3 September 2016

Use it or Lose it!

I walked around 12 miles a day during the Ride2stride Festival in April, much of it in the snow.

Ride2stride 2016
In May I tackled 90 miles of the Cape Wrath Trail with my worldly goods on my back. 
Cape Wrath Trail
In June I walked from Hebden Bridge to Horton-in-Ribblesdale on the Heart of the Pennine Way

Pen-y-ghent on the Pennine Way
Not bad eh!

But since then I've been under house arrest, tethered to home by a series of domestic responsibilities so when Tony suggested a couple of days away this week I couldn't get my boots on quickly enough. We walked from Macclesfield to Edale following the Cestrian Link path - a route created in 1983 by John N.Davenport to join the northern end of Offa's Dyke to the start of the Pennine Way. Tony has walked his own updated version of it as part of his End to End project and this 25 mile section was the last leg.

We got the train to Macclesfield and set off along the canal towpath then climbed up through the Macclesfield Forest. 
The climb through the forest
By 400 metres I was knackered - done for. Shamefully after 2 months of making tea for builders and sharing their hobnobs I was so out of condition I could barely crawl up a tourist trail. Clearly a daily trot around Robert's Park with my elderly dog wasn't quite the exercise I had kidded myself it was.

Lesson learned! Whatever is going on at home, whatever the weather, I'm going to make sure I get onto those hills this winter. Use it or lose it is an old cliche but so, so true!
Heading into Castleton

PS The trip was fantastic, especially day 2 which ended with a sunny climb from Castleton over to Edale with spectacular views of the Pennine range and the Pennine Way ahead.
Edale and the Pennine Way ahead



26 August 2016

Travellin' Light

Last year I walked from Edinburgh to Glasgow along the towpaths of the Union and Forth and Clyde canals. It was only about 50 miles miles and almost totally flat and it nearly killed me. Well it nearly killed my knees. By the time we reached the end of the walk I was existing on a diet of ibuprofen and whisky and vowed never to do another multi day walk again that wasn't supported by baggage carriers. That was until May this year when we decided to take a shot at the first few days of the Cape Wrath Trail.

Not known as Britain's toughest long distance trail for nothing the CWT is an unofficial, unmarked route from Fort William to Cape Wrath. There are a number of possible ways to go and we chose the Great Glen option, walking along the Great Glen Way to Inverarnan then heading north west to Strathcarron. 

This allowed us to find accommodation each night without carrying a tent but which ever way you walk the Cape Wrath Trail there is no baggage support. Everything we needed had to be  carried. I realised that I'd been lulled by the nature of the towpath walk into thinking it would be easy so I'd rammed everything I thought I might need into my pack and hoped for the best - change of clothes for the evening - check, lipstick - check, address book for postcards home - check. I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. If me and my knees were going to survive we were going to have to travel light. So here it is. My kit list for the Cape Wrath Trail.

2 walking poles
1 rucksack with waterproof cover
1 waterproof jacket
1 hat
1 pair gloves
1 pair waterproof over trousers
2 pairs walking trousers
2 tops
1 fleece
1 sports bra
3 pairs knickers
2 pairs liner socks
2 pairs walking socks
1 pair boots
1 pair crocs
toothbrush
toothpaste
comb
moisturiser
washing flakes
midge repellant
first aid kit
bivvi survival blanket
maps
kindle
phone & charger
money, cards& tickets





The whole lot including my rucksack weighed just over 6 kilos and when I added food, water and flask each day I still set off each morning carrying no more than 7.5 kilos. 

Result! 

I managed fine for the 10 days we were away, washing tops, socks and undies as needed and although I've never been so pleased to see anything more than a bit of lippy when I got home my knees said - thank you and they meant it!






16 August 2016

Victoria Square

In the second half of the 19th century Titus Salt famously built Saltaire. Not personally of course, in fact I doubt he even picked up a shovel. He created a model village consisting the mill, homes, shops, bath-houses, a school, hospital and church. He also saw fit to include a Club and Institute, the building that we call Victoria Hall today. It was completed in 1871 and housed a library, reading room, chess and draughts room, a smoking room, billiards room, lecture theatre, concert hall, rifle range and a gym. As Titus Junior said, it should supply all the advantages of a public house without its evils. 

The space outside the hall was known as Victoria Square and marked at each corner by the four lions, War, Peace, Vigilance and Determination. The square itself has been long forgotten, busy traffic on Victoria Road has made sure of that - until now. 

Bradford Council has recently completed work along Victoria Road including the restoration of the square as a cobbled area outside the hall. It's a great addition to Saltaire and a perfect place to start walking A Dales High Way. Start your walk with Determination and finish at Peace.

