Sheldon Barnes

2010-05-24T18:15:00.029+01:00

Well i decided to just do just three geocaches today... ones i had missed on previous walks, just to fill in the gaps on the map really. However i should read peoples comments on the website before setting off, as the first one i made my way too was missing? after a few seconds head scratching and re reading the comments on my phone, i realised it had been taken away for maintainance!! it would be back next week, great!
Anyway i got the other 2 quickly enough and after taking a few pictures of Ewes and lambs i headed off home

i had only been home 5 minutes when i decided on going for another walk/picnic for tea with my youngest son Scott, we walked up to Hollingworth lake and ate a few sandwiches on a picnic table overlooking the water :)
as i headed back i went through some fields with Horses and stood talking to a guy, who was deer spotting!!

Happy lambs for a change, none missing and no dead animals either.... things are looking up!!

2010-05-22T14:28:00.003+01:00

Went out Geocaching again in the sunshine... was red hot, im not complaining though cos we dont get enough of it. I parked up on Edenfield road close to the Owd Betts pub

View Larger Map
After parking up i walked over the to the first cache, as it was close to the road (Left of this picture) i was that busy looking at the GPS i walked through nettles in my shorts ahahah not the best start.
So with itchy legs i went over the hill, and after a short walk i got to a cash called Kill Gate Brook (GC1TH9J) what a bugger to find it was...took me ages to find it.... crawling over a big rock above a little river... which i managed to fall in a couple of times :) nearby sheep watching me wondering what the hell i was doing... good question!!
Anyway, cut along story short after finding 7 Caches and reaching my first milestone of 50 total caches found, i set off home calling at the supermarket for some beers to take to the BBQ im at in a few hours.

The long road

2010-05-20T14:21:00.060+01:00

Well i had time on my hands today, so decided a stroll in the hills was order of the day.... i even threw a bit of Geocaching in too :)
I set off out of Rochdale up Rooley Moor Road, i have been up this road many times but never followed it right to the end.... not suprised really...cos walking it seems there isn't one!!! looking at it on Google earth give the impression its a well maintained road that is possible accessible by car... well 4x4 off roader maybe.
So i was walking up this road leading into the hills for over an hour, all uphill! as i got to the entrance to the old Diggle Quarry, this was the location of my first Cache found with no problem. I then made my way over the hills collecting a few more caches
I then reached a cache are hidden in the hills, and reading recent logs by fellow Geocachers i knew it would be hard to find
the clue was "I lie under in a small gap in the rocks, above me is a 'hammer' shaped slab, which lies below a fallen monolith with a surface like the beach."
Well i looked for ages... i was about to give up and from the following picture you can see why....

That big stone you see in the middle is actually about 8 feet long!! and this is just a small area of the whole picture...was a nightmare, as you can see i put an X marks the spot for the next person...save them tearing their hair out LOL
Under the X was what i was looking for :)
So on i went over the hills and far away... i decided to detour and check on the little Lamb from last week, as i was walking i was wondering how i would recognise the little fella. I just thought well as long as i don't see any dead ones and all the little lambs with mums ill be happy :)
As i approached over an hill, i noticed a sheep that appeared to be stuck against a fence, it was a fair way off so couldn't see what the problem was.
I upped my pace and tried to get to it, it was up a very steep hill... i climbed up in the heat ...sweat dripping off me! i could see the sheep now, slumped forward with its feet on the other side of the fence.... i had to free it! i climbed as fast as i could, it was all in vain thought as i realised the sheep was already dead :(

Even worse news... the sheep was heavily pregnant, so the baby had died along with the mother :(

This place isn't starting to hold good memories for me... the lamb from last week was nowhere to be seen...dead or alive.

Day out geocaching

2010-05-15T18:42:00.004+01:00

Got up this morning, weather lovely... bit windy but nice and sunny. so decided to get out and enjoy a spot of geocaching with kids

For those reading this who dont know what geocaching is... basically its a treasure hunt, treasures are called a cache and you will have em near your house too.... they are all over the world. You need a GPS unit or at the very least a mobile phone with GPS built in :) (http://www.geocaching.com) i use my Phone

Not too hot not too cold... great for walking... after a couple of hours, even the wind dropped too :)
We found 5 caches today, spread out over about 8 miles and over a few BIG hills ahahah, great views and i made a friend too

A poor little lamb had lost its mum and came running over to me... poor thing was frightened and was stood against my legs.... it started following me, i looked everywhere for its mum and spent a long time with the little thing trying to help out.... i found a fence with a hole that someone had made in it.... probably made by Motocross riders!!! lots of sheep on the other side so led the little lamb into the field then sneaked off

As i walked away i kept looking back to see how it was getting on... it was still shouting for mum :((( quite sad really.... even though the poor bugger will more than likely end up on someones dinner plate soon, how ironic would it be if it was MINE!

