Objectives for the year
Well this is going to be the year. A concerted effort to complete the Welsh Nuttalls and with the inclusion of Pillar Rock, the outstanding English Nuttall, thereby completion of all 444 Nuttalls in England and Wales.
The planned completion is before my 60 birthday in November 2016 so with 126 in Wales + Pillar Rock in the Lake District, the plan is to complete more than half - say 70 this year.
Since it is a bagging year I intend to add to the 35 Munros already climbed since September 2013, that's 17½ per calendar year; 12 in 2013, 23 in 2014. Let's settle for 18 in 2015. At that rate it will still take about 15 years to complete, but no doubt the rate can be increased when the Nuttalls are out of the way.
Finally Gina has agreed to visit every Historic County Top in England and Wales, 63 all together with 11 visited so far, so we will be chipping away at these together throughout the year. Who knows she might be inspired and join me on further peak bagging projects. Certainly not an easy task with the likes of Scafell and Snowdon included in the list, but certainly an achievable objective with Whernside from this list already visited together. Not to mention Catstye Cam and The Calf, not county tops but both significant summits from the Nuttall list
02nd Leith Hill - Surrey Historic County Top & Holmbury Hill
03rd Ditchling Beacon - East Sussex Historic County Top
05th Black Down - West Sussex Historic County Top & Navant Hill
06th Betsoms Hill - Kent Historic County Top & Botley Hills
23rd Hart Fell
24th White Coomb
26th Broad Law
27th Capel Fell
30th Beinn Bhreac-liath & Beinn Udlaidh
February03rd Ditchling Beacon - East Sussex Historic County Top
05th Black Down - West Sussex Historic County Top & Navant Hill
06th Betsoms Hill - Kent Historic County Top & Botley Hills
23rd Hart Fell
24th White Coomb
26th Broad Law
27th Capel Fell
30th Beinn Bhreac-liath & Beinn Udlaidh
03rd Beinn Alligin round
04th Fuar Tholl
06th Beinn Eighe-Spidean Coire nan Clach
07th Forcan Ridge and The Saddle
07th Forcan Ridge and The Saddle
Update
As a hill walker living in Suffolk and all English hills over 2000' already climbed, unless I drive to Wales or north of the border, in order to satisfy my acquired passion for walking up hill I need to consider the smaller hills closer to home. However even the closest unclimbed Deweys, defined as between 500m and 610m (2000') with a prominence of 30m, are pretty close to the Welsh border. So I am going to turn my attention to the Marilyns and HuMPs of England not already climbed as part of the English/Welsh Nuttall project.
That way I can find hills closer to home only 2 - 3 hours drive away with maybe 2/3 nights away , whilst at the same time work on a coincidental objective of climbing/visiting 600 or more Marilyns and 1200 or more HuMPs two totals worthy of recognition within the peak bagging community.
Current total as of end Feb 2015 is 133 Marilyns and 199 HuMPS.
March
03rd Reigate Hill
As a hill walker living in Suffolk and all English hills over 2000' already climbed, unless I drive to Wales or north of the border, in order to satisfy my acquired passion for walking up hill I need to consider the smaller hills closer to home. However even the closest unclimbed Deweys, defined as between 500m and 610m (2000') with a prominence of 30m, are pretty close to the Welsh border. So I am going to turn my attention to the Marilyns and HuMPs of England not already climbed as part of the English/Welsh Nuttall project.
That way I can find hills closer to home only 2 - 3 hours drive away with maybe 2/3 nights away , whilst at the same time work on a coincidental objective of climbing/visiting 600 or more Marilyns and 1200 or more HuMPs two totals worthy of recognition within the peak bagging community.
Current total as of end Feb 2015 is 133 Marilyns and 199 HuMPS.
