About me
This website is dedicated to my personal Mountain Walking and Mountaineering experiences over very many years. I've been enjoying the great outdoors since at the tender age of nine, my Uncle and Cousin took me on a Youth Hostelling weekend to the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire where we stayed at St Briavels Castle, which is still a Youth Hostel. I've been walking and climbing in all areas of the UK from as far north as the Cuillin Ridge on the Isle of Skye through the Lake District, Yorkshire, the Peak District, North, Mid and South Wales right down to Devon and Cornwall.
In Europe I have organised and participated in successful expeditions to Switzerland, the Italian Dolomites and the French Alps. Further afield, I have been to South America to climb Aconcagua, Africa to climb Meru Peak and Kilimanjaro by the difficult Western Breach route, to Nepal, which was a lifetime ambition, to climb Gokyo Ri, Kala Patthar and Chukhung Ri, then in 2019 I went to Russia for an attempt on Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe. I have written about many of these trips and expeditions and these reports are in the 'Previous Expeditions' pages.
During those expeditions I had the opportunity to test out all types of equipment and the Equipment Review page lists most of this gear along with my honest opinion. Hopefully that will be of use to anyone considering purchasing equipment.
Over the years, I have been slowly but surely climbing all of the 2,000 foot mountains in England and Wales as defined by the Nuttalls guides, i.e. 2,000 foot with a 50 foot drop. As a labour of love, I have listed all of these mountains along with the date of ascent on the Mountain Log Book page. During 2023 I completed all of the mountains in Wales and hope to complete the English ones in 2024. I have created a database SQL file and also a spreadsheet containing the list. Anyone who reads this and would like an electronic copy of the full list of Mountains, get in touch and I'd be happy to provide it free of charge, but be warned, it gets very addictive! In the meantime, have a look around the site, read the reviews and reports and let me know what you think.
UK Mountains Blog 2024
Stroll on Cleeve 16/04/2024
One of my favourite walks is on Cleeve Hill starting from near the Rising Sun and walking over to Belas Knapp, following more or less the Cotswold Way, then return via the Radio masts and a fiendish drop down to the pond followed by an equally fiendish climb back to the main summit and a circuit around to make up 10 miles. Great weather, although windy with the odd shower, but sunny and warm when it was sheltered.Even more Marilyns 09/04/2024
This is becoming a weekly event it seems. Today I climbed another two Marilyns; Myarth (292m) which is actually located on private property belonging to the Glanusk Estate, but an email request was met with a super helpful Estate Manager who granted permission. Parking at the forest entrance, it was thirty minutes up a good track, followed by a few minutes hunting for the summit amongst the brambles, then twenty minutes back down again. As a climb, I probably would not recommend it in summer as it would be a fight once the track is left.
The second hill was Bryn Arw (384m). Llanvihangel was the starting point for this one. Reasonable tracks led to the foot of the mountain. It was then mixed fields, thin tracks and a steep climb onto the summit ridge. I followed the ridge to the end, then dropped down and circled back, picking up the upward path. Interestingly, the big cairn is not the highest point.Bryn Arw 09/04/2024
Myarth 09/04/2024
Bradnor Hill 02/04/2024
Aberedw Hill 02/04/2024
The Carneddau 02/04/2024
The Begwyns 02/04/2024
Grand day out 02/04/2024
Four more Marilyns for the collection. An initial long drive over to the far side of Hay on Wye for a very pleasant walk on the Begwyns to the summit (415m). Parking was roadside on a narrow lane and the walking gently upwards with superb views on the summit. From there, it was a relatively quick hop over to Buith Wells for the big walk of the day combining the Carneddau (445m) and Aberedw Hill (451m), the latter being an initial tough climb on very steep ground followed by a couple of kilometres of relatively flat ground to the summit trig point. The final climb of the day was on Kington Golf course to Bradnor Hill (391m). Parking can be had just at the entrance to the golf club and the walk is mostly up the road that serves the golfers with a final off road section to the summit. The weather was fine all day apart from the return from Bradnor when the rain started but I missed the worst. Rather amazingly, my total ascent for the day was 1,120m.More Marilyns 01/04/2024
Hopefully this week the weather will be kind enough to get out for more Marilyn bashing. I have identified two that can be done on a single walk further into Wales near Buith Wells and the journey there and back will allow me to pick up an additional two.
