Glenmore

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A week in the sunshine

Lunch under the blossom
Branklyn Garden
Jo decided to jump out the car and run to the campsite
A change from the Derbyshire runs
Loch Morlich
Descending off the corbett compleation.
Paddling and a …
..BBQ
Lunch by the loch
Hooked up and ready to roll
Old logging route
Independent cycling with grannie and grandad
Look! That hill we climbed!
Keeping track of daddy
Time for lunch.
Jo forgot about this obstacle…
… or is it a climbing frame?
Claire deciding to run while we all cycle. Progress slowed for a while.
Braeriach
Snow!
Sunny on top
Baby bath time
Family dinner
Loch an Eilein, looking for animals.
Donuts!
Cycling back, along the road
Starting the ascent of Carngorm
Lift station break
Up, up, up.
Summit!
Running down
Claire insisting she walks too.

Easter in Bradwell

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Grandma’s birthday cake
Spring flowers
Bradwell Moor run
Peaceful trails
Bamford playground
Bamford Trail
Lunch on a log
Ladybower spillway
One of the rare occasions she wasn’t demanding to get out and walk
Downhill beside the dam
Sitting on a squirrel
If she concentrates she can do monkey bars apparently
Boo
Sunny climbing
Up from Aston
Win Hill summit
Scrambling
Scrambler in training

Suncream in the rain

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Our first attempt at skiing with kids, five years after we last went. Apparently our gear is just about holding up, we remember how to ski and we still really like it…

We went to Belle Plagne in the Vanoise on the train, and took grandparents to help (a highly recommended strategy). Despite the less than ideal weather it was a successful trip all round. Now we just need a holiday to recover – and work out when/how we can go again!

Early start but excited.
We have snow!
Shame a lot of it was falling from the sky..
Learning/teaching in some bad weather
First slides
Snowplough!
Who ordered snow to the apartment?
Powder morning
Ready for our first off piste.
Oh, there are mountains behind those clouds…
Lunch at the top – Roche de Mio (on the only day of the week it was open)
Ready for a lesson. (The Frozen skis were a nice touch.)
Time for a ski snooze
Gregoire the instructor works magic and suddenly she loves skiing
Hot chocolate and crepes before going out again
Time for the next one to try skis
Zooooom!
Cake on daddy. Skiing is hard work
On her own
Look – I can turn!
“More skiing please!”
Surprise lollies after dinner
Another morning out on our own. Finding the start of the mini tour (to the top on the left)
Near the summit – skinning practice ticked
Mont St Jacques
Summit selfie
Find the way down
Snowy alpine view – we’ve missed these
Hmmm what’s this snow like?
Tracks!
How to get out of here?
First blue
Controlled turns from at least one of us
Happy skiers
Chairlift!
Big mountain skiing – how did we find such an empty piste?
Pause for the view
Good effort on steeper lumpy snow
Well and truly graduated from the nursery slope
Following daddy much better than mummy does
Boo!

Roybridge

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Quick snowman before it melts
Helping shovel the drive
Even snowmen need hugs
Hills!
Summit selfie
Lacking in size. But incredible flexibility.
A nice familiar Scottish mountain view that we haven’t seen for a while
Creag Meagaidh to Beinn a’ Chaorainn
Proof we did something
The bog trot behind
Off for a run
Snowy walk day
Crunch crunch crunch
Cold wood. We found the sun after lunch.
One of the only trains of the day
Above the Spean
Back to the cottage
Bemusing Claire with snow angels
Jo did another couple of Munros
It was incredibly still most of the week
Buggy walk towards Creag Pitridh

Castles, caves and coast

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A half term week in Northumberland with Scotland-dwelling family. Based in the amazing Old Vicarage in Beadnell.

Part 1: Sunny exploring

Who can find the biggest leaf?
The driveway and outbuildings of the Old Vicarage
Trying out baby’s bike seat
Garden wandering
Beadnell Bay
Windy digging
Construction under the tutelage of a historian
The finished castle
Running for lunch (Grannie and Grandad following more sedately)
Whooshing along the sand
Nearly at Seahouses
With a very windy forecast, we headed inland to St Cuthbert’s Cave, in a forest in the foothills of the Cheviots
Nice grassy path through the gorse
The forest was only marginally less windy
But the rocks provided some shelter
Arty pinecones
Contemplating a jump
Squeeze!
Not to be left out of the jumping
Running down the hill
Arty grassy

Part 2: Castles by bike

Partway across the causeway to Holy Island
Rain on Bamburgh Castle
Lindisfarne Castle
A lunchtime game of peekaboo
Which greatly amused Claire
Sunny bench and boats
Heading for the castle (but not without mummy)
Pier-ing in the sea
Poles marking the pilgrims’ path
We cycled to Dunstanburgh Castle, but had to walk the last bit
Had a chilly picnic under the ruins
Jo and Jess bonding over old long drop toilets
Identifying chimneys
Arty turret
Framed
Well well well
Nice view
Nice window seat
Geology x exploring
Holey rock!
Smiley rock

Part 3: Damp autumnal wanderings

Unbeleafably big
Exciting waves. Nearly got my feet wet
Jump!
Looking for sea glass
Exploring the only west-facing harbour on the east coast
Excavations begin
In case we forget
Car on driveway of the sand house
Treasures
Wizard in the labyrinth at Cragside
Big bedrock labyrinth path
Story telling chair
Found the middle of the labyrinth while trying to get out. Needed a lunch stop before trying again.
Finally escaped
Running down the track
Autumn trees
Peaceful lakes
Path to the playground
Matching the foliage
Arty orange leaves
Cragside house through the mist
Rock garden arch
Iron bridge and more autumn below the house

CATSE Reunion

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Ten years after our exploratory expedition in Kyrgyzstan, the team decided to meet up. Despite the many additional trip members of all ages, the adventurous spirit continued.

