Category Archives: Allotments

Coniston Old Man ??? Backwards and Forwards

WHEN I was a teenager I made a pledge to climb Coniston Old Man at least once every year because it was the first mountain I climbed and it was special. I also grew up within sight of its familiar … Continue reading

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Posted in Allotments, Caving, Childhood, Climbing, Environment, Hiking, History, Industrial archaeology, Life, Mountains, Newsquest, Northern Echo, Politics, Potholing, Redundancy, The Romans, Unemployment, Walking | Tagged , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

The Long Surrender: Brandy Bottle Incline

THIS is an account of a short walk in the hills above Arkengarthdale ??? but it has a back story that begins in the early 1980s and involves a group of mine explorers and an elusive portal into the underworld … Continue reading

Posted in Allotments, Archaeology, Caving, Environment, Geology, Hiking, History, horse gins, Industrial archaeology, Mountains, Potholing, Railway goods wagons, Recycling, Walking | Tagged , , , , | 24 Comments

A Pennine Trek, Part 1 ??? Moorland and Mustard Gas

The first stage of a three-day walk from Bowes to Hexham . . . Continue reading

Posted in Allotments, Camping, Charles Dickens, Climbing, Drove roads, Environment, Explosives, Footpaths, Hiking, History, Mountains, Northern Echo, Pennine Way, Running, Second World War, Walking, Writing | Tagged , , | 27 Comments

Sutton Bank, Witches and Featherless Geese

A walk along the Cleveland Way from Sutton Bank . . . Continue reading

Posted in Allotments, Bronze Age, Cleveland Way, Environment, Footpaths, Geology, Hiking, History, Iron Age, Legends, Walking | Tagged , , | 23 Comments

Madeira: The Royal Road to Ruin (Pico Grande . . . nearly)

THIS is a tale of bewilderment and defeat in a strange and hostile environment. It started out like any other day in the mountains ??? one man with a cheery whistle and a bag of food. Then things deteriorated . … Continue reading

Posted in Allotments, Climbing, Environment, Hiking, History, Mountains, Walking | Tagged | 12 Comments

Mount Keen, The Mounth, and a Pan of Polish Borscht

Mountain climbed, you need good food to finish the day . . . Continue reading

Posted in Allotments, Beetroot, Borscht, Climbing, Cookery, Cycling, Food, Hiking, History, Mountains, Walking | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments