The (re)start of a blog - New Adventures, 214 of them...

 A long time ago I used to blog a lot… maybe too much… but blog I did, as I trained for and ran marathons, ultras, multiday ultras.  I also talked about the various poddings and pokings that my medical teams call tests and as ever promised I would be honest.

A lot has happened since the last post… which was just over a year ago.  We’ve lost too many loved ones to list without seeming like each name is a number, we’ve found our “bungalow” so have gone from the views of the Mersey to a garden, other people’s cats and our own front door to the world.  On the down side we have a decent chippie 250 metres away… 

 

I’ve also had the fun of a failed valve insertion, via the blood vessels in my groin… More on that in a minute…  Shielding, a busy stress-eating inducing job (without the balance of hard exercise) has had a bad effect on my diabetes, so I’m currently running through the options and dosing to get things back on an even keel and will get my eyes lasered next month.   

On the heart valve the current position is “hold until change” as although I’m unfit I’m still chugging up hills (more later) although there is a chance that I’ll get a newer, bigger, fancier valve shoved up my groin later this year. 

 

And so to the new Mr W in mine and Mrs Jiminy’s lives…

It started with a random decision – we’d done a fabulous Trail 10k (if you’re into that sort of madness look these guys up – they are brilliant! https://www.penninetrails.com ) on the Saturday morning, and had decided to do something in the Lakes as a walk… Loughrigg Fell…

https://www.relive.cc/view/vXOdYKJLd46

 

This view led to a discussion about the other hills we could walk up, both of us have done bits and pieces in the Lakes (I’ve walked the length doing the Cumbria Way and crossed it before my feet gave out on my attempt at the Coast to Coast)… which led to the greatest collection of views in the Lakes. The Wainwrights, 214 hills described in loving detail, each chosen for its view… The emphasis on the view is important, we’re not doing this fast, we’re not going out to “bag” them and we’re quite prepared to walk in other places, and non-Wainwrights (more on that later). 

 

And so it started, a quick trip to Scotland just before Easter weekend led to a planned couple of days… 

 

Day 1 – quick hop up Binsey… 

 

 

https://www.relive.cc/view/vxOQoQ4gr2q

  Day 2 – Little, Great Mell Fell and Garrowbarrow… 

 

With a boggy bit in the middle… 

 

https://www.relive.cc/view/vXvL218EN16

 

We then took a day off from Wainwright bagging… or rather, decided to do a fun walk with art history (Ruskin), National Trust history (centenary stone), short shrap climbs to superb views (Walla Crag), a stone circle (Castlerigg)… ok, we should’ve known that Walla Crag was a Wainwright…

https://www.relive.cc/view/v7O9BJPKPQ6

 

We then went home… took one look at the weather, and booked another night… A sparrowfart the Monday took us up to Martindale, for a long stretch over five Wainwrights.  It was a Bank Holiday (for those not in the UK – national or religious holiday type thing) so were very surprised that we probably saw less than 10 people on the hills, especially with views like this:

 

 

https://www.relive.cc/view/vr63BwEjQ8O

17km/10 miles later we sat in the car and decided to leave little Hallin Fell for the morning… and it was heavenly, with glorious views over Ullswater:

 

https://www.relive.cc/view/vrqok5Wzyyq

 

As we go around the 214 Wainwrights we’ll shout out our favourite gear, shops and places to stay or eat… For the first a big shout out to the Keswick Boot Co https://thekeswickbootco.co.uk nice people, who know their stuff, and only sell you want you need rather than under or over selling like many places do. 

 

The books are out, planning our next adventure, due to other things it’s unlikely to be in May, but early June we’ll be back… and hopefully will dip under the 200!

 

TTFN

 

Paul (& Mrs Jiminy)