Collected Musings of a Hill Wanderer

Some of us have been getting unseasonably hot sunny weather over the last few days; Scotland and Ireland are getting plenty of rain with a blocking area of high pressure keeping that away from England and Wales for now. That made a little too hot for walking among hills around Macclesfield so I went for an evening cycle around lower parts instead. The leaves are well into the business of changing to their autumn colours now and some have fallen already too. The dryness of these produced an unmistakeable smell for me that complemented the senses as I plied country roads that had to be shared others. Other smells such as that of grazing cows were part of the mix too as the light faded. The cycle may not have been that long but it returned me to a little of the natural world after a few weeks when work took me away to more built areas. Encounters like this have me thinking of setting aside some more time to savour the quiet and peace of hill country since I last did just that a few months back.

There has been a hiccup with the hosting of this website over the weekend so things may be as they were. However, all is on a steadier keel now so the restoration continues. Of course, there may be rough edges that you’ll find and it’ll take a little while for me to get around to sorting all of them. While what happened wasn’t all my fault, it certainly kept me occupied over a weekend that wasn’t offering so much for outdoors activity.

Saying that, Macclesfield didn’t get as much of a soaking as elsewhere and I hope that the hefty rain that fell over Scotland and the northeast of England didn’t put anyone out too much. Cheshire did see some rain but there was some dry weather about too. In fact, the sunshine was very alluring though dark clouds warned of an arriving shower that didn’t seem to live up to the ominous blackness of the clouds that brought it. Maybe, we can count ourselves lucky around here.

July hasn't been too unkind to us this year though that is far from being the case always as anyone with a memory can tell. That has meant a fair few weekends away for me and this one introduced me to Swansea and the Gower (the non-usage of the word peninsula is deliberate). Though were white skies instead of blue ones, the few hours spent around Rhossili were pleasant enough to leave me pondering a return when there are blue skies and sunshine. The coastline that I saw certainly was sufficiently alluring to deserve a return and one reconnaissance outing can be the starting point for more.

Speaking of starting points, I travelled to and from Swansea this past weekend  via the Heart of Wales train line to see what the countryside surrounding it is like and what the railway has its supporters. Grey skies didn't show things at their best but there were shapely steep-sided hills on which to set eyes but it looks as if a little more homework is in order before this part of Powys starts to see me exploring it. Much of the countryside looks lush with tree-lined fields so it can be difficult not to think it dramatic enough for further attention. In fact, it took the second journey through there for me to start to see the potential that exists for hill wandering and travel plans will need careful thought too. As things stand, this will remain a work in progress for now.

Last weekend also saw me head to Wales. This time, my attention centred around the Menai Strait with visits to Caernarfon and Bangor together with a little time to savour the Isle of Anglesey Coastal Path between Beaumaris and Glan-yr-afon. Following a public footpath and a spot of road walking extended the trot to Llandona and a stroll over Thomas Telford's bridge over the Menai Strait was fitted in too. It was the prospect of viewing the hills of Snowdonia from afar that drew me and could do so again. It was a weekend of hot sunshine and blue skies, which was a bonus though hydration and avoiding sunburn were items needing attention too.

With all the gallivanting in recent weeks, there is a pile of trip reports needing writing and they include those earlier escapades from the Easter and Mayday bank holiday weekends too. Nevertheless, the one for my Easter visit to the Vale of Llangollen is nearing completion with photos and final edits needed before it appears on here after what feels like quite a delay. Also, it is around this time of year that I have been known to take a longer trip away but I have no idea what's going to come of such a venture this year. There are ideas in mind but weather is looking a bit uncertain so it'll be a case of telling what happens after any event rather than following any fixed notion. If anything does happen, it'll add to that backlog but that is a non-complaint with what getaways do for the mind and spirit.

While the weather did its best yesterday to lure us into thinking that a heatwave was in progress, today has proven that it wasn't to last long at all. In fact, there's a stiff northeasterly wind to take the edge of the temperatures. While some may bemoan the cooling down, it does make things better for those who plan enjoy the outdoors in a more active way. This evening saw me take my bike for a short cycle and that wind certainly didn't make temperatures feel at all icy and I wasn't long getting up some heat of my own making.

