Bob Graham Leg 2 / Filming Channel 4

Tuesday I was out with Stuart Williams and his mate in pretty awful conditions for a pootle along the Helvellyn Range from Threlkeld to Dunmail. Now Stuart certainly knows the route intimately and I'm sure he'll be very successful in his sub 22 hour attempt. I wasn't feeling too good so sat down as the sun came out below Seat Sandal and missed out Fairfield.

Out yesterday on Skiddaw filming with Pete Sidwell for his cookery / travel series which is due to be aired throughout September on Channel 4. It was better than Monday and turned out to give some quite atmospheric and moody conditions - which hopefully will be captured and stitched together to give a half decent show.

Busy busy in the Bed and Breakfast with a full house. Shanee and co leaving mega early tomorrow - but as they are regulars I'll be up to give them breakfast and see them off.



Then 3 rooms to turn around whilst looking after 2 children! Hmmm. A tricky one but I have a cunning plan....

Now - where was I?

Okey dokey - bit of a long time since the last post but then it is officially the silly season. B&B work is now absolutely mad and all time consuming. Juggling it all together with the family and our other jobs is a tough act - especially as we don't want to compromise the B&B, our guests or our quality of life (hence the long time since the last post).

Anyway it looks possible (possible not probable) that our BGR attempt will be next week. Weather looks like it may be ok for next Mon / Tues - we'll see nearer the time. Unfortunately this also coincides with a frantically busy week with lots of room changes at the guesthouse as well as Ali being at work. But we'll get there. Somehow.

Talking of the weather, I was supposed to be out filming with Pete Sidwell today for his Channel 4 series that is being aired in September. Totally and utterly clagged in with virtually zero vis so we've postponed until Wednesday.

Out tomorrow with a chap to do Leg 2 of the BGR. Strangely enough the way we got in touch is when he made a booking at the Bed and Breakfast because of The Bob connection. So we got chatting (and I must say it sounds like he's done a lot more training than me) and he's coming up tomorrow - so we'll share lifts and have a mooch on the hill. I was supposed to be out on Leg 3 last Sunday but contracted man flu (it was a serious bout - lasted over 48 hours) and so decided against it. Not sure which was the worst prospect - making myself a little iller due to the exertion, or sounding croaky for Pete Sidwell's filming episode.

So it's now busy busy with B&B change overs as guests come and go, final preparations for The Bob not to mention the final tweeks and changes for the Ama Dablam trip. With Ali at work for the rest of the week it's going to be a busy one and then out on the hill with a group on Saturday and a slide show on Sunday. Just taken 3 bookings today for guests coming in the next fortnight and have a few climbing bookings coming up over the next few weeks as well.

Still ... I wouldn't have it any other way.

Oh, yes, joined the 21st century with an iPhone 4! Fantastic.

'The Bob' is a go

Have just announced intentions to have a crack at The Bob Graham Round sometime at the beginning of August. Rather than setting a fixed date now, and being at the mercy of the weather, I've contacted my potential supporters, I'll find out their availability to do various legs according to which day of the week and what commitments they have, and then once I have a better idea about the weather I'll get in touch with everyone and set the date accordingly.

Went out on Blencathra with Stuart (the chap who'll be having a go on the same day as me) and we hoofed it up to the summit in 1hr 10mins. Then we went back along towards Great Calva to suss out the line from the river crossing and then hung a left and dropped across to the Skiddaw House track and back across the top of Latrigg. A good little run out but I realised as I got to the top of Latrigg that all I'd had that day was a left over rasher of bacon for breakfast and a spoonful of baked beans for lunch. It had been a bit of a busy day in the B&B and I'd had Max to look after and, well, I just ran out of time for breakfast and then forgot to have lunch. Nearly, but not quite, bonked - so a very valuable lesson. Good to know that I could still run on empty and took on the importance of keeping the fuel tank topped up.

Just been up Clough Head this afternoon in between and amongst the rain showers. Not sure whether to tackle it up the steeper more direct line or the less steep but longer ascent. The difference amounts to about 300m / 4 minutes - not a lot but if you lose 4 mins here and 4 mins there it could make all the difference between success and failure.

The beauty of mobiles and the internet! Managed to take 3 calls and a booking while out on the hill. Brilliant. Not like the old days where the B&B owner had to be in to get the passing trade. Or when people used to get the tourist brochure, ring the B&B, make a booking, send a letter and a cheque to secure the reservation and get a letter in reply to confirm the booking. Nowadays people can book at any time of the day or night online - which is why we offer a discount for internet bookings.

We have tweeked the B&B website and gone for a brand new, cleaner look with bigger photos and a slightly different layout. Any feedback much appreciated.

Still getting Ama Dablam enquiries but have unfortunately had to close the trip. Not so much because of the number of people that I am looking after but more that there could be a potential logjam if everyone is on the same schedule and trying for the summit round about the same time. The camps are rather bijou to say the least:

Camp 2 on Ama Dablam - just enough room for 5 or 6 tents

Camp 2.9 on Ama Dablam - even less room. 3 tents at a push.

The problem comes when trying to get more people than the available tent spaces up and down over a two or three day period - especially when relying on tent spaces being vacated for the next wave of people on their summit push only to find that the people who are already there are perhaps too pooped, or conditions haven't been suitable, for them to descend.

