Almost two weeks ago, the frenchies went for their very first scottish winter trip. Conditions looked tricky, with a lot of fresh snow blown by the wind, and a thaw. But flexibility of the van and the fact that discovering prevailed on seeking hard routes made it a memorable trip.… Continue reading
Finally, the very last day of true winter offered good enough ground conditions for some skiing in the famous York area. Unfortunalty, Carr’s lane was in too salty conditions. The frenchies thus decided to go for the Millenium Bridge, for an attempt of the first linking of both North and… Continue reading
Sunday (25th Feb) was a pinnacle of good weather in the Lake District. The skies completely blue all day, almost no wind, the ground frozen, and hard neve in gullies and on north-facing ground. Steve Murray and I captured the mood of a relaxing and beautiful day by making our… Continue reading
Hallsfell Ridge on Blencathra was in full winter condition on the rocky section above 600 metres last Saturday. (17th Feb). Dolly, Steve M, Paul and I prayed hard for the mist to lift, but it didn’t. The narrow top of the ridge is an entertaining scramble with axe and crampons.… Continue reading
The MWIS forecast for Lakes for 11 February 2018 was marginal at best, with words like “frequently appalling” cropping up. Nevertheless, a French-American team of Antoine Marnat, Lucile Boust and Andrew Mirelman piled into the van and left York at 7am. While scanning the BBC radio waves for the elusive… Continue reading
There was a very poor forecast (almost) everywhere. So it was time for a day in the Far East (of the Grampians). Paul and I have long served our time in the high Cairngorms, so we were happy to find an alternative to Saturday’s 100 mph gusts and driving rain.… Continue reading
Reports from Helvellyn were of snowdrifts 1500 mm deep, and some avalanche potential. But on the opposite side of Patterdale, the less-frequented Place Fell offered an ascent on more scoured windward slopes, (i.e. on the mountain’s western side) a lesser elevation avoiding the deepest snow, and a pleasant circuit of… Continue reading
By Loch T During the first half of October, Ang and I climbed Kilimanjaro. The trip out was uneventful but the long wait for a connecting flight at Addis was tedious. The walk itself was pretty good. As you ascend you pass through five different zones cultivated forest moorland… Continue reading
I recently spent a week in Scotland, for a spot of walking and climbing, and was delighted to be joined by a number of companions along the way: The drive up to Inverness is a fairly long one, but one thing I take heart from is the point when you… Continue reading
The Lakes of Vens looked impossibly beautiful. High in the mountains at 2400 metres the three blue-green pools lie in a hanging valley surrounded by sensationally jagged ridges, overlooked by a small Club Alpine Francais refuge. We spent most of the afternoon failing to take good enough pictures, and were… Continue reading
