Walking the Tour de Mont Blanc

Hiking Explore's Tour de Mont Blanc means 150 kilometres of walking, 7300m of ascent and  8500m of descent. There are many variations on this world renowned trek but this is the one I've been lucky enough to guide for the last couple of weeks.
Lucky because the walk is stunning, but also because my group of 5 were lovely company and because we got great weather, needing our waterproofs briefly on a couple of days. Apart from those moments we enjoyed sunshine and passing clouds, which chased shadows across the mountain slopes.
Here's a selection of my favourite photos from the tour:

Walkers at Lac Blanc with the Aiguille Vert across the valley behind

Walkers and Bellflowers below the Col de Balme

Alpenglow on the mountains from the setting sun

Descendiing from the Grand Col Ferret, into Italy

From Lac Combal looking towards the Col de la Seigne

Towards a distant Mont Blanc from the Col de la Seigne

Me, enjoying my work

Back home now, getting some climbing and preparing for the coming weeks walking on the Amalfi Coast.

Climbing: Gullible's Travels - E1 5b

A critical moment on the route

I've not posted for a few months - sometimes doing stuff takes over completely from recording it. I did get a few weeks at home between trips in May and managed to get out climbing a couple of times.
The best route I climbed was called "Gullible's Travels", graded E1. It's a small climb, with protection which takes care to place, before a clearly defined and quite technical crux. Here's a 2 min. video of the crux moves:

As the clip starts I've managed to place a goodish small cam for protection and a rather iffy one to my left. I experiment for a short time trying to find my balance point with slightly rubbish handholds. Eventually I move my left foot closer and commit to standing up, at which point the iffy cam pops out and slides down the rope!
Standing in the break I can rest so I chalk up my fingers here, but here's one more hard-ish move to go before the good holds arrive. The flake of rock above is ok as long as I pull from the left side so I rearrange my centre of gravity so that I can layaway leftwards, step high with the right foot, cross my left hand above my right and - hey presto - stand up to get the good handhold.

April Peak District Walking Weekend

On the first week of April I held the last of my guided Winter Walking Weekends (the 'Winter' bit being a touch inaccurate, as the weather became sunny and spring-like as the weekend went along). We were quite a large group, taking the train from Hathersage along to Edale station.

Gentle rain over Mam Tor with the ridge to Losehill ahead

We began in gentle rain, climbing up to the summit of Mam Tor, before taking the switchback ridge over Back Tor and along to Ward's Piece on the top of Losehill.

The short steep climb up to Back Tor with a weak rainbow in the Edale valley

 As we walked along a rainbow appeared below Back Tor and the sun was out descending Losehill towards Hope.

Descending from Losehill

 After a picnic stop and a welcome coffee and cake stop in Hope village we passed the pinfold leaving Hope behind (story of my life) and took the footpath passing through Navio, the site of a roman fort, and eventually to Bamford where we caught the train back to Hathersage.

Sunday dawned bright and sunny. We left directly from Hathersage passing the village church and the grave of Little John before following the valley up to North Lees. This large house was once visited by Charlotte Bronte when she stayed in Hathersage and is the model for Thornfield Hall (Mr. Rochester's house) in Jane Eyre. Now divided into apartments it looks southwards toward Hathersage from a beautiful and scenic position.

North Lees and spring Daffodils

After a brief stop we continued up past the climbers, bouldering at 'the plantation' to reach Stanage Edge. The hard work now completed there followed a walk along Stanage to it's southern end before crossing Higgar Tor to reach Carl Wark and the remnants of it's Iron Age fort, and then Longshaw Estate with it's welcome cafe and lunchstop.

Last ascent to reach Stanage Edge

 And finally we turned back northwards, passing Lawrencefield and Bolehill quarries, with the sunlight fizzing through fantasy birch woods, eventually dropping down to return to our starting point in Hathersage.

Sunlight through the woods of Lawrencefield quarry

Puglia in the Spring

Spring flowers in Puglia

At the end of March I spent a week with Vic and Jude, staying at Vic and Gina's house in Puglia. Based near the white city of Ostuni I wanted to see if it would be a good central base for a walking week.

Approaching Ostuni through olive groves

The towns are full of history, particularly the Centro Storico of Ostuni itself. The old town of Cisternino and the castle at the heart of Carovigno are both beautiful.

Cisternino's centro storico

Courtyard of Carovigno's castello

 There are older traces of human history, too; bronze age cave dwellings, menhirs and dolmen (Is that a plural? I've no idea.), and relics of classical Greek and Roman cultures, most notably Egnazia. We had a busy week touring these hotspots.

Trullo near Cisternino

The walking was more difficult. There's not a culture of countryside walking - I guess it's too hot for much of the year.