28 May 2016

Making A Difference


Sometimes even the little things can make a difference.
Recently we've donated signed copies of books as rewards for donations to 2 crowdfunding appeals - Mend Our Mountains and Raising the Standard - both close to our heart. 

The Yorkshire Dales Mend Our Mountains money will improve the Swine Tail approach to Ingleborough, the route of A Dales High Way, and Raising the Standard aims to pave over the notorious swampy Nine Standards Rigg on the Coast to Coast.


Both campaigns have been successful raising £100,000's and we're very proud to have helped - between them our books raised over £500. Thank you everyone.

16 March 2016

Shout it from the Roof Tops

I love Can-Do people.  People who get an idea and run with it without stopping to write strategy documents or call meetings or develop policy. People whose enthusiasm takes everyone they meet along with them, whose smile draws the doubters in and whose upbeat message infects us all. 
I met someone like that this week. His name is Cameron Gordon and he's had the brilliant idea of promoting the North Pennines as "The Roof of England". It's a clever way to market a beautiful, remote part of the country that is often overlooked, surrounded as it is by the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, the North York Moors and Scotland. 

The North Pennines is already a designated area of outstanding natural beauty but that doesn't exactly trip off the tongue does it:

"Where shall we go for the weekend? - the Yorkshire Dales? the Lake District? Oh I know, what about the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

But "Let's go to the Roof of England" - now that does have a ring to it.

The name has already been taken up by cyclists who love the quiet open roads, the swooping hills and killer climbs. The B&B's and cafes are starting to use it and when Cameron talks passionately about the simplicity of it you can see the nods and smiles in the audience.

For walkers the area is a joy. Wild and remote you can spend all day with only the curlews for company. 
Ettersgill Common
The landscape is dotted with the remains of a rich industrial heritage, lead mining and iron ore extraction were prevalent in the mid 1800's, and much more can be done to help visitors understand and appreciate the history and culture of this region.
Sikehead Lead Mines

Bolts Law Engine

Bolts Law today

One of the best ways to explore the Roof of England is on foot - well I would say this wouldn't I. Take a train on the Settle Carlisle line to Appleby then a short 3 mile walk to Dufton where you can join the Pennine Way. Climb out of the lush Eden Valley and onto the Roof where the next 20 miles will take you over Dufton Pike, Great Dun Fell, Cross Fell and on to Alston. Spend the next day in South Tynedale before reaching Hadrian's Wall and train links home.
 
Cross Fell

It's a great way to spend a long weekend. Away from it all in the Land of the Natural High.



5 March 2016

Neither a leader nor a follower be

"Neither a leader nor a follower be" as my old gran used to say, or something on those lines - what she really said of course was neither a lender nor a borrower be but what's a couple of consonants between friends. Anyway her wise words popped into my head as I spent the afternoon vacillating between whether or not to walk this weekend. The problem isn't the weather, although the forecast is uncertain, nor is it the public transport links which will be unreliable if the weather worsens. It's not even my (un)willingness to get soaked for the 4th week in a row. No, the problem is that I'm taking somebody else. Someone whose inexperience means that they will happily go along with whatever I suggest: climb Ingleborough, walk round the park, go to the pub. And I will feel responsible for their enjoyment. If I make the wrong decision and we end up cold and wet or waiting for a train for hours or walking miles further than expected to catch the bus I'll feel that it's all my fault. That I led the way and she followed. 
I'm not the greatest follower either. I really enjoy the company of walking in a group, you meet some great people and the chat's always good, but I'm always ready for my sandwiches about an hour before the designated stop. Of course I'm lucky, I have a partner who loves to walk, we're well matched in pace and distance and generally get hungry about the same time, and on days he's not around I have a dog whose middle name is Ever Ready. If I didn't I'd join a walking group in a flash. 
Me and "Ever Ready"
A group like Friends of the Settle Carlisle line or Friends of Dales Rail whose walk leaders are out there a couple of times a week, in rain, snow, hail and occasionally shine, meeting walkers from the train and leading them into the fells - and back again. And I take my hat off to them. They do a fantastic job and give hundreds of people the chance to walk in sometimes difficult conditions with the confidence that they will be safe, looked after and have company should they desire.

At the end of April the FoSCL and FDR walk leaders are joined by others from a number of other organisations* to put on a week of walks, talks and music between Settle and Applebly - the 5th annual Ride2stride Walking Festival. 

We hope you'll come and join us. Go to www.ride2stride.org.uk to choose your walk.

*including Yorkshire Dales Society, Ingleborough Archaeology Group, Yorkshire Dales National Park, Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust