Wednesday 17 October 2012 – Around Glazebury

Itchy feet on a sunny afternoon drew me to explore a few red dots on Explorer Map number 276.

It’s a short drive from Timperley to the village of Glazebury, where the Raven Inn’s car park has plenty of space for customers.

From the Raven Inn, I headed down Heyshoot Lane and after a few metres turned left along Moss Lane. A path to the left after 300m took me over a stile and into a slightly wet field, leading to Light Oaks.

Beyond the farm, a left turn leads past the lovely old building that is Light Oaks Hall, whose history apparently dates back at least as far as the 14th century, though the current building dates back only to early C17.

Crossing the bridge over Glaze Brook, I re-entered Cheshire, after having paid brief visits to both Greater Manchester (Salford) and Lancashire (Wigan).

A right turn at the main road took me past the Chat Moss Hotel.  The hotel is adjacent to the world’s first timetabled inter-city passenger railway.  The Liverpool and Manchester railway was opened in 1830 by the Duke of Wellington, and one of the world’s first railway booking offices was on the premises of the hotel that formed part of what used to be Bury Lane Station. 

Continuing under the railway bridge I arrived at the C of E parish church - All Saints, Glazebury.

A left turn down Hurst Lane leads to a health conscious farm where visitors have to dunk themselves in chemicals before entering.

Amongst the farm buildings stands Hurst Hall, built around 1700.  It was originally the residence of the Holcroft family, a branch of the de Culcheth family, who were Protestants, and therefore Parliamentarians in the Civil War. The Holcroft family also enjoyed notoriety for a scandal involving the daughter of Lt-Col John Holcroft, an officer in Cromwell's army.  His daughter, Maria, married Irishman Lieutenant Thomas Blood in 1650 in nearby Newchurch before moving back to Ireland.  He was later to be promoted to the rank of Captain.  Captain Blood then gained notoriety for devising a plot to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London and using them as a ransom for Charles II.

A thin path rich with either disinfectant or rainwater (it was hard to tell!) led me around the left perimeter of the farmyard, soon reaching a pedestrian crossing across the line that was used in the Rainhill trials in 1829.  Stephenson’s Rocket now features in the Chat Moss pub sign, as shown above.  It was easy today to dodge the Arriva trains that nowadays service the route.

Suddenly, a thunderstorm arrived to interrupt a sunny afternoon; shame I’d not got waterproofs with me!

My old Keen trail shoes had their waterproof lining tested yet again, as I took a left and immediate right after the crossing, past a lone beech tree to a path junction for a right turn through wet ground to a small footbridge, then bearing left down a flooded path after which a series of left turns brought me back to the Raven Inn, past hedgerows that were just about gaining an autumn tinge.

Here's the route - just a brief dose of fresh air spiced with disinfectant on an October afternoon - it can be easily extended (see Explorer Map 276).

There’s a short slide show (17 images) here.

Sunday 14 October 2012 - The Calderdale Mountain Bike Marathon (CMBM)

This blog passed its fifth birthday unnoticed, in a flurry of Marilyn Bagging activity with M2.  I’ve now realised that fact, as this is my sixth report on the annual mountain biking event - CMBM.

The CMBM reports are all here, with route details and a results summary specifically here.  The CMBM website is here.  Next year’s event will be on Sunday 13 October 2013.

I was faced with a decision as to whether to use ‘Stumpy’, the full suspension bike I’ve had for over a year.  The bike is fine, but on rough ground bits tend to fall off it.  I could see that conditions would be very muddy, so I chose to take ‘Shogun’ on its 11th CMBM.  ‘Shogun’ has closely fitting mudguards.  Today that meant that my back stayed clean and dry, whereas most folk looked as if they were encountering severe bowel problems.  In fact, a number of few riders politely enquired as to whether I was really taking part in the event, as I was pottered along in clean clothes on the bike that is so ancient that it sometimes gets ‘wow, a classic bike’ comments!

It was a beautiful day, starting with the scraping of thick frost from the car, then fog on the motorway, with mist gradually dissipating after the 9am start, where about 350 of us assembled in Bowood Lane near Sowerby Bridge.

Early sections of the ride weren’t any more muddy than usual, and it was disappointing to find that the rocky descent to Mytholmroyd has been ‘sanitised’, meaning there was no need for anyone to dismount on this previously tricky descent.

It’s a steep climb from New Bridge to the second support point, where I stopped for a while this year.  The picture below demonstrates the brilliant performance of those at the support points.  Whilst some riders take a break like I did, many just keep going, taking drinks and food from the supporters without needing to dismount.  There’s no need to carry a map, as all the significant turns are both signed and in most cases are manned by marshalls.  The aim of the event is to present a personal mountain biking challenge, at the same time raising funds for the local Scout group.  This year there were two other events taking place on the same day over different routes.  We were told to ignore the yellow signs!

After Walshaw Hamlet there’s a steepish climb up to Shackleton Knoll.  This year the surface was so slithery that I didn’t see anyone managing the ascent without needing to dismount, though I’m sure the leaders managed fine.  Here’s Scott Oddy near the top of the hill, where the gradient eases.

