Further information about walks and gigs for 2016 can be found here.
You can sponsor JJ for Macmillan by donating through his new Just Giving page here.

Early announcement of walking plans for this year can be found here

A number of people have shown interest in having a photobook from the walks this year. For the past three years, Fran and Tom have put a selection of photographs from that years walking tour into a photobook and sold it at cost price. Normally around £30-35. Previous years have been one week tour.

This year, we have done three sets of walks: the Big Session walk out of Buxton, the Ridgeway and the Lakes.

We propose to gather together a selection of pictures from each of these three into one photobook. As before, we will add JJ’s blogs to give some commentary to the photographs.

There have been many lovely photographs presented on Facebook. For a photobook, we really need the original photographs to get the quality when printed.

If you have photographs to contribute to this then please get in touch via info@jj-rr.org

You can either send in a cd, we can transfer them via “cloud storage”, or we can meet up.

The aim is to have the book ready well before Christmas. Please get your photographs to use by the end of October to give us time in November to create the book.

Fran & Tom

John writes: “Some fantastic photos and great comments tell their own story of our time in The Lakes. My thanks to the people of Threlkeld and all you walkers who surpassed yourselves in this inspiring and amazing landscape. 3 gigs within 300 metres of each other and all packed. My perfect tour!! Keep rambling. JJ”

… onto the summit of Blencathra. Led by Colin, supported by Boff and Ross, ably assisted by Aggie

Photograph by David Heppingstall

What a fantastic day! So pleased that everyone made it to the summit of Blencathra. Another divided walk – and our group had a great view of the other team scrambling up the exhilarating ascent via Hall’s Fell Ridge. We were there to applaud them and I felt very proud of them!

The weather has been incredible – I am so relieved when I think of how wet and windy October in the Lakes could have been. Instead it has been almost unreal – so still and beautiful.

We had a great house concert last night… I had a text from Benji Kirkpatrick, who couldn’t be there, saying that in his absence someone else needed to take over the telling of dreadful jokes on stage. As it turned out, this role was embraced by Lindsey!

Big thanks to Graham and Vanya for sharing their house with us – it’s been a treat.

Now the mood is exuberant as both groups of walkers are together, heading downhill …. towards the pub! 

JJ