v-g Backpacking in Britain BlogA return to the hills after a few weeks layoff, this was a 2-day circuit of the Northern Hirnant hills to pick up a couple of new Dewey 500m tops, also visiting several familiar 2000-feet summits. The outward route towards Foel Goch and the return from Bwlch y Fenni are the same as our Hirnants […]
On my Patterdale & Kirkstone Fells trip last year I mysteriously suffered the worst case of rubbing I’ve ever known. The affected area was a strip around the base of my back beneath the pack hipbelt, most of which was quite sore but one spot in particular was severely rubbed raw right through the outer […]
A circuit of the hills of the upper Wye Valley between the Pumlumon range and the Elan Valley, taking in a total of nine new 500m tops.
On the south west side of the Wye Valley, a line of hills stretches from Moelfryn near Rhayader to Llechwedd Llwyd above the confluence of the Wye and the […]
A new southern approach to the Arenigs range, exploring five new Dewey 500m tops and including a circuit around Waun y Griafolen, the huge shallow expanse of very rough wet moorland that lies at the heart of the region. The route also visits the two old favourites of Dduallt and Rhobell Fawr, the two Nuttall […]
A circuit of the fells around Malham Tarn and Littondale, formed from a group of six new Dewey 500m hills and completed by traversing several of the familiar mountains of the area.
A backpack of contrasts in both scenery and numbers of walkers, the well used paths and tracks in the areas of limestone-encrusted greenery near […]
A solo circuit around the central region of the Cheviot hills, based on a framework of ten new Dewey 500m hills and including five of the six Nuttall mountains of the region en route. The route covers a variety of terrain and scenery with expansive heather moors, coarse moorland grasses, the steeply incised valleys of […]
Alright, people have hinted long enough about my persistence with imperial units in the trip and route stats. I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking that hills and mountains lose something when expressed in metres and it’s not just that the numbers are smaller, it’s something intangible but of a curious appeal when thinking about […]
A grand tour of the listed tops of Dartmoor:- a second visit to the two Nuttall mountains of the region and thirteen new 500m+ Dewey tops, including two of the small group that top 600m.
A Dartmoor backpack had been on the radar for some time, our only previous visit being a day walk in 1995 […]
A fine 5-day backpack in the NW of Arran, including the Beinn Bharrain range of hills on the western side of Loch Tanna, the long wild glens of the north and the high-level path from Lochranza to Laggan.
After a long and hard winter with a significant late snowfall only a week or two before, many […]
Time to fill the one remaining hole in my kit list: a very lightweight down jacket for Spring and Autumn. Actually it’s more of a kit optimisation than gap filling.
I already have an excellent Mountain Equipment Lightline jacket, a serious beast for the arctic months that has kept me toasty warm for years, but is […]
