OMG - they've arrived

 On our local walk today, taken when nothing else more serious has been planned, turned out to be a massive shock to see that a neighbour, friend and local farmer has decided to blot the landscape with these 2 turbines.

We stood on the hillside, mouths wide open and in silence. It was as though our eyes had been stabbed with a sharp object. It was disbelief.
Then reality struck.
 We live in a semi rural community, its said that when you kick one, they all limp. When one buys a big tractor the next farmer goes out and buys a bigger one. You get the drift.
 So its not going to be long, weeks maybe, before all our beautiful 360 degree views are going to be blighted with these monstrosities. As i say, the neighbours will have to have bigger and maybe more turbines to make sure they are the Jones's.
 War of the Worlds has arrived right in our backyard.

Curry walk

 Like the bus, you get one and another is right behind it.
This is how i received an email last week to see if i fancied a walk from Timperley to Manchester Centre.
I was going to say “city" centre but being a red i don’t like using the other word too much.

 So it was, that fellow bloggers Martin and JJ  both invited me on the walk.

 It’s a walk along the Bridgewater canal from Timperley into Manchester and then a Curry late lunch, a beer and then home.
All i had to do was to get to Timperley for 9.30 ish, am.

 The transport proved quite easy with a bus from Rochdale into Manchester Shudehill and then a tram to Timperley on the Altrincham line. Altogether it took about 1 1/2 hrs.
On arrival at Martin and Sue’s i was greeted with a nice slice of carrot cake and fresh coffee. Before long JJ,Viv, and Mick (Aka Mick and Gayle blog) arrived and a discussion ensued about the plumbing faults of the water closet.
 Another quick coffee and off we went.

 Just before hitting the canal walkway we bumped into fellow companions, Rick and Peter. I had met Rick before on a couple of LDWA walks but not Peter. So our group was now 8.
 Canal walks are always interesting i find. If you look out for the signs of our industrial past.

 I didn’t take any photographs on this walk because  it could have ended up like a camera club day out so i will be interested to see what pics Martin and JJ upload on their blogs. Do pop over there and have a look, the detail will be far better than this short post.
 Approaching Manchester there was an interesting stop for a chat about the overflow weir which today was full of plastic bottles and other flotsam. The industrial archeology of the Castlefield area and beyond to Piccadilly is a pleasure for anyone with the slightest interest in history. The mass of bridges with different architecture and expensive decorative castings a photographers delight.

 Once into the centre, a quick dash across town brought us to This and That Curry house in the Northern quarter where we met Roy already minding a table. This establishment is a back street gold mine. Never empty and always a queue. Great value for money and cleanliness being the key to success.
 Another walk towards St Peters Square, and the tram station, brought us face to face with the doors of a favourite Holts Pub. It would have been rude to walk past without doing a quality control check. it had to be done.

 We said our goodbye’s (hic) and all headed off.
Thanks to everyone for the chat on walks done and pending, on gear as always, the interesting history, the company, the invite and not forgetting the cake and coffee.
Hope the slide show of your walk in the US went well Mick and Gayle.

I look forward to the next walk.

Views from Swinside, No words required.

Top O Selside (Pt2)

 We did this walk on Friday 19th October. It’s a top or a number of tops that i hadn’t done before.
 We were staying on a working farm, in a railway wagon. Sheila calls it rustic camping.

 The farmer asked us where we were going and with a bit of a face pull, said, "What do you want to go up there for, there’s nothing there.” when i said Top O Selside. My reply was “Because we have never been there”.

 I was so pleased we were not deterred.  It’s a lovely walk.

 From High Nibthwaite the route starts off on a wide stoney path which i presume in years gone by would have been a pony trail. It climbs steadily running parallel with Coniston Water and giving fantastic views along the water and into the Coniston range. Today, the Old Man and adjacent high fells were not on show, covered in a blanket of thick grey clag.

 The mist, which thinly covered our route initially, was beginning to clear as the morning warmed but for a short spell Sheila donned her waterproof as fine rain fell. I resisted the waterproof, just relying on my Rab Boreas for a short while. It stopped within 10 minutes and although damp i wasn’t wet through. It quickly dried off.

  The map shows a path exiting to the right from our trod, just above Broad Hollins, to gain the summit of Top O Selside. If we were just out to Bag the top, which is a Marilyn, then this is the way to go, however we were out for the day and therefore took a longer route.

