Mountain Journeys - Guided Walks

Staying fit and healthy during lockdown 2020 - Loughrigg

8/4/2020

Kate & Don on their way to Loughrigg summit

Right now, as for so many, I should be out working. Alas that isn't the case and may not be for some time. Of course this brings great uncertainty and both our health and finances may be affected. The lockdown, for a short period at least, does seem a sensible response and good to see the population as a whole taking heed of the government advice.
Here in Ambleside the streets have been deserted for a couple of weeks now. Sad to see as we are now in the Easter holiday, but it's the right thing. A typical Easter scene here would be of near chaos, with the roads, cafes, shops and restaurants all bursting with happy visitors. I'm sure it's a scene all areas are witnessing right now. Feels extremely odd.

However, we are all still allowed out for some daily exercise and I urge you all to take it. Getting out of the house is not only good for our physical well-being, but also our mental well-being. It can provide the time to think, to clear the air, to explore new beginnings and future paths. Or for some, it will be a time to completely switch off and think of nothing at all.

Thankfully, here in Ambleside, we are lucky enough to be surrounded by mountains. So keeping fit is fairly easy and the mountains are motivating. Personally I've been doing lots of running and mountain biking. My mountain bike being resurrected after a 10 year hiatus, so has needed some dusting off! Yesterday the 3 of us took a leisurely walk over Loughrigg. We used to walk together all the time, but rarely do so these days, it was wonderful. It will likely happen more frequently now. The fairly gentle slopes up to the summit and back down to Loughrigg tarn provided just the right amount of activity and we arrived home feeling energised. We have noticed both out on the fells and in the village, birdsong is far more prevalent now. Well, maybe it isn't, but we can hear the birds now as there is virtually no traffic noise and no aircraft.
So wherever you may live, whilst doing your daily exercise, take a moment to listen to the wildlife. It is there, it always was, only now we can hear it more clearly. When living in Manchester, I found the canal towpaths particularly good for wildlife spotting. Worth checking out for those in a more urban setting.

Thanks for reading.

Stay safe, stay healthy, keep smiling :-)

Mark & Kate

Leaving the summit and on our way to Loughrigg tarn

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Fell running escapism!

21/3/2020

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Welcome to the Climbers traverse of Bowfell

The news media and social media both being on overdrive with constantly saddening news and debate regarding the Coronavirus, we have been feeling it very necessary to run away for a while. We are pretty lucky to be able to get into the mountains with minimal travel (and often no travel). Also somewhat unlucky as a Sole trader the government have so far offered no support. There are something like 5 million self employed workers in the UK. That's a lot of people missing out on essential support. Come on Boris!

Anyway, this isn't meant to be a rant, so back to Bowfell and good moments.
We set off from The Old Dungeon Ghyll in Langdale with our sights on Bowfell. We ticked off The Band then turned right onto The Climbers traverse path. This still had large chunks of compacted snow, so care was required. We reached The Great Slab, my plan had been to drink some fresh water from The Great Spout at this point. However, it was really cold and I wasn't even slightly thirsty, so gave that a miss. We blasted up the central section of the slab in order to avoid the snow, and all too soon we were at the top. The wind was howling and biting into us, this was no place to hang around. So we skipped the summit and bailed straight down to Three Tarns where a little more shelter could be enjoyed. A quick peak over to the Scafell range before a rapid descent down The Band into the valley.

The main paths were quite busy today, but for much of our route we enjoyed solitude and sublime views.

Stay safe and healthy everyone.

Mark & Kate

The Great Slab, Bowfell

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New Via Ferrata - Costa Blanca

6/3/2020

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Check out the bridge in the sky!

With the need to call in at Alicante airport this morning, we were keen to make the most of the day by exploring a new area to us. Well I say new area, the Redovan via ferrata is only a couple of miles away and we've done that one. But still hadn't even climbed on the Callosa de Segura cliffs.

During mid-February there was a grand opening of a brand new via ferrata here. With a busy schedule there was no way we could make it anytime in February, but knew the opportunity would come soon, and it did.

I had already heard plenty of stories about this place. Super hard and scary being the general theme. Sounds wonderful.
So what's it like? Wonderful indeed.

