Tha Winter Light

Its amazing the rubbish you can find adorning shop windows in some of the tourist towns of this country of ours. Little metal buckets with random words daubed on them, small wooden animals, wreathes shaped like hearts with little red bows.

I know this, for I spent the majority of the weekend chaperoning Lucy through the miriad of chintz shops to be found in the towns of Grasmere and Ambleside in the Lake District. Lucy has been somewhat distracted by home and leisure type magasines of late, for we, finally are about to lay down some roots and enter the housing market. A big step for two people who haven't lived in the same house for more than two years since leaving home.

The only problem is, that with Lucy in charge I think our house may end up looking a little like a cross between a Beatrix Potter scene and an old peoples home. Its all I can do to veto the purchase of porcelain ducks.

In between viewing tiny blue bookshelves which are not big enough nor strong enough to actually hold a book - we once more got a little walking in.

This time we were blessed with not only good weather, but excellent light for photography. I always love getting out in the winter.


Left behind!


Clucky the Chicken


Flat Light

View Over Valley

Lucy and I are close to making some big decisions at the moment. With my new job has come a 1 hr 20 minute each way commute and we need to figure out a way to narrow this down. We're pretty close to actually getting off this goddam rental train and actually purchasing a place of our own. Its about time really - but we both still harbour sectret desires to sack everything off and go and live in a tent in some faraway place. Pretty difficult to do with a big fat mortgage in tow.

As we usually do when we have things to discuss, we head for the hills. I took this one in some valley I dont know the name of - while walking near Derwent reservoir. The reds of the moors are fantastic in the Autumn, and I always think you can do much better photography in the winter months than summer if you get a clear day:

Went Camping

Went Camping.

It rained.

A lot...

Actually I have to say I don't really mind camping in the rain much. so long as I have the right gear to stay dry and can retreat to the local pub for a few when it all becomes a bit much. Because we waited out those two days of misery and  wet feet. Because we spent those nights awake, with that 'desperate for the toilet' feeling, the one where you are waiting for that one bloody gap in the rain to allow you to get outside and pee against the hubcaps of your car. Because of all that, we were one of a few campers to witness the perfect weather that came in on Monday morning in Langdale.

On the way back home ... for the second time, I got to meet my beautiful baby niece Imogen. In fact I can now post up a photo of both of my nieces together. We Hugheses are multiplying don't you know.

I have the Internet Again!

Finally, after having moved house around a month ago, and after having confirmed that BT are indeed the most dis-organised organisation on the planet - I have the internet at home!

After clearing out the links to dodgy sites which had accumulated in my comments section, the first thing I did was to upload my photographs for Team Bandicoot on the Hadrians Walk. Rather than bore you with them all, you can go to see them here on my Flickr page.

I thought I ought to post up the picture from the start of the walk (incidentally, only one of our party started in the sea, having been the only one who could be bothered to wade through the mud):

Bowness on Solway

Left to right: The Sergrant Major, The Tank, Me, Lucy, The Nurse, The City Worker, Katie, Will, Mike (who incidentally never looks at the camera), Alex, Mark (Buff creator), and the Artist (in distance).

I think probably my most favourite shot from the walk has to be this one, taken on the way into Houghton North Farm:

Fields of Gold (ish)

And here we are at the end, substantially more sweaty, and with a fair few more blisters:

Wallsend

Left to right: The Artist, The City Worker, Me, Mark, Alex, Will, Lucy, Katie, The Nurse, Mike, the Sergeant Major, the Tank (Front - DNF).

Thanks to everyone who took part, it was a great week and I think we may be able to turn it into a annual event. Particular thanks goes to our mobile Podiatrist who followed us the who breadth of the country - keeping the team going with foam padding, strapping and cans of Carlsberg.

Julia - Our Mobile Podiatrist

Of Iron Roads

As we got higher up the mountain, we nervously ploughed into thigh deep snow, putting into practice some of the winter skills we learnt during our course, but this time without the comfort of having an experienced guide directing our every step. We weren't quite sure what to expect and whether the going would get tougher, the snow drifts deeper and the danger or falling down the mountainside on our left, even greater as we wound our way upwards.