I am slowly working through them all, identifying and constructing walks, but there are a lot and it is very time consuming so will be an ongoing project.Hegdon Hill 21/03/2024
Burton Hill 21/03/2024
Seager Hill 21/03/2024
Herefordshire Marilyns 21/03/2024
Another day bagging Herefordshire Marilyns. After failing on Seager Hill (272m) near Tarrington last time, I returned to bag this one first and again failed! Walking up a path through Tarrington Common I came up to Private Land and had no choice but to abandon. It was the first peak of the day, so not deterred, I drove around the other side, found a thin parking space and attacked it from the South side. Not as far, but successful. From there I drove over for Burton Hill (294m), an altogether easier approach, following a good bridleway almost to the top. There was a small sting in the tail with a very muddy and steep last section but it was soon over. The final hill of the day was Hegdon Hill (255m) which is actually located on a road, but to make it a bit of a challenge I parked in Pencombe and followed the bridleway for about two miles to the summit and back.Graig Syfyrddin 14/03/2024
Garway Hill 14/03/2024
Aconbury Hill 14/03/2024
A Marilyns kind of a day 14/03/2024
There are a lot of Marilyns, and stringing a few of them together into a single walk is not easy, so today I jumped in my car with a cunning plan. I identified four in the Herefordshire (ish) area and drove to each, parking close, or not so close to each, and bagged them as separate walks. I managed Aconbury Hill (276m), Garway Hill (366m) and Graig Syfyrddin (423m). The final ascent was meant to be Seager Hill. I parked in Tarrington and headed off. Unfortunately after about a mile along the road, there was no further path to the hill. Walking back down I spied another path heading in the right direction, but lethargy, oncoming rain and a general feeling of had enough took over and I decided it would be for next time, but at least I knew where the path was.
My total ascent was just over 900 metres according to my watch, with a distance of about 15km. A good day out but surprisingly tiring. The weather was not so kind but I managed to avoid the worst of the rain which came as I was driving home.Moving to Marilyns 11/03/2024
Now that I am down to my last 15 Nuttalls and they are all in the North of England, it is time to turn my attention to more accessible Marilyns to keep fit whilst planning the next adventure. Luckily there are quite a few within easy reach, the only problem is they are too far apart to bag more than one at a time, but I have a plan that will enable me to grab several in one day, but it does involve driving between each of them. More details to follow.A good couple of weeks 06/03/2024
The last two weeks have seen me climb two Marilyn Peaks, ten Nuttalls, and four Munros with a total distance walked of almost 120km and an ascent of over 8,000 metres. I feel I deserve a couple of days off!Chapelfell Top 04/03/2024
Completing Burnhope Seat 04/03/2024
Day two of my stopover on the way back from Scotland saw me adding another two peaks and completing the Burnhope Seat group. The mountains added were Chapelfell Top and Frendrith Hill.
Despite the short distance, being snow covered, the going was very tough, especially on the tops where boots sank at every step and care was needed to avoid sinking into hidden bogs. The weather was thankfully, excellent with the sun shining all day, although a cold wind on the summits kept the temperature down.Murton Fell 03/03/2024
More Nuttalls in Cumbria 03/03/2024
A day off yesterday didn't really help with the legs today, but nevertheless I managed three peaks in two walks, firstly Murton Fell (675m) then the plan was to walk across to Little Fell, but the going was so tough with so much snow that I decided to retrace my steps back down instead. Back at the car, I had a reset, then had a word with myself, manned up and went and climbed Long Fell (623m) and Tinside Rigg (624m). Little Fell remained untouched so will be one for the future.Aonach Mor 01/03/2024
Winter Summits Day 5 01/03/2024
We ascended Aonach Mor from the upper Ski lift. It is initially very steep, but once the plateau is reached, it flattens off for a steady walk across to the summit cairn. It was a warm day with some breeze from time to time. I managed to walk all day without my over trousers on which was a first for this week. There were fabulous views all around, especially to Carn Mor Dearg and Ben Nevis but also Scotland as far as the eye could see was a white mountain playground. A special day for our last in the highlands for this time.Meall a Bhuiridh 29/02/2024
Winter Summits Day 4 29/02/2024
Today we made an ascent of Meall a Bhuiridh (1,108m) from the Glen Coe Ski centre. The first section was up a tarmac road, then we loosely followed the ski lift and finally a steep ascent onto the summit. It was very windy most of the time with a lot of snow being blown around but it was relatively dry so we didn't actually get wet.
Superb day out with another good Munro bagged.Stob Ban 28/02/2024
Winter Summits Day 3 28/02/2024
I started the day feeling really bad, for the first time in a very long time, I have a cold! Our route was up to Stob Ban not far from Fort William. I decided to take my own car so that I could turn back if necessary. In the end, I managed to walk up to the col at the foot of the final climb, but already felt I had done enough so elected to walk back down with a couple of others who felt similarly.
