Adrian's Photoblog

Here's a slow-mo video set of me on my mountain bike at Swinley Forest on 30 April 2012.  I bought the mountain bike in Jan 2012, and it has been great fun.

I never really thought I'd do it... I never really even thought about whether I wanted to...it was just something my great cycling cousins did, but not me. Then Steve did it, then Mark said he'd been roped into it, and I was cycling offroad in the new forest in May and I suddenly started to imaging I was doing it...and it felt good...and a seed was sewn. Next time I was on the bike it was there again, so it was time for a conversation with Phil about what it was really about. And here I am, doing the 3 peaks, arriving at Cold Cotes after what I can only call a hysterical decent of Ingleborough, taking 3 tumbles on the squelchy ground only to find myself laughing at how soft the landing was, and how limited my offroad cycling skills were. And this after walking up the otherside, enjoying 20 minutes or so with Mark, wondering if the 12kg piece of awkwardly shaped metal was going to be any use to to me today, or just there for fun.

And so onto Whernside...and it's amazing how the group thins out when you're near the back, which kind of suited me really, but maybe it made it a bit easy to ease off on the ascent - rather than push myself. On the decent I realise that the 3 peaks is not about whether you have Landcruisers or tubulars, or whether to have energy powders or electrolytes, it's about being able to ride your bike....and I couldn't !! I tried all sorts of routes, but all options were steep and either rocky or steep mud/grass...so carrying seemed the safest option. i'm not laughing now, because if Pen-y-ghent is this hard, then I may still get round, but I'm know I'm out of my depth, and risk a nasty fall..

After encouragement and flapjack from our enormous support team, I'm on my way to the Ghent, and munching a Torq bar because I said I would. As I start ascending the track, riders are hurtling down which is quite nerve racking....I've still got to come down there....but not yet. Higher on the hill, I see Steve...then Phil....then Mark....and it's uplifting to see them and the warmth of their greeting. Before long I'm on my way down, and it's great cycling. A lovely 'ski traverse' contouring decent above the path, with my Landcruisers holding their edge superbly, and then as we get off the steep bit I start cycling, and keep cycling, for the longest period off-road of the day. It's hard on the arms, but the sun is shining in my face, and the puddles reflect the blue sky.. and I want to stop and take it all in, but not today... The last riders are still on the mountain behind me and so have the track to myself, apart from a few amazingly tolerant walkers.

I'm at the finish, swapping stories, comparing checkpoint times, feeling good. Someone says 'Will you do it again Adrian', and I'm not sure what to say...I never really thought I might do it again..! And in the car back home the next day I'm thinking about what I could have done differently to improve on my time....and another seed is sewn.

For my records, food/drink as follows banana at Helwith Bridge, 500ml energy drink and a Torq bar over Ingleborough. Torq bar on route to Chapel-le-dale. 500ml energy drink over Whernside, 500ml electrolyte and piece of flapjack at Ribblehead. torq bar on road to Horton, and some 'energy jelly beans' and 500ml energy drink over penyghent. This all seemed to work perfectly.

My times were as follows:
Ingleborough - 1.20 Cold Cotes - 1.47

Whernside - 3.00 Ribblehead - 3.42

Penyghent - 5.04 Finish - 5.40

So, back to the familiar for summer this year and a week for Soph and Izzy alone, with us joining them on the second week.
It was unusually cool this year, with daytime temps reaching only 24-25 C, and a fair bit of cloud and rain around.
Still, the more temperate weather was perfect for walking, and we did some good walks in the mountains behind the lake, including an ascent of Le Berceau, which I last climbed with Dee in 1989.
Click on the title for the full set

I said I'd take both girls on a 16th birthday 'treat' with me to the Alps and after a lovely trip with Sophie to the Aravis in June 2007, this year it was the nearby Anterne with Izzy.
As always nothing prepares me for the wonderful things I'm going to see, hear, and experience - and with perfect weather this was a great trip. We stayed 2 nights at the Alfred Wills Refuge, and on day 2 did a walk along the ridge above at 2500m.
The 'icing on the cake' when you walk in this area are the views of Mont Blanc, and as you enter the Anterne high pasture, it's suddenly there...and from thereon it's never far away.

