Blog - Trip Reports

Langdale, Lake District September 2024

Staying at the perfectly located Robertson Lamb Hut in the Langdale Valley, 10 intrepid walkers completed a couple of classic Lake District walks. Walking out straight from the hut for both epic walks, on day one we headed up to the double summit of Pike of Blisco, bounced over Crinkle Crags and the awesome rocks and boulders taking on the 'Awkward Step' scramble which everyone took in their stride. Then a few continued on to soak up the breathtaking views from the summit of Bow Fell, with magnificent light shining across the world over us all. We were so lucky with the weather and made the most of it. It was a long slog back to be welcomed by the Old Dungeon Gyhll pub before home. Great cooks as always and a legendary trifle to complete the day.

August/September 2024 – GR34 St Brieuc to Treguier, Brittany

Having completed the section St Brieuc to Mont St Michel in 2012 and Morlaix to Treguier in 2017 it was time to complete the middle section from St Brieuc to Treguier. Why that way round? The new guidebook did it that way.

Richard W and I from the previous two trips, were joined for this one by David K. Richard W and David K did all but one of the accommodation bookings – this was a challenge – and I just did St Malo YH. My fears of us having to share a double bed proved unfounded although in one place the TV sofa had to be converted into a bed – well done Richard W.

Slightly more of a problem was finding somewhere or something to eat. For three nights in self-catering accommodation, we had our own provisions supplemented by some items supplied by our hosts and we also got fresh croissants from the boulangerie. One dinner in Pleubian came from the equivalent of a local chip and burger place and in L’Armor we had to return to a mobile creperie and galette van in Quebo. One night, we had dinner en route to our accommodation at Rosaires beach but on two nights we had to walk over a mile back to places to eat.

Plenty of sea food featured on the menus which included a couple of SE Asian themed meals when we were in St Quay-Portrieux. Here some of the streets in the old town were closed to traffic in the evenings to enable restaurants to put out tables – the same in Paimpol.

We covered about 150km over the 13 days of the trip, staying in a variety of accommodation from Yurts to ensuite rooms for one. In Paimpol and Binic the hotels overlooked the harbours.

Richard and David swam most days in rivers, the sea or salt water pools filled by the tide and weatherwise the first week was generally warm and dry, around 20C, but the second week was cooler and wetter with most rain falling overnight.

Our French was tested to its limits at times – particularly in more rural areas.

The walking was varied – alongside river estuaries, sandy beaches or coastline, sometimes up to 100m above the water, with one day involving about 900m of ups and downs, some quite steep, some scrambling over rocks and also out on a long shingle spit, the Sillon de Tarbet. The scenery on the coast was superb. The French markets were full of wares and fresh produce. The cliff part was part of the Route de Falaises.

Local buses - €2.50 or €2.00 proved useful and we caught trains from St Malo to St Brieuc and from Paimpol back to St Malo. Not cheap because we did not book until the day. And finally, the ferry, MV Bretagne, which has just been retired from service took us from Portsmouth to St Malo and back. It was a complex trip to plan, but well worth the hard work.

Michael Merritt

Trip leader

Dufton Trip June 2024

Well, flaming June it wasn’t! But we were prepared for the arctic air stream predicted for our weekend in the North Pennines and our bunkhouse was nice and warm so it didn’t really matter.

We arrived and unpacked, heading out to a local hostelry for a fine supper in the next village, before briefings on the options for the morrow. Both groups were going up to view High Cup Nick, with the longer/harder route being a circuit of the best glaciated valley in the north, and the shorter/lower group going gently up for a look before returning when they’d had enough. The nick itself gradually reveals itself as you round the lower hills that shield this surprising view from below, it is truly awesome and enormous, being crested with grey-blue dolerite crags – a geologist’s dream! In the event and with fine weather, we all completed the entire circuit, just dividing into faster and slower paced groups, and with the slower group taking the road tramp back to Dufton whilst the faster group diverted via fields and the dramatic Dufton Ghyll woods and gorge giving them a pretty final mile. In total we walked 9.7 miles and climbed 1555 ft.

Scotland Trip May 2024

In May, 14 of us rocked up to the amazing Mar Lodge, near Braemar. It’s an old Victorian hunting lodge, liberally bedecked with stag heads and furnished in dark wood and tartan with some huge bedrooms and spacious bathrooms – this was sheer luxury! And slap bang in the middle of some stunning mountains.

The Munro-baggers set off on the first day to hire bikes which would enable them to cycle between 5-7 miles up the valley to access some otherwise hard to reach (in a day) mountains in the Southern Cairngorms. They were keen and the weather was very kind – Carn a’Mhaim, Ben Macdui and Derry Cairngorm, The Devil’s Point, Cairn Toul and Carn an Fhidhlier among some of the 17 big summits they achieved. A few were more easily accessible from the nearby ski centres.

Others in the group preferred more middle-sized walks and mountains with both Glen Quoich and Glen Lui easily accessible from the door of our accommodation, allowing some beautiful circular walks including Carn Mor and Morven, as well as explorations of Glen Derry and Deeside. The local birds and wildlife were spectacular – plenty of red squirrels deer and eagles to be seen around the lodge.

We enjoyed the usual high standard of Highdown Merry Meals – it was a pleasure to sit at the enormous long table in the dining hall surrounded by lush grounds and we enjoyed two meals out in Braemar, one of which was accompanied by traditional local music. And of course, porridge for breakfast!