Long break!!

2010-05-14T15:38:00.001+01:00

Due to the fact i had a break from blogging...then forgot all about it ahahah there has been a fair break between posts :(

Well its nearly British summer time now (not that you would beleive it looking at the weather!!) so hopfully ill be out and about and post a few posts along the way :)

Grange over sands

2009-10-07T13:25:00.034+01:00

If there was ever such thing as a holiday for dogs... this was it, they loved it
We went to Grange over sands... this is the area where famously all them Chinese cockle pickers drowned a few years ago. the sand seems to go on for miles in every direction, but as the tide comes in, it goes round the back of you and CAN trap you!!

Although we all enjoyed it, i think Rocky (white) and Barneys (Brindle) got the most from it.... because they are both nasty to other animals, basically anything with 4 legs??? great with humans... they spend most walks wearing muzzles and on a lead.
So as there was nothing for miles in any direction, i let them off the lead and they ran wild :)

Speaking of running wild, the kids did too.... what is it with kids and caves? they see one and HAVE to go through it ahahah

As we made our way back Scott slipped in the water and get all muddy hehehe

TOP TIP: dont all laugh or as you can see in th next picture, he doesnt like it!!

Oh dear.... not a happy chappy

As we headed back the sun went down and the water was coming in, although dangerous it looks great.... Dogs knackered...kids knackerd, and Dad off to the bar for a few pints and Relax.... wonderful :)

The Morning after :D

2009-09-18T01:39:00.002+01:00

Well its the day after... and after a hot bath and a lovely bed :) i am now reflecting on the memories of the 270 mile trek

It has to be said, the weather did its best to spoil our first half of the walk... so its no suprise i enjoyed the second half better in the sunshine, even if the heat made uphill walking more difficult.

i would recommend the Pennine Way to anyone, i think anyone can do it, just some may be quicker or take longer.

The point isnt how long it takes, do it at a speed thats comfortable and you can take in the sights... Thats the main problem really, taking your time means probably 3 weeks and more!! its a long time and as i found out... it ends up costing more that you think too.

Along the way you see enough moors to make you bored to be honest... climbing a big hill for a few hours in hot sunshine with tired legs just because the view is supposed to be great.... then finally getting there to look at even more moors, when you have been already looking at moors for 2 weeks... definately loses its appeal!!

views of open hills is cool for day walkers... but to the long distance walker it becomes yet another hill to go over :(

ok moan over ahha now the good stuff :)

when you finally get off the hills and see parts of this great countries quaint little villages and sights is something to cherish...
Local history that people are proud of.
Seeing wildlife you dont see if you spend alot of time in cities
Great river walks taking in waterfalls fish and footbridges
walking through forests that you only thought was available in Canada!! only without nasty Bears here :)

So yes its alot of miles and you do get sore legs... but its worth it.

on top of that you find out a few things about yourself too... stamina and mental strength.

they say 500 people a week start the pennine way... and only 1% finish it!!
I have to say when i started in Edale i saw plenty of people and its true that most people give up after 2 days(1 of our party did) but after a few days we saw hardly anyone.. perhaps 1 person every 4 days or more!!

so pleased i did it... proud i finished it and have great memories :)

In fact im already thinking i want to do it again... just a case of when, ill definately do it earlier in the summer next time though.

All finished... 270 miles walked + detours LOL

2009-09-17T01:31:00.013+01:00

264 miles hiked so far! Last hill 6 miles up and over :) cant wait

sign says 4.5 miles :)

Woohoo we finished! 270 miles and its over. The climb at the start was a nightmare! I thought my god 27 miles and it starts like this? Another few hours later i was still thinking the same. For a day thats such a long way it doesnt hold back, every big hill i could see, we went over :( very tiring and mentally challenging too. I was starting to wonder if we should sleep in one of the mountain rescue huts!