 When the path starts to turn north east, a beautiful vista opens up and reveals the buildings of Low Parkamoor and the ruin of High Parkamoor.

Low Parkamoor 

Low Parkamoor is a 16th Century Grade 2 listed building, owned by the national trust,  used as a retreat for Artists and is run by the Grizedale Arts. The building is quite basic, water still drawn from the well, cooking done on a wood burning range. It’s in a fantastic spot and would inspire anybody to draw or paint.

High Parkamoor is now just a ruin. It was still in use in 1829 but not in the 1840’s. This area used to produce and supply charcoal for iron smelting in the days of the Furness Abbey. 

Our first high point was to be Heel Toe Hill which we sploshed our way up to via a narrow grassy path, (Not shown on maps) that follows a small beck. From the top, the tarn of Arnsbarrow came into view and also Top O Selside.
Still pathless we headed to cross the marked path just north of the tarn which we found eventually and made our way up to the twin summits of Top O Selside.
 This area is vast and undulating and would make ideal map reading territory for beginners.

 Coffee and Snickers bars were had while we took in the view. It was quite chilly on the top so it wasn’t long before we were off again.

Arnsbarrow Tarn from Top O Selside

 Our next top was Arnsbarrow Hill which is on the far side of the tarn. We found a path which more or less went in our direction and amazingly it took us to the top. Fine views out across Morecombe Bay were to be had but the high fells were still cloaked in mist.

From Arnsbarrow our destination before the descent back into High Nibthwaite was to go up High and Low Light Haw, great names, and finishing with Brock Barrow.

 In bad weather the descent off Brock Barrow needs to be taken with care as the drop off is quite severe. A rough path can be found descending from the south east but we chose to go east, picking up the path following Caws Beck.

Descent from Brock Barrow to High Nibthwaite

Some more photographs of this walk can be seen. Click on the link below.

http://alsphots.smugmug.com/Outdoors/Top-O-Selside/26080037_M3zvgq#!i=2166102521&k=dPDHzs9

Sunset in South Lakes.

 Over the weekend in South Lakes we were fortunate to be sat out watching this sunset gain colour before fading into darkness.
It was quite brilliant as JJ found here with his Red Sky. And Martin found here with his Sunset in Timperley.

It was sent via phone so its a bit noisy i’m afraid.

Conistion Range

Lovely day with great views all round.  Here is the Conistion range from Lowick.  Temperature inversion over the lake.

Sent from Samsung Mobile

Where are we?

From the photo, can you pinpoint our location. We are in cumbria as a bit of a help.

Sent from Samsung Mobile

Top o Selside 335m

Today's Marilyn. 10.7k. 570ms of ascent.
We set off from the only car park space in High Nibthwaite. How lucky was that. It was raining very fine stuff but it wasn't for long and blue skies started to show through the grey clouds.
The path towards Low Parkamoor is fine with stunning views along and across Coniston water. The Old Man still had a woosy head, unclear and view less.
When we got to the access gate to Bethecar Moor just past High Parkamoor we turned south on a thin path up towards Heel Toe Hill and onto Arnsbarrow Tarn.
From here the ascent of Top Of Selside was easily achieved although the walking is more or less pathless through tussocks and heather.

 Top of Selside has two tops which we did before heading back down to the tarn before ascending Arnsbarrow Hill, High Light Haw, Low Light Haw and the top with a high stone cairn at Brock Barrow. The descent into High Nibthwaite needs to be done with care especially in the mist as a southern escape comes with a sheer drop off.
 Its a fine round of tops and can be quite challenging navigation in bad weather and pathless in some areas.

More photo's will be posted when we get home on Monday.

Sent from Samsung Mobile

A circular walk above Marsden

I felt a need to get out for a walk and recently i have been doing a few walks around Diggle and Marsden and so it was, i headed out that way again. You tend to spot other walks when you are actually walking and you pencil them into the brain saying "i will come back and do that when i get chance".
 Well i had chance and off i set.

 As i did on my last walk with Sheila and Dorothy, i parked on the A62 at (SE 01762 09471). This time when i got out of the car i could see my route. It had been raining on the way down but fortunately the cloud base was high and it had actually stopped. We have had some heavy rain recently so i was happy not to need waterproofs.

