Out of Hibernation

Monday 7th March 2011.
Another bad winter, flu, vehicle repairs, house repairs and generally overcast sky with a very cold wind. The sun stirred me out of my sloth like existence on Monday and I made my way down to Hurlstone Point for a gentle bouldering session. Drove into the NT car park at Bossington and found that the parking meter machine was still standing defiantly at the entrance. Worst still the rate has increased to £3 for all day. Left quickly and parked by the roadside instead.

It was a beautiful day in the sun protected from the cold easterly breeze. There is a little chalk here and there tending to suggest that some hardy soul has been active on the bouldering wall during the winter. Being ten pounds above my fighting weight I really felt the strain in my arms, even sitting on a boulder I felt heavy. Must do something about that quickly.  

Saw three couples out walking around the point. Looking across Porlock Bay towards Glenthorne and Foreland Point the coast was in shadow with mist shrouding the hill top. It did not look very inviting at all.

Malham Circular Walk.

Wednesday 13^th October 2010.
Parked up at the National Park Centre at Malham, intending to walk a circular route passing Janets Foss, Gordale Scar, Malham Tarn, back down to Malham Cove and home. Set off following the stream towards Janets Waterfall. In Fairy Wood came across fallen tree trunks embedded with hundreds of coins. Unfortunately my multitool did not include pliars. Walking into Gordale Scar I could not help thinking that this was great walking country.

Fairy Wood

Janets Foss

Our guide did say that the route involved a little scrambling but nothing that would bother the experienced walker. Imagine our surprise when we arrived at the foot of the waterfall at Gordale Scar and found a group of bewildered walkers staring at the falls comparing various guide books while trying to work out the way forward. Mrs Crumbling Cliff informed me that she did not believe that her dodgy knee would allow her to climb the rocky waterfall. I spotted a slightly polished line to the right of the fall and clambered up it without my sack. At the top of the first fall the route is obvious with a path leading up to the left of the waterspout above. While I was stood there a couple climbed the middle of the fall which looked much easier than my route. I reversed their route and found the holds to be big and chunky and not at all slippery.

Gordale Scar

Above the first fall.

We retreated back downstream and traversed the hill around to a point above Malham Cove, then headed across to Malham Tarn where we had lunch. After lunch we descended down the dry valley to the top of Malham Cove and the limestone pavement. Reaching the bottom of the cove I was drawn to the spot where the stream from the tarn re-surfaces, I was disappointed not to find a cave entrance.

Malham Tarn

The Dry Valley

Limestone pavement above Malham Cove.

Scanning the huge cliff above it was possible to make out abandoned climbing gear here and there which left me wondering how people managed to scale these massive walls. Walking back to Malham I was drawn time and again into glancing back at those towering walls gleaming in the sun. An interesting walk. 

Malham Cove.

Pen-y-Ghent. 694m.

Tuesday 12^th October 2010. After a really cold night drove up to Dale Head to do Pen-y-Ghent. Really easy walk up a wide track collecting another geocache on the way. Quite a few people out walking, taking advantage of the brilliant weather. One chap was walking up bare foot? As it steepens the path becomes rocky with some scrambling but the summit is soon reached. This hill is much easier to climb than the previous two. Again loads of people on the summit and good views including a temperature inversion placing us in sunlight above the mist filled dales. Yet another geocache located then back down for lunch. I just cannot imagine what it must be like to be as fit as those who run in the Three Peaks Race across these mountains in about 10 hours. I take my hat off to them.

Pen-y-Ghent

Summit Trig Point.

Looking towards Ingleborough.

Ingleton under the mist.

Ingleborough. 724m.

Sunday 10^th October 2010.

Another windy night. Drove down to Chaple-le-Dale and parked up near the Hill Inn. Made our way out across the moors towards Ingleborough. Much of the route passed over man made paths and bridges over the boggy parts of what was pretty level going. At the foot of the hill it became very steep with steps that always seem to have been made for a seven footer. Took many rests on the way up and admired the view across the dale to Whernside, now in brilliant sunshine. Arrived at the summit and found about a dozen walkers sheltering behind the stone windbreak. Great views all around, had lunch and picked up another couple of geocaches. On the way down I veered off to the right to pick up a geocache hidden in the central area of a large exspanse of limestone pavement. This was the largest area of pavement I had ever come across. From there it was back onto the track across the fields to the transport. A good day out.

  

Ingleborough.

Summit

Summit Windbreak.

Limestone pavement.

Whernside. 736m.

Saturday 9^th October 2010.

Off to do The Whernside Circular Walk. Weather not good with cloud down on the mountain. Followed the railway line past the signal box and crossed over just before the Blea Moor

tunnel via a remarkable bridge / aquaduct. Had a good view of the waterfalls just as we climbed into mist and strong NE winds. As we climbed higher I could not remember when I was last out in wind such as this. We were leaning into the wind at a crazy angle and would have fallen over the side had it suddenly ceased. Despite the weather there were quite a number of people on the mountain, many of them teenagers who were really enjoying battling against the gale. We passed through the small gap in the wall and found the summit trig point and quite a crowd sheltering behind the wall.

