Favourite walks

[openspaceman]

3 hours ago, Woodworks said:

How does your dogs paw pads hold up running around on the rocks? Took our collie to the Cuillins a few years ago but she wore her pads down so had to come home bit earlier than planed. 

Not had a problem, though he's not my dog but my daughter's and grandaughter's. He only ever got close to worn out doing a round trip over Skiddaw but have never taken him to the Highlands as the journey is a bit long. He's six this week so slowing down a bit like me, I'll never do the ring of Steall again, only just managed it when I was sixty. I would still like to walk from Corrour down the grey corries to glen  nevis.

 

I think the valley below An Steall falls is my favourite place and is the starting off point for a good walk over the top to Kinlochleven as well as the ring. Also I enjoyed the first part of the ascent onto Ben Nevis from here and up onto the hanging valley, then to the watershed and up over the arête but I was in cloud from there. In fact in the five times I've walked up the big ben I have never had a clear summit.

 

I did get told off for cruelty by a yorkshireman when we did Striding edge but he coped really well, I only had him on his lead in the photo and generally  when there are people about in case they are scared of dogs, he's actually never been aggressive since a puppy, and then only to me.

 

One for nearer to you that takes in a bit of open country and  a wooded valley is from Haytor then north crossing the stone tramway to Smallacombe rocks, then west down into the valley to the clapper bridge and up the other side with Greator on your left. On through the medieval village, interesting place to wonder how  the stone walls once were a community, and up to Hound tor. Back then SSE through the equestrian cross country course  on Holwell lawn to another clapper bridge ( or you may try the rope swing but I got my feet wet). then back around either side of Haytor to finish.

[Mark Wileman]

I love Snowdonia, favorite walk is Crib Goch to Snowdon summit from Pen y Pass. There are some nicer smaller walks as you mentioned by the Devils Kitchen mind. In the Lakes I love the Langsdale Pikes area, Jack's Rake is a really manageable but exciting scramble; I once had to belay an RAF cadet instructor over an exposed section.... goes to show always carry 10metres of rope and never rely on the RAF for anything outside of the office 

[openspaceman]

14 minutes ago, wiley said:

 always carry 10metres of rope

I've considered this but never done it.

 

Why only 33ft and what size rope?  I wondered about tape as it would stow better, thoughts?

[Mark Wileman]

To be honest I carry 10m (i think its 7mm dynamic) because I have two mountaineering ropes, one is 60m the other is 10m... so its a no brainer! 10m means I can emergency absail down 5 metre crags if I need to get off the hill in a hurry/shit vis, can't do that with slings.

[htb]

4 hours ago, Woodworks said:

How does your dogs paw pads hold up running around on the rocks? Took our collie to the Cuillins a few years ago but she wore her pads down so had to come home bit earlier than planed. 

Never mind the dogs pads, wore out the soles(vibram) on a newly resold pair of boots in4 days. Gabbrois rather abrasive, pity your dog

[jfc]

Cuillin ridge is nuts and not a walk, there are several sections of proper climbing. It took us 2 days, had a miserable wet bivvy about a third of the way along. The next day it cleared up and we had a fab finish to the ridge. My mate's book Scotland's Mountain Ridges by dan bailey has a great description and photos (some ugly looking climbers in some of them though, me included)!

[Woodworks]

19 minutes ago, htb said:

Never mind the dogs pads, wore out the soles(vibram) on a newly resold pair of boots in4 days. Gabbrois rather abrasive, pity your dog. Ah didn't know the Cuillins rock was extra abrasive.

 

 

Asked plenty of walkers about walking dogs on the mountains and generally all advise was positive. She was OK and back to normal in few days but wouldn't do that to her again. 

[william127]

Some brilliant photos of tryfan and Ogwen there! That area is one of the best.

probably my personal favourite is along the top of the Roaches in the Peak District. I was passing through the area a couple of weeks ago, running late but I still had to stop and race up to this trig point- 10 minutes up, 5 minutes up there 10 minutes down but even if the rest of the day had been rubbish(it wasn't) it would have been worth the 7 hours in the truck!

i also really like the big wide ridge between the studland road and Corfe castle in Dorset, but I haven't been there for a shamefully long time.