Month: February 2017

Post 103: 6 Febrauary 2017  Cleveland Circles 14

Having returned from Norway late on Saturday (about midnight) and returning to a pile of washing, mail, emails, birthday cards, etc etc, when Sid the Yorkshireman suggested that as the forecast for today was good we should do a strenuous 11 mile walk around Captain Cook’s Monument, I was somewhat reserved. However, as it had been established I was part Viking I had no choice but to accept as they are not meant to be wimps.

The irony of a walk involving Captain Cook hit me as I had been through 4 storms at sea, including at two force 10/11 (12 is hurricane), had been up many nights (see previous blogs) hoping to see and photograph the northern lights, had more than exceeded my gin and tonic and cocktails ‘allowance’ and was probably still over the limit for driving (fortunately Steve offered to take his car). I was also still suffering from Arctic Cough.

Steve made it worse by saying we had to leave at 7.00am and Carol had to get back for an appointment.

After going through fog and mist (as per many previous weeks) we arrived at Great Ayton Station just after sunrise and with bright clear skies.

Leaving the station we soon had a view of Roseberry Topping, which on previous walks had been peeping tantalising at us from a distance. This time it was much closer and it was on the agenda to be conquered. 

The views to the Cleveland Hills were awesome with frost making the fields below glisten.

The climbing soon started and Sid’s pose says it all.

Are those buds on the tree? Spring looms?

We soon reached Captain Cook’s Monument after much huffing and puffing up the first of four steep ascents on this walk.

Captain James Cook was born in 1728 in Marton a little village fairly close to here. In 1736 his family moved to Aireyholme Farm on the outskirts of Great Ayton below us. At 17 he moved to a grocers shop in Staithes. He soon moved to Whitby where he became apprenticed to the shipowner John Walker. He was to become famous for his voyages to New Zealand and eastern Australia (1769-70) and then to the South Seas (1772). It was on his next voyage searching for the North-west passage round Canada that he was forced to rest in Hawaii where he was killed trying to settle a dispute between his men and the local people.

The monument was erected in 1827 and is 15 metres high.

Descending from the monument and passing some poo bags it was clear that some folks either can’t read or just don’t care.

A mysterious inscribed border stone was passed?

The first of a number of poses were made in front of Roseberry Topping, the Yorkshire Matterhorn.

The views were superb.

It was then that we started to get iridescence skies, something I had witnessed in Norway the week before. Yorkshire was competing with Norway!

Rather oddly I converted this to black and white, but I think it works?

We then came across two stones on the path from Holy Trinity School. Does anyone have more information about the school or how the inscribed stones came to be on the path?

We soon started to descend towards Guisborough,

And watched a logging operation for a while. A video will be put separately on Facebook and You Tube. 

Another steep ascent began towards the Hanging Stone and this pose again says it all.

Our lunch stop ahead!

More posing.

 

But this is real posing. See slideshow. 

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Ascending Roseberry Topping we discovered we were 46 miles from Helmsley and 64 miles from Filey on the Cleveland Way.

Finally, we conquered Roseberry Topping for some ultimate posing.

And pictures of the conquered.

We had reminder that much hard work went on these areas in the past extracting ironstone.

But Roseberry Topping was not conquered and gave Sid a kick up the backside and sent him flying on some slippy mud just towards the end of the walk.

With no broken leg and just damaged pride, Carol and myself laughed so much my ribs are still hurting or is it still the Arctic Cough?

A sign of spring finished a great walk.

Miles Walked 11.25

Elevation Gain 1680 feet

Minimum Elevation 61.3 feet

Maximum Elevation 1044 feet

Steps 23,400

Calories Burnt 1,300

Average Pace 18.54 Minutes Per mile. 

 

 

Post 102: Friday 20th January 2017. 

I was about to start my 2 week cruise to Norway, with some associated walks.

My ‘Norwegian Walk’ began with a 1 mile walk  around the deck at around 7.07pm whilst still birthed at Southampton, as the sun began to set. The start of our holiday. 

Miles Walked 1

Partly Cloudy Skies

Air Temperature 3 degrees C/37 degrees F 

Wind Force 4 Slight Moderate

 

Saturday 21st January 2017

I awoke on my 65th birthday at just after 7am to a lovely sunrise somewhere in the North Sea. See slideshow:

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I completed 3 miles around the deck before birthday celebrations got into full swing in the evening.

Sunrises and sunsets are one of my favourite photographic subjects and this one exceeded my expectations. There was hardly anyone else on deck at just after 7.00am! What a treat you can miss by staying in bed.

It is always a delight to see another ship pass by, this one at 7.49.

This next two weeks of my 1,000 mile walk challenge were going to be something very different from my normal walks.

As per my previous blog I discovered I was part Viking and it only seemed appropriate that I was heading for Norway with my dearest Celia.We had a lovely meal and celebrations in the evening on formal night with friends Annabelle, Christine and John on the MS Balmoral. I thought it best not to turn out in my outdoor gear!

Miles Walked 3

Partly Cloudy Skies

Air Temperature 3 degrees C/37 degrees F

Sea Temperature 8 degrees C/46 degrees F

Wind Force 4 Slight Moderate 

 

 

 

Post 101 : 5 February 2017. 1,000 Mile Walk Challenge

Yes it’s official I am part Viking. My recent DNA tests, the results of which were given to me on my big birthday on the cruise ship, Fred Olsen’s MS Balmoral , revealed the following.

Great Britain  38%

Scandanavian (Viking) 32%

Irish  25%

Europe West 4% 

Europe Jewish 1%

Iberian Peninsula 1%

Italy/Greece 1%

So it was only appropriate that with these results I was on my way to Norway, to hopefully see the Northern Lights again.

In order to carry on my 1,000 mile walk challenge I decided that despite five storms at sea including two force 10/11 violent storms (force 12 is hurricane), (videos to be added on Facebook and You Tube later), 

See Slideshow

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paths on land that were sheet ice and significant  rain on lower ground and snow on higher ground I must keep walking on the trip, sometimes around the deck of the ship and sometimes on land.

See slideshow:

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Plenty of snow. Marks in the snow left by early morning skiers are evident.

Sheet ice.

Deep snow

As well seeing the Northern Lights I also wanted to photograph them.

I succeeded in walking 34 miles over two weeks, which just passed the criteria to be classed as a long-distance walk. This was my 50th completed, which was my target I set to do in the 1990s by the time I was 85. I had reached my target 20 years earlier than planned.

In order to complete the various tasks, particularly seeing the Northern Lights, I had to dress accordingly for the cold and to spend hours on the deck of the ship waiting for the Northern Lights to appear. The clothing included thermals, a Rohan goose down jacket, winter lined trousers, a Norwegian Dale woollen jumper, two hats, two pairs of gloves, Yaktrax hand and foot warmers, two pairs of socks, a neck warmer and over-trousers. This turned out to be a mild two weeks in Norway!

In addition, when walking on land, micro-spikes were essential. I saw three other passengers from the ship slip on the ice.

When on the way to dinner one night, dressed in more smart casual attire, a lady who I had previously met whilst photographing the Northern Lights, replied when I said hello to her, that “she hadn’t recognised me with my clothes off”!

I think she meant to say she didn’t recognise me with my outdoor clothes off!

Sometimes I was on deck until midnight, 1am, 2am and between 3am and 7am and some rest outside in the cold was necessary.

However, despite a number of disappointments due mainly to cloudy skies, I did get to photograph the Northern Lights from the deck as below:

Well worth all the effort!