Climbing Mount Everest - Virtually

Mt Everest Rdevany / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Inspired by a letter to The Times from Alan Phillips on 25 March 2020 about climbing Mount Everest via his staircase, I thought I might try something similar.

I calculate that a walk from home, at 112m above sea level, down to the River Evenlode, 90m, and up to the top of Pudlicote Lane at 190m is an ascent of 122m. The summit of Mount Everest is 8,848m above sea level; if I make this walk once a day it will take 73 days to climb the equivalent of the height of Mount Everest. I started on the day of the Coronavirus "lockdown" on 23rd March 2020 and hope to complete the ascent on 3rd June 2020.

To put this feeble effort into perspective, Jo 'climbs' Mt Everest about 5 times a year before breakfast!

The weather in late March and April has been unusually dry and sunny. These are some of the photographs I have taken; most have been taken with an iPhone 7, but a few with a Sony NEX 5. I'm afraid that they are a little repetitive as I only go up and down Pudlicote Lane.

Letter to the Editor — The Times - 25 March 2020

25 March 2020

Evenlode Valley - looking towards Shorthampton and Charlbury

April 2020

1 April 2020

6 April 2020

7 April 2020

Across the fields towards Ascott Under Wychwood

11 April 2020

Evenlode Valley - looking towards Charlbury

15 April 2020

18 April 2020

20 April 2020

24 April 2020

Pudlicote Lane - looking north past Chilson Farm

26 April 2020

A small additional climb today, through Chilson Hill, up to the bluebell woods on the edge of Wychwood Forest.

Pudlicote Lane- looking north from the River Evenlode

Down the road to Chadlington - Barters Hill

Daffodils planted last autumn, just flowering

Across the fields towards Chadlington - from Chilson Hill

Looking towards Shorthampton from Chilson — Looking towards Shorthampton from south of Chilson

27 April 2020

Pudlicote Lane - looking north from Pudlicote Farm

Pudlicote Lane and junction with road to Chadlington

28 April 2020

After weeks of glorious sunshine the weather has turned cold and rainy. Not good for little lambs. Ed has told me that sheep tend to choose to be solitary when they give birth, leaving the flock and heading for high ground when they can find it. I have seen two new-born lambs and their mothers at this spot, in just about the highest part of the field.

It was also the day the repairs to the drystone wall damaged in the July 2007 storms started! Not to mention, the day I reached the half-way point up Everest...

Cold, wet lamb with mother - Pudlicote Farm

View from the drive to Pudlicote Farm, towards Charlbury — View from the drive to Pudlicote Farm, over the Evenlode valley towards Charlbury

Bridleway to Chadlington, along the River Evenlode

Pudlicote Lane - looking from the River Evenlode towards Chilson. Today, the repairs to the walls damaged in July 2007 started!

29 April 2020

I noticed the cattle in the 'park' on my normal walk last week. Today I took a diversion on my descent to visit the cattle. They are Herefords.

From the railway bridge towards Pudlicote

Towards Ascott Under Wychwood. Compare with earlier

Cowslips on the verge - past their best, but still attractive

Uphill towards the Scots pine trees (north)

Across the fields from the bridleway to Ascott Under Wychwood, towards Chilson

From the railway bridge, looking south west

30 April 2020

Black Pines at junction of Pudlicote Lane and Barters Hill

Oh no - here comes the rain. Looking over the Evenlode Valley

May 2020

1 May 2020

The Black Pines, looking towards Pudlicote and Chilson

2 May 2020

Drystone wall repairs by the River Evenlode

View through the Black Pines over the Evenlode Valley — I never tire of this view through the Black Pines over the Evenlode Valley

View down Pudlicote Lane looking south from Pudlicote House

3 May 2020

Today the weather was grey and cloudy. As a result my attention turned to the verges rather than the horizon. Flora is therefore the theme of the day.

I also learnt that whilst the iPhone 7 can take some surprisingly good landscape photos (considering the photographer), close-ups of flowers aren't its strong point.

White Dead-Nettle with Creeping Buttercup

Pattern on the bark of the Black Pine - height about 20cm

4 May 2020

5 May 2020

6 May 2020

Today is the 45th day since 'lockdown' and the 45th time I have walked up to the Black Pine trees close to where Pudlicote Lane meets the A361. 'Climbing' 122metres per day means I have now ascended 5,490 metres. Everest Base Camp is 5,380 metres - I've reached Base Camp! (My respect for Alan Phillips and his wife grows daily!)

I first thought I heard a cuckoo on 25th April. I definitely heard one today, from the direction of Chadlington. On a separate note, I am told that sheep shearing is starting today at Pudlicote Farm.

Having reached Base Camp I allowed myself a diversion, going down Barters Hill (the road from the Black Pines to Chadlington) and returning along the footpath through Lower Court Farm to Pudlicote. My main reason for this route was that Jo had alerted me to some caterpillar 'nests' on Barters Hill, and I had to see them for myself. We have since established that they are caterpillars of the 'Small Eggar' moth (Eriogaster lanestris).

Chilson and Ascott Under Wychwood from Barters Hill

Wall repair continues. Black poplar still not in leaf

7 May 2020

8 May 2020

Who said it's quiet in the countryside? Recorded on the path from Lower Court Farm to Pudlicote at about 10:45am. A woodpecker can be heard at 4 seconds into the recording. (Turn your speakers on!)

Small Eggar moth caterpillars going out for breakfast

9 May 2020

Buttercups in the 'Park' meadow — Buttercups in the Pudlicote 'Park' meadow - from the footpath to Ascott Under Wychwood

White poplars at the edge of Pudlicote 'Park'

10 May 2020

Hare crossing the road by Pudlicote Farm

Periwinkle - Vinca Minor. by the bridge over the Evenlode

11 May 2020

12 May 2020

Looking towards Shepherd's Cottage from the railway bridge

Looking towards Charlbury from the Black Pines

Over the fields towards Ascott Under Wychwood — Over the fields towards Shepherd's Cottage and Ascott Under Wychwood

13 May 2020

View from the Black Pines towards Chilson

Drystone wall next to River Evenlode - one side finished

14 May 2020

Sheep and lambs on path to Ascott Under Wychwood

Mid-May and narcissus still in bloom in the Copse

15 May 2020

From Pudlicote Lane, towards Ascott Under Wychwood - the Moon is just visible

17 May 2020

To date I have taken my daily walk in the morning. The thought of leaving it until the afternoon hangs over me like the Sword of Damocles, so best avoided. Today, however, with the morning dull and mainly cloudy I thought I would wait until the afternoon in the hope that the afternoon sun would cast some different shadows and add some variety to the photographs. However, the afternoon still had a lot of cloud cover, and the hoped for strong late afternoon shadows didn't appear,

As previously, when overcast, my gaze fell on the verge and hedgerow and as a result I saw my first wild rose and dewberry in flower.

First wild rose on Pudlicote Lane (Dog Rose)

First blackberry flower (later edited to Dewberry)

From the entrance to Pudlicote Farm, towards Charlbury

19 May 2020

Looking towards Pudlicote from the railway bridge

Looking towards the River Evenlode from the railway bridge

Common mallow in the verge between Pudlicote House and the Scots pines

20 May 2020

Looking towards Pudlicote - with aircraft vapour trails

Looking towards Ascott Under Wychwood, from north of Pudlicote

Entrance to Pudlicote House - hedge now in full leaf

21 May 2020

For a change I took my Sony NEX 5 camera, fitted with a 16mm lens (relatively wide angle). The field of view is perhaps marginally wider than the iPhone, but not significantly. Interestingly the skies don't seem quite as blue, but as I didn't take any photos with the iPhone I don't have a control - perhaps an experiment for another day.

View towards Pudlicote from the railway bridge

View towards Chilson from the railway bridge

Marguerite in the verge — Oxeye Daisy in the verge

Railway, looking towards Ascott Under Wychwood

22 May 2020

23 May 2020

24 May 2020

Yesterday we had a couple of very light showers. The weather forecast for the next week is for sunshine (again). Grass has been cut for silage (or hay?). Last Sunday I saw a couple of open wild dog roses, today they seem to be in full bloom.

One way or another, there has been a lot of drystone wall repairs in the village this year...

Wild roses in full bloom in hedgerow between Pudlicote and the river

25 May 2020

The day dawned with clear, blue skies, again.

View towards Pudlicote from railway bridge

Black poplar in leaf at last, and repaired drystone wall

Looking towards Ascott Under Wychwood from opposite Pudlicote Farm entrance

View towards Chilson from the Black Pines

Newly cut hay, looking towards Pudlicote House

26 May 2020

Looking towards the Black Pines, up Pudlicote Lane

Looking from the Black Pines, down Pudlicote Lane

View towards Ascott Under Wychwood, from 'middle gate'

28 May 2020

It seems summer has almost crept up on us. The spring flowers are fading and early summer ones coming into bloom, almost without me really realising. Cowparsley is going to seed, especially where it isn't in shade, and in its place hogweed in the verges and elder and wild roses in the hedgerow; the latter in abundance in the lane above the entrance to Pudlicote Farm.

Looking towards Chilson from the Black Pines

29 May 2020

29th May is the anniversary of the first ascent of Mount Everest. Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Nepalese sherpa reached the summit of Mount Everest at 11:30am on 29th May 1953. News of the ascent wouldn't reach the UK until 2nd June 1953, Queen Elizabeth II's coronation day. A full account of the expedition can be found on Wikipedia. I was interested to read that Edmund Hillary's profession was given as 'Apiarist', not an obvious career for a mountain climber.

One other random fact is that Nepal is the only sovereign state not to have a rectangular national flag. It comprises two triangles. (And there are only two national flags that are square...)

Here in Chilson the day has dawned with a clear blue sky again.

Looking north over the fields from the entrance to Pudlicote Farm

The view looking west towards Shepherd's Cottage from the entrance to Pudlicote Farm

Trees planted next to the River Evenlode and the new drystone wall

30 May 2020

Another day that has dawned with clear blue skies.

Looking up Pudlicote Lane from above Pudlicote Farm

Across the Evenlode Valley towards Ascott Under Wychwood

The bridge over the River Evenlode, with black poplar — The bridge over the River Evenlode and the black poplar

31 May 2020

And yet another day with clear blue skies.

From opposite Pudlicote Farm entrance, looking towards Ascott Under Wychwood

June 2020

Summer, at last!

1 June 2020

Blue skies again.

Meadow Cranesbill in the verge between the railway and river bridges

2 June 2020

View from middle gate towards Ascott Under Wychwood

View from the Black Pines towards Charlbury

Looking towards Shorthampton from between the railway and river bridges

3 June 2020

I've done it. I've 'climbed' the equivalent of the height of Mount Everest. And to my surprise I now find myself in Scotland! I calculate that I have walked a total of 251 miles (probably a little more if I take my various excursions into account). From home to Gretna Green is 250 miles. So Scotland it is. And to coincide with my arrival in Scotland today's walk took place in light rain and a thistle came into bloom to greet me!

I have written a little more about my walk and thoughts in the Epilogue.