Collected Musings of a Hill Wanderer

It often does happen to me that relating an outdoors outing can bring forward ideas for more. In this regard, my recent trip report for an Easter outing to Llangollen was typical. For one thing, it revealed what parts have yet to see my footfall but there’s more to it than that. Also, I took the opportunity to freshen up the Denbighshire album in the photo gallery that you can find on here. That act revealed a certain amount of dissatisfaction with photos that I already have in my collection, especially from those times before the arrival of digital photography swayed me from the use of film. Addressing a perceived need for better photos often is sufficient for getting me revisiting places already frequented.

Speaking of returning to come away with better photos, Derbyshire’s countryside has been one such target that has lain in my mind for a while but it now has been joined by a few of Denbighshire’s delights. Walking the Offa’s Dyke path from Trefor to Ruthin is just one of the brainwaves that have come to me because there is the Clwydian Way and the Dee Valley Way to keep me busy too. In fact, these could help me identify the hills in the above scene that I captured from amid the ruins of Castell Dinas Brân over six years ago. That point was driven home to me even more by an inability to figure out which top is which in photos of those hills captured last April while following part of the North Berwyn Way, yet another trail with more potential for hill wandering. After all those possibilities, there’s the Clwydian hills by Ruthin and Denbigh to be sampled too. This time last year may have seen me run out of both energy and ideas but that at least the latter doesn’t seem to be recurring a year later. Hopefully, there should be a bit of ambling this autumn, not that I am one to wish the year away just yet and I wonder if too many are doing exactly that at times.

There was one event in my life over the last year that very firmly punctuated the year in outdoors terms: a change of job. Whether it was the cause of putting my hill-going off track or not, there clearly were less outings in the second half of the year and those that were enjoyed weren't so extensive. The strange thing though is that a Christmas spent with the folks in Ireland seems to have recharged things for me. After all, there already has been a proper day out among the waterlogged hill country around Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) in Wales very early in this year with a mad dash up to Fort William and Glenfinnan together with a crossing to Ireland to savour the delights of Howth near Dublin following it. In previous years, it often has fallen to the last weekend of January before I managed to get out at all. There are other schemes in mind but more armchair exploring could be needed before anything comes of them.

The first few months of last year had me standing on hilltops more often than is usual for me and January and February fitted into this pattern with walks over Place Fell in Cumbria and Diffwys near Dyffryn Ardudwy, respectively. The weather was very amenable in both cases with a touch of spring being felt on the second excursion to contrast with the sights reminding onlookers of winter during the previous one. The other major outing in February was a cycle that took in Gawsworth, Astbury, Little Moreton Hall, Holmes Chapel, Goostrey, Over Peover and Chelford. Though I was tired after that jaunt, it sowed the seeds for a cycle to Chester later in the year.

March saw me move things up a gear again by heading to Scotland to see some Scottish snow-covered hillsides around Glen More among the Cairngorms. Braving some showers was the price that I had to pay for this but the rewards from the short sampling session more than compensated. In fact, it may have set the scene for a busy April that featured an Easter Sunday trot from Baslow to Bamford while shadowing the River Derwent. That wasn't as low level as it might sound but I headed to greater heights in the form of Carnedd Moel Siabod and Y Llethr in Wales too. Revisiting the trip reports for these makes me realise that I was more active than I now remember myself to be.

My recollections of May are stronger and it started with a Mayday bank holiday weekend visit to the Isle of Man where I savoured some of the ups and downs of the coastal path, Raad ny Foillan. That was a good introduction to Manx walking and I hope to follow up the outing some time. A trot from Selkirk to Melrose had it share of ascent and descent too as it brought back to a part of the world where I hadn't been for a few years. Later, I discovered that the Kerry mountains around Killarney can get some hot sunny weather. In fact, it could have been the most sun that I have had on a visit to the alluring area.

As it happened, May ended with the commencement of the distraction that was to occupy my mind for much of the next few months: a change of job. It was amazing to see how this really punctuated my outdoors year. The weather remained balmy as I pondered what I was doing with visits to the National Trust managed woods around Alderley Edge for some unwinding on lengthening evenings. That spell of good weather came to an end later in June but not before I snatched the chance to head north to the Isle of Arran and Kintyre for what became my only real longer summer break in Scotland. That didn't prove to be the end of my feeling hot sunshine for the year because a business trip took me to Sweden where long hot evenings allowed me to savour the delights both of Sodertalje and Stockholm.