The guide book gave directions based upon landmarks, but we must have gone past several, a signpost here, a memorial plaque there, a fork in the road. They were supposed to be ten minutes apart, but it was hard to know what ten minutes should be, being as our progress was much slowed by the snow. Round the corner to fantastic views down the Lake Garda, the guide book said. We could just see grey sky.

The cloud began to lift as we were closing in on our first bit of Via Ferrata. Descend 200m into a large bowl, but be warned, this may contain some snow early in the season. Some snow! It contained massive bloody sheets of ice! It was only on the good advice of the chap in our local outdoors shop, that we even took ice axes. It would have been very difficult without.

The Nurse followed as I chopped steps down the mountainside to the first wired section. 

Via Ferrata routes are essentially long sections of wire attached to steep bits of rock, to which the quick fix climber can attach himself using a specifically designed lanyard. They were initially built in the Italian Dolomites to assist soldiers in the first world war by helping them climb quickly to great height without the use of ropes. This route was considerably newer than this (or at least I hoped so), and I am presuming just set up for sport.

When we got to the bottom of the bowl, we put on our harnesses and lanyards and began our ascent. The first section was a fairly easy chimney, up which the Nurse led the way. 

We then hit a massive patch of snow which was concealing all of the cables into which we needed to clip. The next clipping in point was visible about 10 feet away from us - the only problem being the traverse unprotected accross an icy slope with a massive drop on one side. We decided a much better idea was to spend 20 minutes furiously chopping through the snow to get to the submerged cable. Neither of us was prepared to stand on a slide away to nothing, without at least being clipped on somewhere.

The next pitch up a large crack was a little more challenging. It wasn't quite hard enough for me to think I was going to fall off, but still hard enough for me to spend my climbing time thinking about what the concequences would be, if I did fall off. 

Place hands, place feet, haul self up, look down, remind self never to look down again ... and repeat. It was a fair distance to the top crawling over the edge and making that final clip with no small sense of relief.

'The final pitch climbs at an easier angle', said the guide book. It didnt seem much easier to me with tired arms. The water cascading down the rock didn't assist slow progress, but did add to the adventure.

Wearily we drew ourselves over and walked the short distance to the top of the 2,200m peak. We opened the metal box which contained a climbers log. The last entry - October 2009, meaning we were the first climbers of the season. Something to be proud of I feel, and perhaps this explains why we were wading through virgin snow  the whole way up the mountainside. One thing was for sure, the second group of climbers of the season would have a much easier job digging those blasted cables out. 

We thought to rest until thwarted by an act of nature. 

We looked each other tentatively up and down. Two lonely souls on the highest peak on the range, caught in a thunderstorm! Luckily we had long metal sticks in our hands to ward off the bad weather. 

It was back down for us through hail and snow to sun-burnt girlfriends, cheap red wine and pizza.

We had a number of good little adventures on the trip. But I will save something for future posts!

Its Been a While

I was just emptying out my camera in preparation for a trip to the lakes tomorrow (a brisk 5am start for me!), and found a couple of shots that I like from when Lucy and I were out walking on Mam Tor in the Peak District a month or so ago.

The snow had built up on the northern side of the hills and the strong sun we had that morning had melted everything on the south - creating this weird stripe down the landscape:

Hopefully I'll have some new photos tomorrow.

Snow

This Christmas I got a brand spanking new set of crampons for a mountaineering course I am doing in Scotland in February. Given that we have had an unusually large amount of snow recently, I wanted to go and try them out in the hills and I am glad I did!

The main problem with the idea was actually getting to any kind of hills being as many of the passes in the Peak District are closed at the moment. I managed to make it as far a Ladybower reservoir (with a bit of wheel spinning) and did a few miles over Wym Hill (i jut looked at the map for the most contour lines close together). 

It was pretty cold (I think around -3 deg C). But being as I had all my gear together for the course - it was not too bad.

