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).

78 - Dunkery Beacon - Somerset - 7th November 2013

Back in September 2013 I met up with friends Chris and Johnny for a meal, the subject of camping came up and Chris and I decided to plan a camping trip away, The date was set in Early November and the location was chosen, all we had to do was hope for good weather.

November arrived and all I can say is that it was the start of one of the wettest winters I have ever known, I was due to pick up Chris in Bournemouth so I headed off along the M27 and arrived at Chris's house when he arrived home from work. Chris soon packed up all his stuff and we loaded the van up and headed off to Somerset. It took us a few hours to drive there and we arrived after 10pm, When we left Bournemouth it was pretty dry but the closer we got to our destination the wetter it got, Heavy rain was not going to stop us, we found a suitable pitch at the campsite in the Exmoor National park and set up the tent.

The next morning we woke up to a fairly bright morning, Chris kindly cooked breakfast and we got ourselves ready for our climb. We left the campsite and drove the short distance to the local village of Exford where we parked and set off on our walk. We soon left the village and headed north up some country lanes, it was not raining but it was very wet on the roads with streams and puddles everywhere.

We continued further along the road and then through a few fields with sheep for company, then we did a zig zag and were back on another road for a short distance. We soon left the road and were back on a path heading along the side of a hill, the views south were pretty good but we had still not seen our destination yet, It was not long before we saw the distinctive shape of Dunkery beacon ahead of us.

We reached the top of the beacon and spend some time taking photos, we both climbed the huge mound of stones on top and then we found shelter for some lunch. While we were eating I set my camera up for a couple of time lapses, the wind was pretty strong and the clouds were whizzing past, we had an amazing view across the Bristol channel and we could see the south coast of Wales easily, also along the coast to Minehead. We finished our lunch and then a huge black cloud appeared above us, we decided it was time to get moving.

We set off again and passed the stone mound on top of Dunkery beacon and we were soon blown back to shelter behind the stone mound. the wind was much stronger and freezing cold and now the rain had started. we chatted for a moment about what to do and we decided to face the wind and rain and get moving. The wind was right in our faces but once we had climbed down the slopes of the beacon it dies down a little.



The route back took us along the same path and road but then we chose to end up walking a slightly different route, walking down a track and through a gate we were soon amongst the sheep and heather again, eventually we turned off the track and found ourselves walking through a few fields, past an old derelict farm building and then down to a small river. I say it was a small river but it was pretty swollen from all the rain and there was no bridge in sight and no stepping stones so it was a case of making a massive jump across the gap, we both made it.

The last part of our walk took us past a few houses, across a field and finally back into the village and back to the carpark. We had walked 9 miles and we were ready for a warm shower and bite to eat so we headed back to the campsite. after our shower and a change into warm dry clothes we headed back into the Exford for dinner, we had a lovely meal of Lamb and it was nice to see TVs Nick Hewer (I am sure it WAS him).



The next morning we packed up the tent and headed off home, it was an awesome climb and it was great to have some lovely company with Chris, I look forward to climbing another hill with Chris in the future.

77 - Foel Cwmcerwyn - Pembrokeshire - 15th October 2013

In October Nat decided to take a week off and after trying to work out what we were going to do we settled on a caravan holiday to South Wales, We don't own a caravan but instead opted for a holiday park with caravans ready for us to move into for a few days. We left Portsmouth on the Monday morning and made our was along the M27, M3, A34 and the M4 to Swindon, the normal route would carry on along the M4 and across the Severn Bridge into Wales but becaure I own a very small van I get charged Crazy amounts of money to cross, and so it is far cheaper for me to turn off the M4 at Swindon and head up the A419 to Gloucester and then into Wales along the M50. Our Journey through Wales was very scenic, taking us past Abergavenny and Brecon, then on to our destination of New Quay on the west coast of Wales.

Our caravan was lovely and it served us well for the 5 days and 4 nights we were staying, it was October so very quiet in the holiday park, we didn't see many people which was nice and we avoided the main complex in favour of the peace and quiet. The rest of Monday was spent relaxing before our climb the next day.

We awoke on Tuesday morning and had some breakfast then headed south west to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, This Park lies south of Cardigan and to the west of Fishguard and it was here we found the highest point of Pembrokeshire, the mountain knows as Foel Cwmcerwyn. We parked on the mountain road in a car park and headed off towards the summit, the sun was shining but there were a few puddles on the ground, I did risk wearing shorts and I am please I did as it soon became rather warm.


The path first took us along the edge of a plantation of some evergreen trees, then after this we crossed an open heathland for a short distance, this heathland was really wet, lots of puddles to dodge and even a small log bridge to cross, we were soon on a better path and passing through several gates. Our walk so far had been fairly flat but it we soon started the gentle climb and it was warm enough to only have a t-shirt on top (which is good for October in Wales). The path veered to the right and climbed further up and over a smaller hill and then down and up to the summit of our destination, Just before reaching the top a man passed us and warned us that it was very busy at the top, I am not sure what we were expecting, maybe an ice cream van or a hoard of people having a disco, luckily there was just 1 man sending Morse code signals to America with a few more people further down the slopes trying to do some paragliding.

