Author Topic: Your most memorable hike  (Read 4148 times)

Mel

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Re: Your most memorable hike
« Reply #15 on: 18:55:38, 12/10/18 »
Does it have to be a LDP?


My most memorable day hike (I've not done a LDP) was my first solo walk in the Lake District (Catbells and chums).  Thinking about it now it was so amateurish but I was so proud of myself at the time - being able to navigate using a map and compass, I loved the views, the weather was fantastic, I had no aches and pains.  Great memory, even now  :)

ninthace

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Re: Your most memorable hike
« Reply #16 on: 21:13:36, 12/10/18 »
Does it have to be a LDP?


My most memorable day hike (I've not done a LDP) was my first solo walk in the Lake District (Catbells and chums).  Thinking about it now it was so amateurish but I was so proud of myself at the time - being able to navigate using a map and compass, I loved the views, the weather was fantastic, I had no aches and pains.  Great memory, even now  :)
I would say that fits the bill perfectly Mel  O0
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Zizag

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Re: Your most memorable hike
« Reply #17 on: 22:16:02, 12/10/18 »
Most memorable Hike .
The Sandstone Trail comes close .
But The Anglesey Coastal Path  ,was a big LDP   first for me the Incentive was I was doing It For a Charity .
Which was a privilege
It turned out to be an Adventure of a Lifetime . There was so much to see on this beautiful Island ,the scenery was stunning .
I now have a strong affinity for Anglesey .
And hope I'm the future to go back and walk It all over again . ;) :D 8) O0


Pitboot

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Re: Your most memorable hike
« Reply #18 on: 22:57:09, 12/10/18 »
Most memorable was one of my first walks in the Lakes. Going one day between youth hostels, set off from Langdale, via Scafell, Wasdale, and ending up at Black Sail . We had no decent gear, having no money! It must have been around 1972, lying in my bunk that night listening to the rain on the window, it's a sound I still love!

snakehips

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Re: Your most memorable hike
« Reply #19 on: 08:15:48, 13/10/18 »
My most memorable was the first Scottish meet up on buchalle etive mor really brilliant day with great company a really memorable weekend how I really miss the forum meets great days  O0
they say that 50 is the new 21 (fingers crossed)

astaman

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Re: Your most memorable hike
« Reply #20 on: 15:40:09, 13/10/18 »
When I was thirteen I set off with my three best friends from our home in the village of Glyncorrwg at the top of the Afan Valley which runs north from Aberafan/Port Talbot. We headed up a side valley known to us as the Welsh Main, named after a long dead coalmine which took us to the top of Craig-a-Llyn, the highest top in Glamorgan. From there we scrambled down a gulley in the cliff, past the lake and skirted around a then very live coalmine. I guess the distance was no more than 5 or 6 miles but, laden down with a canvas tent and flysheet, grey army blankets, pots and pans scrounged or pinched from Mam's kitchen and white enamel plates and mugs, it was more than far enough. We rested beside the rugby pitch on the edge of village of Hirwaun. As chance would have it , the Hirwaun under-fifteens turned up for a training match and their coach asked if we wanted to make up numbers and have a game. Delighted we forgot about the need to find a camping spot for the night and joined in the fray. After the final whistle we realised that we would have to quickly walk on to get clear of the village. The coach came to our rescue and said he we could camp next to the changing rooms which he left open so we could use the toilets, showers and get water for cooking. Hot showers to boys who had a memory of the tin bath in front of the kitchen fire on a Sunday night to get ready for school on Monday was an unheard of luxury.


In the morning we plotted a course across some fairly featureless open moor using the imperial measurement OS maps with their beautiful brown shading to threatening purples on the highest ground. The colouring seemed to promise so much more than their modern metric equivalents. We had no clear idea where we were going or what we would find when we got there. What we did find was magical. Among the trees of the tributaries to the north of the River Neath we discovered Sgwrd Gwladys and the Henrhyd waterfalls. I know them now as tourist attractions but then we saw no-one in the three days we spent there - we really felt we had discovered this enchanted realm. We built an igloo of cut ferns around the tent to keep warm at night (no sewn in groundsheets then) and cooked on an open fire out of fear of a brass primus stove that we were terrified to use for fear of it blowing up. I'm sure I recall one meal that consisted of instant mash, tinned curry, tinned salmon and creamed rice - all on one plate to allow for efficiency in washing up. We explored the waterfalls and cliffs, dreaming we were young medieval knights errant on our way to lend support to Owen Glyndwr in his struggles to confront the dastardly English, even then probably captained by Nigel Starmer-Smith.


We left our camp reluctantly and picked our way along the, sometimes perilously steep, banks of the river, down to its confluence the River Neath and on downstream to Pontneddfechan. From there we followed the canal towpath to Resolven and back in to the know world. Resupplying with beans, sausages and creamed rice we struck out up the hill and camped among the rocky canyons and steep shake holes that pockmark the landscape there. On familiar ground we explored the rocky enclaves, caves and disused drift mines. The next day we made our way home to Glyncorrwg on Forestry Commission roads, a labyrinth so complex as only to be understood by Forestry workers and small boys. We got to the edge of the trees and looked down on our home village, glad to be home, drunk on the memory of the past few days, but painfully aware of the gathering dark clouds of school time rushing towards.