I took a few pictures too (though they did no kind of justice to the actual views):

I particularly like the sheep which had been burying its face in the snow:

Another Year

In the absence of anything exciting to write about this week - bar the usual misery around another year passing me by and feeling like I all but missed the noughties (surely it was only just 2000?), I thought I would post up some pictures of some walking in the snow that Lucy and I did this weekend.

We've had a fair but of snow in Sheffield, which in normal countries wouldn't really matter and things would go on pretty much as normal. However in the UK we are crap at snow...

We don't use snow tyres (for the 10 days or so per year they would be useful), don't use snow ploughs, we have tiny little narrow roads, we don't stock enough grit (if you believe the papers), its not really that cold (so snow generally becomes slush and ice pretty quickly), and generally people dont really know how to drive in snow. 

Its the English way. 

We purposefully don't help ourselves in any way what so-ever in order that it increases the chance of us being able to have a good moan when things do go wrong. Oh yes we love to moan.

I was actually quite surprised yesterday when I spotted someone cleaving through the snow in snow tyres. Very un-British. Far too prepared.

In the Hills Above Ladybower Reservoir

Lucy Rests at the Botanical Gardens in Sheffield

A Tree

A Photo I Missed from the Last Set!

Seasons

A few different people have mentioned to me recently that they love the changing of the seasons, and in fact it is one of the best things about living in England.

I am inclined to agree. Especially after a walk we did today to the top of Kinder Scout in the peak district in the freeing cold. The failing light (failing so much we had to use head torches for the last half hour) was pretty spectacular on the peat bogs and the red heather. 

I took loads of photos that I really like that I have uploaded onto Flickr, but I really can't figure out which one is my favourite - so here are a few for you...

Lucy facing the winds on Kinder plateau

Walkers in the distance above Jacobs Ladder

Footpath to Nowhere at the Start of the Pennine Way, Edale

Rock Formations on Kinder Plateau

Some Training for Bandicoots

I am sitting here with a not insignificant headache, trying to keep my eyes open after driving back from the Lake District. Two potential members of Team Bandicoot took Lucy and I scrambling up 'Jacks Rake', a short route very close to a part of the Cumbria Way a few weeks ago.

I have been informed that my compact camera is un-repairable after coming into a fair amount of contact with a rainwater / dissolved boiler sweets concoction. Therefore not wanting to risk my DSLR in the rain, I must resort to stealing images from the internet:

Tomorrow however, I have agreed to go with some other potential members (or at least they will be by the end of the day), to North Yorkshire to complete the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge!

Its a 23 mile circular route over three of the highest peaks in the Yorkshire Dales (Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough) and is supposed to be completed within 12 hours. Wikipedia calls it 'gruelling'. 'Gentle' or 'easy peasy' or 'like a large cuddle from a giant marshmallow' were the descriptive sentences I was hoping to read.

To make things worse (as well as the forecast for drizzle all day) is that one of the guys I am going with is a little bit hardcore and far, far fitter than me, like really fit. Like 'I've done a tour of Afghanistan' fit. 

This would be OK in itself ... except that he told me that he wants to complete the circuit as fast as he can. 

I should have told him, 'thats fine but when you get to the end can you get a round in?', but I think he expects me to do the same (and I am slightly scared of him).

I have this ominous feeling in my stomach tonight. 

I am off to get myself a power curry!

Team Bandicoot Update

Its kind of a little pointless writing this as the majority of my limited readers (limited in number, not in their reading ability) are also readers of my brother's site over at All That Comes With It so will probably be aware of what I am about to write. 

Dan has blown cover and announced that in July of next year we will be taking on a six day hike across the Hadrians Wall in the north of England. The walk, for the Joseph Salmon Trust will commence in Bowness on the West coast and will wind its way along Hadrians Wall taking some quite dramatic scenery and some historical sites along the way.

For the walk we have decided to et up two teams. Mainly because we want to be able to raise as much money as we can for the charity, which means having a large group of participants hassling a lot of non participants. However in terms of group size we are limited by the range of accommodation available along the way. So Dan will go with one group (randomly named Oscelot) from East to West, whilst I try to organise another from West to East to ease the burden on hostels etc. The groups will meet in the middle on the third day for a healthy game of rounders or perhaps a bacon butty or two.

