30/7/24 NEW CROSS iNN - LYDiA LUNCH
14/9/24 - CONVOY CABARET FERN HiLL FARM -DOGSHiTE, PiZZA TRAMP , WONK UNiT
20/9/24 - OXFORD BULLY - MELT BANANA, UNMAN
31/10/24 - FiNNiSH CHURCH LONDON - AGENTS OF THE LEXiCON, KLANK MONSTER
5/11/24 - OXFORD JERiCHO - CHERUBS , RiD OF ME
8/11/24 - OXFORD JERiCHO - MASTER ELEMANZA , Si-RO
19/12/24 - DUBLiN CASTLE - RUDE MECHANiCALS , LiVONiAN NiGHTS
THE FiVE GATES OF HELL - RUPERT THOMSON
LULLABY - CHUCK PALAHNiUK
THE JULiETTE SOCiETY - SASHA GREY
TiETAM BROWN - MiCK FOLEY
FLORViLLE AND COURVAL - MARQUiS DE SADE
THE 120 DAYS OF SODOM - MARQUiS DE SADE
BLACK MISCHiEF - EVELYN WAUGH
CONSOLATiON OF PHiLOSOPHY - BOETHiUS
THE LONG PLAYER GOODBYE - TRAViS ELBOROUGH
THE PECULiAR LiFE OF A LONELY POSTMAN - DENIS THERiAULT
SETTiNG FREE THE BEARS - JOHN iRViNG
THE YEAR OF THE LOCUST - TERRY HAYES
WHiT - iAiN BANKS
i AM AN EXECUTiONER - RAJESH PARAMESWARAN
HEAD-ON - JULiAN COPE
THE HiSTORY OF BEES - MAJA LUNDE
REPOSSESSED - JULiAN COPE
THE BiBLE - ENGLiSH STANDARD VERSiON
A KEEPER - GRAHAM NORTON
THE DiSPOSSESSED - URSULA K. LE GUiN
THE PRISONER - B A PARiS
STRANGE SALLY DIAMOND - LiZ NUGENT
THE POWER OF NOW - ECKHART TOLLE
SUCH A FUN AGE - KiLEY REiD
MR PHiLLiPS - JOHN LANCHESTER
CHiLDREN OF PARADiSE - CAMILLA GRUDOVA
BONE iN THE THROAT - ANTHONY BOURDAiN
iSLAND - ALDOUS HUXLEY
DEATH AT THE SiGN OF THE ROOK - KATE ATKiNSON
THE AMBASSADORS - HENRY JAMES
MY LiFE WiTH THE DWARVES - VADGE MOORE
MY LiFE AFTER THE DWARVES - VADGE MOORE
A BiT OF A STRETCH - CHRiS ATKiNS
THE THiEFS JOURNAL - JEAN GENET
So I realised that for a couple of weeks in January 2023 Dad, Rachie and Me are half each others ages.
So of course you celebrate these once in a lifetime occurrences by climbing a mountain.
Witney 6AM>Wasdale head car park 11AM>walking 11.30AM>back to car 3.30PM>Witney 10PM
Here's Dad (72) ,Me (36) and Rachie (18) climbing Scafell pike on a bloody cold misty January Sunday.