We decided to plod on and when we saw the sign for Kirk Yetholme 4.5 miles... What a relief, then that small distance seemed to take forever. When we eventually got there i saw the Border Hotel this marks the end of the pennine way. Went straight in and ordered a guinness :) after a chat with the barman and a free half of beer for my trouble.. All people who finish get one, i was asked to sign the book :) we posed for a few photos and after a few pints we went home :)

2009-09-16T01:25:00.022+01:00

Todays walk was actually a great one, dont know why but i expected it to be a bad one. Started out over moors then through some forests, not forests like yesterday though... These was full of wildlife... I love wildlife so cheered me up, walking along admiring the animals

. At one point we had a steep and muddy climb and when i stopped for a rest, a little robin flew down and landed on a branch... As i looked it hopped along the branch really close :) then as i got to the top of the hill i looked behind me and couldnt beleive my eyes! The robin was hopping along the path following us still. So i opened my backpack and gave it some of my cheese sandwich, dunno if it had young but it seemed to take the food away bit by bit.

Later after miles of forest walking... (Northumberland is the biggest in britain) we arrived at a clearing with picnic benches and toilets. As we sat down we got another visitor hopping around our table, not sure on the type of bird, another to share my sandwiches and peanuts :)

As we cleared the forest we saw more horses and Llamas. All day i kept seeing bright red mushrooms cant help thinking they might be poisonous. The last photo is the sign we keep seeing as we walked the border between England and Scotland :)

2009-09-15T01:21:00.008+01:00

Well the walk along Hadrians wall was up and down a well worn path, same as yesterday no change there, but then as we headed North we went through a few forests, i thought this would be a good chance to see animals i wouldnt normally see, however i didnt see a single thing? Was really strange, nothing living in all these trees! Shame....

I walked through with my phone in camera mode ready for nothing :( we then went over lots of moors and through farms. We also did 4 miles extra today, and we will tomorrow, that will bring the final days walk down to 23 miles on thursday :)

Hadrians wall

2009-09-14T01:17:00.004+01:00

Well today the walk went from Greenhead to Steel rig, this took us along Hadrians wall... Lots of history and interest, but i have to admit feeling disappointed the famous wall is nearly gone just a few stones in the grass here and there. The Roman forts and turrets are just the foundations and to be honest i would have missed them too, if it wasnt for the big information signs. I still enjoyed the change of scenery from the moors and farms yesterday, just glad i didnt drive all the way up here to see the wall... I have to think that there is other sections of the wall better than the bit i saw, a lad on last nights campsite was walking the whole length of Hadrians wall, i should have asked him.

2009-09-13T01:15:00.004+01:00

Well the guide says its a 15 mile walk, i clocked it at 18.5? And didnt get lost, so dunno. Anyway a pretty average walk that goes along the river then through some farms and along a disused railway line... The best bit of walk on the whole trek if you ask my feet :) a lovely gravel path, shame it doesnt go allway to scotland lol and just for good measure the day ends with a walk over moorland hills... Very boggy valleys, so boggy in fact i was tempted to take off my boots and socks and run over barefoot! We then dodged traffic on the A69 before getting to camp, crossing a busy road with cars doing 70mph isnt easy.... Or safe. The campsite is called roam and rest, run by a little old lady. Its actually very good, small but has everything we need for only £4 each :) tomorrow is Hadrians wall :)

one observation ive made while going south to north, is the sheep have doubled in size! Down south you walk towards them and they baaa and run off.... Now they actually come towards me bold as brass! One today even growled at me haha. Ive also got a knack of scaring the crap out of horses? They go to andy for a stroke, when i get anywhere near, they leg it? Ive tried different nicey techniques none work

2009-09-12T01:13:00.002+01:00

Well after yesterdays walk this one was a wake up! Over 20 miles, up the first hill knock fell 2592 feet high then down again :( then up Great dun fell 2782 feet high thats the one with the giant golf ball on it, then down again :( then up little dun fell 2762 feet high then down again.... By now were really hot and tired. Then up Cross fell 2930 feet high and to be honest the views wasnt brilliant. Then we headed straight north to alston, hard under the feet and pretty boring views, maybe yesterday spoiled us

2009-09-11T01:08:00.007+01:00

Well after all the bad days at the begining of this trek, today more than made up for it. Its been awesome... Set off this morning and went past high force waterfall good on its own but a deer stood there, didnt run away just stood there and watched us walk by then after lots of rabbits underfoot again. We followed the river tees a few miles down a valley, we saw an eagle and its chicks on the cliff side, the mother shadowed us down the rest of the valley riding on thermals above our heads. We then reached another waterfall, this one we had to climb up! On top we followed a path through a military training zone, no red flag today so were safe ..down over another river till we come to a cliff edge! What a view! We met to lads from sheffield called simon and mark, we chatted for a while then left them on the cliff while we decended to dufton 3 miles below us, to our campsite.