A good day out nevertheless but the day was damp and raining pretty much the whole time. Stob Coire Raineach 27/02/2024
Winter Summits Day 2 27/02/2024
Day 2 saw a very different day, more typically Scottish, with heavy rain first thing, although we delayed leaving to allow it to clear. As we ascended, the wind picked up to the point that several were getting knocked over. On the ascent of Stob Coire Raineach a few elected to abandon and return to the relative calm of the col. I was one of the summitteers and ironically, it was fine on the top!
When we got down to the col, we had fun digging a snow shelter to show just how much work is required for even a small one. It took ten of us forty five minutes to dig a shelter that would take three but it was a serious squeeze.
On the way down, or rather, all the way down, we were treated to a proper scottish shower.Stob Coire Nan Lochan 26/02/2024
Winter Summits Day 1 26/02/2024
Day 1 of the Winter summits course saw us ascending Stob Coire nan Lochan from the Glen Coe road. Ice axes and crampons were used after the first hour and right onto the summit and most of the way back down. The weather was excellent all day long, in fact, it felt a bit too warm at times. I doubt that feeling will last!Cold Fell 25/02/2024
Black Fell area done 25/02/2024
An ascent of Cold Fell completed the Black Fell area. It was an excellent day with excellent weather and a good path until the final summit area where it deteriorated into a heathery bog fest, but it was short lived. The views across to the Lake District are stunning and made it well worth while.Meldon Hill 24/02/2024
Big day out on Meldon Hill 24/02/2024
Meldon Hill is a tough undertaking, especially when I'd already climbed Dufton Hill, a Marilyn and Backstone Edge, a Nuttall. It involved about three miles of trudging across boggy, heathery ground, up and down peat groughs berfore I finally reached the summit area. From there, the pain is not over as it is a long slog down to High Cup Nick, followed by over four miles of downhill back to Dufton.Bink Moss 23/02/2024
Doing the double 23/02/2024
The plan was an ascent of Bink Moss. Not a long day out, but an isolated peak so not much choice really. I finished early, so decided to drive around and pick off James Hill as well. Neither walk was particularly arduous, but the going was distinctly soft.Esgair Route 16/02/2024
Allt yr Esgair 16/02/2024
Black Mountains Day out 16/02/2024
A nice day out in the Black Mountains saw me ascend Mynydd Llangorse (515m), a mountain I had done several times and the first Marilyn of the year; Allt yr Esgair (393m). My starting point was Llangors which has a convenient, if small car park in the centre of the village. A little road work to get into the countryside, followed by a big pull onto Llangorse was enjoyable. There was then a long ridge walk down to the road and the turn point to head up to Esgair. It is straightforward and never steep but has great views on the summit.
From there, it should have been an easy descent and around the lake to Llangors. Unfortunately, the fields were underwater so I had a big detour around the roads to finish. A very nice 12 mile walk which ended in fine style when I discovered the small shop that did a fantastic coffee and even better pain au chocolat - well deserved in my opinion.Scottish Winter Mountaineering 23/01/2024
In a few weeks I'll be off to Scotland for some winter mountaineering. On the way up I have a plan to climb five of the remaining Nuttalls and on the way back, another six if I have any energy left!Bredon Hill 22/01/2024
For a change I thought I'd do Bredon Hill. Parked in Great Comberton and followed the Wychavon Way to the summit and then out to Elmley Castle via a very muddy track. I intended to stop at the Queens Head for coffee. The only day of the week that the pub was closed so no coffee for me! Back up to Bredon Hill summit via a different way and then retraced my steps back to Great Comberton. The weather was kind but incredibly windy which had a significant chill factor.Cleeve Hill stroll 15/01/2024
A tour of Cleeve Hill out to Belas Knapp via the Winchcombe Way and return via the Cotswold Way. Good weather but windy. Went for a coffee in the Rising Sun, but they had no coffee beans!Ruardean Hill 16/12/2023
Forest of Dean 16/12/2023
Ruardean Hill conquered 16/12/2023
All 290 metres of it! Today was an ascent of Ruardean Hill which is a Marilyn and also the highest peak in the Forest of Dean. I walked over from Speech House via the Gloucestershire Way and returned via a section of the Wysis way, both of which I have walked before but they are good trails. The weather was good, but the going was very muddy in places.Shropshire Way, third section 02/12/2023
Following the Shropshire Way from about five miles from Wellington to Ironbridge including an ascent of The Wrekin. The total mileage was around 18 miles or 30km in new money so a good section completed. A great day out, very cold at times, but clear and no rain. Walking was good, the paths fine and the signage excellent. Another section and a half finished.Great Gable 30/11/2023
Great Gable completed 30/11/2023
The final nine peaks fell in a single day. They were Allen Crags (785m), High House Tarn (684m), Red Beck Top (721m), Looking Steads (775m), Glaramara (783m), Combe Head (735m), Combe Door (676m), Dovenest Top (637m), Rosthwaite Cam (612m). The day was incredible, it was clear, sunny, but very cold making walking across boggy ground easy (it was frozen) but tricky over iced rocks. Superb day out.Harter Fell 29/11/2023
Coniston area completed 29/11/2023
