Blog posts about
Hiking and Walking
Main image: Birkhouse Moor, Lake District, Autumn 2024
I was keen to do more winter hiking this year, and although winter seems to have flown by, I did manage to get out into the snow more often than in previous years. Most recently, we got the big cable-car up from Grindelwald to Eigergletscher with the intention of then getting the short train connection…
Walking on a snow-shoe path without snow-shoes is usually OK, as long as the snow has been well-compacted by plenty of feet. But sometimes, your foot finds a soft bit and you suddenly find yourself knee-deep.
It’s easy for me to forget that I don’t need to “go somewhere” to enjoy a walk. I sit here and wonder where to go: which cable-car, which lakeside walk, which spectacular valley. This comes of having the great fortune to live within half-an-hour of some pretty wonderful places. But this commonly leads me to…
Walking in the snowy landscape of Axalp, high above Lake Brienz in the Swiss Bernese Oberland.
I should’ve tried out my hiking microspikes before. They’re great for hiking when it’s icy.
With so much to do and so many beautiful places to visit, the choice can sometimes be overwhelming.
A lunchtime walk by the vineyards in the sunshine, ten years after moving away from nearby.
A pedestrian-only footpath through the woods and cliffs on the southern shore of Lake Brienz.
The hike from Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg, high above the Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland, is beautiful. But parts of the route are an absolute killer.
Hiking in the wild, remote and dramatic landscape of the north-west of Scotland last autumn.
When the temperature of snow is above -10°C, it melts slightly when you crush it by walking on it. At temperatures below -10°C, the ice crystals are crushed, which makes a squeaking sound.
Hiking in the snow between Le Noirmont and Le Creux-des-Biches in the Swiss Jura mountains.
Of all the walks Jo and I have undertaken, the path to Haystacks in the English Lake District seems to be the most prone to failure. The attempt we made in 2020 was no exception, although a sudden change in the weather led us to an alternative success.
Note to self. When the cloud is low, the snow is falling gently and the village paths are empty, get out and enjoy it.
Hiking along the milky Oberaarsee to the ice cave at the terminus of the Oberaar glacier.
Oh, did I forget to mention? Jo and I walked up the biggest mountain in England in 2017.
The longest and hardest hike in Switzerland I’ve managed to date, captured in photos and video.
I was intrigued by this effect. Although the photo looks like green sand, the ripples are actually light and shade cast by the sun on the rippling surface of the lake.
