Helm Crag

A short walk on a day of changing weather with Derek, Naina and the girls.

Route: Leaving the car in the Broadgate Meadow car park (£5 for 4 hours) to take the Easedale Road past Lancrigg vegetarian B&B and then the standard route up Helm Crag using the recent Fix the Fells repitching work, with Derek reaching the actual summit on top of the rocks. A descent to the saddle and then taking the route west to drop down a steep, loose and damp but mainly grassy path with some grumbling from the troops.

Conditions: Cloudy with a short shower at the start of the descent. Afterwards (viewed from the pub window): torrential rain.

Pub: Tweedies Bar, Grasmere, for Celt Experience, Golden Ale; Hardknott Brewery, Axial Tilt and Cumbrian Legendary Ales, Langdale (and lunch).

Wansfell Pike

A walk with the Tanns on a warm sunny bank holiday weekend.

Route: Leaving the car parked just over the river at the bottom of Troutbeck and taking Robin Lane round to the south of the fell, keeping with the lower track round to High Skelghyll. On entering the wood, taking a path rising diagonally eventually to reach the observatory and the ridge to the summit. Thence down the main path back to Troutbeck.

Conditions: Warm and sunny with a cooler breeze on the top.

Pub: The Mortal Man, Troutbeck for Loweswater Gold then the Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley, for WPA Lakeland Gold and NZPA (and lunch).

Mount St Piran

A short walk (3 hours at a brisk pace) on the final morning in Canada before flying home.

Route: from the car park at Lake Louise, following the busy paved route past the chateau and tourist-strewn lakeshore to follow the Lake Agnes trail as far as Mirror Lake. Then aiming for Little Beehive before taking a signed left turn up the hill, out of the trees and then zig-zagging expansively across the hillside eventually into scree to reach the summit. Back the same way.

Conditions: cool morning air and warm sun with clouds still burning off.

Pub: after leftover pizza and wine by the river near the Post Hotel, Grizzly Paw Brewing Company, Canmore for Indra Island IPA.

Helen Lake and an attempt on Cirque Peak

A very popular walk up to the lake and then beyond onto the mountain with Gary, Shauna, Owen and a particularly game Seth.

Route: from the Helen Lake trailhead, a clear path rising initially uphill, then traversing round the end of a spur before further uphill zigzags and then a slow ascent into the valley to reach Helen Lake. Picking up a trail behind the lake to rise onto a higher plateau behind it to find a less clear route on sand to rise onto the spur of Cirque Peak. Facing stiff wind, showers and apparently worsening conditions, then beating a retreat down the spur to scree run down the sand and more or less retrace the outward route.

Conditions: en route to the trailhead from Jasper, torrential rain. On the walk a mixture of sun and showers giving way to colder wind and heavier showers before the retreat. Thereafter, sunny and pleasant.

Pub: much later after coffee at Laggans, the Explorer's Lounge, Lake Louise Inn for Hop City Barking Squirrel (lager) and another New Brunswick beer.

Saturday Night Loop run

The classic Jasper trail run - 25km (600m elevation gain to 1636m) up and back down the forested valley to the south west of Jasper.

Route: from the trailhead car park, following advice on the web and running clockwise, taking the most westerly variant of trail 3 through aspen woods into Douglas Fir along a valley bottom past Marjorie Lake and Caledonia Lake. Approaching the turn off for Minnow Lake and with steepening path, reducing to a walk whilst gaining the main elevation through denser damper woodland before reaching the midpoint at the turn off for High Lakes campsite. Then generally downhill for 5km to the Saturday Night Lake campsite and shortly after an encounter with slow moving horse traffic before Cabin Lake and a descent to the trailhead.

Conditions: some sun glinting through the trees but mainly, fortunately, cloudy.

Pub: the Jasper Brewing Co, Jasper, for Liftline Cream Ale, Sutter Hill Pil and a taster of the weekly Friday special - this week vanilla stout.

Cavell Meadows Trail

A surprisingly steep 8km alpine ramble opposite Mount Edith Cavell's north east face.

Route: from the trail head at the end of the 14.5km twisting Cavell Road (a few km south of Jasper on the 93A), taking the thronged route up to the viewpoint opposite Angel Glacier and Cavell Pond. Then backtracking to a rising trail which zigzagged past hoary marmots to a point of pathly divergence. Taking the left, most easterly, trail rising out of the tree line, through meadows to a barren stony viewpoint at about 2310m. Then back and south to another lower viewpoint and then back to the start.

Later: the 8km Jasper Discovery Trail around Jasper.

Conditions: cloudy and damp after a night's rain with hints of sun (and lots of bugs!).

Pub: none, again, but bottled Tree Brewery Hophead IPA back at Bear Hill Lodge.

Bald Hills

A fine shortish day walking up a good trail to climb out above the tree line on a broad, though narrowing, ridge.

Route: from the trailhead car park at Maligne Lake, following a fire road through trees climbing gently for 25 minutes before turning left on a marked path, much steeper but zig-zagging up to a plateau. Then turning right then left to join a path crossing the plateau towards the hills but trending to the left to reach a yet higher plateau with an obvious ridge to the right. Crossing this to pick up the continuing ridge now on the left and following this to a natural terminus (after which the ridge drops down). Returning by keeping left along the ridge until the last minute and dropping steeply back to the first plateau.

Conditions: cooler air but warm sun with thin clouds.

Pub: (after a detour to Maligne Canyon) back to Bear Hill Lodge for bottled Phillips IPA and Parallel 49 Hoparazzi and then later...

The Whistlers

A stiff climb up a good trail to a massive view over Jasper and beyond.