 The car park only had two other visitors, one a "rep" type, not a walker, and the other just arriving back having walked the dog. A lovely Springer Spaniel.

 Putting my jacket in the sac and setting my GPS to record the route and mileage i set off North along the Pennine Way. Good views in all directions and just a hint of a cold breeze and a few threatening looking dark clouds. Funnily, i didn't recall doing this section of the PW, when i did the long route many many years ago.

 A herd of cows and calves blocked my access into a walled field and i was just a little apprehensive as i approached. I'm not bothered by cows but the access point was narrow and there were quite a lot of them. I looked for an alternative path and at one point the wall was easy to get over but the other side was a morass. I decided to bite the bullet and walk calmly through them. I was prepared for them to spook, turn and run or have a go at me but they didn't bother one bit, neither mother or calf. Phew.

 I quickly reached the trig point 448 Metres on Standedge and stopped to take in the views to the west of the ridge line and Castleshaw Reservoirs.
 Again lots of potential routes were under development as i walked on.

 I came across a plaque cemented to one of the outcrops, it simply said AW and an arrow pointing west.
This pointed out the resting place of Ammon Wrigley, a local poet, who's ashes were scattered here. I photographed his statue a few posts back in Uppermill.
  The following verse also accompanies the plaque as well as plaques to his two daughters.
  Winds of the Pennines fresh and free, You were ever good friends to me, Out on the moors from morn till eve, Happy with you and loth to leave.

 The breeze had picked up a bit and i took the chance to put my jacket on.  Occasionally the odd drop of rain coloured the gritstone but not enough to care about a waterproof.

 In the distance i spotted a fellow walker coming my way and in 10 minutes or so we had closed the gap. "Are you doing it all",  he questioned. With a bit of a laugh i replied." No, not today anyway". He gave a smile and carried on, hood up and waterproofed.

 I wasn't walking fast, i love being on the moors, especially on days like this where the breeze is wafting the metre tall grass and the colour changes with every wave. A few Buntings and Skylarks were being blown about as i spooked them from there hiding places. I spotted a hang glider and then another. They were using the thermals from the top of Hard Head.

My route was to hit the A640 and then turn South East along the Willykay Clough but just where the clough crosses the PW there was a path crossing which isn't marked on the map. I checked the terrain and it was obvious that many people doing the same route as myself had decided to cut out the corner and meet up with the marked clough path lower down. I took it and i was correct.

Sign i’m on an old Pack Horse route

March Haigh Reservoir came into view as i made my way along the path and a couple of tributaries had to be crossed. It's a good path for most of the way down to Close Gate Bridge. The heritage board adjacent to the bridge is quite interesting and informative, telling of the history of the bridge and the pack horse route.

I checked the map here to see where i could access a route up Pule Hill. If i crossed the bridge i would have a bit of a road walk into Marsden and then a steep climb back out.
 A path marked on the map crosses Redbrook Clough and then ascends up to the A62. I got to the beck to find it running quite fast and deep, as though it was trying to escape from the dark clouds higher up stream. I could see the way sign on the opposite bank but the water looked touch and go. I was going to take my boots off and paddle through but the bottom wasn't clear, the dark brown peat causing discolouration. I took the plunge and paddled knee deep through it. It wasn't a wide beck, but there was a weir and a deep pool below it and so with consideration i quickly got to the other side with boots full of water and wet trousers.
 I was wearing Rohan Ether trousers and i was amazed at how well they performed. They got wet obviously but they didn't soak up the water and they dried rapidly. Very impressed.

When i reached the A62 i stopped for a coffee and a bite to eat. I checked the map again and saw that there was no path marked on the map except a path parallel to the A62. I wanted to go up not parallel and so i thought i would just head straight up until i meet up with the path on the ridge. A big mistake.
When i first started up i was walking on sheep trods, through old quarry workings but once on the open fell side it was a nightmare of deep tussocks and deep pools. I regretted my decision but i was half way up now  and just carefully plodded on.

 It was slow but the views from the ridge were worth the effort. I stopped for a few minutes taking photo's and letting the sweat dissipate. I had taken my coat off back where i had coffee and it stayed in the bag for now as i was warm and i needed to cool off.

 As i set off along the ridge i was being followed by only the 2nd person i had seen on route. He was moving quite quickly, his 2 poles working in unison. Again, i was in no hurry and stopped frequently to take pictures. he soon caught me up and with a brief "Hello" he was off. Not even stopping at the top to take in the views he was soon down at his car parked on the old road. (Mount Rd).