Looking back down the hill, many of those in the picture are walking up the steeper sections, where the ground this year was too smooth and slippery to gain traction.

After this there’s a long bumpy descent – one of the sections where Shogun’s lack of suspension means that I’m comparatively slow compared with most riders.  Then, after a pleasant road section, comes the crux of the ride, the moorland crossing culminating in the technical descent from Midgley Moor, where most of the event photos are taken.  Click here (for a limited period) if you want to view images of bikers in all manner of weird positions and thoroughly coated in mud. Robert and I look relatively sensible compared with many others!

Whilst neither Robert nor I fell off, we found it very difficult to avoid the foot deep slurry of peaty puddles across the moor.  The waterproof lining in my well used Keen trail shoes (see footnote) proved to be up to the job, combined with close fitting ankle gaiters, and my feet stayed comfortably dry, albeit coated in slurry from a misjudged pond crossing.

It was a particularly tiring morning, and for the first time in eleven years, albeit with nobody in sight behind me, I walked up the start of the steep hill to the finish.  In fact, I followed a large group who were all also walking.  But I finished in the saddle…

Then it was into the routine of enjoying some tea and soup, collecting the t-shirt and finisher’s certificate (and this year a Thank You card ‘In appreciation of your support over 10 entries of the CMBM’), throwing the bike into the back of the car, a quick change, and a celebratory beer with Robert at The Church Stile Inn, where we stood outside with our beers, cheering on the people still approaching the finish.  In this case, Alistair Murphy.

As you can see, it remained a lovely day.  Who says the weather is always bad in the UK?  They are wrong.

Today’s Statistics:

Winner – 2 hrs 6 min – 332 finishers – slowest 5 hrs 35 min
Robert: 3 hrs 1 min – 88
Martin: 3 hrs 37 min – 183

Here’s the Garmin gadget version of the route:

A footwear note:

This year I used my Keen Targhee 11 Walking Shoes for the second time.  These are now nearing the end of their days after 1400 km of walks and numerous bike rides.  I used them together with close fitting ankle gaiters and Sealskinz socks which in the event weren’t needed, as the shoes and gaiters combined withstood the substantial barrage of water and slurry.  My feet stayed perfectly dry.  Robert witnessed the peeling off of the outer layers. So, more plaudits for these splendid Keen shoes. 

Wednesday 10 October 2012 – A Poynton Plod

As well as being a Plodder, the inimitable Reg is also a Railway Rambler.  It was one of the latter rambles that inspired him to plot this fascinating stroll, which at no point strayed more than 2 miles from its starting point.

We convened at Middlewood Station. It's in the middle of a wood!  One other bemused passenger was directed towards the nearest road, as there is no vehicular access to the station.

This Convention of Plodders then posed for the above photograph.  Given the aura of the out of place young man on the left of the photo, we have now all placed orders with the Rejuvenating Hat Company. 

After a short walk along the Middlewood Way we arrived at Higher Poynton Station.   One joker suggested that this would be an appropriate route for Don, a stalwart Plodder who often appears on these pages, as he would struggle to find somewhere to fall over.  Reg decreed that this was not at all humourous and declared ten minutes silence over mugs of tea and a hefty dose of fudge brownies, in memory of Don’s ankle which was shattered last week by a slippery blade of grass on Pen-y-ghent.  A report can be found here (you may need to scroll down to 3 October).

A nearby Visitor Centre provided a challenge for this myopic bunch of pensioners, for whom the information there, together with today’s closely typed six page handout from Reg, plus numerous information boards, left several Plodders searching for Information Overload tablets.

There's a pricey museum of industrial archeology (engines) nearby. It was shut. Reg gave a useful précis in lieu of a formal visit, whilst Allan posed by an exhibit.

We visited the sites of various pits, tramroads and railways, mainly built on private land so not requiring an Act of Parliament.  There’s much more information on them here.

Our ramble involved walking up and down a series of tramroads and railway lines.  These days they are leafy lanes close to affluent suburbs of Manchester, but as recently as the 1930’s both the railways and the horse-powered tramroads were still in limited use prior to the closure of the last of the collieries.

Lunch was taken at a garden centre where a miniature railway must attract huge numbers of weekend visitors.  It was busy today even though the railway wasn’t operating (despite evidence to the contrary within Reg’s slideshow!), despite Ann’s best efforts.

The walk continued through leafy suburbs with exuberant street furniture, before joining the Prince’s Incline.  This led nearly all the way back to the Middlewood Way, where popular demand required Reg to lead us to a local fleshpot.  The Boar’s Head duly met said ‘fleshpot’ criteria, where more brownies supplemented the beer.

Before we knew it we were back at Middlewood, where most of the others left on a train whilst I tried to navigate my way back to my car near High Lane.

There’s a short slideshow here.

Here's our route - see if you can follow the arrows! 15-16 km (10 miles) with about 140 metres ascent.

Here’s what my Garmin gadget made of the trip:

Reg’s more accurate report is here (scroll down).

