Hiking
Hiking on the Mont Dore massif in the Auvergne region of France. Much dairy agriculture here with many local gastronomic treats employing local cheeses such as St. Nectaire and Bleu d'Auvergne. The Mont Dore massif is described as stratovolcano that has been inactive for the past 220 thousand years. During that time, the area has undergone several episodes of glaciation so much of the topography doesn't immediately strike the eye as "volcanic", at least until alerted to imagine a main peak much higher than the eroded stump which remains. My previous winter hike, on snow-shoes with the peaks still fully covered with snow, revealed the distinctive cone shapes of some of the susuduary peaks of the same massif: see Puy de l'Angle, 1738 m. The Auvergne area still has geological activity, there are hot springs in the spa towns and the west tower of the cathedral at St. Nectaire was severely damaged by the earthquake of 1842. We talked with some French scientists who had been using muon tomography to image some the local features.
Day out to hike Blencathra, the double headed Lakeland peak formed of craggy Skiddaw slate. Leaving home in London at dawn, blackbirds singing in the streets. Pendolino train service to Penrith then a bus to the White Horse pub to start hiking uphill before midday.
Nice view over Scales Tarn. Picnic lunch on the summit of Blencathra (868 m.). Still blue sky and sunshine, wow what good luck! Thrilling views over the precipitous ridges over to all the Lakeland peaks, Skiddaw nearby, Great Gable and Hellvellyn as well as Derwent Water and Thirlmere far away in the haze but with flashes of snow remaining in the cold gullies on the tops.
Dramatic lighting, interesting lines and fascinating reflections are great rewards for hiking in February here in the Lake District. Staying on the low peaks, here are pictures from our hikes from Keswick out to Walla Crag (379 m.) above Derwent Water and Rannadale Knott (355 m.) looking out over Crummock Water, Buttermere and on to Great Gable. And the first light of the dawn showing on the snow on Grizedale after the coldest night of this winter, -4°C down here in Keswick.
Just a hike along the river Verdon, but few riverside walks feel the pressure of cliffs towering up to 750m. directly above the path. "Keep the river on the right": not a lot of navigation difficulties but a hike which is all about logistics; a couple of nights at the CAF Chalet de la Maline (mountain-refuge style lodging, busy) and avoiding the navette (minibus) reduced these for me. Mind the wet tunnels (torch required) and the vertiginous ladders (burning quads) but otherwise not particularly technical. I enjoyed my picnic lunch on the beach at La Mescla, the confluence of the rivers Verdon and Artuby The great views are in the middle of the hike, climbing over the cliff forming the confluence of the Artuby and the Verdon.
Cap Morgiou (221 m.): view of the massive limestone cliffs flanking Mt. Puget (564 m.) down to the Mediterranean in the Calanques National Park between Marseille, Cassis and Cap Cannaille (394 m.), just visible far away in the mist.
A brisk hike up from Les Baumettes prison, the terminus of the convenient bus route. Once on the cliff route, misty despite a breeze but big views over the Calanques of Sormiou and then Morgiou. A rare treat to see the snows on the peak of Mt. Ventoux (1912 m.) far away to the North whilst hearing the waves of the Mediterranean crash on the base of the cliffs 200 m. below the cliff path. What a view for lunch on my first hike of 2016!
The prominent peak top centre of my photo is La Grande Candelle (454 m.) which I hiked up to in 2014: see Massif de Mt. Puget, Sept 2014