More wildflowers

Old olive trees

 So there are few footpaths and much of the walking must be done along white gravel roads and small tarmac lanes. Some of these are lovely, bordering farms with picturesque Trulli houses and gnarled olive trees, but at times it feels like a sub-urban wasteland, with fly-tipping and litter.

View towards the Adriatic from the escarpment near Ostuni

 So the jury's out. I'll give it some more thought and make a decision later in the year, but we enjoyed our recce and the place is certainly photogenic and unique within Italy.

Winter Walking Weekend II

Last weekend was the second one of my open walking weekends and it was a smaller group this time, but just as much fun. The weather challenged us and was worse than the forecast had led me to believe, particularly the wind speed.
We took the train to Edale but found Kinder Scout, unsurprisingly, wreathed in cloud, forming and reforming as the wind whipped across from the north-west. This time we headed southwards as that gave us more options and escape routes if the high level weather was as hostile as it could be.
We climbed up the northern slopes of Mam Tor to Mam Nick.

Climbing up to Mam Tor with the Edale valley below

It was muddy underfoot but not raining and we did get views across the Edale valley behind us.
But at Mam Nick things got a little more serious. The wind howled through the gap and battered walkers on the upper slopes of Mam Tor.

Wet weather looking back from Losehill towards a cloud covered Mam Tor

We were undaunted and stomped to the top where we forgot any British reserve and walked arm in arm, hoods up and our backs to the gale. We continued on towards the Losehill Ridge, skirting below the crest to stay out of the worst of the weather. From here our path dropped down to Hope and a welcome cafe stop.

Surely that cafe can't be far now?

After a break we continued from Hope via Navio, the Roman fort at Bradwell, then Townfield before reaching the station at Bamford.

Sunday was a better day with showers, heavier but less continuous than the day before. From Hathersage we climbed up via North Lees towards Stanage Edge where the small streams that drain over the Edge were being blown back up in fountains across the moor above.

Ben and Val threading their way through boulders towards the top of Stanage

We stayed below the Edge following through the maze of climbers' paths which thread their way under the cliff.

Val and Anna reaching the trig point on Stanage - camera lens blurred with rain!

Anna and Val at the trig. point

Eventually, we braved the winds to climb to the summit trig. point which marks the southern end of Stanage.

Walking the medieval hollow way across Lawrencefield with no rain

Sunshine in the fantasy birch woods of the old Bolehill Quarries

From here we chose to go down the Burbage Valley to reach Padley Gorge before heading northwards again, below the angular quarried cliffs of Millstone Edge. After that it's just a short finishing stroll to regain our start point in Hathersage, just in time for the train out of town. No prizes awarded for speedy walking but lots of ambling conversation.

Winter Walking Weekend

Last weekend I ran my first Winter Walking Weekend. These are open weekends where I plan guided walks for people - mini hiking holidays in the Peak District National Park. People can walk on both days or just one of the two. The idea is to get out whatever the weather and experience the joys of the UK winter. Sometimes I think that we can hibernate away these months when, in truth, it's a treat to get out, even when the winds bluster, the snow stings and the mud clings.
Last weekend we had good weather.

On Kinder Scout

On Saturday we took the train to Edale and as we got there the clouds began to thin. This walk began with a stiff climb to reach the edge of Kinder Scout's plateau. There was no hurry here, just a steady upward plod while the sky gradually brightened. After following the path eastwards the sun came out and temperatures became spring-like. There was hardly any wind and we took the opportunity to sit for a while in the heather and look out over the Edale Valley.

Crossing Crookstone Moor

Soon enough it was time to move off, for Crookstone Moor and the descent to Hope Cross and a welcome lunch break.

Heading for Hope Cross

From here there's a gentle steady climb over the next 4 kilometres to reach the sharp peak and excellent viewpoint of Win Hill.

Win Hill is one of the best viewpoints hereabouts

 We turned back on ourselves after that dropping down steeply at first to Hope and its railway station.
On Sunday the cloud set heavy on the high ground first thing, and it didn't clear until after lunch. In Hathersage we passed by Little John's Grave and climbed up towards North Lees Hall, the inspiration for Charlotte Bronte's Thornfield Hall, the home of Mr Rochester in "Jane Eyre".
She writes, "Leaning over the battlements and looking far down, I surveyed the grounds laid out like a map: the bright and velvet lawn closely girdling the grey base of the mansion; the field, wide as a park, dotted with its ancient timber; the wood, dun and sere, divided by a path visibly overgrown, greener with moss than the trees were with foliage."
Our climb continued up the steepening ground eventually following an old packhorse route to gain Stanage Edge. The wind blew colder here and the cloud was damp, and hugged the ground - no views yet. So we followed the edge southwards and I was surprised, seeing the occasional rock climber with more dedication than I would have in such conditions.

