Hiking
Climbing on good old Dartmoor granite at Leigh Tor, a family day out. I climbed a couple of routes on top rope as this is the first time we’ve climbed together, then a couple more climbs with my nephew leading. He’s far more experienced than I and knows this crag. And great for me to see at first hand and use together last year’s Christmas presents.
Loop hike from Otford to Shoreham and back in the Valley of the River Darent in the Kent countryside. Lots of wildlife and history in these rolling hills. Although hardly a safari, this area around Filston is a relative sanctuary from creeping suburbia and the thick blue line of the M25.
We enjoyed lunch outdoors in Shoreham including a copious Ploughman’s: happy to see that still on the menu. Brian enjoyed a pint of local Amber Ale with a simpler sandwich.
The climb up Skiddaw (931 m.) from Latrigg Saddle (290 m.) is known for its unremitting slog, including a set of zig-zags that can be seen from the A66 below. It’s a straightforward walk-up, nothing technical about the climb except the slog: there’s no babbling beck alongside and you’re above the tree line on one of the bleakest fells in the Lake District. The satisfaction is the climb, keeping going as the view back to Derwent Water and the Lakeland Peaks grows as you gain height. It’s good fitness training, would-be Mt. Everest mountaineers have used it as a training session: the view is better than three hours on a machine in a gym, but it’s a bit of a wonder why the stomp up Skiddaw is so popular with a more general public.
More photos: Skiddaw summit (931 m.) - Lake District National Park
Stonethwaite
Hike from Stonethwaite following the Langstrath Beck upstream to this long wide valley which has survived with minimal buildings and habitation. Plenty of grass so a challenge from the Hay Fever point of view. We were told that there is relatively little farm stock (sheep etc) this year because of a change in the tenant farmer at Seathwaite. So, as well as the hikers on the Cumbrian Way and the wild swimmers in the cool water of Blackmoss Pot, we were happy to spot a grey heron, some lapwings and a glimpse of a stoat as well as the twinkle of the skylarks calling.
A day hanging on a rope in Eskdale practising descending and ascending using Single Rope Technique. SRT was developed for mines and caving because it reduces the amount (and weight) of gear. Easier to concentrate on SRT out in the open rather than underground in a yellow suit and the dark, but we didn’t dismount the head lights.
More photos: SRT training & familiarisation in Eskdale - Lake District National Park
