Sunday 16 November 2008 - A Walk in Calderdale

Sue, Andrew and I were joined by Richard, who we had first met on Wednesday at our slide show to Stockport Walking Group, for this scenic stroll from New Bridge car park, the access point for Hardcastle Crags - just beyond Hebden Bridge.

We set off into the pretty woodland of Hebden Dale before rising to admire the churches and museum at Heptonstall.  A fine view south drew our eyes to the sun drenched valley in which the village of Mytholm nestled comfortably below the prominent monument on Stoodley Pike.

Ambling west along the Calderdale Way, above the sunlit trees in Eaves Wood, we soon reached the Pennine Way.  A rocky outcrop provided a fine location for elevenses - tea and CCS - much to Richard's amazement.  The people with whom he usually walks have yet to discover the pleasures of the mid-morning break!  The sun lit up the valley below us, with the fields by Colden village shining in the low November light. The section of the Pennine Way over Clough Head Hill was only moderately gooey, with large stone slabs aiding us across the wettest bits.  With the yellow orb on our backs it seemed no time at all until Gorple Lower Reservoir came into view.  Here we descended to Graining Water for our picnic lunch.  It was very warm for mid-November and Richard relished in daubing himself with sun tan cream.

A 10 minute stroll found us outside the Pack Horse Inn, enjoying pints of Black Sheep ale.  We said hello to Waggy's double (TGO Challengers will know the type) as he continued on his hike/pub crawl.  A mountain biker arrived, alone, forsaken by the other 20 members of the Swaledale Outdoors Club.  His back tyre had been shredded on a rock, and had been patched up using a new inner tube, lots of gaffer tape, and a toothpaste tube.  But an off-road route was out of the question for him, so he would continue happily along the minor roads that abound in this area.

Heading north, a text message from Gary and Sue, who like several others had hoped to join us but had other commitments, indicated that we weren't the only ones enjoying a good day out.  Passing alongside the picturesque Walshaw Dean Reservoirs, we then turned south over Dean Gate, the highest point of our walk at over 400 metres, before descending to Walshaw.

A steep and slippery path led quickly down to the track along Hebden Dale that drew us inexorably back to the car, on an increasingly busy path, with the sun slowly leaving us as we strolled contentedly along.

A short slide show (19 images) is here.

Here's the route - 18 km, about 650 metres of ascent, and it took us 5½ hours, including stops of more than an hour.

The Mountain Bike Route over High Street

 Cycling beside Ullswater towards the end of the day

Whilst the previous entry shows the route fairly clearly, I thought I'd provide this link to the detailed route card, should anyone be using this entry as a 'resource'.  The map references could be useful if the cloud comes down and you have a GPS.  On the other hand, it may be better to wait for a clear, dry summer's day, or a very frosty winter's day - when you should take lights and warm clothing - to follow this route. 
I'll be pleased to receive any comments from those who do follow in our tracks.

Saturday 15 November 2008 - A Ride along High Street

Easy, this... But it's getting steep, we need a rest... Better push, it's too steep to cycle... No, that doesn't work, I think I'll carry it... Cheer up!... We'll make it to the top... And you're not the only 'Pusher' around here, Al... The view across Ullswater is magnificent... And so it was - Alastair and I enjoyed a fine excursion in the Lake District today.  To describe it as a 'ride' is a little optimistic.  You'll realise why from the statistics as well as the photos:

6 hours 16 minutes
23.7 miles
Average speed - 3.7 mph

So we could have walked it faster!  But it wouldn't have been such fun.  We covered miles of sodden ground with the tyres hidden from view as they sloughed through the marshes. 

We were running late as my rear tyre, perhaps in sympathy with what was to come, exploded on the journey north.  Otherwise the ancient steed performed impeccably, though the brakes did develop a juggernaut's horn impression in the latter stages, frightening walkers beside Ullswater.

Alastair's bike, nearly as old as mine, had a few brake problems of its own - of the malfunction variety; and bits of his bike seemed to come loose from time to time, as did his trousers, which disintegrated during the course of the day.  On the occasions when he was able to mount the bike, it seemed to object to his presence, as from time to time (Al was usually ahead) I came across man and machine spreadeagled across the path as if performing some bizarre ritual.

