The annual New Year post to wish all readers and fellow bloggers the best for 2013, and to reassure everyone that we haven’t been swallowed by a fearsome bog in Wales or the North Pennines. This photo is from a pitch on an unpublished short backpack in June.
2012 was an unusual year, the highlights being two superb Scotland backpacks in Spring in what turned out to be the only sustained fine weather of the year.
After July we were occupied full time with other projects for months, and now the appeal of winter backpacking is waning with each passing year, in particular the travelling to the hills. There were few good opportunities anyway, even the local country lane was closed due to flooding for a while curtailing the possibilities for short walks. Fitness may be a significant problem when we finally start the ascents, it will be a slow business!.
A short 2-day circuit of the north eastern sector of the Arenigs, a compact group of hills north of Bala whose luminary Foel Goch just breaks the 2000′ contour.
Weatherwise this was the first decent couple of days for weeks following the wettest June and July on record, it was also a weekend at the start of the holiday season: even the relatively little trodden areas would be suspect now. Time to peruse the map and seek out a really forsaken corner of Wales that hardly ever sees visitors, and this isolated group containing a few unclimbed Dewey 500m tops was ideal. A simple flexible route plan was quickly devized beginning at the small village of Llanfor, and our expectations were fulfilled: the whole area was totally deserted.
The first day was quite dull and the poor light drained the landscape of contrast, but the clarity improved greatly overnight and the dawn skies all around at the tent pitch were superb.
Full report & photos
A superb 5-day trek around the remote Ben Alder group of mountains bounded by Loch Ossian, Loch Ericht, Loch Ghuilbinn and Loch Treig, starting at Corrour station and ending at Tulloch station. The route is mainly on good paths and tracks with just one significant rough pathless section between Dubh Lochan and the Allt Gualainn a’ Chàrra Mhòir.
The outward leg from Corrour station follows the southern shore of Loch Ossian and ascends via the Uisge Labhair to the upper reaches of the glen.
The southern section traverses Bealach Cumhann, descends near the Alder Burn to Benalder Cottage and climbs to Bealach Breabag and the summit of Sròn Coire na h-lolaire for a fine view of Beinn Bheòil and Loch Ericht.
The eastern section descends via the shore of Loch a’ Bhealaich Bheithe to Culra Lodge for a splendid view of Ben Alder’s superb eastern corries and the neighbouring Geal-Chàrn group.
The north-eastern section traverses the An Lairig from Loch Pattack to Dubh Lochan and descends to Loch Ghuilbinn and Strath Ossian.
The north-western section ascends the footpath over the lower slopes of Chno Dearg and Coire Dhearcaig to Fersit for a final hike along the minor road to the A85 and Tulloch station.
Our second expedition to Scotland in 2012, we were again blessed with fine sunny conditions and clarity but a quite debilitating heat in the latter half. Despite the high temperatures and lack of wind we experienced no midges at all. The first and last days were largely spent on the driving and train journeys and were planned to be short. Late in the first day near Corrour Lodge an activity group was setting off and a few people were returning, after that we didn’t see another walker for the rest of the trek.
Full report & photos
A short 2-day variation of a Northern Arans circuit, approaching up the familiar north ridge and circling round to the Llaethnant valley for a pitch by Creiglyn Dyfi and returning on a new line directly down Cwm Llwydd and Cwm Croes to Pont Talardd and Llanuwchllyn.
The forecast had predicted a quiet day for Saturday with quickly deteriorating conditions from the north over the course of Sunday, particularly with regard to the wind where mobility would be very difficult towards the end of the day.
An Aran backpack fitted the bill at short notice, a pitch cradled in the arc of cliffs would provide enough shelter from the developing westerly blast. As it turned out Saturday was very breezy and the wind around Creiglyn Dyfi was blowing from just about every direction, but the pitch was a grand one and I had no problems as it strengthened overnight, unlike a couple of campers not far away apparently, as I discovered the next morning.
Full report & photos
A varied low-to-mid level trek around the Etive group of mountains bounded by Rannoch Moor, Loch Etive and Glen Kinglass, mainly on good paths and tracks.
The outward eastern route follows a section of the West Highland Way (WHW) over the shoulder of Màm Carraigh to traverse Black Mount to Kings House and the foot of the Devil’s Staircase.
