Up them mountains!!! - Printable Version

Up them mountains!!! - Printable Version

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Up them mountains!!! - adeejaysdelight - 04-10-14

I am getting back in to my hill climbing and mountain climbing. I used to be a keen walker and climber in my "yoof", having climbed mountains in Scotland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and Australia, but fell away from it due to work, health and life...

But recently I have rekindled my love of the wilderness and have managed to climb about 10 mountains in the last couple of months. About half of these have been Munro's, the rest being Corbetts.

I got out on Thursday with a workmate, who is aiming for 100 Munro's. We climbed 3, and passed over 2 Corbett's on the way.

Are any of you other foccers climbers or walkers?

If so, lets see your pictures.

Re: Up them mountains!!! - adeejaysdelight - 04-10-14

Above is the Cobbler.

Below is Ben Ghlas, Ben Lawers and An Stuc.

Re: Up them mountains!!! - adeejaysdelight - 04-10-14

And a few more of the three is a day climb.

Re: Up them mountains!!! - Yamazer-92 - 04-10-14

Wow, I would love to do that! Can you get to all of the peaks just by walking or do you need to actually climb with ropes and climbing equipment? First photos are awesome.

Re: Up them mountains!!! - nick crisp - 04-10-14

Adee, this subject is right up my street hill!

And a bit of a coincidence that you should ask, as I'm hoping to move up near the Lake District sometime next year so I can get walking on those fells again.

I've done a number of long-distance walks, including 2 on the south west coast path, the Essex Way, and south to north across Wales, starting with the Wye Valley Walk, and including climbs of Cadair Idris and Snowdon.

But my best one so far was 2 months spent walking the fells of the Lake District, from mid April to mid June in 2012. I used a couple of commercial campsites as bases; one near Keswick, and the other in Great Langdale. I'd kit up for 3 to 4 days camping in the hills, and then return to one of the bases to clean up and re-stock. I also spent a few nights camping in some woods near Keswick to make my money go a little further. Best two months of my life!

A few shots I took during that great time:

First walk was up the Newlands Valley and over the shoulder at Dale Head, to descend again into Borrowdale; took this one on the way down:

Second walk I did was to the top of Catbells and up onto Maiden Moor; this shot climbing up above Catbells looking back:

From Grasmere up Easedale, above Easedale Tarn, on the way up to Blea Rigg:

Camped by Stickle Tarn up on the Langdale Pikes:

From the top of Bow Fell:

Spot the tent! Late evening near Greenup Edge:

Next day up on Greenup, I think the view is of Bow Fell:

This time camped by Sprinkling Tarn, a view of Great Gable:

Climbing up Grasmoor, a view of Scafell, Great Gable etc:

I took something like 2000 photos in those two months - desperately need to get back up there!

Re: Up them mountains!!! - slimwilly - 04-10-14

Looks awesome up there, unfortunlaty my knees would not get me up there,,i guess it would be the husqvarna for me Smile

Re: Up them mountains!!! - Rikki - 04-10-14

Only a few weeks ago I did Helvellyn (from Patterdale) crossing Striding Edge. Would not recommend that route in bad weather though, but lucky for me it was superb. Still waiting for my brother to email me the pics of that from his camera.

Last year we did Scafell Pike. Remarkably busy up there so not easy to get photos without other people in the shot!

Re: Up them mountains!!! - adeejaysdelight - 04-10-14

Yamazer, you can make it as easy (sh) or hard as you like, and as your skill set allows. The first pictures are Ben Arthur, known as the cobbler because there are 2 peaks that look like a hook and an anvil. The anvil is the flat square rock with the hole through it. To ascend the true summit you must "thread the needle". A daunting, awkward climb through a small gap with a 45-50 foot drop on one side and a 300 foot drop on the other. The very first picture of me is a selfie on the 300 foot ledge! No ropes, harness or equipment. Just my hydropac, music and a tight grip with the right hand as the left snaps away. Smiling was to big an ask :lol .

The second lot of pictures of Ben Ghlas, Ben Lawers and An Stuc is a good day out. 5 Munro's can be walked in a day. No climbing equipment is required, other than good outdoor gear that is. There was some climbing involved as we decended in the wrong direction (due to my mates terrible navigation skills and lack of listening to me). We made our way down about 800 feet of scree and non-vertical cliff in dense fog. It made for some great pictures though, and a good story. The climb up was safe, as long as you can climb. Just don't look down.