I was actually planning not to tell my group about some of the bunk-houses and inform them that they were going to have to camp, but that has kind of fallen through now, so I am going to have to relent and allow a few walk comforts.

The team name 'Bandicoot' has been inherited for the West to East rabble for reasons unknown to me, though I think I am happy to stick with it as it took us nearly two weeks to come up with a pub quiz name (and the Nurse ended up getting that from the internet) so having a name ready decided will relive a little stress.

So, what now. Oh - we need some walkers! Dan (envying my initial recruitment joy) has already made moves to try to push for 'Oscelot' membership via his extensive readership, and by the looks of his recent comment list is doing pretty ok with it too!

I do have one trump card however. I work in an an environmental consultancy full to the brim with twenty somethings who thought it would be a good idea to do an environmental science degree thinking that this would lead to lots of exciting work outdoors. Then they joined a consultancy and had their hopes buried at their desk in a large pile of Environmental Permit Supporting Documentation and Environmental Management System Procedural Guidance. Hence, frustrated walking / climbing types are in abundance!

I plan that to be my recruiting ground.

For any who haven't seen it, the walk website has been set up by Dan here, and here is a parting picture of Hadrians Wall (as stolen from the internet):

Just Bumbling Around

I have arrived in Ontario a day before I have to start work and I have been determined to make something more out of my foreign work trips than I usually do. So I hopped in to my ridiculously small hire car, made even more amusing by the fact that everyone else is driving trucks, and drove down to the nearest place mentioned for walking in my Canada Lonely Planet.

The lucky location was "Land 'O' Lakes" (whoever named that place was obviously from Yorkshire). I went armed with my DSLR camera, but quickly found out that for some reason it had rejected my memory card so I could only store around 15 pictures on the internal drive.

Also my work laptop doesnt have any facility to edit photos (well actually thats a lie, I just couldnt be bothered to figure out how), and those swines in IT have blocked Flickr access recently (though for some reason have missed Blogger). Oh the trauma of communication!

After acquiring a map from the provincial park centre (which looked a little like Huddersfield public toilets) I spent the first part of the 12km walk wandering around thinking that the scenery could just be straight out of a Yorkshire woodland. Apart from the effing massive dragonflies that seemed to be everywhere of course.


Just when I was tutting to myself, thinking that this Canada place was nothing special. In fact it was a little like the wood at the back of the house I grew up in. I was startled by a startled deer (startledness all around)!

This is normal fayre in the woodlands of England of course, in fact, due to my chronic unattentiveness, usually I dont spot the deer and somebody has to point it out to me ... then they have to spend several minutes explaining where the damn thing is in reference to that there Sycamore tree in the distance ... then they have to describe what a Sycamore tree looks like ... then maybe I will see it.

But, there was no missing this bugger. Oh no. Thats because it was the size of the 310 double decker bus to Homfirth. Ah so thats the difference between England and Canada. Size.

I couldnt catch the damn thing with my camera, despite the fact it was in my hand at the time (the camera not the deer). But it was around this bit somewhere:

I spent the rest of the walk looking out for bears and suchlike, and panicing about various strange insects landing on me, in much the same way as I used to do with the spiders and cockroaches in Australia.

Its funny how different English speaking nations live in such different environments and find them normal. Aussies couldnt fathom my obsession with kangaroos and kookaburra's, yet some get excited by badgers and foxes.

I had one Italian friend who was obsessed with taking photos of sheep (I am sure they must have sheep in Italy?).

Out of the Frying Pan, into the Damp

On Tuesday I got back from my walk along the Cumbria Way with my Brother Dan, Craig (who I will from henceforth refer to as "The Walking Binliner", as he wanted a special name) and several other of their friends. I was going to post something up here about the delights of trekking through the Lake District, but I think Dan pretty much has it covered. Besides which - since my accident with my camera a few weeks ago, I am unable to easily take photographs and have no visual record of the event.

