#32.STOODLEY PIKE.12-6-11.

After the last 2 small walk's my knee has been ok i decided to get a little bit of ascent into my next walk.As we were staying in Todmorden,because we had been to the Hebden Bridge Hand Made Festival on the saturday,i did a bit of research and found a hill called Stoodley Pike which was topped by a magnificent monument nearby and decided to walk this on the sunday morning.The weather forecast was for a dry morning with rain due to arrive by the afternoon so we set off bright and early from Todmorden and drove up to park at the Top Brink public house in between the villages of Lumbutts and Mankinholes.

This is a very popular walk and the path is well paved all the way up to the summit,the lower flank of the mountain being quite steep in places had me and Julie puffing and panting as we haven't walked anything as steep as this for nigh on 6 week's.

View back to where our car was parked.

Monument in the distance.

Walking on this side of the mountain we were sheltered from the wind and got a sweat on but as soon as we had reached the monolith where we left the Calderdale LDFP we were to feel the full force of a very cold wind all the way to the monument.

It was a relatively flat walk all the way to the summit across the moor which was full of cotton grass.

We were now on the Pennine Way LDFP,this run's right past the monument.This monument was completed in 1856,replacing an earlier structure that was built in 1815 but collapsed in 1854 when lightning hit it.A lightning conductor was added in 1889 and although being hit many times since by lightning it has not suffered any damage.The height of the monument is 121 feet and very impressive indeed.

The monument contain's a spiral staircase of 39 step's and gives access to a balcony 40 feet above the ground.It was pitch black inside and care was needed when ascending the step's,but it gave us a great view from the balcony.

View down to Todmorden.

Julie descending the spiral staircase.

The Webster memorial seat that gave us some shelter from the wind.

We timed this walk perfectly for as we got back to the car it started to rain and it rained all the way home and until night time.The distance of this walk was 6 miles with 1,000 feet of ascent.




MILEAGE      222
ASCENT        52,500
TOPS            60.

#31.BISHOP BENNET WAY.

With my knee feeling ok'ish i decided to take in a stretch of the BISHOP BENNET WAY long distance footpath and to try to complete the series of geo-cache's that have been hidden along the route.The walk was 5 miles in length with 100 feet of ascent and it took me 2.5 hours to find all 21 cache's hidden.I forgot my camera so no photo's to add.

MILEAGE     211
ASCENT       51,500
TOPS             59.

#30 BRYN Y GAER.5-6-11.

Seriously going stir crazy having not walked for 4 week's and my knee still giving me gip i decided to try this little local walk to see how my knee would hold up.Me and Julie parked the car in Caergwrle,walked passed the now closed Derby Arms public house,across the packhorse bridge and up to Hawarden road.We walked for a while on the Wats Dyke long distance footpath before turning away to join the path that lead's to Bryn y Gaer.Found a few geo-caches along the way before heading up to Caer Estyn through the tree's.

After skirting the disused quarry we headed back to the road to find a cache by the road bridge.

We then retraced our footstep's to the packhorse bridge,found another cache here.

The path now go's past the old Caergwrle Brewery on our way back to the car.A pleasant little stroll of 2.5 miles with 400 feet of ascent.


MILEAGE         206
ASCENT           51,400
TOPS                 59.

#29.The Tennyson Memorial,Isle of Wight.6-5-11.

Our week's holiday in Lymington,the Isle of Wight and Malmsbury had promised a lot of walking but due to my injured knee we didn't do much but did manage a slow painful walk up to the Tennyson Memorial on Tennyson Down on the south west corner of the Island.We left the car in Freshwater Bay and walked the 1.5 mile to the memorial,the view's from the top are fantastic even though it was a little hazy.Distance 3 miles with 500 feet of ascent.

Amended mileage and ascent.
MILEAGE         203.5
ASCENT           51,000
TOPS                59.

#28.Froncysyllte to Llangollen and back.30-4-11.

Walking around town the previous night my knee "went",it was hurting bad.I assume i have done too much walking lately and the strain was telling.Today i had planned to do the North Berwyn Way with Micky but was in no fit state so decided on the easier Llangollen walk.Richard dropped me and Micky off in Trevor and we followed the Offa's Dyke footpath up through Trevor Wood and onto the Panorama.We followed the newly tarmac'ed road to Castell Dinas Bran,here as my knee was hurting i traversed the castle by the low level path whilst Micky went over the top and met me on the other side.We walked down into town and had a pint at the Bridge End,sitting chatting with Pip,before walking down the canal back to Froncysyllte.Again i took the shortest path back to meet Julie and Sue whilst Micky took the detour over the aqueduct.8 (painful) miles with 1,300 feet of ascent.


