The Challenge - Fail

Well it's becoming obvious (Ok it was obvious a while ago!) that I'm going to fail to hit my targets by September.  Even being very optimistic with the number of walks I can fit in between now and September, I'll still be quite a bit off!

At the end of June I had done 33 walks that qualified, leaving me 67 walks to do in 3 months...

On a positive note, the walks I had done averaged out at 6.45 miles and 278m per walk, which is pretty much on target.  I just didn't quite do enough.  I blame winter, but that's a bit of a poor excuse really and one that I allowed to grow.  I do own waterproofs(!), so I could of kept the walk numbers ticking over, leaving the miles to the nicer days.

Oh well.  Gives me a few ideas anyway.  Plus the 'event' that was planned in September is now a September 2014 plan, so maybe I need a new challenge?  Challenge MkII The Revenge?  Hmm planning...

#32 & #33 Twinwoods and Manton Lane.

#32 & #33 Twinwoods and Manton Lane.

7.52 Miles

125 Metres

I am trying to get out and about more often, so using a few local walks seemed a no brainer.  This walk is mainly around arable fields and whilst I would never describe it as amazing, it is nice enough, and more importantly it's outside!



Yellow is so on fashion this season...



The paths on the whole are good and the field margins wide.  On a good day you do get decent views across Bedford with the twin hangers of Cardington clearly standing out.  Twinwoods itself is an old RAF base, and it's most notable claim to flame is that it's where Glenn Miller took off from before disappearing.

#31 Snowdon

#31 Snowdon

8.51 Miles

1923 Metres

I had planned this trip for weeks, so had been watching the weather forecasts intently.  Up to a few days before, I was going to cancel.  Forecasts of heavy rain and snow on a mountain I had never been to, was not an inviting idea.  But thanks to the Mountain Weather Forecast at the Met office it became apparent that we might have a window of opportunity.  It would mean an early start but we should get up and down before any rain hit.  Still had high winds mind you!

 

 

Parking at Pan Y Pass (£10!!!) we had planned to walk up the PYG track and back down Miners’ track, however as the car park was nearly empty (8am) we had parked next to the gate to the Miners, so thought why not, there can’t be that much difference!  The first 2 miles or so was along good quality tracks and fairly flat, so a relaxed start.

#30 Watergrove

#30 Watergrove

Distance - 7.21 miles
Ascent - 455 metres

A late start to today, the weather was pretty ropey in the morning, so when a gap in the cloud was spotted I was off out.  I had a big walk the next day, so I wanted to do something fairly easy, but at the same time I wanted to try a few different places.

Pennine Bridleway



Going up the Rake I followed the same track as the other days.  The views over Manchester showed how close to a drenching I was.  Black skies blocked the views towards Saddleworth and made a sharp contrast to the blue skies above my head!  Again the wind was strong, battering the ears. 

#29 Ramsden Road

#29 Ramsden Road

Distance - 5.43 miles
Ascent - 387 metres

Today was a short (ish) walk on the other side of the Whitworth Valley from yesterdays.  Walking up the Rake gets the blood going and also gets you on the tops pretty quickly.  In the sun it was quite warm, but as soon as you got on the open ground the strong cold wind kicked in.  On the way up the wind was behind me, battering my ears.  So hood up and onwards!

Whitworth Valley



Joining the Pennine Bridleway the path flattens out round the bottom of Brown Wardle, so a quite an easy coast along.   The path drops into Higher Slack Brook, along an old track way which looks so completely out of place.  The trackway would of crossed the brook to join up with Ramsden Road.  This old road joined a number of farmsteads before they were cleared when Watergrove Reservoir was built and the lower valley flooded.

 I only had 2 hours to get the walk in so I ended up turning round soon after.  It was a nice day and this walk opens up a number of future routes.

