Going Forward

In my position as Pieman Productions Director of Walks Planning and Kanine Kompanion Komptroller, it falls to me to decide which walking adventures I’m likely to get involved in going forward. (Incidentally, have you noticed the new Executive craze for saying the words “Going forward” – seems specially popular with NHS Chief Execs. I just thought I’d get a “going forward” into the pieblog just to make me appear that I have a vague idea what I’m going on about.)

Anyway – Going forward, I’ve recently been asked by Durham County Council to put in plans for the winter 2013-14 guided walks programme and so, I’ve got  twelve walks for the Council between October 2013 and the end of March 2014. Five of these are new ones! (Obviously, this means that seven of them are old ones…….)  The brochure is at the printers! Clearly, whatever I do in the winter will have to fit around the dates of these walks. Going forward, I usually plan my year in November, which always seems like the end of the year to me for some reason, so I’ll be planning my main 2014 stuff around those dark and windy times…..

But I have a couple of ideas (going forward…) (doing quite well with the “going forwards” – I expect it’s starting to become just a bit irritating….)

Idea number one is not to do the TGO Challenge. I have stuff to do, but I understand that 2014 will be the 30th anniversary of the jollities and hospitalities mounted at Callater Lodge. I intend to be there. I may well take some extra supplies….  (This is a notification to anybody who would prefer to avoid meeting me in May, giving them a chance to design their route accordingly.)

So, I’ll be mooching around the Heelands during the TGO – mainly on a bagging quest (Marylin Munros) I may open cafe akto somewhere on a poplier route.

And, recent discussions amongst pals about a backpacking event in the Borders has prompted me to reserve a week or so for a wander around the area between the Tweed and Annandale.  So, that’s May and , probably June 2014 taken care of.

This year’s objectives are to complete the Hewitts – 2000 foot tops in Englandandwales with 30 metres of drop – I have only five of these left to do. On Sunday, I’m off to Wales again to bag three of these. September is for Dartmoor, leaving just the one top in North Wales for October.

Another objective for 2013 was to complete Alf (Isn’t that ewe pretty..?) Wainwright’s Outlying fells. I have just five of these left as well. One should fall to the ticking pencil in August. The other four are in a lump around the foot of Wasdale. A weekend should see to these…

In between all this, I have four more Durham County Council guided walks to do in August and September and one walk (Tan Hill to Baldersdale) to do for the North Pennines AONB as part of the celebration of Alf (which one is Binsey again?) Wainwright's Pennine Journey.

Soooo…. going forward …(arf) I ought to be fairly busy. In the meantime, I’m off to Wales as soon as the knipemobile has had the work done to get it through it’s MOT.