Confessions of a Mountain Leader

ACROSS THE ALPS (Aug 2011)

2011-09-12T11:15:00.000+01:00

“Ramblers Worldwide Holidays” route from southern Bavaria through Austria and Switzerland into Italy following in a long tradition of great trans-alpine journeys, with 3000m peaks, high passes and gorges. From Oberstdorf we head towards the quiet and beautiful Kaisertal and cross the Lechtal Alps to St Anton.

Then we climb through the Verwall Mountains and cross the Kappeler Joch before descending to the Paznautal for an overnight stay in Ischgl.

From there we cross into Switzerland to the Heidelberger Hütte, ringed by 3000m peaks,
The Holer Riffler with a height of 3168 meters above sea level. A. The highest peak in the Verwall and is situated in the east of the area, in the Austrian state of Tyrol .

The most visible mountain towers over its surroundings clear up, and therefore offers a clear day a comprehensive panorama of the Verwall in the West, the Lech Valley Alps in the north, the Ötztal Alps in the east, the Ortler group in the southeast, the Samnaun group in the south and the Silvretta in the Southwest.

Continue over the Fimber Pass at 2,608m and descend to the spectacular scenery of the Swiss Engadine. To reach the Sesvenna hut in Italy we pass through the Uina Gorge where a spectacular 900m long path has been hewn through the rocks.

The classic "Föllakopf" Schlinig at 2848 metres the so-called "soap dispenser", a limestone mountain range with a unique flair and provides the ideal breeding ground for including the edelweiss. Enchanting is the backdrop for this graceful summit as a mirror image in the crystal clear waters of the Sesvenna or Furkelsees; offered the summit is magnificent show.

Where there are views over three countries, before descending to Mals in Italy

VANOISE NATIONAL PARK (July 2011)

2011-07-25T18:42:00.000+01:00

The Graian Alps (Italian: Alpi Graie; French: Alpes Grées) are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in France (Savoie), Italy (Piedmont and the Aosta Valley), and Switzerland (western Valais).

The Col des Montets separates them from the Chablais Alps; the Col Ferret and the Dora Baltea valley separate them from the Pennine Alps; the Col du Mont Cenis separates them from the Cottian Alps; the Arc valley separates them from the Dauphiné Alps.

The Graian Alps can be divided into four groups:
the Mont Blanc group (north of the Little St Bernard Pass)
the Central group between the Little St Bernard Pass and the Col du Mont Cenis
the Western or French group, contains the Vanoise National Park
the Eastern or Italian group, contains the Gran Paradiso national park.

The French side of the Graian Alps is drained by the river Isère (Tarentaise valley) and its tributary Arc (Maurienne valley), and by the Arve. The Italian side is drained by the rivers Dora Baltea, Orco and Stura di Lanzo, tributaries of the Po.

Vanoise National Park (French: Parc national de la Vanoise), is a French national park in the Tarentaise Valley in the French Alps, created in 1963 after mobilization from the environmentalist movement against a touristic project. It was the first French national park. This park is in the département of Savoie. Little villages like Champagny-le-Haut, Champagny-le-Bas, La Chiserette, La Cuaz, Le Bois, Friburge and Séez are near this park.

The park is bordered by several large French ski resorts (Les Trois Vallées, Tignes, Val-d'Isère, Les Arcs, La Plagne).

On the Italian side of the border, the park is continued by the Gran Paradiso National Park. Together, these two parks cover over 1250 km².

The park is well-known for its population of Alpine ibex (Capra ibex), bouquetins in French. Other than Alpine ibex there are Chamois, Alpine Marmot, Eurasian Lynx, Mountain Hare and Stoat. Birds include Bearded Vulture, Golden Eagle and Black Grouse.

