Blackburn to the Pyrenees and back again

My mate asked me if I wanted to join him on a visit to see his sister in the South west of France. It was just the thing I was looking for and jumped at the chance. My mate lives in Burgess Hill and so he booked a couple of Ryan air flights from Stanstead for a hundred quid return to Perpignan. I just had to get my self to his house and we would be all set. I decided against driving because its a long journey and petrol is so expensive so I booked with Virgin trains return for ninety three quid.

I left Preston at one o'clock and after changing in London I arrived at Burgess Hill at four thirty.

My mate picked me up and we went to his house where we enjoyed an evening of wine drinking catching up and generally bullshitting each other.
We rose early the day after so we could miss the traffic on the motorway. The flights were at eleven o'clock and we arrived at Stanstead with plenty of time to worry about whether our suitcases would pass the carry on test..
To save space in our luggage we had to wear our heavy overcoats and walking boots. This was the only way to avoid a forty quid surcharge for checking in a bag,

After hanging around the airport for about one and a half hours we got fed up of giving other people advice about where their flight was leaving from and set off to board our flight to Perpignan.Flying with Ryan air may not be the most luxurious flight you ever take but they certainly are good value and the staff were really good.
The flight was about 2 hours and we arrived in Perpignan one hour ahead at about three o'clock. I always love it when they open the aircraft doors and the fresh warm air hits you and you can leave deary old England behind in your thoughts.

It had been arranged for someone to meet us at the airport and neither of us knew what the other looked like,but we must have looked so obviously English that very soon we met the lady who was there to pick us up,
You can't beat a holiday that someone else has arranged on your behalf. There is nothing to do except sit back and watch the world go by and occasionally dip into your wallet for some spondoodlys.
We were staying in an eleventh century hill fort sort of town called Laroque des Alberes. It is only about 40 minutes from perpignan and were soon there.

 Driving through Laroque is difficult so we had to park at the foot of the tower and walk up a very steep road to get to the house.

My mates sister was still at work when we arrived but we knew where she kept the door key. When we opened the front door we were confronted by a barking dog that didn't look too friendly.My mate said we had better wait till his sis arrived home but me being a bit daft said "its ok I'l go in and make Friends with it".

Once we had unpacked I started to get itchy feet so we took the dog for a walk and I rather stupidly let it off the lead..It quickly ran off !! After much shouting and getting lost in the narrow streets we eventually found 'Eddie' back on the terrace of the house looking pleased with itself.
By now I was in my shorts that I was to wear all week and having a quite beer on the terrace trying to shelter from the hot sun so as not to get too burnt on the first day.
The view from the terrace was lovely and in the distance we could see the Massif Canigou. At over two thousand five hundred  metres it was going to be a bit beyond us this trip.

I hadn't seen my mates sister for forty years but we soon got reacquainted after a litre or so of the local wine. Later that day we had a quick walk and saw this sign.We decided this would be our first walk..

In the morning the sun was shining so we packed our butties and water.

 Unfortunately we were told not to take the dog as there would be no water for him to drink on the hill..So we had to leave little Eddie behind as we set off compass in hand on my first Pyrenees adventure.

Thats where we are heading. Doesn't look much but its 1241 metres and we started at sea level so it took us almost four hours.. Along the way we stopped at a little cafe at about 3500 feet and had a brew.

The walk to the summit from this cafe is about half an hour and it follows the border between France and Spain. The border itself is just a barbed wire fence designed more to keep the cows in than keep smugglers out..

At the summit we posed for a picture and despite being so high up it was still quiet warm especially only being the end of March.

From the summit you can see the long distance path that passes through here from Spain and onto the coast at Collioure in France.
The path back to Laroque from here passes through a forest. As you lose height the trees change quite dramatically.. At the top the trees are almost all Beech, then further down they change to Pine tree and then as you get lower they become Oak trees and then as you approach the bottom the Bark Oak are more abundant.
 The walk statistics are :  13 miles 8 hours 5300 feet ascent.
Our evenings were usually spent sitting on the terrace drinking the local Muscat and admiring the views

 On another walk we visited the village of Castelnou and walked up to the Chapelle Saint Martin de Camélas.

This lonely hilltop Ermitage overlooks the surrounding valleys and is a peaceful place to reflect on things gone by.

 On our way up here a liitle lost hunters dog "chien chasseurs" joined our party and he followed us all the way back to Castelnou where we rang the number on his collar and the hunter came by and picked him up.

