Walking in the Mourne Mountains

7&8.2.14
Walking with; Nobody

There is something magical about being the only person on top of a summit, whether that be the top of Ben Nevis or the top of Arnside Knott, there is that feel of smug satisfaction, of a treat well earned. In my mind that satisfaction is even greater when the summit is the highest in a country, for the time you are there, nobody in the country is higher than you, you are on top of that particular section of the world! Such was the feeling I had standing on Slieve Donard on Friday afternoon, there was not another soul to be seen and far below, the town of Newcastle flitted intermittently in and out of the cloud, it was magical!
I'd set off from Belfast in bright sunshine and as I reached Donard Park the sky was still blue and I set off in shirtsleeves. The path wound it's way through the woods following the path of the River Glen until I emerged into the valley opposite the restored Ice House built by the Third Earl of Annseley in the 1830's. I cut off the main path just beyond the Ice House and started to follow the gully between Donard and Thomas's Mountain, it was steep, sweaty work, but as I climbed above the frost line the ground froze and there was lying snow which actually made it easier underfoot. As I hit the summit the cloud dropped and the wind picked up and the views of the coast and Newcastle below disappeared. The cairns on the top of the mountain are believed to date back to Neolithic times and there are many tales of folklore linking the cairns with gates to the underworld. A further tale has Saint Donard turning the cairn into a hermit's cell and thus "appropriating the mountain for Christianity"! The summit wasn't a place to be hanging around too long so I followed the snow clad line of the Mourne Wall down to saddle at the head of the Glen valley. The wall was built between 1904 and 1922 to enclose the reservoir catchment area of the Belfast Water Commission. It was built by hand and is a truly spectacular achievement crossing, as it does, the peaks (or thereabouts) of fifteen different mountains. From the head of the valley I ascended Slieve Commedagh, the second highest peak in the range and from there followed the ridge down to Slievenamaddy and back through the park, before heading to "Diamond Pat's" for a well earned pint or two of the black stuff!
There's no better way to set yourself up for a day in the hills than an Ulster Fry and the one at the excellent "Dacara B and B" http://www.dacaraguesthouse.com/  was up there with the best of them...the weather however was not playing ball so I decided to head down to The Silent Valley, a huge reservoir situated south of Newcastle. The reservoir took ten years to build and was completed in 1933, it's a beautiful spot with plenty of walking trails to suit all levels. I decided to head up Slievenaglough and enjoyed a slippery scramble up one of the steeper faces to be greeted with spectacular views of much of the range from the Ben Crom Reservoir, round to the cloud topped Slieve Binnian and then across the flat hinterland to the coast. Leaving the windswept summit I descended across the bogs towards the head of Silent Valley, putting up a couple of Jack Snipe en route. After four fordings of streams of various difficulty I attained the head of the valley and from there it was a simple route march back to the carpark and back into Newcastle in time for the Six Nations!
The Mournes are a very appealing range, they are compact but seem quiet and there is definitely an air of mystery about them. Apparently there is a challenge walk that follows the entire length of the Mourne Wall and I think that is definitely one to be pencilled in for the future!

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Grasmere to Langdale in the snow!

31.1.14/1.2.14
Walking with; Gareth and Lawrence

Gareth and Lawrence had travelled up from the balmy South to see what Winter weather the Lakes could throw at them and, luckily, the weekend didn't disappoint. We rolled into Grasmere about 7pm and headed out straightaway  on a night nav. In spite of the cloud cover the snow was reflecting the ambient light which made things a bit easier as we picked our way around Wray Gill and the edge of Brigstone Moss. Even with the snow it was warm work and by the time we headed back to the YHA Lawrence was stripped down to his t-shirt!
YHA Grasmere has the best staff in the Lakes and buoyed by a good night's kip and a solid breakfast we kitted up and headed down Easedale taking in the snowy views that had been denied us the night before. It was slippery underfoot but we followed Blindtarn Gill up towards Swinescar Pike and skirted Lang How to the three tarns area where the snow really hit. We were looking down into Langdale but the snow was blowing upwards and we were being blown about pretty severely as we traversed across the slopes before slip-sliding our way down to the valley floor. In Langdale the snow turned to a steady drizzle and the Pikes themselves winked in and out of the clouds as we followed the Cumbria Way through Baysbrown. Once "The Wainwrights Inn" http://www.langdale.co.uk/dine/wainwrights/ loomed into view it was a no brainer and we took shelter, dried out a bit of kit in front of the fire and made the most of a restorative pint!
Fortified by this we carried on along Great Langdale Beck before cutting across Walthwaite Bottom and skirting Huntingstile Crag on our way to Loughrigg Terrace. As we started the ascent of Loughrigg we met a couple of walkers who'd decided the wind was too strong and had turned back but undeterred we pressed onwards. When the wind did hit it hit hard, given we were at little more than 300 metres at that stage I can't imagine what it must have been like on the tops....we took the buffeting for a little while before dropping down towards Rydal Water and Grasmere and meandering back along the shoreline with great views of Goosander and Tufted Ducks. A night in "Tweedie's bar" http://www.langdale.co.uk/dine/wainwrights/ consisted of great food, a log fire, live music and plenty of good beer, just what the Doctor ordered after a Wintery day on the hill!