Only the 2nd person i had seen on the walk

 I stopped at the top and was chilled enough to put my coat back on. After a few minutes taking in the view i set off again heading for the junction of Mount Rd with the Standedge trail. Instead of heading back along the road to pick up the footpath i just headed off across the moorland. Had i not learnt my lesson on the way up Pule Hill, obviously not. The moorland was boggy, saturated and smelly. I was glad when i reached the dyke and the path that terminates at Redbrook reservoir.

Looking back at Pule Hill

 I noticed my boot was leaking badly and as i hit the road noticed that the sole was parting company with the upper. I stopped and couldn't believe my luck. I only had about 10 minutes more to walk and it might just make it.  I tied it up with some dyneema as it was flapping badly.

I got back to the car just in time. While i was enjoying the last of my coffee and a piece of Soreen malt loaf the rain started. It was heavy, i couldn't see out of the windscreen. I had a wry smile to myself that on this occasion i won. 

10.5 k and a lovely walk.

A - Z Adventure Atlases

 I recently bought one of these new maps from the people that publish the A - Z series of street maps. The new maps are 1:25,000 scale and are basically the OS Explorer series.

As you can see from the above photo’s the area covered is called the Southern Fells. This includes both OS maps Lake District SW and SE. The same applies for the Northern fells.

The maps

Everything about the actual map is just the same as OS standard.

What i liked about them.

1. The paper. Is more like magazine quality, not like basic OS series.
2. The maps are in booklet form, not one big sheet.
3. The booklets are the same size as a fully folded OS map.
4. Great to handle and flip pages when your on the hill.
5. The OS Lake District maps are 4 in total. With the A-Z book this is covered by 2 books.
6. The weight of 1 booklet  is equivalent to 1 OS map 130gr.

Unlike the original OS sheets. These A-Z Adventure Atlases include a comprehensive index to towns, villages,hamlets, and locations, natural features, nature reserves, car parks and youth hostels, making them quick and easy to use. Each index entry has a page reference and a six figure National Grid Reference.

 The only down side i can see is that for long route planning, sometimes you want to see the bigger picture.  But that can be achieved using one of the free mapping software companies available on the internet. Once the planning stage is complete then i think these booklets are excellent and easy to use.

Currently area options are limited, but will increase with time. They are available from Dash4it for the price of £5.57. Take a look here.

Berghaus Ardennes AF* Soft shell jacket review

 I was invited to review this jacket (FOC), by BERGHAUS .

 Background Information

The  list price of the Berghaus Ardennes soft shell jacket is RRP £90 but, it can be found cheaper with a Google search. The jacket was first launched in Autumn 2011 and its Made in Indonesia.

Now soft shell is a strange beast, it has never truly found it’s niche.  It also comes in numerous guises. Some quite tough and not very flexible, some soft and very flexible, some with a membrane inner and some without. It’s not definitive.

 Some soft shells are so waterproof that you don’t need any other protective layers whilst others are barely water resistant. And then you come to how warm they are, how wind resistant they are, etc etc. It’s no wonder a niche is hard to define.

The first thing you notice about this jacket is just how tactile the material is, soft and malleable. The outer is made from 86% polyester and 14% elastine. The inner face being 100% polyester micro fleece. It feels more fleece like than soft shell.

It has no membrane though.

Outer material

Design and Test

 As is usual with my reviews, the jacket is weighed and my Medium sized jacket weighs 560grams whereas the attached label suggests it weighs 607grams.

 I was surprised that Berghaus was specifying such a large discrepancy. I can only guess that the 607gr is an average weight through the sizes. Which would be totally meaningless.

 Weight is such a big issue today that customers could be put off buying, just from the weight specified on the label.

If this is just an average, then that needs making clearer or put a size next to the weight so we all know exactly.

  Coincidentally it's same weight as my Rab Cioch soft shell but, whereas my Rab has no DWR* this one has a pretty good DWR* finish and a wind resistance of ‹25cfm.

 The AF or active fit is the cut of the material, which Berghaus states is not body conscious, not baggy. Just a streamlined cut for every kind of activity. This description is an accurate one.

  I find the fit, excellent, perfect even. I'm 5ft 8" tall, and 39" chest.

