Yorkshire Three Peaks

YORKSHIRE THREE PEAKS MOUNTAIN CHALLENGE - 05/07/08

PHOTO: Pen-y-ghent - an hour into the walk

What a walk! 26 miles, three peaks (Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough) and some of the worse summer weather I have ever experienced! The five of us completed the walk in 10.5 hours. In all, over 500 people took part in this event to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care. The five of us raised over £1,200, whilst the whole event raised an amazing total of £125,000!

Walking up and across Whenside was the biggest challenge - horizontal rain, gale force winds and a significant wind chill. We were all pretty drained as we reached the summit as we'd walked around 15 miles but also had to tackle the horrendous weather. So we took shelter for 30-minutes in my emergency group shelter, ate lunch and refuelled our energy reserves.

The ascent of Ingleborough was also a bit nerve-racking as forked lightning streaked across the sky. Luckily the storm was a few miles away, but that didn't stop a tropical downpour soaking us on the final mile or so of the walk. All in all, a memorable and enjoyable walk that tested our stamina and resilience to the full. What is happening to our weather patterns...? (the effects of a warming planet, of course - it will only get worse).

Mark Reid

PHOTO: Ingleborough - 8 hours into the walk

ITV Yorkshire walks

ITV Yorkshire monthly walks series - "A breath of fresh air"

This Friday (4th July) will see the 3rd walk in our monthly walks series for ITV Yorkshire. This month we head up to Swaledale and walk from Muker to Keld and back across Kisdon Hill. The highlight are the traditional haymeadows, which are some of the best in the world.

Swaledale is my favourite area to go walking, and has many fond memories for me for it was the place that first grabbed my attention and inspired me to go hill-walking, write guidebooks and generally spend all of my spare time (and now my working time) exploring the outdoors.

Visit the ITV website to see this walk

http://info.itvlocal.com/walks.shtml

Yorkshire Three Peaks

YORKSHIRE THREE PEAKS

This weekend (5th July) myself and two friends are tackling the Three Peak of Yorkshire in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care. This 26-mile walk involves climbing three peaks in the Yorkshire Dales - Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough. Last year, we completed it in 10 hours, including an hour at the Hill Inn at the foot of Ingleborough. So this year, we're aiming for 9.5 hours.

The weather forecast is poor - heavy rain and windy - which should add to the challenge. The worst part of the walk is the long stretch from Ingleborough back to Horton in Ribblesdale at the end of the walk. The best plan of action is to keep walking because if you stop for a rest then your muscles start to instantly seize up - it's more painful to stop than to keep on walking.

If you want to sponsor me then visit http://www.justgiving.com/markreid1

The photo was taken from the summit of Whernside during last year's walk.

Angle Tarn, High Street - wild camp

2-day walk / 14 miles / wild camp - Patterdale, Angle Tarn, The Knott, High Street, Thornthwaite Beacon, Thresthwaite Mouth, Hartsop.

Wild camped at Angle Tarn. Great location, hidden away with superb views of Fairfield and Helvellyn. Got permission to camp first from Side Farm at Patterdale (always leave your camping pitch as you found it and carry out all of your waste). This is a superb mountain walk with a great variety of landscapes, views and summits that make it full of interest all the way round. The final stretch along an old track between Hartsop and Patterdale contrasts superbly with the mountainous ridge of High Street. The highlights were: waking up at 6am at Angle Tarn and not being able to see across the tarn because of the mist; red deer on the flanks of The Knott, the views from the Straits of Riggindale; view of Blea Water from High Street's eastern edge; Thornthwaite Beacon and the steep descent ot Thresthwaite Mouth; the long descent through the valley of Pasture Beck.

ITV Yorkshire walk 'Breath of Fresh Air'

Mark Reid, author of The Inn Way guidebooks, and Jon Mitchell, ITV's weatherman, have embarked on a new monthly television series of walks for ITV Yorkshire, entitled 'Breath of Fresh Air'.

The first walk, around Hathersage and Stanage Edge, was aired on Friday 25th April.

To see the TV broadcast, view full details of the walk or download a route description and map to follow yourself then click on this link http://info.itvlocal.com/walks.shtml

Easedale - Sergeant Man - High Raise - Greenup Edge

17th April 2008.
Bright, clear but exceptionally cold, especially above 700 metres with patches of snow and significant windchill. Still, that didn't stop one bloke who I passed on High Raise who was happily fell-walking in these winter conditions wearing trainers, jeans, a lightweight coat but wasn't carrying a rucksack. And he was on his own. Adventurous, naive or just plain daft?

The hordes were left behind at Easedale Tarn, after which I only saw another 9 people (including the bloke in trainers) all the way round via Sergeant Man, High Raise and Greenup Edge back down to Grasmere. The route I took was Grasmere, Easedale Tarn, Coldale Tarn, Blea Rigg, Sergeant Man, High Raise, Greenup Edge, Far Easedale, which took me 5 hours to complete. A superb mountain day, and the hidden Coldale Tarn was a particular highlight, as was the views from Sergeant Man.


ITV YORKSHIRE WALKS

Went out yesterday (Monday) with Jon Mitchell, ITV Yorkshire's weatherman, to film the first of (hopefully) a series of 'Walks of the Month' to be shown on ITV Yorkshire's Calendar. The first walk we did was around Hathersage, North Lees, Stanage Edge and Higger Tor, finishing at the Scotsman's Pack. This should be screened at the end of April.

classic Northern pubs

I'm often asked to name my favourite pubs, but there are so many to choose from and it all depends what you're looking for.

Personally, my favourite walkers' pubs are:

Yorkshire Dales - Falcon at Arncliffe. Classic, timeless, unspoilt Dales country inn where beer is served straight from the barrel.

Lake District - Sun Inn, Coniston. At the foot of the fells, with a roaring fire in asuperb cast-iron range and some great local ales on tap.

North York Moors - Birch Hall Inn, Beck Hole. One of England's classic country pubs. Full of character with two small bars and a tiny shop sandwiched in between.

Peak District - Old Nag's Head at Edale. Classic walkers' pub at the foot of Kidner Scout.

Buckden, Starbotton, Dales Way - Upper Wharfedale walk

April Fool's Day and a walk in Upper Wharfedale. The weather is certainly having a laugh at the moment. This time last year we were basking in unseasonably warm spring sunshine; 1st April 2008 I got blown off my feet by 50mph winds on the flanks of Buckden Pike. And there's snow on the way this weekend. But to be honest, I often prefer walking in adverse weather conditions rather than dry, sunny days as the weather provides a challenge. In fact, it was quite exhilerating walking across the flanks of Buckden Pike being buffeted by gale force winds and horizontal freezing rain. My new Berghaus 4-seasons Trek pro-shell coat withstood the elements and kept out the wind and rain. I sheltered from the wind behind a drystone wall. This wall was probably 200 years old and was perfectly intact, so skilfully built that no wind could get through it. The perfect spot for a flask and mars bar.

Fairfield Horseshoe - 19th March 2008

Bright, cold March day with light winds and excellent visibility. Perfect weather for a walk around the Fairfield Horseshoe. We (me and Nick) opted to walk it in a clockwise direction so we would get the steep climb up Nab Scar out of the way at the start and then enjoy the long descent from Dove Crag back to Ambleside. Above 700m there were patches of snow, the summit was cold but only a light breeze. The views across towards Helvellyn and down into the plunging cliffs and coves of Deepdale were superb. A straight-forward walk along good paths with only a couple of steep sections along the way. The summit of Fairfield (873 metres) is a broad plateau of grass and loose rock, with sheer cliffs on its north and east face - in good visibility the route off is fairly clear to follow and well cairned BUT in mist the summit is confusing and potentially dangerous so a map, compass and a bearing is essential to avoid problems. This walk took us just over 6 hours (around 12 miles).

Yorkshire Water Way Vol 2 - available to pre-order

The Yorkshire Water Way Vol 2 is now available to pre-order (follow the link above). This book charts a new walk from Ilkley to Langsett, covering 62 miles over 4 days.

The Inn Way beermats

The Inn Way beermats. I've had 50,000 of these printed and distributed around the 200 pubs that feature on my five 'Inn Way' long distance walking routes. Keep your eyes peeled when you're out and about the Dales, Lakes, Moors, Peak or Northumberland this spring and summer. Cheers!

Borrowdale and High Spy

Stayed at the Royal Oak at Rosthwaite last Wednesday evening and took in two great days walking in Borrowdale for my Walking Weekends: Lake District book which is due to be published later this year. The Royal Oak is a wonderful place to stay; an old-fashioned family run hotel with comfortable beds, loads of hot water and great food. In fact, they ring a gong at 7pm to call you for dinner - there's no choice, only tasty, wholesome home-made food. We had tomato soup, followed by home-roast ham, jacket potatoes and veg, then spotted dick and cream and finally cheese and biscuits. Just the ticket after walking 13 miles across the fells. This was then washed down with a couple of pints of Copper Dragon at the Riverside Bar (Scafell Hotel) next door. Oh yes, the walks. We headed steeply up through Rigghead Quarries to Rigg Head and then to the summit of High Spy. The wind was so strong it blew me off my feet. Then a magnificent walk along the broad ridge across Narrow Moor, Maiden Moor and Catbells down to Hawes End, with superb views across the Newlands Valley and Derwentwater towards Skiddaw. We returned through Borrowdale along the lakeshore of Derwentwater to Grange and then through woodland skirting Castle Crag back to Rosthwaite. A wonderful walk with such contrast from the mountainous environs of Rigg Head with Dale Head dominating to the tranquil and serene woodland path around Derwentwater.

Wild Boar Fell in winter

Winter, potentailly, offers the best walking conditions of all. But in recent years, our changing climate means that the days are more often than not characterised by dull, windy, grey and damp weather, rather than the ideal of crisp, cold, clear and bright days with snow covered tops.

After several weeks of damp and windy weather, we have recently been blessed with very cold, crisp and bright days. The visibility has been superb.

Last Monday I decided to walk across Wild Boar Fell that rises up as a wall of jagged crags high above the Mallerstang Valley in the western Yorkshire Dales. This is a summit I have been meaning to reach for a number of years but, because it's Open Access Land all the way, I have been waiting for the right conditions and good visibility before tackling it.

I was not disappointed for this is, in my opinion, the finest fell-top in the whole of the Yorkshire Dales (and I've walked up almost all of them!) with one of the finest views in the North of England from its broad summit plateau. Walk to the eastern edge of the plateau and you come rather suddenly to a line of cairns along the crest of High White Scar and a spectacular view across the Eden Valley. Across the valley are the scars of Mallerstang Edge with Great Shunner Fell rising up in the distance, whilst to the south-east are the hills of Upper Wensleydale. Sweeping south, the Yorkshire Three Peaks rise up above their neighbours then further west are the Howgill Fells with the Lakeland peaks on the horizon. The Nab juts out from the plateau’s northern tip and offers another unrivalled viewpoint. If you want to ‘bag’ the summit, the Trig Point lies some distance to the west in the middle of the broad plateau. Wild Boar Fell was where, according to legend, the last wild boar was killed in England.

Yorkshire Water Way is finally nearing completion.

The finished walk will chart a 7-day route from Kettlewell in the Yorkshire Dales to Langsett in the Peak District. The walk takes in the summit of Great Whernside, the reservoirs of Upper Nidderdale and the Washburn Valley. The walk then follows a meandering course down through the South Pennines taking in Ilkley Moor and Saltaire World Heritage Site, Haworth, Heptonstall and Hebden Bridge, Stoodley Pike Monument, Cragg Vale, Great Manshead, the M62, Marsden, Wessenden Valley, Holme, Woodhead Tunnels and, finally, Langsett.

This is a walk of contrasts, from the wild moors of the Dales, Pennines and Peak to intimate cobbled lanes of former mill towns and villages.

Publication looks set for Easter...

Valentines Day is fast approaching and many people will be heading to the countryside to stay in a nice pub for a romantic weekend away, and perhaps do some walking as well (I can recommend some excellent books called 'Walking Weekends'!)

I have recently been reading about the many health benefits of walking and it got me thinking. In addition to reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, certain cancers, obesity, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, regular exercise (like hill-walking) also has many social, spiritual and psychological benefits

Regular walking may help depression, anxiety and stress as well as improve self esteem and confidence. It makes you feel good. This is because exercise, especially 'green exercise' in the coutryside, releases endorphins into your bloodstream which gives you that 'happy buzz'. Walking in the Great Outdoors also gives you an unrivalled sense of space and freedom, it allows time for you to appraise your place in the natural world and it is also a very sociable activity.

Is walking a new type of aphrodisiac?

There's only one way to find out... Book yourself into a lovely pub in the Dales for a weekend away and then set out on Saturday morning to do a great walk, and leave the rest to the endorphins!

As 2007 comes to a close, it's time to reflect on the year that has passed and look forward to the new year.

Highlights for me were seeing my little boy grow up (he's now 2 years & 6 months), gaining my Walking Group Leader qualification, publishing The Inn Way...to the Peak District (and it becoming the Mail on Sunday's travel book of the week), setting up teamwalking.co.uk (and getting several clients) and going on dozens of memorable walks. The best walks were undoubtedly in the Peak District with Lathkill Dale in late May a particular highlight. However, I also walked and researched the route for my Yorkshire Water Way Vol 2, which charts a route through the South Pennines from Ilkley to Langsett via Manshead End (pictured above).

Objectives for 2008? First and foremost is my family. Then, I will be bringing out two books - Yorkshire Water Way Vol 2 (spring 2008) and Walking Weekends Lake District (Dec 08). I will also be developing my website, pushing my teamwalking.co.uk and promoting The Inn Way walks (as always!).

I hope that 2008 brings you health and happiness, and I hope to bump into you perhaps in the Lake District during the summer whilst researching my Walking Weekends book.

Cheers

Mark Reid

The best walk in the Dales?
Probably the inter-valley walk between Upper Wharfedale and Littondale via Kettlewell, Starbotton, Old Cotes Moor and Arncliffe. Great views, wonderful villages, superb pubs and contrasting terrain. The Falcon at Arncliffe is one of the finest pubs in the Dales and certainly the most authentic. Did this walk last Sunday in crisp, cold and frosty conditions with a soft, misty sky and not another soul to be seen all day.

The best pub in the Dales? Well, there's plenty to choose from and depends what you're looking for. I prefer the traditional Dales inn ... stone flagged floors, open fires, low beams and good local ale. Falcon at Arncliffe is probably top of the list, with the Red Lion at Langthwaite, White Lion at Cray, Sportsman at Cowgill, George at Hubberholme, Queens Arms at Litton, Farmers Arms at Muker, Green Dragon at Hardraw... the list goes on.

What are your favourites?

It's been a while since my last blog - over 6 months in fact! Back in May I was just putting the finishing touches to my Peak District book, which was launched at the beginning of July. What had promised to be a great summer for walking and the outdoors with warm, dry and sunny weather in April and May did not materialise during July and August. Floods and disease (Foot & Mouth) did not help things and so my new book launch (which had taken me 2 years to write) was something of a wash-out. Never mind. It was still named the Mail on Sunday travel book of the week.

Since then, I've been working on Yorkshire Water Way Vol 2, which now looks likely to be published in spring 2008 as this has taken me much longer than anticipated to research, partly because of the poor summer weather but also because the walk goes through places I've never been to before so much of the research is from scratch. This all means that my 'Walking Weekends Lake District' will now be published in December 2008.

Cheers

Mark

The Inn Way... to the Peak District is finally complete!

I've walked over 650 miles of paths and visited over 100 pubs over two years... the result: an 84-mile circular walk divided into 6 day stages and passing 51 pubs along the way.

There's about 2 weeks work left to do proof-reading, editing, maps etc and then it will be published during late June (it takes about 4 weeks to print and bind it).

I've been re-walking the entire route over the last week or so and I stayed at the Little John at Hathersage on Tuesday- what a great pub! The food portions were enormous, the beer was great and it was full of walkers/climbers. The walk from Baslow to Youlgrave was particularly memorable as it was a hot, sunny day and there was hardly anyone about. I had Nine Ladies stone circle, Robin Hood's Stride and Rowtor Rocks all to myself; the solitude only added to their mystical appeal. I then sat outside the Red Lion at Birchover for about an hour in the sunshine - another great pub with a traditional tap room and a friendly chef who brought my dog two bowls of water and some biscuits.

Here's the cover:

The route is almost walked, with only Stage 1 (17.5 miles) left to do, which I intend to walk this Wednesday (Hayfield to Hathersage). It is quite sad, in a sort of nostalgic way, that this journey through the Peak District is coming to an end. My first trip to the area was in April 2005, since when I've walked almost half of all of the footpaths. What was once unknown has become an old friend, with many memorable walks in all weathers and some very memorable evenings in some local pubs whilst researching the area. I particularly remember an evening at the Old Royal Oak at Wetton when I had two days of walking during some of the hottest days of the year, exploring the Manifold Valley, Thor's Cave and Dove Dale. Then there was Hayfield when I stayed at the Kinder Lodge and walked, again in warm weather, across Kinder Scout and Lantern Pike. Some of the best walks I have done over the last 2 years include the limestone dales, in particular Lathkill Dale and Monk's Dale, and also my first walk across Kinder Scout with its incredibly deep peat hags and groughs and plunging escarpment. Then there was Chrome Hill, Froggatt Edge, Bretton Clough, Win Hill, Derwent Edge, Stanton Moor, Flash, Pilsbury Castle...

It's almost time to move on to a new area, although I've also got to write Yorkshire Water Way Vol 2 and Walking Weekends: Lake District this year. Here are some highlights from Stages 2 - 6 of my new walking route "The Inn Way... to the Peak District".

Stanage Edge (above), along Stage 2 (Hathersage to Baslow)

The Peacock at Rowsley along Stage 3 (Baslow to Youlgrave)

Stage 4 (Youlgrave to Tideswell) Magpie Mine

Stage 5 (Tideswell to Castleton) Cressbrook Dale

Stage 6 (Castleton to Hayfield ) The Great Ridge

Cheers

Mark Reid