Banchory Veterans' Hill-walkers

From http://bvhill-walkers.blogspot.com/ I awoke to the sound of Dave's car crunching along the gravel drive at 5:50 am. Ian and I had breakfast at 7:45 am and, having been thoroughly confused by the local bus services timetables, we had booked a taxi to take us to Keswick at 8:15 am, to ensure we caught the 8:55 am bus to Penrith. 8:25 am came and went, and it was pretty obvious that the booked taxi wasn't going to show, so we got the hotel to phone another one. The only problem is that the nearest taxi services are in Keswick, some 6 or 7 miles along a twisting lakeside road. However, it was with us by 8:35 am and you should have seen the driver's face when we told him we had to catch the 8:55 am bus - he couldn't have been more excited - we had made his day. It was as if we'd said "follow that car". We got there in good time - in fact, the bus was slightly late anyway. That gave me time to check the bus timetables again: Yes - it definitely s...

From http://bvhill-walkers.blogspot.com/ The forecast for today was better and it was certainly very pleasant when we headed off from Rosthwaite back to Keswick. The first bit of the walk was straight upwards, which meant there were plenty of "photo opportunities". We climbed above various cloud layers and reached the first valley top of the day, where we posed for yet another team photo: We were advised that there was a coffee shop at the foot of the hill, so, in keeping with the casual spirit of the weekend, we stopped off for scones with gooseberry jam - lovely - and we weren't the only ones to think so. Soon there were birds swooping everywhere, looking for a nibble - you could feed them by hand. We finished our scones and put the trays on an adjacent table to allow the birds to finish off the remaining crumbs: Chaffinch, I'm told We moved on and eventually came across Derwent Water: Our tour guide's confidence in his map-reading skills had o...

From http://bvhill-walkers.blogspot.com/ It had poured down all night and it was still lashing as we had breakfast. The forecast indicated that there was a possibility of it relenting a bit later on, so it was a fairly simple - and unanimous - decision to postpone our departure. Fortunately, the Australia - Ireland World Cup match was just about to start, so we settled down to watch it - great game it was too - and when it was over, the rain had eased off, so off we trotted along the valley floor. After 4 or 5 miles, the stroll ended abruptly - the only way was up, to get out of one dale and over to the next one. As we climbed up a path adjacent to a mighty waterfall, the sky started to lighten and there were even glimpses of the sun. We took a last look down the valley before going over the top: Ian had been showing a slightly unnatural interest in sheep all weekend - he said it was his upbringing on a farm coming out - and insisted I photograph the rather pretty white faced ...

From http://bvhill-walkers.blogspot.com/ Thursday morning was a bit overcast with prospects of showers as we set off from our hotel: We walked down to the bus station to await the 9:30 am bus that would take us down to Ambleside: Like little kids, we all clambered upstairs in the double decker and fought for the front seat. This was the view as we hurtled through the narrow lakeside roads: Well, that part of the journey was easy - there must be time for a coffee before we head for the hills. Ken took us to one of his favourite tea shops, the Apple Pie, where we all indulged ourselves. Eventually, it was time to leave the quiet surroundings of Ambleside and head for the hills - lead on, Ken! We hadn't got 100 yards before our leader was seen scurrying around trying to find the village's out door: Yes - a map's a good idea, Ken! The first bit of the climb out of Ambleside is relatively steep, but on decent track. We soon stopped for breath and f...

From http://bvhill-walkers.blogspot.com/ The best laid plans of mice and Vets gang aft a'gley. With Johanne having to go in to hospital for an op, Colin was a late cancellation from the trip, which, in turn, led me to to change my plans at the last minute and, rather than drive down alone, I decided to make use of my Senior Railcard and let the train take the strain. Ian had taken the whole day off so he had gone down on the early morning train, with Ken having decided he would leave at lunchtime and travel down in Dave's car. Ian and I were in touch by text and phone and I discovered that he'd got off the train at Penrith and gone in to the town centre there, but had been distinctly unimpressed by it - especially the pubs he visited. He'd then jumped on the bus to Keswick and checked in at our hotel and wandered round the town centre in his shorts, doing the touristy thing. My train was a little late getting in to Penrith and I just missed the bus connection to...