Roseberry Topping

If this weather is getting you down, here's an image from a warm summer evening.

Roseberry Topping on the edge of the North York Moors

Jan 27th Brown Cove Crags

Yet another trip up onto Brown Cove Crags today for a look at the snow conditions and have some fun running up and down the easy gullies.
 The snow was a little soft, but made for an easy and enjoyable ascent.
A ferocious tail wind helped us up!  But made it difficult to stand up the top!

 I love it when the conditions get a bit wild, I think it always adds some extra drama to the day...

Helvellyn Gill

Melt water streams running under the snow

Left Parallel Gully

A small cornice at the top of Left Parallel Gully

"I said....... CLIMB WHEN YA READY!!"

Right Parallel Gully

Right Parallel Gully

Jan 20th Yorkshire Dales

A photographic trip into the Dales to capture some winter images proved very successful.

Click on the page link for all the images.....................................>>>>

An isolated and abandoned farmhouse on the skyline above Langstrothdale.
 

Welcome to Richmondshire

Jan 17th Helvellyn

A stroll up to Brown Cove Crags and Helvellyn showed that the snow was not as deep as I had expected.  There's a thin covering of powder right down to the road, but nothing solid for a climb.
Some ice has formed and the turf was starting to become more solid, though not fully frozen yet.
It was well below freezing all day, but became very cold on the summit with the strong wind chill and as the cloud came in it became positively arctic.

North to Skiddaw and Blencathra

Brown Cove Crags

Broad Gully

Some ice had formed on the crags

Brown Cove and Swirrel Edge

Swirrel Edge

Swirrell Edge

Helvellyn summit and Striding Edge

Helvellyn, Striding Edge, and Red Tarn

Jan 12th The Old Man of Coniston

A great forecast for the weekend, but no snow and ice for climbing, so we set off for a walk over Wetherlam, Black Sails and the Old Man of Coniston.
Distance: 7.6 miles
Height gain: 3500ft

The ground was frozen at about 550m after a sharp frost the night before.

Wind blown frost

Gill Cove above Levers Water

Looking East from Furness Fell

North Gully on Hen Crag (probably)

Across to the Old Man from Furness Fell

North from Wetherlam summit to Bowfell

The Prison Band and Swirl How

Towards the Old Man and Dow Crag

Lets hope the forecast for some snow and cold temperatures is right and the gullys and crags are good for some climbing soon.

Jan 9th Brimham Rocks sunset

With the weather becoming colder and more settled, I was hopeful that tonight might be a good opportunity to take some star trail shots, but as the sun set over the horizon and the cloud started to build it became apparent that this was not the night.

Brimham Rocks  (2 secs@f5.6,  iso100)

I was however rewarded for my efforts with a superb sunset over the rocks from my favourite vantage point.  This image was taken about 20mins after the sun had disappeared below the horizon.
I've taken many images from exactly this point, it always seems to come up with goods if there's a good sunset.
The juxtaposition of all the rock formations fall in just right place to give a perfect silhouette again the big west facing sky.

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together!!...........Tee hee

Jan 5th and 6th Striding Edge and Blencathra

Over the weekend a trip to the Lakes didn't present the photographic opportunities that I'd hoped for.

Saturday we walked from Glenridding past Lantys Tarn up onto Striding Edge and Helvellyn.
We were shrouded in cloud all day, and a chilly wind on the summit meant we didn't hang around too long.

Grisedale and St Sunday Crag 5th Jan

Striding Edge from Swirrel Edge (not 5th Jan!)

 Sunday was much of the same with a trip up Blencathra via Halls Fell Ridge,  the rocks on the ridge were treacherously slippery and great care was taken on the exposed bits near the top.
The camera stayed firmly in the bag.

Dec 30th High Street, Blea Water Crag winter condions

CONDITIONS: The snow is soft and needs to freeze hard to get it into condition. The ground on the summit was not frozen and it was very easy to break through the snow and ice on the surface.  The snow down onto Long Stile Ridge was just right for a winter walk!

With the forecast for 80 mph gales, blizzards and white outs the temptation to venture out onto the fells was too great.  With the wind coming from the south west a walk up the “sheltered” north east side of High Street was the best option.

Hawes water from Small Water Beck

Harter Fell North Face

Nan Bield Pass

Starting from the car park at the head of Haweswater and making our way up to the shelter at Nan Bield Pass was very pleasant the crags are unfortunately showing too much wet rock to be of much use for winter climbing. 

Rough Crag, Long Stile Ridge

A quick stop at the pass and off to the summit.  The wind picked up as we left the security of the shelter and the spin drift stung our faces like needles, after 30 mins we were on the Summit of High Street and with wind on our backs made our way across to the top of Long Stile Ridge.


The top of the ridge is banked out with soft snow, and my new Yaktrax XTR walking crampons came into their own.  The best thing I’ve bought in ages.!

Is this Race Course Gully anyone?

Blea Water Crag Panoramic

Blea Water Crag

A great winter day out and made it back down in time to join the traffic on the A66!!!

Dec 27th Snow in the Lakes

A trip up to Stickle Tarn from the New Dungeon Gyll Hotel on Thurs showed how much rain there has been in the Lakes over the last few days.  The fields in the valley are either flooded or saturated, and there is a lot of water tumbling down the streams. The snow line on Bowfell is high and any snow is retreating into the sheltered north facing gullies.

Bowfell and the Band from Harrison Stickle

The high gullies on Bowfell appear to have retained a small amount of snow, but I'm not sure if it'll be good enough for any winter climbing and will need a good freeze to consolidate any of the small amount of fresh snow that has fallen on the tops.

Bowfell Buttress 27th Dec 2012

Helvellyn summit shelter in winter 2006

Staying on the summit to watch a winter sunset is a real treat, but once it's dropped below the horizon a speedy descent is best as the temperature plummets.

Dec 21st: Lakes past winter conditions

With the current wet weather showing no sign of stopping I thought I would go back through my image library to find some pics from previous winters walking and climbing in the Lakes and the Yorkshire Dales.

Harrison Stickle and a frozen Stickle Tarn

Taken in the winter of 2010/11 with  a Hasselblad Xpan Mk II on Fuji Velvia film.

Winter sun on the south face of Gavel Pike

I can't remember which year this was taken but it was probably around 2004/5.

The summit of Gavel Pike on the left with High Street, Thornthwaite Beacon and Hartsop Dodd.

Striding Edge February 2010

 What a great winter we had!

Arncliffe February 2012

A walk over to Malham Tarn from Arncliffe in the snow.

The Old Post Office, Arncliffe

The local inhabitants were lying in wait

They were very friendly, but expected to be fed!

Wet sheep through the car window

And then it started raining May 20112