Interview for the BMC

The longest long-distance trail I've done.

I seem to have been doing quite a few interviews recently. The latest one is for the BMC and is on its website here. It's entitled 'how to get into long distance walking', but actually covers quite a few other topics as well.

My BMC TV Hillwalking Videos Online

The film crew on the slopes of Moel Siabod

The hillwalking videos I made back in June in Snowdonia (see this post) are now available on BMC TV.

There are eight videos (we had a busy day!) covering GPS, grid references, map bearings, types of jackets, packing a day sack, footwear, emergency gear and emergency procedures.

Snowdonia and Ilkley Moor: a rather different trip

Snowdon from the slopes of Moel Siabod

Seven days away, twenty-three hours travelling, twelve trains (and two cars and one van), five nights indoors (outdoor centre, guest house, hotel),  three talks on three different topics (and listening to other talks), a day’s filming and getting sunburnt – it was not my usual trip. But amongst it all I did manage to grab one wild camp and some hill walking.

Setting up for filming

Snowdonia is a long way from the Cairngorms and it took eleven hours from my door to Plas Y Brenin outdoor centre where I would stay for three nights. Here I met Carey Davies, the BMC’s Hillwalking Officer, and, the day after I arrived, film makers James and Matt, with whom I had made some hillwalking videos for BMC TV last autumn. On that occasion stormy weather had limited how much we could do (see my post here and the two videos that resulted on BMC TV here). This time the weather was as good as it could be. The only risk was sunburn. We wandered up through the forest to the open slopes of Meall Siabod and great views of the surrounding hills, especially Snowdon. Here we spent the day making short films on everything from grid references to choosing footwear that will eventually appear on BMC TV. As the day wore on high thin cirrus clouds streaked across the sky, presaging the weather to come.

I had other duties in Snowdonia and that evening I gave a talk to the PALOES (Professional Association of Leaders of Outdoor Education in Schools) Conference taking place at Plas Y Brenin. After my talk, which included rather a lot of pictures of igloos, Tori James gave a really inspiring talk about her progress from doing the D of E Award to reaching the summit of Everest. 

 

Stormbound Snowdonia

The next day came with heavy rain and high winds. Dark clouds raced over the peaks. I was glad the filming was over. I had another talk to give to PALOES in the morning, following a double act from two MPs concerned with the outdoors, Huw Irranca-Davies from Labour and David Rutley  from the Conservatives. I followed their talk of Parliamentary procedures, outdoor education and the difficulties of promoting the outdoors in the political sphere with the Pacific Crest Trail. Tori James also spoke again, this time about her Beeline Britain adventure.

Up into the hills

The conference over I now had two days free before I was due in Ben Rhydding to give another talk, this time to the BMC Yorkshire Area meeting. Two days. Snowdonia. A wild camp obviously. And also some summits in an area I hadn’t visited for many years. And a wild camp I had, on a very windy night high in the hills. That’ll be the subject of my next post.

Back down from the hills it was another night inside, this time the very comfortable Mary's Court Geust House in Betws Y Coed, then back on the trains to Yorkshire on a beautiful sunny day. Arriving with a few hours to spare I took up Carey Davies suggestion and headed for the Cow and Calf rocks and Ilkley Moor. It was just a stroll and the sun was out so I didn’t take anything with me other than a windshirt in case it was breezy. The rain started just as I reached the top of the Cow and Calf rocks, heavy rain driven on a fierce wind. Quickly soaked I soon retreated, back down through green flower-strewn woods rich with that heady after-rain aroma to the warmth and dryness of the Wheatley Arms.

