Pen y Ghent Monsoon - May 2013

 Back in early May I met up with Clynt for a and trip into the Yorkshire Dales which would be a short, and very wet, introduction to hill walking for my long time good friend. With the weather forecast being less than favourble the trip could of brought a near thirty year friendship to a miserable end!

Early spring low cloud and monsoon in the Yorkshire Dales!

 After setting a convenient date for a number of people to meet up for a trip into the Yorkshire Dales the numbers started to dwindle leading up to the day out as it became clear the weather was going to be at best 'inclement', but more likely 'monsoon' like!
 I was happy to suggest postponing the day until under better conditions so as to try avoid a wet and miserable introduction to the hills and potentially putting an abrupt end to peoples interest in getting out into the outdoors, I was also happy to get out and Clynt was still up for it. With Scottish blood flowing through his veins torrential rain and gale force winds are regarded as 'the norm' for Clynt.

 Early Sunday morning the two of us drove towards the Yorkshire Dales intending to walk a route to the top of Ingleborough. With the weather deteriorating during the journey, and as there would be no views to enjoy, I decided we would instead head for Pen y Ghent.
 Pen y Ghent would enable us to complete a slightly shorter route but would include areas of ascent and descent over a number of terrain surfaces (+ we would miss the tedious, plodding sections around Ingleborough!).

Clynt heads up the stone steps of Pen y Ghent.

 Leaving 'Horton In Ribblesdale' we headed for Pen y Ghent following the same route as the 'Yorkshire 3 Peaks' and were soon enveloped in low cloud & mist. In rain from the outset we had donned waterproofs at the car and I was pleased to see Clynt had not underestimated the conditions and had brought his full golfing waterproofs, warm hat & gloves. As we started up the stoney steps, which ascend quickly up the shoulder of the peak, we were subject to gale force gusts of wind which chilled the uncovered wet skin on our faces.

Summit pose.

 Making good time we reached the summit where we enjoyed views of the inside of a cloud for a brief moment before heading off again.

Descending in the Spring wind & rain!

  Whilst descending we met a number of other people and small groups some of who were wearing jeans, tracksuits and cotton leggings. Rather them than us as it was 'Baltic' in the wind along with horizontal rain stinging our cheeks!

Fortunately Clynt hadn't come just to enjoy the views!

The first time the golfing waterproofs hadn't been used on a 'waste of a good walk'!

  Following the path and bridleway, down below the cloud back to 'Horton in Ribblesdale', we agreed it had been a good and worthwhile day though were glad we had opted for the shorter Pen y Ghent route as the conditions would have been a challenge for the best waterproofs and we were becoming 'slightly moist'!

This is what it occasionally looks like when descending Pen y Ghent.

May - Skye's the limit!

N.B Forgive me for the apparent neglect of my Blog, this is not the case as I have been out on mountain adventures gaining material to blog about!

 Back in May I made my first, long overdue trip to the Isle of Skye to sample the delights of the iconic Cuillin Ridge where I would be joining Lord Martin Cocks of Cocksville, Gez, Simon 'Roomie I can't sit still' Small, Tim, Russ, Sam and Andy, all under the guidance of mountain professionals Sandy, Huw, Dave and Rob of Expedition Guide.

 Rising steeply from sea level to a maximum height of 3255ft/992m the bare, rocky chain of peaks are mainly made up of the igneous volcanic rock Gabbro (good for climbers) along with smaller amounts of Basalt (slippery when wet so not so good!). The dark, moody appearance of the range also leads to it being known as the Black Cuillin. It could also be known as 'Middle Earth' in my opinion.

Day 1 & it was straight in to it as we decided to take advantage of the dry weather and head up on to the ridge to climb the Inaccessible Pinnacle. The 'In Pinn' gained its name as it is a 'fin' of rock which stands at the top of Sgùrr Dearg and is the only Munro summit which requires climbing techniques & equipment.
 My introduction to the Cuillin started with a long and steep walk in, which it seems is generally the way it works in that part of the world.
 On reaching the base of the 'In Pinn' myself & Simon 'Roomie' Small attached ourselves to the rope as our leader and 'general mountain goat' Rob Johnson lead the way up. Whilst the scramble up was fairly easy the consequences of a fall would be fairly terminal!! After reaching the top we made use of the fixed gear in place to abseil off.

*On top of the Inaccessible Pinnacle in the mist.