PS I happen to be leading the next Plod, to which all readers are welcome.  It’s on 31st October, with the highlight being a visit to Lud's Church. We will be starting at 10.30 from Danebridge (SJ 965 652).  Take the A523 from Macclesfield towards Leek, turn L along the A54 towards Buxton, then after nearly 4 miles turn R to Wincle then Danebridge, where there's plenty of space to park on the roadside before the bridge.

The walk is about 11 miles, with no refreshment point - it's a circuit via Hanging Stone, the Roaches, and Lud's Church (a cave).  Afterwards I'll be going to the Knot Inn in nearby Rushton Spencer for refreshments with anyone else who wants to come along.

The Cloud - Marilyn Number 1303

M2 and M1 concluded their eight days of 'Travelodge Bagging' with a visit to this pleasant spot overlooking the Cheshire plain.

After refreshing ourselves at Rushton Spencer's excellent Knot Inn, we parked just north of Timbersbrook for this easy final circuit, taking the Gritstone Trail path to the summit and returning via the escarpment trods.

The late afternoon views were excellent, if a little hazy - Jodrell Bank, just eight miles away, was only just visible.

Then it was back to Little Italy (in Timperley).

All in all an excellent trip during which we appear to have bagged 5 Travelodges, 27 Marilyns and 1 'sub Marilyn' or HuMP (hill with a HUndred Metre Prominence). I now need to look for a pencil to mark up, and update, Alan Dawson's book.

I'm sure there's more to follow when I've downloaded some photos and the data from my Garmin Gadget.

Bye for now...

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Gun - Marilyn Number 1227

After driving through Midlands rain we found the Staffordshire countryside delightfully bathed in sunshine.

There are plenty of parking spaces on the road around SJ 968 609, from where a ten minute stroll to the north leaves you in the vicinity of Gun's trig point, with fine views towards Shutlingsloe (pictured) and over the countryside of Staffordshire, Cheshire and Derbyshire, which three counties meet at nearby Three Shire Heads.

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Mynydd Llangorse - Marilyn Number 954

Having parked at SO 160 283 to climb Mynydd Troed we felt unable to shun the opportunity of climbing this little hill as well.

A father and his young daughter romped down the hill towards us as we took a short break on some rocks by the cars. We thought perhaps they thought we were car thieves (such thefts are common in this area), but it turned out that the little girl was in a rush to get to a nearby indoor climbing wall as soon as it opened.

We saw nobody else on the hill as we rose past Harebells and Tormentil, and sadly over lovely turf that had suffered recent damage from trail bikes despite a 'No Bikes' sign at the foot of the hill. Such a shame for those who regularly try to appreciate this otherwise quiet and pretty countryside.

A trig point that we visited appeared to be lower than the pile of stones (pictured) that marks the summit area. As usual, we tramped around a bit to ensure that M2's Marilyn Bagger's 'tick' could be entered in his copy of Alan Dawson's book without any question or doubt.*

By then one of the layers of cloud had either risen or lowered to envelope us for the rest of this pleasant amble as we retraced our route back to the car, and another cuppa.

* I'm writing this having returned home and spotted some messages from another inveterate hill bagger, Mike Knipe, who has pointed out that the list of 'Marilyns', like the list of 'Munros' (Scottish mountains over 3000 feet high) is a dynamic thing, which changes as more accurate surveys are carried out. So Alan Dawson regularly updates his list. Consequently the 'original' numbers used in this series of postings are probably all now wrong, and Raw Head no longer meets the criteria for inclusion in the list. That doesn't of course stop it being a good walk though! Thanks Mike, and I hope you agree that whilst on one hand 'ticking' these lists of hills can become a little compulsive, they do without doubt provide a stimulus for us to visit different hills rather than deepen the grooves in just a few favourites. Certainly the variety afforded by this current trip has been remarkable.

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Mynydd Troed - Marilyn Number 759

There's a good parking space to the south of this hill at SO 160 283. By the time we arrived there the Monday morning rain had stopped and we were able to climb steeply between layers of cloud, one of which (as you can see) nudged the summit of the hill.

There's evidence of lots of pony trekking hereabouts, though we saw nobody engaged in that activity today. The hill was empty.

We made the walk into a pleasant circuit of around an hour by continuing down the hill's northern ramparts for a short while, before turning sharply to the WSW down a path that led to a good bridleway around the bottom of the hill and back to the car.

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Mynydd Carn-y-cefn - Marilyn Number 881

Put 'Nantyglo' in the SatNav and then follow signs to the 'Round Towers' to reach the start of this walk.

We concluded that signposts to Welsh antiquities must be compulsory, whereas there is no requirement for parking facilities or even access to such antiquities. Here, roadside boulders and 'No Vehicles' signs made the parking issue clear, whilst a snarling allocation made the access issue even more transparent.

After parking in a nearby bungalow road, we set off up an unsurfaced lane that soon wended its way through an empty golf course. Sticking obstinately to the lane, which eventually deteriorated into a steep trod up the hill, we continued relentlessly to the 550 metre summit. M2 sat dutifully on the rather uncomfortably eroded trig point, surrounded by views of Welsh valleys under high cloud that had rolled in to announce a change in the weather.

