Southport Fell Walking Club

Well at last the weather God’s looked down favourably on SFWC and provided a dry, surprisingly mild and even at times sunny day. Six walks ranging in length from 5 to 17 miles saw the forty-three Southport walkers taking on a variety of routes, some from East Marton, others from Gargrave but all of which terminated at the lovely town of Skipton. Keith’s group left the coach at East Marton and headed for a nice leisurely walk down the canal before joining the Pennine Way at Thornton-in-Craven. All was going well until they encountered the pool of crocodiles!!! Thankfully the group were able to navigate around the danger and continued on their way uninjured, up to Pinhaw Beacon. From there they made their way to Cononley where they took advantage of The Railway Inn's hospitality. For the final stretch they once again headed into the hills to reach the top of Skipton Moor before making their descent into Skipton. The weather was kind throughout the day and even the sun made a few app...

The weather forecast ahead of the weekend walk to Threlkeld was not hopeful, suggesting rain and snow at various levels. The 39 walkers accordingly prepared themselves for the worst with the groups going on the higher walks, kitting themselves out with the appropriate gear including ice axes, microspikes and crampons. True to form it was another cold, wet and snowy walk!! Geoff and Mike decided in the morning to keep it low level. They still got off at Stanah and walked up towards High Rigg then Keswick, and got soaked on the way but managed to dry off, before having lunch at Wetherspoons. They killed some time in Keswick before walking back along the old railway to Threlkeld. 11 miles 1,500ft but it was a pleasant days walking. Steve set off on his solo walk and although experiencing a dry start, it soon started raining on the track up the unusually quiet Glenderraterra Valley. Snow fell on the ascent to the Burnt Horse, it became unpleasant into the wind with no compensatory vie...

Forty-eight walkers set off for the Lakes, with the weather forecast suggesting yet another wet and challenging day. But they were pleasantly surprised for once as the Met Office’s pessimism was proved to be generally unfounded. Sure, there were some light spits and spots, but nothing to write home about, and apart from the Oldhams cavorting in the wet snow, most of the groups remained relatively dry! It was even mild for the time of year!! Geoff’s group found that much of their walk was enveloped in low cloud with limited visibility. The walk was tough from the start with the climb up Steel Fell being particularly difficult. Greenup Edge to High Raise and Sergeant Man was deep in snow and in other areas boggy ground made progress slow and demanding. They only just made it back in time and arrived back at the coach 16:55. Sadly there was no time for a pint, but they all enjoyed a good day’s fell walking. It was a tougher walk than expected with 13 miles travelled and an ascent of ...

  Well it was another wet walk at times - but not as bad as in previous weeks. Forty-two walkers spread across 9 walks spent a rewarding day taking in the North Yorkshire landscape around Settle. Geoff’s group started at toll bar cottages on the outskirts of Settle and followed the route with a slight detour to explore Victoria caves.  As the weather wasn't improving they decided to cut the walk short slightly and head back to Settle where they enjoyed a fell walkers Sunday roast in the Royal Oak. After which the weather had improved so did a short walk exploring the local area and the Giggleswick Quarry. They still had enough time for a quick pint before heading back to the coach. A great day was had by all. The coach drove through mainly dry weather, until Martin’s group arrived in Settle and needed to put on waterproofs. The walk started by going up and over to Langcliffe and then continuing on the path to Stainforth. When they got to the Langcliffe Quarry Trail they spe...

  Well what a fabulous day for walking in the mountains!!! Snow, snow and more snow as the day progressed. However the forecast for the white stuff caused massive logistical problems on the day before the walk. Saturday was spent by Stuart sorting out things to avoid the Horseshoe Pass because of the adverse weather conditions. An alternate route to Llangollen via the A483 and A5 was selected as safe and suitable, a route that has been used by the Club before. Howard Fraser and driver Gerry were happy with this option, and so it went ahead. All leaders were asked to submit revised walk plans by 5pm Saturday, which were then sent out to all members who had booked seats. Most members when boarding the coach had managed to read the emails, but those who had not been able to had some hasty decisions to make! It all went really well for everyone, and a great day was had with light and moderately heavy snow at times, along with spells of fantastic sunshine. All in all a wonderful day whi...

                                                                                                                                                                      Finally after what seemed like a month of constant rain, the walkers from Southport were granted a pleasant, dry and largely sunny day on the fells. Initially however the weather looked grim as they headed north, with rain once again accompanying them. But gradually small patches of blue sky began appearing ahead, and everyone's spirits began to rise!   A total of 35 walkers set of in six groups from variou...