If you ever visit this area and are blessed with nice weather like we were then this is the sort of walking you can expect to enjoy.

Inominate Tarn

Fleetwith Pike to Red Pike via Haystacks
This was a walk I had  wanted to do ever since glimpsing Fleetwith Pike through the mist coming down Melbreak  this winter.

Who could fail to be intrigued by this view?

I did the walk on my own mid week and parked at Gatescarth cottages right at the foot of Fleetwith Pike.The farmer charges you 3 quid for the pleasure..

I confidently set off in the wrong direction as usual and soon had to turn round. Once on the right track you will be able to see this monument.

The inscription reads"Erected by Friends of Fanny Mercer, accidentally killed 1887" Presumably she fell from the rocks above..

The path is quite steep and as you stop for a breather you can admire the views down Buttermere and Crummock water.

From the summit the path leads down through a disused quarry and there are some interesting things to explore along the way.

 This house is built entirely of slate and looks a bit odd out here on it's own.The view from the kitchen window however is pretty impressive...From here the path leads past Black Beck tarn and on up the side of Haystacks.

Haystacks was Wainwrights favorite fell " Lift your eyes to Haystacks" is what he says in his book about it.

Half way up Haystacks you will come to Innominate Tarn. "Without a name"

 Wainwright loved this place so much his ashes were scattered here by his wife in 1991.

"All I ask for, at the end, is a last long resting place by the side of Innominate Tarn, on Haystacks, where the water gently laps the gravelly shore and the heather blooms and Pillar and Gable keep unfailing watch. A quiet place, a lonely place. I shall go to it, for the last time, and be carried: someone who knew me in life will take me and empty me out of a little box and leave me there alone. And if you, dear reader, should get a bit of grit in your boot as you are crossing Haystacks in the years to come, please treat it with respect. It might be me."

From here it is a short walk to the summit of Haystacks where it started snowing and I saw this strange plane shaped snow flake..

The path from Haystacks to High Crag goes over Seat and is dead straight forward. Somehow I missed it and started heading in the direction of the lake. I realised my mistake but instead of turning back I decided to skirt round the edge of Seat and get back on the proper path round the other side. Big Mistake on my part....I came to a bit where the only way was vertical up or vertical down.. I decided on vertical down and soon slipped and went crashing down about six foot or so.All i remember was seeing the heather and rocks flashing past me before landing with a thud at the bottom of narrow crag.

I came to my senses and turned around to look for lassie  and there she was staring down at me from above..There was nobody around so I didn't feel such a fool but my arm and leg were very sore and my knee was bleeding a bit too..

I had to decide whether  to head back to the car which was only two miles away or whether to complete the walk of another 6 miles..

There was only this small bit in the way so I decided to carry on

I strapped my arm under my rucksack strap to hold it still and figured my knee would either hold out or not and carried on..

I must have looked a sorry sight as I limped up High Crag but I made good progress and reached the top in time for lunch. 

The view from High Crag across Ennerdale towards Great Gable,Scafells and Pillar

From here the path is straight ahead over High Style and on to Red Pike 

 Now I was faced with coming all the way down Red Pike with a very sore knee,so I took some pain killers and limped and staggered to the bottom..The view down the lake from the bottom of Red Pike is excellent..

All in all an excellent walk and one I will definitely do again.....

Scafell to Scafell Pike

I planned this trip for my niece who has recently returned from her studies in New York..She has climbed some high peaks in Nepal,Chile and Iceland and also on the Appalachian trail but she has never been in the lakes before...
We parked up near Boot and immediately set off on the wrong track. After consulting the map we convinced ourselves that we were somewhere that we weren't and carried on regardless..Eventually Slightside came into view in the distance and  some bog trotting became necessary to get back on our intended course...
My wife had lent my Niece some gaiters and she was amazed how good they are as she had never found it necessary to wear them before...It was about now that I set off confidently across country and completely ignoring the warning signs I went up to my calf in cold wet boggy stuff...My Niece thought better of my route and skirted the bog with ease..
As we approached the summit of Slightside it became very misty which is what was forecast on MWIS and I had to rely on my GPS to get us to the top of Sca fell.

 My natural instinct in thick mist is to always turn round and retrace my route and anyone planning this trip should always keep this in mind...Fortunately my mate Dave is a good planner and he managed to find the way ahead.

