alpinejane

Ennerdale

Ennerdale is one of the more remote Lakeland valleys and it has a distinctive character of its own with a sense of tranquillity, ruggedness and wildness more akin to Scotland. It’s one of my favourite valleys along with Eskdale. Six months ago I backpacked round the Ennerdale Horseshoe by myself to celebrate my 47th birthday.Continue reading “Ennerdale”

Wild camping with children

Children love wild camping. Camp next to a stream in the middle of nowhere and they are happy for hours. Until the midges come out anyway. The key to success is to choose a suitable camping spot with an interesting but not too long walk to it, good weather and a lack of midges, butContinue reading “Wild camping with children”

Galloway

A short visit to Gatehouse of Fleet in Galloway. No high mountains to climb, probably just as well as I am accompanied by three young girls and an elderly dog. Despite this, the Fleet Valley always feels wild and peaceful, a hidden gem. Very few people visit here and the birds and animals thrive. IContinue reading “Galloway”

Mountain Leader Assessment

I thought about doing my Mountain Leader training 25 years ago when I was at university but I didn’t get round to it, the world moved on and I became an accountant instead. It took a chance trip to Morocco in March 2019 to knock some sense back into me and I finally did theContinue reading “Mountain Leader Assessment”

The Far North

North of Ullapool the landscape changes. Gone are the high mountains and deep valleys of the Highlands. Instead there is lumpy gneiss moorland sprinkled with tiny lochans, with majestic peaks such as Suilven and Quinag rising above the moors in spectacular isolation. This is the far north of Scotland. We climbed Quinag first. There isContinue reading “The Far North”

Handa Island

Blue sea, deserted white beaches, sightings of dolphins and home to thousands of sea birds, Handa island is a small piece of paradise. At least it was while the sun was shining and until the midges came out. It’s situated just off the far north west of Scotland, an hour’s drive north of Ullapool. AContinue reading “Handa Island”

Campervan Adventures

We did well to reach Edinburgh. 3 hours through the rain and wind driving an automatic for the first time. Many apologies to the man in the red van who was following as I lurched twice round the roundabout at Morpeth, wondering whether to focus on driving smoothly or figuring out which exit I needed.Continue reading “Campervan Adventures”

Bheinn Leith Mhor

Hannah’s first scottish mountain was Bheinn Leith Mhor between Strathcarron and Torridon in the far northwest Highlands. The weather was perfect, clear and sunny with a strong enough breeze to keep the midges away. We started from Achnashellach, following a good stalkers’ path up through the beautiful pine forests and into Coire Lair before headingContinue reading “Bheinn Leith Mhor”

The Pinnacle Club

I joined the Pinnacle Club in 1997 soon after leaving university. I lived in a very male dominated world and was fascinated by the idea of a group of women climbers with their own hut in the shadow of Snowdon. At that time only 10% of maths undergraduates at Cambridge were female and my socialContinue reading “The Pinnacle Club”

Gillercombe Buttress and other wanderings

Gillercombe Buttress and other wanderings: Another visit to an iron age hill fort this week, this time Carrock Fell in the northern Lakes with Steve. We had a pleasant wander up to the top and then along the ridge to High Pike. Carrock Fell is a bit of a geological gem. The hill itself isContinue reading “Gillercombe Buttress and other wanderings”