Author Archives: Paul Shorrock

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About Paul Shorrock

I've been mucking about in the mountains for longer than I care to mention. I started out by walking my local hills, then went on to rock climbing, mountaineering and skiing. Still doing it, and still getting a buzz. I'm now sharing the fun, through my guided walking business (Hillcraft Guided Walking) and by writing routes for other publishers, mainly Walking World and Discovery Walking Guides. Just to make sure I keep really busy, I am also currently a member of my local mountain rescue team.

#81 – The quiet hills of the Llŷn Peninsula

Posted on 11/06/2012 by Paul Shorrock

I don’t usually do requests in this blog, mainly for the reason that I don’t get many requests!  In post #76 I wrote about the processes I go through writing walking routes for websites.  I had a bit of fun … Continue reading →

Posted in 5. North Wales | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

#80 – Sunny day on the Langdale Pikes

Posted on 04/06/2012 by Paul Shorrock

It’s never happened to me before.  I went into the Hiker’s Bar of the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel in Langdale on a Sunday afternoon, and it was empty!  Not a case of alien abduction though, as dozens of customers were … Continue reading →

Posted in 2. Lake District | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

#79 – The Clwydian Hills (Bryniau Clwyd) – Gateway to North Wales

Posted on 28/05/2012 by Paul Shorrock

Those of you who have read #73 will remember that Chris and I have recently bought a house in the Clwydian Hills in North Wales, but on our recent trips over there we’ve been ‘flat-packing’  instead of ‘back-packing’  – IKEA … Continue reading →

Posted in 5. North Wales | Tagged , , , | 31 Comments

#78 – Witches, hitches and follies

Posted on 21/05/2012 by Paul Shorrock

The Aire Gap has been an important travel route over the Pennines since Neolithic times, with the Aire and Ribble Valleys allowing a sheltered crossing of the Pennine Hills that doesn’t rise higher than 170 metres – the nearest crossing … Continue reading →

Posted in 4. Northern England | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

#77 – A Witch, a Slippery Peak and a Black Dog!

Posted on 14/05/2012 by Paul Shorrock

When I first visited Wales, many years ago, I found the Welsh language to be confusing to say the least, with most of the words looking like a bad game of scrabble.   It started to make more sense when I … Continue reading →

Posted in 5. North Wales | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments

#76 – “Are you playing on the computer AGAIN?!!

Posted on 07/05/2012 by Paul Shorrock

A few months back a friend asked me about my outdoor writing, along the lines of “But what do you DO?”  I explained it something like this – “I go for a walk, I write about it, people throw money … Continue reading →

Posted in 1. Scotland, 2. Lake District, 3. Yorkshire Dales, 4. Northern England, 5. North Wales, 6. Mid and South Wales, 7. Everywhere Else! | Tagged , , , | 21 Comments

#75 – Access to the hills and The Mass Trespass of 1932

Posted on 30/04/2012 by Paul Shorrock

 For those who missed it, 24th April was the 80th anniversary of the Mass Trespass on Kinder Scout in 1932.  The Trespass was part of a working class movement in the first half of the 20th Century to secure the … Continue reading →

Posted in 4. Northern England | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

#74 – A challenging day? Or a piece of pie!

Posted on 23/04/2012 by Paul Shorrock

Sometimes a day in the mountains turns out to be more challenging than expected.  The weather changes unexpectedly or the rock on a scramble turns out to be wet and greasy.  The mist is more of a problem than expected, … Continue reading →

Posted in 3. Yorkshire Dales | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

#73 – “I bought a mountain”

Posted on 16/04/2012 by Paul Shorrock

Only a madman would buy a Welsh hill-farm on a whim, to become a sheep farmer without having any previous farming experience – that madman was called Thomas Firbank, and his fascinating book “I bought a mountain” was published in … Continue reading →

Posted in 5. North Wales | Tagged , , , | 25 Comments

#72 – “It looked like a canny way down….”

Posted on 09/04/2012 by Paul Shorrock

After twenty five years, I can still remember those words being spoken as if it was yesterday –  “It looked like a canny way down….”   The person speaking was the survivor from a mountain accident that I became involved … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 23 Comments