137 - 138 - Newcastle and Southend - Sept 2016 & Feb 2017

Well, 2017 has arrived and we are now well into the year, Hill climbing season is fast approaching and its time to catch up with a few hill visits I have completed since last summer.

In September 2016 I headed up to Edinburgh for a short city break with Nathan and Ryan, this was not a hill climbing event however I did manage to visit one hill on the way home, Driving past Newcastle upon Tyne I stopped off to look at some maps and found there was a very easy high point I could do.

Westerhope is the highest point of Newcastle upon Tyne and was just a short drive from the main A1, I didnt have too much time as it was a long journey back down south to an event I was taking part in.

After arriving near the high point of Westerhope I took a short walk, it was not far but was good to get out and stretch my legs. Westerhope is the location of a covered reservoir and in the area there is a football field with a beacon at one end so I knew I was in the right location. it was only a short stop and I was soon on my way back down south.

Travelling forward in time a few months to February and I was taking another short break with Nathan, this time much farther south not too far from the town Essex town of Maldon. While in the area we visited Colchester Zoo and headed into Southend too.

Southend is home to the worlds longest pier so we had to go and see that and it was a lovely long walk. I also visited a high point, Southend on Sea has 2 high points, both are the same height so when this happens it is called a twin top, I did one of them several years ago in January 2014 but I had somehow missed the other one so it was good to get this done even if it was just a road junction, As I say to everyone, it is still a high point and it still counts so I was happy.

138 highpoints done, 102 to go.

79-80 - Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea - 22nd January 2014

My first highpoints of 2014 were not going to be a great challenge, I had spent a couple of days at an event in Bishops Stortford and wanted to do something on the way home so I traveled clockwise around the M25 to do the high points of Thurrock and Southend on Sea.

The first stop was the highpoint of Thurrock, there was a handy car park right next to where the highest point was so there was no need to do any climbing (or walking), there was a church here and a few houses, not too far away there was a communications aerial but that was about all. I soon headed off to my next high point but not before making a quick visit to a friend on route.

Roger Daws is a balloon artist and an adventurer, he climbs mountains, hills and rock faces all over the place, I had seen him at the event in Bishops Stortfort and he invited me to pop in for a cup of tea, after this I was soon on my way to visit my second highpoint of the day, This one was the high point of Southend-on-Sea. What can I say about this high point? let me think about how to put this, its was very . . . . flat, yes flat is the word I am looking for, not only for geographical features but for interest too.  The high point was situated within a clump of trees at the end of a residential road, I was lucky to have the official high point pinpointed onto Google maps so that I could use my mobile to find the exact location, it really was flat and about as exciting as watching paint grow (or grass dry?).

Once I had climbed (walked across to) the high point it was time I headed off home, I was soon back on the M25 and over the Dartford crossing, then it was not too long before I was back home after those 2 exhausting climbs (not).