 We then headed off in the mist across the ridge to bag the Munro's of 'Sgurr Mhic Choinnich' & Sgurr Alasdair. I think the surrounding mist gave me 'confidence through ignorance' as although I knew the drops either side of the narrow ridge were sheer and of hundreds (if not thousands) of feet, we moved quickly and safely to 'bag' the further 2 Munro's before descending down the 'Stone Chute', a knee and boot wrecking slip & slide down a scree slope!

*Me & 'Roomie' Small on the 'In Pinn'.

The narrow Cuillin Ridge shrowded in mist, there are 2 figures in the mist if you look closely. 

Day 2 & we took a boat ride from Elgol to Loch Scavaig for a long scramble up the Dubhs Ridge with a long abseil thrown in to spice things up. We made our way up to the summit of Sgurr Dubh Mor (me carrying the rope all the way as Simon had a 'bit of a run' planned for the weekend and didn't want to be too tired!!) before stopping for a spot of lunch and discussion on the possible consequences for anyone attempting the route if poorly equipped and with poor navigational skills.
 We then headed to the summit of Sgurr nan Eag before descending down 1000m to the vehicles at Glenbrittle.

Taking the RIB into Loch Scavaig.

Walking in by Loch Coruisk

*'Smally' has a smile before the abseil (he could smile as he hadn't carried the rope!)

*Abseiling from Sgurr Dubh Beag.

*Almost identical to the embassy(?)

  Day 3 & 4  with snow having fallen on the ridge it was decided we would stay low and do some sea cliff & rock climbing, an added bonus for me as this is an area where I need to practice & improve.
 We headed to Elgol on Wednesday and Neist Point on Thursday where I had the chance to practice gear selection & placement, as well as setting up anchors and belays. I also had to haul my 'not built for climbing' frame up the the routes too!
 Over the 2 days we climbed a number of routes of varying grades and I thoroughly enjoyed it, though hearing the 'whizz & clink' as some of my gear fell out and slid down the rope is something I will have to work on to eradicate from my climbing technique before it becomes a trademark!!

*"Have you got me Roomie!?"

*

*

*Belaying Andy.

Simon 'Roomie' & Rob 'Mountain Goat' chill on the sea cliffs.

That'll be Rob enjoying himself again!

"Oops, that looks a long way down and I'm next!"

The walk back with the Black Cuillin in the back ground.

Expedition Guide video of the trip.

 Although though the trip was a 5 day trip I unfortunately had to leave at the end of the 4th day. Considering that the last 2 days of my trip had been spent climbing and not having to make the long walks in and out of a day on the ridge + I missed the last day completely, I can only imagine how tiring 5 consecutive days on the ridge could be. I was still feeling the effects well into the following week!
 Some of my kit, especially boots trousers & gloves, came out a very poor 2nd best after tangling with the Black Cuillin.
 A place to be enjoyed but very much respected, see you again soon!

 * Photos from Expedition Guide

Snowdonia Scrambles & Showers - April 2013.

 Not being one to let the chance of a trip to the hills pass me by, I jumped at the opportunity to meet up with my mountain expedition roomie Simon 'wild camp Master Chef' Small & my adopted mountain son Brett 'Ey Bert' Savage for a couple of days on the hills of Snowdonia.

Looking back to Tryfan from Bristly Ridge.

 In the days before meeting up in Capel Curig, Snowdonia, we had discussed various routes we would like to cover during the 2 days. Over a curry and a Cobra (or 2!) the long routes over the Glyders & Carneddau we had planned soon went out of the window in favour of a scrambling route up Tryfan 'North Ridge' followed by a second scramble up Glyder Fach's 'Bristly Ridge' and descent via 'Y Gribbin', with day 2 to be decided later.

 Day 1 -After an overnight camp near the Ogwen Cottage we readied ourselves and donned the waterproofs against the constant drizzle. Making our way up Tryfan over the boulder strewn path we reached the foot of the scramble and started in a more vertical direction!

Brett leads the way fresh from success in his SPA assessment.

Simon picks his way up the wet rock.

Brett 'Ey Bert' Savage reaches the end of the scramble!

As we gained height we began to lose the protection of the mountain and became exposed to strong gusts of the South Westerly wind, which, when added to the slippery wet rock surface made the climb more 'interesting'. We soon reached the top of the Grade I*** scramble and made our way to the summit to be greeted by Adam & Eve.