Tomorrow I am travelling once again to Canada for work. Its funny the jealousy I get in the office. I think they believe that its all 5 star hotels, limos, glorious sunshine and frolicking around when working abroad. When really it is losing two weekends to travel and working extra long hours for no extra pay or time off.

Lucy even said to me 'at least you will get a tan!'. I have tried to explain that when I am not wokring in a factory, I am sitting bored in my hotel room watching Simpsons and Family Guy repeats. She still doesnt seem to understand.

Not that I begrudge it - I am getting vast amounts of experience on the job, working in different environments, so I will always volunteer. But it is still work!

On the subject of travel, I have recently set some clevel little widgets up on iGoogle, which allow me to see weather in different parts of the world. I couldn't help but notice this:

Where I live:

Where I am travelling to:

Bugger.

A brief pause...

It been a little while since I posted on the blog. I put this down to the fact that I just bought the classic collection of Sharpe on sale from HMV, 16 or so of which they are. Each 2 hours long.

I have become somewhat addicted to Sharpe. Spending my every spare moment trying to squeeze in half an hour or so. For that I apologise.

On Saturday I am off on the Cumbria Way and the weather looks pretty nice. This is a little annoying since I invested a significant amount of money in waterproofs after my last adventure. Oh well if there is one thing you can be sure of in England, its rain.

Other interesting news has come to light just tonight. My good friend the Rockstar and his band, have landed a gig in July supporting Echobelly (think back to the 90's, cheesy indie rock - thats the one)!

I used to have a serious crush on the lead singer in my youth.

So I leave you with 'Great Things':

No. 4: The Pennine Way Part I

Recipe for Sticky Soggy Camera:

1. Take 1 trouser pocket
   
2. Add 2 packets of boiled sweets of your choice
   
3. Add 10 gallons of rainwater
   
4. Walk around a lot
   

Luckily I managed to dry the thing out a bit, and although still a little sticky, I recovered my photos from the Pennine Way:

Day 1 - Edale to Crowden (16 miles) taking in Kinder Scout and Bleaklow

Four of us were supposed to set out on the first day, however this was quickly reduced to two when The Nurse and his brother Mark missed their train from Sheffield (apparently unaware that platform 2 and platform 2c are actually different locations). Due to the inadequacy of public transport, this put the boys 2 hours behind me and The Tank. 

The Bottom of Jacobs Ladder

With no mobile reception, we set off slowly and thought it would be extremely entertaining to leave messages in the dirt for the chasing team which for some reason reminded me of the 90s show 'Challenge Anneka'

Graffitiing Kinder Scout Summit

What was even more amusing was the fact that the trailing team absolutely bust a gut to catch us up and we decided we should change our times to make it look like we were getting faster and faster. Apparently this destroyed their morale.

Day 2 - Crowden to some pub somewhere (11.5 miles) taking in Black Hill

After a nice campsite in Crowden we took a fairly easy route (via Black Hill and a timely bacon sandwich delivery form The Nurse's mum) to a pub near Marsden where the landlord let us stay out back for free. Unfortunately at this point we lost a good man. The Tank was retired by his Pediatrist girlfriend for officially having 'Foot Mank'. An impressive case of 'Foot Mank' to say the least.

Mark Surveys the Damage on Black Hill

Day 3 - Some Pub to Some Farm (17 miles)

We were joined by the City Worker and the Sergeant Major by day 3. The weather held out pretty good up to around lunchtime when we got a bit of a drenching. Though we managed a pub lunch so not all was lost. And a pub dinner which was a bonus as I was getting a little tired of supernoodles by this point.

Day 4 - Hebden Bridge to Cowling (14 miles)

The sun held out for us on this day and we had figured out a way to block out The City Worker's constant moans and protestations to get ourselves to a campsite which had actual working showers and everything!

A Building on a Hill

Day 5 Hebden Bridge to Malham (17 miles)

The team expanded on this day with the addition of Lucy and a few of her friends. It was a long old flatish slog through some really nice lowland (we were bored of moors by this point) up to Malham.

