Another weekend where we arranged to meet up with TYG while she was down in the Cotswolds looking after her Mum
We had a plan to take a walk on May Hill and then meet up for a wander around and a cuppa/cake in Tewkesbury.
The previous day was grey, gloomy and wet but It did stop raining just in time for a short walk around the local fields.
It turned out to be a decent walk with a low mist hanging over the fields
And lots sunset shadowed naked winter trees.
These local walks often serve a merely functional purpose to get me away from my laptop for fresh air and exercise. Sometimes they deliver so much more.
The Sunday was wild and windy with lots of showers around but also abundant blue sky.
We were very lucky and missed all of the showers.
May Hill is very prominent with its cap of trees visible from most of SE Wales and the Midlands.
Wild ponies guarding the summit Trig Pillar.
Looking out over the lower Severn Valley.
We were killing time so just wandered about down one side of the hill, a short dip into the forest and then back over the top again.
Its a great spot for a short walk when time is limited and the weather is less than predictable.
Looking back to the summit woods.
Malverns visible through the trees.
Crepuscular rays.
Onwards to Tewkesbury. The Xmas Market was in full swing and the town was packed. The car park was free though. We took a short detour to the River Avon. The path was an inch deep in silty mud after recent floods!
I’ve not visited Tewkesbury since I was a kid and had forgotten how magnificent the Abbey is.
We didn’t have time to take a look inside so we took a wander around the surrounding gardens.
We caught the weather just right with the low winter sun lighting up the stone to stunning effect.
We had a nice chat over tea and cake. I think these little meet ups give TYG a bit of break when she’s down every few weeks looking after her Mum. It was a really nice day out with a walk and a revisit to a very fine town that I hope to come back to on a warmer day in summer.
We were back visiting Prof I again in Liverpool although sadly Prof II couldn’t join us.
We had a wander about the beaches and woodlands at Formby Hills on the Saturday. I don’t seem to have taken any photos although it was a pretty grey and dreary day. It was a nice walk though, I think!
The forecast for the Sunday looked much more promising and we arranged to meet up with Mark and UF for a Pendle Hill walk. We were encouraging Prof II to use his car more now that he’s passed his test and drove there and back. It was a massive boost to his confidence and he’s now taking on much longer and challenging drives.
In addition to that it was a stunning morning. We parked up in Downham, a gorgeous little village that deserves further exploration.
On our way to Pendle Hill – seen above – we took in the bonus of Worsaw Hill.
It’s very steep but a cracking viewpoint.
As well as Pendle Hill itself it gives fine views over Clitheroe and along the Ribble Valley to Longridge Fell.
I’m guessing with a much more famous hill alongside it sees few visitors.
Worsaw Hill from the path across the fields.
More hard work ensued with a steep and somewhat soggy path alongside Burst Clough.
It had clouded up a bit by the time we stopped for lunch before the final climb.
Happy, hungry hikers.
I wasn’t sure how good the route would be but other than one rather badly eroded, muddy and overgrown stretch at the bottom it was a great route.
It was also very quiet, being away from the crowds that ascend the popular route from Barley.
Pendle Hill has steeps sides pretty much all the way around but the summit area is a wide expanse of grass heather and bog. And this rather large cairn in the middle of nowhere.
We joined the crowds on the main summit with fine views over the Calder Valley.
I called the area home for a couple of years while I lived in Colne and TBF worked as a Teacher in Nelson.
I climbed Pendle Hill many times (including one occasion on Halloween when the place is insanely busy with all its witches legends) although never from this direction. It felt like a new hill after so long.
By the time we were down at the final stretch over the fields, the light was fading. It did give us some nice light as the skies cleared again.
And who doesn’t like a bare winter gnarly tree with setting sun behind.
A great walk and really good to meet up with friends on a whim (we hadn’t planned the walk till the day before). And an odd photo to finish. The public toilets in Downham have been converted from a Pig Sty which I thought was novel enough to be worth a photo (when it was empty of course!)