From July on, the rest of the year gained a much quieter feel when it came to enjoying the outdoors. Nevertheless, I did manage to base myself in Aberdeen for the English August Bank Holiday weekend. Having not been there after a first visit more than a decade before, it was time to revisit places encountered before and exploring those that were new to me. The latter point brings to a first visit to Braemar that took me up to the top Morrone/Morvern with heavy showers making rainbows in the sunshine before things dried up later on an otherwise chilly day. The outing had a real end of year feel with that coolness though Edinburgh felt warm in the sun when I sneaked in a trot about its heart between trains. Maybe I should have based myself there instead, like I did for the same weekend in 2009.

For some reason, the rest of the year felt as if the stuffing had been knocked out of it for me and my outings appeared to reflect that. Nevertheless, I did get to cycling all of the way from Macclesfield to Chester, a brainwave that came to me earlier in the year. It also proved that Cheshire is far from flat though I knew that anyway. Ironically, my end of British Summer Time hike along the High Peak Trail and the Tissington Trail from Pomeroy to Ashbourne on a day when cloud overcame sun as I went further south. Following old railway alignments meant that ups and downs were kept to a minimum on that October afternoon but the distance covered was felt for a while afterwards, ironically for longer than the effects of my exertions in crossing Cheshire if my memory is not failing me again.

Breaking away for a hill country outing seemed to have become difficult for me but November saw me on top of Caer Caradoc in Shropshire due the perceived accessibility of the hill. Shrewsbury remains another idea for urban pottering as does Oswestry so it wasn't about standing atop a hill. In fact, the very next issue of Country Walking featured low hills with good views and put into my head the idea of collating a list of a few of these for times when inspiration was hard to locate.

December's snows may have been disruptive and I was to feel the effects of that when I popped over to Ireland for the Christmas but they were restorative when it came to getting me out of doors again. For one thing, there was a quick visit to the hills near Glossop that was more about broadening my experience of winter condition than covering much in the way of distance. Then, there was wandering around local haunts in Wilmslow (Lindow Common became a 2010 discovery for me), Macclesfield, Prestbury and West Limerick. Surroundings may have looked totally different and very pretty on these short strolls but they very much helped me in the restoration of my hill wandering mojo. Now, I need to ensure that it doesn't leave me again. After all, 2011 has started well and I really do need to set down some more trip reports as well as ensuring that my working life doesn't overwhelm everything else on me again.

Last weekend saw me follow a flight of fancy in that I journeyed up to Fort William on the Sleeper from Crewe. A forecast showing some sunshine was what unleashed me but the reality was more foggy when I reached Fort William. Incidentally, it was very foggy when I left Crewe too but that didn't stop me wondering at what I had done, even if I had gained a glorious view of the Black Mount beyond Loch Tulla or of the hills around Loch Treig on the way.

Despite a quandary induced by the weather that I , I stuck with my original design of popping over to Glenfinnan with two options in mind. The one that came to pass was a short trot along the banks of Loch Shiel and there was some the sun was found to be out when I arrived too though it wasn't to last with grey clouds eventually taking over the sky. Wisps of low cloud affixed themselves to hillsides too as if to amaze the passing wanderer. Add a stag to the scene and he partaking of some silage left out for feeding and there was some wild magic in the peaceful stillness. The surrounding hills looked majestic too so this was a good introduction that needs following up but more thoughts of unfinished business came to mind.

After all, it was ongoing unfinished business at work that made me wonder if I was doing the right thing in undertaking a weekend away but there were more instances from the outdoors world that overtook this. On Sunday morning, the thought of a trot around by Cow Hill and Glen Nevis came to mind but there really wasn't the time for doing that in any state other than in a worried rush and Scotland's fine countryside deserves better than that.

Other examples also joined the queue. Reprising the part of the West Highland Way between Bridge of Orchy, Kinlochleven and Glen Nevis is but one. Seeing more of the hills of the Black Mount and around Loch Etive or Glen Etive is another. Then, there's following up on fleeting visits to Morar and Ardgour more than twelve months ago. Part of the motivation for all of this is my coming away with pleasing photos but that has been an ever present motivation in my explorations of hill country and it's good to see that it still does the trick for me.

On the way home, the sight of Cameron McNeish's The Skye Trail on a bookshelf in Glasgow was enough to have a copy come away with me and that reminded me that I have unfinished business up there too. A fuller review has appeared elsewhere on the blogosphere so I won't be doing one but it's a pleasing mix of route description and social history that also was typical of the volume on the The Sutherland Trail, itself also in my possession and needing further perusal.

All in all, this is far cry from my state of mind last autumn when it became difficult to overcome any sense of fatigue to get out in the countryside all that often. Now, I blame the sense that there was nothing out there that drew me out anymore. Of course, that is fallacious and it's good to have cured it for now. All that it took was the arrival of arctic weather with a good deal of snow and a Christmas spent in Ireland (catching up with a few issues of TGO too) for that one to be put out of commission.

Sometimes, it takes what feels like an age for a trip report to become reality and an end of August visit to Aberdeen and Braemar has become an example. Various things can delay the burst of inspiration that's needed to write these things with a busy work life and after work fatigue not helping. That well may be but I need to ensure that I get out into the outdoors from time to time but that's a work in progress for now.

It was having a look at old photos that put the idea of heading to Aberdeen into my head in the first place. After all, it had been over a decade since I made that solitary visit to the place to attend a scientific conference during the week after the death of Princess Diana. It helped that there was a bank holiday weekend in the offing at the end of August and that I fancied a getaway that didn't need too much energy expenditure when it came to planning. What was needed was a place to base myself that would keep me occupied regardless of whatever weather was there at the time.

In the event, I was to find enough rain to make me wonder if I had continued too far north. After all, Edinburgh looked resplendent if busy during the short time that I could spend there in between trains. A trot that evening saw me caught out in a heavy downpour that had me catching a bus from Old Aberdeen, a very pretty spot in the right weather, back to the city centre where I grabbed some food before returning to my lodgings for the night.

Saturday started much better when it came to weather with blue skies and sunshine doing the Granite City a few favours. It was only right that I spent some time in Union Terrace Gardens while I walked back to Old Aberdeen to see it in better light. However, the good weather was short lived and after grabbing a few photos of the University of Aberdeen's King's College, I found myself sheltering while awaiting the abatement of a light rain shower.

With the dampness out of the way I continued towards St. Machar's Cathedral and wandering through nearby Seaton Park under skies that wanted to stay leaden in appearance though there was some brightness from time to time. Eventually, I was to reach the old Bridge of Don for a look at the structure that is now off limits to motorised traffic. If there had been some sun, it would have made for some pleasing photography.

Next up was a spot of lunch before I followed the sandy coast on my way back to the heart of Aberdeen again. The atmosphere was eerily reminiscent of that which I felt while wandering along by the Northumberland coast. Given that I was by the North Sea there too, maybe that wasn't too inappropriate. Though there was a busy road not far away from where I and many others were walking, it still felt a world away from the bustling city centre whose landmarks could be seen in the near distance.

Eventually, I was to find myself wandering by working docks and the air not too dry. Still, I spotted the Kirkwall and Lerwick ferry and made a mental note for any occasion when a brainwave might carry me north towards the Orkney or Shetland islands. As if to spring a pleasant surprise, the rain passed on ward to reveal blue skies again. By then, I was in the vicinity of Aberdeen's Town House, Salvation Army Citadel and Mercat Cross in conditions suitable for photographic activity. Mind you, I now realise that there may have been better vantage points for what I was doing.

The fair weather interlude may not have lasted but it hadn't done a bad thing. After a spot of shopping, an easy evening ensued as I organised myself for a more energetic excursion on the day after.

When Sunday morning came there wasn't much in the way of blue skies and the rain that fell while I made my way to Aberdeen's bus station would have had anyone asking why a trip to Braemar would have seemed in any way to be sensible. Nevertheless, a continuing improvement over the course of the day was what was promised in the forecast and I took a chance with that.

Things did dry up before I was on a coach destined for Royal Deeside. If I was so minded, there were a number of castles that I could visited and Balmoral would only have been one of these with Braemar being another. For a walking idea, a trot from the former to Braemar would have been tempting but the idea of mounting Morrone (also known as Morvern) had taken hold.

Though there was plenty of sun to be seen out the coach window, Braemar wasn't fully dry when I arrived and wet weather gear was to be in use for much of my hike; a chill in the air ensuring that I wasn't going to overheat. In some ways, it was frustrating to have sunshine and rain together because having raindrops on a camera lens doesn't help to make pleasing photos, even if you have a skylight filter in front of it for sake of protection. There were quite a few times when mine needed wiping down.

Since I was set on a walk, I navigated my way to the good path leading to the top of Morrone. Though there was a good deal of height to be gained, it wasn't anything that steady progress couldn't overcome. As I made my ascent, the countryside round about me opened out before me. To the west, I could gaze towards the hills around the Linn of Dee. What lay to the north was beset by the low cloud associated with passing showers but these were the sort of stony heights that I have never gained on foot anyway. There were hills to be seen everywhere and I could look across Glen Clunie too.

The showers did eventually stop but not until they had produced some of the best rainbows that I ever have seen. Being able to photograph a rainbow without too much of a rush has been a privilege that wasn't really mine until that day. My only hope is that I didn't waste it.

