Introductory Thoughts 2006 - 2008

It is a major regret of mine that my elder sister lived in Settle and Kendal between 1997 and 2004, and I never seized the opportunity to take on the walking scope that such residences offered. Especially regrettable seeing as her partner, Dr G, is an outdoors-y type and had turned her from being a somewhat sedentary character like myself. In those years, all I can recall is jaunts to Hawes and Malham which didn't involve much exercise, and trips to Scout Scar and Kendal Castle on a couple of Christmas Days.

I can put the expense of travelling as justifiable excuse, but when she moved to Bolton, such considerations had to be set aside, and her new home being on the edge of the West Pennine Moors presented opportunities that could not be ignored, especially with Winter Hill standing proud and distinctive only a couple of miles away...

Winter Hill

So, January 2006 and I make my first efforts to get walking with my Big Sis, and I get instruction on the value of technical gear (a lesson I wouldn't take on board for nearly six years), necessary for winter walking. Off we go, with me in new boots (having worn out my first pair at work) and the trail takes us over Winter Hill, beneath its transmitter and over to Rivington Park on the other side, and I feel like a whole scope for enjoying the Great Outdoors has come around.
Then 2006 got away from me in a big way, I had a house situation to resolve with my best friend moving out, and my Sis became pregnant with her first child. Couple these things to the hottest summer that I can recall, and the desire to get out fell away badly. 2007 didn't offer me much in way of respite either, I used six months' worth of nervous energy in buying a flat and moving from Leeds to Morley, and the found that almost every subsequent weekend or week out of work was used in unpacking or re-decorating my new place. The ridiculously wet summer didn't help either.
And so it went on into 2008, Big Sis being pregnant with child number two, and me still having far too much to do in my new home, but a couple of telling excursions managed to sneak in. First was a plan to walk in a social outing from IH & AK's place in Mytholmroyd to Hardcastle Crags, and that didn't happen as planned due to hangovers from the previous evening, but we drove out to the Hardcastle Crags NT site, and had a good stretch nonetheless and a gander at the map afterwards suggested that we'd still managed a decent walk and the idea of going greater distances started to appeal to me again.

Second up, was my Sis finding that a third person came in handy when two small girls need carrying on any outdoor excursion, and I found no reason to object to that. Even if I was needed as a bag-carrier, I got to walk, and I was useful! So first trip is to the top of Billinge Wood in Witton Park, Blackburn (a much more interesting that it sounds), and second was a stretch from Todmorden to Bridestones Moor, my first exposure to Calderdale's brutal gradients and the joys of Gritstone country.

Bridestones Moor

Sat there on a glorious September afternoon, I felt good and looked forward. I was now mildly active, and useful too, maybe impetus was now on my side and I'd get seriously into the exercise that should be getting.

To be continued...