Sue and Martin in Mallorca 2019

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

Saturday, 29 March 2025

Beside the Canal, and Wythenshawe parkrun #612


 
March 26, and a daily walk by the Bridgewater Canal reveals a subtle greening of the tree-lined waterway.

A training boat is often moored near the ginnel that leads to our street.


March 29, and this is my only picture from parkrun #612. Some 20 minutes after I finished, Sue came strolling home in 50 minutes or so, with Alyson and Freddy in tow. Freddy's refusal to run was the excuse for a modest time...


The courtyard was full and the coffee van was doing a roaring trade. Conditions were dry and fast, so there were some happy runners with good times. Full results are here. As the oldest man taking part, I was delighted to finish in position 186 out of the 352 participants.

Wednesday, 26 March 2025

October 1997 - The 'Shipton/Tilman' Route - Day 13 - October 23

                                                   Campsite below the Kauri Pass

Thursday 23 October

Usual 6:30 call on a cold morning, but at my instigation the timetable is accelerated today - we don't have to pack up - and porridge, omelettes, toast, and bready pasta fried things arrive at 7am. I'm walking by 7:30 and the others soon follow. We've missed sunrise over the mountains and there is already some cloud, which has intensified by the time we reach the tree line.

                                             A view from just above the tree line

We still need to rise to get to a worthy viewpoint. This comes after an hour or so, when we reach a small temple (a glorified cairn) and Julia and I both try our best with the panoramic cameras (disposable version). Three shots are needed, but it is still not a full view and already there is too much cloud.

 Nevertheless, a stunning view.

We are joined by Jamie, an Australian, and his English friend and their Indian guide. An easy looking ridge leads up towards Pangarchula - 4584 metres. The summit is in view and looks very tempting.
The others follow the ridge and congregate whilst Jamie (who has been tramping the area for some weeks and smells strongly of wood smoke) smokes a joint.

I take a short cut and rejoin the ridge, which to me appears to increase in difficulty further up. I descend and find myself in a gully in thigh deep snow.

Not much fun with summer boots, gloves, waterproofs, etc - but I still manage today in a t-shirt and light summer waterproof - it is cold, but there's no wind. I manage to entice John across to my route and we take turns in breaking a difficult trail. There are no views now, and our objective moves in and out of cloud. Jamie and Richard have sensibly persisted with the ridge, and after some time we join them. It is now snowing and after some debate we decide to continue in an attempt to reach the main ridge which joins the mountain with the Kauri Pass. Our ascent, in my opinion, becomes more and more bumbling, despite the use of a compass, and turns being taken to break trail. Richard, who provides the main impetus for continuing, is particularly erratic despite having relied on Jamie whilst with him, so he should have been freshest.

Nearly at the ridge, in increasing snow, I become nervous as to my own inadequate equipment in the event of wind, and I was concerned about the unknown quality of mountaincraft of the others, so I retraced ascent, taking Richard and Jamie's route along the ridge. It was further than I expected - we had ascended quite high, probably to around 4000 metres.

                                     Martin in summer gear, including Tilley hat

Soon I saw the others returning behind me. Apparently they had reached the ridge. Ice axes had hummed, hair stood on end, crackling noises. There was a precipice the other side, in a near white out. They retreated as a bolt of lightning struck nearby.
I reached camp in an increasing snow storm at about 2:30, and was joined eventually by John, then by Richard, who with his winter gear had comfortably stopped for lunch at the temple.

                                                                     John, ready to descend

We spent a happy hour and a half in the cooks' tent watching the thick flakes of snow make a deepening carpet around camp.

My feet were sodden and chilled, so a spell in the sleeping bag with dry socks was welcome. My boots are also sodden, so I've spent the rest of the day tiptoeing around camp in socks and sandals. Not very satisfactory, but the warmest option. My dry socks are now dampish, but happily warm as I lie in my bag, on my own for the second night running due to staying here for two nights, with my hot water bottle.