Ben Nevis is a good example of this. There is a South facing pony track, which is a long ass walk, but fairly safe. But the North face is for experienced mountaineers only. If you Google both of these you will see what I mean.

Nick, that looks beautiful. I went to the lakes back in March. Just for a bike tour, but I fancy climbing some of those hills sometime. I enjoy walking as much as climbing and one of my mates (from Preston) knows that area pretty well. He has been trying to get me out with him for a while now. I think I'll take him up on it after seeing your pictures.

Re: Up them mountains!!! - Rikki - 04-10-14

Few more of Scafell Pike:

Re: Up them mountains!!! - VNA - 04-10-14

Knees. Aye I've had bother with them. But seem to be doing alright(ish) knee wise now. But I now seem to have some hip issue, hopefully it's a muscle or tissue issue, but I've been stuck with it for months, so out of action as far as the hills are concerned. I do hope to get back to it, fingers crossed, and the sooner the better too. Here's hoping.

Meanwhile a few snaps,

Stob Coire Bhealaich looking back down into Glen Nevis

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On the Buachaille Etive Mor ridge looking over at Stob Coire Raineach (Buachaille Etive Beag)

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On Beinn a'Chochuill heading towards Beinn Eunaich

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A'Mharconaich

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Re: Up them mountains!!! - Fazer Forever - 04-10-14

I'm going up there next weekend with 3 other guys from work. Staying in Keswick youth hostel. They know the walks better than me so I'm a bit at their mercy. I know we're doing Catbells on Sat, and the whole walk will be about 8 hours! I've been up Scafell Pike before though and done the Yorkshire 3 peaks, which I'd like to repeat one day.

Re: Up them mountains!!! - nick crisp - 04-10-14

Andy, your photos are stunning as always! :thumbup

I did Scafell, and forgot my camera :'(

Yes, I have some knee problems too. Damaged ligaments and tendons on my right knee, and occasionally some twinges on the left, where it's been carrying for the right one for so long. But I find if I get in the practice of hill walking, and build up those muscles gently, I tend to be fine. But it's a while since I did any serious walks(that 2012 Lakes trip), so I'm just praying that I can build the hill fitness again.

Good luck with the hip Andy.

In the Lakes, I started with easy walks, and just gradually worked up to more strenuous stuff. By the end of two months, I could virtually run up the hills Smile

Did some minor scrambling with a bit of exposure, but I'm no climber! Corridor route on Scafell was good in that respect, but would present a different aspect altogether in winter I reckon :eek

My Catbells walk was probably not far off an 8 hour day. Started with the ferry across Derwent Water from Keswick. Then up Catbells, continued on over Maiden Moor and down to a little tarn by Dale Head, finishing with a descent to Rosthwaite. Then a bus back to Keswick. I found the buses excellent for when you just want to do a single day's walking, so you don't have to get back to exactly where you start from.

Re: Up them mountains!!! - adeejaysdelight - 04-10-14

[size=1em]Scafell Pike looks beautiful. I had a look at the website. It's quite funny. Why would you brave the weather... and the picture is a beautiful summers day :lol . I'm Scottish though, so anything over 10 degrees and no rain is a nice day! I thought it was nice on Thursday when we climbed An Stuc. Until we got into the clouds. The scenery is fantastic though. [/size]

[size=1em]Etive Mor is on the to do list. I am thinking next spring as the nights are fair drawing in now. I don't want caught up there. Its pretty exposed. One of the most beautiful and recognizable mountains in Scotland. Any tips for climbing it?[/size]

Re: Up them mountains!!! - VNA - 04-10-14

Yup you gotta factor in the shorter days.
But having said that even in December and January there are plenty of hills that you can tackle during daylight hours.
Think of smaller hills too, like Grahams or sub 2000 hills.

Obviously you need to think carefully as we move into winter. But there is still plenty of big hill walking with a little thought and preparation.

Etive Mor is a straight forward ridge walk in summer. In winter, once it's collected a bit of snow, well the easy approach and exit that I know and that most folks will use are avalanche black spots. Best left to the mountaineers in winter.

And if you haven't already, check out what I think is the best Scottish hill walking web site - http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/

Re: Up them mountains!!! - adeejaysdelight - 04-10-14

I use that site myself. Its great, but I don't follow it step by step. I read it, then choose the path I feel like on the day. Its more of a suggested day out site for me, than a guide up the mountain. Do you not find the times way out? As in overestimated?