PLEASE TAKE ME OFF THE GUEST LiST- ZACHARY LiPEZ
HOUSE OF LEAVES - MARK Z DANiELEWSKi
THE HOT ZONE - RiCHARD PRESTON
GATHERiNG BLUE - LOiS LOWRY
THE ROSiE PROJECT - GRAEME SiMSiON
DiE TRYiNG - LEE CHiLD
THE CONSUMER - MiCHAEL GiRA
THE ROSiE EFFECT - GRAEME SiMSiON
MESSENGER- LOiS LOWRY
SON- LOiS LOWRY
THE BASKETBALL DiARiES - JiM CARROLL
THE ROSiE RESULT - GRAEME SiMSiON
THE BAD BEGiNNiNG - LEMONY SNiCKET
ATLAS SHRUGGED - AYN RAND
THE PECULiAR MEMORiES OF THOMAS PENMAN- BRUCE ROBiNSON
KiNDRED- OCTAViA E BUTLER
DEViL iN A COMA - MARK LANEGAN
WiNESBURG OHIO - SHERWOOD ANDERSON
THE HANDMAiDS TALE - MARGARET ATWOOD
UNLiKELY PiLGRiMAGE OF HAROLD FRY - RACHEL JOYCE
THE TESTAMENTS- MARGARET ATWOOD
GOD KNOWS - JOSEPH HELLER
NOVEL OF THE WHiTE POWDER- ARTHUR MACHEN
DARK HORSE- GREGG HURWiTZ
GYPSY BOY- MiKEY WALSH
SONG OF THE PSYCHOPATH- MARK TiLBURY
THE WiTCHES OF EASTWiCK- JOHN UPDiKE
i AM PiLGRiM -TERRY HAYES
THE WiDOWS OF EASTWiCK- JOHN UPDiKE
PLAYER PiANO- KURT VONNEGUT
CONVENiENCE STORE WOMAN-SAYAKA MURATA
DRACULA-BRAM STOKER
MOBY DiCK-HERMAN MELViLLE
DOiNG iT-MELViN BURGESS
LONG HARD ROAD OUT OF HELL - MARiLYN MANSON
THE WORLD ACCORDiNG TO GARP- JOHN iRViNG
THE SATANiC BiBLE- ANTON LAVEY
THE JUNGLE BOOK- RUDYARD KiPLiNG
THE TELEPORTATiON ACCiDENT- NED BEAUMAN
THE FOOTBALL FACTORY-JOHN KiNG
ELEANOR OLiPHANT iS COMPLETELY FiNE-GAiL HONEYMAN
NERDY SHY AND SOCiALLY iNAPPROPRiATE-CYNTHiA KiM
THE WiSDOM OF THE HEART - HENRY MiLLER
A DRAG QUEEN'S GUiDE TO LiFE- BiMiNi BON-BOULASH
THE STORYTELLER - DAVE GROHL
MAKE SOMETHiNG UP -CHUCK PALAHNiUK
SEVENTEEN:LAST MAN STANDiNG - JOHN BROWNLOW
RAiSE HiGH THE ROOF BEAM,CARPENTERS/SEYMOUR:AN iNTRODUCTION -JD SALiNGER
WHEN GOD WAS A RABBiT - SARAH WiNMAN
MiSUNDERSTOOD-THE BRiAN MOLKO STORY- CHLOE GOVAN
STONEMOUTH - iAiN BANKS
THE RULES OF ATTRACTiON- BRET EASTON ELLiS
HE STARTED iT- SAMANTHA DOWNiNG
WUTHERiNG HEiGHTS - EMiLY BRONTE
OF THE FARM - JOHN UPDiKE
LiPS UNSEALED - BELiNDA CARLiSLE
THE SUiCiDE SHOP - JEAN TEULE
A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN - BETTY SMiTH
NINA - BLAG DAHLiA
NO - BOYD RiCE
STRAIGHT TO HELL 20TH CENTURY SUICIDES
THE AMBER SPYGLASS - PHiLiP PULLMAN
SWANS SACRIFICE AND TRANSCENDENCE
MEIN KAMPF (ADOLFO HiTLERO)
SKAGBOYS - iRViNE WELSH
I'M A THERAPIST AND MY PATIENT IS GOING TO BE THE NEXT SCHOOL SHOOTER
I'M A THERAPIST AND MY PATIENT IS IN LOVE WITH A PEDOPHILE
I'M A THERAPIST AND MY PATIENT IS A VEGAN TERRORIST -DR HARPER
THEY IS US -TAMA JANOWiTZ
THE BOOK OF DUST - PHILiP PULLMAN
THE BOOK OF DUST 2 - PHiLiP PULLMAN
CYBERSEX (VARiOUS SHORT STORiES)
DUST AND GROOVES - EiLON PAZ
THE CANAL -LEE ROURKE
THE YEAR OF THE FLOOD - MARGARET ATWOOD
THE PSYCHOPATH TEST - JON RONSON
ANNIE SPRINKLES POST PORN MODERNIST
MADDADDAM - MARGART ATWOOD
THE NEW PRIMAL SCREAM - DR ARTHUR JANOV
RENEGADE-LIVES AND TALES OF MARK E SMITH
THE BLADE ARTIST- iRViNE WELSH
ORPHAN X -GREGG HURWiTZ
FACTOTUM - CHARLES BUKOWSKi
THEM - JON RONSON
CLOUD OF UNKNOWING - ANONYMOUS AUTHOR
COUPLES -JOHN UPDiKE
THE NOWHERE MAN - GREGG HURWiTZ
HOW TO BE GOOD - NiCK HORNBY
IN SEARCH OF THE PLEASURE PALACE -MARC ALMOND
HELLBENT - GREGG HURWiTZ
