What a great spell!
I’m looking out at pouring rain and clouds being whipped across the sky by ferocious winds. I’m just preparing the little weather forecast item I’ve been doing for BBC Scotland’s Adventure Show radio programme and this weekend’s weather looks hellish, going on bloody hellish! Gale force winds on the tops, heavy rain and low cloud. Mmm, might be the weekend for doing those chores my wife has been hinting at for some weeks.
Shouldn’t complain too much I guess, the weather over the past couple of weeks has been wonderful - cold and frosty with clear blue skies here in the Highlands. I took the opportunity of going down to the Lakes last weekend to hike with some old friends, Jimmy, Aiden and Peter from Sunderland and Rowly from Ambleside, guys I met when I led a trek to Everest Base Camp a few years ago. I always enjoy heading out with these guys, we laugh as much as we walk, they’re fit and play hard and are just great characters to be with in the hills. For someone like me, who spends a lot of time walking alone, it’s always a delight to find company like that.
Anyway, we wandered - or should say raced, round the Fairfield Horseshoe in magnificent weather. It was bitterly cold on the summits but clear enough to get some good shots of neighbouring Hellvelyn. (see above) A lot of people were out enjoying the conditions and it was, as usual, great to see people enjoying the hills in all their glory.
So, I guess I’ll have to relive those fine hours this weekend as I plod through the mists, or battle the winds. For what it’s worth, incidentally, the best of the hill weather in Scotland looks like being the Lammermuirs this weekend. If you can tune in to Radio Scotland check out the programme tomorrow morning - The Adventure Show, 7-8am. It’s the last of our little stint of four weeks and Ewan and Mark will be back next week.
February 22nd, 2008 at 4:21 pm
I am missing the beautiful weather of recent weeks now that it is gone. Even though I am sitting in an office I can still hear the wind howling and wish it was nice again so that I could get out this weekend!
February 22nd, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Get your waterproofs on and go for it, despite the wind and rain. Go and enjoy a low level walk somewhere, you’ll feel the better for it!
February 23rd, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Glad to hear you behaved yourself and didn’t wild camp!
You were lucky with the weather - this weekend’s been driech (remind me what that means!)…
Posted a response from the environment secretary regarding wild camps in E&W on my blog - ain’t looking good.
February 24th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
I would be very surprised if the Government introduced legal wild camping on the basis of 5-600 petition signatories. It will take many, many thousands of signatures for the Government to even take notice and since so many so-called outdoor folk in E&W are making such negative comments about wild camping then, I’m sorry to say, the campaign is unlikely to go anywhere fast.