Visibility was down to twenty metres and it was cold. I had intended to search for a geocache but decided it would have to wait for another day. We had lunch and considered our options. Visibility was poor and there was a howling gale, thankfully it was not raining. We were not familiar with the terrain and did not know what to expect if we continued the circuit. We decided to continue and descended much steeper ground which quickly brought us out of the cloud. We were thankful that we had not climbed up this side as it was very rocky with large steps. We got down into the fields and turned back towards Ribblehead viaduct. This turned out to be quite a long and tiring section. Above, Whernside was coming out of the mist. I spent some time near the viaduct searching for a couple of geocaches which we located quite easily.

The cloud was lifting providing the occasional view of Whernside and Ingleborough’s summits.

Whernside

Ingleborough.

It took us four and a half hours to complete the circuit of  eight and a half miles with approx 1500ft of ascent. We have to go back one day for the view from the summit. Next time I will follow the same route up and come back down the same way. 

Yorkshire Dales.

Friday 8^th October 2010.

Arrived home from Spain early July. Loads of maintenance and cleaning, followed by a bout of backache. No real chance to get out other than  a couple of trips on Exmoor. Made our way up to Yorkshire to climb the Three Peaks and visit Malham Cove, where all the climbing action was when I were a lad. Parked up at the Station Inn near the Ribblehead viaduct and experienced a very windy night.

Jerica Canyon.

Wednesday 25th June 2010.
Making our way home now, pulled into Jerica, north of Valencia for the night. Amazed to find a huge rocky canyon with towering walls. Explored the area and found climbers not very far from the car park. The remainder of the canyon was empty with acres of inviting rock. Sadly no time to try it out.

Cabo de Gata National Park

Tuesday 15th June 2010.

 Still in Spain. We had been up Penalara 2428m, and gazed in awe at the mountainside of granite domes and boulders at Manzanares et Real, a paradise for boulderers. We now found ourselves back beside the Mediterranean and in The Cabo de Gata national park near Almeria. During the week we climbed a mountain named Fraile and bouldered on the surreal cliffs at Monsul Beach. Amazing overhanging moves on large holds with a deep natural sandpit below.

Monsul Beach.

Bouldering

Fraile. 435m.

Sant Aniol Waterfall.

Saturday 3^rd April 2010.
Made our way deeper into the mountains passing Sadernes and a very high and narrow Roman bridge. We decided to walk up into the hills to view an impressive waterfall at Sant Aniol near a ruin of a church. This can only be reached on foot, it took us three hours following a very rough stoney track, then a rock climb into a cove where the waterfall fell into a crystal clear lake. It only took two hours back down the track to the transport. We moved on to Basalu where they have a thing about chairs and walls.

The path to Sant Aniol.

Sant Aniol

Sant Aniol

Sant Aniol Waterfall

Bescalu

Castelljolet de la Roca

Friday 2^nd April 2010.

Left the volcanos and headed off towards the French border passing a village called Castelljolet de la Roca where you would not let your children run free. Then on to Oix where we spent the night.

Castelljolett de la Roca.

A terrible winter.

It was a very long wet and cold winter with little chance to do much in the way of exploring. The log burner was going constantly from the start of October until we decided to leave in search of the sun on the 22^nd March 2010. We made our way down to Valencia and just sat in the sun until the stiffness left my old bones. By the 2^nd April I had defrosted and was suffering from itchy feet. We made our way up to Olot in the Eastern Pyrenees and settled in the volcanic region to the east of the town. Spent a couple of days walking around and up into the dormant craters as well as visiting Olot and surrounding villages.

Croscat and the quarry scar.

The rocky route to the summit of Santo Marquarida.

Snow on the Pyrenees.

The small church in the crater of Santo Marquarida.

Exmoor

10th October 2009.

The weather prevented me having a real work out in Wales so I was anxious to get out. Today was ideal. But where to go ? I decided to explore an area which I imagine most people avoid due to it being very wet under foot. The area I chose was the triangle of land within Chetsford Bridge, Lucott Cross and Aldermans Barrow. Rather than just park up and jump over the hedge I decided to make a walk of it. I parked on Dunkery and walked up to the beacon,

then down across to the hedgerow, which I followed to Porlock Post. I continued across Exford Common, across the road and out onto Almsworthy Common. I entered the triangle onto Hurdle Down and followed a path on the NW side of the marsh through shattered conifers to the stream junction. I looked left up the valley towards the road near Aldermans Barrow and remembered that I had once struggled down through those bogs many years ago. I decided to carry on down stream to the bridge. Still having plenty of time on my hands I continued down Chetsford Water. I soon became aware of stags bolving and herds of deer on each side of the valley.

The above stag was on Great Hill on the north side, he did not appear to be very happy, he was shouting at the herd on the other side of the valley.

This concentration of deer was one of the largest I had seen. I followed the track as it climbed out of the valley disturbing the herd on the south side as I passed. I soon came out on the road down to Nutscale and turned right towards the road leading to Pool Bridge.

From the road I descended into Dady Combe then up onto Stoke Pero Common then down again into Bagley Combe. As I climbed up onto the Dunkery ridge I noticed another herd of deer on the side of the hill to my left. Soon I was back at the beacon, my legs telling me that I had walked further than I had intended.