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A snowy Snowdonia walk

27.1.14
Walking with; Alex

My last day out in Snowdonia had come to a relatively swift end when my route along the Foel Gron ridge was interrupted by a lightning flash that seemed to be right on top of me. The weather for this walk in the shadows of the Carneddau was equally unforgiving, if a little less terrifying.
I had arranged to meet Alex via a Facebook forum for ML trainees and as I drove down increasingly narrow gated lanes to our meeting point I had to admit he'd picked a cracking spot for an afternoon of exploring and a night nav session. We set off on the path towards Cerrig Cochion before swinging West and following the Clogwyn Maldy track which eventually led us to the steep ramp between the twin reservoirs of Dulyn and Melynllyn. As the rain turned to sleet we stopped here to admire the views back down the valley, noting the well positioned bothy ( a possibility for the future) and spying a few decent looking camping spots. We located a decent crag or two and spent 40 minutes or so practicing rope work techniques and  forlornly hoping for a break in the weather!
We followed the ramp up onto the lower slopes of Foel Grach where the wind really hitting us whipping the wet snow across the plateau and it was with some relief that we located Ffynnon Llyfant, the highest lake in Wales sitting at an altitude of 815 metres. On the shores of the lake and scattered around the valley are the remains of an RAF aircraft that crashed in 1957 killing both crew members (see link for further information) http://www.peakdistrictaircrashes.co.uk/pages/wales/waleswk129.htm. It makes for a slightly eerie feel particularly with darkness falling and the snow creating a monochrome landscape. We left the lake as darkness fell and night navved a succession of legs broadly following the line of Afon Eigiau before we reached the remains of the old quarry buildings. From there it was a route march back along the valley floor on the track leading past the Llyn Eigiau reservoir until we reached our lonely cars thoroughly sodden but well satisfied with a testing afternoon on the hills.

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Wet and wild walks from Llanberis

18/19.12.13
Walking with; Nobody

The good folks at the MWIS http://www.mwis.org.uk/ had provided the following information for Snowdonia, " frequent snow and hail with thunder, occasional whiteout conditions" but my cosy bunk at the Llanberis YHA was already booked and I had a new pair of Berghaus waterproofs to put to the test! On the drive over it became clear that we were in for some pretty serious weather and it was almost at the stage where I considered retreating to "Pete's Eats", settling next to the radiator and working my way through the largest of large brunches! However I summoned up some serious resolve, parked at the end of the tiny hamlet of Cwm-y-Glo and set off to take on Mother Nature in the foulest of moods. I followed the path from the small carpark at the end of the village and climbed up to Gallt-y-celyn. It was slippery underfoot, brutally windy and the rain was flying in horizontally, but there were still views down towards Llyn Padarn and Snowdon sat magnificent in the distance. I headed across to the slopes of Garreg Lefain where I found myself a sheltered spot above the reservoir for a spot of lunch and some respite from the torrential rain. After twenty minutes of questioning my sanity I devised a roundabout escape plan that would incorporate a little wet weather nav practice with a reasonably rapid descent off the hill. In the end it was one of those days that tested me, there were times when it was a little unpleasant but as I sat in "Pete's Eats" an hour or so later with a pint of coffee and a bacon and egg roll the words of my t-shirt rang true, "Better a rainy day on the hill than a sunny one in the office"!
Thursday's forecast was worse yet but as I left the hostel and started the gentle climb through farmland and past many abandoned and ruined cottages and barns, the sky was still blueish. I hit the North Wales Pilgrims Way above the old slate workings and turned up onto Bryn Mawr and the lower slopes of Moel Eilio, my goal for the day. I could see the clouds rolling in over Snowdon and even more ominously the ribbons of cloud trailing in from the coast, as I hit the summit the hail swept in with stinging force. I ducked into the summit shelter and identified the ridge walk on to Foel Goch which looked straightforward even with the increasingly poor visibility. I made it as far as Foel Gron when the storm hit, the thunder was directly overhead and deafening and the lightning appeared like a flashbulb going off seemingly right in front of my eyes. Abandoning my original plan I decided to get off the ridge as soon as possible and managed to find a reasonably secure (though still extremely blowy) way down to Llyn Dwythwch. By now the snow was falling pretty heavily but I found the ruins of a sheepfold and tucked myself away for some lunch whilst the flakes settled all around me. Shaking off the cold I skirted the lake and made my way back to the hostel. It was too early to go back so I headed over to the old slate mines for a bit of a nosey before the rain forced a retreat once more back to Pete's welcoming embrace!