2009-09-11T01:05:00.003+01:00

Earlier in the day we came over 2 or 3 nature reserves, great scenery and lots of animals about on this lovely day.. At the end of our day we was treated to a walk along the river tees and past several waterfalls :) a nice change from a week of open moors! As we came down an hill towards a cairn, a sheep was lying in the sun with its eyes shut, dreaming away... we got closer and closer till i was stood right next to it. I said hello and it nearly jumped over my head! It got to a safe distance then i shouted "ive brought my wellies" and it went baaa then ran off down the hill :) shame the good looking ones always get away :)

2009-09-10T01:00:00.007+01:00

Set of from the A66 at bowes after 1.5 mile say this hut in middle of nowhere, a shelter for walkers... Typical when we need one there isnt any, today glorious sunshine and here it is :) i dare say you could sleep in it at night. After this the next few miles was very boggy and wet underfoot, now and again coming out at nice nature reserves :)

Well nearly forest in teesdale, we have walked to the High Force waterfall on the river tees just south of our destination, a 16.2 mile walk, andy was getting sore feet and to be honest time is getting on. Been a great walk today, really enjoyed it... The walk along the river was nice even if the sound of the running water and the hot sun made me thirstier than usual :)

2009-09-09T00:56:00.007+01:00

From keld to bowes today. From keld to tan hill where the pub on the Everest windows advert is, the highest pub in britain 1732 feet above sea level. Well that actually was a nice walk, after the pub! Well that was just miles of swamps :( thank god for my super socks lol we then went through farm land nice again, we got to the point of the pennine way were you decide to split towards bowes or go north towards forest in teesdale. Over the A66, well under it actually :) we will set up camp there and enjoy our easy 11.6mile day.

Weather is brill, sunshine and even the wind has dropped :) little bunny rabbits everywhere... Running across the path in front of us, every few minutes we startle grouse too... And they either fly off or run! add to that the usual sexy sheep and dodgy looking bulls who stare at you :) its very enjoyable today woohoo :)

found a pub in barnard castle to watch the England game :) time to chill. Few pints of guinness and an England win, ill be happy :)

They won 5 - 1 :)

Here we go again...yeehaaaa!!

2009-09-08T00:50:00.008+01:00

Thats not a picture of a cliff, its crap visibility! Oh and more rain. Set off from Hawes at 9am all uphill, past a young girl about 20yrs with a big backpack she was really struggling, she was staggering around like she was drunk? I asked if she was ok? She smiled and said yes lol maybe she always walks like that :) well apart from the odd mist and a strong wind, weather has been ok, when it did rain it was only short lived. Overall a nice easy walk, the views from the last hill between thwaites and keld was great :) not really sure but was it the coast to coast path i could see across the valley? Sorry for the late post... Had no signal :( 13.3 miles covered today.

2009-09-07T00:47:00.010+01:00

Well after having to come home due to some of the group having enough of it!.... it being the weather mainly.

ive been itching to get out there and carry on. ive asked a few people to go, no one was interested so i decided to go it alone and finish the Pennine way on my own.

After making this decision and then telling the others i was going on Monday dinner time, (when wife can give me a life to Hawes) they said i was stupid going it alone its dangerous etc.

Then Sunday night, as i was packing to go i got a phone call, saying they had seen the weather forcast and wanted to come along again?
only can i set of Tuesday instead!! so this is what were doing... i will be away and updating my blog as usual from tomorrow morning :)

2009-09-03T00:41:00.006+01:00

Well woke up to stormy weather as promised, no change there then... it didnt help the mood at all... Me and Andy arnt so bothered by it bu i dont think my dad is cut out for camping at all... just keeps moaning about leaks, wet stuff and having to run across wet fields in the rain to go to the toilet.... all part of the fun eheheh

Well after the wind blowing the tent up and getting up all wet again, dad decided enough is enough, the weather is getting him down and the fact that metcheck.com are displaying a weather warning for the north of england and scotland too. Doesnt help my cause to change his mind, with that Andy decided hes going home too. This has left me with the decision of carrying on alone or not?

It breaks my heart to stop now, ive been wanting to do the Pennine walk for so long... but it just doesnt make sense to carry on at the moment :(( although ive enjoyed the expierence even though mother nature tried to spoil it.... it would be twice the fun in nicer weather... im not talking glorious sunshine either, just dry! .... so as soon as the weather is better ill finish it for sure.

