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Hill trips this year

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 Flinticus 21 Dec 2020

Looking back I can see I only did 2 during the first 6 months of this year. Clearly under lockdown for most of that and I recall Jan & Feb as being exceptionally wet months and I did not get out during those two months at all, waiting for the Spring!

 Lankyman 21 Dec 2020
In reply to Flinticus:

Decided not to head north of the border this year. I kept putting off leave until August then had some time in the Dales and North Pennines. Somehow, the sun shone most of the time. I deliberately left the Lakes until October when the sh*tshow of the summer seemed to have faded somewhat.

In reply to Flinticus:

Managed five hill walking trips to the Highlands. Glad I got there when I did. Battening down for a locally based winter.

 Welsh Kate 21 Dec 2020
In reply to Flinticus:

Had a week in the Cairngorms just before lockdown started, but wasn't well and didn't get any decent walks in. Then everything got cancelled and there was nothing until a few local walks in the Brecon Beacons until a fortnight in Torridon and Dundonnell in Sept, fortunately coinciding with some excellent weather. Given that we've just gone into lockdown again, to coincide with a fortnight's leave, I'm glad I got that time in Scotland.

 Mal Grey 21 Dec 2020
In reply to Flinticus:

Managed a week in the Highlands in late February, but the weather wasn't the best so we ended up summiting almost nothing. However had 2 nights in Craig bothy by the coast, which was lovely, and on the very last day grabbed a 4 hour window to climb Creag Dhubh at Newtonmore in proper snow and even some brief blue skies. 

I have, though, managed lots and lots of local walking.

Apart from that, I got to the Lakes and Scotland in September, canoeing for a few days, but didn't get up any hills. I've actually managed 99 trips in the canoe, somehow, though 91 of those have been with 20 minutes of home in Surrey! Christmas Day paddle for the 100, all being well.

 Joak 21 Dec 2020
In reply to Flinticus:

Pre lockdown a few Munros, post lockdown around 50, some of them twice due to travel restrictions and avoiding the summer crowds. Managed outings to the NW Highlands and the Cairngorms, as well as lots of days out in my local Southern Highlands. Didn't manage to fit in any climbing but enjoyed a few scrambles in Glen Coe. Biggest regret was having to cancel our summer holiday to the Dolomites and missing out on my usual trips to Skye in the Spring...... the fantastic spell of weather in the Spring made the latter a bitter pill to swallow.  

 pec 21 Dec 2020
In reply to Flinticus:

Apart from the actual strict lockdown period (7 or 8 weeks I think) I got out as much as normal, i.e. almost every weekend and some evenings in summer. The first couple of months after lockdown were fantastic because there was so little traffic on the roads and the crags were empty, three trips to Langdale in May and it was deserted.

About half way through lockdown Raab let slip you could drive a short way to exercise so I started visiting my local hills on the Cheshire sandstone ridge, not exactly top of my list to visit but hills nonetheless and better than walking from home. I even spied out a few decentish looking bouldering spots from the esoteric section of the guide.

Also managed 2 weeks climbing in the Pyrenees but had to cut it short when France was put on the naughty list. Had a mad 11 hour/700 miles drive back to Calais and got back with a few hours to spare although I did have to fork out £280 for a one way ferry ticket.

Not much climbing or walking in Wales this year I'm afraid though.

 ScraggyGoat 22 Dec 2020
In reply to Flinticus:

Its been an odd year, in the sense that the really good weather and spring alpine conditions was lost in lock-down, and subsequent trips were partly dictated by where you could park easily, or be away from crowds, and if further afield where campsites were open, or you could easily get out of sight after a long drive, so that I didn't add to the Highland roadside animosity.

Hill-wise managed the Loch Mullardoch round (again), Blavern & Red hills, Applecross hills, Cairnwell and Glen Shee, Glen Eye, Lochnagar and Mounth, Ben Avon & Ben A Bhuird,  Derry Cairngorm/McDui/Devils Point, Lancet Edge & Ben Alder, Morusig, some esoteric easy scrambling on unfrequented Glen Shiel ridges, Foinaven (though it rained me off the Ganu slabs), Browns Ridge on Ben Hope and Ben Aden.  I was meant to do my partners last two Munro tops from Glen Nevis, but couldn't face the crowds and the likely parking problems.  So don't really feel like I've achieved anything as challenges I had planned didn't happen....more on Skye and a climbing/scrambling trip to Fisherfield/Carnmore with a monster sack of goodies to let me stay for a week. By the time we were released I didn't want to fight with the midges and the damp.