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A night walk and a day walk from Borrowdale YHA

23/24.11.13
Walking with; Rob

I only ever seem to visit Borrowdale in the cold. Last year I had one of my best, if snowiest walks, there http://www.comewalkwithmeuk.co.uk/2012/12/borrowdaleand-snow.html and when I arrived this weekend, full of fish and chips from "The Old Keswickian" I could see a dusting of snow across some of the higher tops. I had decided that the time had come to bite the bullet and set out on some night navs on my own, it is hard to finding people who are brave/daft/amenable enough to come out stumbling around the Peaks or the Lakes in the dark, and yet, it is one of the key challenges I will face on my ML assessment, so I gave it a go! I left the hostel and meandered through the Autumnal woodland following the crystal clear waters of the river I'd decided to make my way up to the fells, wait for darkness to fall and then micro-nav my way down from point to point. It seemed a little counter intuitive to be heading out as most people were heading back to the twinkling lights of Borrowdale, but it also seemed adventurous. As darkness fell I took a deep breath and reminded myself that I didn't believe in "ghosties or ghoulies or long legged beasties or things that go bump in the night" and set off using as many different techniques as I could usefully remember.
I'd given myself the fairly unmissable "handrail" of the stream so bumped up and down the slope from point to point, trying to identify ring contours and near invisible re-entrants, seeing the beam of my Petzl reflected in the eyes of the local Herdwicks and, at one stage, seeing another fellow night wanderer somewhere on the slopes of Thorneythwaite Crag! It wasn't the toughest route, but it was a start and as I wandered back along the abandoned lanes to Longthwaite I felt a, probably disproportionate, sense of pride and felt the three pints of "Cumberland" at the hostel bar, better earned than on many previous occasions.
I was joined by Rob the next morning. Once a colleague at Lose Hill YHA, the lucky sod has moved to the Lakes and now lives down in Levens. We set off along the river bank before aiming up and steadily ascending the Honister pass until we reached the slate mines and Honister Hause hostel. Circumventing my "Face of Fatigue" hell http://www.comewalkwithmeuk.co.uk/2012/12/borrowdaleand-snow.html , we headed up the steady ascent along the side of the fell which opened up some spectacular views over Buttermere and Crummock Water. It was chilly on the tops and as we made our way up the slopes of Green Gable I found myself walking in snow for the first time this Winter. The cloud dropped lower and lower and by the time we reached the summit we were restricted to a view of little more than one another! We headed down to Windy Gap and then slipped and scree slithered our way down to Styhead Tarn, one of my favourite spots in the whole Lake District. The path from here was a straightforward descent and then a stroll along the valley floor to Seathwaite and eventually back to Borrowdale. It was great to catch up with Rob again and, as a fell runner, he enjoyed the more sedate pace that I explore the fells at. Looking forward to some more snowy days out in the Lakes in the not too distant future!

