Malta Part 1: Heading for the sun

Continuing in the spirit of doing something different this year, we decided we needed a bit of sun and booked a long weekend in Malta in the middle of February. In my job in travel, I'd heard that Malta was a bit of a love it/hate it place, but it was good value and warm, so we though we'd reserve judgement till we got there.

The flight was fine, but Cyclone Charlene was hovering over Malta (what is it with us and storms this year?), so we were a little nervous about the landing and rightly so, as it turned out to be a real white knuckle ride that had us both sweating and clutching at the armrests. Bro actually grabbed my hand at one point so it must have been bad!

Somewhat shakily, we got to the hotel and lovely it was too, right on Valletta's harbour front. We even had a balcony courtesy of a room upgrade which was a nice start.

valletta - like rome in miniature

The next day, the weather was warm and calm and we set off to walk right round the city which actually isn't that big. With my professional hat on, Malta has a huge history going back to prehistoric times and everyone seems to have left their mark from the Romans to the British, and the result is a beautiful honey coloured city that looks like Rome in miniature with a really friendly feel.

We walked about eight miles along, up, down and through all the main streets and a fair few smaller ones too. We saw St Paul's wrist bone, beautiful war memorials, lovely parks and lush, flower filled gardens. The weather was wonderfully warm and we felt much better and more relaxed.

In the afternoon we took a ferry across to the Three Cities area; we actually went to Birgu (or Vittoriosa) and wandered through the marina with its vast collection of huge yachts including what we found to be the world's largest mega sailing yacht, the Maltese Falcon, (owned by a woman I’m proud to say), narrow cobbled streets and stunning views back to Valletta.

Getting to the ferry from the Valletta side was a little hairy; you need to negotiate the monstrous Upper Barakka Cliff Lift or else walk miles round to the Grand Harbour. The lift is 58 metres high but we didn’t actually fancy it, so we decided to walk down the hundreds of stairs which spiralled round quite tightly with a horrible little open viewing area at the bottom of each flight letting you know how high you were. We did go back up in the lift which wasn't so bad.

the maltese falcon

yes, you walk the plank to get in

the narrow streets of birgu

The evening's entertainment was provided by a drink and a snack in the lounge of the hotel looking down on the dining room with its huge Chinese buffet. We watched in amusement as people wandered round, picking at dishes they obviously weren't sure about, or those who took huge platefuls and went back for seconds and thirds. The highlight was a lady dropping a dumpling, looking round to see if anyone had noticed, then nonchalantly walking away. It was then a matter of waiting to see who would tread on it!

What do they say; little things please little minds, but bigger fools look on........

Walking with Gertrude

SKIDDaw from longside edge

At the end of December, we lost our wonderful dog and were heartbroken. We decided to do something different in January, just to break the month up a little and take our minds off things, so we booked a long weekend in Keswick.

We had a meeting just outside Penrith on the Friday morning, so driving up on Thursday meant we could have a full day's walking on the Saturday and drive home on Sunday. Perfect, except for the weather...Storm Gertrude was brewing and dire predictions were being made about driving into the eye of a storm (mainly by Mum). The journey of four and a half hours up the M6 was in beautiful sun and we made it all the way to Shap before the rain started, but even then it was only patchy showers. The wind did buffet us on the exposed section over Shap Fell, but nothing too dramatic, although we did take it steadily.

Friday was beautiful all day; lovely bright sun and not too cold, but the wind was still blustery, so we endured more buffeting on the M6 heading towards Penrith but it was much calmer on the way back to Keswick. Saturday was clear, sunny and calm and all the fell tops had a fresh dusting of snow which looked gorgeous.

We decided to tackle Long Side, Carl Side and Ullock Pike as they were only a 10 minute drive from the hotel and a ridge walk in winter in a looming storm was something we probably wouldn't have tackled with a dog. We parked at the Old Sawmill Tearooms and set off up through Dodd woods. It was lovely and quiet; no wind, rain, ice or snow and no real flood damage that we could see although one of the trails had been closed. As the gradient eased and we approached the 'Dodd Summit' sign, Gertrude hit us full in the face, but it was still dry and relatively warm.

The views were lovely as were the clouds racing over Derwentwater as we began the climb up to Carl Side. Once we reached the summit, Gertrude made her presence felt again in quite an aggressive way and it got more than a little nippy, so we stopped to don water/windproof jackets and trousers and warmer gloves. A slug of freezing water completed the preparations.