THE BRECON BEACONS (June 2011)

2011-06-13T12:57:00.000+01:00

The Brecon Beacons (Welsh: Bannau Brycheiniog) is a mountain range in South Wales. In a narrow sense, the name refers to the range of popular peaks south of Brecon, including South Wales' highest mountain, Pen y Fan, and which together form the central section of the Brecon Beacons National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog). The name is also commonly used to refer more broadly to the entire national park which includes ranges both to the east and the west of the central Beacons.

The highest of these is Pen y Fan (886 m); other notable summits include Corn Du (873 m), Cribyn (795 m), and Fan y Big (719 m). These summits form a long ridge which forms a horseshoe around the head of the Taf Fechan river to the south-east, with long parallel spurs extending to the north-east. The round of the Taf Fechan skyline forms a popular ridge walk commonly known as the 'Beacons Horseshoe'. Many other fine walks exist in this part of the National Park.

The Brecon Beacons are said to be named after the ancient practice of lighting signal fires (beacons) on mountains to warn of attacks by the English.

The Brecon Beacons National Park was established in 1957, the third of the three Welsh parks after Snowdonia in 1951 and the Pembrokeshire Coast in 1952. It stretches from Llandeilo in the west to Hay-on-Wye in the east, covering 519 square miles (1344 km², 332 100 acres) and encompassing four main regions - the Black Mountain in the west, Fforest Fawr (Great Forest) and the Brecon Beacons in the centre, and the confusingly named Black Mountains in the east.
Most of the National Park is bare, grassy moorland grazed by Welsh mountain ponies and Welsh mountain sheep, with scattered forestry plantations, and pasture in the valleys.

It is known for its remote reservoirs, waterfalls including the 27-metre Henrhyd Waterfall and the falls at Ystradfellte, and its caves, such as Ogof Ffynnon Ddu. The Brecon Beacons Mountain Centre was opened in 1966 to help visitors understand and enjoy the area.

Due to its remoteness and harsh weather, the Park is used for military training. The Special Air Service (SAS) holds demanding selection training exercises here such as an exercise called the Fan dance.

ROCK CLIMBING - BOX BAY (May 2011)

2011-05-31T15:12:00.000+01:00

. South Wales Mountaineering Club - Box Bay
Box Bay, Porthcawl is about 500 – 600 metres south east along the coast path from Rest Bay (car park), it has excellent solid rock for the majority, but a little looser on the right towards the overhangs.

Climb approx 4 hours either side of low tide. The rock dries very quickly and is a lovely warm suntrap, but can be windy at the top.

The use of old or older rock shoes is recommend as the rock is very sharp and destroys the soles, its aspect makes it an excellent area for SPA training and/or assessment, great for beginners.

MOUNTAINS OF MADEIRA (April 2011)

2011-04-20T18:33:00.000+01:00

Madeira is 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union.[4] The archipelago comprises one of the two Autonomous regions of Portugal (the other being the Azores located to the northwest), that includes the islands of Madeira, Porto Santo, the Desertas and the Savage Islands.

Madeira was re-discovered by Portuguese sailors in the service of Infante D. Henrique (Henry the Navigator) in 1419, and settled after 1420. The archipelago is considered to be the first territorial discovery of the exploratory period of the Portuguese Age of Discovery.

The island of Madeira is at the top of a massive shield volcano that rises about 6 km (3.7 mi) from the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, on the Tore underwater mountain range. The volcano formed atop an east-west rift in the oceanic crust along the African Plate, beginning during the Miocene epoch over 5 million years ago, continuing into the Pleistocene until about 700,000 years ago.

It has a mountain ridge that extends along the center of the island, reaching 1862 metres (6,107 ft) at its highest point (Pico Ruivo). The primitive volcanic foci responsible for the central mountainous area, consisted of the peaks: Ruivo (1862 metre), Torres (1851 metre), Areeiro (1818 metre), Cidrão (1802 metre), Cedro (1759 metre), Casado (1725 metre), Grande (1657 metre), Ferreiro (1582 metre).