I have to admit that I was 'chucked off' a few times, as well.

This was a demanding ride.  Even the narrow rocky bridleway along the south side of Ullswater undulated viciously and required great care.

The route, shown below, took us from Hartsop (1) to The Knott (2) and on to Racecourse Hill (High Street - 4).  From there we retraced and headed for 6 miles along the Roman road that we discovered has very poor foundations.  Over High Raise to Red Crag (5), and on to Loadpot Hill (6), with stunning views across the District.  Then down to The Cockpit (7), from where a sharp turn leads down to Howtown (8).  Then a rising traverse around The Coombs took us to a road at Martindale Hause.  We sped down there to Sandwick (9) for the (Tedious?!) bridleway to Patterdale (10) from where we rushed back up to Hartsop (1) on the speedy tarmac to reach the car just as darkness fell.  Just as well; neither of us had any lights.  We like going off road, but I have to say, regaining the tarmac at Patterdale was quite a relief!

Given the softness of much of the terrain on this route, and the amount of time we spent walking, I think next time I'll leave the bike at home and leave boot prints rather than ugly tyre grooves.  However, I've wanted to cycle along High Street's Roman road for many years, so today that ambition was achieved - it's very satisfying.

Here's a later entry, and here's a more detailed route card.

Thursday 13 November 2008 - An Evening Stroll around Wilmslow

Notchy joined Sue and me for a pleasant evening stroll over the ground covered on 11 November, which was in effect a recce for this evening walk.

Starting into Lindow Common (above) we passed the slumbering ducks on Black Lake, which was indeed very black.

Quiet lanes and bridleways delivered us in due course to the boggy pathways of Lindow Moss.  The warm, calm evening was in great contrast to the weather that confronted us for last month's abandoned evening outing to Whaley Bridge, and it really was most pleasant.  Sadly, the full moon was obscured by heavy cloud, but the rain kept off and there was sufficient ambient light to avoid the need for torches apart from one short wet section under a thickly foliaged canopy.

Here's the birch lined path through the Moss.It leads over a couple of narrow, slippery bridges, precariously perched above deep drainage ditches filled with black water.  One slip, and you could be gone for another 2000 years, like 'Pete Marsh', Lindow Man.  Notchy joked "what would they make of this strange 'Gore' clothing and the peculiar 'Petzl' object on its head?"

We emerged safely on this occasion into Newgate Lane, past a private fishing lake and country residences on the edge of Wilmslow. Where the autumn colours are striking just now. Here's the 5 km route; it involves negligible ascent and takes around 1 hour 15 minutes.All in all, a pleasant little excursion, courtesy of Tony Bowerman's 'Walks in Mysterious Cheshire and Wirral', which describes this short stroll in luxurious fashion over a passage of 12 pages.

Would my readers like more than this brief description?  I could always revisit this venue, on a slightly different route; it's a 15 minute drive from Timperley.

Wednesday 12 November 2008 - A Talk to Stockport Walking Group

 Sue looks across Lac della Valla in the Maritime Alps on 4 July 2008

The walking group honoured us last night by turning up in droves for our 'Italian Border Route' talk.  We managed to deliver it without incident to the audience of 30 or so, in the allocated time, before chatting to Richard and then adjourning to the Grapes for a welcome beer. 

Pam introduced herself: 'I'm Gavin's mother-in-law'.  Wow!  Gavin is the son of my oldest (longest standing that is) friend.  It surely is a very small world.  Hello Mike!

Diaries were produced.  They want us back.  It's an honour to be asked.  So Wednesday 25 February is in the diary, for 'Walks and Via Ferrate in the Dolomites'.  That should be fun to compile.  Here's a taster:

Punta Fiames summit in the Dolomites on 15 July 2007

Blue Skies over Timperley

On a beautiful Autumn day, this was a view from within our small garden: 
I make no apology for yet another canal picture - the view changes with the seasons - it was most appealing today:

Tonight we have the pleasure of revisiting 'Summer in the Alps', for the second time this week, with our slide show to the Stockport Walking Group.  You are all welcome to attend, or place a booking.

