Category Archives: Mountains

Forever Changing – Broad Majestic Duddon

Posted on April 25, 2013 by

A walk along the shifting sands of the Duddon estuary . . . Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Beer, Environment, Geology, Hiking, History, Industrial archaeology, Mountains, Second World War, Walking, William Wordsworth | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

Only a Rosedale, I give you . . .

Posted on March 11, 2013 by

THIS set out to be a hike to the Rosedale iron mines – but I got tangled in a fox hunt and that’s far more entertaining. It was also a day of bewildering signposts, dazzling sunlight, heather fire haze and … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Climbing, Environment, Footpaths, Hiking, History, Hunting, Industrial archaeology, Mountains, Quarrying, Railways, Walking | Tagged , , , | 25 Comments

A Blackpowder Blast From the Past

Posted on February 26, 2013 by

IUSED to blow up huge chunks of Cumbrian hillside for a living. I stopped doing it not through any regard for conservation or the environment, but because I’d noticed that none of my more senior colleagues ever reached retirement age … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Explosives, Geology, Hiking, History, Industrial archaeology, Mountains, Quarrying, Railway goods wagons, Ranting, Slate quarries, Walking | Tagged , , , | 25 Comments

Day Return to Bloworth Crossing . . . and Beyond

Posted on February 12, 2013 by

A walk along the mineral railways of the North York Moors . . . Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Climbing, Drove roads, Environment, Footpaths, Hiking, History, Industrial archaeology, Mountains, Railways, Walking | Tagged , , | 21 Comments

Circling the Wagons Beneath High Noon Hill

Posted on January 16, 2013 by

IT’S one of those days when nothing goes right, when the most straightforward of plans unravels and you stand in mist and rain with water trickling down your neck, and wonder what possessed you to swing your legs out of … Continue reading →

Posted in Country Land and Business Association, Environment, Footpaths, Hiking, Mountains, Northern Echo, Ranting, Walking | Tagged , | 31 Comments

Climbing Cielo – as Swallows Come Back to Capistrano

Posted on January 9, 2013 by

A hot and dusty walk in the mountains of Andalucia . . . Continue reading →

Posted in Caving, Climbing, Environment, Hiking, Ink Spots, Mountains, Music, Potholing, Walking | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

In the Realms of Glory on Cerro del Trevenque

Posted on January 2, 2013 by

CERRO del Trevenque is a dwarf among giants. It does not feature largely in the history of mountaineering. It probably doesn’t even warrant a footnote. But it is a mountain gem that shines like a badly-cut diamond above the red … Continue reading →

Posted in Climbing, Environment, Footpaths, Hiking, Mountains, Walking | Tagged , | 18 Comments

Hambleton Hills – A Walk and a Sonnet

Posted on December 18, 2012 by

I’VE been delving into Wordsworth again – and like last time I’m going to set him tentatively aside. Despite the pertinent fact he wrote a sonnet entitled Composed After a Journey Across the Hambleton Hills – and that’s where I … Continue reading →

Posted in Camping, Climbing, Drove roads, Environment, Hiking, History, Mountains, Walking, William Wordsworth | Tagged | 22 Comments

Lakeland-by-the-Sea: A Walk With a Border Collie

Posted on December 10, 2012 by

WORDSWORTH penned 34 sonnets either celebrating or related to the River Duddon – according to the contents pages of my Wordsworth’s Poetical Works Volume V. I had intended to include a few verses here to introduce this piece, but having … Continue reading →

Posted in Climbing, Environment, Hiking, History, Industrial archaeology, Mountains, Running, Walking, William Wordsworth | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

Rookhope: A Reminder of Who We Are

Posted on December 7, 2012 by

WEARDALE is a Pennine valley that has the footprints of industry stamped all over it. It has no pretentions and shows no inclination to tidy itself up. That’s why it appeals to me so much . . .

Posted in Archaeology, Climbing, Environment, Geology, Hiking, History, Industrial archaeology, Mountains, Quarrying, Railway goods wagons, Railways, Ranting, Walking | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Causey Pike – A Country For Old Men?

Posted on December 3, 2012 by

NEAR the summit of Causey Pike, where the heathery track gives way to steep rock, an elderly man sits on a boulder. He’s wearing a wide-brimmed hat and his white hair wisps about his ears. I get the impression he’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Climbing, Environment, Ghosts, Hiking, Life, Mountains, Walking, Writing | Tagged , , , | 32 Comments

Memories – Misty, Water-Coloured and Unreliable

Posted on November 21, 2012 by

Even the best and the clearest of mountain memories cannot be relied on . . . Continue reading →

Posted in Camping, Climbing, Environment, Glencoe, Hiking, Life, Mountains, Quarrying, Slate quarries, Walking, Writing | Tagged , , , | 27 Comments