The final peak in the Coniston area was conquered today! An ascent of Harter Fell (653m) completed that section and bought my annual total to 115. The weather could not have been better, the sun shone on a crisp and cold day and the route up from Seathwaite was enjoyable.Cheeky Lakes Trip 22/11/2023
Due to a work meeting, my partner will be travelling to the Lake District for a couple of days, guess who gets to tag along? Two days of walking with a plan to climb ten peaks is a great end to a great years mountain climbing. Lets not count our chickens just yet though...In the Cloud 20/11/2023
In the Cloud 20/11/2023
On the way back from the Peak District, I added a final climb to bag one final Marilyn, The Cloud. It is a pleasant walk, well signposted from the car park and a nice summit. I cannot comment on the views as, ironically, the summit was totally enveloped in cloud!Monsal Trail 19/11/2023
For my final day in the Peak District, I elected to walk a good section of the Monsal Trail from Millers Dale Railway Station to Bakewell. The walking was, of course, easy being flat all the way, but the weather was suitably unkind with frequent heavy showers. Enjoyable nonetheless.Ilam and Thorpe 17/11/2023
Dovedale 17/11/2023
One of my most favourite areas of the UK is Dovedale so it was a joy to park up at Ilam village, walk up to the NT cafe for a coffee and then over a very muddly field to Dovedale. I walked along on the Thorpe Cloud side as I expected the stepping stones would be underwater, they were! It is a lovely walk along the Dale at any time and today the sun shone for most of the day. On the return I took the high path to try and avoid the muddy field back to Ilam, it was better but still muddy. I was given an arial demonstration of hang gliding flying by a group as I walked which added to the enjoyment of the day.High Peak Trail 16/11/2023
From Cromford car park, where on one side of the wall, it costs £7 per day to park and the other side is £4 per day I set off, following the canal to the High Peak Junction, cafe closed! The trail ascents the 1 in 8 climb up to Black Rocks where the second cafe was also closed. Continuing on the next incline, also 1 in 8 bought me to Middleton Top, third cafe closed! I decided to continue out to Harboro Rocks as I had never actually been to the top. It is pleasant little climb and I was surprised to be able to see Carsington Water less than two miles away.
It was an out and back walk with the bonus that the return trip was all either flat or downhill. Around 11 miles walked. The weather was dull but no wind and no rain so an improvement on the last few days.Brown Knoll 15/11/2023
Jacobs Ladder 15/11/2023
I parked at Barber Booth lower car park and followed the lane up to join the Pennine Way as it made it way out to and up Jacobs Ladder. At the top, my path went left to Brown Knoll (569m) and then over to Lords Seat (540m). The weather was dreadful and my waterproofs let me down somewhat. My first stop was at the base of Mam Tor for a drink, but it was too cold to linger long. From there, a good path led me down to Edale where the call of the Ramblers Inn was too much to resist. A warming coffee and I was off for the last two miles following the Pennine Bar to Upper Booth, then retracing my steps down to the car. It rained all day and was seriously cold!Goyt Valley 14/11/2023
Goyt Valley 14/11/2023
A day in the Goyt Valley today. I parked up in the Goyt Lane Car Park just out of Buxton and headed cross country to Shining Tor (559m), a Marilyn, then along the ridge to Cats Tor (519m), not a Marilyn. The original plan was a walk over to Black Edge but due to a combination of weather, general fatigue and apathy, I changed it to a route through the woods, via Erwood Reservoir and back to the car. It was still around ten miles so happy with that.Peak District Week 13/11/2023
Day one in the Peak District saw me climbing a 500 metre peak - Roaches (505m) and bagging another Marilyn - Gun (385m). The day was super windy with Storm Debi making its presence known. The walking was good on reasonable paths and for such relatively lowly hills, they tested the legs at times. I parked just below the Roaches ridge, bagged that, then it was a circular walk with a spur to reach Gun. The return was more or less straight back. 14km walked with a very reasonable 784m of ascent.Hampshire completed 10/11/2023
It was not too difficult to bag all the peaks in Hampshire, there is only one! Butser Hill at 270m fell easily, although it is a really nice climb and does test the legs a little. The view from the top is well worth the effort, being able to see over the Solent to the Isle of Wight. A convenient car park in the Queen Elizabeth Park makes a good starting point.New Marilyn bags 09/11/2023
I had a trip down to Sussex planned and checking on my Marilyn list, discovered three en-route, so made a plan to visit them all. In order of ascent, I bagged Walbury Hill (297m), Black Down (280m) and Chanctonbury Ring (240m). All of them were really nice walks of around 5km for each one.Marilyns 08/11/2023
Having discovered Marilyns as a new challenge, I have created a database of them all and set about recording the dates of ascent. Many of the Nuttalls are also Marilyns and vice versa so there is some overlap, but there are equally many Marilyns that fall short (far short in some cases) of the mountain definition of being over 2,000 feet. Have a look at the Logbooks section to see the various lists. It does mean of course, that I can bag summits without recourse to vast distances and it seems that there are Marilyns in most counties of the UK, so I do not have to always travel North.