We did a Prof Exchange and just after Prof I went homes, Prof II came to stay.
Equally great to have her home but she’s not the outdoor type. TBF was also elsewhere so I headed out for a solo walk even though I was under the weather with a bad cold.
The Sugar Loaf is a favourite when you just have a few hours to spare.
My favoured route is from the east that gives an interesting and varied circuit and very quiet (its a popular summit)
The autumn colours were especially fine and I liked the yellow hues of this tree.
Ysgyryd Fawr across the walls and fields.
Eastern Black Mountains.
And the southern end of the range.
A fine traverse path leads you across the eastern flank where the views over the western ridge of the Black Mountains and the distant Beacons come into view.
The last section is a short little rocky ridge – one of the few sections anywhere in south Wales.
I love a view from here with rocks in the foreground.
The summit was very busy and very windy so I found a sheltered spot on the way down my chosen ridge for a cuppa and some snacks. Spicy Tomato Wheat Crunchies and a Mince Pie if you’re interested.
Sugar Loaf summit from my descent route.
I’ve come to really love the loop back to the way up.
A lovely open grassy meadow.
Followed by dark mossy woodland (a bit dark for decent photos but its lovely)
And another shot of the yellow tree as I headed back to the car.
And as I mentioned the phrase “Outdoor Type” it reminded me of a favourite song of mine by The Lemonheads. Contains one of my favourite lines from a song “what if something’s on TV and its never shown again” as an excuse!
Day after I got home from Scotland and Prof I came home for a few days. Probably the first time for a couple of years for a proper extended stay as we tend to go to see him in Liverpool.
We planned in a walk and luckily the Sunday was a fine if very cold and windy day.
We gave him the choice of route and he picked the Hay Bluff and Lord Hereford’s Knob combo.
The ground was exceptionally wet after a few weeks of heavy rain. The talk of drought from the summer now seems a very long time ago.
Our chosen route to Hay Bluff from the main car park below now involves the Offas Dyke path.
Its a bit longer but much easier than the direct and very steep ascent and is a fine path with cracking views.
Looking out to the heart of Herefordshire. We live somewhere out there in that photo.
Hats off to the volunteers and fund-raisers who have made these paths so much better than the bog/mud-fest of a few years back.
Hay Bluff Summit.
It was a superb clear day. Autumn can deliver some of the best light conditions of the year.
Looking out over the Wye Vally to the hills of mid-Wales.
The long escarpment along towards the Gospel Pass road is a delight, especially if you stick right to the edge.
Lord Hereford’s Knob comes into view.
There was also a glider about even though the wind was ferocious. Must take some skill to fly an unpowered craft in these conditions.
Bracken is horrid stuff, its only redeeming feature is the deep colours it adds to the landscape in autumn and winter.
We managed to find a sheltered spot for lunch out of the wind and in the sun.
Then onwards to the day’s comedy hill name.
The clouds had started to roll in by the time we reached the top and I think we had a couple of showers on the way back to the car but all in all a pretty damn fine day.
Looking back to our route and Hay Bluff.
Great to have the Prof back home for a few days and share a great walk.
The Sunday of our long weekend was the only (near) washout.
It rained for most of the day but around 3pm it did stop and we went for now traditional wander around the Glencoe Lochan.
Despite a couple of showers the weather was reasonably pleasant and we had some decent views over Loch Leven.
And the Lochan itself was as always a very nice place to take an easy wander.
We finished the walk off across the tidal flats at the head of Loch Leven.
Always great to make a bit of something from a wet day.
For the journey home we needed a small hill day to make the best of what looked a very decent forecast.
Back to where it all began for me a few days earlier, parking up above Bridge of Allan with views over Stirling and the Wallace Monument.
Our target was the small hill of Dumyat.
Perfect for a short day with nice easy and pretty much level paths from a high start on a gorgeous sunny day.
Dumyat and Castle Law.
