Journeys by hiking, running, cycling and touring
I woke (yes actually woke, thereby signifying that I'd actually slept!) early and stuck my head out the door to see if there was any sort of sunrise going on. Â Not much happening of interest, so I had a lie in. Â Sleep had come courtesy of no musical wind, a better set of nocturnal sartorial … Continue reading My first wild camp – Part 3: Drawing the Line
All night the wind gusted around the tent, setting off metallic twangs as the crossing poles resonated. I lay shivering in my sleeping bag, barely dozing for much of the seemingly endless night, willing the dawn to come. Yes it really was that cold. So cold that the slightest movement brought me into contact with … Continue reading My first wild camp – Part 2: Tired, Cold and Hungry
Quite literally, in fact... It was a struggle to get everything in my new Golite Jam, but I really wanted to avoid going up a rucksack size to my Lowe Alpine Khumbu 65:80 for what is a relatively short trip. So the Jam really was jam packed and bulging. I was also pushing the boundaries … Continue reading My first wild camp – Part 1: Jam Packed
I hate leaving things until the last minute. Â There's always more to do than you think, and in the final rush to get it all done, you have to cut corners and risk not doing it properly. Â However, I find myself in the position of having to leave this decision to the last minute... Six … Continue reading Should I stay or should I go ?
Now that my readers have had a few minutes to get over the shock from my last post, and the announcement that Eagle Crag is my favourite fell, it's time to close this thread of posts out. Â I'm sure that some readers were hanging on to the last post hoping that I would also love … Continue reading Favourite Fells Reflections
As I passed Lining Crag, two guys came towards me, clearly heading down to Stonethwaite. We stood and exchanged a few words as the wind drove rain in our faces and challenged the waterproofness of our outer layers. They’d come from Sergeant’s Crag and before that, Eagle Crag, but were now calling it a day … Continue reading Favourite Fells – Eagle Crag
Some say that it's the wettest place in England. Â Many would say that it's not a great fell. Â All I know is that it is one of the places I most dream of being in the Lake District. Actually the title of wettest place in England is a bit of a moot point. Â It probably … Continue reading Favourite Fells – Seathwaite Fell
Quite simply, Yewbarrow is the best fell in Wasdale. Â But before you Great Gable or Scafell lovers shoot me down, let me explain my reasoning. Yewbarrow's principal asset should be obvious to anyone looking up Wastwater, or indeed looking across from, say Whin Rigg or Illgill Head. Â It looks great. Â A number of times I've … Continue reading Favourite Fells – Yewbarrow
When I first heard of Castle Crag my main thoughts were “what a poxy low fell” and “why is it included at the expense of much higher places?” Well, we all know that Wainwright created loads of anomalies when he compiled his 7 volumes, and after much pondering, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s … Continue reading Favourite Fells – Castle Crag
I suppose it was inevitable that Helvellyn would come out as one of my favourite fells. My first mountain experience took place there, and it’s my most visited fell (jointly with Skiddaw). Now Helvellyn is not what I call a beautiful mountain, (although individual parts of it are), and it’s mainly the quality of the … Continue reading Favourite Fells – Helvellyn
I reckon few have Lingmell in their top 10 fells, so why do I ? It’s quite remarkable considering it’s the most recently climbed fell on my list of favourites and has had to compete with the likes of Scafell, Bowfell, assorted Langdale Pikes etc.  All of which it has beaten. The answer is that … Continue reading Favourite Fells – Lingmell
At one point, I considered leaving Scafell to the end of my Wainwright round, and making it my last fell. If I had done, then clearly I wouldn’t be writing this post now. But I wanted something more symbolic for my final fell and chose Haystacks, leaving me free to visit Scafell sooner rather than … Continue reading Favourite Fells – Scafell
Pavey Ark makes my favourites list for one main reason, and I imagine most people will guess what it is… Jack’s Rake. There, I’ve said it. Pavey Ark rises as a cliff above Stickle Tarn, and from the tarn at first glance appears impregnable. But it’s not. Jack’s Rake runs diagonally up from right to … Continue reading Favourite Fells – Pavey Ark
Bowfell has many admirers - and for good reason. Â It's great. Â This is the first of a run of favourite fells whose main virtue is that there is an interesting way up. Â Bowfell is a proper mountain, by Lake District standards, but it wouldn't quite win top prizes for beauty from me when up against … Continue reading Favourite Fells – Bowfell
This has been an incredibly hard post to write. Â I've been trying to find the words to explain what this fell means to me, and the words that have come just haven't done it justice. Â But I can almost hear some readers asking what all the fuss is about. Â After all Pike of Stickle is … Continue reading Favourite Fells – Pike of Stickle