Crafts guild – Lancashire??

I have been looking around all over the internet for a wood based crafts guild in north Lancashire. I was part of one in Cambridge which I found hugely beneficial with regards to developing my skills. So far no luck, but if anyone is interested get in touch via this blog. I think its time one was set up!

Snap it up

I just bought a new camera. I knelt on my last point and shoot squishing the lens which my wife kind of finds hilarious as it just adds further to my list of things that I have destroyed over the last month or so.

I considered the Canon G11 but instead bought a Canon 450D DSLR body making use of my previously redundant lenses from my Canon 500N.

So far loving it… and it also takes great photos

Pros

strong construction

great large bright screen

fantastic photos – even takes photos down a telescope

Cons

Too large to kneel on

Having a cracking time

Does anyone out there have prolonged seasons where you just can’t stop breaking stuff? I am in one now and I want it to stop. NOW. It’s getting expensive!

Cycle Lancaster to York 9/4/10

Being my first plus 50mile bike ride I was surprisingly looking forward to this new challenge.

This was a destiation I wanted to master for a while and after a bit of internet browsing searching for a route avoiding the A65 I decided to follow the ride utilising the map offered by www.Bikely.com http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/BHF-Lancaster-to-York-Ride-of-the-Roses. After looking at the elevation profile it was clear I would need to break the ride into two main sections. Lancaster to Ripon where I would meet my wife for dinner then Ripon to York. One of the most memorable things I realise from the ride is just how much great cycling there is in this part of the country, particulary as I cycled down roads I normally for some reason avoid. The weather conditions were perfect and eventhough the day was slightly overcast, due to the time spent outside I actually got my first cycling top tan of the year! Through the Trough of Bowland and Yorkshire Dales the hills rolled continuously and I was able to experience some really joyous downhills. Getting into the Dales the decents proved to be even steeper requiring careful braking and road positioning. Some hills were unpedallable with my currrent gearing arrangement consisting of a dual chainset. Realising I needed to conserve my strength to allow me to complete the ride along with a strategy to avoid the cramp I started to get I opted to walk the biggest hills (mainly out of Slaidburn and outside Grassington). The second part of the ride was surprisingly flat with the biggest hills being the bridge crossing the A1 and the the second bridge going over the railway. Having not done much flat cycling since living in the East Anglia Fen I quickly found my rhythm and improved my average speed to 16mph. I cut the ride down to 90 mile due to the light disappearing and managed a cycling time of 6 hours and a total of 7 including breaks. I hope to do this again but please make sure I only do it in this direction.

Yorkshire Three Peaks – Whernside, Ingleborough, Pennyghent 14/4/10

The walk took me just over 9 hrs fast walking – setting off at 9.15 am. I thought I had set off too late so I ensured I maintained a brisk pace. I had 2 x 20 minute breaks for food the odd map check and also a few stops to test my new camera en route. I took timings for various landmarks along the way some of which I have written out below. Having walked the peaks separately before I must admit I am pretty pleased with my pace and don’t think I could have walked it much faster even if I did it without the camera.
I’ve got some serious blisters now even considering my boots were well broken in. I also got to test out my new Superfeet insoles properly which proved to be really good and have solved the aching, twinging knee I have suffered with for a few weeks.

For the walk I was fortunate to have superb weather and really made the right choice to pack lightly. I even got sunburnt which left me with white panda eyes created by my sunglasses. Nonetheless I have now got a great tan.

The walk for me proved to be a really great experience I hope to do again although I imagine I will always dread the final stretch from Pennyghent back to the car.

0min – Left car at Ribblehead viaduct
1hr 25 -Whernside summit
2hr 30 – crossed road for Ingleborough
3hrs 25- Ingleborough summit (sandwich stop 20min)
5hrs 15 – Horton in Ribbledale car park (sandwich stop 20min)
6hrs 35 – Penyghent summit
7hrs 50 – road back to Ribblehead viaduct
9hrs 10 – return to car

Whernside - Peak 1

Ingleborough from Whernside summit

Pennyghent from foot of Ingleborough

Ingleborough (LHS) Whernside (RHS) from Pennyghent summit

Pros

Great sense of achievement to have walked so far and to have covered these distinguished landmarks

An exhausted dog who slept for the entire of following day!