 Having no membrane, it breaths well and wicks moisture away from the body therefore is more suited to high activity sports when it gets a bit chilly, just as long as you are not wearing a rucksack which would cause this and any jacket to feel clammy. But the penalty of good breatheability is poor waterproofing.

   On a very rainy day, i decided to walk from home just to see just how it performed in the wet and if i could risk doing a longer walk without taking a waterproof. The answer, most definitely is no.

 The water beaded well initially but the rain was heavy and within 10 minutes i felt the cold slow flow of water running across my shoulders and down my back. The outer started getting swamped after 20 minutes.  Half an hour in to the walk i was wet through. I headed for home and i was glad to be getting the wet clothes off.

  From taking off the jacket it took 12 hours to dry, and that was indoors. If i had been backpacking then i can say it would still be wet in the morning after an overnight stop.

 The outer is two tone black and grey colour and has contrasting light grey YKK nylon zips to both the hand pockets and central zips, which i quite like.

 The non water  resistant zips are robust and operate very well although they do let a lot of water in. Each zip has a toggle zip pull for use when wearing gloves. The back has an excellent drop tail and a hem with draw cord and 2 toggle restraints.

 For some reason Berghaus hasn't incorporated a chest pocket on this jacket which i would have liked to have.

 The two front hand  pockets are also quite strange. Not very wide and not a great shape either. Certainly not a comfortable shape for your hands. They are mesh and assist with breathabilty if left unzipped. The bottom section of the pockets gets covered by your rucksack waist belt and if you decide to use them for a small camera or a phone then there is no space for your hands.

 The collar  is excellent and the inside of the collar uses the same material as the outer. I like this. Many jackets use the same material for the inside of the collar as what's used for the inside of the jacket. This is wrong in my opinion because it soaks up water. I think Berghaus have got this right.

Collar and inner fleece facing.

   The collar is deep and a snug fit when fully zipped up and it has a zip garage or chin guard.

 Inside the jacket, the material is micro fleece which traps the air and keeps the wearer warm. I am quite used to wearing this now and i have appreciated the warmth and wind resistance offered. Even when my hands and face have been bitterly cold my body has stayed warm without an outer shell.

  There are two good deep mesh pockets inside but unfortunately they are tapered and just not wide enough to take an OS map. Such a shame and a missed opportunity.

 The sleeve length is not overly long and i could just about pull them over my cold hands. The cuff tension is elasticated without adjustment, but it worked ok for me.

Elasticated cuffs

The jacket, when rolled up, is a decent size if it’s needed to be stored in a day pack or backpack when it’s not being worn.

Renewal of the DWR finish.  

 Wash the jacket in Nikwax Tech wash. Not everyday detergents.

Then either by hand or machine use TX Direct or Nikwax Soft Shell as directed.

The jacket can also  be zipped into a Berghaus shell jacket if it is compatible as part of the Interactive layering system.

Summary,

 It's been a pleasure to test this jacket. Although finding out it's true waterproofing capability was a bit damp to say the least. It has many good points and can be used in all but the warmest of weather. It can be used as part of a layering system, even on very cold days. Just with a thin base layer this jacket is ideal for high ground due to the good resistance to wind but a waterproof shell layer is required for use when the weather turns wet. Some damp will occur in the region of the back when wearing a rucksack, but this can be expected.

 The pockets let down what is otherwise a fine piece of kit.

 It's niche is still to be decided.

Pro's and Cons of the Ardennes Jacket.

Pro's

• Good design and fit
• Smart for everyday use
• Excellent collar
• Wind resistant
• Warm

Cons

• Not as light as other soft shells
• Poor pockets inside and out
• No chest pocket
• Expensive at RRP

Similar products on offer . Rab Baltoro lite. Mountain Equipment Spartan. Haglof’s Fuse.

My Thanks to Gareth Evans for the chance to review it.

 *DWR - Durable water repellent.

A bit of deja view!

 Last weekend we took Dorothy up onto Marsden Moor and i cut short the planned  route because i thought it might be a bit much for her. Anyway, during the week she said she enjoyed being up there and would like to do some more. So strike while the iron is hot, as the saying goes.

 Sunday's forecast was decent so it was a bit of a surprise when we looked out first thing to see basically nothing. The fog was thick, i could only just make out the car across the road.
 There was some dissenting from the ranks but with a little persuasion we left home. I basically said that if we get to the car park and it's still really bad we will go and do something else.