Myself, Simon, Brett with the famous Adam & Eve.

  Adam & Eve are approximately 2metres tall, twin, vertical rocks which stand on Tryfan summit and can be seen from some distance below in the Ogwen valley (on a clear day!). It is traditional to climb the stones and attempt to 'step' the 1.2metre gap from one to the other. Deciding to break from tradition (mainly due to the very high chance of slipping on ones arse and landing painfully on the boulders 2metres below!) we pushed on and descended Tryfan to head to Glyder Fach via Bristly Ridge.

Simon goes through the Bruce Forsyth stretch routine at the foot of Bristly Ridge.

 Both Tryfan 'North Ridge' & Glyder Fach 'Bristly Ridge' are Grade I*** scrambling routes. In my (very humble) opinion 'Bristly Ridge' is a much more interesting scramble with a number of optional steep climbing and exposed sections available.
 Myself and Brett had climbed the route before, including whilst under full winter conditions just 3 weeks earlier, it would be a new 'tick' for Simon.

Simon climbs above the cloud.

Brett avoiding 'exposing' himself on Bristly Ridge!

  Making good time (mainly due to Simon not allowing us a break!) we chose a route which took us over the more 'spicy' exposed upper sections of the scramble rather than the optional lower path. On completing the scramble we headed to the 'Cantilever Stone' for a photo opportunity and a well overdue food & water stop.

Brett crossing some of the exposed pinnacles of the scramble.

 

Simon & Brett on the easily found Cantilever Stone on Glyder Fach.

  Having given us just enough time to take a photo, the weather began to close in with the mist of low cloud wrapping itself around us, perfect opportunity for Brett to practise his navigation and guide us off the summit.

Descending through the mist.

  On descending back safely to the Ogwen Valley we headed for our overnight 'wild camp' site (to be covered in a future blog!).

Day 2 - After a night spent 'wild camping' we headed straight to the Pinnacle Cafe for a breakfast and to discus the plan for the day.
 Brett would not be accompanying us on our second route as he would be travelling home, and in fact only realised he may miss his ferry whilst taking a break from his calorie overload fry up. Missing his ferry by just minutes Brett still escaped the soaking myself and Simon received!

 After considering the heavy rain showers and 50mph winds forecast for the day (Mountain Weather Information Service/ Met Office Mountain Weather) myself and Simon decided against crossing Crib Goch and instead opted for a walk to the summit of 'Carnedd Moel Siabod'. Standing at a height of 872m 'Moel Siabod ' would normally be overlooked in favour of its higher and more popular neighbours, but with the Snowdonia spring weather being a little short of dismal it was good choice for a new 'tick'.

Leaving the shelter of the woodland at the start of the route.

Yep, that'll be the low cloud and rain the forecast mentioned!

   The views during the muddy slog upwards were only of the front of our boots or the inside of the cloud as we walked head down into the winds and rain and it was a very brief pause at the summit before retracing our steps back down to the shelter of the car we had left at the 'Plas y Brenin' outdoor training centre.

Moist and not in a good way.

Move on, there's nothing to see here!

   Although a short route it was enough in the conditions and well worth the effort!

Yorkshire 3 Peaks - A Tale Of Nine Virgins!

 Saturday April 20th saw me join a team of 11 other Mountain Leaders to help guide a total of 115 people around the route of the Yorkshire 3 Peaks.

 As anyone reading my blog reports of previous Yorkshire 3 Peaks outings may of guessed it is my favorite long distance UK day route and I have the greatest respect for anybody undertaking the 38km & 1500m of ascent (23.5miles & 4950ft in old money!) that is required to make the complete circuit.

Heading off Pen-y-Ghent for the long walk to Whernside.

 Meeting at 06:30am on a chilly but bright Yorkshire spring morning I introduced myself to Grace, Hugh, Jonothan, Kirsty, Neal, Paul D, Paul K, Rachel & Robert, the lucky people who had been assigned to me and would make up group 6 for the day. We had a brief chat about safety, kit, any illness or injury I should be aware of and level of previous hill walking experience, which was limited with none of the group having attempted the route before - Yorkshire 3 Peaks virgins!