An easy initial section aimed at those wanting a chilled day out, is fun and engaging. It provides a good warm up for what lies ahead. But this section shouldn't be dismissed as a mere warm up. It is worth doing in its own right and perfect for adventurous youngsters.
The upper section is on a whole new level though. By far the most challenging via ferrata in the region. Continually strenuous, with huge amounts of climbing and descending vertical and overhanging terrain, with lengthy traverses between these. And yes there are plenty more wire bridges, the highlight being a 50 metre span high above the gorge (see photo above).
By the time I'd arrived at the final down climb my arms were feeling a little tired. About 30 metres of overhanging terrain gave them one more workout before terra firma was reached.

Access is easy, parking is good, and approach walk is a mere 15 minutes. I'd be amazed if this place doesn't become really busy.

Mark

Close up of the big bridge

Kate on the lower section

The Poligono pyramid taking centre stage

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Mallada del Llop, Serrella range

4/3/2020

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Off the beaten track on our way to the summit

It's been a hectic few weeks with a good mix of work and play. Lots of climbing and mountaineering, and an increasing amount of cycling.
I've been busy working on a multi-activity guidebook for the Costa Blanca region for some time now, included in this will be some stunning mountain walks. Mallada del Llop is the last of these for us to revisit, collect photos for, and decide on the best, most fun route.
So today we donned our trail shoes and set out for the pretty village of Castell de Castells. A couple of mentions are needed for anyone visiting the area / this village. The Serrella Hotel is incredibly friendly and serves delicious food throughout the day, it is also very reasonably priced. Castell d'Ines gourmet restaurant hides in the heart of the village and may look unconventional from outside, once inside it is heaven for a foodie. There is no menu, instead expect a discussion with the chef who will then prepare an unbelievable work of art for eating. Booking is essential. Make the effort, you won't regret it.

Back to the walking!
Good tracks led us towards El Castellet then a right turn onto a drivable track saw us racing towards the summit. However, soon more interesting ground slowed us. Intricate rocky terrain and route finding decisions put our minds to work and time flew away with us as we were so absorbed with the route.
A large level area was reached at the top of Barranc de Canal and now only a short way further to the summit. Easy scree tracks took us to the plateau and a welcome breeze, for even though it is February the temperature is low 20's at 1100m!! The day began very hazy and we thought it not good for photos, but the haze actually became helpful and brought atmosphere to the shots.
Kate spent some time relaxing on the summit whilst I ran over to the neighbouring summit of El Regall. This was all on perfect running trails. Runners heaven up here.
Our return route was via the impressive Barranc de Canal. A deep cleft between high cliffs is arguably the finest feature of this route.

Much of the route is runnable, although we would recommend this best be enjoyed as a walk. Sticking to the better paths works far better for runners.

Thanks for reading.

We offer guided walks, runs, climbing, and other activities in the Lake District and Costa Blanca. If visiting these regions and looking for advice or a guide, please do get in touch. We're happy to help wherever we can.

Mark & Kate

Crossing the top of Barranc de Canal

Looking towards Mallada del Llop with Barranc de Canal splitting the foreground

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Mountaineering day on Ponoch

19/2/2020

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The huge face of Ponoch

After a day of single pitch lead climbing yesterday, Jo & Michelle were keen for bigger adventures today. So we headed to the mighty Ponoch (Monte Ponoig) to sample the via ferrata there.

Despite the weather looking slightly unsettled, the car park was fairly busy and one other team had the same objective in mind.

We set off at quite a pace, so gained height and the base of the route very rapidly. After a briefing on kit usage and safety procedures, we set off up the 'iron way'. It is steep and unrelenting from the start, but with good technique there is no need for this to feel overly strenuous.
We soon gained ground over the other team, so was nice for all to have plenty of space. Lots of photo time for Michelle.

Our aim had been to then continue from the top to include the brilliant scramble on to the summit plateau. Alas, rain and thick cloud put a dampener on this and we called it a day. Making our way over to the abseil stations. Stacked abseils all the way for added safety, we whizzed back down to base. Lunch under these awesome walls before a gentle walk back to base.
After tea and coffee back at base, it was back out for some late afternoon sunshine. Trail running this time. Just a short one at about 6km, but enough given what we had already achieved.

A grand day out, thanks to Jo & Michelle.

Mark

About to set off on the Via Ferrata (photo courtesy of Michelle)

A short traverse section part way up

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Mountaineering day on Puig Campana: Aristoteles & Pepsi Crest

12/2/2020

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Late afternoon shadows and moonrise

Last week we had another fun adventure on the mighty Puig Campana. Climbing any route on here is Going to feel big and take a while, most likely all day. We decided to string together two routes and have a bit of an explore of the mountain whilst we were there.
The walls here are big, no, massive. What Costa Blanca is so well known for is the excellent and varied 'Sport climbing'. Venture away from these easy access and well bolted venues and walk up into the mountains to see a whole different perspective. The Costa Blanca has so much more on offer, and those willing to dust off the trad gear are in for a treat.