Walking
From single day to several weeks, I have walked many of Britains long distance footpaths. Below are some of the more well-known routes.
| Route | Distance | Description |
|---|
Shropshire Way
(August 2023 onwards) | 200 miles | Figure of eight centred on Shrewsbury. |
Hadrians Wall
(April 2023) | 90 miles | From Bowness to Newcastle. |
Wysis Way
(April 2022) | 55 miles | From the Wye to the source of the Thames. |
St Kenelms Way
(March 2022) | 52 miles | Clent Hills to Winchcombe. |
The Ridgeway
(September 2019) | 87 miles | Avebury to Ivinghoe Beacon. |
Three Choirs Way
(March 2019) | 100 miles | Gloucester to Hereford to Worcester to Gloucester. |
Gloucestershire Way
(December 2018) | 100 miles | From Chepstow to Tewkesbury. |
Severn Way
(August 2018) | 210 miles | Following the River Severn. |
Winchcombe Way
(May 2013) | 42 miles | Around the Cotswolds. |
Limestone Way
(December 2012) | 60 miles | Rocester to Castleton in Derbyshire. |
Welsh 3000s
(July 2000) | 28 miles | All 3,000' mountains. |
Worcestershire Way
(July 1992, August 1992 and August 2004) | 38 miles | Wyre Forest to Malverns. |
Cotswold Way
(August 1991) | 96 miles | Bath to Chipping Campden. |
Coast to Coast
(August 1990) | 192 miles | Robin Hoods Bay, Yorkshire to St Bees in Cumbria. |
6 Shropshire Peaks
(July 1990 and April 1992) | 40 miles | East to West Shropshire. |
Lyke Wake Walk
(July 1983) | 40 miles | Yorkshire Moors. |
Offas Dyke
(July 1980) | 180 miles | Length of the Welsh Border. |
Pennine Way
(August 1977) | 270 miles | Edale to Kirk Yetholm (Scotland). |
Rock Climbing
Some years ago, I qualified as an SPA Instructor, and whilst it has probably lapsed due to inactivity, I have fond memories of rock climbing in many areas of the UK & abroad, particularly at Symonds Yat, North Wales, the Peak District, Mid-Wales, Cornwall & Scotland. I have many hundreds of logged climbs in my log book and during my time, have climbed many more than I have recorded.
Mountaineering
There are many beautiful mountain ranges in the world, many within easy reach of the UK. I am fortunate to have been to a large number of them. Below are the best.
| Mountain (Range) | Description |
|---|
Mount Ararat
(September 2023) | The Highest Mountain in Turkey 5,137m. |
|
Elbrus
(August 2019) | The Highest Mountain in Europe 5,642m. |
|
Nepal
(October 2018) | Trekking in the Himalaya to a maximum of 5,643m. |
|
Kilimanjaro
(September 2017) | The highest mountain on the continent of Africa at 5,895m. |
Teide, Tenerife
(April 2015) | Highest Mountain in Spain (Tenerife) at 3,718m. |
|
Alesch Glacier
(August 2001) | Including the Hexenstein in the Jungfrau region of Switzerland. |
|
Aconcagua
(January 2001) | Highest Mountain in South America at 6,960m. |
|
Dolomites
(August 2000) | Northern Italys' most famous range. |
|
Matterhorn
(August 1997) | Most famous Mountain in Switzerland at 4,405m. |
|
Mont Blanc
(September 1995) | Highest Mountain in Western Europe at 4,807m. |
|
