Friday 27 March 2009 - A Short Walk around Kettleshulme

Spring is coming on apace at home in Timperley, with a bit more colour every day, and trees and leaves gradually coming into bud.

Our 45 minute drive into the Peak District passed swathes of daffodils waving in the breeze.  Even the traffic lights were waving in the breeze today!

Kettleshulme was shut.  The Bulls Head doesn't open on weekday lunchtimes, and we didn't get as far as the Swan Inn, which is just down the road. 

Starting after 2pm from outside the Bulls Head we followed a route described in detail here.

A cool breeze made for excellent walking weather as we headed quickly up to Taxal Edge... and wandered briefly off our route to gaze down to the Goyt valley and beyond.

Our route then headed south along the border between Cheshire and Derbyshire, with Windgather Rocks lurking ahead of us under a big black cloud that spat stinging white pellets at us.

Tracks and a minor road took us on to Dunge Farm, whose gardens are heavily advertised hereabouts.  But today, though Spring is coming on apace in Timperley, these parts - only a few miles away - have a distinctly wintery look and feel.  Here's Dunge Farm and the view from the path - we'll try to visit again later in the year when there's a bit more colour on display and the tea room is open.

Beyond here, we ambled up a path past this tree...

...which looks rather different from the other direction, with Windgather Rocks and their ever present crown of black cloud behind the sunlit grass, which really is this brown at present.

There was very little wildlife in evidence today.  The most obvious was the striking white faces of rooks wheeling above Kettleshulme, together with the ubiquitous carrion crows and the unmistakable flapping lapwings that seem to be a much commoner sight these days.

Some properties are messy and run down; others are immaculate.  This isolated house and its renovated barn beyond Green Stack tend towards the latter category, but you would need to enjoy a lonely windswept landscape to live here.

Continuing along the route, we paused shortly before Saltersford Hall in the shelter of a wall, to enjoy a welcome flask of tea and a respite from the cool breeze.  (Actually, Sue was seriously overdressed - she's obviously not been eating enough recently - a fleece was all that was necessary!  Or was it that she couldn't be bothered to carry a bag?)

Saltersford Hall, in the background, was built in 1595 by the Stopford family of Macclesfield.  It was occupied by the Turner family, whose Richard Turner, who died aged 60 in 1748, was the first person to be buried in nearby Jenkin's Chapel.

Soon she was off again, striding purposefully towards another immaculate house, this one - Burton Springs Farm - in a sheltered valley.

Beyond here the route continued up a steep bridleway to a high point with fine views towards Greater Manchester, beyond which on this clear day the tall masts on Winter Hill looked much closer than their 50 km distance from us.  Down to the south west, 80 km away, the Welsh mountains looked enticing.  We were envious of Alan, and Gayle and Mick, who despite the cool, blustery weather should be relishing clear views from the Carneddau hills this weekend.

Beyond the busy B5470 artery linking Macclesfield with Whaley Bridge, we found our way along an ancient green lane, now not even a bridleway - indeed, a rather poorly drained and ill-defined footpath - and gradually rose to re-cross the road at Charles Head.  What seemed to be the scent of a BBQ hung in the air.  We were puzzled, it wasn't BBQ weather!  Nearing the end of our stroll, we could see Kettleshulme in the valley below, with the hills of Kinder Scout clearly defined in the background.

Charles Head Farm dates from 1764, when it was built by Robert Pott.  Apparently a leather-bound version of the Bible, known as the Charleshead Bible, is kept inside.  The farm now sports some attractive 'barn conversions' and a couple of interesting post boxes:

There's a great contrast between the new conversions and the old barns that serve as shelters for sheep or storage areas, etc.  This one, by the path leading to Todd Brook, is next to some impressive gate posts.  It must have been quite a different scene when it was first built.

After crossing an extremely marshy field we reached the farm track that led all the way back to Kettleshulme.  A buzzard hovered overhead whilst two teenagers accosted us. 