 Upon arrival at the car park (SE 01762 09471), it was still quite thick with fog but the sun although weak, was starting to have an effect on burning it off. I had a walk around and made the decision that we would set off.

 4.5 degreesC was the temperature but it felt warmer than that. The dew on the high grass and on the many cobwebs covering the heather were sparkling and looked jewel like. The silence was deafening, quite earily in fact.

Our Route. 10.3km

 The map shows a footpath following the boundary line between the A62 road and Black Moss reservoir. I looked for a stile but didn't see one. Then i noticed a fence post that could be removed to allow access for the farmers quad bike. We went through and replaced the post.

Within 100yds we turned back. It was a quagmire. Approaching the fence a dark shadow seemed to drift past in the mist. It was a lady and her dog. Again carefully replacing the fence post we set off along the Standedge trail until the Pennine Way path comes in from the right. The PW trail here is well made and progress easy considering the moorland on either side.

Then in amazement the mist cleared as fast as switching on a light. Increadably, everything around, the moorland, the hills, the farms along with people became clear. Stunningly clear.

The grass was high along the track and it didn't take long to feel the effect of the dew through the trousers. But it was warm enough not to worry.

Passing Black Moss reservoir along the west bank rather than the usual east side the views down in to Diggle via Broadhead Brow showed that the mist was still in residence lower down although it wasn't a complete temperature inversion.

Black Moss reservoir

Diggle in the mist

This was my second mistake with the route. We should have gone on the east side because the path shown south of the reservoir is almost non existent and Dorothy again was soon knee deep in the smelly stuff. Fortunately she said "oh well, now that i'm in it nothing else will matter." It was a bad path and i was glad to get back on the flagged track of the PW.

 A person approached from the opposite direction, had a pleasant few words about the beautiful day and then carried on. Halfway down Blakeley Clough we met a chap on his way up. He was sweating badly and grumbled about how bad the morning was when he set off. He had  4 layers on. He had no rucksack and so kept the layers on. It was getting really warm now. One of the nicest days of the year.
 We had a bit of a laugh at Dorothy's attempt to cross the clough without falling in, which she did eventually but it wasn't as funny as when she glissaded, a bit further down. She wasn't hurt but it took a while to get back up on her feet. Mainly due to laughing.

 The views of Blakeley Reservoir and the Wessenden reservoirs are wonderful from the clough track just before dropping down to the valley floor. There is a short steep section of path to ascend from the valley to the reservoir land rover track.

Wessenden Res'r

The route onwards to Blakeley Reservoir

A couple waited at the top of the path for us to get up and insisted we have our photo's taken with the Pennine Way sign as backdrop. Maybe they thought we were doing the whole route. Ha.

PW sign on Kirklees Way track

The walk down passed Blakeley and Butterley reservoirs is nothing more than a joy. Today was almost cloudless with just the odd wisp of white. No breeze to speak off resulted in mirror images on the water. A few more people passed us, all now wearing light clothing.

Blakeley and Butterley res'rs

Pump house

Butterley Reservoir and Netherley

We took the opportunity of a bench to have a coffee and a bite to eat.
We passed a very nice sculpture called Still Life. It's by Joss Smith and is tropical fruits. It is a waypoint too with arrows showing directions of the Kirklees Way. It was erected in 1993.

I wondered at this point if i was about to make another path error. The map shows a route leaving the Kirklees Way and passing over the weir and through Netherley. No path is shown crossing the dam of Butterley Reservoir. But the path across looked good and would save us a bit of descent and ascent. Fortunately as it happened we got onto Mount Rd with no problems. Phew.
Passing the very busy Golf Course we soon came to the marker post pointing our route back across the moor to Warcock Hill.
In too soon a time we passed the point where we initially joined the PW on our outward route. Many people were about now and some large groups too. But what stunning moorland scenery.

As we were going to pass close to the Great Western Pub and as we had never been in before, we just had to call in to do a quality control check.

Lovely place. Spotlessly clean and tidy, Black Sheep Bitter on draught and impeccably kept. Great place for a Sunday Lunch. We will keep this on the radar for the  future
We had done 10.3k at a very leisurely pace and had a wonderful rare day.

Some more pics can be found here