There is a good fire being used to heat water, as the kerosene supply is virtually exhausted.
Despite the atrocious weather our trusty cook and his manservant have served another excellent meal:
Mixed veg soup
Pasta with onion and other things
A sort of marrow (squash) in white sauce with cinnamon and other herbs
Baked beans
Aubergine in tomato sauce
Paratha
Hot cheese sandwiches
Roast potatoes in flavoured oil
Jelly with grated apple ('Snow Jelly')
A brilliant meal considering the conditions and what remnants of food there must be.

The snow has now (8:30pm) stopped and stars are out. It's very cold. Few clothes will be shed tonight.

At last, this diary is up to date!

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Tuesday, 25 March 2025

October 1997 - The 'Shipton/Tilman' Route - Day 12 - October 22

Red fronds

Wednesday 22nd October

Porridge, paratha and fried eggs start the day on a lovely morning, except that the sun doesn't reach us until we leave camp around 8:30, despite everything being late this morning. 

Today is to be a long day. The itinerary takes us to just before the Kauri Pass, but we have decided to cross it if possible as the weather high up is becoming wintry and the ponies struggle in snow. 

It was frosty last night. The weather overall is worsening and cooling. However, we set off into bright sunshine, going above the village then steeply up through forest to a col at 9,842 feet, before descending slowly, with good views of the steep Kauri Pass.  

The view from the 9,842 ft pass

The ponies pass us here in a meadow, having made good progress so far. Girls fed by Richard have followed us to this point (2 hours' walk) and crowd around when we stop for biscuits. It's unclear whether they (~15 years old) are attracted by our food or by two nearby boys. We hope the latter.

On the ascent there were superb views back to Nanda Ghunti and Trisul. Lots of anemones hereabouts. 

Ascending to Kauri Pass

No mountains in sight beyond Kauri, but a beautiful arc of local mountains.

I'm in t-shirt and shorts and it's noticeably cooler today, but sandals are still ok. We descend through bamboo forest, with cannabis interspersed, and the usual rhododendron, sycamore, oak, etc.

En route to Kauri Pass



Pawan

Anemone


A view back down the path

Waterfall near lunch stop

Gentian

After a steep descent we lunch by a waterfall in a deep gorge. It's clouding over, and muddy, so I put on boots (a last-minute addition to my day sac in view of the Kauri Pass, and very necessary) and trousers. Whilst there is a glimpse of sun here, it is the last of the day, and we embark on the long ascent of the Kauri Pass in light rain.

It is about a 3,000 ft ascent to the pass at about 12,000 feet, possibly the highest I've ever been. During the ascent I gain half an hour on the others, arriving at the pass at 3:30. I have heard the ponies on the way up but couldn't see them struggling through the Bleaklow type mud hags due to a snowstorm.

Anil and Rocket are first on the pass, waiting for us. We can see all the way back to the Kukin Khal pass above Wan, and major Himalayan peaks poke out of clouds to the north. Lots of photos. 


                        Looking back down the path

There is quite a lot of snow. About 6 inches on top - quite hard frozen. 

On the way today we met three French and two Aussies, all of whom had missed views from the pass due to the rain.
 

We continued on a good contouring path through the snow to reach the spot where the HK itinerary photo was taken. 

That was in clear weather with blue skies. We have snow on the ground and a lot of cloud, though some peaks poke out.

I scramble to the top of a promontory and take a series of photos in an attempt at a panoramic view. Then head down. 

Views from Kauri Pass

The plan was to camp just below the pass, so as to go up to it again tomorrow for sunrise, but the snow has meant the campsite is necessarily far below, in trees, still under light snow but just about acceptable. The horse men have gone lower down - they have a day off tomorrow - but Anil, Pawan and Badwan will have a cool night in the cook tent, which has no ground sheet. It is already freezing hard, and later we all take advantage of the hot water supposedly provided for tomorrow's drinks, but really to use as hot water bottles in our Sigg bottles. (It's the first time I've done this - and it did work - I was very warm on a very cold night - also aided by a fullish clothing, long johns, and the Snowline sleeping bag.) 

