Blog - Trip Reports

Dufton Trip June 2024

Well, flaming June it wasn’t! But we were prepared for the arctic air stream predicted for our weekend in the North Pennines and our bunkhouse was nice and warm so it didn’t really matter.

We arrived and unpacked, heading out to a local hostelry for a fine supper in the next village, before briefings on the options for the morrow. Both groups were going up to view High Cup Nick, with the longer/harder route being a circuit of the best glaciated valley in the north, and the shorter/lower group going gently up for a look before returning when they’d had enough. The nick itself gradually reveals itself as you round the lower hills that shield this surprising view from below, it is truly awesome and enormous, being crested with grey-blue dolerite crags – a geologist’s dream! In the event and with fine weather, we all completed the entire circuit, just dividing into faster and slower paced groups, and with the slower group taking the road tramp back to Dufton whilst the faster group diverted via fields and the dramatic Dufton Ghyll woods and gorge giving them a pretty final mile. In total we walked 9.7 miles and climbed 1555 ft.

Scotland Trip May 2024

In May, 14 of us rocked up to the amazing Mar Lodge, near Braemar. It’s an old Victorian hunting lodge, liberally bedecked with stag heads and furnished in dark wood and tartan with some huge bedrooms and spacious bathrooms – this was sheer luxury! And slap bang in the middle of some stunning mountains.

The Munro-baggers set off on the first day to hire bikes which would enable them to cycle between 5-7 miles up the valley to access some otherwise hard to reach (in a day) mountains in the Southern Cairngorms. They were keen and the weather was very kind – Carn a’Mhaim, Ben Macdui and Derry Cairngorm, The Devil’s Point, Cairn Toul and Carn an Fhidhlier among some of the 17 big summits they achieved. A few were more easily accessible from the nearby ski centres.

Others in the group preferred more middle-sized walks and mountains with both Glen Quoich and Glen Lui easily accessible from the door of our accommodation, allowing some beautiful circular walks including Carn Mor and Morven, as well as explorations of Glen Derry and Deeside. The local birds and wildlife were spectacular – plenty of red squirrels deer and eagles to be seen around the lodge.

We enjoyed the usual high standard of Highdown Merry Meals – it was a pleasure to sit at the enormous long table in the dining hall surrounded by lush grounds and we enjoyed two meals out in Braemar, one of which was accompanied by traditional local music. And of course, porridge for breakfast!

Boscastle – April 2024

Ten of us travelled to Boscastle towards the end of April and found our home for the next few nights - two attached cottages high on a hill to the west of Boscastle itself. The accommodation was very comfy with freshly laid eggs provided for our breakfasts each morning which worked well with the Merry Meals menu, and one cottage had enough room for us all to cook and eat together.

Madeira - March 2024

Five very excited members met at Gatwick airport for our foreign trip to Madeira. We picked up our hire cars from the airport and made our way to the hotel Bio Hotel Quinta da Serra. A complete change to our usual digs this is a 5* hotel which grows most of the fresh vegetables used in its kitchens.

After a hearty 4 course diner we all hunkered down for a good night’s sleep in preparation for first day walk.

Our destination today was the Pico Grande 9.2km with 875m of ascent. We all thought that this was quite a short walk given our normal average of approximately 16km but the altitude and the terrain made the going a lot slower than normal.