TGO Challenge 2009 - Let the Training Commence

The letter has arrived, so training has commenced.  There's no escape from publicity for this Challenger from Timperley, seen jogging down Woodlands Parkway at 11.05 this morning.  He was identified from the clothing, which he doesn't seem to have changed since this picture was taken on 20 May 2008 beside Loch Lee. 
Hiya JJ.

Lindow Moss and The Bog Man

I passed by this scene of desolation today.  It is near Lindow Common in Wilmslow, where an assortment of birds were active on Black Lake, including the diver pictured below.  I think it's a Great-crested Grebe hiding its crest, but I stand to be corrected.

 
Anyway, whilst the small area of Lindow Common has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), nearby Lindow Moss, a much larger area and possibly of greater scientific importance, continues to house a commercial Peat Farm.  A matter of some local debate.

It was here that in 1984 some workmen discovered a body that had been preserved in the peat for around 2000 years.  This was 'Pete Marsh', whose wounds indicated a ritual killing whereby he was knocked unconscious, then slowly garotted, then had his throat cut.  His stomach contained burnt bread and mistletoe, sacred to the Druids.  It is possible that after this last sacred meal he suffered the 'threefold death' referred to by the Roman chronicler, Lucan, as a sacrifice to a triad of powerful Celtic gods: Teutates, Esus and Taranis. 

Pete's twisted body is now a popular exhibit in the British Museum in London. What other secrets may Lindow Moss hold, I wonder?  One murderer confessed to killing his wife when a skull was found in 1983.  That skull was later found to be from a woman who had died around 500BC, in the Iron age!

I've gleaned this information from Tony Bowerman's excellent little book - Walks in Mysterious Cheshire and Wirral.  This book is no longer available from Amazon, so may soon be difficult to obtain - get it while you can!   More information on Lindow Man is available from the British Museum, and from Wikipedia, as well as from this 'Mummy Tombs' website.

Monday 10 November 2008 - A Trip to Southport

Today we had the pleasure of Tim and Kate's company at their home in Southport for an afternoon of photos from our Italian Border Route trip, and from the TGO Challenge, on which we walked with them this year from Newtonmore to the upper reaches of Glen Feshie. 

They are seasoned backpackers and have done 'The Challenge' ten times, so the slide show took a bit longer than usual as we tried to explain some of the intricacies and incidents of the Italian trip.

We did manage to find time to wander down to Ainsdale Sands (above), which Tim and Kate are lucky enough to have on their doorstep.

The Black-headed Gulls that have taken up residence on our local canal also proliferate in the coastal region of Southport.  Here they are lining up, readying themselves for target practice.

There were lots of Coots and Tufted Ducks on the pond behind the sands, mostly looking very lazy and well nourished.

 
Thank you, Tim and Kate, for an excellent lunch and a most enjoyable afternoon.

Saturday 8 November 2008 - Ellie and Jason get married

An enjoyable day was had by all, at Sandhole Oak Barn, near Congleton.  This was the (really excellent) venue for my niece Ellie's wedding.

There was a hyperactive man taking lots of photos, so we didn't try to compete with him, but here's a glimpse of some of the 'usual suspects'.

And this picture shows Ellie and Jason cutting into the results of our chemistry experiment with the slurry we had concocted at the time of the last posting.

The weather stayed fair for them, and they probably don't care much about today's inclemency, as they set off at 6 am (ugh) this morning to join the Trans Siberian Express on the first leg of a round the world trip which is planned to take a whole year.

We wish them a wonderful life together and a very happy year that really does put our own pathetic efforts at travelling into perspective!

Meanwhile, today (Sunday) I managed a pleasant bike ride before the worst of the rain arrived, but the towpath was muddy and 'she who must be obeyed' insisted on hosing me down before I was allowed back into the house!  I'm sparing you, dear reader, from any grey canalscapes that I may have been able to capture through the gloom of the November afternoon.

