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 onlyContinue reading “Stubaier Hohenweg – 1”
Category Archives: Hillwalking
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 onContinue reading “Loch Mullardoch – Blog”
3 Peaks
26 hours, 3 countries, 3 peaks. 23 miles and over 3000m of ascent. 2 hours sleep and a lot of driving……Why exactly did I sign up to this again? I joined Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team (TWSMRT) as a trainee back in March 2021 and their annual fundraising event is a NationalContinue reading “3 Peaks”
Upper Eskdale
So the blog returns after a 5 month absence……. The first backpack of 2021 was to Upper Eskdale on a busy Bank Holiday weekend at the end of May. For the past few years I’ve tried to get away once a month but Covid lockdowns have made that a bit tricky this year. I’ve alsoContinue reading “Upper Eskdale”
A night on Meldon Hill
When the Government announced they were relaxing the Covid rules for 5 days over Christmas I made plans to squeeze as much activity as possible into those 5 days. Two and a half days with my family and one day driving my mum home on the 27th. That left the 23rd and half of theContinue reading “A night on Meldon Hill”
Burnhope Seat
Winter is definitely with us. No clear blue skies and frozen ground though, at least not today. Instead we had North Pennines winter conditions of soft snow, peat hags, low cloud and drizzle. We started at Burnhope Reservoir just up from Wearhead at the top end of Weardale. It was deserted, perhaps unsurprisingly on aContinue reading “Burnhope Seat”
The Cheviot and back to Teesdale
Two very different walks this week, but variety is good. On Thursday I went to Northumberland for the first time in many years for a long walk with my brother Jim. He was wearing trainers and a lightweight rucksack, prepared to walk as fast as he could. I was as usual in my heavy bootsContinue reading “The Cheviot and back to Teesdale”
Fendrith Hill and Chapel Fell Top
Lockdown v2 is giving me an excellent excuse to explore my local hills a bit more. I’m ashamed to say that although I know the Lakes like the back of my hand, I rarely visit the remote hills in Teesdale and the North Pennines. There is a good reason for this – long walks overContinue reading “Fendrith Hill and Chapel Fell Top”
Sgor Gaoith
Another early start, another deteriorating weather forecast, but enough of a weather window to climb a Munro and get most of the way down before the bad weather arrived. That was the plan anyway. We started from Glen Feshie, about 3km south of Feshie Bridge and were walking by 8am. Surprisingly enough someone had beatenContinue reading “Sgor Gaoith”
Hindscarth and Dale Head in the rain
A wet and at times windy walk today, but the mountains are amazing in all weathers if you can somehow stay warm and dry(ish). We started from the small car park near Littletown which is of course where Beatrix Potter based her story of Mrs Tiggywinkle. After passing the small Newlands Church we attempted toContinue reading “Hindscarth and Dale Head in the rain”
Wild Places 