The year was 1966. I dropped my rucksack at the forestry gate little knowing that I was now hooked, destined to spend a lifetime looking for this perfect moment, for this perfect freedom.

chriscab

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Re: Your most memorable hike
« Reply #21 on: 22:00:14, 29/10/18 »
The Dales Way was mine.

I did it the 'wrong' way round, so I was basically walking home. It was also my first multi-day walk.

Doddy

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Re: Your most memorable hike
« Reply #22 on: 11:32:33, 02/11/18 »
The GR5 for Montreux to Nice is special. I did have great weather for five weeks. I recently did a GR 5 section from Hook van Holland to Bergen op Zoom. I  hope to continue to into the Belgium and Lorraine section next year,

jontea

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Re: Your most memorable hike
« Reply #23 on: 07:32:49, 03/11/18 »
My last one.......I have a terrible memory  :D
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phil1960

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Re: Your most memorable hike
« Reply #24 on: 07:50:56, 03/11/18 »
@Astaman - Good reading that as I know all the areas you describe well. I guess we have all had those “boys own” type of adventures when we were young and before we became today’s walkers or hikers  O0
Touching from a distance, further all the time.

sussamb

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Re: Your most memorable hike
« Reply #25 on: 08:20:34, 03/11/18 »
Yep, that's a great area with spectacular falls ... Always seems magical when I'm there  O0
Where there's a will ...

Bigfoot_Mike

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Re: Your most memorable hike
« Reply #26 on: 15:02:38, 03/11/18 »
It is difficult to pick just one, but an epic day on Hellvellyn comes to mind. Sorry the description is a bit long.


I was staying at High Moss (Rucksack Club hut) in the Duddon Valley as a guest of my late neighbour and friend Keith T. He wanted to climb some of the Dodds to the north of Hellvellyn as part of his project to visit all 2000 tops in England and Wales. A plan was hatched - Carol and I would climb Hellvellyn from Thirlmere, while Keith and 2 others would start with Whiteside and Raise before moving to the Dodds. Carol and I would catch the others up during the day.


The forecast was not the best, but the sun was shining as we went our separate ways from the car park on Easter Saturday. The rain soon came, starting as drizzle and becoming a downpour. As we ascended, the rain turned to snow and the wind picked up. As we approached Lower Man we were hit by a full on winter storm. In whiteout conditions we were blasted by gale force winds driving white shot before them. The noise of the wind and the snow hitting our waterproofs was deafening. The temperature plummeted. I hadn’t walked with Carol before, but she had completed all the Munros. The fact that Keith had suggested we partner up was enough for us to trust each other’s capabilities, so we kept going. I felt like we could have been in the Arctic as we were so isolated from the world. Crossing Lower Man was tricky due to the strength of the wind. As I lifted my foot from the ground, my leg was blown sideways, making walking difficult.


We eventually reached the summit shelter, which was covered in snow and ice. I briefly took off my gloves to grab a quick photo of Carol having a smoke. That was a big mistake. It was so cold that my hands chilled really quickly. I still remember the pain from them warming up with my gloves back on. It was interesting to have Hellvellyn to ourselves on an Easter weekend, but I think the weather contributed here.


We decided that it was time to retreat to the pub, surmising that the others would have made the same decision. Once we were down to the rain, we stopped for a cup of tea from our flasks to warm ourselves up. While we were stopped, a couple in quilted anoraks and jeans came by. “Oi mate, is Hellvellyn somewhere up here?” was the question. We tried to persuade them the conditions were not suitable, but they couldn’t be dissuaded from continuing. Our one consolation was that the girl already looked thoroughly miserable and was obviously not going much further. We continued back down the hill and made our way to the pub, where the others were already waiting. Never has a beer in front of a roaring log fire tasted so good.


Keith did eventually complete the Dodds and all the 2000 foot tops at a later date.

richardh1905

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Re: Your most memorable hike
« Reply #27 on: 09:35:23, 04/11/18 »
Sounds like an epic day, Mike; you certainly earned your pint!
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Bigfoot_Mike

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Re: Your most memorable hike
« Reply #28 on: 11:10:42, 04/11/18 »
Sounds like an epic day, Mike; you certainly earned your pint!


It certainly was an epic day. There can’t be many bank holiday weekends when the summit of Hellvellyn is deserted. You don’t necessarily need good weather to enjoy some time outdoors. In some conditions it does help to have a competent companion to improve one’s confidence.

ninthace

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Re: Your most memorable hike
« Reply #29 on: 12:25:54, 04/11/18 »
Back in 1968 one of my first walks in the Lakes went the same way.  The plan was to climb Hellvelyn by Grisedale and Dollywagon.  I was a student at the time and gear in those days wasn't that great.  As I recall I had a set of boots with commando soles held on by screws, a pair of corduroy trousers and one of those grey anoraks with a yellow lining that you had to put on over your head.  It was a cold January day and as we got to the tarn we were hit by a full on blizzard and whiteout.  We pushed on for a bit but it was obvious it was getting silly so we turned back.  I was just remarking that the going was surprisingly good when I found out why, as the ice I didn't I know I was on gave way.  We managed to get down to the climbers' hut and I got my over-trousers on in the lee.  When we finally got back down I had to pound my boots with rock to break the ice so I could untie them. The icicles hanging out of my trousers were quite fetching too.
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