MILEAGE         192.5
ASCENT           67,350
TOPS                58.

#27.Pistyll Rhaeadr.29-4-11.

Today the whole country was given a day off work to celebrate the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton but did we want to watch it on the television or go for a walk with friend's ?,you got it,me and Julie met 19 other people to have a walk in the Berwyn mountain's.We had arranged for Micky and Sue to stop with us on the friday night to save them the long drive back to Derby,ok it was so they could have a drink around Wrexham,so they arrived at said time of 07.30 and we had bacon butties and mug's of tea ready for them.Fed and watered we set off on the short drive to Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant to meet the other's.Suited and booted we set off at 09.20 on a lovely sunny morning from Tan-y-Pistyll and took the track to the right of Nant y Llyn.I stopped to get a few shot's of the group and noticed that we were quite spread out so i waited for the walker's who were at the back,Julie was with a new walking forum member,Donna from Southend,and Julie commented that she was struggling so i stayed back with them.It transpires that Donna hadn't done any walking of this sort and was badly out of breadth and soon developed cramp in one leg.We had numerous stop's so she could recover but the other's just kept pressing on ahead.By the time we had reached the boggy section where you have to cross a stream Donna had cramp in both leg's.I asked her if she wanted to go back down but after a rest she said she would try to make it to Llyn Lluncaws.A couple of the women waited for us and walked to the lake with us.When we got there we had another break but the other's in the group were half way up the ridge.It was very cold and windy at this spot and there was a little mist on the summit's so after making sure she was fed and watered i again asked if she wanted to go back down or if she wanted to climb about 100 metres up the ridge and then cut across under Moel Sych for a visit to the top of the waterfall,she decided on the latter so me,Julie and Sue decided to take Donna down whilst the other's carried on the bag the 3 Nuttall's a short distance away.We located the fence and walked down to the top of the fall's and took some photo's and then walked down to the cafe to wait for the other's before we drove down to the Wynnstay Hotel in the village for a few pint's.Donna was apologetic for cutting the walk short and said she didn't realise how hard it was going to be.We walked 3.5 mile with 1,600 feet of ascent.


MILEAGE        184.5
ASCENT           66,050
TOPS                58.

#26.Carnedd y Cribau.27-4-11.

I met Howie and Clive at the Rhug Estate and we drove the short distance to Dolwyddelan and parked outside Pont Rufeinig Railway Station seen below.

From here we crossed the Roman Bridge,below,crossed some field's and entered the Dolwyddelan Forest.

The morning was dull but the view's were great,Moel Siabod looked very tempting with it being so close.

We could see the Snowdon Horseshoe and the mountain's above Blaenau Ffestiniog but our goal was to walk to Llynau Diwaunydd and to climb Carnedd y Cribau so we had to stay focussed.We soon entered the forest and followed a decent track through it until we reached the lakes.In a few places it was muddy but we easily skirted around these and it was quite dry due to the dry spell we have been having but in the winter or after heavy rain this path would be horrendously muddy to follow.

Arriving at the lake you get a great view of Carnedd y Cribau so we decided to have a break here.The cloud's had parted and the sun was shining now so after taking a few photo's we sat down and watched the fish jumping,it's a beautiful place.

We decided to cross the rock's that separate the 2 lakes and first climb Clogwyn Bwlch-y-maen by the steep grassy bank.Clive didn't fancy this so met us at the top of Carnedd y Cribau.

We reached the stile at the top of the grassy bank to be greeted by fantastic view's all around.

We met back up with Clive,had a short break and headed down to Bwlch y Rhediad.On this path we saw somebody walking toward's the forest,the only person we saw all day and as we got closer to him i noticed he was walking bare footed on this rocky,slaty undulating path.

I took a short detour to an old dam that has been breached.

We passed an old quarry and crossed a tributary of the Afon Lledr on our return.

Post walk drink in the Gwydir and the Plas Hall Hotel.

Distance 8 miles with 2,000 feet of ascent.


MILEAGE        181
ASCENT          68,450
TOPS                58