How to do the 20 Birkett Walk – and (almost) Survive!

Fri 10 May 24

This walk actually breaks down into 21 fells in total but 2 are completely en-route so shouldn’t, in my view, be counted but, for simplicity, I’ve counted them in this post.  One fell I add in isn’t a Birkett but I think it should be so do it anyway!  Out of the 20 Birketts, 9 of them are also Wainwrights… All are in the same block of the Northern Fells “Back O’ Skidda” and I actually missed 2 further Birketts out although you could detour to them from Knott if desired.

shot from the Zenith film SLR

High Rigg on a Very Icy Day

Thu 18 January 2024

During the last cold snap I met up with my friend Simon to do some hills.  We set off hoping to do ‘The Dodds’ near Helvellyn but with the option to downgrade if we didn’t feel up to the very icy conditions.  Unfortunately, when I saw the icy and steep starts to the likes of The Sticks Pass up to The Dodds, I’m afraid I chickened out and so we opted for High Rigg instead – a grandstand view of all the snowier stuff around us.  Luckily, this day I made sure I took my Zenith film camera for an outing!

The Naddle Horseshoe

Saturday 11 November 2023

When you read the writings of hillwalkers and outdoor explorers of the 1930s and 40s, some of them, such as the legendary Tom Weir, described some of their more desperate traverses of the landscape as ‘horsing’… Well, this round is certainly ‘horsing’!  If you want to undertake it, you’ll need really good, strong ankles and great balance!

Great Weather in the Connies / Merry Christmas

Tue 12 Dec 23

Our second and last trip away this year (what a poor year for trips!) and we were blessed, for a change, with superb weather on our single walking day 🙂

Not the weather on the day but the same walk…

Wasdale’s Greendale Round

Tue 3 Oct 2023

This was our first trip away this year!  And all because I’ve been having to clear out my mother’s house every fortnight since March (and am still doing so)…

We’d decided we must make the effort and get away and decided we just had time for a short 3-night trip to Boot in Eskdale.  The weather was fairly bad but it was nice to have a change in walking area as I’ve pretty much stuck to my own patch all year.  Due to the iffy forecast and it being mid-week, we decided that Wasdale might be quiet enough to get parked for a change – we hadn’t been to Wasdale for years!

Howes – a Swindale Outlying Wainwright

Sun 3 Sep 23

Still a few of Wainwright’s Outlying Peaks to do so, on a nice day at the start of September, I decided to nip down Swindale (next valley to Haweswater) and decide which of my two walks I had left to do there would be the lucky winner.  As I arrived down Swindale, I decided I fancied doing the simpler of the two walks.  I’d brought my proper (film) camera for Swindale’s wonderful gorge at the head of the valley!

Clints Crag – Exploration of Routes – Corrections!

I’m currently very lazily ticking off Wainwright’s Outlying peaks – I have been for the last few years really.  This, however, wasn’t a new one – I did it years ago but, as it’s very local to me, thought I’d go and have another look at it as the access isn’t totally straightforward so I thought I might be able to make a post out of it.  Therefore, this post covers two walks this year on it.  This is a very small and easy hill but quiet and pleasant…

Having to make a red-faced apology here!  The access is fine, although not altogether obvious – just I took the wrong route last time!

Thinking of Starting the Munros? Some Great Advice

I was recently e-mailed by a nice lady in Germany who send me a link to her website.  I had a read and it contains superb advice about starting out in the Munros of Scotland and also the joys and benefits of campervans.  Have a read here…

Nine Standards Rigg

Wed 31 Aug 22

My friend and fellow blogger Simon were due to meet up to walk and neither of us were feeling particularly fit (unusual for August).  I’d been looking at a short route near Kirkby Stephen – Nine Standards Rigg  I asked Simon if he fancied it and he said it was on his to-do list so it was settled – that’s the peak we’d do!

I’m quite lazy nowadays about carrying my big, heavy Zenith film SLR camera, partly because I’m normally walking in the Lakes and have photographed everything there is to photograph.  It wasn’t a great day weatherwise but Nine Standards is definitely a peak to take your camera on.  I’ve scanned some of these photos in black and white as I thought the subject suited it.

Update – Urgent Footwear Recommendations

Well I went into Cotswold Outdoors in Keswick today and tried to get some Scarpa Maverick GTX as recommended by some of you and also in the article Alli furnished me with.  However, at the start, I complained to the salesman that I’m having a lot of trouble with painful toe ends and am wondering whether my feet could possibly have grown (I thought it both unlikely and impossible).  So, he measured my feet and… I’ve gone from about a 7 and a half / 8 to a size 9!  That rules out women’s shoes for me now.  Apparently your feet can get longer with age!

He only had size 12 and above in the men’s Mavericks so I had a look around the men’s section and found some synthetic Merrells (in blue-grey which is a bit weird).  Anyway, these fitted a treat so I bought them.  They also come with a 3 year guarantee which I thought pretty good.

So, I’m good to go on Thursday when my friend comes to take me hillwalking 🙂

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