Borfa House

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Organiser – GaryBox
Where – Borfa House, Port Eynon, Swansea SA3 1NN
When – August 24th-27th 2012 (Fri-Mon)
Cost – £98.00 (includes 3 nights accommodation and all guided walks)

Summary

For the August Bank Holiday we will be heading to the Gower Peninsula, the first place in Britain to be given AONB status (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). Our accommodation is one I’ve stayed at before and have wanted to return to ever since, Borfa House. It sleeps 31 people in a mixture of dorm beds, a double and some singles. All bed linen is provided so you only need to bring a towel. The place has a really good sense of space with a huge lounge that even has some broadband internet terminals that can be used for free. There is a large back garden complete with brick built BBQ which would be great to use one evening during our stay. The accommodation is also right next to a sandy beach so I’ll pack a frisbee and maybe some other beach games.

The walks planned will be coastal since the coastline is what makes Gower famous. On the Saturday we will begin our walk from the hostel door, following the coast westwards towards Rhossili. The route distance could be just over 10 miles (16.6 km). Along the way there are some stunning sights. When we approach Rhossili we will see Worm’s Head which we can walk to at low tides (will check the tide timetables nearer the time). Once at Rhossili there are places to stop for a drink or snack and soak up the beach views below. For those who like a really long walk we can walk back either via the coastline or a shorter distance inland. For the majority we can catch a local bus back to the hostel.

On Sunday the walk will again start at the hostel door but this time head east along the coast. The route will be 13 miles (21 km) and will feature stunning coastline including Port Eynon Bay, Oxwich Bay and Threecliff Bay. The route will then head inland for the return which will mostly be on footpaths through fields and woods.

On the Monday we will organise a shorter walk for those that want one but we can also organise other activities if you make us aware at the time of booking and providing we have enough car drivers wanting to do the same activities. These other activities could include:

• Pony Trekking at Parc Le Breos
• Watersports with Euphoria Sailing (Sailing, Power Boating, Seak Kayak hire)
• Hang Gliding (for small group only and dependent on wind conditions)

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Dalehead Bunkhouse

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Organiser – Gary Box
Where – Dalehead Bunkhouse, Upper Booth, Edale, Hope Valley S33 7ZJ
When – 31/8/2012 – 2/9/2012
Cost – £52.00 (includes 2 nights accommodation and all guided hikes)

Summary

Our accommodation for this weekend will be Dalehead Bunkhouse, somewhere I have used before and ideally located for a hiking weekend in the Dark Peaks. It sleeps 20 people in three dorms. One dorm has 3 bunk beds, another 4 bunk beds and the final room has 6 single beds which can be pushed together to make 3 double beds if couples prefer. We will need to bring our own sleeping bags or duvet, pillows and towel.

The bunkhouse also has recently refurbished shower blocks, a meeting room / dining room, kitchen, drying room and a cosy lounge with a wood burner.

Dalehead Bunkhouse Lounge

There will be some car sharing options from London that we will announce nearer the time but since all walks will start from the bunkhouse door you are also welcome to book a train from London if you prefer. Trains from London St Pancras run to Sheffield and then you need to change and catch a train to Edale. We can collect you from Edale station.

The walks planned are two classic Peak District hikes. The first is a 10 mile (16km) walk to the Peak District’s highest point, Kinder Scout. From the bunkhouse the route will closely follow the train track towards Edale before gaining height towards the moorland plateau where we will see some interesting rock formations. Once we have reached the summit of Kinder Scout we will head to Kinder Downfall, the tallest waterfall in the Peak District. In summer months is may not be more than a trickle but after rain it can be really impressive and if the wind conditions are right water can be blown back on itself which is an unusual sight. Our route then heads south on the Pennine Way before we reach Jacob’s Ladder, a relatively steep staircase. From here it’s a short and simple walk back to our accommodation.

The second walk will be the very popular Mam Tor which is often referred to as shivering mountain on account of the loose shale at the lower levels. Again starting from the accommodation door we will head south for a short distance before turning east up Rushup Edge., a ridge that will lead us to Lord’s Seat (546m). Mam Tor (517m) follows shortly after when the spectacular ridge continues to Hollins Cross, a popular viewpoint. The ridge is a great place to stop and watch hang gliders who seem to fill the sky on weekends in the summer months. The ridge continues to another viewpoint at Lose Hill (Ward’s Piece) before we descend towards Castleton. There might be time for a short pub stop in Castleton before we head back to the bunkhouse in a westerly direction passing a number of show caves on the way, namely Peak Cavern, Blue John Cavern, Speedwell Cavern and Treak Cliff Cavern. The total distance of the walk is just over 11 miles (18km).

What to bring

• Hiking Clothes & Boots
• Sleeping bag, pillow & towel
• Small rucksack
• Food for breakfasts & packed lunches.