There are over 1,350 miles (2,170 km) of levadas and they provide a remarkable network of walking paths. Some provide easy and relaxing walks through beautiful countryside, but others are narrow, crumbling ledges where a slip could result in serious injury or death.

Two of the most popular levadas to hike are the Levada do Caldeirão Verde and the Levada do Caldeirão do Inferno which should not be attempted by hikers prone to vertigo or without torches and helmets. The Levada do Caniçal is a much easier walk, running 7.1 miles (11.4 km) from Maroços to the Caniçal Tunnel. It is known as the mimosa levada because mimosa trees are found all along the route.

ROCK CLIMBING IN MALAGA (Feb 2010)

2010-02-17T13:23:00.001Z

Spent a week Rock Climbing in the area behind Villanueva del Rosario on El Corral, Los Pinos and Taco del Madera with a couple of climbs on Villanueva del Cauche.

Weather was great and quite warm, some Trad climbing, but also first introduction to Sport Climbing which I really enjoyed, it was good fun.

Excellent instruction and guidance by "The Rock Climbing Company", it offers adventurous mountain activities in Snowdonia and Spain. The company and courses are run by climbing instructor Silvia Fitzpatrick and they are supported by Simon Marsh.

Silvia Fitzpatrick is a Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor who has been climbing all over the world at a high level for more than 22 years. Simon is SPA qualified and head of climbing at DMM. He is also a director of the Ground Up which researches and publishes rock climbing guidebooks. For more infomation; Contact Silvia at http://www.rockclimbingcompany.co.uk/

Villanueva del Rosario is a small town off the motorway from Málaga to Granada and Seville.
The white washed pueblo sits at the base of the Cerro de la Cruz, with rolling countryside on the other three sides. Famous for the quality of its olive oil.

WINTER IN WALES (JAN 2010)

2010-01-20T12:35:00.000Z

The Black Mountains (Welsh Y Mynyddoedd Duon) are a group of hills spread across parts of Powys and Monmouthshire in southeast Wales.

They are the easternmost of the four ranges of hills that comprise the Brecon Beacons National Park, and are frequently confused with the westernmost, which is known as the Black Mountain . To confuse matters there is a peak in the Black Mountains called Black Mountain.

The Black Mountains may be roughly defined as those hills contained within a triangle defined by the towns of Abergavenny in the southeast, Hay-on-Wye in the north and the village of Llangors in the west. Another 'gateway' town to the Black Mountains is Talgarth

WALKING IN CRETE (October 2009)

2009-10-07T16:27:00.000+01:00

Crete (Greek: Κρήτη, is the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea at 8,336 km² (3,219 square miles). Crete is one of the 13 peripheries of Greece and covers the same area as the Greek region of Crete from before the 1987 administrative reform It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece; while it retains its own local cultural traits (such as its own music and dialect), Cretans identify themselves as Greeks. Heraklion is the largest city and capital of Crete.
Crete was the centre of the Minoan civilization (circa 2600–1400 BC), the oldest Greek civilization. The island is the location of significant ancient history, which provides popular modern day tourist destinations. They include the Minoan sites of Knossos and Phaistos, the classical site of Gortys, the Venetian old city and port of Chania, the Venetian castle at Rethymno and the Samaria Gorge.
Crete was the centre of Europe's most ancient civilisation; the Minoan. Early Cretan history is replete with legends such as those of King Minos, Theseus, Minotaur, Daedalus and Icarus passed on orally via poets such as Homer.

HIGH IN THE DOLOMITES

2009-08-07T11:06:00.000+01:00

The Dolomites (Italian: Dolomiti; German: Dolomiten; Friulian: Dolomitis) are a section of the Alps. They are located for the most part in the province of Belluno, the rest in the provinces of Bolzano-Bozen and Trento (all in north-eastern Italy). Conventionally they extend from the Adige river in the west to the Piave valley (Pieve di Cadore) in the east.