There are lots of gulleys and rakes on Scafell  and if you choose the wrong one you are a goner so be warned and always play safe...

There is one  proper path up here but we wanted to go down Lords Rake and we had to stumble around in the mist to find it and even then we were not totally sure if we were in the right place...There is a large high overhang above Lords Rake and I was scared that some rocks may come crashing down on us but luckily nothing did.

Halfway down,the mist cleared a bit and I caught a glimpse of were we were and managed to slither  to a safe spot were I could keep an eye on the rest of the group and lend a hand if needed.. Unfortunately my dog lassie got a bit stuck as she couldn't see a way down and  started whining and looking like she needed help.. 
I managed to get below the ledge she was on and coax her down to where I could grab her

 By now the mist was clearing fast and the way ahead was obvious so we had a great time skiing down the scree dodging the enormous rocks that Dave was sending  down on us..


 

 At the bottom of Lords Rake you come to Broad stand and the way up to the trig point on Scafell pike  is cairned all the way..My two mates decided not to bother with Scafell Pike but my niece was extra keen to go so off we went,

 After all this we trudged our way back to the car and had a pint in the Woolpack

 My two mates having a well earned rest.

I think lassie was also feeling a bit tired.

Ben Cruachan

This walk starts from the cafe at the side of Loch Awe adjacent to the hydro electric power station..Ben Cruachan is apparently the 14th highest spot in the UK..I didn't know this when we set off it just happened to be close by where we were staying..
I would say that the climb up Ben Cruachan is the steepest I have ever done and is pretty much relentless except for a short bit around the Cruachan dam which feeds the power station which is buried deep underground in a hand dug cavern.

Once you negotiate the dam there is a small brook that runs down the mountain side and as there is no path we decided to follow it..The ground is rough and rocky and it's easy to go off in different directions like me and Tony did and soon we were quite a distance apart.. I decided to give in first and made my way across the small stream and rejoined my walking mate.

 Looking across the reservoir you can see Drochard Ghlas..It looks easy from here but my printed instructions said "head for the obvious bealach" Unfortunately neither of us had any idea what a bealach was so we just followed the stream uphill and hoped for the best..

Can you spot the obvious Bealach??
By now the walking was getting tough and we didn't seem to be getting very far either..I'm only used to walking the lakeland fells and this munro stuff is more strenuous and the solitude of the place is very striking..

This the stream and we followed it for ages uphill...
Eventually the route we were following began to get really steep and I was glad when we reached a flat bit where we could get our breath back and admire the view.

Looking back from the "obvious bealach" towards Loch Awe you get some idea of the scale of this hill and we weren't at the top yet!!
The final bit of the ascent is pretty much a hands and knees job gasping for breath and wondering why we didn't stay at home instead..

 This is the final bit that you have to go up and it nearly did for me..My walking mate Tony has done a few marathons and even he went all quiet for a while..
Bloodied and bruised  we finally hit the top and quickly got very cold as well...

My original plan was to make this a bit of a circular walk and maybe bag some more Munros. The obvious route for us to take to achieve this along this ridge..

It's funny how quickly we decided against going down this ridge. The chances  of getting to the other end diminished as we slowly froze up in the cold..

Despite the crappy weather, the views from up here are splendid indeed .

One day I will have another go at this hill and see if I can't complete the circuit.. I reckon it would take at least 9 hours so it will have to be summertime when the days are long enough..

Six Wainwrights from Deepdale bridge

We had to drive over the Kirkstone Pass to get to Deepdale bridge and in winter this can be tricky.. Coming down the pass we were just passing Beetham cottage and Mick was regaling us with story's of days gone by when we hit a patch of ice just as we were about to pass an oncoming car..Front seat passenger Dave used to be  a booby and he shouted " don't brake, don't brake"!!..I shut my eyes expecting a sickening thud as we collided either with the car or the wall..Fortunately we hit neither and I managed to get my heart back in it's proper place..

When we parked up at Deepdale bridge I commented that Mick was getting some colour back in his face and then we had that awkward moment when some other walkers  pull up next to you in a brand new Range rover  and your not quite sure where to put your eyes...

Dave is our leader and planner our leader and as I had my boots on first I ventured over to the bridge to have a look around and was met with " where are you going, that's the wrong way!"  So I sulked back to the car and  told lassie off to make me feel better..