We have climbed on most of the big mountains in the region, but it is Puig Campana which keeps drawing us back. Maybe it is the iconic look and feel of it, as a mountain should be. Or maybe the juxtaposition with Benidorm, which is quite surreal. Could it just be the top quality climbing and strong natural lines. Most likely it's a bit of all these. Anyway, we love the place.

Having climbed 'Aristoteles' a few times now and always enjoying it, I was keen to extend the climbing and find a better descent than that offered by 'Aristoteles'. So me and Neil set off to link this route with 'The Pepsi Crest' which is another 4 pitches at about the same grade, so think UK Hard Severe but with a few bolts / tat here and there.

We climbed Aristoteles quickly and efficiently, in maybe only 7 very long pitches. Neil Kindly showed me a harder variation pitch from the halfway ledge. This proved to be a wonderful pitch and well worth doing. After a short abseil into the descent notch at t he top of Aristoteles, Neil led the initial pitch of Pepsi Crest. The route was marked with threads so easy to find our way. This pitch gave about 20m of good climbing then a scramble/walk led to a bolted belay.
The next pitch wandered around rather too much, so I cursed the rope drag! But did include a sensational climb on a very narrow arete. Neil led through and up to a spacious belay which was bolted.
A few more metres of climbing remained and I led this, again up a narrow arete leading to a pine tree at the top of a small gully. Neil then took the ropes around and up to the top of the huge pinnacle to finish things off on a high. This was now over scrambling terrain, although it was certainly easier to stay roped for it.

The views and exposure were pretty special, with sheer walls heading down into the descent gully and the massive South-West face towering over us. Wow this is a big mountain!!
A bolted abseil station at the top of the gully led us into rather bushy territory and a further abseil brought us safely to ground level. Walking and easy scrambling was all that remained, as well as plenty of looking around to scope out future adventures on these mega walls.

Aristoteles is a really good first big mountain route as it offers an easy escape half way up. So if time is running short it is easy to run away. With 2x60m ropes the abseil descent is straightforward too. Adding The Pepsi Crest is another matter. Route finding is a little more tricky, the rock is generally less solid, and the abseil descent has the potential to give plenty of problems.

We climbed about 470m in total, so a fairly long way. On the route for about 5 hours, add in approach and descent brought the total time to around 8 hours or thereabouts. This was taking it easy, but we also had the advantage of knowing the initial 370m pretty well.

Big thanks to Neil for joining me on this adventure.

Mark

Neil arriving at the top of Aristoteles

The rather dramatic descent gully

The final scramble back to base. Part of our route forms the skyline

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Sea cliffs in the sun - Costa Blanca

2/2/2020

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The middle pitch of the ultra classic Parle 6a+

On Thursday I as showing Wayne around the fantastic sea cliffs of Sierra de Toix.
Best known for lots of fine and easy access low - mid grade climbing, Toix is situated on the outskirts of Calpe. We know the crags there really well, having visited many many times. For those in search of more adventure, a walk under the main crags and down to the sea cliffs are in order. That is what Wayne was looking for today, and not one but two of these magnificent routes.

I predicted Parle would offer us more morning shade so despite this being a much more difficult route, we started with that.
The abseil into these climbs is for many the most memorable part of the day, each time I look at the Parle abseil I see why. It's crazy!!
Wayne took this in his stride, and once he was back in the swing of abseiling on a GriGri came down super smooth. We alternate led the route, with Wayne taking 2 pitches while I just led the middle pitch. I don't know how long we took, but not long.
After lunch we walked the very short way to reach the abseil for Magical Mystery Tour and Candelabra Del Sol. Another wild abseil onto ledges above the sea. There was already an abseil rope in place, but this had not been properly equalised so we set up our own using 3 bolt anchors.
After the initial scrambling we climbed the route in 3 pitches, all of which are bolted these days. The belay ledges were sociable as we kept meeting up with a couple of friendly climbers from Benidorm. It was noticeably hotter on this route and we were glad of the easier climbing and even happier to emerge back at the top where cool drinks and comfy shoes waited for us.

Both these routes make for a fantastic day out as does doing them during a single visit. Both a in very atmospheric settings and offer wonderful climbing on excellent quality rock. Both are extremely exposed though, so if that isn't your thing, it would be worth getting more used to exposure prior to a visit.