The views were beautiful and we were in full sun. Now properly clad, we were perfectly warm and debated for about two seconds whether to veer off up Skiddaw, but Gertrude was playing rough and we still had Longside Edge to do, so decided against it. Gertrude was rushing about at around 45 miles an hour at that point, so not so strong you could lean against her - although we tried - but enough to make you stagger, which was not a good idea on an Edge, so there was a lot of bracing with the walking poles. It was actually quite good fun, but we were sensible, digging the poles in when a strong gust hit side on.

It still wasn't really that cold and looking behind us, Derwentwater was shrouded in mist and gloom, so we felt we'd had the best of the weather. It was a fabulously exhilarating walk that blew the cobwebs away. Gertrude had behaved herself, despite being a little pushy at times!

crepuscular rays over keswick

ullock pike’s view towards scotland

longside edge

Change and Improvement

FLEETWITH pike’s stunning summit

It’s now been eight years since we started climbing the Wainwrights properly and, after walking in the Himalayas, Rockies, Andes, Alps as well as the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire Moors, the Cotswolds, the Chilterns, Scotland, a couple of summits of Snowdon and a good clutch of Wainwrights, we like to think were are now moderately experienced walkers; at the very least we are really beginning to see results in ourselves, both mentally and physically.

Firstly, our fitness levels have improved dramatically. We have both lost weight and toned up and are both a least a size smaller. We also cycle - both mountain and road bike - run regularly, and walk every day with the dog. We both walk much more quickly now, although I still can't keep up with Bro. His ability - honed after 11 years of being yanked down mountain sides on the end of a lead - to find his footing on slippery and rocky paths at speed is astounding, and we're constantly amazed he hasn't broken an ankle in the past few years.

We now wear proper walking clothing after those early days of just wearing whatever was to hand in the drawer. Fitted trousers, wicking tops, lightweight fleeces and soft shells in bright colours, along with down jackets and Gore-Tex waterproofs. Rucksacks were slimmed down and properly fitted with expert advice as were boots, and we have a drawerful of walking socks, gloves and hats.

We take as standard a couple of maps, compass, first aid kit, GPS with spare batteries, head torches and a hat and gloves even in summer. A waterproof is always at the bottom of the pack and we use walking poles which really help your knees on the descents. We have learnt about which foods to take - usually nuts, dried fruit, a boiled egg, energy bars and a bit of fruit. We don't often take sandwiches as we have a decent breakfast, but for a long day, we will take a wrap with chicken in it; even if it gets squashed it's still edible and not too dry. We also carry a water bladder each and use electrolyte tabs in them which has the added benefit of making the water taste better!

We both have a much more positive attitude too which has come organically. Sighs of 'what, up there?' and 'really, that far?' are now a thing of the past. We're always amazed when coming down (much harder I think) how steep the path can be and how we didn't really notice it on the way up. Our determination and confidence has also improved.

Most of all, we've been really enjoying ourselves. Fresh air, great views, good company, a good laugh, an achievement and a pint at the end. Long may it continue!

Welcome to the Website!

the Newlands valley from dale head

Welcome to the website! We, my brother and I and our Golden Retriever, are about three years into a quest to climb all the Wainwright fells, from our starting point in the south of England. We first came to the Lake District, after a couple of early visits with our parents, in 2007, for somewhere different to walk the dog. 

We loved it and came back every year, but really only climbed about one fell each visit, as we just weren’t really interested in climbing then and much preferred low level, flatter walks. 

In 2012, a conversation at Alcock Tarn with an older couple sitting at the water’s edge in the sun resulted in their suggestion to climb up to Heron Pike. I’m not sure how keen we were, but it would have been rude to refuse, especially as they were watching our progress! 

However, Heron Pike changed everything.

We didn’t realise at the time, but we were looking into the Fairfield Horseshoe. We saw how staggeringly beautiful the area was from up high and how it was a whole new Lake District from our lofty vantage point, and we were  totally hooked. From that moment on, we began climbing in earnest and with enthusiasm, coming up once, twice, even five times a year from then on.

This website is predominantly the story of our Wainwright journey, but also a way of sharing our life outdoors and our travels. We hope you enjoy reading it!

mellbreak across crummock water