Click on the title to see more pictures of the trek. This photo is one of the 2 waterfalls in the lower part of the valley on our way up after an early start that morning from Romsey..!!

Photos from my trip with Sophie in June 2007 can be found on the blog for that month.

After brushing with the mountains of the lake district over a number of years this year we stepped up to the big one...and ascent of Englands highest.
I first floated the idea in January as the girls were all stepping up their training and the gym and the idea became the main purpose of our trip. Dee has done it some 25 years ago with the College Outdoor Pursuits Club.

A great day out, what I had forgotten was what a fine days walk this is...up the corridor route via Styhead, and back over Broad Crag and Esk Hause. One of the great mountain walks in the lakes. And well done all

First munro - Stob Dearg on Buachaille Etive Mor on 23 Feb 1981 with Michael Simpson

50th Munro - Spidean Mialach in April 1987 with John Shepherd

80th Munro - Garbh Chioch Mor in May 1992 with Jim Rutter

100th Munro - Meall na Teanga in March 2011 with Simon Fox

You'll notice the decline in rate...and I did infact gain 6 new munros from upgrades in the late 1990s.

my 100th Munro a photo by Ade Holmes on Flickr.

This years trip took us back to Patterdale where it all started in 2000 when I got together a group of those who I'd climbed mountains with over the years. Those joining the trips has changed a bit over the years, it's great that we all make such an effort to get together.2001
This year gave us a stunning day on the Deepdale Horseshoe, in my view the best Fairfield horseshoe..with it's impressive views of Ullswater, Helvellyn, and the eastern corries of Fairfield. Some of the debate this year was trying to piece together the trips we've had over the years, so for the record, here it is.

2000 March 4/5 Patterdale. Day 1 Helvellyn, Day 2 Place Fell. Famed for it's rotton fish.

2001 Oct 6/7 Cockermouth. Day 1 Grasmoor Horseshoe, Day 2 Mellbreak. Famous for being a replacement for a cancelled trip in March due to Foot and Mouth.

2002 March 2/3 Borrowdale. Day 1 Great End, Day 2 Causey Pike. Famous for John and Simon going solo onto Scafell Pike, and Jim adjusting his crampons in Custs Gully

2003 March 1. 1 day trip up Blencathra. Famous for Rob's Alpenstock and Adrian's inflatable trousers

2004 March 13/14 Dolgam. Day 1 Y Garn, Day 2 Moel Siabod in the rain. Famous for a lot of things, not least being the start of the Mrs Davies years. Also for epic gullies on Y Garn, and following Dave's dogs blood trail

2005 March 12/13 Dolgam. Day 1 Tryfan, Day 2 Llewidd. Famous for....not sure, but it was good

2006 March 4/5 Dolgam. Day 1 Carneddau in deep snow, Day 2 Moel Siabod. Famous for the fact we had an epic getting there with snow on the access roads, and for being stunning winter conditions.

2007 March 3/4 Wasdale. Day 1 Scafells, Day 2 Yewbarrow. Famous for finding a pair of Jeans below Mickeldore

2008 March 1/2 Wasdale. Day 1 Pillar, Day 2 Whin Rigg. Famous for the best tall stories in the pub at Nether Wasdale, and losing electricity at Burnthwaite Farm

2009 Feb 28/March 1 Dogellau. Day 1 Cadair Idris, Day 2 Rhinog Fawr. Famous for the great booze up and the curry in Dolgellau

2010 Feb 6/7 Dolgellau. Day 1 Arans, Day 2 Cadair Idris. Famous for being bless-ed with cloud inversions on both days and singing 'Bread of Heaven' on the Arans.

2011 Jan 29/30 Patterdale. Day 1 Deepdale Horseshoe, Day 2 Place Fell. Famous for being the first time the group opted to use a ferry on day 2.

