Blog Posts in Category: Locations

Delle Mèsules/Possnecker

Alastair BegleyDolomites, Via Ferrata Short Link

After a leisurely start we headed over to the Sella pass to do the Delle Mèsules via ferrata, unfortunately we discovered that the pass was closed to cars every Wednesday during the summer when we got to the bottom of the pass. Thankfully it turned out that we could get a bus up to the start of the route, it just meant that we had a defined finish time as it would be a very long walk back if we missed the bus. The short walk to the start was under the impressive Sella towers. The start of the via ferrata was the most sustained part of the route, with excellent climbing but some fairly long sections of cable which made it feel fairly exposed. After this first section of steep climbing there was an easier but unprotected section, this included a short chimney, an exposed ladder and then a climb up into a rift. We decided to get a rope out here and quickly moved together up this section. After exiting the confines of the rift, we moved around onto an exposed face. The climbing up this face was amazing. Read the full article…

Brigata Tridentina

Alastair BegleyDolomites, Via Ferrata Short Link

We had a later than planned start as we found out that the via ferrata that we had planned on doing was closed after we had driven to it, paid to park and started the walk in. Due to being in a stunning valley we decided to go for a short walk where we were, before heading back over the pass we had just driven over to do the Brigata Tridentina via ferrata which is a very popular via ferrata. We were hoping that with the late start we would be able to avoid the crowds, but it was not to be. Thankfully for most of the via ferrata there wasn’t too much queuing. The first section of via ferrata was fairly short and straightforward, apart from the wet rock. A hot walk in the sun lead us to the second section of via ferrata which was were all of the good climbing was. We quickly made our way up the impressive face, with lots of excellent scrambling on good rock with some exposure thrown in for good measure. Most of the climb was in the shade, which was no. Read the full article…

Piz da Lech

Alastair BegleyDolomites, Via Ferrata Short Link

With thunderstorms predicted for the afternoon we wanted a quick morning out was in order. Just above where we are staying is a classic short via ferrata called Piz da Lech. After a quick amble into Corvara we took the two lifts up to near the start of the via ferrata. It had started to look cloudy, but after a quick discussion we decided that we probably had enough time to finish the via ferrata. The route was fantastic as the cable provided excellent protection but it was not necessary to use the cable, all of the moves could be done by climbing the rock. Towards the end of the via ferrata there was a short bridge over a steep gully and then some ladders up the steep final headwall. A short walk lead us to the summit where we were able to enjoy the contrasting views from the rocky high mountains to the lush green valleys below. After a fairly quick descent we were soon back at the lift station and were able to enjoy lunch in the sun with a stunning view of the dolomites. As it turned. Read the full article…

Via Delle Trincee / La Mesola

Alastair BegleyDolomites, Via Ferrata Short Link

After a very wet first night in the Dolomites we woke up to a fantastic day so headed up for a classic via ferrata. We decided on Via Delle Trincee / La Mesola which is predominantly a ridge traverse which provided stunning positions and views of the Dolomites. The start of the route was the crux which provided a sharp warm up, this climbing quickly lead to amazing exposure and stunning views of the Dolomites. After the first section of via ferrata we found our first evidence of the WW1 heritage, in the form of a lookout tunnel and a traverse with evidence of old buildings and fixtures in the rock. A steep down climb lead to the end of the second section of via ferrata, and most of the good climbing. The final section was filled with history with numerous WW1 buildings and lots of tunnels. This was really interesting but it must have been a hard place to have served in the war. After navigating our way around the tunnels we soon came to the end of the via ferrata, and make a quick descent down to the. Read the full article…

Walking in the Western Lake District

Alastair BegleyLake District, Walking Short Link

At the beginning of July I headed up to the Lake District for a long birthday weekend, we spent the weekend with the Avon Mountaineering club in the beautiful but remote Duddon Valley before heading over to Eskdale on Sunday. On the first morning we woke up to a spectacular day, with almost wall to wall sunshine it doesn’t get much better in the Lake District. There was a reasonably cold wind, but this didn’t matter as we weren’t able to climb as Becky had broken her finger earlier in the week. We elected to walk the obvious circuit from the campsite which included most of the peaks around the Old Man of Conniston. The circuit was great, with a short walk up a track to a picturesk tarn before making an abrupt ascent up to the ridge which connects all of the peaks. Once we had gained most of the altitude the views were stunning in every direction. To the south west we could see down the Duddon valley and out to the sea, to the north we could see Scafell, Scafell Pike and Crinkle Crags and to the. Read the full article…

Overnight on Conival & Ben More Assynt

Alastair BegleyScotland, Walking Short Link

After two days of walking and a day cycling we had one day with some mild dampness, before another sustained spell of good weather. We took this as a good opportunity to enjoy a rest day before heading out for dinner. The next morning we woke up to a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky and without a breath of wind, we quickly decided it was too hot to go walking and we needed to go and get some brunch (definitely not the wine…). As the day continued to heat up, we did indeed decide that it was too hot to enjoy walking, but we could make the most of the conditions by waiting for it to cool down before climbing Conival and sleeping on the summit. Due to the lack of phone reception we didn’t actually realise that it was forecast to be 30 degrees, or that the far north of Scotland was the hottest place in the UK. We left the car park after 7pm, and the walk up still felt brutally hot. I am pretty sure I have never been hotter walking, even in the. Read the full article…

Far North Munroe Bagging

Alastair BegleyScotland, Walking Short Link

We have recently got back from a trip to the far North of Scotland where we were Munro bagging and road biking. Initially we headed up about as far north as it is possible to go in Scotland to climb Ben Klibreck and Ben Hope. These are often climbed in a single day, as they are both relatively short days and are close together by road. Thankfully the weather saved us from having an epic day climbing both, as we had two days in a row with good weather in the morning and rain forecast in the afternoon. Ben Klibreck was an enjoyable walk which followed a natural ridge line up, with a feint path for most of the way. The views from the top were very different to most of Scotland, with lots of moorland combined with the views of Ben Hope, Ben Loyal and Ben Mor Assynt. Ben Hope was a very dull peak, but not as bad as Mount Keen! It was again another early start due to forecast rain, although it never materialised. The walk up was fairly harsh with lots of ascent in a very. Read the full article…

Costa Blanca Bolted Multipitch

Alastair BegleyCosta Blanca, Rock Climbing Short Link

While there is lots of excellent single pitch sport routes in the Costa Blanca, it is also an excellent destination for bolted multi pitch. This year we didn’t climb as many multi pitch routes when compared to last year, but the quality of the routes that we did climb was excellent. Carillo-Cantabella, Leyva After landing at Alicante we headed down south to Leyva, which is a spectacular mountain crag above a forrest filled valley. It is more famous for some of the harder routes, but there is an excellent mid grade route called Carillo-Cantabella. It is a five pitch f5+ with two pitches of f5+ and the rest being slightly easier. The bolting on the route was excellent, and the climbing was interesting with a technical sequence though the crux and un unexpected steep corner at the finish. Marin On the last day of the trip we headed to Marin which is 45mins away from Alicante airport. This was an excellent destination for quality lower grade short multi pitch routes, as the crag had a plentiful supply of 2 pitch bolted routes between f4 and f6a. We climbed the class f4. Read the full article…