The rain approaches the Cow and Calf rocks

That evening I gave a talk on my Scottish Watershed walk, a walk on which it rained often. I was never as wet on it as I was on Ilkley Moor though. Several of those at the talk were TGO Challengers, most of whom I’d met before, along with some old friends and it was good to meet them and chat afterwards. Also there were old friends John Manning,  PCT hiker, TGO Challenger and currently Lakeland Walker editor,  and Chris Ainsworth who I’d shared a flat with in Skipton a long time ago. Whilst living there I’d given a talk on my Pacific Crest Trail walk to the Craven Mountaineering Club at the Craven Hotel in December 1984. Now I couldn’t actually remember where or exactly when I’d given that talk. Deidre Collier, secretary of the BMC Yorkshire Area who'd organised this night's talk, had been there though and she did remember. Sometimes I think the outdoor world is quite small.

The rain sweeps in

Another day on trains and I was home again after an unusual trip that seemed very long, the filming on Moel Siabod having faded into the past already.

Interview & Gear Choices in BMC's Summit magazine

I've been interviewed about long distance walking for the spring issue of the British Mountaineering Council's magazine Summit.

I've also selected some of my favourite gear for long distance walking (gear that's available hence no Inov8 Terroc shoes).

There's much more of interest for walkers and scramblers in this issue including an excellent piece on scrambling by Hanna Lindon and Ben Williams' behind-the-scenes look at Glencoe Mountain Rescue.

A Few Days In The Lake District

Camp at the head of Scandale

This has been a year for visiting the Lake District, somewhere I hadn’t been for a decade or more not so long ago, and last week I made my sixth visit of 2014. I was there to attend the TGO Awards in Kendal and then the Kendal Mountain Festival as the BMC Ambassador for Hillwalking (you can read my thoughts on the last in this piece on Grough). In between these events, which mostly involved talking with friends and acquaintances old and new, I found time to spend a night in the hills along with friends Tony Hobbs and, for the first day only, David Lintern who had both been at the TGO Awards (David’s account of his few days in the Lakes can be found here, with some kind – and amusing - words about me – thanks David!).

View down to Rydal Water from the slopes of Heron Pike

 

After a visit to The Apple Pie, a marvellous bakery and café in Ambleside (thank you David for introducing me to their delicious pies), to purchase lunch we set off round the Fairfield Horseshoe, a walk I hadn’t done for at least a couple of decades, other than an attempt at the same time last year that was quickly abandoned due to heavy rain, wind and thick mist. Having companions made for interesting conversation and an enjoyable walk on what was a dry but hazy day. By the time we reached Fairfield visibility had shrunk to fifty metres or less and we overshot the summit cairn slightly before remembering that we needed to backtrack a little and follow the cliff edge round to Hart Crag to reach the other arm of the horseshoe. Strangely, despite the years of absence and the lack of views, I could remember clearly that we needed to do this.

Tony and David pause for a snack

We started to leave the mist behind as we crossed Dove Crag but, due to a rather late start for the time of year, daylight was now starting to fade. Soon David left us to continue on down the ridge to Ambleside while Tony and I turned aside and dropped down to the head of Scandale where we found some good camp sites and made camp just as the last light vanished. The sky was still cloudy and a stiff breeze was blowing but it looked as though we could be comfortable here.

Tony keeping warm in camp

Later in the evening the wind ceased and the sky cleared. A heavy dew settled on my tent. The lack of noise from the wind had me looking out. Stars were appearing in the blackness. I thought I’d settled in for the night but the brilliant sky was best appreciated with a clear view all round so I was soon back outside staring up at the great white slash of the Milky Way and the constellation of Orion rising over the hills. Other than a faint glow on the horizon from the lights of Ambleside there was no sign we weren’t in a remote wilderness far from civilisation.

A chilly morning

Sometime during the night the cloud returned and dawn came dull and flat. It was still a marvellous place to be though, far removed from the hot stuffy hotel rooms of Kendal. Eventually we had to depart and set off over High Pike and Low Pike on rockier terrain than I remembered and down to Ambleside. We reached the town just as the rain began. Later in the day after Tony had dropped me in Kendal and was on his way back to Bristol I got soaked walking to the hotel. I’d stayed dry in the hills but the wet streets of Kendal were too much for me!