I'm becoming increasingly conscious of the 'lack of depth' to my postings compared with some of the other outdoors bloggers, but notwithstanding that I have today gained a fifth 'follower', Ron Bloomquist, who writes an entertaining blog - Walking Fort Bragg.  Hello Ron, I hope you will enjoy following the (mainly) outdoor activities, and hopefully the occasional pleasing image, from this layabout based in the north west of England.

Friday 7 November 2008 - Changing Seasons

It's two weeks since I got out for a walk.  That was Wadi Digla in Egypt, now seemingly in the distant past.  So today, after enjoying muddling through some TGO Challenge images for Tim and Kate, ordering spare batteries for the G10 (2 for £12, if they make it from Hong Kong), whetting the appetite for next year's TGO Challenge via perusal of the Message Board and an exchange of emails with an illustrious vetter, and enjoying some sounds of Elvis Costello, I set off in an 11 km arc in order to reach our local shops.

It had to be along the towpath of the Bridgewater Canal, of course - pretty much deserted today.  I did notice that the black-headed gulls have returned to harass the mallards and moorhens, and a cormorant was flying up and down the canal yesterday

 

On leaving the canal at Little Bollington, an old cobbled track leads to welcome refreshment.  (Alan Sloman would not have forgiven me for walking past!)

Then I discovered where everyone (if not at work) was enjoying the afternoon - they were ogling the fallow deer at Dunham Massey. I joined them.

 

On the other side of the park the last lap of this stroll was through a local golf course, where the trees were in fine autumnal fettle, but the scene will change greatly, I suspect, when this warm, calm weather comes to an end.

Finally, our favourite restaurant is rumoured to have re-opened.  I checked it out.  Correct.  We can eat well again at this excellent spot, if the new chef turns out to be as good as his reputation, and if Sue goes out and does lots more work!

Oh, and we made two batches of this slurry.  We promise that it will look different tomorrow!

Original Mountain Marathon (OMM)

  
The OMM (formerly KIMM - Karrimor International Mountain Marathon) took place this year whilst we were in Egypt.  We caught sight of what appeared to be a debacle on the news in our hotel in Alexandria.

Much has already been written about what really happened on the OMM website and forums, but I know a number of the readers of this blog rely on other media for their information.

Two friends of ours, Bob and Rose of backpackinglight.co.uk, took part in the event.  This is what Bob wrote on their home page after the event:

What Was All The Fuss About?

The BBC (and other news media) should be ashamed of themselves following the inaccurate and irresponsible reporting of the recent OMM event which took place in Borrowdale, Cumbria. Over 2000 competitors ‘chose’ to go on the hills and enter the race, all were ‘equipped’ with the right gear to suit the occasion. How this turned into ‘1700 Marathon Runners stranded or need to be rescued’ I have no idea.
All the news reports we’ve watched or read since our return clearly show a total disregard for the facts, no clear knowledge of how the event was run, what it entailed, and certainly very little experience of being in those conditions and relying on yourself to either ‘self rescue’ (if required), or complete the event. A quick visit to The OMM forum would answer most of these questions.
We spent five and a half hours in these very, very tough conditions, picked up as many points as we could, and got to the camp only to be told it was cancelled. We then walked for another hour or more to the top of Honister Pass in equally terrible head wind and wet conditions (probably worse to be truthful) only to be told this too was closed. So then we had to walk back down the river/road to the cowshed to join some 500 other people and spend a very comfortable night munching on our rations, tucked up nice and warm in the kit we all carried with us.
To clarify; we saw no one (a) complain, (b) in danger, (c) requiring rescue or (d) needing first aid. We did see competitors helping each other across swollen rivers, checking each other were okay and voluntarily retiring as they had reached their own personal limit. The OMM is a tough event, it isn’t suitable for media desk jockies who can’t manage the stairs to the BBC gym. There was one serious injury of a broken ankle, the rest was various stages of hypothermia, after 8 hours in those conditions, we ALL had mild hypothermia, BUT we all KNEW what to do about it.
There are many complaints being made to the BBC today and I am certainly one of the complainants. Their irresponsible reporting has caused unnecessary distress and concern to many loved ones of those taking part, when very few, if any, people were in danger. The biggest problem was the flooded cars on our return to HQ, but ‘hey, that’s life’!
I’m working on a podcast of the event, our performance, the gear and to get the story behind the story, so make sure you stayed tuned for that one!!
Update: THIS is the original video clip the BBC adapted to tell their story!
All the best
Bob and Rose 27/10/08

Since then Richard Askwith, a fell runner who was perplexed by the story being portrayed by the media, has attempted to redress the balance with this pertinent article in The Independent.

