TGO Challenge 2016 – Index of Postings

This posting is by way of an index to my daily entries, with links at the foot of each entry to daily slideshows that should open in a new window, and a link to the next day’s posting if you wish to continue reading without having to scroll back up the pages.

The majority of readers may prefer a single slideshow covering the whole crossing, so I’ve selected a few images from each day, giving a 200 image captioned slideshow – click here, then click on the first image and then click ‘slideshow’.

INDEX

TGO Challenge 2016

Day 0 – Manchester to Strathcarron

Day 1 – Strathcarron to Bealach Bhernais

Extra pictures from Day 1

Day 2 - Bealach Bhearnais to wild camp by Allt Toll a' Mhuic 

Day 3 – Allt Toll a’ Mhuic to Cnoc Hotel, Struy 

Day 4 - Struy to Lovat Bridge Campsite

An Encounter with Humphrey

Day 5 - Lovat Bridge to Inverness

Day 6 - Inverness to Beinn Bhuidhe Mhor

Day 7 - Beinn Bhuidhe Mhor to wild camp South of the Black Bothy

Day 8 - Wild camp south of the Black Bothy to Grantown-On-Spey

Day 9 - Grantown-On-Spey to Tomintoul

Day 10 - Tomintoul to Cairn Sawvie by Brown Cow Hill

Day 11 - Cairn Sawvie by Brown Cow Hill to Ballater

Day 12 - Ballater to Tarfside

Day 13 - Tarfside to North Water Bridge

Kinnaber Links

Day 14 - North Water Bridge to Kinnaber Links and Montrose

Finally, here’s a reminder of our route – 320 km with 9,900 metres ascent.

Enjoy!

A Lake District Saunter – 20 to 25 June 2016 – Index

Here are links to the various entries relating to last week’s hostelling trip:

Day 1 – Windermere to Ambleside

Day 2 – Ambleside to Coniston

Day 3 – Coniston to Elterwater

Day 4 – Elterwater to Honister Hause

Day 5 – Honister Hause to Buttermere

Day 6 – Buttermere to Keswick

There are two slideshows:

Highlights (87 images)

The full works (189 images)

Click on the first image then click ‘slideshow’.

Summits visited were as follows:

Day 1 - Orrest Head (WO), Wansfell (W)(B), Wansfell Pike (B)

Day 2 - Loughrigg Fell (Ma)(W)(B)

Day 3 - Coniston Old Man (Ma)(W)(B), Brim Fell (W)(B), Little How Crags (O), Great How (B), Swirl How (W)(B), Great Carrs (W)(B), Little Carrs (B), Hell's Gill Pike (B)

Day 4 - Rossett Pike (W)(B), Great Gable (Ma)(W)(B), Green Gable (W)(B), Brandreth (W)(B), Grey Knotts (W)(B)

Day 5 - Green Crag (O), Haystacks (W)(B), Seat (B), High Crag (W)(B), Grey Crags (Ma)(B), High Stile (W)(B), Red Pike (W)(B)

Day 6 - Whiteless Pike (W)(B), Thirdgill Head Man (B), Wandope (W)(B), Crag Hill (W)(B), Eel Crag (B), Sand Hill (B), Hopegill Head (W)(B), Hobgarten Crag (B), Grizedale Pike (Ma)(W)(B), Kinn (B)

Ma - Marilyn
W - Wainwright
B - Birkett
WO - Wainwright Outlier
O - Other Summit

Monday 27 June 2016 – Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Above: YSP’s reaction to Brexit.

Sue and I tried to relieve our Brexit depression by heading with Susan across to Yorkshire for a day with Bob and Margaret, who it turned out were similarly depressed. It would be helpful if we could find someone, anyone?, other than AlanR who is actually in favour of Brexit. Apart from Alan, and one or two people with specific gripes (‘immigrants’, ‘specific EU regulation’) everyone we know seems to be similarly depressed. We can only hope AlanR is right in the long run, but currently I feel a trip to the moon is more likely than that. Moving to Scotland seems to be an option some are considering.