We diverted over to Castle Law thinking it would be a good spot for lunch.
And it was with fine views over the Forth Valley.
A zoom shot to Edinburgh. You can see the two Forth Road Bridges and Arthurs Seat.
The views over the Trossachs to the Southern Highlands weren’t bad either.
Panorama from Castle Law
The southern slopes of the Ochils are extremely steep and give spectacular views despite their modest height.
Some substantial outcrops of rock as well.
I always look for a cairn foreground photo.
Onwards to bag the summit. Looking back at Castle Law.
And to Ben Cluech, highest point in the Ochils.
The mighty summit.
Its clearly a popular spot and there were a number of people on the summit and the car park was pretty much full.
Elaborate memorial to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders on the summit.
Rather than simply retrace our steps on the main path we decided to to follow a succession of narrow grassy trods over the various lumps and bumps set back from the edge.
It gave a different perspective from the edge views on the way up.
A bit rough going at times but much quieter than the main paths.
Views out over the lonely moorland towards the centre of the Ochils.
The skies were stunning with the clouds adding to the extensive sunshine. Back to the car after a splendid little outing and to start the rest of the long drive home.
Three sunny days out of five in Scotland in late October – result!
On to another mountain day and a forecast of the classic sunshine and wintry showers variety. What would the day bring.
Our plan, well mine I guess, was an end to end traverse of the Corbett Fraochaidh. It sits south of Beinn a Bheithir and we parked up at the far end of Glen Duror planning to walk all the way through to the house and pick the car up later.
There is a forest track that rises to over 400m on the approach but it’s difficult to reach the start from the car park. We used a mapping tool that showed a bridge and a path that cut across to it. The good news was the bridge was where it was supposed to be. The bad news is it was no longer spanning the river! Luckily the water level was low and the river easy to cross.
The path up to the forest track was well made and clearly a legacy of planned forest walks although it was being reclaimed by the vegetation and numerous fallen trees. After all these adventures we found the (very steep) forest track and emerged onto the open hillside top start the climb for real.
All that effort deserved an early lunch break.
Despite the forecast it was a stunning day with a great deal more sunshine than showers.
The lower slopes were the usual drudge of pathless thick grass and tussocks making for slow going.
The coastal views more than made up for the hard work.
Once we were up over 600m we found a thin grassy path that took us all the way to the top.
Just before the top we were hit by a very heavy snow shower that had us hunkering down behind rocks for second lunch while it passed over.
As is often the way, just after a shower, comes the best weather windows with superb clarity to the air.
For the next hour or so the conditions were just magnificent and as good as if not better than the first day.
These small patches of water always catch my eye on days like this.
The A-Team!
Our timing to arrive on the summit was perfect with some fabulous all round views under a clear blue sky.
Its quite a big Corbett, pushing up towards 900m and being so close to the coast just accentuates the quality of the views. Coastal mountains are always the best.
If this was a Munro it would be a hell of a lot busier. As it was we only saw two other people on the ridge on a decent Saturday.
Beinn a Bheithir across Glen Duror
Everywhere we were picking out new routes and summits and reliving days on other mountains from years gone by.
Time to tear ourselves away from the summit as we still had a fair amount of distance and few extra ridge summits to negotiate.
The views out over the Firth of Lorn were wonderful, we could see Ben More on Mull and a distant glimpse of the Paps of Jura far to the south.
Th walk along the ridge was magnificent, again reminding you the biggest and well known mountains are not always the best.
View back to Fraochaidh displaying what a superb looking mountain it is.
The upper end of Glen Creran
And the lower end overlooked by Beinn Sgulaird.
We’d been very lucky and missed pretty well all the showers and the clarity of the views was breathtaking.
THO enjoying the day.
The view looking back to the main summit kept demanding more photos.
Just after we passed this pretty little tarn we were hit by a nasty snow shower that had us huddled in heather for shelter.
It soon passed over us.
Leaving yet more clear magnificent views in its wake.
