Mikes weather bits & Photo Blog: More Brexit battles & A great walk on a sunny Kinder yesterday

The main headline is all about Brexit and "Vote Leave", we received our leaflet yesterday from the Gov about staying in the EU. Once we have read it i shall be sending it back to number 10 - - - the banner about the cost of refugees isn't new but the £ figure keeps rising! - - -

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The dreaded plastic bins which adorn our every street and roadside are an eyesore aren't they! WE have a neighbour who insists on putting out "everyones" bins the day before collection and then almost following the binmen to return them to their respective owners on collection day. "Bintime" is normally 07:00 but last week they were an hour late and as the neighbour was leaving the terrace in his car he noticed the binmen and reversed back into his parking spot and returned the bins! OCD or what!

I digress, the story around the photo above is from Hull Council telling users that they will confiscate bins if they dont keep them clean. The article then turns into a litany of do's and dont's about recycling and information that the council is spending £100,00 hiring consultants to educate the populace! - - -

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whilst on the daily bird feeding and looking around the garden i noticed that the sweet pea seeds i planted last week are starting to move, it will be a long time before they are ready to go out into the garden though

alongside the seeds is the grape vine which always looks like a dead stick through out the winter i blogged about the sap beginning to rise 3 weeks ago and the leaves are well into opening right now. It grows so vigorously that we have to constantly cut it back or it will fill the green house. We let it go one year and it did just that. An acquaintance at the lunch venue owns a small vineyard locally and has been giving us tips on producing the best grapes, fingers crossed

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I organised to walk Kinder Scout with a friend of a friend some time ago and watching the weather reports over the last few weeks it didn't look a promising outlook for the walk which was yesterday

Undaunted i set off just before 07:00 in fog with viz down to a 100 metres or so but listening to the various weather reports they were super optimistic of it clearing soon and giving us a sunny day

Most of the route was shrouded in the fog but as i got to Bamford railway station and dodged around the early morning commuters i thought it looked a little lighter but then the gloom returned

As i got to Ladybower reservoir and turned onto the Snake Pass road the fog just disappeared and i knew then it was going to be a clear day walk

I met up with Paul at the Inn and after a few preliminaries we set off through the woods to the start of the walk

once out onto the moorland i got out my map and briefed Paul about the route

I had explained in an e mail that the first part was a bit of a flog and as we gained the height we could see the Inn gradually getting smaller below us. I had used this walk to train for the 3 Peaks challenge many years ago and my last visit was in January this year when it was all covered in snow

we make Seal Stones with all the serious climbing now over

and i point out Fairbrook Naze a few km's away. Paul imagined we would be going down this back to the Inn but i reminded him of the route which was "a little further"

well on the way to Fairbrook Naze we stop for a swig of water looking back around the ridge we have just traversed

Paul takes a photo at Fairbrook Naze

making our way along "The Edge" we get to the Pennine way and see our first walkers. This turns out to be a leader of a Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme group that are camping at the same spot as Paul

turning off the PW we walk down the Snake Track & Ashop Clough back towards the Inn with the ridge we have just walked along towering above us

the track is fairly wet but the old pond is dry and i explain that its a good indication that we haven't had a lot of rain. Usually through the winter it is full and has a few ducks on it

Paul takes a last picture as we prepare to leave the moor at Lady Clough Wood.

just before the Inn i snap the ridge where we began in the distance

A well earned bit of refreshment at the Inn before we head off in our separate directions.

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WEATHER TODAY

This morning the rain has been hammering down and i imagine the views up on Kinder are not up to much in the rain clouds!

The Netweather display shows we are just about to get a belt of rain and with other patches approaching us it could be a bit of a showery day

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Almost on the mild side this morning, i normally consider 8c as being mild. The "rain in last hour" figure looks as if its going to be added to quite soon