Sierra Trekking Blog

Jeremy Clarkson turns on Hillwalkers

2011-12-06T17:31:00.000Z

It's our turn now, the great man has spoken!

http://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2011/12/06/jeremy-clarksons-sharp-tongue-turns-on-injured-hillwalkers

Bike crash reverses paralysis, what a great story!

2011-11-25T17:19:00.000Z

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/how-a-bike-crash-set-paralysed-cyclist-on-the-road-to-a-miraculous-recovery-6267108.html

http://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2011/05/22/dont-rely-on-phones-to-find-your-way-on-fells-rescuers-warn

2011-05-22T17:14:00.001+01:00

http://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2011/05/22/dont-rely-on-phones-to-find-your-way-on-fells-rescuers-warn

Guided walking in the hills of Andalucia: Sept 24th - Oct 1st 2011

2011-04-03T12:06:00.000+01:00

White Villages on the GR7

http://sierratrekking.co.uk/s_gr7.htm

Join us for a week of guided walking on the
beautiful GR7 long distance footpath in the
Alpujarras region of Andalucia in the sunny
south of Spain.

Places still available for 24th Sept to 1st Oct 2011

£475pp

Collection of 'Silly' walks from the National Trust

2011-04-01T16:35:00.000+01:00

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-visits-walks/w-visits-silly-walks.htm

Sierra Trekking Blog: Walking the GR7 in Andalucia: Sept 24th - Oct 1st...

2011-03-30T14:00:00.000+01:00

Sierra Trekking Blog: Walking the GR7 in Andalucia: Sept 24th - Oct 1st...: " White Villages on the GR7 http://sierratrekking.co.uk/s_gr7.htm Join us for a week of guided walking on the beautiful GR7 long di..."

Sir Chris Bonnington: Fancy a walk with the great man?

2011-03-26T14:27:00.000Z

http://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2011/03/26/walkers-invited-to-join-bonington-on-better-than-everest-lakeland-route

First Base jump from Kilt Rock on the Isle od Skye

2011-03-17T19:39:00.000Z

I've been to Kilt Rock a few times but it it's never occured to me to jump off it !

http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/news/kilt-rock-hosts-first-base-jump/003677/

Tubular Fells - Lake District 'Over' ground map

2011-03-15T12:22:00.000Z

An excellent map of the Lakeland Fells based on the classic London Underground map.

Choose your journey, the tickets are free !

http://ukhillwalking.com/news/item.php?id=60971

Free wine but watch out for the Ostrich ! - (A day on the GR7 in Andalucia)

2011-03-03T15:22:00.006Z

http://sierratrekking.co.uk/s_gr7.htm

Moorish Church in Bubion

Fresh coffee and crusty bread still warm from the local Panaderia, Apricot jam, butter and fresh orange juice. What better way to start another glorious spring day in the beautiful 'Las Alpujarras' district of Andalucia.

The lofty Pueblo Blanco 'White village' of Bubion is my base and the first task of the day is to scale the not inconsiderable ascent from the bottom 'Bario Bajo' district to the top 'Bario Alto' district of the village.

Collect spring water from the local Fuente enroute and nod the usual 'Hola' or 'Buenas Dias' to the locals. Hop on board the local bus and grab a seat on the right hand side for what must be one of the most panoramic bus journeys in Spain.

My ears are trained on the local gossip which my inadequate Spanish fails to decipher and my gaze is captivated by the vertigo inducing views down the yawning chasm of the Poqueira gorge.

The bus swings east away from the confines of the Poqueira valley and heads towards the village of Pitres. The views to the south continues to impress with the deep expanse of the valley of the Rio Trevelez and the backdrop of the Sierra de la Contraviesa beyond which lie the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean.

I disembark in the sleepy village of Juviles and after some exploration find a small local shop to purchase my lunch. More crusty bread, Jamon Serrano (the local air-dried ham), delicious Queso de Cabra (Goats Cheese), a huge juicy Spanish tomato and a couple of Oranges.

I find the GR7 route heading south between village houses and head off into the Andalucian countryside. Within 10 minutes the path becomes a spectacular promenade above the valley of the Rio Cimbua. The path leads easily over a shoulder of land with precipitous crags at a safe distance to the left.
Rounding a corner an aerial view of the tiny hamlet of Timar is unveiled. As is usual in these hidden hill villages if you see more than 2 people, it's a busy day.
The route continues to the village of Lobras after which our GR7 route crosses over the GR142 on it's way between Castares and the villages further east.

Further on we follow the course of the Rio Cadiar with it's source near the 3000m crest of the Sierra Nevada mountains to the east of Cerro de Trevelez. The approach to Cadiar is accompanied by the sparkling river to the right and the meadows of spring flowers, Olive and Almond trees to the left.

On arrival in Cadiar I spy a perfect spot for a lunch-stop, a shady
bench on the edge of a fenced orchard by the river. Facing away from the orchard I take in the view and reflect on the mornings walk before setting about the balancing act that is a picnic lunch. Covered in crumbs from my crusty cob and dribbling juice from the ripe tomato I sense a presence over my right shoulder !!

I spin around to be met by the manic stare of an Ostrich which seemed very keen to releive me of my lunch and was probably capable of doing so. I shot to my feet incredulous and scattered my lunch around the bench and the ground. The bird, equally startled turned and headed off into the orchard. I snapped a few hurried photos to confirm that I hadn't dreamt the episode and salvaged what I could of my picnic.

