Picture

Just trying to resolve my photo problem.

As you can see above, the problem of sending photo's is now resolved.

As is usually the way, the problem is not the tool but the one that's using it. I read blogger help and found that blogger will only allow images up to 250kb's.  I found the settings for the phone camera and it seems that the camera on the HTC Desire is better than i thought and the images i had been taking and trying to send were all around 900kb. So now that i have reduced the quality below 250kb's the image has finally made it's way through the revolving doors of cyberspace, collected £200 and not gone to jail.
The image is not too bad either considering this one is only 109kb.

Well that's another bit of techno learning curve well and truly learn't.

Sent from my HTC

Home and that sunset.

  Back home and although only away for a week it was still a shock to the system leaving 30 degrees C in Greece and stepping back into Blighty with 13 degrees C with wind and rain. It's also very grey here.

  It’s been a very interesting and worthwhile trip and i hope there will be more to come on this soon.

  My phone is still refusing to send any photographs for some reason. It will send text to a new post but point blank refuses to send a picture from the phone memory. The email address is correct or the text would not arrive on the blog, which it does.
There is plenty of cash on the phone so it has nothing to do with that.
The internet is working fine.

  If any phone experts reading this has any suggestions,  apart from bin my HTC Desire, (Bloody HTC,  JJ). I would be very pleased to hear from you as it’s so annoying and now i am baffled.

  So here is the photo i was trying to send a few days ago and also a few more, now that i actually can.

The above photographs have not been enhanced using editing software. The colours are as happened.

 Sheila also did well with her bag for this trip. Her bag included seven “outfits” for the seven nights we were there. Ladies you will understand why seven would be needed and not say 4 and wear them twice like i suggested. However, her prudence with not taking any “Just in case” items resulted in us having only hand luggage. We were through the airports like whippets.

The whole lot weighed 4 Kilo going and 4.5 kilo coming back. We bought a couple of items to bring home, as you do.
 Sheila has suggested that next time she will travel lighter. We will see.

Technical Hitch

For some reason or other my phone has decided it doesn't want to send photos right now and will only send text. Sorry about this as i really wanted to share a wonderful sunset picture.
I have no idea what the problem is. The sent post ends up in my drafts folder but it has no info attached. I will look into it when i get home on Monday.
Possibly i may have overdone my allowance.

Last night believe it or not was extremely gale force and we did get some rain but its warm stuff and it doesn't matter. You don't get wet in the pub.

We are enjoying our short break. Pity its only a week. Good to see some old friends though.

I have a couple of gear reviews/posts to finish when i get back home. So plenty to do.

Martin, enjoy your Cumbria trip and i will have a look at your photographs of the last trip as well soon.

Greece break

We decided that enough was enough of the weather in UK. So we picked a holiday and went to Greece.
The island we are on has some lovely walking opportunities and we will do a couple of walks.
We only have 1 week and Sheila needs to chill out so it looks like I will have to suffer lying in the sun, drinking beer, eating yogurt and honey and finding the best stifado.

Sent from my HTC

Gairloch Photo's

 Back home from Gairloch, washing done, gear sorted. That only left the hundreds of photo’s we took, to go through. Sort out the dross and pick which one’s were ok to post.
It is so good to have a WiFi connection back on for the internet. It drove us almost to despair in Gairloch just being able to email or text but we couldn’t google search or see a web site or send photographs.
 It’s not until you have no internet that you realise how much we have become dependant on it for so much.
 So, there are 102 photo’s to see if you wish to do so. Step through our window (well click on the link below), and have a look at what there is to see in the area.

Link to photo’s. View here.

The slideshow button is on the right hand side of the page, 2nd line down.

     Hope you enjoy them as much as we did taking them. The light in the morning and evening is as good as you can get. It’s no wonder there are so many pro photographers living in this area. And it was a real surprise to find out just how many of the local residents are English.