Cons

The walk back to the car from Pennyghent – 1hr 20min on tarmac in walking boots with delicate, blistered feet

Whernside 27/3/10

Repeated my Whernside walk that I did earlier on in the year. This time no snow and I completed it in 3 hours. Although I left my shoes at home and had to go back for the good of my dodgy knee. I also got  test my new Superfeet insoles that I needed to try out before my Three Peak challenge in May.

I also found a better route to get to Ingleton – at long last! (25min)

Whernside

I’m thinking about organising a series of adventurous walks. I’m hoping to run a walk every 6 weeks so as to get as many men folk out as possible. I really want to climb to the top of mountains (or as far as this country is concerned, big hill) However it looks like our first outing will have to be something slightly less dramatic.

It took 40 min to get there from home and I managed to get around in 3 1/2 hrs (5hrs total) stopping at the top for my lunch and occasionally on the way up to recover my strength from the lack of traction as well as pausing more frequently to recover my legs from being knee deep in snow.

Whilst walking back and eating my typically squashed Jamaican Ginger Cake I met an experienced fell runner on the way down who predicted that the snow will be there for another month! he also explained out of the Three Peaks of the North Yorkshire Dales that Whernside gets the most snow. Soon after I met the runner it was time to head down the steepest part of the slope along the fence just before I could have climbed the stile. Rather than chance a delicate plod down a snow covered hillside, sitting down was clearly the right decision. With the dog providing the extra power up front all went well in the sledging position until it all got a too fast and dangerous when the snow turned to ice! Any way I survived.

Overall, the walk as always was really enjoyable although on this occasion a touch extreme. Crampons and an ice-pick would have been useful in hindsight although I got by without. The scariest highlight probably being the icy traverse at the top where I had to stand in previous walkers foot holes whilst using their hand holes for extra reassurance at the same time as being aware of the mini avalanches I immediately caused with each step as I placed my weight on a single foot upon the crumbing snow. To top it all off we got a paddle at the end in the icy river and a much needed opportunity to wash the dog,  stained after the boggy decent.

I’ve heard talk of the Three Peaks Challenge this summer. I think I’ll do some training first!

Take aim and…

My digital camera is broken and my phone doesn’t have a good resolution. I used to have an SLR and enjoyed using it but since the dawn of digital and the fading away of printed photographs sadly it’s become redundant.

Looking for something with more creative control than a high megapixel point and shoot I am now considering the Canon G11. The reviews look good and the relatively compact design will make this camera far more useful for me than a replacement SLR. Are there any worthwhile alternatives I should be considering?

Keep Christmas simple.

The birth of Jesus, giving gifts, receiving gifts, getting together with family and friends, festive decorations, parties, excessive eating and drinking, frantic shopping, sending cards, wrapping paper, Santa Claus, snow, Christmas TV, boxing day sales, Christmas work dinner, New Year.

Why do we get so stressed? Since when did Christmas become so difficult? There are so many alternative meanings to bombard us. Why even get wrapped up in any of it at all if ultimately what we are celebrating is meaningless?  Christmas is actually really simple, isn’t it?

1st Walk: Clapham, Norber

Our first organised walk finally got out. It’s been a rather grim week but having the walk booked into the calendar it just had to go ahead. So I set out with Dan Giles off to the Yorkshire Dales. In all, the walk took about 4 hours with about a 40 minute drive to and from our destination. Only one wrong turn on the way which only put us out by about half a mile before we identified my navigational error.

Charlie just loved it and continually astounded us with her agility, climbing steep slippery A-frame styles, climbing up and leaping off stone walls. As always loving the mud but also the wash in the icy river back in Clapham at the end.