2009-09-02T00:38:00.005+01:00

Well got dropped off back in horton so we could walk the 13.75miles back to our tent, was an easy walk done in 5.5 hours, i put blister plasters on before setting off. However when i got back and took off my boots, the plaster was on top of my toes and stuck to my sock!
No wonder my feet are sore lol well looking at tomorrows walk its gonna be a tough one :( and will mark 120 miles covered, so says the book! Certainly feels like more. Walking on flat paving or roads is one thing, but up and down these hills on rocks and dodging mud, rivers and puddles is harder.

Ouch!!!

2009-09-01T00:31:00.010+01:00

We have decided on a rest day. For several reasons. Sore feet, drying clothes, and shopping. I ripped my waterproof trousers on something? So needed to buy some more. and YES i need them :)
So i got some sprayway 1200 and some sealskinz socks. Our andy had sore feet a few days back and used these socks now his feet are great... You can walk through rivers in just these socks and your feet stay dry! They let your feet breath too so no sweating, at £30 a pair they should be good lol ill let you know in a few days :)
Just an end of day addition ...
well i only wore the new socks for a day... but we walked at a fairly fast pace up and down hills, and i can report when i got back my feet was bone dry... no water or sweat? and they are comfy too... so they seem ok :)

2009-08-31T00:28:00.006+01:00

Woke up, raining again Im getting sick of taking wet clothes off, only to put them back on still wet everyday :( todays target is horton in ribblesdale a hilly 15 mile walk, im walking on pure willpower now, my feet are shot. And im exhausted most of the time due to not eating enough to keep me going. At the begining of todays walk we passed a couple also doing the walk, then later as we rested they went passed us, then later they rested we passed them, this went on all day but on the final decent into Horton we hadnt seen them for ages? We came across the Golden Lion pub, went in for a guinness :) 5 mins later the couple did the same. Turns out they are americans from michigan over here just to do this trek! They will leave with a funny view of England i thought, cos all the villages they go through are stuck in the 1920s lol

2009-08-30T19:57:00.008+01:00

Well its our 7th day and progress is slow, however we did 2 half days, mainly avoiding really bad weather. At the end of the day i want to enjoy this trip, and walking in very high wind and rain isnt pleasant.
Today we walked to malham, an easy walk over green hills, sometimes muddy, and then followed the malham beck river. This led us to the campsite. We settled here ready for the hills tomorrow :) woke up this morning with blisters full of fluid, so cut em to get the fluid out. Resting them now.
Getting a shower, when clean ill put antiseptic on and see how it is tomorrow. 2 girls we met also walkers was camping on same site walked with us today, when we returned after a brief gas leak in car (thats camping gas!!!) they left. If Jo and Sharon are reading this. Hello :)

2009-08-29T19:50:00.013+01:00

I see building like this all the time, from medievil britain and now just left to rot :(

My litte mates, they was happy to see me, and they made a change from sheep haha :)

Wuthering heights???

2009-08-28T19:41:00.021+01:00

Well set off at 8.30 in rain... Fancy that, great this british weather lol anyway we was in good spirits and made good progress. In the photo is studley pike monument, then i took the next picture looking back at the same monument as we walked away over the hills

Well we was going to stop at hebden bridge at a campsite, but we somehow walked too far, so kept going till we reached ponden about an 18 mile walk today. As we dashed to escape the rain we ran into a derelict old house. As we sheltered we realised it was a famous house from wuthering heights, the bronte house?

Means nothing to me, not seen the film :)

My Right foot is getting sore :(

2009-08-27T19:35:00.012+01:00

Up early panic to dry things out... Everything is very very wet. So we headed in to town to dry things out. This means we havent made any progress yet and its 10.30am already, but we desperately need to dry our things

These pictures are taken 180 degrees from each other last night... we approached and then crossed the waterfall... on the second photo you can see the path we came along on the right... and the path we left by...on the left

Well today has been a complete waste of time... Setting off at 12.45 then after taking a wrong path and ending up at the bottom of a BIG hill, only to have to go up it again... This started some arguments then after getting back on track both my dad and my brother started moaning about sore feet. Dad with bruising and blisters, brother with blisters and a sore knee! However im fine and wanted to keep walking till nightfall. As you can imagine they didnt so we only walked for 4 hours in total today! Im not happy :( talks about me going off alone didnt in down well either.in the picture is the mast bringing TV and radio pictures to the people of the north west of England. Next to the M62 at blackstone edge. We are now in Lancashire :)