03rd Reigate Hill
04th North Downs (East)
10th North's Seat
10th Cliffe Hill
11th Newmarket Hill
11th Firle Beacon, Willingdon Hill & Wilmington Hill
10th North's Seat
10th Cliffe Hill
11th Newmarket Hill
11th Firle Beacon, Willingdon Hill & Wilmington Hill
April
02nd Dunstable & Clipper Downs
11th Gun & The Cloud
13th Kinder Scout - Derbyshire Historic County Top
17th The Berwyn Horseshoe
18th Moel Fferna & Moel yr Henfaes [Pen Bwlch Llandrillo Top] circular from Celyngoed
20th Gyrn Moelfre & Mynydd-y-briw
May
None
By now I would have expected to have reported on a couple more trips to North Wales and associated increase in Nuttall count. Along with plans for one final trip to Wales before the end of the year, to approach the 70 Nuttall target as well as a return to Scotland sometime in September or October. Unfortunately a repeat of a debilitating back problem has had me in a wheel chair for 1 week at the end of April and subsequent relapse mid June taking me off my feet once again. Worse still on both occasions I was out of the country and more importantly, two weeks or more, away from the known solution provided by prompt treatment at Gilmour Piper. A couple of minor relapses in August has made me realise that once again the year is passing and I now have to make a choice between my two passions:
It has also helped me realise that, as usual, I am trying to do too much too soon.
With only about 6 weeks left of real summer in Europe and very little in UK, judging by current weather patterns and the vagaries of the Jet Stream, Gina and I have decided to choose and head south to Spain all of September returning early October.
In spite of the relapses in my back condition each one, although put me in the mind set that I am back to square one, really were just minor set backs and more importantly - with a quicker recovery time. An important difference this time is I have had the "light bulb moment" with the help of Grange Fitness Performance (GFP) that rehabilitation is all to do with not pushing you body to, or working beyond fatigue. It is when you are fatigued and recovering from injury that injuries can occur/reoccur.
Up to now my rehab has involved short walks and true to type these have involved increasing distances and of course feeling tired but satisfied at the end. The next step would have been a less ambitious trip to some less rugged upland area. In no time I was doing 6 or 7 miles and making plans for a trip to Shopshire and what I would describe as minor hills. In fact they are not minor. Although less remote they are only just below the 2000' mark and therefore not much smaller than some Nuttalls.
As it turned out I did not have the chance to test my new found fitness. I woke up feeling stiff on the left side which quickly deteriorated to sciatic discomfort and tell tale numbness in the foot
So, no more plans for walking trips in the medium term. Timely treatment at Gilmour Piper has put me back on track and now they have given me the all clear to resume exercise I am using what time I have before departing to Spain to start a structured rehab program with Sarah Hainsworth at GFP and continue that whilst in Spain. Combined with sitting on the beach in the sun and exploring Spanish Cities we will both be going on short walks starting at one hour and gradually increasing distance and time, avoiding fatigue, in what we hope will be the warm Iberian sunshine.
I am going to document progress this time on a dedicated blog to keep me in line, document rehabilitation and report on progress to what I hope will be full fitness and a return to Hill Walking (and bagging) by the end of the year.
September
None
02nd Dunstable & Clipper Downs
11th Gun & The Cloud
13th Kinder Scout - Derbyshire Historic County Top
17th The Berwyn Horseshoe
18th Moel Fferna & Moel yr Henfaes [Pen Bwlch Llandrillo Top] circular from Celyngoed
20th Gyrn Moelfre & Mynydd-y-briw
May
None
June
None
July
None
August
None
UpdateNone
July
None
August
None
By now I would have expected to have reported on a couple more trips to North Wales and associated increase in Nuttall count. Along with plans for one final trip to Wales before the end of the year, to approach the 70 Nuttall target as well as a return to Scotland sometime in September or October. Unfortunately a repeat of a debilitating back problem has had me in a wheel chair for 1 week at the end of April and subsequent relapse mid June taking me off my feet once again. Worse still on both occasions I was out of the country and more importantly, two weeks or more, away from the known solution provided by prompt treatment at Gilmour Piper. A couple of minor relapses in August has made me realise that once again the year is passing and I now have to make a choice between my two passions:
- Chasing the sun
- Heading for the hills
It has also helped me realise that, as usual, I am trying to do too much too soon.