So there you have it. Good job someone is nerdy enough to keep a record of these things..!!

I'd had my fine old Kastinger plastic boots for about 25 years, but have hardly used them in the last 15 years. Now they don't feel right...I suppose your feet change over time. Also they are very solid, weigh 2800g a pair, and the high ankle was restrictive. So I've thrown them away...!!

Here is the replacement, La Sportiva Trango Alp,with mix of leather and synthetics, with a goretex lining. They weigh in at 1850g per pair, a remarkable weight saving, have a small amount of sole flex and the flexi ankle cuff seems to hit the right balance....ideal for pied a plat..!! I also splashed out on some new crampons, replacing my 30 year old Cassin's with some Grivel Airtech newmatic.

Christened the boots with a 6 mile walk in the fresh snow around Romsey, but it's time to go and put them to some real use.

This cold spell was pretty unusual for Romsey, but all the more so as it begun in late November, with temperatures rising above freezing only for short spells. We also had a 24 hour period (6 Dec to 7 Dec) where it remained below freezing, which I believe is the first time it's happened since I moved to Romsey. The day of 3 December only reached -1.7, after which it cooled, then warmed up in the early hours so was above freezing by 0900 on 4th. So you could say that was the coldest daytime max we've had, since the 0900 represents the weather of the next day. Oh the problems with 24 hour periods for recording max & min...!!

Overall December is running at +4.2 max, and -2.3 min, overall about 5 degrees below normal for December so far. I'll post an update at the end of the month. And 2 snowfalls too, 13 cm on 2nd Dec, and 5 cm on 18th.

Click on the image for a larger version and see blog from last Jan to see the cold snap we had then.

I'm mightily impressed by my first every visit to Witby....in October 2010. Duncan and I walked east from the harbour along a stretch of north facing coast shaded from the autumn sun. This was an austere and intreguing stretch of coast, with dark rocks adding to the ambiance.

We walked back via the wonderful Abbey...and had a good look round before some fish and chips. What a fine piece of England.

No real need to label this photo, it is one of the worlds most famous icons. It was a magnificent sight, rising out of the flat plain of central Australia. When your driving around the area the great rock is always around...like a compass point to give you direction. And as you drive closer, every time you look it appears to have grown, and suddenly detail appears... From a distance it appears fairly flat, but close up it has many gullies and ravines..a true 3D landscape.

Don't underestimate the equally impressive Olgas rocks in the Kata Tjuta, a series of giant rocks rising out of the ground 25 miles west of Uluru.

We arrived in the rain, then the second night we had ice on the car windscreen before our walk round the Olgas boulders, where it reached 16C in the day. This photo was taken on our second evening, part of the famous sunset sequence.

Our 2 week trip to Australia was in late August 2010. We had 5 days in Sydney staying with Lucy and Gareth, then we flew into Ayers Rock for 3 days, and then back to Sydney where we went up to Terrigal, now with Lucy and Gareth, Chris, Helen and Archie, and Mark, Sarah, Katie, Shay, and Jenny. Finally a couple of days in the Blue Mountains, before our last 3 days back in Sydney with Chris & Helen.

A wonderful experience and a unique family combination up at Terrigal.

3 day traverse of the rough bounds of the Rhinogs with Peter in May 2010.

The traverse started at Llandecwyn station at 1440 on 15 May and finished at Barmouth at 1400 on 17 May. Total walking time (incl stops) was 20 hours, to cover 24 miles and a suprising 2500m of ascent.

This is wonderful mountain walking country, intricate and challenging route finding, varied terrain, lots of high lakes and continous seaward views to the west.

Don't tell too many people though as its quietness is part of the charm

Dee and I went up to the lakes for easter, via Phil and Anne's. We all went up Ingleborough, then onto Keswick. As you can see, we had wonderful weather, and so we went up Glaramara on the Cam Crag ridge, a remote and sunny grade 2 scramble. A great day's walking, before heading back to Heathrow and Jenny back on her way to New Zealand.