Continuing south east, we rejoined a vague path and descended steeply. The paths are marked better on the map than they are on the ground hereabouts (though they certainly exist), so the GPS came in handy. Thus we negotiated our way to a lane from which we could at least see the ancient Round Towers, but a close inspection proved impossible.

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Fan Gyhirych - Marilyn Number 537

From Fan Nedd's trig point a walk back towards the Cairn brings you to a path that leads down to Bwlch Duwynt. Alternatively you can take a north western short cut down grassy slopes to reach the path, like I did, or you could even employ M2's cross country western approach - but be prepared to keep any companion waiting if you do that!

We'd seen some vehicles on the Land Rover track below Fan Gyhirych and wondered what they were doing. The track itself presents an ugly scar across the pristine hillside, but I'm sure it wasn't built for the paragliding enthusiasts who were using it today, so good luck to them.

On reaching a cairn near Fan Gyhirych's summit, we enjoyed our lunch in the company of a local couple, whilst watching the paragliders trying to make the best of a windless day. A couple took off, and proceeded to plummet like stones to the valley below, under the watchful eyes of chatty crows and defecating red kites (there's a feeding station nearby).

After half an hour at this lovely spot with fine views towards, inter alia, Titterstone Clee Hill, we adjourned for our now traditional (has anyone noticed? probably not) summit photo. It was my turn. This summit had a moat that reminded me of the bad old days at Black Hill!

Luckily, M2's 'Rules for Marilyn Baggers' tome required him to touch the trig point, so his boots also got a dunking.

After that we headed back east taking the least line of resistance, part of which involved a boggy path beside a wall to the north of Fan Nedd. M2 fell behind again; 'he's getting tired' I thought. It turned out that despite not having had to cross a fence he had contrived to rip his hand on some barbed wire. "Have you got a plaster?" he whimpered from above a pool of blood as I sat on a bench enjoying the last dregs of my flask of tea in view of .... Titterstone Clee Hill? That made me feel guilty about telling the Welshman with a can of Carling, with whom I'd had an interesting "where's the pub" "I don't know" encounter a little way up the hill, that my 'lazy companion back there only speaks Gaelic'. Luckily, there were no repercussions, and M2's hand injury was easily repaired.

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Fan Nedd - Marilyn Number 670

Fan Nedd is easily ascended in half an hour or so from point 446, at the top of a hairpin on the minor road between Heol Sennl and Ystradfellte. Whilst the summit, and in particular the cairn to its north, sports fine views, it would be a shame not to extend this outing (as we did) by heading west, in the direction of the summit photo above, to complete a choice of worthy circuits or linear walks.

Those simply wishing for a short stroll should budget about an hour, there and back from SN 923 196.

Incidentally, today we could see far out to sea to our south, and far into Shropshire and mid Wales to our north. I couldn't identify many individual distant hills, but from her perch on Titterstone Clee Hill (and perhaps Brown Clee as well - has she taken up Marilyn bagging?) Sue tells me that today the distinctive shapes of both Pen y Fan and Cadair Idris were clearly visible.

Shouldn't she be at home doing the housework?!

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Fan Fawr - Marilyn Number 514

This hill is easily ascended from the Storey Arms Centre, via an initially boggy path, but enthusiasts could make a meal of it and start from the lay-by at SN 971 222.

Today spring was again in the air and you can even see a cloud inversion (well, slowly dissipating morning mist) behind me in the summit photo.

I expect you've been up here as well, Alan, and I'd be surprised if you haven't managed some of (yes, you will finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief) tomorrow's final instalment of this series of postings.

On our descent from the scenic summit, with its resident pond for 'reflection photos', we paused to admire fine views including Pen y Fan. M2 stopped for a chat with a couple of chaps who'd been to Mera and Island Peaks, and I chatted for a while with a runner who was training for the OMM (a tough mountain orienteering event) which is taking place in the Howgills in a few weeks' time.

After an hour and twenty minutes on the hill we were back at the Storey Arms car park just in time to enjoy Denise's first brew of the day (£1 for a cup or can of anything) together with some complimentary shortbread. She told us all about her 'Storey Arms Refreshments' kiosk, from which she's been making her living for the last 22 years. She's been up Pen y Fan once - "just to see what it was like, since so many people ask that question".

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Pen y Fan - Marilyn Number 260

Pen y Fan, which tops out at an impressive 886 metres, is the highest place in South Wales. It was highly populated today, with all manner of folk, from small children to ancient grannies and muscular army cadets on a training exercise. Cosmopolitan and friendly; it was great to see so many people enjoying themselves on such a glorious day.

We had made our way slowly along the ridge from Waun Rydd, pausing to watch a paraglider soaring past - he finally landed in Cwm Oergwm, from where he proceeded to walk back up the hill.

Frequent chats with other walkers also punctuated our progress.

The crowds thinned once we got onto the flatter but less popular Craig Gwaun Taf ridge, for a final high level stroll before the sharp descent to the lower of the Neuadd reservoirs, which were full today.

A pleasant stroll on good tracks then led back to the car park at SO 027 178, from which point The Red Cow Inn's Wye Valley bitter was mercifully nearby.