Gairloch to Kinlochleven

 We decided that we would give the A9 a miss on the way home and so we checked the yellow pages for a phone number of any places with vacancies. We got in at the Macdonald Hotel at the end of Loch Leven. Well known to TGO challengers and why not, it's a good stopping point.

 On the drive south we stopped off in Torridon, Strathcarron, Plockton, Sheil Bridge, Spean Bridge and Fort William. We were in no rush and it was a pleasure to actually stop off instead of rushing past these lovely places. Unfortunately the rain didn't abate much but today it didn't matter. As we passed through Lochcarron we noticed the frost on the tops.

 Lunch time came in the shape of the Clunie Inn, its changed since i was last in but it was ok.

 So here we are with WiFi internet, YES!!!
So here's a piccy to be going on with.

More soon.

Gairloch - Friday

A complete and utter washout. If it stopped raining i must have closed my eyes for a minute. Louise you put us onto the Museum and it was worth the entry fee of £4.
Far more useful than the information centre.

In the evening the wind picked up and it was a really storm night. We stayed indoors and reflected on the fact that at least we were not camping.

Not a single photograph taken all day.

Gairloch Thursday.

 A bright morning with clear views of the hills. Sheila and I decided to go for a run and just as we set off it started to rain. Fortunately it was just a short shower. We ran from Gairloch to the turn off to Big Sands and back which is roughly 9km of undulations. My Achilles tendon was playing up and although i finished the run it's a bit painful now.

 Back at base and showered the day was indeed getting hotter. The weather here changes hour to hour as well as day by day. We decided to go and have a look at the area south of Gairloch bay. To Port Henderson and Red Point.

 Just passing the Sheildaig Hotel we spotted the most herons ever seen in one place. It was a strange sight, we counted  20 of them and they were equally spaced along the shoreline just like match anglers.
 The car park used by walkers going to Fairy Lochs was packed. Obviously taking the opportunity of the good weather today.

 As we rounded the headland at Port Henderson the views were amazing. We could see the Outer Hebrides clearly and Skye was so close you could almost touch it. Blaven and the Coulin ridge was magnificent, looking better than i have ever seen it before.

 Getting to Red Point, there were plenty of people about but the car park wasn't full. We had a walk about along the edge taking photo's. The light here on a day like this, just wonderful.

On the drive back to Gairloch we stopped for a coffee at a lovely off road spot with terrific views of Baosbheinn and Beinn an Eoin beyond. The south end of Baosbheinn looked extremely difficult. The whole view south looking at the Torridon range, Beinn Alligin  and Sgurr Mhor again magnificent

 Martin you are right, we should have done at least one of those tops but there are 3 of us and it's not particularly a walking holiday. More a holiday with some walking. We will be back here to do them soon i hope.

 We called in to the Community Hall where a sale of outdoor gear was being held but nothing took my fancy.

 The sun going down in a clear sky sparkled on a calm sea as we made our way to the Melvaig Inn for our evening meal. We hadn't booked a table, just took a chance. We were lucky, after us they turned everyone away. Louise you kept this a secret. Without doubt this was the best meal we had all week.
Whitebait, Scallops, Lemon Sole, fresh bread, butter and garlic sauce. Apple crumble with cream, custard or ice cream. Cask beers. And a reasonable price too.

 Back at base we sat in the garden, hopeful that we might see a shooting star. We didn't but never mind it was a lovely night.
Hope tomorrow is as nice as today.

Gairloch - Wednesday.

 A new day with new hopes of a brighter dry day. Looked out the window and yes! It was raining. But it was brighter. Bright rain i suppose. We had no need to rush around we leisurely had breakfast and packed the rucksack with the waterproofs and set off to the car park at the pier.

 It stopped raining, but i kept my overtrousers on and discarded the gaiters. We were off into the hills. Not high ones mind, we couldn't see them. But hills anyway.