We shivered for a while in the mess tent, before tomato soup and croutons took the edge off the cold. By the time we had finished with Pawan's usual array of dishes (Indian tonight) followed by tinned pineapple - they must be running out of food - we were nicely warm and in a good mood to finish Richard's Laphroaig malt whisky before adjourning with our hot water bottles under a starlit night. The camp must be at around 3,000 metres. 

Today's view, despite cloud, of the vast array of Himalayan peaks, undoubtedly ranks as the best mountain panorama I've ever seen. It was breathtaking.

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Monday, 24 March 2025

Monday 24 March 2025 - A Bike Ride to Rostherne



On a sunny Monday morning, Sue and I couldn't resist the attraction of joining Richard and Jenny on a bike ride to Rostherne and back - just a couple of hours in the saddle. The perks of retirement... Make the best of every day...

We took the canal towpath to the site of the Bay Malton by Seamon's Bridge, then Cheshire lanes to School Lane, crossing over the canal where it is blocked due to a collapsed conduit in the January storms.


It looks as if the towpath to Lymm is no longer blocked, with access for pedestrians being granted. (This section of canal is barred to cyclists for some reason - cycle along here and you incur the wrath of the Lymm Dog Walkers - though as part of the Bridgewater Way, it should surely be available to cyclists.)


The mildly undulating route took us along country lanes past Dunham Massey to Rostherne, where we enjoyed a coffee and cake break in the sunny churchyard.




Continuing in a little loop, we got a glimpse of Rostherne Mere at a point where there's a distant view of the mere. This is about as close as you can get without an observatory permit. Note the daffodils in the hedgerow, these are a constant feature of these Cheshire lanes just now.



Returning to our outward route, we passed by Dunham Massey and took a left turn by the church in Dunham Town. Down here I turned right along the Trans Pennine Trail (my preference being to avoid roads wherever possible) whilst the others took a slightly longer route through the lanes. We reassembled at Seamon's Bridge.


I was placed in front of our mini peleton as my bell is the loudest, and we pedalled without incident back home.

A lovely way to spend a couple of hours on a Monday morning. Here's the 30km route with about 130 metres ascent, taking nearly two hours.

Saturday 22 March 2025 - Stamford Park parkrun #426



This was the occasion of our friend (through the TGO Challenge) Alistair's 100th different parkrun. Quite an achievement, for which his daughters even managed to rouse themselves and take part. They have also taken part in a good number of different parkruns.

This parkrun in Stalybridge is not as well attended as those in South Manchester, with just 177 staerters today. More than usual, thanks in part to Alistair's entourage. So being baulked by other slower runners was no excuse for a slow time. But what we hadn't expected was a Hill. Long and gentle. Twice. And the second time I confess to having walked up the 12 steps and beyond.

Here we are at the start.






I was too puffed to take any pictures on the run, but I've borrowed this next picture, taken just beyond the crest of the hill. It demonstrates the terrain of this very pleasant course. It'll soon turn green.


Alistair had provided cake, and finishing in position 89, there was plenty left when I arrived.


Unusually these days, Sue finished behind me. She is nursing a niggle picked up from cross country skiing.


After waiting for Alistair's girls, we wandered along to the excellent cafe for a sociable hour or so, before heading off home in a very satisfied mood.

Full results are here. The fact that I got into the top twenty on an 'age related' basis with only 62% certainly indicates a slow (hilly) course.

Sunday, 23 March 2025

Thursday 20 March 2025 - Dunham Massey Winter Garden


View from the entrance gate, with Mallards and Tufted Ducks

Various distractions have meant Dunham has missed out on our usual regular visits this year, but Thursday's nice weather and a free day enabled Sue and me to enjoy a rare visit.

On our way to the Winter Garden we passed the 500 year old oak tree.



I won't attempt to annotate all the pictures that follow, but here are a few of them:










I don't know the purpose of these little flags!



Acer griseum (says the label)





























We left the garden and walked the perimeter of the walled estate. We saw no deer, but Coots and Swans were busy constructing their nests.








Given the excellent weather, this was a perfect way to spend a couple of hours on a March morning.