I resumed my sandwich assembly and pondered the meaning of life and the reason for there being an Ostrich in an orchard in Andalucia? Before too long my attention was once again aroused by the approach of something from behind but this time I heard the beast and was better prepared when I turned to be greeted by a local farmer. Warm greetings were exchanged as I fleetingly wondered what the Spanish for 'Ostrich' is but I soon realised my shortcomings and proceded to impersonate an ostrich and ask why it was there. "It was a gift for my Grandson, it was small when we bought it, but it grew".

But of course, silly question !

My friendly companion wandered off without saying Adios which I thought strange but strange seemed to be the norm today.

I finally got to finish lunch and as I packed away I heard once again an approach, my farmer friend. He reached over and offered my a plastic Coke bottle which seemed to be full of Red wine. Indeed it was, he explained that it was made from his own vines and his proud grin made the gift very special. I tasted the wine and complimented him on his excellent produce. We said our goodbyes and I headed north with the river towards Narila. A hot spring afternoon made the final pull up to Alcutar and Berchules quite hard work but the scenary more than compensated. I didn't see another person walking the GR7 throughout the day and in this part of the world, that isn't unusual - unlike the lunchstop !

Fields near Cadiar

Spring in Berchules

On the GR7 near Cadiar

Walker helped by rescue team he helped form

2011-02-22T21:29:00.000Z

http://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2011/02/22/walker-helped-by-rescue-team-he-helped-form

2011 Dates - Andalucia walking holidays

2011-02-07T10:42:00.000Z

http://sierratrekking.co.uk/dates.htm

Sierra Trekking Blog: Preview "Mountains and Music at Plas y Brenin 12 13 Feb 2011"

2011-01-27T10:29:00.000Z

Sierra Trekking Blog: Preview "Mountains and Music at Plas y Brenin 12 13 Feb 2011"

Free intro to WGL and Summer Mountain Leader schemes

2010-12-23T17:13:00.000Z

http://www.mlta.co.uk/further-training-info.php?id=96

Foothills and Fiesta's - June 2011

2010-11-28T14:58:00.000Z

http://www.sierratrekking.co.uk/images/book/FF_2011.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/user/SierraTrekking

Sierra Trekking welcomes new online community

2010-01-31T14:43:00.000Z

Welcome to Mountain Rock Outdoors Good luck to the guys at Mountain Rock Outdoors - a new online resource for the outdoor community. Also catch them on Facebook:- http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=100000628206545&ref=nf

Lakes Winter Wild Camp

2010-01-10T15:28:00.000Z

http://40swalkersnorth.ning.com/forum/topics/lakes-winter-wild-camp

An excellent if somewhat chilly night spent on the Lakeland hills and a superb following day taking in Bannerdale Crags and Blencathra.

The whole of the Lakes is in Alpine condition, the going is tough in places but hopefully things will get even better as the snow consolidates.

Nepal - Nov 2009

2009-12-03T21:45:00.000Z

Claire and I had a fantastic trip to the Langtang, Gosakundai and Helambu regions of Nepal in Nov 2009. Here's a link to some photos of the trip. Courtesy - David Swainson

2009-10-23T14:49:00.001+01:00

Sierra Trekking heads for Nepal

2009-10-23T14:34:00.000+01:00

We're shutting up shop for a few weeks in November to go trekking in Nepal so please accept our apologies for any delayed responses to your enquiries.

We won't be able to receive telephone enquiries but should be able to respond to emails a few times during our trip.

All enquiries will certainly be dealt with before the end of November.

Mark

June 2010 Mongolia Trek now available

2009-10-14T11:44:00.000+01:00

Our 2010 trek to the remote Altai region of western Mongolia is now available.

This amazing travel destination awaits our discovery. We'll fly from Heathrow via Moscow to the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbatar. 'UB' is a city of contrasts with modern buidings standing alongside historic temples and the ubiquitous Mongolian Ger, the felt tents which will be seen all over this nomadic land.

Our itinerary includes a 3 hour internal flight out to the extreme west of this huge country to the remote airstrip at Olgii. From there we'll head out into the vast open spaces in 4 x 4 vehicles, and pitch camp in some truly stunning locations.

We'll visit beautiful Lakes, Snow-capped mountains and Glaciers and have the option of scaling a 4000m peak.

Places are limited to 10 and bookings are now being taken.

See 'Latest news' on our website to download the Trip Dossier.

http://sierratrekking.co.uk/

15% Discount on 2009 Spanish Holidays

2009-09-21T13:21:00.000+01:00

See our "Winter specials" for discounted Guided walking Holidays in Andalucia in December 2009 and early 2010. http://sierratrekking.co.uk/late.htm

Trekking in Mongolia June 2010 - "Update"

2009-08-12T20:44:00.000+01:00

I have now put together a provisional itinerary for next years trip to the remote Altai region of western Mongolia. This will be a trip of 16/17 days with departure around mid-June. If you wish to be kept up to date with our plans please email me on mark@sierratrekking.co.uk and I'll add you to our mailing list. No commitment required at this stage. Mark

Mongolia - summer 2010

2009-07-18T13:10:00.000+01:00

We're just in the process of planning a 2 week trekking trip to western Mongolia in

June/July 2010. Why not join us for the trip of a lifetime to this fascinating destination.

Drop us an email to register your interest and we'll keep you informed of our plans.

info@sierratrekking.co.uk