 The path went up past the waterfalls in Flowerdale and beyond to the watershed which i think is also the estate boundary. A good stile got us up and over the deer fence without any problems and a thin track led us up to an old sheepfold underneath the crags of An Groban (383Metres).  Taking a thin overgrown track that roughly goes North following the outflow from Loch Airigh a Phuill, then East and then South we gained height to a small bealach before reaching the top of An Groban. On the way up the lower hill tops had been clear but as would have it by the time we got to the top it had clagged in. Typical i thought, all the effort for nothing. No view. I was hoping that we would see Loch Maree from here but i wasn't going to find out.

 We stayed around the summit trig point for 5 minutes in the hope that it would clear but it wasn't to be and so we moved off back down to the bealach and took a slightly different descent down to the outflow. Finding a suitable place to cross we picked out a route which would take us east up to the twin summited top of Meall Fuaraidh.

 It was a really interesting route, we stopped numerous times to look at eratics. An awful lot of red granite seems to have been deposited up here, some huge boulders perched precariously as well as the small stones which seem to have been collected and used as cairns.

 We crossed to get the views from both tops and the mist started to clear from the east giving some interrupted views of the higher peaks of Beinn Airigh Charr and Meall Mheinnidh and more.
 This area although not high in mountain terms is absolutely stunning. The tops surrounding loch Airigh a Phuill, Loch na Feithe Mugaig and Loch Airigh Mhic Criadh are simply wonderful. In some ways it reminded us of our recent visit to the Galloway hills and lochs.

 We stopped for a coffee and was immediately inundated with the dreaded you know what. Little biting beasties. The midge nets came out and waterproofs were donned until we set off again. There was no breeze to keep them at bay and i'm sure that because they never got fed yesterday they were ravenous today.

 It is definitely worth putting on your list if you have never done this area before, like ourselves.  Without a shadow of a doubt you would enjoy a short backpacking trip to cover all these relatively low tops in a weekend. We never saw a soul the whole day until we returned via the waterfall path.
In fact the waterfall higher up towards the loch is actually better than the one that all the tourists set out to see below. And if you manage to get here on a lovely crisp day when the views of the higher mountains are clear it would be wonderful.

 It's been a delightful walk and one we would extend if we ever get to come here again.

Gairloch - Tuesday.

We expected bad weather yesterday (Monday), but it wasn't too bad. A bit different today, its rough. Not fit to go high as rain sweeps in enclosing the high mountains.
 We decided that a coastal visit would be the best bet and drove on to Poolewe. Just as you descend into Poolewe from Gairloch there is a fabulous view down Loch Maree from the footpath on the south side, heading east.
 It went black, it rained, it hammered down. We sat in the car and watched people heading back onto the campsite wearing dripping wet jeans. Jeans!
 The signs were out for a local market in the village hall so we ran to the entrance along with plenty of others. It was a good decision as we bought quite a few items. We had a pleasant hour in there looking over the new and old photographs, bric a brac,  books, bread, cakes etc, etc. Chatting to a local photographer who's house was close to where we are staying.

 Still raining, we had a drive past the Poolewe Hotel along the single track road up to the beach at Mellangaum. A wide expanse of sand, windswept. I took the camera and tripod but the sand was too soft to hold the camera level and the wind was whipping up the sand and throwing it in our faces. Not many people about, just four others doing the same as us three.

 The camp ground there is very cheap although there are no facilities as far as we could see, but i admit that due to the adverse weather we didn't check it out. I have to presume that there is a toilet and a water hose somewhere. Cost £2 per day or £10 per week.
 We checked out the second world war remnants, a gun placement and observatory i believe, although there is not much remaining.

 Being a poor day weather wise, we drove back beyond Gairloch and turned along the south side of the Loch. We didn't go beyond Badachro as the pub was open and it would have been rude not to call in.
 Sheila volunteered to drive, so i had 2 pints of Beinn Dearg from the Ullapool brewery. Pricy! £3.60 a pint. I didn't know whether to drink it or take it home for posterity. I did drink it and persuaded myself that, "Well we are on holiday".

 Lets hope for a better day tomorrow so we can do a hill walk.