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Higger Tor and Carl Wark

12.3.13
Walking with; Nobody

The skies were blue and the air crisp and I decided that such a day was not to be wasted in Manchester so, amidst the flurries of snow, headed off to do this walk which had been on my list for the past couple of weeks. As I headed towards Sheffield the skies grew darker and the snow a little more insistent, but there were plenty of hardy souls out and about and whilst this is not, in any sense, a wilderness walk there was still enough weather and heather to make it feel pretty wild at times.
  I parked near "The Grouse Inn", above Froggatt village, when I arrived it wasn't open and by the time I'd returned it had shut......have to learn to time my walks better........From there I headed up to White Edge and out onto the exposed moorland where the wind whipped plenty of snow into my face and forced me into digging out the hat and gloves. I carried on entering the grounds of the National Trust owned Longshaw Estate. The Estate was once owned by the Duke of Rutland who used it for shooting parties, however it was purchased from the Duke by public subscription in 1927 and presented to the Trust the following year. Eschewing the undoubted delights of the NT tearoom I carried on following the high path above the quarries onto Burbage Moor. The views from the edge took in my eventual objectives of Higger Tor and Carl Wark as well as the forestry plantation planted in the shape of Great Britain and which Sheffield Council are now talking of removing. The edge is normally a very popular spot for climbers but there was nobody brave, or foolhardy, enough to risk it today and I made it to Upper Burbage Bridge (for lunch) without meeting another soul.
  Higger Tor itself, is a classic Dark Peak gritstone hill and whilst only attaining a height of 434m affirds some excellent views to Stannage Edge and Mam Tor and the Hope Valley. I descended and headed over to Carl Wark, a site I'd been meaning to visit for a long time on account of the (what are thought to be) Iron Age fortress remains situated atop it. Much mystery still remains as to the actual useage of the area and no remains of settlement have been found but the remaining wall is none-the-less a very impressive piece of work and has weathered over 3000 years of inclement Peak District weather admirably. The path back to the estate was boggy underfoot and I was glad to get off it and head down to Padley Gorge, a beautiful wooded valley just waiting for Spring to have sprung! The path follows the stream as it cuts it's way towards Grindleford, but what goes down must come up meaning that after bypassing the village, it was a short, sharp shock that led me puffing and panting back towards "The Grouse", just too late to console myself with a well earned pint!

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Up or Down?

Instead of spending a week walking up mountains I shall be strapping a couple of planks to my feet and sliding down them, mostly in some kind of control!

Have a good week!

Fernilee Reservoir

22.01.13
Walking with; Nobody

Snow seems to divide the nation, one half turning into big kids and the other into whingers and moaners, perhaps the divide is based on whether you have to go to work in it, because spending a day wandering through the Peak District in the snow is, quite frankly, one of the best things I can think of doing! It's a while since I have found a completely new walk in the Peaks so I pulled my well thumbed "Pub Walks in the Peak District"  out of the bookcase and on John Morrison's advice decided to try a variant on his stroll around Fernilee.
Fernilee is a hamlet, a mile or so South of Whalley Bridge and consists of "The Shady Oak" pub, a few farms and not a lot more. However a short stroll down the Goyt Valley there are the twin reservoirs of Fernilee and Errwood built in 1938 by the Stockport Water Corporation. I followed the footpath through Folds Lane Farm and down the pristine slopes to the River Goyt itself which I crossed before following a path that seemed better suited to cross country skiing than walking to the head of the Fernilee Reservoir.  Walking with the crunch of snow under boot, the sky blue and cloudless and a chill wind reddening your cheeks is hard to beat and my meander was further cheered by a friendly Robin accompanying me en route......no bird looks better against a backdrop of snow and holly. The next section took me through a fir plantation giving the walk a distinctly Scandanavian flavour before a path dropped down to the shore and I followed this to the dam separating the two reservoirs. It was being utilised by some kamikaze sledders who I watched in awe before lunching on top of the dam and spending ten minutes chatting to a gent who'd come down from the Cat and Fiddle.
I circumvented Bunsal Cob before taking the Midshires Way and heading through some seriously deep, drifted snow to the roadside viewpoint of Long Hill with views back towards the reservoir and across to Ladbitch Wood and Taxal Moor. The slog across the thigh deep drifts made me feel like Titus Oates, except with a little less immediate peril. Crossing the access land North of the A5004 I headed through more deep snow up to the Old Road which led me past the very lonely and remote farm at Wythen Lache and back through a true Winter wonderland to the lane down to the pub which sadly had just closed thus depriving me of a well needed pint and opportunity to thaw out in front of a fire......ah well, there's always next time!
All this snow has seriously whetted my appetite for our ski trip, one month from today, so fingers crossed it continues in this vein!