Before all that, the latest issue of TGO arrived on my doormat this morning and it looks as if the magazine has got a dramatic overhaul. To someone like me who is amazed by what is being done to computing interfaces in the world of technology, it was a reminder of the period of change through which we are going at present; I even spotted copies of TGO on a shelf in my local Sainsbury's too! Some changes have to be fought and these include the mad experiment that is onshore windfarm technology or daft political moves like selling off Forestry Commission land and other such crazy countryside-wrecking initiatives instated by our current U.K. government. However, some change require adaptation and even embracing. It might be said that the alterations to TGO are an example of the latter.

So TGO now sports a brighter look with the sort of full binding that we haven't it lost a few years ago in favour of using a staple binding, now the more expensive option if you believe the editor of Photography Monthly. That change in presentation brings bigger pages and larger photos. With regard to content, there seems to have been a wholesale reorganisation with Wild Walks coming near the back now. It does seem that much of the usual stuff is in there though you might wonder if it is in danger of getting lost given the other changes. However, there's now a hill skills section and Jim Perrin's column is a single page affair focussing on works of outdoors literature that have inspired him rather than a double page spread of his ruminations drawing on various works of literature. That distinction may no sound so clear but it is how I see it.

While witnessing a restyle like that done to TGO does make you wonder if it is in danger of losing its soul, it's in the reading that you only can assess matters such as that and I have yet to give this month's issue more than an initial inspection. Nevertheless, there seems to plenty of continuity in terms of articles on walking and gear reviews. Those devoted to the types of related matters such as a photo essay on Patagonia or an interview with a landscape painter are not all that new to the magazine either. Big rearrangements can unsettle us but it does seem that nothing has been lost along the way in this case. Maybe I need to get reading and add to my list of trip ideas then…

This evening finds Macclesfield a damper place than it has been for a good while. In fact, it could be said that 2011 has been largely dry until now. Of course, that can change and an unsettled summer could be all that many remember yet. In fact, some are asking if we are getting a taste of summer weather too early. However, it's best to try to enjoy good weather whenever it comes so long as life allows you to do just that.

In the U.K., we also gained two four day weekends back to back. That very unusual situation came our way thanks to Easter, a royal wedding and the Mayday bank holiday. With a short working week between them, many made a longer break from working life out of those public holidays. While I wasn't one of those, the long weekends did allow me get out into hill country in parts away from where I live and work.

After last year's Easter Sunday trot from Baslow to Bamford that left me wondering why I didn't book somewhere to stay on what was a pleasant evening. That wasn't something that I repeated this year with an overnight stay sorted for Llangollen. Previous trips to the hills around there have been day trips so this was a departure from that and its proximity to Cheshire meant that a later than planned departure on Sunday did nothing to jeopardise my plans. As it happened, I arrived sufficiently early that I could enjoy an evening stroll that retraced steps that took me by Castell Dinas Bran and Valle Crucis Abbey as well as along the Llangollen Canal towpath. That allowed me to leave a busy Llangollen for a little while before retiring to bed on my return. The next day saw me head in the hills to south of the Dee valley while exploring part of the North Berwyn Way and other trails. That walk took me onto the tops of  Mynydd Vivod and Y Foel before returning to Llangollen to start my journey home again. The weather had been kind to me and the countryside alluring so I left for home pleased if tired.

Last weekend saw me head to Scotland after a busy few days at work. My destination was Cowal and my base Dunoon. While I am not sure what Glaswegians do when they go "doon the watter", there are plenty of hills around the town for exploration. Saturday saw me hike from Ardentinny to Carrick Castle and, following a bus ride, from Lettermay near Lochgoilhead to Clachan Strachur by way of the Cowal Way. The day was stunning though a stiff wind took the edge off the temperatures, a useful thing for walking though sunbathing is ruled out for those of that persuasion. The those hills in Wales the previous weekend, they were quiet around Cowal too and there was no sign of the wildfires that blighted other parts. A later start on Sunday had me settling on a walk from Hunter's Quay to Glenkin and back again. There were designs on using the Coffin Trail to reach Bealach na Srèine in order gain views over Loch Striven and beyond but I saw sense because of the time that I had. Still, it has left me with a brainwave of walking from Toward to Dunoon by way of Inverchaolain Glen and Glenkin and there's a forestry track alternative to this too. My first weekend in Cowal was kind to me and I have left with ideas for future trips to this overlooked part of Scotland too.

As is usual for me, I have every plan to write fuller accounts of those two trips on here. The destinations may have been lesser known but there was plenty of pleasure in my exploring them. Legs may have been left fatigued and there was soothing replenishment for the soul and spirit too. Hopefully, that thought will continue to draw me into hill country for the rest of the year, particularly with this blog having reached its fifth birthday over the past weekend.