Tag: trailblazer

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Long Distance Paths

The Pennine Way Process

It was now or never really. I’d been waiting until as close to deadline as possible to conduct a comprehensive village survey for the Pennine Way guide book update. I

Long Distance Paths

Page 1 Completed!

I had an email from Bryn at Trailblazer Guidebooks last night – he hadn’t received any photos from me for the book yet and he needed something to put in

A rather muted dawn, seen from Hadrian's Wall
Long Distance Paths

Burnhead to Sycamore Gap

I’d requested an early breakfast for this morning, despite it being Saturday and feeling a little selfish at asking Dave and Christine to get up even earlier to provide for

The old (ancient fingerpost) and the new (acorn marker) on the Pennine Way
Long Distance Paths

Knarsdale to Burnhead (on the Wall)

The wind has been the dominant factor for the last two days of this walk. The cold has been as a result of the wind for the most part, but

Some challenging conditions after the incredible rain and wind this morning
Long Distance Paths

Garrigill to Knarsdale

If I’d started this walk today, I would almost certainly either have had to cancel it, or I’d be dead on the summit of Cross Fell, having been blown away

Knock Old Man, cairn on Knock Fell
Long Distance Paths

Appleby to Garrigill

If I had to use just one word to describe today’s walk from Dufton to Garrigill along the Pennine Way it would have to be “gruelling”. There was a point

Cauldron Snout - at the bottom
Long Distance Paths

Langdon Beck to Appleby

Well, if I’d thought I was knackered ta the end of yesterday, then today I was double knackered with knobs on! The wind was relentless and biting cold too and

High Force in the River Tees
Long Distance Paths

Baldersdale to Langdon Beck

Wow, what a day! I’m absolutely knackered. I struggled up the gentle incline of East Underhurth Farm’s drive and felt sure I couldn’t have walked another 100 yards. My boots

God's Bridge - one of a few in limestone country
Long Distance Paths

Tan Hill Inn to Baldersdale

I dithered and dallied all morning in Tan Hill, I had a late breakfast at 09:15 and then lazed in my room until 10:30 when I moved to the lounge

A wintery summit shelter on Great Shunner Fell
Long Distance Paths

Hardraw to Tan Hill Inn

I had a great evening in the Green Dragon, the only thing that could have improved it would have been some comfy chairs. The ones they have are all wooden

Waterfall in Hawes, right in the centre of the village
Long Distance Paths

Ribblehead to Hardraw

An easy day to start with, though it started at 5:30 in order to drive the 120 miles to Appleby to catch the early train to Ribblehead. I only had

Utterly Butterley Reservoir
Long Distance Paths

Summertime

I finally realised someone was having a laugh at my expense when I heard a brass band playing ‘Summertime’ as I stepped off my fourth train of the morning, at

Feet up, catching the sun, on the ascent out of Ponden
Camping

Filling in the Gaps

I should have been walking along the Pennine Way with @PilgrimChris this weekend, but family commitments forced a change in plan from him and so I was left to my

Misty camp on Kinder Low, either side of the path
Camping

A Weekend Sacrifice

The Oxford Dictionary defines sacrifice as “An act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy”. It also includes an alternative

A wet camp outside Gargrave
Camping

Pennine Way Loading: 10% Complete

I’ve now done 30 miles of the Pennine Way as part of the Trailblazer guide book update. That’s about 10% of the total mileage that I need to cover during

Malham Cove on the Pennine Way
Long Distance Paths

No Time Like the Present

Or so the saying goes. Typically I’m a ‘leave it to the last minute’ sort of person, but that approach is never going to work for the Pennine Way project.

General

I'm Back!

Regular readers may have noticed, it’s been very quiet around here recently and for that I must apologise, however, that’s about to change and I should be getting back into