"Where have you been?" they interrogated.  We showed them the map, and explained that we had been able to see deep into Wales.  "I know" said one of them "I've been on that walk...and you can see nearly as far from the top of the tree we've just been in".  We chatted for a while - friendly country kids.

It had been a lovely walk, despite the paucity of spring colours.  In fact Spring seems further advanced in Torridon than it does here, several hundred miles to the south - perhaps due to the Gulf Stream.  Anyway, I did eventually find this rare example of a south facing gorse bush where the flowers are just about in bloom.

There was still a bit of tea in the flask, so we enjoyed it from the comfort of this bench before tootling off home.

The route card is here, but as most readers won't be interested in that, here's our 13 km route.  It involved about 550 metres of ascent and took 3 hours, plus breaks totalling 10 minutes.

Goat's cheese and beetroot salad

With the clocks about to change, and the evenings lengthening, perhaps it's time to reduce the soup intake in favour of something more 'summery'.

This recipe for four is very quick, easy and Seriously Tasty.
It's very suitable for splitting into two (or more) for use as a quick mid-week starter.

We hope you enjoy it.

INGREDIENTS
10 oz/300 gm cooked beetroot - fresh or vacuum packed, not from a jar
8 oz/200 gm log of firm goat's cheese, eg Capricorn or Sainte-Maure de Touraine
4 handfuls small-leaf salad, containing rocket and herbs

FOR THE DRESSING
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp clear honey
4 tbsp walnut oil

1 Thinly slice the beetroot, either with a very sharp knife or on a mandolin if you have one.

2 Arrange overlapping slices over 4 dinner plates.

3 Put all the dressing ingredients into a jar, replace the lid, then shake well to mix.

4 Drizzle a little dressing over the beetroot.

5 Slice the goat's cheese into 12 slices and put 3 slices on top of each serving of beetroot.

6 Toss the salad leaves in a little dressing, then place a small pile of leaves on top of each serving of cheese.

7 Drizzle with the remaining dressing.

Tuesday 24 March 2009 - A Stroll around Lymm

With rain forecast later, I enjoyed a short 2 hour stroll from Lymm Dam, just a 15 minute drive from home.

Parking at 10.15 in Crouchley Lane I set off up the main road, away from the Dam, turned left into Grammar School Road, and when St Peter's Church came into view I headed down the path towards its distinctive spire.  This is Oughtrington, on the eastern edge of Lymm, and whilst it is less than 50 metres above sea level it does lie above the surrounding countryside and affords fine (if not very photogenic) views across to Winter Hill, the skyscrapers of Manchester, and the hills of the Dark Peak behind the mass of suburbia.

Beyond the church, the path continues in an easterly direction through fields, with even more expansive views towards the hills of the Peak District, with aircraft coming in to land at Ringway in the foreground.

Carrion crows cawed in freshly ploughed fields, and two youths tried to control a bunch of unruly dogs - maybe they were dog walkers, enterprising an income rather than walking the streets.  At least the dogs were 'waggy' rather than intimidating...

Fluttering Peewits accompanied me as the path drifted beside field boundaries to eventually turn right onto Warrington Lane, which runs beside the Bridgewater Canal.  (More information here.)

This short route turns first left down Spring Lane, to cross the canal.  The sign is just about visible, ironically soon to be concealed by the shoots of spring.

There is an extensive boatyard (Lymm Cruising Club) on the left of the canal, and a firm towpath on the right.  This doubles up as a fast cycle track when there's a strong westerly wind like yesterday's.

There's a convenient bench on the towpath by Agden Bridge.

Time for a welcome cup of tea.

Walking along the towpath back towards Lymm, in the face of a fresh breeze, I first encountered a pair of Greylag Geese.

Then Mr and Mrs Mute Swan.

The grass beside the towpath is full of Butterbur (Petasites hybridus), as well as daisies and dandelions just now.

