High Raise from Grasmere

Alastair BegleyLake District, Walking Short Link

Due to a short walk on Saturday we planned a long walk on the Sunday due to a better forecast. We decided on a circuit up to High Raise from Grasmere, which turned out to be an amazing walk as the views were constantly changing in every direction. We started up Castle How and Blea Rigg which gave us excellent views of Wetherlam and the mountains around Langdale valley. It was great to look down Langdale from above, although it was a shame that the light was very challenging photographically. As we climbed up our views over Stickle Tarn and Pavey Ark improved until we got to the summit of Sergeant Man. At this point we had views over to Helvellyn, Fairfield, Crinkle Craggs and Bow Fell. After the short walk over to High Raise we then had views to the north up towards Skiddaw and Borrowdale. The descent then took us down into a beautiful glacial valley and then along a final ridge as the sun light was fading. The final ridge did go on a bit with plenty of undulation, and unfortunately we got soaked in the last. Read the full article…

A Windy Wetherlam

Alastair BegleyLake District, Walking Short Link

Due to a very windy forecast we elected to have a short walk on Saturday which enabled us to have a lie in and then head up to Wetherlam after enjoying brunch in Coniston. We walked through the Coppermines and up to Levers Water. The cloud base was hovering around the summits during this walk which gave us some lovely views, however the light was very challenging for photography. Unfortunately the weather closed in as we approached the col before the final ridge up to the summit. After a quick summit selfie in the strong winds we made a hasty descent back down the other side of the mountain. As we dropped below the cloud base we have fantastic views over Coniston Water and the southern Lake District.

Waun Rydd from Talybont Reservoir

Alastair BegleyWinter Walking Short Link

After the recent snow we were keen to get out into the mountains. With an excellent forecast we decided to head over to the Brecon Beacons and climb up to the Waun Rydd plateau. We decided on this route as we hadn’t climbed up this side of the Pen y Fan massive before, so thought it would provide some new viewpoints. After a slow start which involved ascent on a road and then through a forrest, we were treated to a lovely climb up to Pen y Bryn with fantastic views back towards the Black Mountains and of our descent route. Once we got to the top of Pen y Bryn we had a brilliant view of Fan y Big and Cribyn. This view just kept getting better as we climbed up to the plateau. As we climbed the wind kept getting stronger, and it was a very cold wind! After traversing the plateau via the crash memorial site we found a cairn to hide behind to provide some limited shelter for some lunch. The last bit across the plateau to the descent was a bit of a slog, but. Read the full article…

Sunrise from the Cat’s Back

Alastair BegleyLandscape Short Link

My parents live just below the Black Mountains in Herefordshire, and they are lucky enough to have one of the best ridges in South Wales on their doorstep. On a map it just looks like a small spur on the edge of the Black Mountains, which I suppose it is but it more than makes up for it as it is a superb ridge with fantastic views to the north over the Golden Valley and to the south of Offa’s Dyke. After the recent snow, and with an excellent forecast for the next morning it seemed like a good opportunity to get out and try and capture the ridge during sunrise. Due to the snow getting to the start of the ridge was challenging and involved the snow chains, but it was certainly worth it.

Skirrid

Alastair BegleyWalking Short Link

Due to a very windy forecast we decided to head out for a short walk at a relatively low altitude, as even on the summit of Sugar Loaf the wind was 40mph gusting to 60mph. We decided to head up the small peak of Skirrid, which is to the east of the Black Mountains, and as it turns out has a fantastic view of Sugar Loaf and the Black Mountains. The walk around the base was pleasant, but a bit breezy. As we ascended up the steep north ridge it got progressively more windy, until about 10m below the summit. At this point the wind became exceedingly strong, to the point that standing up was very difficult! After a very quick walk down the south ridge we were back at the car in time to go for Sunday lunch at the Skirrid Inn.

Carnedd Llewelyn from Llyn Eigiau

Alastair BegleyNorth Wales, Walking Short Link

After a very warm January we were not expecting there to be snow on the mid January Avon Mountaineering Club’s trip to North Wales. However the winter seems to have just about started and we enjoyed a nice snowy walk in the Carneddau. The weather forecast was fairly mixed with one forecast suggesting that west was best and the other suggesting that east was best. Due to this we decided to go north in the hope we would get the best of what was available. The weather during the day was fine, it was cool and dry without much wind, but there was cloud above 600m all day which meant that we didn’t get any views which was a bit of a shame. We decided to walk up Carnedd Llewelyn from the northeast from Cwm Eigiau. Our plan was the walk up to Bwlch Eryl Farchog before heading to the summit having found a route from trail magazine which recommended it. However this didn’t look very probably from the bottom, and looked even less probable from the start of the steep bit. Due to this we retraced our steps and. Read the full article…

2018 in 100 Photos

Alastair Begley100 Photos, General, Landscape, Mountaineering Short Link

Looking back over 2018 it is safe to say that photographically it was a year dominated by snow for me. In the UK we had an exceptional winter which just went on and on, combined with my summer of road cycling which resulted in very few photographs and then an alpine summer which resulted in more snowy photographs. UK Winter Our winter in the UK started with a weekend trip up to Scotland to see some of our friends before they departed to New Zealand for 2 years. We had an enjoyable day walking before a day hiding from the weather. We then were able to make the most of the excellent winter by getting some winter walking done in the Lake District on the Avon Mountaineering Club’s annual winter Lakes trip. Unfortunately due to the quantity of snow it was not possible to climb, but it was certainly a beautiful day. It was then time for the annual AMC trip to Scotland. This year was the first time the AMC went to Torridon for a week. The week of the trip happened to coincide with the beast from the. Read the full article…

Walking in the Brecon Beacons

Alastair BegleyWalking Short Link

After an unhealthy Christmas and New Year we were keen to get out walking this weekend. With a cold and dry but very cloudy forecast we headed over to the Brecon Beacons to do the circuit up Craig y Fan Ddu until point 754, before heading over to Fan y Bîg, Cribyn, Pen y Fan, Corn Du and back down the ridge to the lower Neuadd Reservoir. The light throughout the day was very strange due to there being a lower layer of grey cloud and an upper layer of white cloud. We spend most of the delay below the cloud, other than the top of Pen y Fan. It was very cold in the wind, and it certainly felt like our first winter day out this year! Due to a big fell race it was not quite the quiet day out walking we had planned, but it was still enjoyable to be out. It ended up being a 19km walk which we made good time on, we were back home in Bristol by 4pm.