Collected Musings of a Hill Wanderer

With the Christmas season upon us, I am taking my customary break from adding things on here. All going well, normal service will resume again in the New Year. Until then, I hope that good things will come your way and thanks for dropping by during 2009.

Now, I know why it was a good idea to sit schtum on Sunday. This afternoon, I took a bus over the hills to find a Buxton constantly beset by snow showers. Even with my being shod in North Face Hedgehogs, a certain chill was felt as I negotiated soft and often slushy snow underfoot in its main shopping precinct. The snow did leave off for a while and I got to take in a very snow-covered Pavilion Gardens during the respite. Some sled-riding was in progress on the The Slopes in the heart of the town so not getting mowed down by one took up a certain amount of attention. That snow-less interval didn't last long and enough snow soon filled the air to make the idea of returning home seem sensible.

On that return journey, the effect of all that snow was immediately apparent with a definite slowdown in the speed of traffic around both Buxton and Macclesfield; the occurrence of an accident didn't help the latter. Then there was the matter of negotiating a snow-covered twisty road complete with sharp uphill and downhill sections. Visibility wasn't great either and seeing the whereabouts of the road cannot have been easy at times. It's no wonder that the A537 gets closed in severe weather and I didn't envy the lot of the bus driver either. The outbound journey was benign in comparison with enough clarity in the air to see the well snow-covered hills all around and the road was much clearer too. The whole experience was an education and I was glad to be back home safe and sound.

In those rare times when snow pays a visit, thoughts can turn to going elsewhere. So it was on Monday after with Sunday's snow covering. In the end, I wisely stuck with enjoying what lay on my doorstep and spent and afternoon among Macclesfield's nearby hills. Traffic may have been free-flowing and public transport running well enough for an excursion to the likes of North Wales to have worked but it would have been shameful to ignore the wonder that lay near me.

The route that I took was a familiar mix of roads and other rights of way. To start, I found my way onto the Macclesfield Canal via a very attractive Victoria Park and followed it until I reached the road near Sutton Hall, a pub near Gurnett, having taken in a section that was close up to October. Having missed out on one or two public footpath options, I followed the road around by Lyme Green to Sutton where I made photographic use of the local parish church. After that, it was more roadside footway travel until Langley where I picked up a bridleway by Teggsnose Reservoir. As I shortened the distance to the visitor centre and car park at Tegg's Nose Country Park, the views opened up with Shutlingsloe being backed by a bank of cloud. From there, I joined the Gritstone Trail through snowy fields with the hillsides developing an certain alpenglow in the late afternoon sun. On reaching, the A537, the ridge that is Kerridge Hill lay tantalisingly before me but I tamed my ambitions to content myself with a road walk to Rainow, avoiding the steep up and down of the Gritstone Trail alternative. An untrambled public footpath beckoned but a tight stile persuaded me to stay on tarmac. From Rainow, it was roadside footway travel all of the way home in the declining light. There was a tempting bus option but I stuck with the plan of a circular walk from my own house with the street lights coming on as I went.

All of this was on familiar turf but that made it no less wonderful; never discount snow's transforming powers. There was a mixture of uninterrupted reverie interspersed with encounters with snowball throwing and sled riding that remained of the detached observation variety. Everyone was out enjoying the results of the previous days hefty snowfall in their own way, no bad thing though there's something to be said for leaving things where they have fallen for the enjoyment of others. After all, the chances of replenishment are not so high these days. In a way, that may make us all make more of what comes when it does and that applies to me as much as anyone. Then there's the chance to add to your experience of winter conditions too.

The first decade of the twenty-first century certainly has proved to contain plenty of talking points. It started with a euphoric opening and looks like ending with a more downbeat mood. Along the way, there has been contentious warfare and economic upheaval. Worries about the millennium computer bug and a debate about when the millennium actually began are but a distant concern now. The recession and global warming have replaced these. Big challenges lie ahead and the Copenhagen summit wasn't an end but one of a series, much to the disappointment of many. Computing has moved from the desktop into our pockets and digital photography has taken off in big way. We certainly are removed far from where we were ten years ago.

Back then, my association with hill country was of the occasional day trip variety. I even thought that hill walking was for more athletic types and contented myself with scratching the surface before a cycle from Macclesfield to Buxton on the A537 convinced me that it might be an idea to discover places on foot. Even so, it took a while for the hill wandering to really come together after that with knowledge and gear coming together in some sort of haphazard manner.

Though my explorations of Britain were equally unplanned, there were years when I saw a lot of a certain area. Not every year was like this but here are the ones that were:

2001: Peak District

2002: Yorkshire Dales

2003: Lake District

2005: North Wales

2008: Scottish Highlands

There are reasons for the gaps. After the superb year that was 2003, 2004 was a disappointment when it cam to exploring hill country. It's grey dampness made it a good one for moving house. 2006 was a year of expanding horizons with visits to Highland Perthshire, Pembrokeshire and Northumberland. Even so, it got me wondering if I was spreading myself too thin. After that, 2007 was a year for long distance trail walking and completion. I got to pondering the idea of multi-day backpacking but other things mean that hasn't gone too far forward.

What about 2009? The usual round up is to come but here are a few highlights. First, a proper Irish hill walking outing came to pass after having it on the to do list for so long. There needs to be more but the threshold has been crossed now. The Cairngorm mountains are no longer ones that I keep passing and there's even more to see. Another thing that the year has taught me is that, while there are convenient destinations, the ones that need more planning are worthwhile even if they are once in a while escapades. Then, there's the enduring lesson that there are destinations where I haven't been for a while that I could do with revisiting because you always can see a different side to a familiar location. It is that which has put the idea of photography-inspired returns that spruced up my Cheshire photo gallery on here. Who knows where this mix will take me next?

I cannot say that I ever remember to have seen as much snow fall as I have seen today while finishing off those Christmas communications (all the best to you and yours, by the way). So many showers were coming in that it was next to constant. There were some thoughts about an outdoors outing but I reconsidered the sense of such a venture with what was falling outside. Visibility looked ropey atop the hills that lay outside my window so it might have been best to await clear day with snow remaining on the ground. Any plans for a stroll cannot assume the usual pace of travel though. Buses were travelling but tomorrow will tell its own story as to the transport system copes with everyone being out and about.