On Higgar Tor

 We left the edge at its southernmost point and headed across to Higgar Tor, dropping out below the cloud on this section - so there is a world out there! Higgar was crawling with holidaying families and friends. A child measured his short length, teetering and falling into a peaty mud puddle. He emerged to announce excitedly that he was the Mud Monster - a pretty indisputable claim.
We descended past the Iron Age fort of Carl Wark heading for the more contemporary Longshaw Estate cafe. Coffee and cakes were consumed before walking down towards Padley Gorge and Lawrencefield. Up the old hollow way to look down into the quarry before dropping down, past the abandoned millstones to Hathersage, our start and finish point.

Winter trip to Glencoe

I was invited to join Toby, Mark, Angus, Tim and Neil on their Scottish winter adventure last weekend. They'd booked a great cottage on the shore of Loch Linnhe below the foot of Glencoe, one of my favourite places. I've not had a trip to Scotland for a few years.
We met on Thursday evening and looked forward to three full days out on the mountains.
The idea was to get some winter walking/scrambling/climbing and, as usual, this depended on the weather gods permitting - we arrived to a good forecast.

The Aonoach Eagach Ridge across Glencoe

It was decided that we'd head out together with the intention of climbing some of the easy classic climbs beginning with Dorsal Arete on Stob Coire Nan Lochan.
Friday began with cloud on the tops but fairly calm and dry, and we began by taking the relentless treadmill of 2 hours up to the cliffs of our mountain. We set the pattern for the next few days, climbing in two groups of three. We hardly belayed en-route but placed running belays as we went; the last climber removing the gear placed by the leader.

Two climbers ahead, on the narrow fin of Dorsal Arete

Dorsal Arete begins as a broad buttress of snow covered rock which narrows to a fine fin as it reaches towards the top. Everyone, even the less experienced climbers moved well and we soon got into a rhythm. The snow was thin over the rock but it was most enjoyable climbing. Topping out on the summit ridge we turned right to regain the corrie bowl and headed back down the steep valley to the glen.
Saturday we got going early to ensure we got back to the cottage in time for Six Nations rugby. The plan was to walk up Glen Eilde at the top of Glencoe to reach a fine steep ridge called Sron na Lairig. Saturday was sunny and our route was beckoning us on as we followed the icy path up the valley.

Walking a short section of Sron na Lairig, heading for the next steep bit.

 The final approach took steep snow to reach the rock at the toe of the buttress. We then headed directly up the starting rocks.

A succession of small false summits on Sron na Lairig

 Once again the buttress narrows and becomes a narrow crest in its upper reaches. It's quite exposed and lots of fun shuffling carefully along with steep, deep drops on both sides.

Looking down on the narrowest part of the ridge

Topping out we emerged onto a broad ridge, blasted by a vicious wind carrying sharp, cutting spindrift. We didn't linger, heading down the ridge in the sunshine, enjoying magnificent views across the mountains despite the hostile wind.
Sunday; day 3, Aonach Mor. Mark suggested heading north to take Aonoch Mor's ski gondola and walk to the mountain's west face. The route he had in mind was Golden Oldy, a route none of us had climbed before.

Toby swinging the axe as he climbs out of the crux chimney of Golden Oldy

 The route is graded 2 but at 450m rather longer than the first two climbs. The sunny theme continued as we made our way up the Allt Daim and the usual steep final approach to our climb. As usual the broad start offered a wealth of alternative lines but the ridge narrowed as we gained height.

Angus stepping carefully on the crest of Golden Oldy

 A steep chimney gave us a bit of ice before the ridge became a knife edge or snowed up rock. By this time we had become an effective climbing party and moved fast but we were undoubtedly tired by the time we reached the summit of our mountain.

Nearly at the top.

Mark and cake at the Gondola cafe

It's an easy walk off, however; cross the plateau northwards and drop into the top of the skiing area and follow the tows back down to the gondola and the delights of cake and coffee in the cafe.
When the weather's good like this it's hard to think of a better place than the Scottish Highlands for a short winter break.

Navigation on Rudd Hill

I got out last Sunday with Mark for some navigation practice; he's shaping up for his Winter Mountain Leader Assessment in March and wanted to take the opportunity for a couple of hours work with map and compass.
As it happened conditions were pretty much perfect. There was a damp hill fog across the moors above Sheffield. We took the Ringinglow Road out past Lady Canning Plantation and parked up near Burbage Moor. The featureless moorland on either side of the road here offers few landmarks; it's a gently undulating blanket of peat covered in heather, moss and rushes. Yellow Nardus grass on the merely damp ground alternates with soft green pools of sphagnum moss in the bogs. The heather grows deep and makes walking difficult, a mild version of the difficulties of walking in deep snow Mark will have on his assessment on the Cairngorms.