#28 Cowpe Moss and Rooley Moor

#28 Cowpe Moss and Rooley Moor

Distance - 9.07 miles
Ascent - 534 metres

Whilst up north for a few days I decided to take the dog for a wander on the moors above Rochdale.  Heading up the old pack horse trail of Rooley moor Road you soon leave the suburbs behind.  While at the same time you never quite leave behind the modern world with the Scout Moor wind farm in prominence and occasional views all the way across Manchester (I say occasional, as it depends on the rain clouds!).

 

Scout Moor



Rooley Moor road is a cobbled/packhorse track that was rebuilt in the 1800’s.  Not sure why these trails go straight up and over the moors whilst all other roads take to the valleys.   However they do give quick firm access to the moors (some people abuse this by fly tipping…) and now form part of the Mary Townley loop and Pennine bridleway.  The cobbles will give a quick descent on a bike but I’m guessing the bone shaking cobbles will remain in the memory of many!

#27 Barton Le Clay

#27 Barton Le Clay

Distance - 10.0 miles
Ascent - 217 metres

Two walks in two days?  I'm getting extravagate! Todays walk was a planned 8.5 mile wander around Barton Le Clay and the edge of the Chilterns.  The weather again was pretty perfect and warm enough for short sleeves and sunblock!  Nick was visiting from the South so I dragged him along.

The Chilterns



Heading North/east out of Barton Le Clay along the John Bunyan trail the path is wide, flat and easy walking.  The views are across open pleasant farmland with 'big' horizons.  The scarp slope of the Chilterns is obvious to one side and contrasts sharply with the flat farm land we was walking through. 

#26 Great Barford and Roxton the Sequel.

#26 Great Barford and Roxton

Distance - 7.19 miles
Ascent - 28 metres

Earlier in the week I did a 5 mile walk along the Ouse with a loop round Roxton.  I thought I'd come back and do the full Great Barford/Tempsford loop, mainly before the nettles get much higher (they are growing and growing!).  The weather was perfect, I arrived with plenty of time, I was in no rush, what could go wrong?

The Ouse



The section between Great Barford and Roxton is fairly well known to me now.  It's a flat walk along the river, it's quite nice and easy to follow.  As I mentioned last time the rubbish in the trees does detract a little but it is/was offset by the wildlife on show, swans, ducks, birds (I'm such a twitcher...) and butterflies.  The river is very slow (artificially so due to the weirs and locks) and you would be hard pressed to work out which direction it flows in for most of the walk.

#25 Great Barford to Roxton

#25 Great Barford to Roxton

Distance - 6.21 miles
Ascent - 11 metres

Back to regular haunts down the River Great Ouse.  On a nice Saturday afternoon I had planned just to take a wander to Roxton Locks and back.  Should of been about 5 miles long but I decided to extend it slightly with a walk through the village of Roxton.

The river walk was as quiet as usual and it wont be long before the nettles invade again.  The river bank was showing signs of the wet winter, a clear brown 'tide' mark along with (unfortunately) quite a bit of rubbish caught in the tree branches.  It spoilt to whole calm river ambiance to be honest, no thoughts of a wind in the willows style of scene when their are carrier bags blowing in the willows.

The lock and weir had more water flowing through it than I had seen in a while (I avoided the path in the floods), last year it was more like a trickle over the weir.  This year there was more of a rolling rumble.  Much more exciting (if weirs can be exciting to a passer by, more exciting to a boat owner I'd guess!).

The village of Roxton was very pleasant and quiet.  Didn't spot a pub or a shop, but that's quite normal these days.  However even on a quiet Saturday you never escape the 'hum' of the A1.  Would be nice to live in the middle of nowhere someday!

Well a short and sweet posting!

#22 Grafham Water Loop

#22 Grafham Water Loop

Distance - 8.82 miles
Ascent - 80 metres

After a few false starts I decided to try and get the full loop in.  On a nice day at the weekend I feared the worst as far as crowds go.  It turns out I was justified!  The first car park was full of bikers, with BBQ's etc (it's about the size of 3-4 football pitches, a big car park).  The second was taken over by the Riding for the Disabled.  And the third?  Nearly empty, phew!  Luckily Grafham has more parking than most town centres!