Cloud streaming off Fraochaidh.
Finally we had to begin our descent. The view along the ridge to the small and shapely little peak of Sgurr a Choise was fabulous. Its a cracking little mountain we did a couple of years back.
Happy selfie!
We managed to find the path up from Gleann an Fhiodh that we missed last time on the way up. Mainly because its nowhere near where the OS says it is!
Some lovely evening light to guide us back along the valley into Ballachulish and back along the road to the cottage for a wash and brush up before a fine meal out in a nearby bar.
The following day after our fine day out in Glencoe and the weather forecast was far less promising.
We decided to keep things a bit lower and settled on Meall an t-Suidhe. Not exactly small at 711m but it sits next to the huge bulk of Ben Nevis and looks a little small in comparison.
We parked up at the North Face Car Park and took the steep and winding path through the forests.
As we came out of the tress we had a rather nice but patchy cloud inversion below us.
And above us the towering presence of Carn Dearg and Ben Nevis
Nice spot for a quick rest.
Panorama out over the Western Highlands.
We followed a made-track out to some remains of old mine and HEP workings that supplied the Aluminium smelting works.
The view out over said Aluminium plant. Fort William is the gateway to some of the most magnificent mountain scenery in the UK. Its also one of the grimmest and grimiest towns in the Highlands. A ****-hole by another name.
What Meall an t-Suidhe lacked in height it more than made up for in awkward terrain. Once we left the track we had 500m of bog, tussocks and heather to bash through. We also had a deer fence with no gates so we had crawl through boggy grass to get under it.
There was rain heading in from the NW so we took an early lunch just before it arrived and before the second half of the very tedious ascent.
We arrived on the top in the worst of the weather, strong winds and driving rain meant we didn’t linger on the top and there are no expansive summit view photos seeing as we were also in the cloud. The real Scotland.
As we headed down to Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe, that separates the summit from the slopes of Ben Nevis, it stopped raining – unsurprisingly!
It was still cold and damp but we did get some half decent views over the Mamores.
Rather than just head back down we decided to follow the path around the CIC Hut underneath the massive crags of Ben Nevis north face.
Its a decent path so made a nice change from off piste vegetation bashing.
A view back to our summit now looking nice and out of the cloud
On the path round to the CIC Hut.
The weather still looked ropey so we decided not to go as far as the hut and started the walk along the Allt a Mhuilinn back to the cars. Ben Nevis loomed huge above us but never quite came out of the cloud.
The path along the river was very fine indeed with some nice Autumn colours and it did stay dry for the rest of the walk.
All things considered for Scotland at this time of year, a pretty decent day.
Our Autumn trip to Glencoe seems to have become a regular thing and I’m all in favour. One of the most magnificent corners of Scotland.
This year we headed up later at the end of October to accommodate everyone.
I headed up a day early, staying overnight in Stirling so I could still fit in a days work and not arrive at our rented house too late.
I managed to grab an hour for a brisk walk to look at the Wallace Monument. It very much bigger than I thought and quite impressive.
Stunning views from the top of the hill. Onwards to Glencoe to settle in for some serious walking!
First day the weather looked promising and we took on a route I’ve been thinking about for a few years. The amount of faffing about and confusion that resulted from putting a car at each end was quite staggering to behold!
Parking up in Glencoe we headed up the relentlessly steep path that climbs directly to Am Bodach.
The Gang of 5.
Whilst the weather had looked promising and the forecast encouraging it was a rare day when those expectations were far exceeded.
The weather was spectacularly good with a mix of clear sunshine and clouds scudding across the tops.
No better place to be on such a breathtaking Autumn day than amongst some of the biggest and most spectacular mountains in the UK
Our small group was further reduced by a man and a dog. There was a small amount of scrambling that UF wasn’t convinced about taking Seana up so he headed back down and agreed to meet us later on the walk.
The views straight down almost 3000 feet to the bottom of Glencoe were dizzying.