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Waun Rydd - Marilyn Number 452

The short drive to the free car park at SO 027 178, past hordes of mountain bikers on a challenge event, set us up for the steep climb past roaring waterfalls to the pleasant paths over Craig y Fan Ddu and Graig Fan Las.

There were lots of people about on this sunny summery day - perfect weather for walking.

On reaching the northern escarpment we headed north east to a small pile of stones that marks the summit of Waun Rydd, with fine views over the Brecon Beacons and in all other directions on this perfectly clear day once the early morning mist had dissipated. Those camping overnight up here must have enjoyed some fine inversions.

We trudged to and fro to a grassy area that looked higher but wasn't. You could easily return to the car park from here, probably taking less than two hours for the return trip. We chose to make a day of it by carrying on along the ridge.

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Bryn Bach Parkrun (not a Marilyn)

Parkruns are a great way of starting an otherwise lazy weekend.

They are not addictive....

Today's 5km Parkrun venue for M1 was planned with M2's Marilyn bagging addiction in mind, as it was en route to several such hills. However, M2's interest in the Parkrun concept lies several octaves below zero, and being unable to handle the idea of a half hour break in the journey whilst M1 parkran, he elected to forgo a walk in favour of a Saturday morning lie in!

He was only just about out of bed when M1 returned at 9.45!

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Rhiw Gwraidd - Marilyn Number 1122

There may be shorter ways up this hill, but after returning from Gwastedyn Hill we left the car in Nant-glas and strolled on to SO 006 654, where there's a perfectly good lay-by for those with a lazier disposition.

At SO 010 645 a signed path leads through the woods. But it doesn't. It takes the unwary Marilyn bagger on a unique jungle experience, almost within sight of a nearby forestry track. We eventually decided that the only way of reaching the security of this track was to retrace our steps to where we'd left it in the first place!

A bit further on we came to a hairpin bend from where we could access a field through undergrowth and over a barbed fence. We should have noted more carefully where we entered the field, as this seemingly minor lapse afforded us another jungle experience, featuring a new species - the Himalayan Bramble - on our return journey.

In the meantime we slogged up a steep field, past glissading sheep, to reach, over more rippingly vicious wire, the stunningly unspectacular summit that nevertheless enjoyed good views of the surrounding countryside.

As always in these circumstances, M2 trudged around the plateau collecting evidence as proof of his conquering of the true summit of this minor hill, before turning tail and glissading like a sheep to his next jungle experience.

Marilyn Bagging - it's not addictive. No!

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Gwastedyn Hill - Marilyn Number 1036

This hill towers above the pleasant town of Rhayader. We accessed it from Nant-glas, where the road through the village has plenty of room for parking.

It's a steep ascent, at this time of year through a towering jungle of spent Willowherb, Foxgloves and Bracken, with red kites poised to make off with unwary mammalian visitors.

To the north west of the main summit, overlooking Rhayader, is a large cairn commemorating the queen's jubilee, inscribed in English in 1977 and in Welsh for more recent landmarks. A large fire pot stands nearby, used as a beacon.

Returning down a narrow lane to Nant-glas, we met a car - containing the owners of a smart house above which our path had passed. "We need more walkers around here", they commented whilst chatting to us. They were English.

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Garreg-hir - Marilyn Number 1025

A narrow lane off the A470 leads to a Nature Reserve (Warchodfa Natur) by Llyn Mawr. A track between Llyn Mawr and Llyn Du took us gently to this pleasant summit.

We tried to make it into a circular walk, but the footpath to the north west of Llyn Mawr had been blocked with barbed wire, so it wasn't worth the hassle.

A pleasant excursion though, despite the nearby wind farm. (At least all the blades were turning - a rare sight indeed!)

En route, we'd enjoyed coffee and cake in the café at Llanbrynmair. Highly recommended, with toys supplied by www.timberkits.com, and a unique rabbit village.

Thanks, as ever, for your comments. They are much appreciated even though some may not be read until I get home as I allowed the minuscule Blackberry mailbox to briefly overflow.

Alan, I'm glad we found a hill you'd been up, even if it was foreign. Today's are true collectors items - you won't have been there!

Nick - M2 says you must have a good memory, and that 'faded' look pulls so many Louises that he's confused as to which is which (or should that be 'witch is who'?).

JJ - your knees are in no worse state than is average for your advanced yearage! We all have bad knees! And are you sure it wasn't a case of beer that you won, you surely wouldn't have run that far up a huge mountain for just a few bottles of wine?

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Holyhead Mountain - Marilyn Number 1487

At 2220 metres this would be quite a Mountain!

The nice man in the tea shop at Holyhead Country Park pointed us in an anticlockwise direction for what turned out to be a short stroll.
We headed along a good path above the north coast, past a strange artefact and on towards North Stack. From this north western point the mesmerising flashing light from South Stack's lighthouse held our attention for a while.

A left turn here took us neatly up to the fine viewpoint despite its modest stature. From the Isle of Man to much of Snowdonia. A choice of paths guaranteed an easy descent brought us quickly back to the Park.

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Mynydd Bodafon (formerly Yr Arwydd) - Marilyn Number 1525

A short way up the road from St Michael's Church in Brynrefail (worth a visit), a track to the right and a path to the left lead quickly to this modest 178 metre summit.