We chose a few tiny pond features around Rudd Hill and set off to find them. The method used is to take a bearing using the compass from your known position to your destination, then keep track of your paces to know how far you've walked. On difficult walking terrain its hard to keep on your bearing, and hard to be accurate for the number of paces taken to walk each 100metres; it's even harder when the hill fog means you can't see more than 40 metres around. The challenge is to walk some hundreds of metres to find the correct pond in the midst of the moor. He hit every point, bang on.
We spent two hours happily walking about; Mark concentrating and doing the navigating, and me just having a nice wander. Strangely, I enjoy the intimate moorland landscape under these conditions. In the absence of wider views you're left with a close micro landscape and are much more aware of what's at your feet.

Winter Walking Weekends around Hathersage and the Hope Valley

In early 2017 I'm offering guided Winter Walking Weekends in the Eastern Peak District, based in Hathersage. I'll be offering suggestions about travel and accommodation, then meeting my groups on Saturday and Sunday mornings to go for a whatever-the-weather walk. The choice of route will depend on the weather but here are some ideas of what is possible. Contact me directly if you're inspired or leave me a comment on this blog so I can get back to you.

Map of the area

Hathersage lies at the heart of the Eastern Peak District, about 16 kilometres from Sheffield on the Sheffield/Manchester Railway line. It's an ideal centre for walking with the hills rising above the valley shales to crests of dramatic bare gritstone. There is a fantastic net of footpaths woven through the valleys and over the high moors. The views are wide, across to the whaleback of Kinder Scout in the west and over the limestone White Peak, southwards.
Using the railway, it's easy to hop on for a couple of stops, either from Sheffield or from Hathersage, alighting to begin a walk from Edale, Grindleford or Hope Stations.

The Hope Valley in perfect winter weather

From Hathersage

From the wealth of walks starting in Hathersage my highlight would be the circular walk via the ghostly birchwoods of the old Bolehill Quarries over Owler Tor to reach, firstly, the Burbage Valley. Passing Higgar Tor we move on to walk the crest of Stanage Edge, the queen of the Derbyshire gritstone edges. Resisting the temptation to join the climbers, we drop back down southwards following the brook that tumbles back to Hathersage.

Stanage Edge, peerless gritstone rock

 Alternatively, take a different route, eastwards out of Hathersage to cross Higgar Tor and explore the breadth of the Burbage Valley passing via the Iron Age fort of Carls Wark and the Longshaw Estate (regional headquarters of the National Trust) and its visitor centre (good tea and cake). Finally, follow Padley Brook as it tumbles down its oak woodland gorge to join the Derwent. Our walk ends at Grindleford Station.

From Edale Station

Southwards there is the dramatic Iron Age fort on the summit of Mam Tor and the switchback ridge to Losehill above Castleton. This easy but airy grassy ridge divides the valley of Edale from that of Hope. From Losehill summit we turn down the hill to finish in Hope.

From Back Tor along the ridge towards Mam Tor

North of Edale rises Kinder Scout and a choice of paths – you can explore the Kinder Plateau taking in the summit of Kinder and Kinder Downfall looping back the finish where you started or, heading east you skirt the southern Edge of the plateau to reach the fine vantage point of Win Hill and back down to Hope Station. Both are high moorland walks in a unique landscape of rock and peat hags. This is as close as England gets to a wilderness. Gaiters are highly recommended.

The lower slopes of Kinder Scout

From Hope Station

Walking southwards takes you past Navio, the old Roman fort and up onto Shatton Moor. From here, crossing the moor eastwards brings you down through quiet valleys, eventually back to Hathersage
 Northwards from Hope leads up over the shoulder of Win Hill to the foot of the Ladybower Reservoir. Cross the dam and climb the slope that faces you, over the grit-sharp Bamford Edge and across to take in North Lees Hall (model for Thornfield Hall from Charlotte Bronte's “Jane Eyre”). It's all downhill from here, to the welcoming cafés and outdoor gear shops of Hathersage.

From Bamford Edge looking up the Hope Valley

From Grindleford Station

Another favourite of mine is the scenic and varied walk that climbs out of the tree-lined Derwent Valley to reach and follow the moor of White Edge. This route then turns back northwards to follow first Curbar, then Froggatt Edges before dropping down, past the historic Chequers pub to follow the river Derwent back to Grindleford.

Froggatt Pinnacle, looking over the Derwent Valley