I’ve not been up these mountains for many years so I was extremely happy to revisit them again on such a stunning day.
Am Bodach marks the start of the famous Aonach Eagach ridge, often quoted as the toughest ridge on the UK mainland. Its a serious undertaking with lots of scrambling and exposure and a significant amount of ascent along the ridge. I’ve done it a couple of times, once in summer and once in full winter conditions on a very memorable wild and wintry day. Probably my most notable achievement on a UK mountain.
Happy summiteers.
We found a perfect sheltered spot for first lunch and despite being late October it was quite warm.
Our plan for this day wasn’t the Aonach Eagach but the sinuous ridge that heads east in the opposite direction. Its always looked really good on the maps hence my desire to give it the once over.
Its a superb and easy ridge walk with sensational mountain views all around.
The massive and complex collection of peaks, ridges and corries of Bidean nam Bian hold the attention.
Looking back along the ridge to Am Bodach from the un-named peak at the eastern end of the ridge.
UF had driven to far end of the ridge and walked back up to meet us on the top.
I really liked this particular section of the ridge.
Looking out to the expanse of Rannoch Moor to the east.
And time for second lunch.
Such was the quality of the day even Ben Nevis made a short appearance from under its cap of cloud.
Late on an Autumn day with the low angle of the sun is one of the best times of the year.
We tagged on nother little bonus hill, Beinn Bheag, jut above where the West Highland passes through over the Devils Staircase.
The day was too magnificent not cram in every minute of the day outdoors.
The natural tendency is to consider the clear blue sky days as the best but you need clouds to really set the scene and create the best effects of the light.
Reluctantly we headed back down but in very high spirits on what had been a fantastic walk on little frequented mountains on a stunning day.
The view across the Loch Leven from just outside the house wasn’t too bad either.
Our next day in the company of UF and Seana and we were hoping for a Cloud Inversion day and some sunshine as we headed to the Black Mountain.
Hopes weren’t high as the skies were gloomy and grey the whole way over and we didn’t even break through the cloud on one of the high road passes.
We parked up and set off under the same gloomy skies and at least the waterfalls on the infant Tawe river were looking as good as ever.
Just as we approached Llyn y Fan Fawr and were thinking we might luck out, the first signs of sunshine and blue sky began to appear.
Within the space of about 5 minutes and just a hundred feet or so of ascent we moved from gloom to glory.
Most inversions I’ve experienced usually have a thick, dense layer of cloud or fog right down to the lowest levels. This layer of cloud was no more than a hundred feet thick.
We pushed on quickly to gain height above the cloud before it dissipated. We chatted to a guy on his way down who’d camped up on the tops and said the dawn was truly stunning.
The views just got better as we climbed and above the cloud it was gloriously sunny and warm.
As we gained height the other summits of the Beacons NP started to poke above the cloud.
We added a bonus summit of Fan Hir to the round – well why not on such a memorable day.
It must have been good for me to smile in a selfie.
Zoom shot of Pen y Fan, Corn Du and Fan Gyhirych
The long escarpment of Fan Hir.
The edges and escarpments of south Wales make for grandstand views on a day like this.
Looking back to Fan Hir.
Llyn y Fan Fawr from the Fan Brycheiniog.
TBF approaches the summit.
Happy Hikers and Tump Bagging Dogs.
I’ve always loved the perfect curve of this part of the escarpment.
Looking back from the other direction to the summit.
Time to push on and look for a suitable lunch stop.
Spot found with a grandstand view of Bannau Sir Gaer. A lunch spoilt only Seana’s dedicated digging and spraying my lunch with dirt and a trio of loud brash Teenagers who decided to sit no more than a few feet from us to eat their lunch. They needed educating in hiker etiquette.
Its a stepp climb to Bannau Sir Gaer but the reward is the start of a truly magnificent stretch of walking.
A pretty much level path hugs the edge of the sheer cliffs. With spectacular views down to Llyn y Fan Fach.