Modest it may be, but this is the highest point on the main island of Anglesey.

We left a lone radio enthusiast to caress his aerial, and headed back on a circular route under the watchful eyes of circling buzzards, past Red Campion, Herb Robert and fading Brambles.

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Moel Eilio - Marilyn Number 536

An easy 4km ridge leads from Moel Cynghorion to Moel Eilio. Today we met various folk who had come over Moel Eilio from Llanberis. First, two fell runners, 'training' for the coming winter's ski mountaineering - they were having a bit of a problem running uphill but put on a good show for us. Then a couple of lone but chatty walkers, and on the summit, a group of backpackers with a summitmountainguides.co.uk guide. They were enjoying their training and were happy to take the above photo for us in the spacious summit windbreak.

We enjoyed fine views down to Caernarfon and Anglesey from this lofty perch on the far western ramparts of the Snowdon massif. Snowdon was still in cloud, and we were the first visitors of the day to Moel Eilio to enjoy a clear view as the cloud lifted from the summit just before we arrived.

We retraced our steps for a while, past a disappointed Raven, keeping to a contouring path around the base of Foel Goch, before reaching three chatty mountain bikers at the 467 metre col that links Snowdon Ranger with Llanberis.

Everyone we met today was chatty. Perhaps the bright sun, clear air, and lack of wind made it that sort of day. That's great, even if it does result in a mountain guide nagging for a chance to guide us up Monte Viso!

The circuit, including the ascent of Moel Cynghorion, made for an excellent half day excursion from Snowdon Ranger, where cash is needed for the Pay and Display car park.

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Moel Cynghorion - Marilyn Number 644

The gentle ascent up the Snowdon Ranger path to the col above Llyn Ffynnon y-gwas was a pleasure on this sunny morning. Except perhaps for the blinding sunshine that was dispersing the remnants of low mist.

It was nearly a good day for Brocken spectres, but sadly none came our way.

With Snowdon cloaked in cloud it seemed more than reasonable to head steeply north west, up to the amorphous summit of Moel Cynghorion.

M2 tramped around the grassy plateau for some time to satisfy his conscience about knowing that he had gone to the true summit.

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Foel Fenlli - Marilyn Number 969

About half a kilometre to the south east of the Pay & Display car park at Bwlch Penbarras lies the hill fort of Foel Fenlli, site of a 2000 year old village. M2 romped up the direct route and was long gone by the time I arrived, some 15 minutes after we'd both set off. Hence the 'arms length' photo, in which the pile of stones that marks the summit can just be seen by my left shoulder.

Another sunny summit in the company of runners, walkers and curious bright white sheep!

Not the hardest of walks.

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Moel Famau - Marilyn Number 866

From Bwlch Penbarras it was an easy stroll along a wide track, past faded Gorse and Bell Heather, in the company of dog walkers, as well as hikers and runners, to Queen Victoria's Jubilee Tower that spreadeagles itself across Offa's Dyke on the summit of Moel Famau.

There were views far and wide, though dark grey clouds limited what might have been visible in Snowdonia, some 35 miles away.

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Raw Head - Marilyn Number 1480

There's plenty of space to park outside Harthill's pretty village church. From there a lovely walled lane to the right of a cookery school leads up to a wood. Shafts of today's bright sunshine lanced the woodland as the path contoured past butterflies and pheasants before climbing to the Sandstone Trail.

Raw Head's trig point was soon reached, with fine views west from the top of the escarpment. This is the high point, albeit at a mere 227 metres, of the 35 mile trail between Frodsham and Whitchurch.

There's a large cave just below the summit that may be worthy of exploration. We enjoyed our lunch by the trig point, before completing a short figure of eight, arriving back in Harthill in time with its mobile library.

Those with a bit more time may enjoy more of the Sandstone Trail by taking in Bickerton Hill and Maiden Castle, before returning to Harthill via Brown Knoll and Fullers Moor.

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Winter Hill - Marilyn Number 1088

Winter Hill may be the closest Marilyn to Timperley. We don't often go up it as there are much better walks to be enjoyed in this part of the world. It's a bit boggy and boring, and covered in an assortment of masts, including a very tall one.

Today we arrived at Hordern Steeps just as the last of a series of heavy showers was abating. A short walk up the sometimes spongy path soon brought us to a tour of the summit plateau, culminating in a visit to the trig point, which appeared to mark the summit.

The patchwork of Lancashire fields, villages and industries below us actually looked quite photogenic in today's low sun. Not that my own photos will demonstrate that point.

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Yarlside - Marilyn Number 705

A good path leads from The Calf into Bowerdale, where we lunched beside the beck before tackling Yarlside's steep slopes. These soon led to a pleasant ridge, on which the summit cairn arrives surprisingly quickly.

Ingleborough was visible from here today, and sunny intervals lit much of the farmland below us. The brief squalls had subsided by now (we did enjoy better weather than you, Alan, I think you must be attached to some sort of rain magnet!) and we enjoyed a leisurely descent down Ben End to the Cross Keys, with fine views back to Cautley Spout, and to a variety of summits in the Yorkshire Dales.