As to the shorter days. Its not just the climbing, but the travel to the mountain too. I will probably just go mountain biking in the winter, as I usually do. I can't do that all day anyway. I simply don't have the stamana. 4 hours on my 29er and I'm rubber.

Re: Up them mountains!!! - nick crisp - 04-10-14

So what do you guys do about getting to the start of your walk? I'm trying to find a place in Cumbria, but won't be able to afford a house slap bang in the Lake District, so hopefully can get on a good bus route in somewhere. I wouldn't mind parking the car somewhere for a day walk, but what when you do longer and camp out overnight? I guess it's probably a bit emptier/safer up in the Highlands for leaving your car?

Re: Up them mountains!!! - VNA - 04-10-14

Yeah there are the walkhighlands routes, which are often good.
Yup check the maps and pick your own route.
But also the 'walk reports' (best accessed through the hill lists I think) that throw up a wide variety of routes that the sites users have chosen.

Lots of info on the forum to, and articles on gear and winter walking etc.

Yup the travelling. I nearly always walk solo. Loads of folks keep telling me how dodgy that is, but I keep pointing out the most dangerous bit is getting there and back, ie the driving. Aye in winter that means in the dark, and sometimes wee surprises.

Times? They are usually about right for me on that site, mainly cos I'm taking photos all over the shop, plus I like to hang about on summits if it's a nice day. But yeah, if you are fit and keep moving you can waste those times. Cameron McNeish's times are probably a better guide for those pressing on.

Anyway I'm just dreaming of getting back to it. At the moment I dunno when, I'm just hoping I will be able to.

Stob Dubh - Buachaille Etive Beag, looking down into Glen Etive

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Re: Up them mountains!!! - Rikki - 04-10-14

I also climbed Skiddaw last year. That's the one you can see in the far background of Nick's 2nd picture. My old man even managed to reach the summit. Not bad for a 79 year old! Just about killed him though...

Re: Up them mountains!!! - nick crisp - 04-10-14

Haven't done Skiddaw yet. It overlooked the Keswick campsite, along with Blencathra for most of my trip. And, yep, not done Blencathra either! So many routes in the Lakes region to do. I didn't do Helvellyn or any of that high ridge for example. Lots of exploring to do in the Derwent Fells too. A lifetime of walking to be had up there. Towards the end of my trip, I was starting to get a good sense of the areas I did do, and could guess where most of the paths would take me.

Tops I reached:

Scafell
Bow Fell
Harrison Stickle (Langdale Pikes).
Catbells
Maiden Moor
Eel Crags
Grasmoor
Whiteless Pike
Haystacks
Red Pike
Robinson
High Raise
Ullscarf

and a few more minor hills and ridges along the way.

Red Pike was a bugger. Near the top, ascending from the Buttermere side, there's a bit where it goes steep on small, loose scree, and for every step up, you slide about 3 back again. It felt like if you weren't careful, you'd start sliding, then tumbling all the way to the bottom :eek Then when I got to the top, I took a peek over an edge and could only see a grey-out, but got a sense it wouldn't be wise to step out that way :lol

Grasmoor was my best day I think. Started from Buttermere, up Whiteless Pike:

And up there is where I'm headed:

View from the top:

Conditions were brilliant. Warm but breezy. A little hazy, but I think that added atmosphere to the pics. Could see almost all the way to the west coast, and could make out all the major hills of virtually the entire Lakes region. Met about 2 people along the whole way (some of the popular routes can literally have queues on them in summer).

Re: Up them mountains!!! - adeejaysdelight - 05-10-14

To be honest Nick, I have never even given a thought to leaving my car behind. I camped the night before I climbed Nevis. My mate and I spotted a good sight over a river and railway about a half mile from the road. So I parked and we got the gear out. We decided to do two runs instead of breaking our backs. I ended up leaving the key in the car overnight. It was a beautiful Mx5 and I did not even consider going back to get the key when I realised.

Scotland is far more remote that anywhere in England. The population is only 5 million, and the land mass is over 3/5ths of that of England, which has a population of over 53 million. Its apples and pears.

I really noticed this when I did my tour of the lakes in the spring. There were roads everywhere. Road junction, town, village, junction, 7 miles of road and then the same again. When you look at a map of Scotland, up in the hee'lins, the villages are big distances apart and the road between them is "the" road. That's it. Its very easy to feel detached from civilization. I love that. There are parts of Scotland closer to the Arctic than they are London. It may be a small country, but it does not always feel that way when your out there on your lonesome.