I love this stretch and indeed this walk is right up there as one of my all time favourites.
As you turn north the view across the lake to the edges above is as fine as any that I know
Time to drop back down for the return route beneath the edges we’d walked on the first part of the walk.
Some great shadow effects looking back into the sun.
Bannau Sir Gaer just before we turn the corner heading back to Llyn y Fan Fawr.
At this time of year the path beneath the edges is largely in shade and its quite a chilly stretch and a far cry from the warm sunshine above.
We put in a bit of a sprint hoping to catch the last of the sunshine for the walk along the eastern shore of the lake. I always find it interesting that in most guide books and reports of the area, all of the talk is of Llyn y Fan Fach when Llyn y Fan Fawr is far superior. In fact I think the most beautiful stretch of water in the UK – then again I’m biased.
All that was left was to head back over the soggy ground below the lake to the car. The clouds were rolling back in and the temperature dropping rapidly. By the time we reached the car, all was grey and overcast
A truly magnificent day and UF incredibly lucky that his first visit to the range was in such perfect conditions.
Early October was a time of cloud inversions across the UK. UF was down for the weekend with a plan to tick off the Black Mountain in the Brecon Beacons National Park.
We saved that for the Sunday and headed down to Wye Valley for a Saturday stroll as a warm up and a hope we get some inversions or some sunshine at least.
Avoiding the busy and expensive parking at Symonds Yat we parked up for free in Whitchurch. Another fine clock tower in the village.
We wanderd across the fields and through the myriad of narrow lanes and paths around Great Doward. UF is into bagging Tumps (Thirty Metre Prominences) although his claim is that Seana, his dog, is the bagger! Great Doward itself has a Tump but to say its uninspiring would be an understatement (a small stoneworks factory spread over a bramble infested wood)
It’s an area of limestone and there are lots of small cliffs and caves.
These are quite small although there are a couple down near the river that require some proper caving experience.
This slightly larger one is yet another named after the extremely well travelled King Arthur.
UF had commented that it seemed to be a very fungal year.
Not sure whether this is in some way related to the very warm dry summer we had but there were loads on this mainly woodland walk.
I find them fascinating in their own odd and creepy way.
A steep climb led us to small hill (and Tump) that I’ve never noticed on the map before.
Little Doward was much better than its bigger neighbour with some fine views and a nice open area of common on the top. Sadly despite the promise of the sun bursting through for a blue sky day, it never happened but it was at least dry. Well worth a walk up here and a picnic on a sunny day.
Back down towards the river Wye and the superb overlook of Seven Sisters Rocks.
They take a bit of finding as there are numerous paths and they are hidden away in the woods.
Well worth the effort though.
The Biblins suspension bridge.
A very interesting and bouncy affair.
It was badly damaged by floods a few years ago and as its been a while since I did this walk I was pleased to see it has been fully restored.
This stretch of the Wye is particularly impressive as its the nearest to a “gorge” that we have down our way.
We stopped at the Saracens Head pub in Symonds Yat for a pint. It was extremely busy as there was a white water kayak competition on the rapids just downstream.
All that was left was to catch the small punt ferry over the river and the short walk back to the car.
A fine little walk. We were hoping that tomorrow’s bigger day out would give us our own Cloud Inversion day to go with the numerous photos from across the UK that had flooded my Social Media feeds all week! Stay Tuned!
I spend alot of my time surfing the web looking for ideas on places to go, walking routes, travel ideas and tips to plan the perfect holiday or day out. (I'm a project manager I like to plan). I thought it was time to share my own experiences and contribute to the vast amounts in information that's already out there.
I'll also add in some gear and tech reviews and when something irks me I may even use this forum to have a rant - I do that pretty well I'm told.There are a few pages at the top that give a bit of background to what I like to get up to and what you can expect to see in my posts. I'm not exactly a creative writer but I hope some people will find my stuff useful or inpsiring or at least enjoy some of my photos.
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