The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley (Val Sugana). But the Dolomites spread also over the Piave river (Dolomiti d'Oltrepiave) to the east; and far away over the Adige river to the west is the Brenta Group (Western Dolomites); there is also another smaller group called Piccole Dolomiti (Small Dolomites) located between the Provinces of Trento and Vicenza .

During the First World War, the line between the Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces ran through the Dolomites. There are now open-air war museums at Cinque Torri (Five Towers) and Mount Lagazuoi. Many people visit the Dolomites to climb the Vie ferrate, protected paths created during the First World War. A number of long distance footpaths run across the Dolomites, which are called "Alte via" (i.e., high paths).

Such long trails, which are numbered and are served by numerous "Rifugi" (huts). The most renowned are the Alta Via 1 and Alta Via 2

Alta Via 1 s a 150 km long high level path which runs through the eastern Dolomites in Italy. Alta Via 2 is 185 km long high level path which runs through the western side. They known as the Dolomite High Routes and passes through some of the finest scenery in the Dolomites.

About 10-15 days are required to complete the full routes. A typical day on the route might involve about seven hours walking, with ascents and descents of about 1,000 metres and can be attempted during the period July to September, when the route should be largely free of snow.

SUMMER IN SNOWDONIA

2009-07-13T13:02:00.000+01:00

Snowdonia (Welsh: Eryri) is a region in north Wales and a national park of 838 square miles (2,170 km2) in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.
Snowdon, which is the highest mountain in Wales at 1,085 metres (3,560 ft). In Welsh, the area is named Eryri.
Snowdonia may be divided into four areas:
The northernmost area is the most popular with tourists, and includes (from west to east) Moel Hebog, Mynydd Mawr and the Nantlle Ridge; the Snowdon Massif; the Glyderau; and the Carneddau. These last three groups are the highest mountains in Wales, and include all Wales' 3000-foot mountains.
The second area includes peaks such as Moel Siabod, Cnicht, the Moelwynion, and the mountains around Blaenau Ffestiniog.
The third area includes the Rhinogydd in the west as well as the Arenig and the Migneint (this last being an area of bog), and Rhobell Fawr. This area is not as popular with tourists as the other areas, due to its remoteness.
The southernmost area includes Cadair Idris, the Tarren range, and the Aran group, including Aran Fawddwy, the highest mountain in the United Kingdom south of Snowdon
The other high mountains with their boulder-strewn summits—as well as Tryfan, one of the few mountains in the UK south of Scotland whose ascent needs hands as well as feet. Other favourites are Y Garn , the ridge to Elidir Fawr; Mynydd Tal-y-Mignedd (west of Snowdon) along the Nantlle Ridge to Mynydd Drws-y-Coed; Moelwyn Mawr (west of Blaenau Ffestiniog); and Pen Llithrig y Wrach north of Capel Curig. Further south are Y Llethr in the Rhinogydd, and Cadair Idris near Dolgellau.
The Park has 1,479 miles (2,380 km) of public footpaths, 164 miles (264 km) of public bridleways, and 46 miles (74 km) of other public rights of way. A large part of the Park is also covered by Right to Roam laws.

ARRAN IN SPRING-TIME (May 2009)

2009-05-11T13:06:00.000+01:00

The Isle of Arran (Scots Gaelic: Eilean Arainn) is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, with an area of 167 square miles (433 km2). It is in the unitary council area of North Ayrshire. In the 2001 census it had a resident population of 5,058.

The island lies in the Firth of Clyde between Ayr and Kintyre. The profile of the north Arran hills as seen from the Ayrshire coast is a well-known sight referred to as the "Sleeping Warrior" due to its resemblance to a resting human figure. The highest of these hills is Goat Fell at 874m (2,866 ft). There are three other Corbetts all in the north east; Caisteal Abhail, Cìr Mhòr and Beinn Tarsuinn. Bheinn Bharrain is the highest peak in the north west at 721 metres (2,370 ft).

