Hiking
Piton des Neiges (3070 m.), view from Cilaos (1150 m.)
View of Cilaos village from GR R1. Indian Ocean horizon beyond the crater.
Hiking up the inside of the volcanic crater from the town of Cilaos on the GR R1 long-distance hiking route. This, the Forêt du Grand Matarum, is primal tropical forest, never harvested. But all the species have arrived from somewhere since the volcano went quiet so there’s a hotchpotch of trees and plants we know from Europe plus many from elsewhere.
Early start, to avoid the worst of the heat and also the usual afternoon cloud. I met many people coming down who’d climbed the previous night to see the dawn - I’d seen the lights of their torches up on the track from my hotel room, also the stars of the Southern Cross, unfamiliar to me.
Tough climb up the crater side, many steps of at least knee height. Programming rests and recovery by altitude, as with my training hikes in the UK. And suddenly I found myself at 2180 m., 800 m. up from the start of my hike at 1380 m., more than the height of Skiddaw in Cumbria that I’d hiked the previous month as a training hike.
More photos: Cilaos crater hike, Forêt du Grand Matarum GR R1 - Parc national de La Réunion
Piton des Neiges (3070 m.) on left, view from Le Maïdo
Hiking the Grand Bord, part of the rim of the Mafate volcano crater on the Indian Ocean island of La Réunion. Hike from the Le Maïdo parking (2205 m.) on the Route de la Glacière to an overlook at 2414 m.on the Grand Bord. A specific climate zone, plentiful sunshine (UV Index 15 today) plus moisture and temperatures result in small leaves and flowers on vegetation that is hardened to the conditions.
More photos: Mafate volcano crater rim hike - Parc national de La Réunion
Warnings of ice on the roads in to the western valleys so we hiked from Seascale on public paths around West Cumbria livestock farms, in and out of the Lake District National Park. Another training hike building up for more major hikes. We loaded my rucksack up to 9.5 kg with 24 m. of climbing ropes, as well as my DSLR, snack, thermos, torch and the usual emergency kit. And kept the pace up.
More photos: West Cumbria training hike - Lake District National Park
Training hikes every other day since I’ve been in Brighton for the festive season. All in expectation of some slightly more arduous hikes that I have planned for 2026. Oh and burning off Terry’s fantastic Christmas cooking.
Family hike on Exmoor to the Iron and Bronze Age monuments at Dunkery Beacon (519 m.). Under the moorland peat is Middle Devonian sedimentary rock. Clear air so views across the Bristol Channel to the Gower Coast as well as Porlock and the North Somerset coastline below Dunkery Hill. Great to enjoy sunshine and cake from Cumbria at the highest point on Exmoor.