Gairloch - Monday.

 It was a shock today when we found out about the tragedy that occurred yesterday evening. It's difficult to comprehend after it had been such a lovely day with a still loch. 3 youngsters and a father dead after capsizing from their canoe. We watched from the croft as the search helicopter scanned the shoreline in the dark, spotlight highlighting the water edge and kicking spray high.
 At this time we didn't know what the search was for but we knew with all the activity it wasn't a practice. We feel for the families.

 Today we expected really poor weather after watching the forecast and although we awoke to rain hitting the window it didn't last long. We didn't rush to get ready as we had only planned a short low walk so that Dorothy would enjoy it too.
 We drove into the village and parked on the waterfront at Flowerdale. Although the odd shower came and went it was still not waterproof weather, in fact it was quite warm. There was a stiff breeze but as we set off for the walk up to the waterfalls it became sheltered and quite humid in the forestry.

 Flowerdale estates have done some new paths which are not marked on the OS map but they are easy to follow and end up at the waterfalls. It was a shame that Flowerdale house has tried to become "Private" by putting up cheap and nasty screening. Shame for it's such a lovely house.

 Quite a few wild flowers were photographed along the way,with Fungi and lichens too. The Rowan berries were incredibly bright red.

 Walking up beyond the waterfalls we headed for open moorland. An Groban and Sithean Mor looked enticing but too much for Dorothy. The views will be wonderful so Sheila and I will head up there soon. Crossing the bridge over Gleann a Ghrobain, we stopped for a coffee. No sooner had we stopped than we were inundated with the dreaded midge. We covered up and had a good laugh wearing midge nets drinking coffee. Another short shower came and went but again nothing much but the wind was picking up.

 Heading back down the track we passed Flowerdale House and turned sharp right. A good path through the forestry which comes out adjacent to a well kept cemetery. Just a short road walk back to the car.

 Back to base for some lunch. Louise you are so right, what a wonderful butchers.

 Post lunch we headed off to Melvaig for a high coastal walk. The views simply wonderful, the light amazing and the wind fierce. At some points it almost blew the camera tripod over and made us all look like Michelin men. Still it was great to be out here enjoying another day in this wonderful place.
 The Outer Hebrides looming in the haze and Skye shinning in the bright sun.

More tomorrow.

Gairloch - Sunday

 We awoke today to fantastic light over to the high mountains stretching across to Torridon. I wasn't for rising but the view was too good to stay in bed. I grabbed the camera and tripod, set up in the garden of the cottage and took what shots i thought were decent.

 There was no breeze and the morning sun had heat in it. This was going to be a nice day, you can just tell. We both felt we should go for a run whilst it was so peaceful and quiet so we changed into running gear and set off. From Gairloch we headed off to Big Sand about 4 miles away and then reversed. There was the odd person about as we passed the SYH but nobody about at the Sands holiday park. It's a lovely site this, more like a golf course than a camping spot and with plenty of shelter if the wind gets up. I presume this is where you set up Louise.

 Back at base Sheila and Dorothy made a cooked breakfast before we set out to walk to Kerry bay and back. About another 4 miles.  We should have booked a boat trip for today because it was a stunningly, clear, hot day. There were even people in the sea. I think they must have been accompanied by psychiatrists because i know i would have to be drunk to go in.

 A coffee and cake at the wonderful Mountain Coffee company went down a treat and a quick look around the shop, so full of interesting books, maps, pictures etc. We headed back to base and spent the late afternoon soaking up the sun. Well it is for the first time this year.
 Again sorry for the lack of images. They just refuse to load at the moment.

 It's now 5.30pm and we are talking about what to have for Tea. The midges are just starting to give us grief and the red dots are appearing at a rapid rate. The sun is losing it's heat as it's now dropping down just to the north of Skye. Cloud, grey cloud is filtering out the rays and it's looking like we have had the best of the day.

 More tomorrow. Forecast not too good.

