2014 My Favourite Moments in Pictures

So another Year done and dusted.

Sadly, that means another year older

Having said that, I have had left knee done again, and I am at last back running again.

YES, YES, I KNOW, that may well not be sensible but ***K IT!

We have ONE life and so let's enjoy it to the MAX

So here again are my favourite pictures of the year.

AND.........................

A short bit of Music.

Larkin Poe - The Principle of Silver Lining

You don't like my Music?

Well, you could expand your horizons!

I started with a trip by bike out towards Wicken Fen.
Always a beautiful location.
Always full of beauty and nature

In February I went for a gentle run around the Fens in Swavesey.
The Fens in Flood are pretty awesome.
The next 5 images are from the Fend between Swavesey and Fen Drayton.

So impressed was I that in early March I went with my mucka Carl and his 2 little ones and my daughter Harriet again.
Similar area, slightly different route

It was a bit muddy underfoot.
And some routes were actually impassable

Not much happened in march apart from WORK and getting another ****ING year older.
And my knees hurting even more.

OK, the left one.

And getting a bad Calf Strain out running in a thunder storm, which is why there are NOT many pictures.

I played a bit of guitar and did a few tracks.

But every time I though I was getting better or any good at all, I listened to people like Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Harry Manx or Robin Trower (I could fill a page)

& realised I was very average. Maybe below average.

Bonfire I stumbled upon near Quy

Lode

Come April, trips were in the Air and it was time to hit the Monadhliath with Alan and Robin.
and Val and Dave

The pictures are not the best, BUT the company and the scenery are all important.
And the unspoilt nature before the Scottish Govt agree (as they inevitably do) to industrialise even more of their once wild places with a flawed technology and irrational economic stance.

We followed this up with a fine Lakes Daunder

The weather on day one was total shit.
But the company made up for that in abundance

Soon it would be May and time for Scotland again

Before then a couple of training runs

Fen Sunset

The last supper in the next village

And then it was time for the TGOC

There are a lot of images in this.

But here are a few of my favourites

Heading across from Mallaig to Inverey

Dropping down to
Lochan Nam Breaca bit before I fell in!

Loch Quoich.
Magnificent until later that day when we had trudged up the bog fest path
and a lot of rain

Ancient graffiti in the old hut heading up Tomdoun to Fort Augustus

Heading up the Great Glen to Fort Augustus

Heading across the marvellous Manadhliath

Cheese and Wine 2014

Phil's take on the night after the terrible building and partying at Challybeate Springs.
It is rumoured that some small stones that were already there and a few grapes were found
blighting the countryside the next day.

Looking out across an unspoilt Monadhliath
hopefully they will NOT build the Wind Factory at Stronelairg

Old tree stump heading to Newtonmore

Looking up the Feshie

Along the Geldie

Along the Geldie

Dave Brown from the USA at the Linn of Dee

A mighty fine motley crew on the way to Callater Lodge

Looking out towards Loch Callater

My feet on the way down to Dubh Loch

Lock Muick near Glas Allt Shiel

The old Keep at Kirkton

The River Esk

The Blue door that goes to the road on the way to Edzell

The River Esk

The River Esk Again

Phil's picture on the Way to North Water Bridge

Selfie on the beach at Nether Warburton

 Well, we hadn't been back but a few weeks when I headed up to the Lakes with Martin and Keith.

Martin on Harter Fell

Sunset Harter Fell

Burnmoor Tarn Camp Day 2

Burnmoor Tarn Camp Day 2

Looking down onto Wastewater

AND THEN IT WAS TIME FOR THE SECOND CARTILAGE OPERATION ON THE LEFT KNEE :-(((

And a lot of scraping out debris and grinding down rough bits on the inside of the kneecap.

OK, with hindsight, a 4 mile walk 5 days after the operation may have been a bit too much.

It was in reality going to be 3 months befire I could run properly on it again.
Not that that was going to stop me heading back up to the lakes after 6 weeks to try and destroy it.

Late June and July therefore were confined to trudging round the Fens and some rather fine sunsets

And so we came to another trip to the Lakes.
This time a few days in the company of David Williams aka @Fellbound

Some stunning views and on day 3 a little jaunt arount the Coledale round.

David was back with Moss who was knackered, but he said it was a super circuit and it was absolutely SPOT ON!

The pictures are from days 2 and 3

Day 1 was photo free.

The weather was bloody aweful.

Damned good walk though

Moody Skies over Ullswater

The next few are on the Coledale Round.
Visibility at the start was somewhat impaired

The FIX the Fells Path.
OK, fixing is not necessarily everyone's interpretation

Not much happened for a few weeks after this.

This was my first trip with the Mariposa from Gossamer Gear

Wish I had got one sooner, and at this point I had not used the Gorilla.

In my opinion an even better pack.

A shot of a Fen Moon in September

At the end of August I did the First section of the North Norfolk Coastal Path from Hunstanton round to Burnham Ovary Staithe

OK BIG HILL BOYS!

I like a BIG HILL or 3 as you will shortly see, but this bit of coast is utterly beautiful and totally different.

October came, and it WAS time for a hill fix.

Strapping on the Gorilla pack this time and heading back to the Lakes for a HUGE HILL long weekend with Martin

These may not necessarily be in sequence

 

In October I headed to the Dales with Carl and Lynsey.

A well well overdue reunion.

As luck would have it a brilliant few days, excellent weather and an awesome camp on night 1

 

Thus came early November, and it was final fling with martin in the Peaks.
Again using the mighty fine Gorilla pack.

That was it for November and trips.

November was PANTO time and Dame Madonna Trott was in big time rehearsal and then performing

The squeamish amongst you may want to look away for the next few photographs.

 

December was spent in Local Locations since Martin had been ill and the weather fundamentally SHIT.

But towards the end of the Month I managed a couple of nice bike rides and a couple of stunning sunsets

Another Fen Sunset

Sunset on Quy Water 20th Dec

Silhouette and Moon on Christmas Eve Dusk Run

Christmas Day 8 mile run

 

The forecast for the rest of the year is average.
Might get another run/walk/bike in, but too late to put it here.
Unless I update it after posting

So, all that is left is to start to Plan 2015

Many trips planned inc Peaks, Wales, Dartmoor, Scotland, Arran
and maybe even Iceland or the Pyrenees.

Those last two may be prevented by a trip to Australia to see No 1 son playing Rugby

So, hope you all had a mighty fine year and see you in 2015