Sue and Martin in Mallorca 2019

Sue and Martin in Mallorca 2019
On the Archduke's Path in Mallorca

Saturday 19 June 2010

Thursday 17 June 2010 – Standedge to Crowden – Blue Skies on the Pennine Way

Gayle kindly provided the impetus for today’s little excursion.  We met her at 9.30 at Standedge and left her around 3 pm at Crowden, to return home whilst she continued towards Bleaklow to enjoy a wild camp by Torside Brook.

We chose a good day to join her on her FAT (Football Avoidance Trip), the weather being typical  for the UK in June – why would anyone wish to be elsewhere at this time of year?

Sue and Gayle stride out from Standedge

At Black Moss Reservoir we chose an easy route across White Moss and Wessenden Head Moor, rather than the more undulating Pennine Way route.

New flagstones across White Moss are giving the previously heavily eroded moorland a chance to recover.  Gayle was puzzled by the vocal opposition she had heard to such flagged paths; but I’m convinced that the majority of us are in favour of properly constructed pathways across such moorland, enabling the eroded vegetation to recover.

Newly laid flagstones on Black Moss

The white bags on White Moss contain bundles of heather and seeds, to help with the regeneration of the natural moorland.

Heather bales and seeds

The short section across Wessenden Head Moor to join the Pennine Way before Black Hill is little used and would be very boggy in wet weather.  But with the current paucity of Pennine Rain, Sue and I found it quite easy to hop across any damp patches in our trail shoes, though Gayle got slight ingression due to wearing Flip8s (which she likes, but which do at all times attempt to act as sponges).

An anxious curlew wheeled around us.

Curlew

We spotted this prone object beside the path, and realised the cause for concern, before hurrying on.

Curlew chick

The summit of Black Hill was a sun trap today.

Norman, doing the Pennine Way on a B&B basis, but with a bigger rucksack than Gayle, kindly took this photo for us.

Black Hill summit

Gayle was astounded by how much the area, which used to be a 365 days a year quagmire, had recovered since her previous visit two years ago.  Her observations are here.

The sceptics would have us walking through deep bog in a 100 metre wide section of eroded moorland.  I like this newish path towards Dun Hill.

The path to Dun Hill

A long lunch stop in the sunshine followed, and then a buzzing helicopter dropped a team to attend to a lady with a twisted ankle.

As we descended past Laddow Rocks towards Crowden, numerous Mountain Rescue personnel rushed past, in various states of breathlessness.  We half expected a medic to be following them up in case they collapsed themselves.

A busy aircraft ‘motorway’ was in operation above us – obviously no volcanic ash problem today!

Eventually, at around 3pm, the path to Polly (our car) led down past the ice-cream haven called Crowden, whilst Gayle’s route to Glossop (she never did get there) headed off in the other direction.

So sadly our ways parted, but it had been an excellent little outing.

Parting ways at Crowden

Gayle’s report is here, and her Black Hill observations are here.

Our 15 km route (see below), with 350 metres of ascent, took a leisurely 5.5 hours, though Mr Slowman Naismith would have cut nearly two hours of that time!

The day's route - 15km, 350 metres ascent, 5.5 hours

The full slideshow (29 images) is here.

Wednesday 16 June 2010

Stalwart TGO Challenger Models 2011 Dress Code

TGO Challenge 2011 Dress Code Presumably TGO Control approves of this dress code, which should enable the Austrian Challenger, Markus, to feel more at home than usual in Scotland next year.  Though Markus had threatened to attend in a kilt.

This was brought to my attention by one of the early Challenge bloggers, who will no doubt be spending a couple of weeks next May chasing around Scotland looking for cheese and wine parties, as explained by another stalwart outdoors blogger in his 30 May 2010 posting.  [Having managed nine wild camps on this year’s Challenge without meeting a single other Challenger, I have to admit to being somewhat baffled by the latter posting.]

Thank you, everyone, and I hope you’ll forgive me for borrowing the image in order to convey this important news.

Monday 14 June 2010

Saturday 12 June 2010 – A Trip to Dunham Massey

Dunham Massey House
The House looked good, on a busy day at this National Trust property.

Sue and I enjoyed a 5 km stroll around the grounds and along the canal.  The ponds are full of Yellow Water Lily.

A pond full of Yellow Water Lily

The fallow deer range in colours from white to very dark brown.

Fallow deer at Dunham Massey

One stag was lying a few metres away from a family who had set up a badminton court.  He was studying them closely!

The spectator

It was a lovely day for eating outdoors, but we had a commitment, so delayed the BBQ for a day.  No photos from that, as it was abandoned due to ‘inclement weather’!

Sods Law!

Sunday 13 June 2010

Mallorca – 29 May to 5 June 2010 – Casa (Villa) Galvany

In the garden at Casa Galvany

Here’s a final posting for our recent trip to Mallorca.

There’s a full slide show (218 images) here.

Highlights (100 images) are here.

Images in and around Casa Galvany (27) are here.

Our trip was organised through James Villa Holidays.

It wasn’t a walking trip as such.  But earlier starts could have taken us to some higher parts of the island, where the temperatures would probably have been amenable.  It was pretty hot where we were near sea level.

We used a Cicerone guide and also a Discovery Walking Guide and map; this conveniently links in with the walks, which are numbered on the 1:40000 scale map.  I also found this Guide useful on a visit in November 2006.

It’s a lovely part of the world.