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The Engine House

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Organiser – Gary Box
When – June 22nd-24th 2012 (Fri-Sun)
Where – The Engine House, Quarry Lane, Nantmawr, Oswestry, Shropshire SY10 9HJ
Cost – £67.00 (includes 2 nights accommodation and guided walks)

Shropshire Hills Activity Weekend – Our Accommodation

Our accommodation for this weekend sleeps 20 people (two large upstairs bedrooms with 10 beds in each). Each bedroom has its own shower, toilet and hand basins and all bed linen is provided, so no sleeping bags required. Whilst the upstairs rooms are carpeted, downstairs is tiled and flagged. The main dining area has lots of character with a large oak banqueting table, two leather sofas and log burner.

The kitchen which is fully equipped including dishwasher has a serving hatch to the dining room. There is also an outside BBQ if we decide to eat alfresco.

Shropshire Hills Activity Weekend – The Activities

During the weekend we can offer a couple of activity options. There will be walks on both Saturday and Sunday which are included in the ticket price. For those who want to try something else as well we can look to make a booking for a Hovercraft experience with Hoverdays which costs an additional £40.00 if we are able to get a group of 6+ people. I can also look into quad biking or cycle hire if people express an interest when booking. There will be time for the walk and the additional activities with the amount of daylight this time of year.

The walks on offer will take place include one Shropshire Hills classic and one that takes place across the border in Wales that includes a section of Offa’s Dyke path. On Saturday we will do the Long Mynd starting from Church Stretton. The route is almost 10 miles (15.5km) and should take us less than 6 hours to complete. Long Mynd means Long Mountain and the ridge provides extensive views of the surrounding countryside.

On Sunday the walk option will start in nearby Llangollen. During the 8.7 mile route we will see the fantastic preserved railway in Llangollen, Wales’ highest castle Castell Dinas Bran, part of the Offa’s Dyke path and the Cistercian ruins at Valle Crucis. We then descent to the Horseshoe Falls which separate the River Dee from the Llangollen canal. We follow the canal back to the start.

What to Bring

• Hiking clothes & boots
• Towel & Toiletries
• Food for breakfast & packed lunch

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Organiser – Gary Box
When – 19th-25th July 2012
Cost – £260.00 (includes 6 nights accommodation, all transport and guided walks. Flights not included)

Itinerary

Thursday 19th July 2012

Easyjet flight 185 from Luton departing 19:25 and arriving in Belfast at 20:40. You will be collected and taken to our accommodation at Paddy’s Palace in Belfast.

Friday 20th July 2012

Our walk will be a classic in the Mountains of Mourne. The route is almost 11 miles long and includes 3 of the 4 highest mountains in Northern Ireland, Slieve Donard (853m), Slieve Commedagh (765m) and Slieve Bearnagh (739m). Return to accommodation at Paddy’s Palace and enjoy a Friday night out in Belfast.

Saturday 21st July 2012

Leave Belfast and drive along stunning A2 coastal road known as Antrim Coast Road. Visit Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge briefly for chance to walk the bridge and take some photographs. Continue along the coast and arrive at Giant’s Causeway car park where we will have a chance to explore this natural wonder as part of a short coastal walk of 4.8 miles which is one of the best coastal walks in Ireland. At the end of the walk we can either retrace our steps to double the walk distance or catch local bus back to the car park. Drive further along the coast to our accommodation, Downhill Hostel.

Sunday 22nd July 2012

Leave accommodation and drive to County Donegal and Glenveagh National Park. The walk will be Mount Errigal (751m), the highest in County Donegal and one of the most popular mountains in the whole of Ireland. Our accommodation will be Errigal hostel.

Monday 23rd July 2012

Head further west into County Donegal to the coast and check into our new accommodation, Malinbeg Hostel. Our walk will be the famous Glengesh Pass trail. The Glengesh pass is considered to be one of the best views in Ireland.

Tuesday 24th July 2012

From our accommodation visit Slieve League, Europe’s highest sea cliffs at over 600 metres. We will walk this beautiful area and if it’s not too windy the walk will include One Man’s Pass. Return to our accommodation at Malinbeg hostel.

Wednesday 25th July 2012

Leave our accommodation and drive back to Belfast. We will either break the journey somewhere interesting or spend some time in Belfast, perhaps looking at some of the famous murals in the Catholic and Protestant districts of the city.You will be dropped off at the airport in time to catch your flight number 186 departing at 21:10 and arriving at Luton at 22:20.