Almost like the Seaside

Starting from the opposite side of the Water, I decided to go clockwise for a change (oh I live on the edge!).  It was busy with bikers, walkers and families due to it being the weekend, but not that bad.  The path is pretty wide and generally caters for all!

#20 Grafham Village Loop

#20 Grafham Village Loop

Distance - 4.5 miles
Ascent - 28 metres

Ok the plan was to do the full loop but yet again as far as Grafham goes things conspired.  We arrived to late to do a full loop, the car park closed at 5.30pm.  So first plan was to walk to the nature reserve and back, Nick then had the inspired idea to make it a loop via Grafham village.  For the most part it was a good track until we hit the field edges.  Then it was hard to see what was path and what was water...

There's a footpath there... really!

Decent quick and short walk, not much more than a warm up, but that seems to be more than I have managed recently!  Not much of a write up...meh!

#19 Edale to Jacobs Ladder

#19 Edale to Jacobs Ladder

Distance - 6.15 miles
Ascent - 459 metres

Ok I will admit at the start that this wasn't quite the full route planned!  The plan was to walk to Kinder Downfall and back, the weather was due to be rubbish and the idea was that this would give me a good walk whilst sticking to a good path for navigation and sinking.  As it was, my legs never got warmed up after yesterdays walk and in the back of my head I had the idea of going home early and taking the tent down in the dry.

Mam Tor and Rushup Edge

Following the Pennine Way, the path is well maintained and well marked.  The weather today was meant to be worse than the day before, however apart from being overcast it was fine, no rain or snow.  Kinder was to the right and it looked like the rain of the night had fallen as snow, and to the left we had great views of yesterdays walk.

#18 Edale to Hope

#18 Edale to Hope

Distance - 8.76 miles
Ascent - 605m

This time last year I was getting a tan on the SWCP, this year I'm in a tent and its a bit nippy outside!  I suppose that why we love the weather in the UK so much!  A few days in the peaks was much needed and an awful weather forecast was not going to hold me back!  I arrived late the night before and hardly slept with the rain pounding the tent, remarkably it was only a few spots the next morning.

That's where we are heading, up there...

The walk started fairly easily from the Fieldhead campsite to Barber Booth.  The hills where I was heading were covered in low cloud and along with the lack of sleep were not encouraging me along at any great pace.  Oh well at least I get to try out my waterproofs!

#17 Minehead to Porlock

#17 Minehead to Porlock

Distance - 8.86 Miles
Ascent - 582 Metres

Well it had been a while since my last walk, I blamed the weather, everyone else blamed my laziness.  So what better than a stroll on the coast, something to ease back into it, fresh air, the sea, and a section of the coast path rated Challenging, say what?  Challenging?  Well that's a bit harsh!  So of I went to the coast to meet up with Nick, now a local to Exmoor.

The start of the SWCP

The first 3/4 mile is flat and mostly tarmac, this is to lull you into a false sense of security and is only just long enough to get the legs going.  The path soon starts climbing, with a short sharp section in the woods.  Despite the recent bad weather, the path is in pretty good nick, with only a few trees still blocking the path or muddy underfoot.

#16 Clapham and Twinwoods

#16 Clapham and Twinwoods

Distance - 8.03 Miles
Ascent - 113 Metres

Today was the first day of Snowmageddon so I had planned to get out early, do a walk and get home before the roads descended into anarchy.  As it happens the snow came early so I was stuck at home.  I then remembered it was actually possible (!) to start a walk from home and you didn't have to drive somewhere for a walk.

Heading up the Baulk

I decided to have a wander up past Clapham towards Twinwoods.  This is mostly arable fields, so isn't the most interesting but with the snow should be fun.  From the Baulk onwards the road/track wasn't gritted and even some locals were struggling.  The track leads up to the old Twinwoods airfield camp and the old huts are still used by farmers.