The largest valley on the island is Glen Iorsa to the west, whilst narrow Glen Sannox (Gaelic: Gleann Shannaig) and Glen Rosa (Gaelic: Gleann Ròsa) surround Goat Fell, which is to the east of these Glens. The terrain to the south is less mountaineous, although a considerable portion of the interior lies above 350 metres (1,100 ft) and the summit of A' Chruach reaches 512 metres (1,680 ft). There are two other Marilyns in the south, Tighvein and Beinn Bhreac.

The island is sometimes referred to as "Scotland in Miniature"

HOWGILL FELLS (April 2009)

2009-04-20T15:12:00.000+01:00

The Howgill Fells are a small group of mountains in Cumbria in northern England, bounded approximately by a triangle drawn between Sedbergh, Kirkby Stephen and Tebay.

The southern half of the Howgill Fells is in the northwest corner of the Yorkshire Dales national park although the northern Howgills are outside the park.

They are separated from the Lake District to the west by the River Lune and in the east by the Dent fault, and are formed from Ordovician and Silurian rocks, rather than the Carboniferous limestone elsewhere in the Yorkshire Dales.

The southern Howgill Fells are a part of the national park outside the county of North Yorkshire, being just over the Cumbrian border.

Due to their position, the Howgill Fells give fine views of both the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. Cautley Spout, a waterfall in the south of the area, is considered to be England's highest waterfall, with a drop of about 180 m.

The Howgill Fells include two Marilyns: The Calf (676 m) and Yarlside (639 m), and a number of smaller peaks, including five Hewitts.

MOUNTAINS OF LA PALMA (February 2009)

2009-02-12T11:32:00.000Z

Isla de La Palma, Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off of the west coast of Africa. The name "Isla de La Palma" means "The Island of Palms," or "Palm Island."

La Palma's geography is a result of the volcanic formation of the island. The highest peaks reach over 2400 m above sea level, the base of the island is located almost 4000 m below sea level.

La Palma is dominated by the Caldera de Taburiente, width of 9 km and a depth of 1.5 km.

From the Caldera de Taburiente to the south runs the ridge Cumbre Nueva. The southern part of La Palma is dominated by the Cumbre Vieja, a volcanic ridge formed by numerous volcanic cones built of lava and scoria.

The Cumbre Vieja is active. But dormant, with the last eruption occurring in 1971 at the Teneguia vent which is located at the southern end of the Cumbre Vieja - Punta de Fuencaliente, (The Point of the Hot Fountain).

MALHAMDALE IN WINTER (December 2008)

2008-12-10T13:05:00.000Z

A covering of snow in the Yorkshire Dales transforms this normally gentle area in a wonderful wilderness.

With low temperatures, a sense of being alone, gives one an illusion of Arctic Alpine conditions.

It also creates a bond within a group, members having achieved something together.

Spectacular Sunrises and Superb Sunsets A GREAT PLACE TO VISIT

ARRAN IN AUTUMN (October 2008)

2008-11-17T12:34:00.000Z

Isle of Arran, described by many as "Scotland in Miniature", withs it's long wide glens, steep mountains, it is an ideal walking area to experience varied terrain.

From the beauty of Glen Rosa (Red Glen) to the the scramble up Goat Fell, Arran's highest mountain and everything in between.

All of Arran's walks inland accend gradually with the last third of the walk steep, very steep.

In some cases you can put your hand out in front of you..and touch the ground.

You get some great early morning views over to Holy Island from Arran's coastal footpath.

Hard Walking, But Great Views

MOUNTAINS OF MONTENERGRO (2008)

2008-09-25T10:28:00.000+01:00

Montenegro, is one of these new eastern European "compact" countries (it is smaller than Wales) and neatly trapped between Croatia, Serbia, Albania and Kosovo.

Budva in Montenegro is one of the earliest settlements on the Adriatic coast and dates back to the 4th Century.