A little light drizzle in the air saw us optimistically drive up the Duddon Valley, where the farmer gave us a friendly welcome, declaring us ‘a good omen’. Two minutes later, we were back in the van as a shower blew through. Having got that far, we went for a walk up to Wallowbarrow Crag Read more

I’ve led several groups over and around Dow Crag in the Lake District and even walked past on a few of my own expeditions in the past, but until now, had never actually climbed a route on it. Things had changed since my last visit and in true Lakeland style, there is now a pay Read more

As the overnight rains cleared away, we went west to near Millom and the mouth of the Duddon Estuary. By chance, we came across a lovely swimming spot, but neither of us quite fancied getting in.  Instead, we made a six kilometre hike around the RSPB Bird Reserve at Hodbarrow, which was alive with terns, Read more

Ahhhh…. it feels like we’ve arrived on a holiday! Had an enormous sleep, followed by a couple of breakfasts, which rolled into lunch. The morning was pretty much over by the time we ventured across the street into the square to see our new surroundings. There’s a bit of a French village vibe here – Read more

For the first time in what feels like forever, we’re back on the move again. After an unexpectedly late night with friends, there was a bit of a clamour to get packed, get The Cottage in a fit state ready for incoming guests, wave goodbye to the Welsh mountains and get the well packed van Read more

In the midst of a particularly busy day, Aled and I manged to hook up in the Ogwen Valley for a classic and a not so classic climb. With time being of the essence, we chose to climb on the edge of the Milestone Buttress after securing the last parking spot in the valley. The Read more