#15 A short wander to Gratham

#15 A short wander to Gratham

Distance - 3.02 Miles
Ascent - 30 Metres

Well this was meant to be a full lap of the Water (9 miles ish) but descended into farce.  I had intended to get there around 10, have lunch halfway round and back in the car for about 13.30.  As it happens I got there at 13.00 giving me just enough daylight to do the lap without a break.  So I was rushed before I got there.

My GPS then died in the carpark.  I had no other map but it was fairly obvious where to go, I mean just keep the water on your left, easy.  Which is fine, unless you are meant to stick to footpaths not just dog walking tracks know by locals. 

On top of this the path I followed was very wet and muddy.  I had in my head a vague memory that the footpath was good as it was also a cycleway, this is true where they follow the same route!  The beginning mile or so was horrible.  In the end I did a mile and a half and turned round, just fed up and wasn't enjoying it.  All my own fault, was late, rushed, no map and hadn't charged GPS (or so I thought).

#14 Cowm Resevoir and Healey Dell

#14 Cowm Reservoir and Healey Dell

Distance - 7.83 Miles
Ascent - 282 Metres

Second walk in a week, I must be ill!  Yet again I was trying to tire out the dog and myself, but failed again on one count!  Those collies have too much energy.  I started the walk by again going round Cowm.  The weather was a little better, the cloud base was higher and the hilltops revealed themselves. 
 

Cowm Reservoir

I actually did 2 laps of the res, mainly because the dog likes chasing a ball!   From the res it's a short but flat walk along the valley to the Healey Dell nature reserve.  This part of the valley was heavily used during the industrial revolution and it's impact is noticeable.

#13 Cowm Reservoir and Rushy Hill

#13 Cowm Reservoir and Rushy Hill

Distance - 8.97 Miles
Ascent - 484 Metres

My first walk of the year and for me was my Christmas Walk, I worked all Christmas so only got my pressies the day before!  The weather was grim (foggy) but surprisingly dry for Whitworth, the land was sodden but for once none was falling from the skies.  The track round the Cowm reservoir is well maintained and flat (once you have walked to the top of the dam!).  It's a popular dog walk area but was fairly quiet and remarkably free from Dog poo bags dumped in trees!

Foggy Cowm Reservoir

After a lap round the reservoir we took a track out of the back of the res which follows an old quarry road.  This area was very wet underfoot, with water flowing out of what seemed every part of the hillside.

Challenge Update 2

Well I'm still behind with my trip reports.  Missing 4 treks in Jordan.  In summary it was hot and sandy.  I will stick something more substantial at some point!  It was a great week though and formed most of the walking for the month.  The bad news was that I got ill on the way back and was under the weather for about 2 weeks.  I was also suffering from itspissingitdownitus....

I did 5 walks in the month which averaged as 6.58 miles per walk, a nice increase in malleage from the first month.  Still behind on most scores but I'm not too worried (yet!) as I have a few multi day walks planned that should drag things back up.

Month 1 = 7 walks for 31.8 miles, 1518m ascent and 15 nights camping.
Month 2 = 5 walks for 32.88 miles, 996m ascent and 4 nights camping.
Total = 12 walks for 64.68 miles, 2514m ascent and 19 nights camping.

By the averages I should be at around 18 walks, 126.8 miles, 3640m and 8 nights camping.  Yup I need to up my game!  This month will also be on the low side, arse definitely needs to find first gear.  Not too worried about the ascent and the camping (a walk up Snowdon would half the deficit for example) but the mileage is in danger of running away from me.

#12 Harrold and Odell

#12 Harrold and Odell

Distance - 5.78 Miles
Ascent - 96 metres

My first challenge walk in the UK!  Thought I'd do an easy walk in north Beds.  Starting in Harrold country park with easy parking it should be and easy wander round the countryside.  It was not too cold, not raining and generally all was good for the day.



Odell Church

Surprisingly I found the walking tougher than it should be.  After Jordan I had been a little under the weather and as I write this I can confirm that i'm ill!  It was actually a nice (on the whole) and gentle walk through nice ancient woodland.