In a couple of week’s time I have a short holiday booked, staying at Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales. I haven’t been there since I walked the Pennine Way, 32 years ago and am looking forward to it. Unfortunately I only have four days available and looking at the map I seem to be spoilt for choice. What would people’s top four recommendations for SOTA summits be, say within a reasonable drive of Hawes. Eventually they will all have to be climbed, but you know how it is, so many hills, so little time.
Oh, and don’t suggest the three peaks in one day – those days are long since past.
Pen-y-ghent is my favourite and can easily be done with Fountains Fell in a day.
Buckden Pike & Gt Whernside are also a nice double although could be a bit boggy at present.
Dodd Fell & Gt Knoutberry are an easy pair close to Hawes but aren’t on my list of favourites - a bit to moorland like for us (but wx wasn’t wonderful when we activated and that could have swayed our opinion).
Ingleborough is another nice one.
Great Shunner Fell is almost a direct path from Hawes but we haven’t done that one yet so can’t comment. Also the RF black hole of Kisdon!
Hope you get some good wx. I’ll listen out for you Richard.
My personal favourite not too far from Hawes is NP-007 Wild Boar Fell, but there are several on the doorstep as Geoff has pointed out. When you get out and about I think you’ll enjoy most of them, including Kisdon NP-026… not the RF black hole some make out - just take a beam if you are doing VHF and a bit of power helps. Further north, Cold Fell NP-020 is a little gem. Maybe I’ve been fortunate, but I enjoyed the region immeasurably more than the SP’s.
Cumberland is too dark for me. We drank them out of Cocker Hoop and made a dent in the supplies of Sunbeam. The Yurt was only 40m from the bar. I believe that’s called staggering distance.
Staggering distance is for wimps, Andy. Crawling distance…now that’s the manly way to go. We can then track your elbow prints rather than footprints. Much more distinctive, and it gives you something to show your grand-kids.
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Elliott, K6ILM
Chaser Clown
Real Ale is not my greatest joy. I realise many people will have issue with that but most of my worst drinking experiences involved some form of real ale. I don’t blame the ales, but to me most ales are some murky brew with bits floating in them and some kind of tadpole swimming about. I do prefer Lagers although most of the lager sold in the UK is poor stuff. Leibinger, Merkatzer and Fürstenberg being 3 German beers that are well above average. Fürstenberg is available in the UK at a price.
However, in recent times, the real ale makers in the UK have been producing more blonde ales. Who can resist a blonde? I can’t. One of my favourites was Haviestoun Bitter & Twisted. This has a wonderful citrus taste and is refreshing where I normally find ales stodgy. The other I remember with deep affection was Karl Strauss (San Diego) Pintail Pale Ale. It made a busy and hectic 14day business trip in San Diego bearable. More so as the brewery was 5min walk from hotel and 15min stumble back.
But in Banks’s Sunbeam I think I have found possibly the nicest ale I have ever drunk. Another blonde ale with stong after taste of hops and citrus. The problem being it was like drinking lemonade and the ease at which it could be sunk was frightening. I know Tom M1EYP was most enamoured with this brew as well and he had more than me. The problem now is that Banks’s Brewery is UK midlands based and their products don’t make it this far north normally. I will be searching this brew out in future as it is, in my limited experience, truly special.
In reply to MM0FMF:
Arran Blonde at the brewery on Arran superb - in a bottle from local Morrisons
no-where near as good.
Adnams broadside in Southwold (Nelson Inn) knock out - bottled mediocre.
My first ever Scrumpy at the Minerva pub on the Barbican in Plymouth where they only
would serve me half a pint - what happened next ??? Please reply if you know.
I don’t :-)But I missed a mess night at RNEC Manadon I think???
Talking of special, and Black Country Ales, I can recommend Holden’s Golden and Special. Now I am not a lager drinker, but I will make an exception for Schiehallion, though I doubt our American Friends would like it as it is served far too warm for them, and from a hand pump. Banks’s Sunbeam is indeed a mighty fine necking ale (“Gerrit down yer neck, ar kid!”) and for those not in the know, the local pronounciation is "Bonks’s!
Roger, I wouldn’t dream of banning anyone for p*d or even rat ad, having plenty of experience of such conditions in the days when British climbers trained in the pub - boring lot train in the gym and on climbing walls now, and drink lemonade, but its almost worth it to see their wonderful vertical ballet moves as I was a grab and thrutch man…and I know what its like to collapse gratefully on my bed when it passes me on the third orbit!
I wonder why beer and SOTA are so strongly linked? I’m new on to the beer scene having drunk bog standard pub lager in my drinking youth. When I hit 30 all those 3 years ago, I made the switch to what my wife calls ‘brown beer’, it must be an age thing!
I do like to try as many bottled beers as I can from the supermarket, but I find that my taste changes very much with my mood. I have taken quite a liking for Badger Ales ‘Blandford Fly’, which has a hint of ginger, I also like their ‘Golden Glory’, both beers having quite a distinctive and unusual taste, the latter tasting of very much of melons/peaches. (A ‘marmite’ kind of beer!
I wonder if the beer/SOTA link is age related?
Tonight’s ale of choice is Black Sheep’s ‘Holy (GR)ail’
…most of my worst drinking experiences involved some form of real ale.
Obviously you have a strange form of metabolism Andy. I’ve never had a bad drinking experience on real ale. Can’t say the same of other… er let’s call them “chemical” brews, so they are avoided at all costs.
I can’t help wondering whether Richard is intent on climbing hills when he stays in Hawes, or whether he will now be doing a round of the local hostelries instead. Seems he has more recommendations relating to ale rather than summits!
I’ve never had a bad drinking experience on real ale
You’ve not consumed it to serious excess Gerald. Much like Spinal Tap’s Marshall Amps go to 11, my beer drinking in olden times went to 12. Sadly not something I can indulge in now due to all sorts of (self-induced) medical reasons. Probably a good thing.
I think the gasseous nature of UK lager is such that the quantity one can consume is self regulating. The sheer amount of gas in the body precludes drinking beyond a certain limit and thus only mild - moderate sillyness follows. With most ales not being like that, this natural stopping point is not provided and so consumption continues way past the point of excess. Way past
If Richard is still reading what is left of his thread, say hello to Pete Towers for me.
Yes – I am still reading. Thanks very much for the helpful suggestions. My definite aims are Wild Boar Fell, Pen-y-Ghent & Fountains Fell. The information on G4OWG & M1EYP sites is useful. Thanks.
Message to Andy. I only see Pete occasionally, but when I do the conversation inevitability is of the last hill, next hill variety, and occasionally a suggestion from me that since he is both an electronics engineer and a hill walker, he might enjoy taking up SOTA. He has yet to accept this, but he did mention that he knew you.
In reply to G0IBE:
Hi Richard I had forgotten about my QSL.net site
Glad it’s helpful - just ftp’d what’s left of it to local machine
for future use elsewhere.
I really enjoyed Wild Boar Fell.
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