Getting to grips with your Gps

A flurry of enquiries about our Gps training course led us to confirm dates for the autumn. The first session will be held on Saturday 28th August - the start of Foolow well dressing, so a busy day!

Caballo at last - saving the best till last

To round off our month in Spain, we were joined by Colin and Andrea, who spent 8 days walking and relaxing at Finca Montana. The final walk was a real highlight - not only did they successfully summit mainland Spain's most westerly 3000m peak, but found that the snow had retreated enough to return via the rio Lanjaron, which was full of summer flowers - truly the best walk of the trip.

Limerick Mountaineers Walk High

22 members of the Limerick Mountaineering Club joined the Mountain House team for a week of walking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We enjoyed some lovely settled summer weather which enabled us to experience the mountains at their best.

We are here again

7 people with a learning disability and 3 supporters, met together at the hotel Lanjaron for their week in their sun. All but one had been before, and for our friend Peter it was his 4th trip - must be good!

Tipsy Mice Drowned Rats, and Wonderful Flowers!

10 days at our Mountain House in Spain's Sierra Nevada, saw us clearing and planting trees around the house.  Last autumn we made 5 litres of wine from our grapes, which had been maturing in the cool of our old house.  However we discovered that a mouse had become trapped inside the house, and nibbled the plastic of the container; all the wine had seeped out - or been drunk by the mouse!

We also had a few days walking, including a lovely walk around Trevenque, however during the afternoon, the storm clouds gathered, resulting in us getting well and truly soaked during quite a violent a thunderstorm over the western peaks of the mountain range.  Not to be daunted, however we managed to walk to the Poqueira Refuge across some serious snow pathches, then climbed Caballo with Martin, by the western ridge, a first for us, and again crossing some serious snow.

The early summer flowers were at their peak this year, following all the rain of earlier months, and produced a stunning array.  Technorati Tags: Mountain Walking, Sierra Nevada, Caballo, Trevenque

Peak District Walking Festival

Once again, the Mountain House team were in action supporting the Peak District Walking Festival. We began the 10 day festival with an introduction to navigation course, then hosted a range of walks from Foolow, exploring the Kinder Plateau aircraft wrecks, and limestone dales. Our walks were in the main very well supported, and appreciated, as the following message from John and Clare suggests: "Just to say thank you to you both for a most enjoyable and informative walk yesterday".

Challenging Navigation - Easter Saturday 2010

Intermediate Navigation Course, a tour of the aircraft wrecks on Kinder Scout.

Today we enjoyed Kinder Scout at its wintery best with three clients on our intermediate navigation course.  We nearly failed at the start as a film crew were trying to tell us that the (public) road and parking at Barber Booth was closed so that they could film an episode of Jane Eyre.  However clients and ourselves did manage the rendez-vous and begin the course more or less on time.

From Upper Booth we ascended Crowden Brook to the “edge path”  where we began our navigation legs via two wreck sites before a perfect leg to Crowden Head.  Deep snow proved hilarious at times and more than a few times people disappeared into thigh deep drifts.

From Crowden Head we crossed to the River Kinder and on to Kinder Gates before finding another wreck site near Kinder Low. Noe Stool and a further two wreck sites involving cunning navigation and even “contouring” across some steep ground before descending The Cloughs to the bottom of the Jacob’s Ladder Path.

A grand day out and well done Andy, Steve and Phil!