We stayed up at the top of Foel Cwmcerwyn for quite a while, there was a trigpoint on the summit and we sat and had our lunch and drinks (tea for me). A family reached the top while we were sitting and we chatted to them for a while, eventually it was time to pack up and head back down to the car. we took the same route back down, I did think about another route but there were not really many other options so we carried on along the same route and were soon back down crossing the wet marshy heathland and back at the car.

After the mountain we headed to the city of St Mary's, an amazing and tiny village sized city with the largest Cathedral in the UK, well worth a visit and they have some nice cake. Wednesday took us to the National Trust property of Llanerchaeron and then Aberystwyth in the afternoon, on Thursday we headed south to Tenby and the amazing Caldey island with its boat trip, monks and beautiful scenery and Chocolate. On our final day we packed up our belongings and headed home via Cardiff for the Doctor Who Experience and a look around the town, finally heading home across the Severn Bridge (because its free to get out of Wales).

The whole trip had been really amazing with such beautiful scenery, the high point was well worth a visit and we were very lucky to have such beautiful weather for the whole week.     

71-76 - The High Points of London Part 4 - 11th October 2013

Back in January I traveled up to London to attempt to visit all the highest points in London in one day with Darren, we had a good try and visiting all 36 of the high points however after a long day we only managed 30, there were 6 to go. I set another date with Darren and on the evening of Thursday 10th October I headed up to stay with Darren ready to visit the last 6 high points the next day.

Crystal Palace in Lambeth

Early on Friday 11th October we left Darren's house in Bermondsey and headed south towards Crystal Palace for the first of 3 high points in the same area. We arrived in Crystal palace and quickly found the highest point of Lambeth, It could be found on the crossroads right next to the old Crystal palace site and not too far from the huge antenna that sits on top of the hill. We both took a few photos and then headed on to our next 2 highpoints which were a short drive just down the road.

Lewisham                           and                           Southwark

The next 2 highpoints were situated both together, these were the highest points of Lewisham and Southwark, they could both be found in the same road, about 10 ft away from each other. We park across the road and walked to the fairly private road roadway where the 2 highpoints could be found. It was a pretty unimpressive location due to the fact that the road was completely surrounded by buildings, on one side were bungalows and on the other side there were garages.

Hackney

We walked back to the car and drove back to Bermondsey, it was time for a change of transport, we parked not too far from the underground station and then headed north along various underground lines to the Manor house Station. After a short walk we were standing next to Finsbury park and the highest point of Hackney. From Finsbury park it was a short walk back past Manor house and along to Harringay Green lanes overground station where we took a short train ride to Upper Holloway station.

Islington

A woman wearing a newspaper

It was now time to finish the London highpoints as the next to were very close to each other, We headed north from the train station and we were soon in Waterlow park and on Highgate hill and the highest point of Islington. After a short time we headed further up the road and arrived at the last of the London high points in Highgate and the highest point of the London borough of Harringay. We had done it, all 36 of the London high points were complete, it had taken us 10 months to do but we finally did it. we celebrated with some cake in a local cake shop and then headed to Highgate Cemetery for a wander around to see some of the amazing graves of the rich and famous.

Harringay

It was a brilliant day and I am so pleased Darren was able to join me for ALL of the 36 high points of London.

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Karl Marx

68-70 - Nottingham and Nottinghamshire - 20th September 2013

On my last blog post I had visited Whipsnade zoo and Dunstable downs (the highest point of Bedfordshire) with Nathan. it now it was time to continue our Journey north along the M1 until we reached Nottingham which was to be our home for 2 nights. We checked into our hotel and settled in ready for our short visit.

The Major Oak

The next day we were not going to be visiting any highpoints, instead we had a day in Nottingham, we headed into town on the Tram. Nottingham is quite a nice place, we walked to the castle in the torrential rain and looked around that, then we headed to the caves of Nottingham, a rather cool collection of underground rooms that have been used as housing, taverns and as an air raid shelter amongst other things. Next we played crazy golf, went to the cinema and finally had some dinner in the most amazing restaurant finishing the day with a tram ride back to the hotel ready for the next day when we would tackle some of the local high points.

Silverhill from a distance

The first thing we wanted to do when leaving our hotel was to head north out of Nottingham and into Sherwood forest, we headed straight for the town of Edwinstowe where we visited the Sherwood forest visitors centre. After a 20 minute walk into the forest we arrived at the Major Oak, This large English oak was said to be the meeting place of Robin Hood and his band of merry men. The oak is said to be 1000 years old and weighs in at 23 tons, it is huge, it is so big and heavy that it has to be held up by various supports. After a visit to the tree we headed back to the visitors centre for a look around the shop and information centre.

