Never fear the weather ‘Snow this weekend’ she says as we sweep past each other on this morning’s dog walk. ‘Aye’ I responded not having a clue what she was talking about, Surely it cannot be snowing at the end of May except possibly in the higher reaches of the mountains of Scotland. Maybe a drop will fall somewhere… May 22, 2013 4:11 pm
Risk & Reality The greatest dilemma when guiding a group or individual on the mountain is to balance the excitement of a walk with the safety of the party or individual. The one overriding motivation for employing a guide, either to go up in to the higher fells or as a low level walk, is that the day… March 12, 2013 4:54 pm
Please, some proper snow ARRIVED and in the fells it’s proper, have a look at my latest walk on Skiddaw! For the umpteenth time this winter I have returned from a walk dripping and cold, having slithered around ‘the circuit’ as we call it on drenched lanes, sopping grass and of course the creeping menace of mud. Contrast to… January 1, 2013 11:39 am
My Favourite Walking Books Second best to being out on the fells themselves is reading about them. There is some splendid books for walkers out there, both fact and fiction, which are certainly the most thumbed in my own collection. Some appear by the bed regularly, others come out as a less regular treat and some I regularly read… November 5, 2012 11:33 am
Volunteers run the show Well not quite… but the excellent contribution of volunteers in the recent Olympics and no doubt the forthcoming paralympics has received the credit that is, without doubt, fully deserved. However the work of the hundreds of volunteers who help maintain our national parks goes almost unnoticed. My knowledge may be limited to those in the… August 28, 2012 2:00 pm
Buses & Trains The romantic side of me has always been drawn to the buses and trains of the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District yet the practicalities of travelling by public transport have always put me off. Until recently train travel for me has been limited to a few trips on the Settle Carlisle railway (quite excellent… March 2, 2012 10:44 am
Are you a ticker? I am not ashamed to admit I enjoy ticking. Whether this happens to be a new summit, a different route or simply just an alternative and unusual walk I may not have completed before then for me this increases the enjoyment of a day in the outdoors. If there is some kind of list… February 13, 2012 2:44 pm
Why do people go walking? Daft question maybe, but there are many different reasons why people are motivated to go out, either for a half hour walk in the park or a full days yomp round the fells and valleys of our superb countryside. Over the years I have met many many walkers/climbers on a huge variety of walks –… January 19, 2012 6:13 pm
Wind Farms – simply no need Wind farms, and in particular the ones on land , create a lot of emotion and passion. In my humble opinion they are an unnecessary eye sore, extremely inefficient, expensive to us consumers and a sop to those environmentalists who have a pathological hatred of nuclear energy. Cards on the table, I do not like them. The… November 20, 2011 4:10 pm
Extending the National Park Boundaries Good news all round I suspect. Natural England have announced an extension of the boundaries for the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks to include many areas of great national beauty which always appear below the radar of visitors to the area. There may be some home owners who do not like the thought… September 29, 2011 3:20 pm
Villages with umph (and character) Away from the hills and walks of the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake district there is so much that I enjoy in the pretty villages that dot the landscape of both these areas. This is particularly so in the Dales where the lovely Yorkshire stone buildings blend in to the softer valley sides and drystone… June 22, 2011 8:05 pm
