I have it on good authority that Dartmoor is the haunt of pixies, a headless horseman, a mysterious pack of "spectral hounds", and a large black dog, and during the Great Thunderstorm of 1638, it was visited by the Devil. For this reason we will be camping at Princetown, whose own motley inhabitants are securely locked up, whilst we can enjoy the facilities of the Plume of Feathers Pub http://theplumeoffeathersdartmoor.co.uk/

In fact we are staying in the pub garden! They even do breakfast if you are organised enough to ask for it when you arrive, which should be before the pub shuts on Friday, it being (hopefully) a fairly quick nip down the motorway after work… (relatively of course)

Although Dartmoor is often passed over by those rushing to the granite of the Cornish sea cliffs, there’s some granite here too: https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/destinations/dartmoor-8950

Also some great walking – especially if you are into stones: check out the stone circles or the lost bits of London Bridge http://www.cabbieblog.com/lost-bits-of-london-bridge/

It is also the only place where local common law allows you to wild camp in an English National Park (see the National Park interactive wild camping map http://www.dartmoor.gov.uk/about-us/about-us-maps/new-camping-map). Please respect the byelaws.

In fact I will already be doing just this with a few other hoppers, and if you want to join us on Saturday night let me know when you sign up and I’ll provide details for meeting up: we will be some where round Evil Combe or Dead Man’s Bottom! But make sure you sort out your return lifts with your drivers or you may be there longer than you planned… and I haven’t even mentioned the Beast yet: its probably just a big pussy cat… but who knows, when the pixies are about.

No doubt including a visit to Eric's cafe

We are going to MaGillycuddy’s Reeks, Ireland’s premier range of mountains, home to its four highest summits, and a further seven tops in excess of 3000 feet (914 metres). It's a compact range, so it is possible to traverse the main ridge in one long day (probably fairly similar to the traverse of the Mamores in Scotland), but it is probably best divided down into more manageable sections. The western end of the range has the highest mountains, which can be linked by an impressive horseshoe walk which involves a little easy scrambling. The eastern end is defined by the impressive Gap of Dunloe, and the lower mountains to the east of this feature have excellent views over Killarney National Park with its fine lakes and rivers.

An alternative walking venue is the Dingle Peninsula, which has slightly lower, grassier, and more rounded range of mountains along its spine, but is still home to Ireland’s only 3000 foot mountain outside the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks. Access to these mountains is quicker and less effort, thanks to a couple of high road passes which save a lot of slogging uphill! In addition there are beautiful coastal walks and fine beaches in this area. Its about an hour’s drive from Killarney.

Please book as soon as possible. This is very much in your interest, as the cost of flights and hire cars will only increase. I also won’t be booking a campsite until I have an idea of how many people are attending the trip - so the sooner you book the better the campsite is likely to be.

Book through the website. In order to group members together in hire cars from the airport we will need to know your preferred arrival airport, and the date and time of your flight. Please use the Leaving Place/Time fields for this, and add a comment if you are prepared to be flexible. You will also need to use the comments for your preferred return date and flight time. If you are prepared to hire a car please say so - once we have four people who intend travelling to/from the same airport then they can organise themselves into a car and book their flights. The sooner you book, the easier this process will be.

If you are travelling independently either before or after the trip (so you don’t need a car to or from the airport) then again please say so. Communication is good - it helps to avoid confusion!! Please don’t assume other people attending the trip can mind read.

Dark or light?

It's that time again when Rockhoppers give something back to the great outdoors. Once again we've teamed up with The Snowdonia Society to volunteer at their annual Make A Difference festival in Beddgelert. We'll be fixing up the environment with path building and rhododendron bashing together with other groups at the National Trust's own private campsite. And... there's a free barbecue and entertainment too!

Arguably the best climbing in the UK!

Wintours Leap area

The beautiful Isle of Purbeck