I passed a small car park at Spud Wood Woodland Trust (this would be a better place to park, in future).  A sign indicated that this was the start of a 22 mile trail to Runcorn Hill - the Mersey Valley Timberland Trail.  I'd never heard of it!  Full details are here - probably a nice walk - I may report on it sometime soon!

The hawthorn is coming into leaf, and the blackthorn is in flower. Cherry blossom also brightened the day.

As did Forsythia.

Moorhens and mallard seem to infest the canal as it draws into Lymm.  This is where this route heads into the village.

A short climb to cross the main road at Lymm Dam heralds a short final stroll around the small lake.  The woodland is still bare of leaves.

The lack of foliage leaves little cover for the birds that live here, not that the cormorants would have hidden in the wood.  This one's mate hid under the water...

It was full of life, with coots, mallard, moorhens, wood pigeons, wrens, long-tailed tits, great tits, blue tits, blackbirds, robins, magpies and great crested grebes all busily ignoring me as I strolled back to the car.

Here's the 9 km route, with about 70 metres ascent - taking about two hours at a steady pace.

15 to 20 March 2009 - A Trip to Torridon

Dave admires the view from Sgurr Mòr, the 986 metre summit of Beinn Alligin,
and the highest point reached by Dave and me this week

This brief entry wraps up this first Scottish trip of the year. The image below shows the venues of the first four walks enjoyed by Dave O and me, the fifth being further south in Kintail.

To view all the daily entries, to which a few images have been added, (chronologically from the bottom of the page), click here.

There's also a web page here, summarising what we did (72 km, 5470 metres ascent) and providing a few additional panoramic images.

Enjoy...

Friday 20 March 2009 - Summer in Shiel Bridge - Sgurr an Airgid

Dave S, Julie and Di headed home to parties and work, via a couple of Drumochter Munros that Dave insisted on bagging. Having pushed his tally over the 200 mark he really does appear to have momentum in his quest to become a Munroist.

Meanwhile Dave O's appointment in Sharm el Sheikh on Sunday hastened our departure from the Highlands today, but not before we had time to enjoy a short romp up Sgurr an Airgid, a small but well formed Corbett 'peaklet' above Shiel Bridge.

On the way we stopped beyond Attadale to admire the views to Lochcarron and Applecross beyond.

Conditions were truly summery - t-shirt and shorts weather on a day of mirror calm sea lochs.

The stalkers path from Clachan Duich Burial Ground car park provided an excellent well graded ascent to the 841 metre summit, reached after just two hours at 1.15.

The day was hazy, but we enjoyed fine, wide-ranging views (below to the Five Sisters of Kintail), before reluctantly making our way down to reach the car by 2.45.


On the descent we met the 11th and 12th people we have encountered in some 35 hours of hillwalking this week. This couple had foreign accents, claimed to live on the Isle of Skye, and gave 'The United States of Europe' as their nationality. The interrogation ended there, and I pondered who had migrated furthest to reach this hillside - the itinerant couple, or the flock of snow buntings that was chirruping (or should that be 'tirrirrirriping') nearby?

The gorse is almost in bloom in the Shiel Bridge area, and will be radiant when we return here in a couple of weeks.

Meadow pipits and redstarts accompanied us today, with oyster catchers busying themselves on Loch Duich's nearby beaches.

We have now adjourned a further four hours south, and have just enjoyed a good meal at the Beancross Restaurant next to tonight's home for Dave and me - the Travelodge at Falkirk.

Here's today's route - 9km, 854 metres ascent, taking 3 hours 25 minutes, including about 25 minutes of breaks. Naismith would have taken 3 hours.


So here ends another fine Highland excursion. I shall enjoy adding some images and summaries over the next few days, and perhaps some panoramas on a separate web page. (All now done - see next posting.)

Ciao for now...

