Category Archives: Hiking

D1: Mare á mare, Corté to Manganu.

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Monday 15th August. Rain to start, sometimes heavy. Cleared later.

Start out at 07.30, despite the rain and see how it goes. It’s a very long day to start, but I’m fresh. A quick coffee at the campsite to start and the owner shrugged on looking at the rain. I said “cest la vie”. The rain wasn’t to last and eventually I gained the footbridge opposite a spring.

What is that cow doing? This is an odd one. I xe across a cow on the track engrossed in some bones. It seemed to be playing with a scapula. A big one, probably from a cow. What was it doing? It nuzzled it and turned it over. I had a few ideas, maybe it’s using it like a salthlick, or is it more like visiting a dead relative, like elephant’s graveyards?

Bridge leading to the Mare-mare route I needed to return to the GR20.

Refuge de Sega. This is a nice refuge, it serves Mare-á-mare Nord and some other trails. I had a lovely omelette which was oozing cheese. A good choice. I still had quite a way to walk but the scenery changes from forest soon to something more open.

Bolt action rifles. After Sega, I came across a much needed spring. A chance to sit and drink. Then 2 french guys walked past with a couple of dogs.

GR20, get to Corté first.

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Saturday, 13th, tops 34°C, heatwave.

Travel day 1; Manchester airport to Geneva to Bastia. If all goes to well, I will camp near Bastia, Camping D’espiranza. I’ve been there before, it’s few km from the airport. Currently, by bag weighs a little under 15kg not counting hand luggage. All up, 20kg max is the aim.

On bag check-in, I was told to get the rucksack wrapped so it would be safe. Then have it weighed, result – it’s a kilo overweight now. Nobody has asked for an additional payment though.

From Geneva, we flew over Mont Blanc in the evening light.

Travel day 2: get to Corté. The idea is to get onto Mare à Mare Nord and walk walk up to Manganu on the GR20. Bastia to Corte is a bit uncertain, but last time, I hitched and it worked with a very short wait. Once there, get provisions at the supermarket.
There is Bergerie de Sega half way up for a rest (4 hours). I expect a 9 hour walk, all with steady ascent.

Lucciana Cathedral on my journey to Corte early morning.

Later: I got there simply by using the train from Casamozza. This morning I woke before dawn and set off on foot to the station. it’s all gone well so far. I’m worried about the charge on my phone though.

GR221: Mallorca.

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33°C, still in strong sunshine.

Puig De Vente

7am start and back in Deiá at 4. Limestone makes for hard slow surfaces to walk on. There are broken areas of Kärst topography often in classic forms but usually quite broken. We were on approach shoes which meant we felt every pebble through the soles. Beefier walking shoes would be better. I didn’t miss the boots though.

This part of the island is mainly limestone and I was surprised to pass a layer of chalk on the way up. On top were the Clints and grykes of limestone pavements. (Grykes are the cuts between those slabs).

The descent was long slow and awkward. We had troubles routefinding in the woods. There were waymarkers but they were in the habit of running out. Surfaces were slippery on layers of olive leaves. They remain quite waxy when dead and dried. This is not a desperately popular route. The biggest problem was water. We both packed 4 litres each but that was nowhere near enough in full sun (at 33°C).

On limestone pavements.
  • Summits gained:
  • Puig de Pou, 945m
  • Puig de Vent, 1005m
  • Puig de Vendell, 932m,
  • Sa Galera 908m where we overlooked Deiá.

Backache.

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Corsica.

I wake absurdly early lately. Anyway, I felt the need for a nap at 11 this morning after getting up at 5am. My bedside reading is a guidebook for the GR20. Reading that fired me up too much for sleep so the rucksack got repacked instead.

We soon travel to Mallorca and I will take my boots and get some hill training.

Paddy Wagon

I’ve stopped running this week. After a couple of weeks with tightness around the lower back and pelvis, I pulled something on the last run. Since then, it’s been extremely tight, or at times, painful.

Ride between summer drizzle showers. Cycling doesn’t trouble this backache until I get off.nswinging my leg to dismount is harder than riding at a decent pace for a few hours. On the bike is actually a relief.

DofE 14: Clwydian Range, Wales.

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15°C, mostly cloudy, mostly dry

3 days with 2 silver groups who were delightful. That was a fine way to finish the season.

Waiting near the finish, (they went another way)

We’re still suffering the effects of Covid Restriction rules on DofE. These two groups did a combined bronze Qualifying and Silver Practice last summer. I don’t think they camped back then either. The effect of reduced training meant that supervising these groups was, at times, like herding cats. Considering their lack of experience, they were very well motivated and thought carefully at those places where navigation was a proble. On the east side of the hills, paths were often disrupted by quarry works or signs were badly maintaned.

For a final trip of ther season, I had the satisfaction of bonding nicely with the kids. That, of course, is easier on Silver level because we get more days together.

DofE 8: Gold on Kinder

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start with grey but warm 17°C

Day 1, Thursday:I’ve got a mixed group of seven to assess on DofE Gold Expedition. Our job, as assessors was to supervise too because this was an Open Award trip. Their routes are basically an orbit of KinderScout. Today’s route is familiar and ends at Rowlee Farm Campsite.

Day 2, Friday: Rowlee to Glenbrook. Drizzly on the hills but clear and grey lower down.
This took the group over the dam and onto Derwent Edge. The tracker ran hours late so progress was more difficult to deduce. They’s missed a checkpoint with another staff. That turned out to be due to direction finding errors before the resevoir. Nevermind, they identified and fixed it themselves.


Day 3, Saturday: Glenbrook to Greenachres Camp via Kinder Scout’s south edge. A grey day with clear summits and comfortable temperatures.
I got onto the ridge from the Edale Youth Hostel. The tracks were confusing through the hostel grounds itself, and the climb steeper than others to the plateau.

Day 4: Sunday; Greenachres to finish via Jacob’s Ladder. Beautiful sunny day getting hot later. 16-24°C.
On the plateau, it was eay to see groups approaching from as far as 3km away with binoculars. I didn’t use the tracker this day having last faith in it.

A sheltered hollow where we debriefed.

The goats had this look on their faces as if we’d taken their resting place.

That was an excellent trip. I know this area quite well and feel at home. Some of the sites I’ve been to before. My group were delightful. The other staff were easy to get along with, we made a good team. I could do this every week

DofE 7: Buxton.

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21°C, slow moving showers, high pollen.

A two day Bronze qualifying expedition based on the edge of Buxton.

Day 1, staff briefing was at 9am for a school due to arrive at 11.00am. I asked which school is this? Wow, the place I worked for 15 years! Anyway, this day is for final training. That’s not usual for bronze but the school has bronze, silver and Gold running concurrently. I took my group out on the local moors to get a nice view and a sense of place. My group did grumble though. They had a minimal pack though.

Dismantled railway, an intrguing site. Reminds me of Dark.

Day 2: their first day of qualifiying expedition. It didn’t take long before my two groups opened a huge gap that grew throughout the rest of the day. By the finish, one group was the first to finish, and the other was amongst the last.

After handing over my group, I went home. I can’t stay to the end because I have work on school the next day. In the campsite, the projector was set up to show a football game and most of the the kids watched too. Driving back was strange because the roads were as empty as a lockdown. And, the lights were all on my side so I got home easily.+