Same story Sea kayaking, local trips, Summer isles, Kylesku and the best a trip from Laxford Bay round to KLB, and back. Very good conditions just enough swell and spring tides to make it feel like salt water paddling, but not threatening, so managed to stay quiet close in to the coast seeing multiple Eagles forlornly perched up waiting for wind or thermals to develop, usual otters and a porpoise. Nice to explore a coast thats normally hostile with limited landings and clapotis, without having to have eyes in the back of your head for rogue boomers, or constantly having the situational awareness radar switched on. Amazing view from the mouth of Laxford back inland. However I was hoping for a Minch crossing, which didn't happen, the CalMac crew probably had enough fun on their plates without trying to squeeze sea kayaks on for the return leg, and paddling back is more committing (for me) as you would hit the tide race off Rubha Hunish when tired after a long crossing, and possible at the wrong point in the cycle if you didn't keep to time, so it didn't happen.

Shame, but understandable bothies were/are closed, as i might have ventured out on poorer autumn forecasts a bit more.

Post edited at 12:22
 malky_c 22 Dec 2020
In reply to Flinticus:

A bit of a difficult year, with a particularly wet and windy start followed by lockdown followed by my partner's continuing post-viral Covid issues. Given all that, we managed more than expected.

A good (if breezy) start saw us walking out from Kearvaig near Cape Wrath on new year's day, with another early-January bothy trip to Glenlivet soon after. Other than that, plans were almost always scaled back as our days off approached due to 'interesting' weather. The sole exception was a snowy traverse from Sgurr nan Eag to Gars-bheinn in the Cuillin, which might end up being one of the best days out in the last decade, never mind 2020.

Just as the weather began to look up, Jackie caught Covid and lockdown came in (we were confined to isolation in the flat on that stunning pre-lockdown weekend when everyone went out and had fun), keeping us off the hills until June (local lumps around Glasgow) and July (finally returning to the Highlands). Since then we've been out and about in the Highlands with a number of high(ish) camps and great sunsets, but few big hills. Jackie's Covid recovery seemed to grind to a halt after a couple of months of getting better and fitter, and we've been limited to cycling (up to 70km or so) and walking for 4 or 5 hours max (and 7-800m ascent max) since then - and that only on good days.

Still, making the most of it, we've managed to do a couple of spectacular summit camps (Sgurr a' Gharaidh above Lochcarron and Ben Hutig on the north coast), some good days out around Torridon, a family holiday in the Lakes (busy as hell but enjoyable nonetheless), and more recently, long weekends of walking and cycling on Skye, Harris/Lewis and Orkney. I've also headed off on my own for a couple of longer hill days (Beinn Alligin, Coniston Fells), but not too much for fear of inducing rage and jealousy in my other half!

Summarizing, 2020 was the year of just being glad to be out in the hills in some way, and I feel we have been quite lucky to have been able to do what we have.

In reply to Welsh Kate:

> Had a week in the Cairngorms just before lockdown started, but wasn't well and didn't get any decent walks in.

Ditto.

Since then, nothing. Not driving, I've not left town since then.

 J101 22 Dec 2020
In reply to Flinticus:

Managed a grand total of 5 days in Wales (Ogwen) during August, between lockdowns, campsites being shut and work I just didn't get the opportunity. 

Got back to discover my motorhome I'd left behind as not worthwhile for such a short journey had leaked through a damaged vent during several downpours while I was away.

As such the local hills, all 180m of them, have become quite frequented. Watching the plants and butterflies you get on chalk grassland has been the main highlight of a fairly low year.

Always next year.

OP Flinticus 22 Dec 2020
In reply to ScraggyGoat:

That sounds like a good year! You must be rural to get out so much.

OP Flinticus 22 Dec 2020
In reply to malky_c:

For you, that's a quiet year but still a fair amount achieved. That allowance of 4-5 hrs and 7-800m ascent will still get you up many nice hills, lots of corbetts / grahams. How is Jackie at walking off track with that long-covid?

Aside from the two days in the first six months, I had three summit camps, only one, around Ardgour, with good sunset/rise (the other two on rounded hills in the East), a two-nighter in the Cairngorms camped by a loch and a handful of day trips, the best of which was Beinn a'Chroin and An Caisteal.

A far cry from the my best laid plans...Cullins, far NW, Torridon...Be interesting to see what next year brings. However, I've now a backlog of family trips due so I reckon visits to my dad and my wife's parents, sister-in-law etc. (none of whom we've seen since March) will take up a fair chunk of my time off work.

