Fell but you can see from this panoramic view that the conditions were different depending on which way you looked. Heading for Ore Gap we had a five minute snow shower but by the time we reached Angle Tarn we were basking in warm sunshine again. Encouraged, we decided not to drop down Rossett Gill but to stay High and take in Pike of Stickle on the way back. Sure enough the rain blew in as we climbed again but not for long and as we dropped below Raven Crag we could take our time to reflect on a great day out.

Monday 16 April 2012

Cartmel Mountain Bike Ride














We have had some fantastic weather in the South Lakes already this spring and we took advantage of a glorious day to complete a 15 mile mountain bike ride from Cartmel. We climbed on the road to Grange Fell Golf Club where we took the byway over to Hampsfield. From there we linked together various sections of bridleway bringing us below How Barrow and back to Cartmel via the race course. We took some video during the ride so you can have a look at the route on our YouTube channel and there are a few more pictures on the Web Album.




Tuesday 14 February 2012

Beacon Tarn in the Snow


Beacon Tarn is a lovely spot for a picnic in the summer - take a look at the picture of Mike and Donna in our Web Album but it is an altogether bleaker place at this time of year. Kath and I set off over the small wooden footbridge near Sunny Bank to complete a 7 mile round of the Blawith Fells taking in Beacon Tarn and Beacon Fell and I think by the time we got back to the car, we were both looking forward to the warmth of a log fire. There are a few more pictures here.

Tuesday 17 January 2012

Levers Water View



Having enjoyed some brilliantly clear days recently I thought I would take the opportunity to snap a panoramic view from the top of Coniston Old Man. Unfortunately when I got to the parking area near the Walna Scar Road fell gate I could see that there were not going to be any views from the top. Never mind, I dropped the camera into the bag anyway and set off towards Prison Band via the Pudding Stone and Boulder Valley, taking this set of pictures from a small rocky knoll just North of Levers Water. (It works best if you expand it to the full screen view, drag it around with the mouse and zoom in a bit). After stopping to take the pictures I carried on up Swirl How and returned via an icy Brim Fell and Old Man, taking a direct line back down to the car. A breathtaking morning out, in more ways than one.

Monday 5 December 2011

Navigation Training Weekend

We have just enjoyed a great weekend out on the hills with two fell runners from Lancashire. After a little while going through some basic techniques sitting around the kitchen table we spent a very windy Saturday afternoon on the Dunnerdale Fells using our maps and compasses to move from tarn to tarn and knoll to knoll.


On Sunday we headed to the opposite side of the Duddon Valley for a testing course over Whit Fell and Buckbarrow. The 5 mile route covered some pathless terrain on the way to the top of Whit Fell and then picked up some indistinct trails around Burn Moor to Buckbarrow. Sarah and Carly hit all five checkpoints with aplomb and I had the pleasure of running round in the background. I hope that you both found the weekend useful and can enjoy your fell running with a little more confidence.