These are bolted routes, just don't expect a bolt every couple of metres, the well spaced bolts make sure the adventure element is well and truly retained.

Locating the abseil stations are probably the most difficult part of climbing on a sea cliff. These ones are relatively straightforward to find, but can still give some confusion. If considering having a go at these routes but feeling unsure about route-finding / logistics, why not hire a guide for the day. We know these and many more routes really well, will deal with rope management and setting up the abseils, leaving you to simply enjoy the journey.

Thanks to Wayne for the climbing and to all those reading :-)

Mark

#magical-mystery-tour-costa-blanca-spain

Cruising up Magical Mystery Tour on the Toix sea cliffs

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Bernia Ridge traverse

1/2/2020

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Enjoying some airy scrambling on. the Bernia

Storm Gloria has disappeared and the sun has made a welcome return. Temperatures are soaring and winds light. Near perfect conditions for a traverse of the Bernia ridge.
Last winter Wayne had booked to do this with us, but conditions didn't come good on the days we were both available. So rather than just going for it on a 'so so' day, we waited until yesterday. The wait was well worth it.

The whole ridge to ourselves, didn't even see any Goats this time. Dry rock, far reaching views inland as far as the Sierra Mariola and Serrella, and across the sea to Ibiza. About as good as it gets then.

We moved swiftly without any rushing. Without a cloud in sight there was no reason to be rushing anywhere, this is to be savoured, and we did. As Wayne is an extremely competent sport climber, projecting routes in the mid 7's we only used the rope for the abseils and 1 pitched section, all else was soloed.
Some may be wandering why such a competent climber would hire a guide for a relatively easy route? There are plenty of reasons, here are a few:
Route finding; reduced stress; help with kit prep; timings.

This is mountaineering after all and a world away from single pitch sport climbing. Mountains have loose rock in abundance and knowing the difference between solid and loose is pretty crucial on exposed mountain terrain.
Benightments are all too common in this area and usually avoidable. Poor prep, lack of planning, and inefficiency are usually the cause. A guide will hugely reduce the risk of this by having a well thought out plan and being efficient.

If thinking of bigger objectives during a visit to Costa Blanca and feeling a little unsure. Get in touch. We'll do our best to help and are very happy to simply share information if that's what you want. If wanting to hire a guide for the day, we can arrange that too.

After a fantastic time up on the ridge, we were back down at the road by 3pm.

Thanks for reading

Mark

At the start of the ridge

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Via Gene - Cabezon d'Oro

19/1/2020

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Kate on the first pitch of Via Gene

This week is starting to feel quite intense, what with a 100km ride over the mountains on the bike, then a big climb up to the summit of Puig Campana, and today a 7 pitch mountain VS on Cabezon d’Oro. Muscles are most definitely starting to have a little grumble!!

But hey, it’s absolutely fantastic and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

It has been a few years since I first climbed on Cabezon d’Oro, leading 2 friends up the classic line of ‘Via Gene’ a 7 pitch VS going all the way up to the summit ridge. But Kate was yet to climb this route and rather keen, so today we set off south in search of 7 pitch mountain routes.

An easy approach walk is always a good start, especially so after Puig Campana yesterday! 30 minutes on good tracks to reach the start, sweet. And no need to remember where the route starts, the name is scratched onto the rock, just gotta love Spain for these fine touches. As a back up I did have a route description with me, but once on the route I recognised it all. The pitch lengths in the Rockfax guide are incorrect and in brief are much closer to:
30m; 35m; 40m; 40m; 35m; 35m; 40m
And the abseils off the back: 35m & 25m

I actually made the effort to measure most of these with a degree of accuracy, but they won’t be 100% so if doing this route have either a 70m single of 50m half ropes as an absolute minimum.

For the first 3 pitches we were in the shade and with a strong wind blowing were freezing! This wasn’t a good start and not how we imagined the day to pan out. Thankfully, during pitch 4 I climbed into the sun and wow did that made a world of difference, probably doubling the temperature. This was perfect timing as at the next belay ledge we meet all the other climbers on the crag (2 more parties and 5 more climbers in total). This led to a backlog and quite a wait for us. In the warm sun this was no hardship, just gave us time for a food and drink stop and some rest whilst we watched the others on their chosen routes above.
Our route veered abruptly leftwards taking us well out of the way of the other climbers as we traversed into a prominent groove which proved a delight to climb. Another pitch above gave some fantastic exposure whilst following an arête up to big ledges just below the summit ridge. An easy pitch to finish where we found a newly installed abseil station, always a nice sight.