Suitably corralled we set off through the farm gate straight into ankle deep mud, not quite the snowy scene I had imagined,but further on and higher up the snowy hills looked very white indeed..

The way ahead.

The path? climbs steadily over Bleaberry Knot and Gale Crag and despite my promise to stay with the group I was soon ahead and overtook another group. I had been persuaded to buy an ice axe before we came and Dave had strapped it to my rucksack properly as I had put it upside down when I did it

As I came up behind each guy in the group in front they steeped aside to let me pass and I had an awful moment as I nearly took one guys nose off with the bloody ice axe as I passed him!  I decided it was best to put a stoic spurt on and put some distance between us to save me from further embarrassment...

Out first Wainwright of the day was Hartsop above How and I remembered something heelwalker had said about Hartsop but it didn't make much sense to me now.. In the snowy conditions it is hard to determine where exactly each summit actually is,so I always have them programmed  into my GPS so that we are sure to have properly bagged each one..

Verdant Patterdale from Hartsop above How

By now we were in the snow proper and a right wind had got up so we decided to find a bit of shelter and have a snack to eat..We stopped at Blake Brow behind a rock and were soon joined by a pair of Ravens who wanted to share our butty's. Birds like these are smart and soon learn where an easy meal can be found. I  remember finding a sheep in some distress wandering around with a bloody face and the farmer said that the crows peck the sheep's eyes out when the sheep are asleep..

When it comes to hovering crumbs up lassie is a dab hand so the Raven had to go hungry.

After a quick lunch we pressed on to Hart Crag. On the way we got a bit separated and I saw how easy it must be to lose contact with your group once the weather turns nasty.This is what must have happened to those lads on Scafell pike at Xmas time...Someone who knows a thing or two about fell walking told me never get out of earshot when trying to keep a group together, so after a few loud shouts we regrouped again..

The path from Hart Crag to Fairfield is well defined with plenty of cairns to guide you..We came across a couple here with the wife walking some distance behind. The guy asked us directions and as I passed his wife she had a decidedly angry look on her frozen face. I commented that it looked like he was in for a few silent meals  when they got home.

I often wonder what we would do if we ever came across somebody who was injured and cold and needed help..On a fine summers day it might be possible to help someone,but up here in this weather it would be a totally different thing I'm sure..Those people in Mountain Rescue are something special that's for sure..

When we got to the summit of Fairfield there was quite a crowd and I love looking at all the gear everybody has to try and pick up some tips..One guy I got talking to had crampons on and he asked me if I|got much use out of the ice axe! I didn't like saying i had only just bought it so  I said no..He said the crampons were effective but could easily bugger up your knees as your feet stay where they are and your body pivots about your knee joints.. This was all I needed to hear to decide against buying some...

After twenty minutes at the summit i was bloody freezing and my thumb felt like it was being gripped in a vice. All silly dreams of helping someone in distress quickly disappeared out of my head and I was glad when Dave confidently strode of to go down Deepdale Hause..

The snow around here was thigh deep as soon as you left the path and I decided it would be fun to try and slide down on my rucksack and see how far I could go..

With the shout "you must be be bloody stupid,  that's a concave slope" ringing in my ears I jumped down using my rucksack as a sled and slithered about ten feet. As I gained momentum i saw my ice axe overtaking me only to stop just in front directly in my path..I tried to dodge it but the bloody thing grabbed my arse and ripped my pants to shreds!!

I decided to leave sledging to the cricketers and sheepishly rejoined my mates..I kept trying to pull my jacket down to cover the gaping hole in my walking trousers,realising that the ice axe could have given me a nasty cut in my leg which would have a been a shitty thing to happen up here..

Looking back up St Sunday Crag.

After the exertion of coming down St Sunday Crag we found a sheltered spot and had a quick brew.

Dave and Mick having a brew..Deadly ice axe in yellow

From here the path leads down to Birks which is  a funny sounding Wainwright without much to recommend it except the view down to Grizedale with it's lonesome stone walling.

Lonesome stone walling of Grizedale

The final leg of this walk goes over Trough Head and on to our last Wainwright of the day Arnison Crag.

The views from here are slendid looking down over Patterdale village to the lower end of Ullswater..

Lassie admiring the views over Ullswater.

All in all this was a great walk not without it's dangers and on a fine day the view over Grizedale to Helveyllyn should give you the urge to try them next.If you want to see a 3Dflythrough of our walk then click this link   3D Fly through.