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Kinder plateau in the snow

A Snowy Peak District Double

14/15.01.13
Walking with; Nobody

Tomorrow is my 40th birthday and I'd hoped to fit something special in as a prelude to this momentous landmark, luckily the weather seemed to be on my side and I had two fantastic days in the Peak District with snow lying thick on the ground and barely a soul to be seen. My plan for the Monday was to head over to Edale and up Kinder via Grindsbrook but as I drove along Rushup Edge the snow was already coating the raod pretty thickly and I decided to stop at Mam Tor and have a dander from there.
Mam Tor is one of my favourites, the "bang for your bucks" vista, the Great Ridge stretching out in front of you, the Bronze and Iron Age history and hill fort remnants and the broken road destroyed by the 1979 land slip. It's accessibility, however, means the top is generally busy......not today. I stood alone in glorious solitude on the "mother mountain" in a complete whiteout, barely able to see two foot in front of me! It was too chilly to hang around so I continued along the ridge, dropping out of the cloud until I reached Hollin's Cross. A toss of the coin took me down towards Castleton rather than Edale and as my footprints disturbed the untouched snow on Hollowford Road I passed Candle House and into the village for a cup of coffee and some respite from the falling flakes. Buoyed by caffeine and warm again I passed the colourfully named "Devil's Arse" cavern and after crossing the bottom of Winnat's Pass headed across the narrow, slippery path traversing the face of Treak Cliff to the Blue John Cavern. Blue John is indelibly linked to Castleton, a form of flourite it is found only in this area and has been mined since the 18th Century mainly for the production of decorative pieces. The caverns are closed at this time of year, but well worth a visit on a rainy day in the Summer. I had lunch back at my car before deciding to utilise the white out conditions to practice my navigation work. I headed down towards the Limestone Trail and has I reached it, the cloud broke giving fantastic views to a snow capped Win Hill in the distance. Red faced and chap cheeked I headed back to the car for another restorative coffee.
Snow was falling again (though lightly) as I parked up near Bowden Bridge, the site from where Benny Rothman led his group of ramblers on the Kinder Trespass of 1932. This site should be a mecca for all hill walkers, marking, as it does, the site of a formative event in challenging the restrictive access laws of the time. The trespass went up William Clough but I headed for Coldwell and Oaken Cloughs (where I spotted a Grey Heron and a beautiful Wren) and followed them up past the snowline to the Edale Cross. The views back to South Head and Mount Famine were stunning and the whole hill had that unique, sound muffled quality that snow tends to bring. The only noises disturbing me as I headed across Swine's Back in beautiful sunshine, were the occasional Grouse and the crunch of snow and ice underfoot. I headed out to the cairn at Kinderlow Head before doubling back towards the Trig Point all the while using the snow covered terrain as navigational practice (this will be a big theme for the year as I work towards my Mountain Leader qualification). With blue skies and great views I worked across to Noe's Stool before yomping through sometimes knee deep snow across the plateau to Red Brook and The Pennine Way. I followed the Way as it hugged the edge of the plateau over the Downfall with views to the Reservoir and Mermaid's Pool before descending down William Clough,where the route once taken by Benny Rothwell and his band of protestors switched back and forth across an icy stream. The last mile was a gentle stroll along the reservoir and back down to Bowden Bridge. This was to be the last walk I took in my thirties and it's fitting it was on one of my "local" and favourite hills, I was even luckier that the snow fell and sun shone. Roll on the next ten years!

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Borrowdale......and snow!