Thursday 19 March 2009 - A Favourite Mountain - Beinn Alligin

Today dawned dry, sunny and still. And it stayed that way.

Julie and Di set off for a slow motion showdown with the 'Ling Hut Corbetts'. They were bemused by the hubbub they perceived on their first summit, only to discover that it was emanating from a large group of youths enjoying a snowball fight on the nearby Munro, Beinn Liath Mhòr!

Dave S chose a Munro direct from the cottage - Maol Chean-dearg - a nice hill, I was tempted.

But the view from our living room window drew Dave O and me to that Favourite Mountain.

Beinn Alligin.

My Munro bagging records show this as my 7th ascent of Alligin, but they are not complete so it could be more. Today's route in fine, warm, snow free conditions took us anti-clockwise over the Horns of Alligin for lunch below the northern summit after nearly three hours of walking.

Dave ascends Coire Mhic Nobuil through the pine forest

View from the northern summit (Sgurr Mòr) towards the Horns, Beinn Dearg and Beinn Eighe

On the summit

View to Upper Loch Torridon, with Beinn Damh

We saw lots (4) of people - Blue Renault Van Man at the car park, and Black Taped Trouser Man ascending slowly - both men of very few words. Plus a couple of cheery chaps, effusive about the weather - who wouldn't be - who ambled past from the other direction whilst we lunched.

Today featured the heron and a shag by the beach, great tits in the ancient pine forest through which the dappled light played on the leafy path. Mating frogs were not distracted by our passage (we've seen quite a bit of spawn this week), but a sunbathing lizard was wary of our presence.

Dave's phone blared across the hillside - Pat's secateurs had gone missing. Panic ensued as Dave frantically tried to maintain marital harmony.

T-shirts and shorts would have been suitable for today; Dave did try his best by rolling his trousers up - his best Bash Street Kid impression.

There were fabulous all round views of the Torridon peaks and Hebridean islands, but all too soon, after a gentle 900 metre descent, and nearly 7 hours in the sun, we were back at base and ready to adjourn to the remains of our beer, wine, backyard and coke, etc.

There was a lovely sunset, viewed below from outside Annat Lodge.

The resident cook has a day off so tonight's meal may be 'interesting'. [It was excellent - well done Dave S, Julie and Di.]

Here's today's route - 11km, 1226 metres ascent, taking 6 hours 45 minutes, including about 1 hour 30 minutes of breaks. Naismith would have taken 4 hours.

Wednesday 18 March 2009 - High Pressure Cloud - Beinn Liath Mhor

Annat Lodge on a bright morning

A drive past Lochcarron (the place) led to lovely reflections on the mirror-still waters of Loch Carron (the loch).

A 10.20 am departure saw all five of us trudging up past Achnashellach Station to ascend Coire Lair on a now gloomy day dominated by High Pressure Cloud.

Dave O finds an excellent gate through a deer fence

Julie soon retreated from her planned hill, Fuar Tholl, leaving it for a day with a view. She ambled on with Di whilst the rest of us shot off up the Coire, pausing briefly for Essential Business en route to the 620 metre col.

By Loch Coire Lair

After lunch in a sheltered spot (it turned out that all spots were sheltered today - the wind was on holiday) we ambled up occasionally steep ground to the summit of Beinn Liath Mhor - 926 metres (2pm).

This was Dave S's 200th Munro.

Well done Dave.

Reluctant to linger on 200 he left us here to shoot off to Sgorr Ruadh, number 201.

Meanwhile, Dave O and I ambled slowly along the 2km ridge, bidding our greetings to Harold the ptarmigan and his wife, Heather.

Three people appeared out of the mist on the 3rd and final summit. They had climbed Liathach yesterday, and were staying at Kinlochewe Bunkhouse. Crampons had been needed on Liathach, but on the lower heights we have frequented there has been hardly any snow, let alone the need for crampons.

The ice axe I carried today was strictly for Essential Business and use as a toilet trowel.