With only about 6 weeks left of real summer in Europe and very little in UK, judging by current weather patterns and the vagaries of the Jet Stream, Gina and I have decided to choose and head south to Spain all of September returning early October.
In spite of the relapses in my back condition each one, although put me in the mind set that I am back to square one, really were just minor set backs and more importantly - with a quicker recovery time. An important difference this time is I have had the "light bulb moment" with the help of Grange Fitness Performance (GFP) that rehabilitation is all to do with not pushing you body to, or working beyond fatigue. It is when you are fatigued and recovering from injury that injuries can occur/reoccur.
Up to now my rehab has involved short walks and true to type these have involved increasing distances and of course feeling tired but satisfied at the end. The next step would have been a less ambitious trip to some less rugged upland area. In no time I was doing 6 or 7 miles and making plans for a trip to Shopshire and what I would describe as minor hills. In fact they are not minor. Although less remote they are only just below the 2000' mark and therefore not much smaller than some Nuttalls.
As it turned out I did not have the chance to test my new found fitness. I woke up feeling stiff on the left side which quickly deteriorated to sciatic discomfort and tell tale numbness in the foot
So, no more plans for walking trips in the medium term. Timely treatment at Gilmour Piper has put me back on track and now they have given me the all clear to resume exercise I am using what time I have before departing to Spain to start a structured rehab program with Sarah Hainsworth at GFP and continue that whilst in Spain. Combined with sitting on the beach in the sun and exploring Spanish Cities we will both be going on short walks starting at one hour and gradually increasing distance and time, avoiding fatigue, in what we hope will be the warm Iberian sunshine.
I am going to document progress this time on a dedicated blog to keep me in line, document rehabilitation and report on progress to what I hope will be full fitness and a return to Hill Walking (and bagging) by the end of the year.
None
October
15th West Gloucestershire and South Herefordshire Marilyns
16th North Herefordshire Marilyns
17th Hergest Ridge & Bradnor Hill + Bredon Hill
26th Walton Hill + Titterstone Clee Hill & Beacon Hill
27th North Shropshire Marilyns
28th Remaining South Shropshire Marilyns
30th Foel y Geifr ridge
31st Five Nuttalls from Pen y Boncyn Trefeilw to Y Groes Fagl
15th West Gloucestershire and South Herefordshire Marilyns
16th North Herefordshire Marilyns
17th Hergest Ridge & Bradnor Hill + Bredon Hill
26th Walton Hill + Titterstone Clee Hill & Beacon Hill
27th North Shropshire Marilyns
28th Remaining South Shropshire Marilyns
30th Foel y Geifr ridge
31st Five Nuttalls from Pen y Boncyn Trefeilw to Y Groes Fagl
November
01st The Wiss
02nd Hods Law & surrounding Donald Deweys
03rd Law Kneis & Ward Law
06th Croft Head & Scaw'd Law
08th Four Marilyns between Moffatt and Berwick
10th The 100th English Marilyn
Review of the year
By now I w
02nd Foel Cwn-Sian Llŵd & Post Gwyn
25th Whitfell & Black Combe
26th Whitbarrow, Gummer's How & Top o'Selside
28th Dodd (Lorton)
29th Birkside & Hunt Laws
December25th Whitfell & Black Combe
26th Whitbarrow, Gummer's How & Top o'Selside
28th Dodd (Lorton)
29th Birkside & Hunt Laws
01st The Wiss
02nd Hods Law & surrounding Donald Deweys
03rd Law Kneis & Ward Law
06th Croft Head & Scaw'd Law
08th Four Marilyns between Moffatt and Berwick
10th The 100th English Marilyn
Review of the year
By now I w