TO THROW AWAY UNOPENED -VIV ALBERTINE
OUT OF THE DARK - GREGG HURWiTZ
THE SOCIOPATH NEXT DOOR - MARTHA STOUT
INTO THE FIRE - GREGG HURWiTZ
BOOK OF FRIENDS -HENRY MILLER
PRODIGAL SON - GREGG HURWiTZ
A SPY IN THE HOUSE OF LOVE - ANAiS NiN
UNCLE WILLIES HIGHLY OPINIONATED GUIDE TO THE RESIDENTS
HIT SO HARD -PATTY SCHEMEL
BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE MUSEUM - KATE ATKiNSON
THIS BOYS LIFE - TOBiAS WOLFF
THE HEPATITUS BATHTUB AND OTHER STORIES - NOFX
ME AND MR CIGAR - GiBBY HAYNES
HEAVIER THAN HEAVEN - CHARLES R CROSS
LYING IN WAIT - LiZ NUGENT
THE GIVER - LOiS LOWRY
THE ROAD - CORMAC MCCARTHY
Tuesday 18th May- Drive for about 6 hours to eventually get to Wasdale head car park. Foolishly pay for "all day" parking, then proceed to walk to the top of Scafell pike in 1 hour and 15 minutes, I actually had to check with people, is this it? this is the highest point? I guess I walked the direct route, this was easier than cat bells, yet cat bells is half the height.
Wednesday 19th May - Drive the nice little 17 mile trip to Helvellyn from where I am staying in Keswick. Leave car park at 9.40am, climb up striding edge, across the top, then down swirral edge, then walk back around the mountain back to car park by 12.25. So 2 hours 45 minutes round trip, ignore google saying this is 6 hours plus. I am fast though and only one old chap went by me who was very experienced and was running. I didn't want to run as I wanted to see how long it would take me at my natural pace.
later on Wednesday 19th may.....
I went and had a look at the stone circle on my way back to Keswick, sat by some sheep shit and read my book and ate for a while, then tried to go back to hotel, but couldn't find anywhere to park, so drove to the lay-by by Scales village and climbed Blencathra.
Blencathra is in my opinion a much scarier climb than Helvellyn.
I went up sharp edge, and this felt a lot more dangerous than striding edge. I think this is largely because no one else was around, I could only see one other person way up ahead of me on sharp edge, and very few people on the other routes, whereas Helvellyn seems a lot busier so you feel confidence in numbers.
Once on the top I came back down on Halls fell ridge. This was great and lasts a lot longer than swirral edge. I imagine climbing up this way would be a lot of fun as it would be climbing for a long time rather than the endless walking up slopes that mountains have so much of.
I think I took about 3 hours total to get back to the car so similar size walk as doing Helvellyn, but a lot more of this is fun climbing and less up hill walking for ages just to get to the mountain. So I would certainly recommend Blencathra as being just as much fun if not more fun than Helvellyn so it seems a shame it was so empty, or perhaps I just picked a very quiet time at 3pm on a very sunny day.
Thursday and Friday rained so I didn't do any other mountains although the blister on my foot wouldn't have been happy with more anyway. This is what happens when you think you are clever going up mountains in a pair of old Nike air max without the laces done up.
