Walking the second stage of the Nidderdale Way was a day of green fields, lush woods, caves, a disappearing river, moors, a castellated dam, and an abandoned village. It was brilliant. Even if you are not going to walk the whole Nidderdale Way, this loop through the upper part of the dale makes for a grand day. Continue reading Nidderdale Way – Stage 2: Lofthouse to Middlesmoor
It was an inauspicious start to an amazing walk. Within the first few minutes of starting on the 54-mile (87km) Nidderdale Way, I was a bit lost. My guidebook had directed me to walk down Mill Lane in Pateley Bridge before passing “between houses to reach a footpath that signs you up a narrow alley along the backs of houses.” I was now wandering around the cul-de-sac of Mill Lane wondering where the Nidderdale Way had disappeared to. The large number of signs on houses and gates proclaiming “private”, “no right of way” and “no footpath” suggested that I was not the first person to get confused about where to go, and that the people who had come before me had decided the way to go was through someone’s garden. Luckily, I spotted a small footpath sign pointing to an inconspicuous, narrow alley partly obscured by greenery. Continue reading Nidderdale Way – Stage 1: Pateley Bridge to Lofthouse
I have sometimes wondered if I should write a guidebook of walks to do on days with poor weather. Walks without exposed summits and ridges that you might be blown off by high winds or on which you battle gusts that make it impossible to go in a straight line. Walks without paths that turn into quagmires in heavy rain. Walks that have points of interest within a few metres for when low level cloud means there is no chance of a stirring view across a valley. Although I have not put a single word on paper for this imagined guidebook, I have got a mental list of walks I can do on wet and windy days. Last week I tried out a new walk that I was thinking would be a good addition to this list. Continue reading A Walk for a Wet and Windy Day?
On the hottest day of the day 2022 heatwave, we escaped to the Yorkshire moors to go bouldering. I thought that there was sure to be a breeze, maybe even a cool one, on high, open ground. I was right and we did get relief from the smothering heat. However, I also got a lesson in why in pays to check how old your guidebook is before setting out. Continue reading A Lesson in Checking the Guidebook
It’s been a while since I last wrote a blog post. The main reasons for this were that the pandemic, and actually getting Covid-19, made it hard or impossible to do the activities I normally write about here. Then there was moving house, and all the changes and work that brings. Thankfully, that move has brought many opportunities for climbing and walking as I’ve left London for the wonders of Yorkshire. I therefore have more to blog about, and so I’m returning to posting on The Severe Climber. Continue reading Somewhere New
Photos of the best bits of my trip to the North York Moors. Continue reading Highlights of my North York Moors trip
My best photos from my climbing and hiking adventures in 2014. Continue reading My Climbing 2014 in Pictures
Walking and climbing in the mountains gives me an opportunity to see some amazing and beautiful rock formations. I sometimes regret that I don’t know enough about geology to always fully appreciate what I see, but what little I do know makes what I see and climb a little more amazing. It’s great that I don’t have to be somewhere with soaring peaks to experience amazing rock forms. My trip last weekend to the Yorkshire Dales was full of stunning rock in the area around Ingleborough, from limestone pavements, to scars, potholes and Norber Erratics. Continue reading Walking by Pavements, Erratics and Holes
My best photos from my climbing and hiking adventures in 2013. Continue reading My Climbing 2013 in Pictures
he greatness of Yorkshire has been getting serious recognition recently. In August, Yorkshire was bestowed the accolade of being Europe’s Leading Destination 2013 at the World Travel Awards. Yorkshire will host the opening stages of the 2014 Tour de France and the route through this iconic English region was announced in October. October also saw Lonely Planet declaring Yorkshire the third best region in the world to visit. For me, a big part of Yorkshire’s greatness is the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, with their wealth of amazing walking and climbing. Continue reading Yorkshire Grit
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