My last newspaper column of 2014

4 miles

3 hours

When the Winter weather hits Britain I find myself irresistibly drawn to the Lake District. It isn't that the hills of the Peak District lack beauty in the snow, the Kinder plateau after a heavy snowfall can be one of the most beautiful places in Britain, but there is an added majesty to seeing the taller peaks of Cumbria topped with a dusting of the white stuff. Of all the Lake District village my favourite has to be Grasmere, not only does it have the Wordsworthian associations (he is buried in the graveyard and spent much of his life in the area) and a fantastic Youth Hostel it allows easy access to a huge range of classic fells.

  I leave the village behind and head up the ever narrowing road fringed by skeletal trees. Ahead of me sits the imposing yet familiar outline of Helm Crag, known to Lakeland doyenne Alfred Wainwright as "The Lion and the lamb"  There is frost on the grass as I crunch my way across the flagged path that leads me through Grasmere Common. I start the slow, steady climb that closely follows the tumbling, frothing waters of Sourmilk Gill. The Gill ends at one of the most beautiful bodies of water in the Lake District, Easedale Tarn. it is the archetypal Lakeland tarn surrounded by imposing rocky crags which today are mirrored in the mirror still water in front of me. This has long been one of the most popular spots in the area and in Victorian times there was even a refreshment stand catering to walkers.

  I leave the tarn behind and follow the narrow path up towards Blea Crag. I start to pass through patches of slushy snow as I continue to climb, eventually attaining the saddle where the snow lies a little thicker. From the top I can look into Langdale and across to the white topped Pikes, but the wind is getting up and the temperature dropping so I press on passing tiny tarns dotted with miniature icebergs. I drop down to Blindman's Moss fighting my way through the fragrant, scrubby Juniper before I eventually end up on the path that follows Sourmilk Gill back into the valley and a very welcome pint in front of a log fire.

       I very much hope that you enjoy reading about my walks as much as I enjoy undertaking them. If you have any questions or enquiries about either my articles or guided walking in the UK please feel free to visit my webpage at www.comewalkwithmeuk.co.uk or e-mail me at Ian@comewalkwithmeuk.co.uk . Liking my facebook page or following me on twitter @cwwmuk will help you keep up to date with all my latest walks and general outdoor news. In the meantime, enjoy the ramblings of a rambler...

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM COME WALK WITH ME!

Walking in the San Diego area

19/20.9.13

Walking with; Allen, Jess and Ruthy

Some of my favourite walking memories have come on trips to the Western United States, the challenge of the chains on Half Dome, the stunning vistas from Angel's Landing in Zion National park, the eerie solitude of the desert in Joshua Tree and the otherworldliness of wandering amongst the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon. This trip however was going to be based in San Diego where Ruth was attending a conference and whilst I had high hopes for some excellent eating and drinking and a little in the way of museum visiting I didn't hold out much hope for any real walking....luckily I was wrong. Whilst the walks I managed May not have been epic in scale they were certainly memorable for very different reasons.
I had headed down the long sand spit linking Coronado with Imperial Beach (the most South Westerly town in the USA) and was making my way towards the beach when a sign pointed me towards the lengthily named Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve. It didn't seem the most promising environment for a walk, naval helicopters were hovering overhead keeping an eye out for any illicit border crossings and in the distance Tijuana itself sprawled untidily up the hillside above it's enormous bullring, but starved of leg miles over the last few weeks I decided to give it a go. The track led me along the edge of the reserve,which contains part of the 10% of remaining coastal wetland in Southern California, directly towards the Mexican border, I could almost smell the tacos! Helicopters continued to buzz overhead as I headed towards the estuary mouth, a Red Shouldered Hawk was using a low tree as a vantage point and I watched him circle over the marshes looking for his prey. The sandy path kicked down towards the beach and came to an end overlooking a series of shallow pools, there was not a soul to be seen and I drank in the incongruous feeling of solitude a couple of miles from the busiest border crossing in the world. The pools were busy with birds, the imposing Brown Pelicans huddled on the mudflats and around the margins of the water Long Billed Curlews, Snowy Egrets, Great Blue Herons and Dowitchers were busy searching for food. I meandered back, the dust coating my shoes and legs, picking my way past Cacti and the distinctive Pickleplant and watching Lizards dart out of my path. On the pier at Imperial Beach I watched the fishermen and saw more Pelicans, Double crested Cormorants and Caspian Terns. It goes to show that whilst many of us walk in order to explore high peaks and crags, it's worth looking in the most unpromising surroundings sometimes as it is surprising what you might find!
  The next day I was joined by Ruthy and our friends Al and Jess who had come down from LA. We headed up the coast a little to the Torrey Pines Reserve, home of one of the world's rarest pine trees. The reserve is crisscrossed with tracks high above the sandstone gullies and with magnificent views down the coast and out to see where, in season, Grey Whales can be seen on migration. We started out on the Guy Fleming trail named for one of the pioneers of Torrey Pine preservation. It's a gentle loop around sandstone outcrops with fine views over the ocean and a chance to examine the pines themselves at close quarters, whilst Bobcat have been seen on the loop we were restricted to Hummingbirds and the briefest glimpse of a Peregrine flashing along the cliff face. We then took the Razor Point trail leading down the side of a gully to another whale watching lookout flanked by bizarre rock formations reminiscent of the previously mentioned Bryce Canyon hoodoos. By now the sun was high and we sweated our way back to the safety of the car and air conditioning and headed back to San Diego to sample a few of the excellent microbrewery beers the city specialises in.
So, I didn't climb any mountains, discover the source of the Amazon or come across a Grizzly Bear in a pristine wilderness, but I did discover that even in the most unpromising urban environments there are pockets of wild land itching to be explored and which often provide the most unexpected of rewards!