Camping (in what must be the polar opposite to a remote valley in Kyrgyzstan)
Wander up a quiet, but not unexplored Beacon Fell
Summit achieved
down to the tarn
Wild swimming
nearly swimming
Walking back
Ice cream before rowing
Row…
…row….
…row your boat
Stone throwing!
More exploring around the campsite
Tarn Hows
Exploring as usual
Bridge troll hunting

Sandsend

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A long weekend on the Yorkshire coast, getting our beach fix for the summer. (We’re a bit late posting this after going on too many holidays and taking a month to recover…)

Boggle Hole
Following a horse
Digging
Grandpa enjoying the terrace
Jess enjoying the doorstep
Post fish and chips wall wander
Evening at the beach
Shore View
Whitby steps up…
…and down again
Lifeboats and pirate ships (not shown)
Beach and breakwater
Warm paddling
Some of us walked through the waves most of the way from Whitby to Sandsend
Arty starfish
Cycling on the Cinder Track from Hawsker to Ravenscar
Jess demonstrating that she’s more than ready for a pedal bike
More evening beach wandering
Long (mostly) clifftop run to Runswick Bay
Highly recommended
The run home again – 20 km in total
Can I take Smudge for a walk?

Samoëns seconds

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Part 1: rest day, waterfall cycle, forest/alpine meadow/hut walk

Patisserie inspection / dissection
Our favourite shady spot by the pool
Acorn collection
We cycled up to Cascade du Rouget
Exploring below the waterfall
Cycling a little further up…
… To find a gorge (canyoners for scale)
Plopping (universal toddler fun)
Natural limestone paddling pools
Shade AND a view
Cuddles by the cascade
Summer evening light at the campsite lake
Still (and) warm
Another day, another forest track
Out of the trees
View back towards Samoëns
Nearly at the hut
Refuge du Bostan
Arty grass and cliffs
Traverse to hut number two
Lovely paths and fantastic views
Heading down again
Forest wanderers

Part 2: cragging, ridge walk/scramble

Arty beech leaves
Climbing! In the shade!
Jess preferred scrambling around the bottom of the crag
She did try a route though
First climbing for Mummy in over four years (and first leading since I can’t remember when)
Sitting on a ledge
Claire desperate to climb too
Crag life
Watching…
Back to Col du Joux Plane for a walk the other way
Jess was fascinated by the chairlift – we ate lunch at the lift station as it was the only shade and got a bit of a shock when the chairs unexpectedly started moving
Finally a snowy view – the Mont Blanc massif
Scrambly step (cabled, but a rope for Jess)
On up the ridge
The top! (High point of the holiday, 2090m)
Geological view
Ridgy
Exploring some skiing infrastructure
Toddling with a backdrop
Can’t keep up with Jess
Mont Blanc through the grass
Cafe direct (about to join up with our previous route)

Part 3: rest day, cycle up (and down) the Col and journey home

Playground
On our final day we cycled up the Col du Joux Plane, as featured in the Tour de France (not this year) – about 1000m ascent. This needed our earliest start yet (8.30)
First stop – for suncream
About 400m up
Pause after a steep bit
Long stop about 700m up, for doughnuts /first lunch
What else are picnic benches for?
Ice cream at the top
Nearly back in Samoëns
Unscheduled stop at the ruins of the Glacerie de Sylans due to accident/tunnel closure at Nantua. Ice was shipped from here to Paris in pre-freezer days
Throwing demonstration
Having timed our arrival at Calais just as the border queues were rapidly building, we had the strange experience of being on a mostly empty ferry and thus having our breakfast freshly cooked to order

Return to the Alps – Week 1

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Our first trip abroad for three years – family camping, walking, cycling, swimming etc in Samoëns, France. HOT.

Finally on the ferry after 2 hours queueing at Dover – nowhere near as bad as the headlines but still not ideal
Warm enough to run around the deck in short sleeves and admire the lovely Calais evening
Lakes next to the campsite
With summer flowers
Ready for a cycling expedition to the supermarket
Shady spot in the forest for lunch
Experimental cycle up some alpine hairpins. Verdict: sustained steep gradient plus heavy loads plus ridiculous heat equals not possible. The ride down was fun though
Samoens centre ville
Babies enjoying the cafe by the lake
Introducing Jess to sundaes (“But it’s not Sunday!”)
Tree climbing and swinging
Probably the closest we’ll get to alpenglow this holiday
Walk from Col du Joux Plan – high enough for some views
Lovely grassy hills
Claire entertainingly eating raisins at lunch time
Slightly cloudy made a nice change
Flying!
Ellen and Jess leading the way
Heading up the ridge
Distant jaggedness
The mountains around Samoëns
High point of the day
Negotiating cows (with bells)
Relatively successful ice cream sharing
Forest cascade
Paddling party
Streams in woods are excellent for cooling off
Beech forest wandering
View from the high road
Cycling up the valley
Quite a convoy of five bikes, a tandem and three trailers
Destination: Cirque Fer a Cheval
Impressive cliffs and more cascades
In no hurry to do anything else in the heat
We found a shady spot for coffee, which turned into lunch…
A good alpine stream
Buggy buddies (there was a lot of swapping children around)
Little walk for a different view of the cirque
Bit too hot out of the shade to linger though
A cooler rainy day was much appreciated! We walked into town and found a carousel
Inevitably leading to a ride
After a pizza lunch we discovered the unusual but excellent Botanic Garden, a steep and narrow strip of hillside where Jess enjoyed finding all the steps
In some castle ruins at the top
Back down through the rain
Gondola!
We enjoyed watching the parapentes take off
Lunch view
Cirque from a distance
Loop de lac
I’m not looking – I don’t want a photo.