(Deep sigh – no comments on this please)

Luckily it was a lovely day in Yorkshire and we started by enjoying al fresco coffees in the excellent café.

We then strolled around the park. It’s about a five kilometre walk around the perimeter. Here are a few of the sculptures we passed on the way:

Al Weiwei - 'Iron Tree'

Serge Spitzer - 'Coiled steel beam, rubber'

David Nash - 'Seventy One Steps'

Andy Goldsworthy - 'Hanging Trees'

From the far side of the park, the sunlit grassland shimmered in the breeze.

Soon we were back at Cascade Bridge, overlooking the Lower Lake.

Antony Gormley - 'One and Other'

Marialuisa Tadei - 'Octopus'

Marialuisa Tadei - 'Day and Night' (Night)

Magdalena Abakanowicz - 'Ten Seated Figures'

Not Vital - 'Moon'

Not Vital - 'Head'

Not Vital sculptures – he had a large display. (Not Vital is a person.)

After lunch we walked a short circuit, looking at some of the works close to the shop and café.

Here’s a rabbit woman. Margaret, Sue and Susan weren’t really impressed by the ‘message’.

Julian Opie - Galloping Horse (a moving image)

Another sculpture that looks like we feel…

Here’s a final glance to the park past a Barbara Hepworth work, before Sue and I rejoined a queue of lorries on the A628 over Woodhead and Susan went to Sheffield with Bob and Margaret.

The Sculpture Park is a great place for a day out. Highly recommended.

There’s a 72 image slideshow here – click on the first image then click on ‘slideshow’.

A Lakeland Jaunt - Day 6 - Buttermere to Keswick

Date: Saturday 25 June

Distance: 18.7 km (Cum: 110.4)

Ascent: 1249 metres (Cum: 6750)

Time taken: 6.2 hrs including breaks

Weather: sunny periods

The swimmers were up early and joined us in the queue for a 7.30 breakfast. That set us up for an 8.30 departure, with Jeanette taking the road over Newlands Pass and the remaining three of us heading up Whiteless Pike. We started to meet around 500 people doing a 10 in 10 challenge. Ten peaks in ten hours. They were moving at varying speeds. Mostly Geordies.

Meanwhile, Jeanette was being passed by cyclists on an Ironman triathlon involving a 2.4 mile swim across Windermere, a 112 mile bike ride with 3700 metres ascent, and a 26.4 mile run up Scafell Pike from Great Langdale - another 1450 metres of ascent. Quite a challenge.

We left the 10 in 10ers on Crag Hill. They were coming from Sail. We were going over Eel Crag to Hopegill Head. Here we encountered a chap manning the second checkpoint of another fell race. It was warm and sultry on the summit. Lots of midges. Otherwise a delightful spot. He told us there was yet another fell run on today, with Joss Naylor running a challenging route to Honister, presumably in celebration of his 80th birthday.

In fine but increasingly cloudy weather, we headed over Grisedale Pike and down Sleet How to a point breezy enough to keep the midges at bay, but warm enough to make do with light fleeces.

Then it was over Kinn, our 34th and final summit of this little jaunt, and down a woodland path past Orange Hawkweed (aka Fox and Cubs) to Braithwaite.

The path to Keswick via Bog House and How Farm came with notices warning of damaged and missing bridges. Ignoring the warnings, and the frequent 'Bull in Field' signs, it soon became apparent that they constituted a means of deception by a farmer in an effort to exclude walkers from his land. The only problem encountered was actually finding the route of the overgrown path at one point.

Anyway, after admiring the views to our earlier route across the tops, we soon reached the Cumbria Way route at the point of a sturdy footbridge over the River Derwent. Keswick high street was shortly under our soles, and our rendezvous with Jeanette was followed by celebratory tea/coffee and cake. We must have looked hungry. I was served what appeared to be about a quarter of a carrot cake.

So ended this pleasant jaunt in the best of company. Thanks, everyone, for coming along and for putting up with my occasional 'meanders'.

Index and Slideshow Links