It is four in the morning and the wind driven rain makes walking difficult. The last violent gust of wind convinced me that I needed to leave my nice warm sleeping bag and check if any of the other tents have been flattened or if I need to give assistance. I can hardly believe that …
For the Craggers Scottish winter trip of February 2010 we went to the Loch Morlich youth hostel outside of Aviemore in the Cairngorms National Park, where we have been before but not for at least 3 years, I think. So it was a welcome return to the Cairngorms after a couple of winters in the …
Well March seems a long time ago but I can still remember it very clearly. The one I’m reporting on was the training day at Halfway Lochen on Ben Nevis. It was an early Craggers style start for a mixed group of kids and adults. It was described as a short walk up the mountain …
Let’s see that was way back in June. I remember the weather was extremely kind to us and we managed to get 4 full days of climbing in which is quite rare for that country!! It was an incredibly beautiful campsite and conveniently right next to the bus stop. I’m not used to getting public …
Off we went to Famous Five country with lashings and lashings of vegan ginger beer. We left Timmy behind and brought our faithful but not quite so obedient pussy cat – Lucy. We stayed at a lovely little camp site where we could walk across a couple of fields to the coast and find …
The gritstone edges of the Peak District all have their own distinct character. It was the first time I had been to the Roaches and it has character to spare. Autumn really suits the Roaches, the low sun brings out the stunning colour of the rocks, which in turn complement the glorious display of the …
This, the final and most demanding part of my wilderness first aid training, gave me new skills such as being qualified to operate community based AED’s (defibrillation units) and also built on the skills I had learned on previous courses. Before the actual course we had to read the Wilderness First Responder manual and produce …
The Scotland trip was the culmination of a yearlong project, the Apex Challenge. The project was funded by Sport Relief and officially ended with the ascent of Britain’s highest peak. In summer we use the terms hill walking, fell walking etc. But in the cold, dark months it is all winter mountaineering and has to …
Fairfield, in the Lake District is a great mountain for groups; it can be a classic horseshoe route (immortalised in song by Chumbawamba), which starts and ends in Ambleside or can include a scramble down to Grisedale tarn. With reasonable viability it also gives fantastic views across to Helvelyn. All in all a great way …
So it’s the 2nd week of our adventure and Zoë and I have mastered the accent and are speaking like locals (its true ask anyone who was there). On this particular day we are going to the corrie n lochen area (well I said we mastered the accent not the spelling) By now the snow …
As part of its commitment to its members the Association of Mountaineering Instructors runs regular training sessions. These sessions are run at cost so are amazingly good value. The ones I attended were really useful and will help me on my way to attain the Mountain Instructor Award and to continue to provide training to …
Well, Wales in April. We knew not to raise our expectations too high, still it was a bit of a disappointment to arrive at Gwern Gof Isaf in the rain. We were relieved that we had hired the whole bunkhouse and didn’t have to erect tents in the foul weather. Gwern Gof Isaf is a …
This was a family trip to Snowdonia with a mission to climb Snowdon. We stayed at the campsite in the Ogwen valley which has dramatic surroundings of Tryfan and the Carnedds surrounding it. Our Snowdon day was very cloudy but conditions were fairly good in that it wasn’t lashing it down with rain and/or blowing …
As any instructor will tell you the most dangerous part of any outdoor adventure is travelling to the venue. This is true but that does not mean we can ignore the possibility of having to deal effectively with an accident. And of course we do take it seriously, with all Craggers’ volunteers having current first …
Association of Mountaineering Instructors Annual General Meeting The AGM itself is actually only a small part of the weekend, which comprises lectures, workshops, socialising and CPD (continuing professional development) sessions. This years event was held at Plas y Brenin, the national mountain centre, in Snowdonia. I managed to attend three of the free CPD …