Route: from the carpark on Whistlers Road, taking the distinct, though quite overgrown in the first third, 6km trail zig-zagging up the hillside, then tracking laterally west under the cable car (the Jasper Tramway) before climbing into a comb and then across to the upper tramway station. After a brief look in the gift shop, a final 1.4km to the summit. Back the same way.

Conditions: initially hot sun but giving way to brief rain and cold wind on the top (thus dissuading us from a further excursion onto Indian Ridge this time).

Pub: Jasper Park Lodge for Big Rock Athabasca Ale.

Pyramid Lake and Patricia Lake run

A 16km run at the end of a lazy day settling into Jasper.

Route: from the Bear Hill Lodge along Bonhomme St to find the link to trail 2 at Pyramid Lake Road. Following this as it climbs gradually onto a shelf of higher ground behind the town and then descends gently to pass Pyramid Stables and then on to Pyramid Lake. Then back via trail 15 as far as trail 6e to join the Patricia Lake loop, leaving it for the 6a shortcut back to the 2 and then back to the start on this.

Conditions: warm, sunny but shaded.

Pub: initially bottled Phillips Hop Circle IPA back at Bear Hill Lodge but later the Jasper Brewery, Jasper for Jasper IPA.

Parker Ridge, Banff National Park

A 10km walk towards the end of a day driving from Calgary to Jasper.

Route: from the Parker Ridge trailhead on the Icefields Parkway, taking the well marked trail switch-backing up and over the ridge to a viewpoint (the precise location of which remained a mystery) over the Saskatchewan Glacier. Then backtracking to take a clear path left / north along the ridge to reach a preliminary high point before dropping to pick up minor hints of paths over two more subsidiary summits before the ridge narrows, becoming rockier and steeper to reach the end of the walker's ridge and a small rocky summit (the ridge itself continues to Mount Athabasca). Returning on the same path.

Conditions: on a day of warm sun cloudless skies as far as Bow Summit, a cloudy afternoon with the sound of thunder and heavy rain as we reached the car.

Pub: at the Bear Hill Lodge, Jasper, bottled Parallel 49 Brewing Company, Gypsy Tears Ruby Ale.

East End of Rundle

A short sharp scramble up a rocky spur, then a scree slope, to an airy summit ridge.

Route: from the Goat Creek car park 3km along a dirt road beyond the Canmore Nordic centre, backtracking 100m to find a distinct trail rising through trees to reach a steepening rocky spur and more or less following this until it reaches the broader scree strewn flank of the mountain. Zigzagging up this to reach a choice of paths: spurning the more exposed looking ridge path to the right for a path heading up and left into a gulley sloping diagonally right to cross a rock band and then on by a cairned route to the summit ridge with views back over Canmore but stopping short of the highest point in deference to T's now 'spronged' vertigo. Retracing the same route though with some use of the 'tough and rubbery' by one of us on the gulley descent.

Conditions: warm sun though cool air and still on the top.

Pub: The Wood Lounge, Canmore for Big Rock Monkey's Fist.

Highline Trail

A 14km jog to, and along, a section of trail below Mount Grassi.

Route: from the Bow Valley Motel, walking up Main St and then south along 8th Ave to reach the bank of the Bow. Then running north to the footbridge and south again on the other side along confusing paths between houses on the edge of town before rising to reach the Power Line trail. Taking a winding trail to to south heading uphill on switchbacks and rising 160m eventually to reach the Highline. Along it north west crossing four creeks to reach a descent to a car park then further west to descend steeply to cross two bridges and regain Canmore at Main St.

Conditions: after a morning of low cloud and heavy rain (a la Kendal), surprisingly sunny though shaded by trees.

Pub: the Wood Lounge for Big Rock, Monkey's Fist.

Fairview

A short, though on this occasion tiring, walk to a superb view with Gary, Owen, Seth and Lorne.

Route: the substantial Lake Louise car parks being full, leaving the car on the roadside descending the hill, to backtrack to find the Saddleback trail exiting the car park and then taking this, switchbacking first through forest, across old avalanche fields and rising to a saddle. After lunch, taking a rough path through scree to reach the ridge and thence to the summit. Back the same way.

Conditions: sunny to begin and then cloudy but, against the forecast, remaining dry.

Pub: perhaps mistakenly, the Lake Louise youth hostel (which had run out of cask beer and nice bottles) for Big Rock cider.

Nose Hill Park circuit

A brief evening run in the large grassland park to the north of Calgary on the second day of a Canada holiday.

Route: From the carpark at the end of Brisebois Drive, taking a narrow grassy path roughly north west uphill to meet a paved trail heading further northwest on the plateau towards the perimeter of the park. Then due east on a paved path before descending briefly to the north eastern edge. Walking back into the plateau and guessing the route along minor paths before descending, again, to the starting point.

Conditions: Despite a thunder warning, a dry if muggy evening.

Pub: Back to Gary and Shauna's house for bottled Grisly Paw beers and supper.

Barrier Lake Lookout

A shortish walk on a day of mixed weather with Gary, Shauna, Owen, Seth and Stirling and Ann.

Route: from the carpark at Barrier Lake Dam taking a track rising in switchbacks through trees to reach the ridge and along this for lunch near the strange reflector. Then on a less frequented and steeper path up the next ridge to reach the inhabited fire watch with views towards Canmore. Back the same way as the return tracks were closed because of recent flooding.

Conditions: initially a mix of cloud and sun but with more prolonged light rain on the return.

Pub: the Grisly Paw, Canmore for Rutting Elk Red, Grumpy Honey Wheat and some Stout, with Stirling and Ann.