The Wilson Brothers Prove that Fluorescent is Back in Fashion

Day 6 - Malham to Horton in Ribblesdale (via Pen-y-ghent)

Day 6 took in some wonderful views from Pen-y-ghent (one of the highest hills in the Yorkshire Dales). Only thing is, we didn't see any of the views. In fact we couldn't even see Pen-y-ghent, despite the fact that we were standing on it! It absolutely peed it down to the point where we were walking with our eyes almost shut because of the pain of the horizontal rain hitting us in the faces. I spend pretty much the whole day walking with a couple of millimeters of water in my boots which was fun!

No pictures on this day!

Posing for the Cameral on Day 5

Kinder Scout

Just a few more days to go until we do the 6 day section of the Pennine Way on Wednesday.

The weather is beautiful at the moment which is annoying me for two main reasons:

1. I have generally been at work
2. If it is sunny this week when I am at work, the 28th law of sod dictates that it will pee it down next week when I am hiking across hills and camping.

Last weekend we did a bit of a two dayer (3 of the crew that will be starting the walk) carrying tents and camping overnight by way of preparation. The first day was around 13 miles and relatively good going. The second day was 10 miles over Kinder Scout which pretty much wrecked us (as we were force marching to get to our pickup point by 1pm).

The wort thing was that I stupidly didn't wear proper hiking socks and my feet are a bit of a mess of blisters. I also didn't wear any sun-cream which turned out to be a bit of  mistake. 

Here are some photos (I love the Peak District when the mist ascends in the morning):

Tackling the 'Old Pennine Way' ascent of Kinder Scout

Near Kinder Scout Summit

Lost Amongst the Rocks

#4 - Pennine Way Update

We did our first training walk for the Pennine Way a week or so ago. Me and The Nurse, I had a 5 or 6 kilo pack, he had a 10 kilo one. We did about 16 miles and after the walk my legs seized up pretty hard. I was fine by the next day, but apparently The Nurse was walking a little like John Wayne.

The training walk has learned us a few lessons on the art of walking:

• Undertake training walks in order to avoid being crippled by the second day
• Wear the same t-shirt and underwear the whole time to avoid carrying too much weight
• Dont walk at the ridiculous pace the Nurse tried to set off at
• Dont go to the pub until the end of the walk
• Try not to walk up hills (this may prove a little difficult)

Being sticklers for punishment, I think we may set out on another one on Saturday.

No. 4: Two Ways

No. 4 on my 40 thing to do before I am 40 is to walk the Pennine Way, a 268 mile walk from the South Yorkshire Peak District National Park, through the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland National park - ending across the Scottish border. This spring we are planning on doing the first 5 or 6 days of the trail, which should leave us about  third of the way up.

I have had this in my mind for a while. One of the main draws being that the start of the Way is in Edale - not far from my house. I seem to have roped in The Tank and The Nurse as traveling buddies and a number of other people who want to do one or two days.  The idea is to carry all of our equipment and camp along the way. It will be pretty challenging, but then thats what we are after.

What has complicated matters however, is that I have been invited along with my brother to a similar 4 day jaunt across the Cumbria Way in late May. I am pretty sure I will do both (Dan - take this as a yes) bar injury. It was suggested by Arjan that I add this to my 40 things to do before I am 40, in order that I can tick something off the list - but I think that is a little against the spirit of the thing.

Photo of Black Hill on the Pennine Way: Stolen from the Internet

Coupled with the annual walking trip I will be taking with Lucy's family - this will be a summer of long walks!

The Blue Mountains II

Last time I went to the Blue Mountains I was a little underwhelmed with them. I decided to have another go at them this weekend and went up to Wentworth Falls. I have to say that I am glad I did as the route we took had much more impressive scenery:

Reflections on the Water

In the absence of anything interesting to write about this weekend, and upon my return from a hiking trip across one of the first stages of the Great North Walk (which runs from Sydney to Newcastle - apparently they have a Newcastle here in Australia too - though no castle). I took only one half decent photo of a pool in Gorton Gorge: