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Keswick and the Lakes

Sam — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 21:22:08 +0000

I’ve just spent a week in the Lake District based in Keswick, 3 nights camping and 4 in a B&B. Compared to last years glorious sunshine this year was a big disappointment, with (heavy) rain every day and a broken car to contend with! As a result the volume of walking was reduced but still an enjoyable week, albeit with a few shopping days.

In Summary:
Monday – Short late afternoon walk (after the rain eased off) up Skiddaw from Mirehouse. Cloud at 600m.
Tuesday – Helvellyn from Glen Ridding via Striding Edge. Strong winds. Clear on summit. On to Nethermost Pike, Dollywaggon Pike, Fairfield, St Sunday Crag. Probably best day overall.
Wednesday – Pillar from Buttermere (Gatesgarth) via Scarth Gap Pass & Black Sail Hut. Cloud at 700m.
Thursday – Shopping in Keswick and general chilling out day.
Friday – Car wouldn’t start due to electrical fault. Required breakdown callout and then needed to go to the main dealer in Cockermouth. Explored Cockermouth. Courtesy car loaned overnight while repairs carried out.
Saturday – Car still not repaired and will not be until Monday, meaning alternative transport home would be required. Had use of courtesy car until Sunday pm, so managed to do Great Gable and Green Gable from Seathwaite, via Grains Gill, past Sprinkling Tarn and Sty Head, returning on the path west of Base Brown. Think cloud from 500m. Heavy rain.
Sunday – Returned courtesy car. Lift home. Will need to return next week via train & bus to collect my car…

iPhone 3G Downgrade

Sam — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:19:50 +0000

Downgraded my iPhone 3G from v4.0.1 back to v3.1.3 at the weekend, having had enough of staring at a blank screen while waiting for it to do something! This link explains how to do it.

Now it runs fast again.

Apple should have warned iPhone 3G owners not to upgrade to v4.0 – the hardware simply can’t take it.

The Arans

Sam — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 18:02:15 +0000

Matt and I went for a walkabout on the Arans. Surprisingly, as the weather had been brilliant over recent weeks, there was heavy rain, fog and 70mph winds that caused us to walk at a 45 degree angle! We followed a path for a while but then gave up for the hardcore approach, notably the vertical ascent up to the saddle of Drysgol and then clinging to the fence on the top as the wind tried to kill us. Typcially, as we got back to the car (literally) the cloud lifted, sun came out etc. Great fun, and nice pints in Llanuwchllyn after.

Below, picture of Matt on the summit of Aran Fawddwy.

Yorkshire 3 Peaks

Sam — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:34:44 +0000

This classic walk – done with Cheshire Walkers – encapsulates Pen-y-ghent (691m), Whernside (728m), and Ingleborough (723m), and is roughly 25 miles in total. Weather was excellent for the occasion and so was the camping. The distance was challenging, but not so enjoyable were the large sections of flat land walking joining up the peaks. Also in abundance were thousands of other walkers – lots of charities especially, possibly as we did this in June where the daylight is longest. Still, a good one to tick off the list, and my first conscious venture into the Yorkshire Dales. Perhaps next time I’ll run it and get the job done quicker!
Some pictures below…(click image for more)

DIY… Various Photos of Evolution

Sam — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 11:10:59 +0000

Various pictures from October 2009 to May 2010, a time which was largely spent doing DIY, home renovation and general cash burning.

Arans, Dolgellau & Cader Idris

Sam — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:09:02 +0000

And so the merry men returned to the Welsh mountains for another weekend of adventure. The song rang out across the hills…

Guide me, O Thou great Redeemer,
Pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand.
Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven,
Feed me till I want no more;
Feed me till I want no more.

See the photos by clicking the image below.

New Year, Grasmere

Sam — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:46:41 +0000

The New Year was spent with the Cheshire Walkers in Grasmere. There was an abundance of snow, and this made for some memorable winter walking. The highlight for me was a linear walk done with Andrew over Hellvellyn on New Years eve – a complete white-out!

Picture below of Andrew on the summit… Click below for more.

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Sam — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:23:17 +0000

Matt and I went to see Rodrigo y Gabriela in the Manchester Apollo. Totally awesome!

Carneddau

Sam — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:24:12 +0000

Pics from the Carneddau when out walking with Matt.

Turkey

Sam — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:36:20 +0000

Pics from Yoga holiday in Dalaman, Turkey.