Post edited at 16:33
 ScraggyGoat 22 Dec 2020
In reply to Flinticus:

More a case of using what holiday I had, which bar a week in spring I hadn't pre-booked, so managed to use in time-periods when we had some liberty, and then grabbing what I could when restrictions and weather allowed at weekends, tagging the odd day on here and there. 

Fortunately also being North of the Central Belt there were more w/e opportunities in the autumn, I would be going stir crazy if I was in LA areas which had the extra measures, and my sympathies extend to those whom were/are.  The next few months are going to drag......

On the flip side I've kept myself to myself not going in friends houses, never going to the pub or restaurant, only meeting friends outside, not car sharing, and avoiding crowded places be that super markets or hill car parks (campsites were problematic), which has meant some silly start times!

Snap will be using some holiday for social family things later next year, once we are all jabbed up.

Post edited at 16:49
 Matt Podd 22 Dec 2020
In reply to Flinticus:

I was hoping to finish climbing all the Welsh 2000ft hills this year, but Covid put pay to that ambition. Managed trips to the Berwyns and Black Mountains. Only 14 to go now. 6 in the Moelwyns, 4 in the Radnor Forest and 4 in N Snowdonia. Ah well, theres next year.

Lots of local running and walking close to home in Yorkshire though, even deep snow on a recent trip up Buckden Pike.

OP Flinticus 22 Dec 2020
In reply to ScraggyGoat:

> Fortunately also being North of the Central Belt there were more w/e opportunities in the autumn, I would be going stir crazy if I was in LA areas which had the extra measures, and my sympathies extend to those whom were/are.  The next few months are going to drag......

My last / most recent walk was Druim Fada, north of FW, during a week at Morar. A lot of rain that week but the coast stole me away from the hills most days. That was at the start of November and been in lockdown since. Cases in Glasgow still fairly high and that new variant virus is here too so God knows what January will look like. Most everything was squeezed into the 3.5 months when travel restrictions were lifted. I've booked a week up near Ballachullish late Feb so am expecting poor weather or dog paw injury for then.

> On the flip side I've kept myself to myself not going in friends houses, never going to the pub or restaurant, only meeting friends outside, not car sharing, and avoiding crowded places be that super markets or hill car parks (campsites were problematic), which has meant some silly start times!

My main risk comes from supermarkets & the climbing centre plus, seasonally topical, queuing at the under-staffed post office to send off a few parcels

OP Flinticus 24 Dec 2020

In reply to geode:

I'm sending you hate

 CLYoung 24 Dec 2020
In reply to Flinticus:

I only managed 3 walks above mountain height all year, what with the flooding, lockdown and our two brief trips away in the summer being used to visit university cities with my eldest. First hill walk was a solo St David's Day walk up Fan Fawr, in the Fforest Fawr part of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

After the restrictions eased in July I did make a day trip to the national park but one of the family had been ill so we stuck to low level walks. Mynydd Illtud at 367m was our high point for the day.

While visiting Plymouth and Exeter in August, my eldest and I climbed Yes Tor and High Willhays on Dartmoor, my only new mountains for the year. Finally I meandered around the Caerfanell valley in the Brecon Beacons in early September, briefly going above mountain level but not reaching any summits.

My next visit to Wales was for a Covid test (negative thankfully, but whatever the respiratory infection was my body is taking it's time getting over it) and since then they or we have been in lockdown or high Tiers.

 Joak 24 Dec 2020
In reply to Flinticus:

Managed a cheeky wee winter outing on Stob Gabhar today just in the nick of time before moving from Tier level 2  into Tier level 4 on Saturday. It could well be my last hill day furra wee while.  

 malky_c 24 Dec 2020
In reply to Flinticus:

> For you, that's a quiet year but still a fair amount achieved. That allowance of 4-5 hrs and 7-800m ascent will still get you up many nice hills, lots of corbetts / grahams. How is Jackie at walking off track with that long-covid?

Probably more like 4-500m ascent on a typical day, but that still lets us get to plenty of interesting places. She would rather not be wading through deep heather and undergrowth but unfortunately that comes with the sort of terrain we seem to end up on just now!

You seem to have manged to hit some quality this year if not quantity. I don't envy you or anyone else stuck in a small local authority in the central belt - I'm glad I was a complete slacker and didn't complete my move to Glasgow and let out my house in Inverness.


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