Silverhill

The top of Silverhill

 It was now onto our first highpoint of the day, it was going to be a tricky one as there was some confusion as to which hill was the highest point, I have several ways of checking out my highest points, firstly there is an online database listing all of the locations, secondly I have a book written by a guy who has visited them all, anyway the online database had the highest point as Newtonwoood lane near Mansfield and the book has it as Silverhill which is also not too far away from Mansfield, the problem with these locations is that one of them is an old man made hill, the other is a dull and boring, in the end I decided to visit both.

 First up was Silverhill, it sits on the site of the old Silverhill colliery which was closed in 1993, the hill here is actually a mine spoil heap and therefore man made but it is such a nice hill I think it is becoming classed as the highest point in Nottinghamshire, The walk to the top didn't take too long, we spent most of the time dodging the dog poo sadly, however when we reached the top we were greeted with a monument to the miners of the past and some amazing views. When admiring the view we noticed a huge building in the distance, after a little research we discovered it was a National trust property and as both Nathan and I are NT Members we decided a visit was the way to go so we headed back down Silverhill (or what we now affectionately call it Dog poo hill) to the car and headed off to our next destination.

Hardwick Hall

Hardwick hall is an amazing collection of buildings and gardens, the main building is Elizabethan but there are much older ruins on the same site, The property was built by the richest woman in England after Queen Elizabeth, Bess of Hardwick. We spent a good amount of time here viewing the house and seeing all the fabrics and tapestries, we later found out that the house was used as Malfoy Manor in the Harry Potter films. If you are even in the area it is well worth a look around the huge estate.

Newtonwood Lane

Our next point of call was the second highpoint of the day, Newtonwood lane, this was just a 20-30 minute drive away and was rather unimpressive as it is the site of a reservoir. we didn't stay here long, we decided it was time to head off home to Portsmouth as it had been a rather full few days. There was one more highpoint I had to visit on the route home however and this one could have proven difficult but I decided to make it easy and cheat a little. 

The highest point of the Unitary Authority of Nottingham can be found on the M1, not next to or near the M1 but actually on the M1, this is not going to be one I could stop at and get out for a walk around so as we drove over the highpoint on the way home I got Nathan to snap a photo of me driving. After this we continued our journey home to Portsmouth after a rather nice few days away.

Driving over the highest point of the UA of Nottingham

67 - Dunstable Downs - Bedfordshire - 18th September 2013

Dunstable Downs is the highest point of Bedfordshire and it overlooks the town of Dunstable which lies to the north, this highpoint was going to be a really easy visit as the very top if the hill sits right next to a National Trust car park, What this means is that rather than just drive straight to the car park I wanted to make the visit a little bit more exciting, I could have parked at the bottom and climbed up but in the end I opted for a much more fun thing to do, just a small distance down the road is Europe's largest wildlife conservation park, Whipsnade zoo, I don't think I could visit the area without a visit to Whipsnade. Dunstable downs was also going to be the first of several highpoints over the next few days.

I left Portsmouth with Nathan by my side and drove the 2 hour journey, up the A3 through Petersfield and Guildford, and then around the M25 and up the M1 to Whipsnade zoo. We entered the zoo and headed straight for the walk through lemur enclosure, we were immediately pointed in the right direction by a member of staff and we found the lemurs all cuddled up next to a rock. after this we headed further into the park towards the sealion pool. we soon came aware of something sitting on the grass ahead of us, I first thought it was a dog but it was the wrong shape, it was sat really still so I thought it was maybe a statue, as we approached it became apparent that it was one of the zoo animals, had it escaped? was it loose? did we need to run for our lives screaming with terror? no, it was fine, we found out later that there were several types of animal who were free to roam the whole park, we later found out that this animal was called a Mara, a larger relative of the guinea pig from South America.

We continued around the park seeing the sea lion show next followed by a steam train ride around the park. From the train we saw Elephants, Camels, deer, bison and all kinds of other animals, what was so impressive about this was the huge amount of space the animals had to move around in, it was like looking out across the Savannah. After the train ride we saw so many more animals including Zebras, 2 types of bear, Cheetah, Lions, Rhino, Giraffe, 2 types of hippo, wolves, moose, reindeer, penguins, wolverine, Chimps, mongoose, wallaby and so many other animals, I really was impressed with the amount of space the animals had to wander around in.

Towards the end of the visit to Whipsnade we were wandering along one of the roads when suddenly we saw a herd of elephants out for a walk, the amazing thing was the fact that they were not in an enclosure, they were just wandering around the park with a few keepers to stop the visitors getting too close, how very cool is that? free roaming elephants.

After having such a cool day at Whipsnade we left and made our was the short distance to the top of Dunstable downs, the highest point in Bedfordshire. We parked in the car park and walked the 20 meters to the trigpoint for some photos. Just a small walk from the car park was a visitors centre and then beyond that there were some amazing views to the north. We stayed for a while to admire the views and then it was time to head off to out next destination 2 hours drive north along the M1.