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The Calf - Marilyn Number 640

M2 had never visited the Howgill Fells. Until today.

Fortified by coffee and tea cakes from the excellent Cross Keys Temperance Inn, we headed up the Cautley Spout Staircase to Great Dummacks and Calders, where we joined the motorway from Sedbergh. That led quickly to The Calf, where we briefly shook hands with The Sky, which presented us with its own moist offering, as can be seen.

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Hutton Roof Crags - Marilyn Number 1420

Previously my routes up this hill have been from Burton-in-Kendal, usually on summer evenings.

On today's sunny morning we chose to go up from the top of the lane that divides Farleton and Hutton Roof Fells. Our legs were soon soaking from the overnight rain that was clinging to the deep vegetation that lined our path leading to the eastern boundary of Hutton Roof Crags.

The summit clearly lay elsewhere, so we retraced our steps to a helpful stone arrow, and soon found a way along slippery pavements to the summit.

A lovely spot. We saw one other person - a dog runner.

Returning by a circuitous route, we were pleased by the inability of the bbc and mwis to provide an accurate weather forecast.

Alan, Conrad - thanks for your comments. I didn't know about that café near Beck Head, Conrad - we'll have to investigate. And we've seen many a runner on Whitbarrow, and wished that we lived a bit closer to that gem of a hill.

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Whitbarrow - Marilyn Number 1493

The size of Whitbarrow's summit cairn belies the small stature of this 215 metre hillock. However, it's a favourite walk of mine - a 9km circuit from Raven's Lodge.

Rawsons Farm had been newly painted, the woodland path wasn't too muddy, and more Harebells mingled with sundry thistles guided us over a broad limestone pavement to M2's fourth 'new' Marilyn of the day.

Soon afterwards an icy squall lashed down as we proceeded along the pleasant pavement, making the last half kilometre down a sloping quarry floor somewhat slippery.

By then it was nearly dark, so we took a two minute drive to the fleshpots of a nearby hostelry.

All in all, an excellent day out!

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Black Combe - Marilyn Number 772

A grassy stroll over Harebell strewn Stoneside Hill and Stoupdale Head led above a rocky escarpment to Black Combe's broad summit. Here we saw our first and last walker of the day through a veil of mist that briefly superseded the sunshine and sleet.

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Lambrigg Fell - Marilyn Number 1310

A path leads up this hill from the west of Wythmoor. It's not difficult. A strange looking obelisk sparked our curiosity, but it turned out to be the stationary blade of a wind turbine. Most of the turbines were stationary today, despite the brisk breeze.

Martin (M2) wandered around for some time trying to identify the highest point, on which he sat down and demanded chocolate in compensation for his efforts.

The snaking black line of the M6 glistened in the sunshine.

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Grayrigg Forest - Marilyn Number 998

Our approach from Fellgarth got the trip off to a good start in fine weather. I was last here in June 2009 on a Dales Way walk, albeit a little off course. There were good views as we rose through meadows of Tormentil, but the higher summits to the east were deep in cloud.

More female company to come, Gibson.

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The Relative Hills of Britain

I was (relatively) unaware of ‘The Relative Hills of Britain’ until 8 July 2000, when I attended a friend’s celebration of the ascent of his 800th such Hill.  During the course of this event a stranger called Alan Dawson thrust a Cicerone Guide into my hands in return for a modest sum.  His book lists, in various ways, all the ‘Relative Hills’ of Britain.  They are assiduously numbered, from 1 – Ben Nevis, to 1542 – Muldoanich (an obscure island off Barra). 

The book, published in 1992, lists all British hills with a height of 500 feet relative to the height of the surrounding area.  Alan christened them Marilyns. 

A rather eccentric namesake of mine has slowly been ticking off his ascents of these summits, mainly in Scotland as he lives in Aberdeen.  His tally currently exceeds 1000.  I go up hills quite a lot, but I’ve only climbed 400 or so Marilyns, so this guy could be considered a bit of a fanatic.  He contacted me recently to tell me he’d booked a few Travelodge rooms, with a view to climbing a few English and Welsh Marilyns.  Would I like to come along?

We meet later at Kendal Travelodge.  What exactly happens after that is anybody’s guess, but it is probable that we’ll climb a few Marilyns.

It should be fun – this blog may feature one or two summit shots.  Feel free to skim over them if you get bored!

The picture, BTW, is from one of our bases during the course of the week, from where there is a vast array of nearby ‘Relative Hills’.

Jerzees Colours Mens Hydraplus Jacket – First Impressions

I was recently contacted by an up and coming (according to their website) local business, Polo-shirts.co.uk, part of the Quayside Group which is based in nearby Trafford Park.

“Would you be interested in reviewing some of our items of kit?”

After looking at their website, which states ‘The Quayside Group was established in 1995 and has since grown to become a leading online supplier of wholesale and personalised clothing’, I was pleased to receive this jacket for review. 

Here are my initial observations:

The manufacturer’s product details and specification is provided at the foot of this posting. I do not take issue with them.