The north-western section ascends between the towering Buachaille Etive peaks through the Lairig Gartain, a fine old pass route linking Glen Coe and Glen Etive with a beautiful mountain view towards Loch Etive from its summit.
The south-western section hugs the eastern shore of Loch Etive as far as Ardmaddy, flanked by Ben Starav and Beinn Trilleachan.
The southern route returns along Glen Kinglass and ascends to a superb central section with a splendid mountain view to the north, reaching Loch Dochard and the Abhainn Shira.
An extraordinary spell of weather for March mandated the investment of resources for a Scotland backpack: very warm sunny weather by day and freezing nights, only slightly marred by a thick haziness to the some of the mountain views. No complaints though, this was a splendid backpack with virtually nobody around, just a handful briefly in the vicinity of the Buachaille: from halfway up the Lairig Gartain to the end of the trip we saw only one walker, who was doing a similar route in reverse. Even the Black Mount section of the WHW was deserted. Very little snow remained on the mountains, just scattered pockets on the uppermost slopes and the odd corrie edge fringed with white.
Full report & photos
Our first backpack of 2012 and another short outing in the Carneddau for brief daylight hours, this time a 2-day circuit from Capel Curig around Cwm Tal-y-braich over the south eastern tops of Pen Llithrig y Wrach and Pen yr Helgi Du. The return is a pleasant hike along the valley track of Telford’s old road.
The weather since late November had been dreadful from a backpacker’s viewpoint, only a handful of isolated good days and never more than one at a time, the rest being formidably wet, windy or both. Here at last was a sunny cold forecast and the conditions were excellent on this trek, the highlight being a fantastic pitch on Pen Llithrig y Wrach with turbulent skies at dusk and a very cold clear night of thick crunching frost beneath a gleaming moon.
Full report & photos
A quick post to wish everyone all the best for 2012.
Our backpacks tailed off markedly last year due to other projects, poor weather and stuff happening, let’s hope for more in 2012. At least we started the year today with a very quick walk before the rain rattled in, just a short local outing from home on the deserted country lanes but a pleasant tonic after our voluntary incarceration over Christmas. Not much in the way of training though, the Cheshire plain near Jodrell Bank is flat as a pancake. It’s not photogenic at all and the morning was pretty gloomy, but on the right is the only picture we captured, a lake near one of the lanes.
Another 2-day circuit of the excellent Cwm Eigiau, a short trip culminating in a fine pitch on Craig Eigiau and a low-to-mid level return along the old cwm quarry track and over the Cribau shoulder to the valley of the Afon Ddu.
This narrow slot of fine weather turned out to be a curious mix for November: a chilly northerly stream yet very warm in the sheltered sunshine and a much colder night than expected. The tent was stiff with thick frost and the attractive pools on Gledrffordd were frozen on the superb morning traverse in the warm calm air. The northerly flow had polished the views to excellent clarity, only to be quickly eradicated by an all-enveloping mist by afternoon.
Full report & photos
A 2-day circuit of the eastern Arenigs from Llanuwchllyn to visit a couple of new 500m Dewey hills, a quick trip conceived at short notice with little planning required and some new landscape to explore. The outward route approaches through the forest of Y Lordship and the return is via Blaen Lliw and the bridleway traversing Ffridd Trawsgoed.
The clarity was excellent on the first day giving pin-sharp landscapes and distant clear views, culminating in a superb night at Moel Llyfnant, the third time I’ve pitched here. A haze developed overnight and the light breeze died completely by dawn, prompting a very swift striking of camp to mitigate a midge onslaught and a fast return to base. The area was deserted for the whole trek.
Full report & photos
Another wild and solitary trek in the wilderness of the Elan Valley in mid Wales, using some fragments of our previous routes and some new seldom trodden territory in the heart of the region around the remote Llyn Gynon. Most of the route is on good tracks and paths, but the western arc around Llyn Gynon has short sections of very rough and rather wet pathless terrain.
After weeks of unseasonally wet and stormy weather in May, we seized this 3-day slot of breezy but very warm sunny conditions, ideal for backpacking the vast spacious grasslands of the Elenydd where the song of the skylark fills the air almost constantly and red kites soar overhead and glide effortlessly into the distance.
Full report & photos
