Stubaier Hohenweg – 3
I spent the next two nights at the Neue Regensburgerhutte. In reality it was more like a mountain hotel, especially if you were in the new extension as I was, sleeping in a Mehrbettzimmer (rooms with several beds in, usually 2 or 4) rather than the huge Matratzenlager in the attic where everyone slept in…
Stubaier Hohenweg – 2
In July 2022 I walked the second half of the Stubai high level route, alone. I started from the Dresdner hutte where I’d left the route 28 years previously. Last time, aged 21, I had a university friend with me. This time, aged 49, my 11 year old daughter, Hannah, accompanied me for part of…
Stubaier Hohenweg – 1
28 years ago I did the first half of the Stubai high level route in Austria with a university friend. This week I’ve done the second half, alone. 5 days of superb mountain walking on tiny exposed paths with awesome views, never dropping below 2000m. I’ve stayed in mountain huts every night, usually the only…
Long Covid
It’s a long time since I’ve written anything. In fact I closed down my Wild Places Facebook page and accepted that the days of exciting trips that people want to read about were over. I can’t drive to the Lakes, never mind Scotland and I certainly can’t backpack anywhere. I’ve cancelled my ML work for…
A year as a Mountain Rescue trainee
I spent Saturday evening high up on the moors of the North Pennines in driving rain and strong winds trying to find small features in the dark using only a map and compass. There were no paths to follow, so we waded through knee deep heather, bogs and streams hoping that after pacing 800m on…
2021 – Not such a bad year?
Another year over. 2021. It started with lockdown, home schooling, lots of snow, cross country skiing from the back door and lots of local walks, usually alone. Lockdown lifted in late March and day walks with friends started again, initially to the North Pennines and then back to the Lakes. The weather was great for…
The end of ViewRanger – What now?
A review of mapping apps available
Orienteering in the Howgills
4 hours of running over rough, pathless, tussocky grass with leg burning ascents and knee wrecking descents. Maybe running is an exaggeration, I doubt I ran more than half of it and that was only when it was flat or downhill. The Kong Mini Mountain Marathons are essentially mountain orienteering events. You are handed a…
Savage Slit
Savage Slit is one of Scotland’s classic rock routes, high up in the Cairngorms topping out on the summit of Cairn Lochan. For years it was graded V Diff, which in Scotland can mean anything from Diff to VS, usually first climbed by hard men in big boots who didn’t feel the cold…..Recently it has…
Loch Mullardoch – Blog
4 days of backpacking around Loch Mullardoch in some of the wildest country that Scotland has to offer. 55km, 5000m of ascent (and descent), 12 Munros and 3 nights sleeping above 800m. Add in a few midges, a lot of rain and poor visibility and you’ve got an epic adventure. I keep a diary on…
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