When I finally did gain the top of Morrone, a cloud cap lay overhead to obstruct the sun and that was to be the story of much of the rest of the walk for me. Having gained most of the vistas on the way, I wasn't going to delay on a flat stony summit next to a transmitter on a day cold enough to be more typical of October than August. A vehicle track was soon found for the purpose of coming down again so as to fashion a circular route. The predominant greyness meant that my camera was given a rest though I did deviate from the track to reach a shoulder of Carn na Droichaide before I returned to it again. Though tempted, I was content to leaving alluringly accessible nearby heights for another time. Overdoing things on a first visit is needless and it's always good to leave somewhere with a reason to return.

The track soon enough deposited me on a quiet lane in Glen Clunie. When it came to lighting the hills, the sun was very spotty so I tramped the tarmac without much in the way of distraction. There was the occasional car but not so many as to be intrusive as the signs of Braemar become the more apparent as I neared the place. My return wasn't in time for much more than the tail-end of bagpipe band performance and shops were coming towards the end of their working day anyway. Maybe it was just as well that I had decided on catching the next bus to Aberdeen and the cold didn't make hanging around so enticing.

As if to lure me back, the sun could be seen to light the surroundings on that return journey. Next day, it was time to go south again on another improving day when Edinburgh looked resplendent in sunshine as crowds heaved around it to catch that last of any festival events. It had been good to get away and it may not be the last visit to Braemar and Royal Deeside. From what I saw, it deserves more exploration.

Cheshire has seen many a fast moving spotty rain shower pass over it today and the Met Office’s online rain radar shows more Ireland. In between those, there have been spells of alluring sunshine of the kind that makes wonderful photos. How is it that you need a session of rain for the sunlight to look better when it comes afterwards at this time of year? Well, good photos don’t come without some cost.

That little mention of photographic endeavour brings me to an afternoon well spent in Chester last Saturday. What drew me away from home was the prospect of meeting with some sun without any dampness, something of a rarity in the last few weeks. There were other reasons too, such as the escape from what felt like a rut. The reason for choosing Chester was that I got to looking through the photos of the place that I have been sharing in the online gallery only to come to the conclusion that they didn’t look the best. It was time to have another go and I came away with some pleasing results too when the clouds didn’t get in the way of the lighting. Much of my urban stroll took me towards the less crowded parts of the city like Grosvenor Park where a miniature train was conveying families around a small circuit. Trotting along the banks of the River Dee and along the old city wall took me towards the Old Dee Bridge from where I found my way towards the more crowded rows where many were out shopping. These may be uncertain economic times but you wouldn’t have known that from the bustle and a headline in the local rag about the place being a boom town.

The passage of a large wad of cloud in front of the sun meant that any designs on digital capture of landmarks such as Chester Cathedral or Chester Castle (the old County Hall looks an elaborate affair) had to wait for another time. While awaiting the return of the sun, I ended up in a shop or two though I wasn’t really on a shopping outing. However, that didn’t stop a visit to a branch of Field and Trek resulting in my coming away with a Berghaus Twister Softshell jacket having saved nearly £30 off the original price. My succumbing to the attractions of making a purchase might have been influenced by there being a sale in progress but I have toyed previously with the idea of acquiring a heavier duty counterpart to my North Face Apex Elixir (currently needing a spot of sewing to keep in the drawcord at the base of the jacket after the wrong thread came away) might have made me more vulnerable to this kind of thing, even though it was a thought that had slipped from my conscious memory. So far, it’s got only a bit of a light wetting but I like the cut and fit. Exhaustive testing is not something that I do but the new acquisition is working well thus far.

The trying out of the previous day’s extravagance had to await its opportunity when Sunday came dry too though with milky skies, thanks to a passing anticyclone sticking for long enough to give us respite from all the damp greyness that has been outstaying its welcome over the last few weeks. It was enough for me to take to lanes and highways on my bicycle. Though I was to spend some time around Lindow Common, the main motivation was the investigation of potential commuting routes but the level of traffic and the steepness of some inclines left me thinking the venture a work in progress. However, a chance perusal of a map afterwards at home revealed a possibility that went by Over Alderley, Hare Hill and Mottram St. Andrew. The promise of a sunny Monday had me taking a risk in the form of trying the route in the flesh and the experience convinced me of the need for tightening my back brakes though nothing untoward happened; then, any inclines can be tackled with greater confidence and there are a few such as the dip around Over Alderley or the hill on which Mottram is situated. Nevertheless, I sampled a glorious morning and pass someone harvesting “haylage” on my return in the evening; some of it was blowing in the air too. Other amenable days may get me passing the way more often.

Even with all of this, I remain on hiatus from walking in hill country though seeing how high the local reservoirs are now might be one draw. There’s a bank holiday weekend at the end of the month too and thoughts of making something of it are just beginning to prod me into action. Autumn isn’t far now and there’s a certain coolness to be felt on some mornings as well. Maybe that’s what’s bringing more attractive lighting between those showers…