As we were climbing on 50m half ropes we just needed 2 abseils to reach the scree gully, so all easy peasy. The descent down the scree is not so pleasing, it is very steep and very loose so great care is needed and still falling over is almost certain! Once beyond the horror show scree it’s back to nice tracks and an easy stroll back to the road.

What’s good about this route?
It is a long mountain trad route with only a few bolts at belay stations and a few old pegs to mark the way, so traditional leader placed protection is required. This instantly makes for a more interesting and memorable day out.
Any route of this length is committing and requires forward planning as well as route finding skills, all of which add to the adventure.
An abseil descent always leaves a little uncertainty right to the very end and what is an adventure if not a little uncertain. Will the ropes behave or will they decide to become one with a tree/rock/bush? Thankfully our ropes were kind to us and there were no dramas.
Walking out from the climb at the end of a great day out, we get to look back up and pick out the line of the route. This is something I really love doing, to remember where we were and playback the feelings in my head.

Cabezon d’Oro, thank you for a great day out and thanks too to Kate for her good company and much rope sorting and flaking during the day.

We offer guiding and instruction in the Lake District and Costa Blanca. If you have a route in mind or want to develop your climbing and mountain skills, get in touch and let’s make a plan.

Thanks for reading.

Mark

Ropes flaked and ready to go

Kate nearing the top of pitch 5

The huge southwest face of Cabezon d'Oro

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Puig Campana - Roldan's Notch

18/1/2020

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South face of Puig Campana

The South East summit of Puig Campana

Upon seeing the huge Roldan’s Notch on the Puig Campana during my first visit to the Costa Blanca, it was firmly on the ‘to-do’ list to pay it a visit. Anyone even remotely interested in mountains will know why as soon as they see it.
Firstly, the Puig Campana is the most dramatic and shapely mountain in the region, although not quite the highest, that accolade goes to Aitana, its neighbour. Puig Campana, or just ‘The Puch’ as many refer to it, has masses of fantastic rock climbing to offer, and these aren’t little climbs, but generally in the 200m+ category with one route in particular taking in around 1650m of actual climbing as it weaves an intricate route from the very base to the southeast summit.
We’ve done a few routes on these massive faces, and there is still lots more for us to explore on this mountain. This week we added another route to the ‘done that’ list. The Edwards Finish to Espolon Central. This route covers around 500m of ground including some fantastic scrambling terrain as well as 3 fine pitches of climbing at around VS. On previous visitis to the top of the main climbs we’ve always been either too tired or it’s been a little too late in the day to continue and get this route done.
So that all changed this week, as we hatched a plan to stand on the southeast summit and more importantly, stand in Roldan’s Notch – if you’ve seen the notch you’ll just know, if you haven’t please do have a Google of it – the absolutely massive gash in the top of the mountain. This is just a wow place, I was struggling for words and still am.

So what was the route like?
The Edwards Finish – Very Severe
We started from the top of Espolon Central and scrambled over pinnacles for about 200m. These took us to very exposed terrain and for this reason we roped up and moved together in Alpine style. The pinnacles could be avoided on the right, but this would be missing the point, on mountain routes it’s the positions that make the day, so get in the best ones, always. Towards the end of this scrambling section, the exposure became quite breath taking, I think possibly the most exposed place I have ever been, and there have been quite a few!
Now for the climbing. An easy but wildly exposed pitch to start and takes us up to a big chock stone. The next pitch tackled a clean wall of fine rock before following a blunt rib, this was difficult to follow. The final climbing pitch was another good one, up a wall at about 4a/b to easier ground and a levelling. From here onwards we soloed up to the southeast summit and took our first close up glimpse into the mystical notch, wow! It was actually a bit scary and certainly very humbling to be so small in such a massive feature.
An easy path led us into the notch and at last we stood at the base of it, dwarfed and insignificant, but feeling pretty amazing.
Looking inland we spied the Castellets ridge, which was far below and looked tiny, as did the crags of Sella. Only the massive walls on El Divino and Aitana looked at all impressive from up here.
During our descent we happened upon a bivi spot which looked really nice. 1 abseil of 25m took us onto easier terrain leading into the big gully which we joined for the epic descent.

What a day, they don’t get as good as this very often. Big thanks to Neil for joining me on this adventure.

Mark