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London Victoria Train Station

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Organiser – Gary Box
When – Saturday 28th April 2012
Meet – 9:00am London Victoria Train station (outside Weatherspoons pub up escalator). See PDF map
Cost – £20.00 (includes return train fare and guided walk)

Summary

This classic South Downs day walk is 18km (11 miles) and should take between 5 and 6 hours to complete. We meet at London Victoria train station at 9:00 latest to catch the 9:17 train to Hassocks. We should arrive at Hassocks at 10:22. The route then sees us head south to Clayton passing a Saxon church and the two windmills known as Jack and Jill. The route then heads east towards Ditchling Beacon Nature Reserve. Ditchling Beacon was once an Iron Age fort and traces of the ramparts are still visible. The word beacon signifies that this was once a location of one of the many beacons that would have been lit to warn of possible invasion by the Spanish Armada.

The route continues to Plumpton where there is a pub that might make a good spot to stop for a drink. Towards the end of the route we will pass Offham which also has a pub before following the River Ouse to Lewes, past the Norman castle and through the ancient Lewes High Street and onto the train station for our return to London, arriving at Victoria station at 19:24. Please note that this is a linear walk and is therefore not suitable for drivers who may want to make their own way there.

What to bring

• Hiking Clothing
• Hiking Boots
• Packed Lunch
• Water
• Sunglasses & sunscreen

Trip is limited to 24 places.

Click here for a PDF map of Victoria Train Station.

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Clyngwyn Bunkhouse

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Organiser – Gary Box
Where – Clyngwyn Bunkhouse, Ystradfellte Road, Pontneddfechan, Powys, SA11 5US
When – 28th-30th September 2012 (Fri-Sun)
Cost – £56.00 (includes 2 nights accommodation and guided walks)

Summary

For this walking weekend we will be visiting The Brecon Beacons National Park and staying in the heart of waterfall country at Clyngwyn Bunkhouse. The bunkhouse sleeps 19 people in a total of three bunk bedrooms. It also has a fully equipped self catering kitchen, drying room and lounge area with TV, DVD and CD player. Another interesting feature of this bunkhouse is the circular BBQ area and fire pit. Sitting around a cosy campfire is a great way to end the day as the sun does down and if the weather is good Saturday evening we can all have a group BBQ (or visit a local pub if people prefer).

Kitchen

Lounge

Firepit & BBQ

On Saturday we will be doing the classic waterfall walk which we can start from the bunkhouse door. The 10 mile (16km) route involves 400 metres of ascent and will take us about 5 hours to complete, possibly slightly longer depending on how many photos we take as a group. The walk includes the chance to walk behind two waterfalls, Scwd Gwladys and Sgwd yr Eira.

On Sunday we will pack and leave the bunkhouse and make the drive to the Glytawe for the start of our Black Mountain walk. The route is 11 miles long and provides some great views, especially from the Fan Hir ridge. The walk will also pass the extensive remains of a Wellington Bomber which crashed into Carreg Goch on November 20th 1944 whilst on a training exercise killing all 6 Canadian crew.

You can expect to be back in London by about 8:00pm.

What to bring

• Hiking clothing
• Hiking Boots
• Sun screen, sunglasses, hat and gloves depending on weather
• Food (enough for your breakfast & packed lunches)
• Sleeping bag and pillow case (or single duvet cover instead of sleeping bag)

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Glan Dwr Mountain Lodge

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Organiser – Gary Box
Where – Glan Dwr Mountain Lodge, Capel Curig, Betws-y-Coed, Conwy, LL24 0EN.
When – May 4th-7th 2012 (Fri-Mon)
Cost – £80.00 (includes 3 nights accommodation and all guided walks)

Summary

This bank holiday weekend will offer keen hikers the chance to experience some of the classic walks on offer within Snowdonia National Park. The trip is limited to 19 spaces only and the walks planned are not suited to those who do not have previous mountain experience and a decent level of fitness. If in doubt please contact the organiser before committing to this trip.

On Saturday the walk will be The Snowdon Horseshoe from Pen y Pass. The route is 7 1/2 miles (12km) and involves 4100ft of ascent (1250 metres). The walk will take about 7 hours to complete and involves the famous Crib Goch ridge (923m), Garnedd Ugain (1066m), Snowdon (1085m), Y Lliwedd (898m) and Gallt y Wenallt (619m). If there is anyone who has good fitness but is not prepared to tackle the Crib Goch ridge you are welcome to sign up to this trip and instead follow the Pyg track up and Miners track down.

On Sunday the walk will start from Lyn Ogwen. The route is a total of 5 1/2 miles (9km) and involves 2616 ft (797m) of ascent. The walk is likely to take 5 hours to complete and involves the summits of Glyder Fach (994m) and Glyder Fawr (999m). The walk will also provide the classic photo opportunity that is the Cantilever stone on Glyder Fach.

On Monday we will either offer a shorter walk option or can offer an alternative activity like whitewater rafting (at additional cost).