1 Man down... 3 to go ;)

2009-08-26T19:13:00.016+01:00

Sorry for the slow updates, i dont have a phone signal most of the time :( well going from crowden seemed easy then came the rock climbing! Never expected to be crawling up rock faces on my knees in high winds! But i wanted adventure :)
Once we found somewhere to camp last night, we flagged a taxi down to take us for supplies and needed water!!...paid £20 to the driver.
today ive passed about 20 rivers and streams i could have drank from, typical :) worse of all ive got my boots dirty and think ive scratched em too hahaha after 3...awwwww :)

We've passed over derbyshire now going over yorkshire ;)

ooooo look i see Yorkshire!!
Well the day is over.... been a strange one, started off wet AGAIN! woke up i could hear rain bashing on the tent... a very depressing thought as i lay there with sore legs and back...
Trouble is our tent is only small, to keep weight down so to get dressed you have to do it OUTSIDE lol...in the rain this morning :( mind you it means i get dressed quick LOL
Then after packing the wet tent away i brushed my teeth and set off on the walk, cadburys boost chocolate bar for breakfast on the go ahhaha then off i went.
Talk about being lulled into a false sense of security!! started really easy... i though this is better my tired legs can handle this... then we met a cliff face i checked the map twice! even called up the GPS on the phone to check direction.... yep its up there i shouted to the other two... they didnt look happy ahahah mind you i wasnt either... so after 2 hours of climbing and grazing my knees etc on the rocks we got to the top... the path then followed very close to the cliff edge...
After a while the path split... one way carried on the cliff edge, the othe went inland away from it??? because of the hight wind and nearly being blown off!! we decided to go inland....BIG MISTAKE!!
At first we was happy, i had a nagging feeling we was going wrong way... the others didnt seem to be bothered... i tried calling the GPS on phone, but for it to work you need Network coverage for the maps etc... no signal :( we kept moving till i got a signal... this confirmed what i thought... we was 2 miles off track!! ffs, i told them we need to go East to get back to the pennine way, we did go east... through peat bogs... nightmare!! we lost about 2 hours with this mistake and my target of the M62 and Blackstone edge looked even more difficult now.... we plodded on in the high wind... then came the rain....sideways and very hard!!! After several hours of rain, it even got through my waterproofs and my rucksack.... everything including me wet through!!! :(when we turned into the rain i couldnt even look up the rain hurt my face!! we ended up crossing the A62 and cars passing must have though we was mental ahahah 3 drowned rats crossing :)
i was already wet and my feet now squelching... the golden rule of walkers kept ringing through my head "Never ever get your feet wet!" too late was the cry... specially when my right foot suddenly went down a big hole full of water... right up to the knee!!! i fell and smashed my knees on the rocks ouch!! i got up and just carried on... Andy said are you OK... i said well i cant get any wetter now... what next? some nob with a firemans hose!!
Made it to our next stop for the night (Blackstone edge) at 7:30pm... very tired and very wet, i also have sores on both feet now, i put this down to walking 15 of the 20 miles with soggy feet!

2009-08-25T19:07:00.015+01:00

Last night had sweet thai chilli for tea on the camp stove.. Thats the good news in our panic to set up camp last night we set tents up next to a 250ft cliff rain and wind all night howling over the top woke to a very wet and cold tent at 5.50am. Rather than have breakfast in them conditions we pressed on.

Went down a very tricky cliff side, balance was made harder carrying 60 pound in a backpack! (the camo lump in the middle of the above picture) Saw a sign for snake inn pub but its way off cant see it, tempting ive run out of water. Anyway carried on and crossed the snake pass A57

Just a note: in the top picture you can see moggy on the left, 5 mins after this photo he went home, although he had'nt been moaning... he was very quiet today. he's had enough :(
See ya Moggy.... we will see you back hom soon ;)

2009-08-24T18:53:00.033+01:00

Arrived by car to Edale, was raining hard i thought that was bad enough but then in my rush managed to slam the car door on my thumb! Blood everywhere ...nail went black. :(
What a start! Walked several miles and up Jacobs ladder, a very long and steep hill. At this time i realised some were already struggling even swapping backpacks. We got to the top tired hot and wet :( the top was like the moon very wierd funny grey rocks and we was stood inside a cloud. We climbed over 2000 feet.

we followed the cliff edge... It was going dark we needed to set up camp! No perfect ground anywhere the ground was boggy and no running water... Eventually we got to a stream but it was dirty water, too late we just set up tents on rough ground. Soon as we did we was attacked by flies all over my face and in my ears :( so ate quick and got in my tent LOL

As you can see we have been Joined by another keen member (Moggy, on right)

My Dad is taking the Photo... sorry about the poor quality, pics are taken on my phone

The PENNINE WAY adventure ;)

2009-08-23T18:43:00.018+01:00

Walking the PENNINE WAY

something ive always wanted to do from being a young child.... ever since i started hiking with the Scouts, this 270 mile famous walk has been a regular topic of conversation

The 3 Amigo's taking on this epic Journey.... or alternatively the 3 stupid idiots!!!

Andy Barnes Richard Barnes Sheldon Barnes
(Brother) (Dad) (Me)

Ingleton Falls, Carnforth

2009-08-07T12:10:00.045+01:00

What your seeing here is. beleive it or not... a tree with lot of pennies stuck in it!! not on branch ..not even one tree!! lots of them, very nice :)

Part of a tree covered in coins, you are invited to knock in a few of your own, so the kids did :)

Our scott doing a bit of posing ehheh

Quickly joined by another poser... his mum

The walk along Ingleton falls follows the rivers Twiss and Doe and as the name suggests includes some great waterfalls along the way.

Another photo of our Scott with a waterfall in the distance behind him

As you can see by the size of the people, this is a large waterfall, and lots of people took the opportunity to climb up behind it. On the left of the picture in the green t-shirt is our Ryan waiting for Scott

Ryan in green and just behind him in the Yellow is Scott, Ryan protecting him cos he was scared of falling off :)

as we walked away i could hear crickets making a loud noise.... i looked around and saw these two having a sing off LOL

All in all, Ingleton falls is a peacful walk at a guess about 4 miles.... so not a hard walk, but it does take longer to finish cos of all the stopping to take things in, and for the kids to play :P our stopped once or twice to strip and swim in the river.

Was very enjoyable and very cheap... about £3 i think... however on a rainy wet day, i would think it would be pretty miserable.

Waddington Airshow

2008-07-06T13:05:00.047+01:00

Went to the Waddington RAF airshow, took the kids... Ryan didnt want to go and watch boring planes, however Scott couldnt wait!
Even thought all the new jets would be there, the plane that Scott wanted to see most was the Dambusters Lancaster Bomber :)

I couldnt beleive how many people turned up!! the place was packed... market stalls, fast food and all the military hardware on show too... a real excitement was around the place

The RAF did some target practice, the announcer over the tannoy explained what was going on... Good job because the explosions came well well before the planed flew through, must have fired from miles away!!! i think scott thought we was at war... big bang! and scott was rolling for cover on the floor HAHAHAH

Very impressive, if you start trouble and you see this babies BELOW heading your way...start behaving quick!!

OK this next plane might not be as devestating, but its a classic... Spitfire :)

Well just when i thought the excitement was getting all too much for scott.... they brought out his favourite plane of all time.... even Ryan was getting excited!!!
They started the engines on the Lancaster Bomber and the way Scott was jumping around i though we might need medical help....he was hysterical LOL

Well next they flew the SPITFIRE, HURRICAN and the LANCASTER!!!.... OMG i think its all getting to much.... MEDIC!!!!!

The show finished how it started... with the RED ARROWS :)

Silverstone racing

2008-07-05T12:40:00.044+01:00

My mate Jeff goes Racing once a month in the MR2 championship... this month was at Silverston, home of the British F1

As you can see his car is this brighly coloured orange number ;)

In the famous Pits, Scott and his cousin James

A spot of night racing too, all adds to the excitement, Jeff cant drink for obvious reasons, but dont worry i was supporting him all the way, and more than making up for his lack of beverages :P

And this was as close as the kids would get to alcohol too, they had a competition.... which kids could cheer the loudest!! My kids loud? must be cos they WON!!!

No suprise then, ive said they are the noisiest kids in britain all along ahahah, they won a Scaletrix racing game

Scott and James on the Silverstone winners podium :)

and on the famous track itself

Working Away :(

2007-07-26T10:24:00.000+01:00

Well i have just got back from working away 3 weeks in Crawley near Gatwick London... i am going to be there for 6 months! working on refurbishing the Europa Hotel.

Anyway it seems like a decent place (better than some of the hell holes ive been to recently) the money is good, but i miss the family when i'm away.... and i know the kids miss me too, cos the youngest (Scott) asks me how much longer i will be, everytime i phone home :)

So the website and this Blog will be updated less :( as i wont have the time, i do have internet access in London but only when i connect my laptop through my mobile phone.... and it works out expensive.

Holiday

2007-07-07T18:54:00.000+01:00

Just got back from my holiday in Cuba, was great... although too damn hot for my milky white skin hehehe. i was sunburned by day 2 and spent the next week being the only idiot walking round fully dressed at 40 degrees!!!

i went all-inclusive so did the usual british thing.... ate and drink to the extreme :D

I did a few trips and sport while there including swimming with dolphins and speedboat driving YEA!!! and also went scuba diving.... now that was great (no sunburn under the sea) I enjoyed that so much im thinking of doing a PADI course now and getting my licence.

Thats me and the wife on the beach, on our way out for the night... 8pm

Quiet week

2007-06-09T03:39:00.000+01:00

Well its been a quiet week, it feels like all ive done is work and sleep!!!

i had friday off though, because i need the hotel to put up a Scaffold were im working, so until thats done i cant do bugger all!! so i will go and see monday, glad of the day off really :)

I spent most of the day friday, doing the website (http://www.HobbiesForum.co.uk) its getting there slowly.... biggest problem im having is getting it show up on google. i have done the sitemap and posted it to them... 6-8 weeks!! FFS in this day and age thats a joke!!! i might be chuffin dead by then :)

Well Saturday i went back up on the moors again, only i started walking the other way this time... i wanted to go alot further, but the kids started moaning they were too hot.... the dogs didnt look right impressed either heheh so after only an hour or so came back to the car.

Then a lazy sunday.. other than buying a few bits for the holday in Cuba on the 20th i didnt do much, i cleaned the fishtank... turned into a big job, i bought a sea hare (big slug) and a Blue banded sea urchin to help remove some of the algae from the rocks... i put in 2 extra powerheads and cleaned both the filters out.... at the moment they are filtering 520 gallons an hour. oh i also pulled the skimmer off and cleaned that completly... first time in 5 years!!!!

will watch a film tonight with a bottle of wine, and look forward to the job again tomorrow (NOT!)

<<--- Scott wants to go home :D

Yesterday

2007-06-03T22:02:00.000+01:00

Well seeing as i havent done anything today (Hangover.. just worked on the website) i will tell you what i did yesterday...

Im i keen Photographer... notice i said "keen" and not "good" i own a Nikon D80 plus an assortment of other gadgets, that i wont bore you with incase your not into em.

so i packed my camera, and went up on Saddleworth Moors... The ones made famous by the "Moors Murderers" Myra Hindley and Ian Brady, and i went to a place on there called Robin Hoods bed, called that because legend has it he liked to sleep there and hide.

i explained about this to my youngest son as we walked up... and he got all excited cos he was going to meet robin!!! do you ever do that with your kids... wish you hadnt bothered to say anything at all LOL

The kids enjoyed climbing on all the rocks... and err falling over quite a lot on the lumpy grass heheh, and the 2 dogs enjoyed the freedom for a while.

when we reached the top i noticed something you dont normally see miles away from civilization, a rock that had a name chisled on it from America? see below.

Now i havent even looked up where that is... but thats some chisel work from 110 years ago!!!

Here is our Rocky stood on the rocks.. little poser isnt he :)

After we got back... tired legs and all that, we had relatives round where we played cards and Drank...alot

now that where i got this majot headache from!! must be all that fresh air :D

Never done this Before

2007-06-03T21:17:00.000+01:00

Well i never thought i would be the kind of person to do a blog, why? you ask.... because i didnt think i was interesting enough.

Well here we are... Blogging :D

So over the next few days weeks.... you can comment on the things i do in my life, and maybe with a bit of luck, im not as boring as i first thought LOL

2007-05-05T11:54:00.040+01:00

Went to Healey dell with my mate Adam, still trying all the new features on this camera... lots it does and ive not touched the surface yet... after a discussion wih Adam we decided to try our hand and Photos with slow shutter times

These Photos are as they came off the camera... none have been photoshopped as some have suggested

Messing with the setting on the camera ( Nikon D80) really does get some impressive images :)

Healey Dell is a nature reserve up Whitworth road from Rochdale towards Bacup

As you can see the effect on the water is almost ice like... to get this effect the shutter on the camera is left open for a few seconds, any slight movement of the camera while the shutter is open reduces the image to a blur!!
A tripod is a must with these sort of shots