4/5.12.12
Walking with; Nobody

Wainwright is allegedly described Borrowdale as "the loveliest square mile in the Lake District", it is also the wettest in terms of annual rainfall with the hamlet of Seathwaite taking the honours and receiving around 3.15 metres of rain a year! So, I couldn't really be surprised as I pulled into the carpark at Rosthwaite that the cloud was low and the rain starting to fall. I took the path across the fields towards the Youth Hostel where I was staying for the night before following the banks of the fast flowing Derwent towards the ominously named "Jaws of Borrowdale". It got wetter. By the time I started the ascent of Castle Crag,(the smallest Wainwright and the only one under 1000 feet), picking my way through the leafless skeletons of the trees the rain was bouncing off my hood, off the branches and even the Robins were looking for shelter in the Holly. Small it maybe, but Castle Crags is steep and by the time I had made my way through the slate workings and up the wiggles to the War Memorial on the summit I was breathing hard. There was still enough of a view to make the effort worthwhile. Ahead through the cloud lay the village of Grange and Derwentwater and below me Borrowdale lay bisected by the Derwent.
I descended onto a section of the Allerdale Ramble, a 54 mile route running from Seathwaite to the coast at Grune Point and followed it's gentle route until I reached the tumbling waters of Tongue Gill where I headed uphill through the ruins of Rigghead Quarry, atmospherically spooky as the light levels dropped, and onto the plateau of High Scawdell. In front of me Dale Head was blanketed in snow and looked magnificent. High Scawdell was covered in a scruffy layer of light snow which crunched underfoot as I made my way across to the partially frozen Launchy Tarn before the vertiginous descent down Scaleclose Gill back to the Allerdale Ramble which I followed down into Seatoller before retracing my steps back to Rosthwaite and The Scafell Hotel http://www.scafell.co.uk/ where a pint in front of an open fire helped to dry out my gear! Bed for the night was at the Borrowdale Youth Hostel, http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/borrowdale where I made the most ofanother fire and another pint or two!
   It was minus three when I left the hostel full of porridge and a full English, but the sky was blue and there was not a cloud in sight. Wasdale Head always feels remote, but although Seathwaite has many nearer geographical neighbours it really feels extremely remote and must be a rough place to Winter.The path leads away from the hamlet with Base Brown and Glaramara towering on either side and both tops were well dusted with snow. Crossing Grains Gill at Stockley Bridge which afforded excellent views of Taylorgill Force, the icy path looped round Greenhow Knott before following Styhead Gill up to the eponymous tarn. The snow on Green and Great Gables looked beautiful in the sunshine but until the tarn was reached there wasn't much underfoot and with almost nobody else around and the sun warm if weak, it was a grand spot for a coffee and flapjack! Leaving Styhead I continued on through deepening snow up to Sprinkling Tarn and then onwards to the foot of Allen Crags. I'd considered heading over to Glaramara but the snow was getting ever deeper (I was passed by a couple pushing on further up complete with skis) and so after snapping a few more Scott of the Antarctic style photos of footprints in virgin snow, I dropped back down to the summit of Seathwaite Fell for lunch and to drink in the views.
Snow makes everything seem more adventurous, turns a walk into a trek, makes you feel as if you are pushing the boundaries and makes an amazing landscape, yet more amazing. It envelops the countryside in silence and yesterday there was nowhere else I'd rather have been!

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White Nancy not Shining Tor

4.4.12

Walking with; Al

Well, the plan was to ascend up to the highest point in Cheshire, Shining Tor, from the Errwood Reservoir in the Goyt Valley. After the week of glorious sunshine we felt sure the views from the top would be stunning as the beautiful Cheshire countryside stretched out before us. However, Mother Nature had slightly different plans and send us an unseasonal Easter blizzard. We were well equipped and still eager but as each narrow road we tried was blocked by snowdrifts or was already too slippery to make safe progress plans changed and, unwilling to head back for a brew just yet, we decided on the classic Bollington walk, a quick jaunt up to White Nancy!

White Nancy is a folly built in 1817 for John Gaskell jr, allegedly to celebrate the victory at the Battle of Waterloo. It is believed that the structure was originally built as a Summer House and although it isn't possible to enter it now, there are a stone seat and table inside the folly. Over the years Nancy has endured a number of disguises including been painted pink and also as a Christmas Pudding, however today she was brilliantly white and a beacon for us as we climbed out of Bollington.

As we ascended the steps we could see the snow lying on the hills and as soon as we broke cover the wind hit us blowing horizontal sleet and snow which was blasted against any surface in the way (including us). We continued on along the Saddle of Kerridge trying to make use of stone walling for some shelter but were grateful once we started to drop off the ridge and down towards Rainow out of the teeth of the wind! The weather however was pretty unrelenting and we decided to double back to Bollington over the Saddle and down past the impressive Endon Hall built in 1840 and with a Grade 2 listed stable block. Bollington as well as boasting an excellent brew pub, The Vale Inn, also boasts a couple of very good bakeries and a sausage roll and bakewell tart later, the aborted expedition of the day had been long forgotten!

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