What to bring:

• Sleeping bag
• Hiking clothing including boots
• Sunglasses
• Sun screen
• Towel & Toiletries

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Whitefields Cottage

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Organiser – Gary Box
Where – Whitefields Cottage, Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal Park, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 3DY
When – 18th-20th May 2012 (Fri-Sun)
Cost – £50.00

Summary

Our accommodation for this 2 night trip is a National Trust bunkhouse situated in the grounds of a World Heritage Site. Whitefields Cottage sleeps 16 people in 3 dorm rooms and also has lounge, dining room, kitchen and male and female showers. The beds have mattresses, cover sheet, pillows and pillow cases so we only need to bring sleeping bags, towels and toiletries.

The property is on an estate that includes Fountains Abbey, a spectacular water garden and a deer park that contains over 500 Fallow, Sika and Red deer. Our stay does not include entrance to Fountains Abbey which is free to National Trust members or otherwise charged at £8.15 per person or £9.00 (which includes a voluntary 10% donation).

We will offer 2 walks during the weekend. On Saturday we will explore Wensleydale with a drive to Askrigg where we will start a 7 3/4 mile (12.5km) walk that involves 370 metres of ascent and should take about 4 hours to complete. From Askrigg the route heads to the River Ure and follows its course until Worton Bridge where we cross and head to Worton. After passing Worton Pasture we join a road and head south to Carpley Green Farm where we leave the road. The highest point of the walk is next, Addlebrough at 477 metres after which we again make our way to Worton and then back to the start. There are a number of pubs in Askrigg where we can enjoy a post walk drink.

On Sunday we will walk from our accommodation door. The route is about 10 miles but should only take 4 hours to complete. As well as Studley Deer Park we will have views of Fountains Abbey. Anyone who wants to spend time exploring the Abbey can do this themselves rather than join the walk (there will not be time for both). We hope to get back to the accommodation by 2:30pm and will then return to London, expecting to arrive back at about 7pm.

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Castlehaw Farm

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Description:

Organiser – Gary Box
Where – Howgills Bunk Barn, Castlehaw Farm, Castle Haw, Sedbergh, Cumbria LA10 5BA
When – June 1st-5th 2012 (Fri-Tues)
Cost – £114.00 (includes 4 nights accommodation and all guided hikes)

Summary

The bank holiday Monday we used to get at the end of May has been moved to the start of June for 2012 and the government has kindly given us the Tuesday as well to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. As a result I have decided to book 4 nights (Fri-Mon) at Howgills Bunkbarn in the Howgill Fells. The accommodation which is on three floors is within walking distance of the charming market town of Sedbergh which has a good selection of cafes, pubs and take away restaurants. The town is just inside the Yorkshire Dales National Park but is only 10 miles east of Kendal so at least one walking option will be within the Lake District National Park.

Main Street, Sedbergh

The Howgills Bunk Barn sleeps a total of 35 people in a total of 8 ensuite bedrooms. Since 2 of the bedrooms have a double bed with a single overhead we may limit the capacity to 33. Bedding and linen can be provided by the bunkhouse for a £6.00 charge for the duration of the stay, otherwise we will have to bring our own sleeping bags and towels.

The accommodation also has a lovely lounge / dining area with both plenty of tables and chairs as well as comfy sofas. A music system and DVD player are provided for some evening entertainment. There is a full sized kitchen as well as a smaller kitchenette plus a drying room and study room complete with internet access points.

Howgills Bunk Barn Lounge / Dining Room

The walks planned for this weekend will include:

The Fairfield Horseshoe from Ambleside
Since we are so close to The Lake District I thought we should include one of its classic walks over the weekend. This 17.5km (11 mile) route involves over 1100 metres of ascent and is likely to take a little in excess of 8 hours to complete. Many summits are reached including Heron Pike, Rydal Fell, Great Rigg, Fairfield, Hart Crag and Dove Crag. This really is a Lake District classic and requires Explorer maps OL5 & OL7.

The Calf from Sedbergh
One we can do from the accommodation door, this 14km (8.75 mile) route involves 686 metres of ascent, should take up to 6 hours to complete and includes the peaks of Calders and The Calf. Offers wide expansive views. OS Explorer OL19.

Calders, The Calf & Yarlside via Cautley Spout from The Cross Keys
This 10.5km (6.5 mile) route includes 796 metres of ascent and is likely to take 5 hours to complete. Cautley Spout is considered to be Cumbria’s finest waterfall.

The Howgill Fells 2000ft’ers
Similar to the previous walk but also including Fell Head and Randygill Top so it covers all the 2000ft peaks in The Howgill Fells in one walk (it excludes Cautley Spout waterfall though). The 18.5km (11.5 mile) route involves 1344 metres of ascent and is likey to take a little over 9 hours to complete. Route also starts in Cross Keys. OS Explorer OL19.

Details of what to bring and car sharing will follow.

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