The descent back into Coire Lair was steep. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, me pooer nees" whined Dave. I ignored him, especially when he decided to bathe them in the river. "It's a bit like putting on an ice pack" he wittered....

Nearly back at the car, we chatted to Hilary, who runs a tea room at the Station House at Achnashellach. We discussed the TGO Challenge, and she looks forward to providing teas for challengers in early May. Scottish readers may see more of her sometime as the tame pine martens in her garden have attracted media attention. Earlier, Julie and Di had been her first customers this year - she opened last week.

A scary journey in Dave's painter's car was followed by another catering miracle, with my wounded kitchen assistant ('fingers' Dianne) being replaced by 'disappearing Dave O'. "Can't we use that 500ml of left over cream from yesterday" he exhorted, when I produced a fresh carton; he failed to realise that the chocolate bread and butter pudding he was anointing with the new cream already contained all the old cream.

Dave O has now retired to bed after his cholesterol fuelled apoplectic fit!

Here's today's route - 15km, 1130 metres ascent, taking 6 hours 45 minutes, including about 1 hour 15 minutes of breaks. Naismith would have taken 5 hours.

Bye for now, and apologies to any commenters from windowless rooms and elsewhere - I can't seem to acknowledge them from here - will catch up in due course.

Tuesday 17 March 2009 - Spring comes to Torridon - Beinn Dearg

"It's the first time I've seen the mountains for over a week" said our neighbour, admiring the view across the bay to Beinn Alligin. The mountain had been bathed in pink light as the sun rose this morning, and it remained sunlit all day.

Dave S went off to bag Beinn Eighe, whilst the rest off us headed up Coire Mhic Nobuil towards Beinn Dearg. The waterfalls below Alligin were impressive but the high contrast between sun and shade didn't produce a satisfactory image. So here's a rare photo of Dianne, shortly before she left us for her unexpectedly (due to a misunderstanding) low level walk back to Annat via the Ling Hut.

Whilst Di continued on the low level path. Dave O, Julie and I headed on up the good path to Bealach a' Chomhla before attacking the steep west ridge of Beinn Dearg.

A ptarmigan tried to chat to us...

"Hrrh, hrragh" - "I'm Harold" he chirped.

T-shirts had been in order lower down, but up at the summit of Beinn Dearg, reached after lunch in a sheltered spot on the ridge, an extra layer was welcome. It had taken nearly four hours.

On the final stretch to the first summit of Beinn Dearg, with Beinn Alligin behind

The views in all directions were magnificent, with the Cuillins on Skye, and Clisham on Harris, shining in the sun in the distance.

The Cuillins are about 60 km away!

It's quite a long ridge - about 4km - with some rock steps that challenged Julie's short stature. She now has bruised knees and is accepting Dave O's herbal remedies - we hope she survives his ministrations.

On the ridge, with Liathach beyond

Julie crashes down one of the rock steps

Looking back at the steep rock steps - they come directly down the steep prow (unlikely but true)

On the north side of the ridge the ice on Loch a' Choire Mhoir was breaking into a white mosaic.

At the far end of the ridge we paused for some time at Carn na Feòla to admire the twin Corbetts of Baosbheinn and Beinn an Eòin.


The descent from Carn na Feòla was steep, but sported excellent views of Liathach and had no difficulties, apart for Dave who marched purposefully across the path and to the wrong side of the river.

It was a pleasant amble back to the car park, past a young but very dead deer (we also saw lots of live specimens today) and then encountering the first people we have seen this week, a painter near the waterfalls and a young couple on a slow stroll.

The 16km walk took us 8 hours including 1 hour of stops - a slow amble in lovely spring weather. The route, shown below, involved about 1167 metres ascent and would have taken Naismith 5 hours or so.


Reunited at Annat Lodge we enjoyed lamb tagine and other goodies before flaking out in the intense heat of the living room.