Windermere to Manchester - A Plan

On Monday I'll be getting a train from Solihull to Windermere, with the idea of walking home by Sunday afternoon.

I've plotted a route - given limited time (and we leave now for Solihull) which was simply the first that came to mind as my cursor traced a largely southerly route down the Anquet map screen.

So I think my trip needs to be renamed 'towards' Manchester, as I don't think that in a little over six days I'll be able to cover the 263 km (165 miles) with over 7,000 metres of ascent that Anquet claims for this route.

I'll be posting details of my progress, so (whilst I'm not expecting it) if anyone would care to join me for a while, I'll be pleased to see you.

The route is summarised below:

Stage 1 - Waypoints 1 to 11 - Windermere to Borrowdale - 28 km
Stage 2 - Waypoints 11 to 23 - to Dent - 35 km
Stage 3 - Waypoints 23 to 37 - to Kettlewell - 43 km
Stage 4 - Waypoints 37 to 49 - to Ilkley Crags - 40 km
Stage 5 - Waypoints 49 to 60 - to Jerusalem Camp Site - 34 km
Stage 6 - Waypoints 60 to 72 - to Crowden - 38 km
Stage 7 - Waypoints 72 to 92 - to Timperley - 45 km.

The detailed intermediary points and map references are here.

My phone should be turned on.

I'll be in touch! Probably by way of short (you'll be relieved to hear) postcards.

Wednesday 27 May 2009 - An Evening on the Sandstone Trail

Tonight Andrew joined us for a short walk along the Sandstone Trail, which used to start from the car park in Simon's Lane above Frodsham.  The small car park was well stocked with leaflets, and shiny new signs now point the walker in that direction from the centre of Frodsham; but we stuck to tradition and headed from Beacon Hill across the golf course.

The wooded sandstone ridges hereabouts provide excellent ammunition for short circular walks suitable for evenings such as this.  The views to North Wales, The Wirral and Liverpool are excellent.  There are lots of antiquities to observe - remnants of Celtish times and Iron Age forts from before the Roman occupation - but I'll not go into all that just now.  Modern industry currently provides more conspicuous blots on the landscape.

The new signposts really are Very Shiny.

It's that time of year when buttercups take over in some places - in this case very much brightening the place up as dusk set in and we returned to base via a series of quiet green lanes, by-roads and paths, to join some rather miserable looking Manchester United supporters over a welcome beer.

Here's our route - 10 km with 300 metres ascent, taking 2 to 2½ hours - a lovely little circuit.

TGO Challenge 2009 - Index

Martin and Sue's planned route, kit list and brief report with panoramic images - web page
Picasa Slide Show - a selection of 100 images
Blog Pages: These are as written at the time ('on the day'), with any added text italicised and with added images.
The TGO Challenge 2009 - Nearly Ready
Ready and Waiting
1st Prologue - A Wet Trip to Sunny Montrose
2nd Prologue - Dreiched in Mallaig
Day 1 Plan
Time for a Cheese and Wine Party!
Day 1 Report - Socialising in Knoydart
Day 2 Plan
Day 2 Report - First FWA
Day 3 Plan
On the summit of Gulvain - 5.40 pm 10/5/09
Day 3 Report - Here Comes Summer!
Day 4 Plan
The View to Ben Nevis from above Glenmallie - 9.30 on 11/5/09
Brew stop above Glenmallie - 10.30 - 11/5/09
By Loch Arkaig - lunch time 11/5/09
Day 4 Report - More like Today, Please!
Day 5 Plan
In the Woods
Nearing the summit of Beinn Teallach - 4.45 pm - 12/5/09
Day 5 Report - Not a Cloud in the Sky
Day 6 Plan
Our camp site at 620 metres - 8 am on 13/5/09
On Creag Meagaidh Summit - 11.40 - 13/5/09 - VERY WINDY!
Our campsite at 430 metres by Allt Crunachdain - 13/5/09
Day 6 Report - Arctic Winds on Creag Meagaidh
Day 7 Plan
On the beautiful Forest Path to Dalwhinnie - 9.20 am - 14/5/09
Day 7 Report - Trying not to be 'Pidgeoned'
Day 8 Plan
From The Fleshpots of Dalwhinnie - Into the Wilderness
Day 8 Report - Hare Hill
Day 9 Plan
Day 9 Report - The Good Samaritan
Day 10 Plan
The View East from the Summit of Carn a' Chlamain - 11.30 am - 17/5/09
Lunch by the River Tilt - 17/5/09
Day 10 Report - A Fine Day in the Highlands
Day 11 Plan
On the summit of Carn nan Righ - 1026 metres - 10.10 am - 18/5/09
Day 11 Report - Cold Rain
Day 12 Plan
Our Final Summit - Mount Blair - 744 metres - 1.50 pm - 19/5/09
Day 12 Report - sunshine + SHOWERS
Day 13 Plan
Entering Kirriemuir - a very friendly place - 3.30 pm - 20/5/09
Day 13 Report - Country Lanes
Day 14 Plan
Oilseed Rape - must be getting near the coast!
Scurdie Ness - 2.30 pm - 21/5/09 - Finished!
Day 14 Report - Like Lemmings to the East Coast
Links:
The TGO Challenge official website (the old one)

Irvine Butterfield - born 8 August 1936; died 12 May 2009

It was with great sadness that we learnt of Irvine Butterfield's death on our recent return from Scotland.

Irvine's fine book - The High Mountains of Britain and Ireland, Volume 1, has helped us up many a Scottish peak, and has provided inspiration for unusual routes as well as warnings about difficult ground.  It was of course used in our planning of this year's TGO Challenge.

Dave Hewitt has, on the excellent 'Grough' website, written an obituary here - from where I have copied the above image.  I hope nobody minds - if so I'll remove it.

Monday 25 May 2009 - Back Home

A couple of lovely days in Manchester diminishes the memory of last week's Cold Rain.  The TGO Challenge photos are numerous, and time consuming to process (cull), so we must have had our share of lovely weather over the past two weeks.

The garden is bursting with flowers and vegetation.

And the canal at Lymm, on Bank Holiday Monday, is crammed with boats in a carnival atmosphere.

Here's one of them escaping through Altrincham town centre, where the apartments of the Budenberg Haus Projekte (sic) dominate the scene.