First impressions:

This garment is not one you will find in outdoor shops, and it isn’t suitable for backpacking as its weight of 740 gm is not exactly light (my ‘medium weight’ RAB jacket weighs 465 gm).  The jacket is manufactured by Russell Intelligent Clothing and is basically a breathable PU coated nylon outer with a polyester lining.  It doesn’t state the country of manufacture.  The current price is £50.00 plus VAT and delivery, less if you order more than 10 jackets.  That’s a fraction of the cost of the RAB jacket I used for the weight comparison.

On receipt I immediately donned the jacket to complete an errand on a wet day.  It felt like a solid, effective shell, and on a later evening walk at a brisk pace its breathability seemed fine, with no condensation appearing, though I feel it isn’t likely to be as breathable as higher spec Goretex or eVent jackets.

The beading on the new fabric was fine, as you would expect.

Fit:

• the medium size fits my 38” chest with room to spare
• the jacket is comfortable without being snug
• the length is good
• the handwarming pockets are …. handwarming (note – I hadn’t fastened the velcro cuffs at this point)
  
  

Features:

• the hood folds away neatly, but the peak isn’t stiffened and hasn’t got a volume reduction cord, so it slightly obscures my vision when used in anger, but for the price of this jacket the hood may be regarded as a bonus
  
  
  
• the soft touch collar feels … soft – here’s another picture
  
  
  
• the arms are a good length, with effective velcro adjusters for the cuffs
• the drawcords for the hood and the hem are effective 
• the YKK zips on the front and on the pockets are of good quality and have cord pulls for use with gloves.  The small zip for the ‘discreet concealed decoration access at hem’ (presumably to give access for embroidering, etc) doesn’t work properly on my jacket, but I suspect most users probably wouldn’t even notice this zip
• the storm flap, secured by velcro, should be effective in most weathers, but there could be ingress in severe weather as the zips aren’t waterproof
• the main zip has a top ‘garage’ and a well designed internal rain flap
• the handwarming pockets are reasonably spacious and the external chest pocket will take a large ‘phone or GPS, but not a map unless folded.  There are no internal pockets.  So pocket space is limited compared with specific (and more expensive) hiking jackets

Weight:

• at 740 gm, this is not a lightweight garment, but it’s certainly fit for use as a waterproof jacket for casual use and day walks

Practical Use:

• a smart (by my standards) jacket ideal for casual use and for day walks, especially during the cooler months
• for energetic mountain days a more technical jacket may be preferable, but as a budget item this jacket may cope with most conditions

Alternatives:

• numerous manufacturers make similar products, but I’m not aware of any that are as robust as this one appears to be, for such a cheap price

Conclusion:

• if you are looking for a cheap but solid waterproof jacket, I doubt you’ll find better value than this
• the jacket is ideal for going out in the rain all year round, and should be good for day walks from autumn to spring (it’ll be too hot for many summer days)
• the jacket is already my first port of call as my outdoor jacket - I’ll be using it for day walks, trips to town, and general casual use – you could do a lot worse than replace your tatty old day to day jacket with this excellent, at first sight, product.

Finally, given the discounts available for bulk orders, and the printing and embroidery services offered by Quayside Group, this jacket or one of the company’s other products may be ideal for those requiring garments for a team, company, or other group that may want (or be required) to wear the same clothing.

Incidentally, I notice that Alan Rayner has recently reviewed Polo-shirts.co.uk’s softshell product here.  He likes it, and it appears at first sight to be at least as waterproof as the Hydraplus Jacket, though it lacks a hood and has a smaller chest pocket.

That’s it for now.  I’ll add to this review when I have been using the jacket for a longer term.

Manufacturer’s Specification:

Jerzees Colours Men's Hydraplus Jacket

Water resistance to 2000mm (PU coating) breathability of 2000 g/m² per 24 hours, water repellent finish and critically taped seams for full weather protection Active fit: articulated elbows and raglan sleeves Stowaway 3 piece hood and soft touch inner collar Reverse YKK front zip with cord pull, double storm flap with additional Velcro closure Zipped hand warmer pockets with internal pocket for phone/MP3 Fully lined, with discreet concealed decoration access at hem Fully launderable: 30ºC wash (gentle cycle) and low temperature tumble dry (do not use fabric softeners)

Wednesday 26 September 2012 – Styal at Night

I didn’t really expect anyone else to come on this evening walk, so I wasn’t surprised when nobody turned up to join me for a beer in the quiet pub.

Sue is working feverishly at present, so reserved her evening out for a meal with Tim at Chilli Banana tomorrow (ie today).  The lane through Styal was deserted and having set off on my walk I saw nobody on the normally busy paths.  It was quite eerie at times in the dark woodland with the bulging River Bollin swirling at my feet and the smell of Himalayan Balsam wafting across my nostrils.

My planned 7 km route was abandoned as I knew it would pass through a very muddy farmyard, so instead a circuit via Twinnies Bridge seemed a short (4 km) but sound route choice.  And so it was; despite all the recent rain the paths weren’t too muddy, and given the nearly full moon a torch was only needed in the more heavily wooded sections.

A short but very pleasurable excursion on familiar paths.

Here’s the route according to my Garmin gadget: