2007 retrospective - a great year for walking.

The following photos are just a small selection of those I have taken throughout 2007. Looking back it has been a great year and I have had lots of walks to look back on. The photos I have chosen are just a small personal selection, perhaps you have other favourites.

It started off wet and wild this year but at last, towards the end of he month the weather turned colder and we had a few days where there was sunshine and snow with cool, clear air. There was one day in particular that was special and that was the day I chose to climb Helvellyn via Striding Edge in beautiful winter conditions with Andy Lang. It tells you how good - and rare - it was as Trail magazine have just put that day on their cover with similar photos to these for the second month running!

Crossing Striding Edge (previously unused photo).

Superb sky over Catstycam.

Striding Edge, Helvellyn and Catstycam from Birkhouse Moor (previously unused photo).

The cold weather continued in February but the snow was gone. There were some memorable clear walks though, and I managed a series of 6 walks on consecutively clear days. I think this was the best walking week of 2007. This view from the first of those walks is of Burnmoor Tarn with Eskdale Fell and Slight Side beyond.

The second walk of the week was up to Pike o' Blisco with Connie, here we are racing back to Three Shire Stone before the sun sets and darkness ensues.

The next day was cold with a nice temperature inversion over Windermere. Connie and I made it to the top of Gummer's How and marvelled at the views over the low lying clouds and the hoar frost on the trees.

The day after the Gummer's How walk, I went to the top of the Old Man in more fantastic conditions. This view is of The Old Man of Coniston and the Coniston fells reflected in Coniston Water from the east side of the lake.

The view from Ill Bell to the Coniston fells and the Langdales with clear weather yet again.

The final day in the sequence was walk to Blencathra via an icy and treacherous Sharp Edge - not one for the faint hearted in those conditions. The reward was this stunning view of Sharp Edge.

The summit of Blencathra.

The rest of February was no great shakes weather-wise, as indeed most of March wasn't the best. There was a final wintry day towards the end of March for our walk up to Wetherlam with plenty of snow and ice around on the fells as this photo of Wetherlam from Tilberthwaite Gill shows.

In April we had a great walk to Catbells with Connie and her friend Maya - a really memorable day out for us all. This walk featured as an article in Lake District Life magazine; anyone who has read it will know why it was memorable for Angus! Those teeth soon came back too.

Towards the end of April, we had another climb to The Old Man in great conditions. I think this is the fell we climbed the most in 2007 and I never tire of it. This picture shows my favourite view from there.

May started off superbly with warm and clear weather. In fact I would say that although we didn't know it at the time, this was the best part of the summer. This view of Mellbreak across Crummock Water is taken form  the climb to Whiteside.

Taken at the end of the same walk - all bluebells are blue in Rannerdale.

This is the view of Skiddaw and Derwent Water taken from Surprise View on the day after the Rannerdale walk above. It was another lovely day but I was cursing as my lens on camera #1 had given up the ghost, so this set was taken with camera #2 which didn't turn out so badly.

A newly shorn Casper on the same walk on top of Walla Crag, here with Skiddaw behind.

The 21st May was a special day and I did my favourite walk to Scafell Pike via Great Moss in absolutely stunning conditions. This is Lingcove Bridge lying at the top of Eskdale.

Scafell Pike, Ill Crag and The River Esk.

Skiddaw and Derwent Water from Esk Hause.

June turned out to be generally dull and damp, not a month for views unfortunately. On Great Calva I completed my second round of the Wainwright 214 fells.

Most of July was spent in sunnier climes for us, but on our return right at the end of the month, Connie and I managed to get in a walk in decent weather up to Hard Knott. Here Connie practices her photography skills with a photo of the Scafells.

During August, I managed some early morning walks, of which this circuit of the Langdales was one. This photo show Lingmoor Fell from the climb to Stickle Tarn.

Later in the month I completed a walk that I had wanted to do for a while; a climb to Pillar from the Ennerdale side. I wasn't disappointed, it was a fantastic walk as this view of Pillar Rock shows.

Towards the end of the month we had a fantastic walk to Bowfell via Crinkle Crags. This view from Crinkle Crags shows Scafells and Bowfell emerging from early morning cloud.

In September we had a great walk to Blencathra via Souther Fell and Sharp Edge. I really enjoyed the sunrise over the low lying mist - despite the irritating zigzag double back path to reach the top of Souther Fell.

We had a surprisingly clear day for a walk to Sallows during September and it was on this walk that things seemed to turn Autumnal with it being much colder than the previous few walks. The is the view on the walk to Sallows.

September was also memorable for the StridingEdge walk we had to Helvellyn via Striding Edge. It was great to meet some regular viewers of the site and a great day was enjoyed by all despite the initially damp and not too promising start.

October saw some clear days and the beginning of a change in colour of the fells. This view of the Coniston fells from Brock Barrow shows the changing conditions nicely.

Later in October I met up with Andy Lang and we had a fantastic day out on a circuit of Easedale. This view of Great Langdale is taken from the Silver How ridge.

The same evening was very still and calm and we had a very enjoyable local walk around Barrow and Walney Island. There were superb reflections in the calm waters of Walney Channel, looking to Black Combe.

In November, I had a walk to Great Gable the day after the Remembrance service on the summit. I left a personal poppy tribute up there, even though they were supposedly banned before a hair raising descent to the high level traverse. This is a view of Wast Water from the Sphinx Rock.

Great Gable at the head of Wast Water.

We had another great walk around the Coniston fells though there was the first glimpse of wintry conditions on this day. There were great reflections in Levers Water as it was really still and calm as this photo shows (Stop press: this photo has been judged as the winning photo in the Wainwright Society annual photo competition).

Towards the end of November, there were further clear conditions and my camera had just about survived being dropped on Harter Fell. We had a stunning walk to Lingmell and Scafell Pike, here's a view of a cold looking summit of Scafell Pike.

December was on the whole a great month for wintry weather. I thought we may have an inversion on the day of the walk to Fairfield and around the horseshoe. This photo shows the climb to Fairfield from Great Rigg.

A couple of days later, we had another surprisingly clear walk up to Raise and I think this shot sums up the walk well. It was bitingly cold with fleeting clouds and strong wind.

The run up to Christmas was just fantastic weather-wise with lots of golden hues around. Here the early morniung sun lights up The Old Man.

In contrast there was a lovely sunset when I was up on Hard Knott here looking across Eskdale to Scafell.

Another short walk in sunshine and a walk out onto a frozen Red Tarn.

...followed by a climb up to Pike o' Blisco. I just love that swirling sky.

A short walk around the Duddon Valley saw a big moon rising above Dow Crag and the sun setting on another great walking year.

I hope you have enjoyed this look back on the year in the Lake District, it brought back many memories for me looking back at all the photos and I can hardly believe the year has passed by so quickly. I can remember every walk as if they were yesterday! Thanks for your continued support throughout the year, I appreciate and am grateful for all your comments. Here's to a great 2008 for everybody and let's hope for lots of lovely weather and walks to come. Louise and I will be starting up a commercial venture in the Lake District in the first part of 2008 if all goes to plan. Alongside that will be a new commercial website too, so there are exciting times for us to come. Hopefully StridingEdge will continue unabated!

Best wishes for 2008,
Sean, Louise, Connie, Angus and Casper

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