Anyway all being well we'll have a great time out there and hopefully we'll be reporting back with lots of summit successes. Watch this space.

In the meantime I'll be out on the hill in a couple of weeks with Pete Sidwell who is filming with a company called Liberty Bell for a forthcoming series that he's managed to get picked up for showing on Channel 4 throughout the whole of September. Fingers crossed for some good weather. Not sure how the day will pan out, or how it's going to fit in to the structure of the programme, but I'm delighted to be working with him. Apparently he's been doing an awesome job and it will be good to see the end result.

For the time being ... 'That's all Folks.'

Helping someone to get out of the V Diff rut

Nearly overslept having been up most of the night with Max. Sprinted through breakfast prep and got everything sorted in time. Tidied rooms whilst breakfast was on and then met my client for climbing.

He'd e mailed saying that he wanted to get out of the rut of always doing V Diffs. So we had a quick chat and he seemed totally up for an adventure. So...

Started with Troutdale Pinnacle a magnificent 7 pitch route graded Severe. We were back down at the bottom by 11.45 which is pretty impressive really. He was so obviously a very competent second and comfortably followed every pitch without hesitation.

Down to Shepherd's cafe for lunch and then headed up Little Chamonix - a great 3 pitch V Diff which, whilst is still arguably in the V Diff rut, is just such a great route that it's difficult to walk past it without doing it if there isn't a queue.

Over to Ardus - another cracking good route. 3 contrasting pitches at Hard Severe. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Next we cranked it up a tad and did CDM - a very short but reasonably sustained VS. And then we were on Fisher's Folly - a fantastic 2 pitch VS which we just finished as the rain came in. All in all a great day and hopefully a suitably inspiring experience.

Now I just have to empty the dishwasher, process an internet booking for the B&B, arrange an instructor for the weekend when the B&B clients are up for a bit of climbing, catch up with the family, lay the tables, maybe get in a bit of en suite cleaning action, update the website ......

A bit of a blur

Well the season is well under way and it's that time of year when one day virtually merges in to another and it all gets a bit blurred at the edges.

Apart from the usual parental duties of entertaining the kids / taking to and collecting from school / feeding / bathing / reading etc etc this is being delicately juggled together with the B&B / work / getting supplies / climbing courses / e mails / Ama Dablam enquiries / a bit of running and last but not least life in general.

It's been a hectic few weeks with various days out on the hill with walking groups / climbing clients and a navigation course. Also presented a slide show down at The Moot Hall on Sunday straight after breakfast for a group who are off to Everest Base Camp in 2012. The house has been busy busy and most days we are invariably hoovering late afternoon or emptying the dishwashers and laying tables in the evening having been too busy to get them done throughout the day.

I now have 24 people on my Ama Dablam mailing list for 2010 (and over 30 already enquiring about 2011). It's been an incredibly busy year for enquiries and bookings and this is now taking a major chunk of my time. I won't be taking 24 on the hill - but there are at least 4 sub groups with 5 or 6 different itineraries developing. I can see why the big companies don't entertain individuals who want to do their own thing and develop their own agendas. But I guess that's where I am offering something different which is perhaps why this year is proving to be so successful.

Have now got a definite 4 for Everest Spring 2011 and have just gone live with the new website. I've decided to place a small discreet advert just to try and make sure I get a couple more otherwise the trip is in jeopardy if someone cancels. But intrinsically it looks like it's a definite goer. Watch this space.

Have managed to get on to the front page of The Keswick Reminder for the Action for Market Towns Award. Hurrah!

Out on Saturday night to support John Boyle on leg 5 of the BGR.

A cracking good fortnight

Busy busy busy. A 42.5km / 14 peaks / 8hr 30 mins run the weekend before last (leg 2 of The BGR and then back over the tops to Keswick). Another run this weekend back from Lorton (30km / 9 peaks / 5hr 30mins).

A plethora of bookings coming in for the B&B. Yet another 2 people booked for Ama Dablam this November and a few more enquiries for the expedition (have had to start limiting availability now) but alas a missed opportunity to climb yesterday due to the pants weather (if only I'd been out today).

But then if I'd been out today I wouldn't have been able to attend the Action for Market Towns awards where we received best in the NW for the Fitz Park Play Area.

Saw Jimmy Carr 2 weeks ago and Derren Brown last week at The Sands Centre. Both brilliant acts in their own special and very different ways.

Have had a really busy fortnight in the B&B but have managed to juggle it all together along with the shifts, work, expedition enquiries and kiddie care (along with the usual shopping / getting resupplies / answering e mails / doing laundry / ironing etc). Just about managing to tread water and juggle balls at the same time - although there have been a few en suites being cleaned, or beds made, or tables being laid late in the evenings and early in the mornings just to make sure that it is all kept on top of.

A cracking good week

Just back from a run over Blencathra - had a great jaunt out and have been reflecting on a great week:

Plenty of bookings coming in for the B&B so the diary is looking quite healthy.

Lots more interest in Ama Dablam - taken 3 bookings and 5 enquiries this week alone, as well as 2 for next year.

Just been told this morning by our guests Mark and Angela that ours is the best breakfast they've ever had in a B&B.

Also received feedback on my Everest summit video "Great video! the best from everest on youtube."

Today is the 5th anniversary of our successful ascent of Everest.

And I've been called a D.I.L.F.

It doesn't get much better than that.