Bob himself has in his persona as 'Podcast Bob' produced two Podcasts.  The first covers his and Rose's experience of this OMM:

The OMM 2008 - Part 1 Through The Eye Of The Storm! Download MP3 File

The second covers the aftermath:

The OMM 2008 - Part 2 The Media Storm in a Teacup! Download MP3 File

Whilst my readers may not be interested in the fine detail of all this, it does provide a disturbing example of irresponsible reporting.  Bob tells me that subtle changes have been made to the BBC's on-line reports following the furore from those who took part.

I thought you ought to know about it.

The photo is courtesy of Bob and Rose, and shows walkers returning to their cars over Honister Pass the morning after the event was cancelled; many of them no doubt would have been happy to continue and were extremely disappointed that the organisers had felt it necessary to cancel the event the previous day.

TGO Challenge 2009

We are delighted that a quick email to Uncle Roger on our return home yesterday yielded the desired (and incredibly quick) response.

Yes, we will be there on the Challenge next year for another stroll across Scotland.  This time it's Sue's turn to plot a route between some of her unclimbed Munros, with the aid of Anquet's magic blue lines.  No doubt she will be supplying copious amounts of CCS at designated points both on summits and in valleys.

We hope to renew acquaintances and make many more new friends on this great event.

Citadel, Mosques and more Pyramids and Good Food

Our sojourn in Egypt drew to a close today with visits to Cairo's Citadel, featuring the great Mosque of Mohammed Ali (pictured above), with its needle like minarets, then several further mosques before enjoying an excellent lunch at Mena House Hotel.

Here's another image of the Citadel (taken with a proper camera rather than with the Blackberry 'phone), begun in C12th and used as a fortified royal residence. More recently it was associated with one Mohammed Ali, who in 1811 feasted 470 leading Mamlukes in the palace, bade them farewell with honours, and had them ambushed nearby. Only one Mamluke survived...by not attending the feast.

This ornate clock, in the Mohammed Ali Mosque, was given by France's King Louis Philippe, in exchange for the obelisk in the Place de la Concorde. It has never worked.

Here's some typically ornate moulding from one of the mosques - there are rather a lot around here, but by now we were becoming a little 'mosqued out'!

The Mena House Hotel has a fine view to the famed Pyramids of Giza - Cheops and Chephren - which we proceeded to visit. Down an ancient causeway lies the (small in comparison but still most impressive) Sphinx, a few metres beyond which a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet marks the start of the vast city of Cairo. Here's the Sphinx, with the Pyramid of Chephren behind, here clearly sporting its rare intact summit. Its base originally covered 215 square metres, and its weight is estimated at 4,883,000 tons.

It didn't take long to walk around the left hand side of the Pyramid of Chephren, from where, with the sun now behind us, there was a fine view of this pyramid, with the Great Pyramid of Cheops and the city of Cairo behind.

I've not mentioned the propensity of the Egyptians to hassle us into buying things. We expected that sort of hassle and we were not 'disappointed'. We put up with it, smiling at and shaking hands with people before firmly telling them to "Go Away". The Pyramids of Giza site was the worst place to visit in this respect, but I did manage this snap of a retreating camel man after he had been duly banished from hassling us.


The congested streets led, as always, back to Maadi and a nice restaurant at which to celebrate David's birthday. Despite David's absence due to 'Cairo Belly' the rest of us enjoyed the occasion, and we were provided with birthday cake and music to enjoy the moment. Just as well that nobody asked us "which one of you is David, then?"

We returned to base for on-line check-ins and other essential holiday admin. We return home tomorrow, whilst Bill, Alison, Ruth and David have a cruise on the Nile to go to. It's just not fair!

We'll put a few proper photos together for the next posting.... now done - on 4 May 2009! Doesn't time fly!