 Setting off from the 'Old Hill Inn' at Chapel-le-Dale we made our way to Ingleborough, which would be our first of the 3 peaks, as I chatted to members of the group about the day ahead and their individual reasons for wishing to complete the route. I made it clear that my priority was to help everyone complete the route safely rather than in a race against the clock, and as we reached the foot of the 'Devils Staircase' it was obvious from the look on some of the teams faces my reasoning for setting a 'steady' pace had become clearer!

Approaching the 'Devils Stair Case'.

 Negotiating patches of compressed snow which hung onto the upper section of the ascent we made our way onto the stony plateau and over to the summit point. A quick photo and a rare opportunity to be able to look out to Morecambe Bay on the horizon before we set off down the seemingly never ending path to 'Horton-in-Ribblesdale'.

Ingleborough - 1 down, 2 to go!

Crossing the famous Yorkshire Dales limestone.

 Pausing for a quick water & toilet stop in 'Horton in Ribblesdale' the support team informed us we were making good time and currently at sub 9.5hr pace. Whilst pleased to be making good time I was cautious that if we maintained that pace then there was a chance of running out of steam over the latter stages of the route, plus it wouldn't make a very good impression if I couldn't keep up!

 Skies were clear and it was beginning to warm up, "It's always like this in the Yorkshire Dales" I informed team 6. I did get the impression some were not totally convinced however.

Bright skies over Pen y Ghent.

The steep climb to the summit of Pen y Ghent can't beat team 6!

 Another very brief pause at the summit and we were off again heading for Whernside, which summit to summit was 18.5km (11.5miles) away, and though clearly visible seemed to take an age to appear any closer! Making use of the new rerouted 3 Peaks path which crosses Horton Moor and so avoids the deep bog which has claimed many a persons footwear, we continued on to the tea & cake refreshment stop at 'Old Ing'.
 Still together as a full group I was pleased to see everyone in good spirits and encouraging each other as we set out on the just less than second half of the route.

 Members of 2 fellow '3 Peaker' groups joined us as we reached the B6479 and began walking on the edge of the foot blister inducing tarmac road towards the arches of 'Ribblehead Viaduct'. We must of resembled an overgrown school outing snaking along in single file to the oncoming traffic.

Group meeting at Ribblehead Viaduct.

2 down 1 to go says Hugh, or its a one man peace protest?

 Encouraging the team to take on food and water before the long ascent to Whernside, I took the opportunity to pass on some facts about the local environment which I could see the group found extremely interesting.......

 The rigours of the challenge started to make an appearance on the long ascent of Whernside (it's not everyday most people embark on a 12hr, 23mile hill walk!) with blisters, sore joints and fatigued muscles causing problems for people from various groups within the event. One of our group was now battling bravely on despite a knee problem and I had stopped to do running repairs to the badly blistered feet of a member of another group (who we had 'swept up' along the route!).
 
 Most of group 6 were continuing strongly so after ensuring they would be accompanied by another group leader I sent the group on ahead to have a good chance of completing the route within the 12hr point.

On & on & on & on & on ascending Whernside.

The final stretch from Whernside summit, Ingleborough in the distance.

 Over Whernside and onto the steep final descent I pointed out the views to the Southern Lakeland Fells and the wind farms of Morecambe Bay. Although outstanding views by any body's standards, it was obvious they did nothing to distract from the pain and discomfort felt making every step by my small band of walking wounded.
 The relief was obvious as the going flattened  out on reaching Broadrake and the final 1.5km to the finish line. Gently encouraging my (now more than slightly broken!) team that they still could make the finish line within the 12hr point we broke into an uncomfortable jog over the last 300metres through Philpin Farm. Although resulting in burst blisters, a strong contender for the dodgiest walk prize and more than a few loud expletives I was delighted that they battled on to cross the finish line with just seconds to spare!

 With the other members of group 6 having completed the route approximately 30 minutes earlier we had an impressive 120% completion rate (having collected an additional 2 members), and all within the 12hr challenge time. 

Group 6 well earned refreshments on completing the Yorkshire 3 Peaks!

Summary - I would have to say I felt quite fortunate to have been allocated a group of randomly selected people who came together for the day and were motivated, got on well, encouraged each other throughout the event, listened to advice and safety information, tried to control their laughter when I slipped in mud and pretended to be interested during my local environment talks!
 
 Well done to Grace, Hugh, Jonothan, Kirsty, Neal, Paul D, Paul K, Rachel & Robert of Group 6!