Onwards and Upwards to Gairloch

 When we booked this trip we completely forgot it was bank holiday and we had a fair old drive to get to Gairloch, high up on Scotlands west coast.
 Sheila spent many an hour trying to find overnight accommodation on route for just in case the traffic was bad. She finally found a place just outside Inverness.

 We 3, Sheila, Dorothy and I set off quite early Friday morning hopeful that we could get a head start on the traffic, predicted to be busy. So it was a pleasant surprise that we made good progress and to be honest the traffic was reasonable. Well reasonable until we got close to Perth. Then it started to rain with a big "R". So heavy we could hardly see the road.

 Plenty of signs littered the roadside advertising some big horsy doo at a posh castle on the A9 road. What with the rain, the horse box's the 100's of Harley's heading for Aviemore, progress was pitifully slow. So slow in fact  that we did Manchester to Stirling faster than we did Perth to Inverness. What a dreadful road that A9 is. If there is any road in the UK that needs another lane then this is it. It will be off my transport route options from now on. I think it would have been quicker to cycle it.

 Anyway we got to our overnight stop after fish and chips for lunch at 3.30pm in Aviemore. We was going to have a walk round Aviemore to stretch our legs but it was inundated with bikers so we just carried on our way.

  We had a pleasant stay at the Old North Inn, nothing special but good enough for an overnight stop. The locals bar was interesting and we enjoyed the banter with them.

 The morning saw the rain had not abated but wasn't heavy. The forecast was for an improving situation and this proved correct. The drive along Strath Bran and Loch Maree was a joy. The scenery stunning and Beinn Eighe enticing. I did take some photo's but the internet connection here where we are staying in Gairloch is not wide enough to both view and upload any photographs. I believe that the library has wifi so i will try and log on to it on Monday.
 The weather here as i type this is very blustery and a bit nippy. Cloud base about 300metres.
We are constantly looking across the bay hopeful we see whales and dolphins.

More to come.

Casio Protrek Altimeter Watch SGW-300HB-3AVER

Casio Protrek SGW-300HB-3AVER

 Last year i was walking down from Greendale Gill near Nether Wasdale, testing a pair of neoprene gloves. I found that the cuff of the gloves was quite tight and so i took off my Suunto Vector watch and put it in my pocket.

 When i got back to the car the watch had vanished. I walked back so far along the path but no sign of it. I went back the following day and tried to find it but was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Plenty of people were out walking and i gave them my phone number just in case they came across it but to no avail.

 Now you will probably find the next sentence a strange one with me having searched high and low for it. I didn’t particularly like the Suunto watch. 

 I found the Altimeter and Barometer awkward to set and more times than not i didn’t bother with it. I found it’s trail logging a nightmare and i never used that much. The alarm was as much use as a chocolate fireguard, the electronic compass cut out before you had really had chance to assess the direction you wanted and the strap broke twice. Apart from that the watch was fine.

 Considering the cost of the Suunto Vector, i think it was £150 when i bought it and it’s lack of affection on my part i decided that i wasn’t going to replace it with a new one. 

 In the meantime i had bought a Satmap Active 10 GPS which gives all that information anyway. So i just bought a Timex expedition watch, not expensive, and if i lost this one it wouldn’t hurt the pocket as much.

 And time has passed.

 One of the things i really miss in the hills is an altimeter. But you have one on your GPS i can hear you say. Well yes you do, just as long as the GPS is switched on and its not in the depths of your rucksack or as sometimes happens, you left it at home. 

 So i was checking out altimeters, just altimeters, not watches and i was quite taken back by how expensive they were. These expensive ones were not for me as i have a GPS, did i mention that?

 I was about to call it a day when i googled Altimeter watches. Lots were found but again the usual culprits were up there and still far more than i wanted to pay. 

 Then in the side bar i noticed this Casio watch with a price tag of £39.99. Now that’s more like it, i could loose that i thought. 

 I did what we all do now and i read a few reviews and as usual some were good and some bad. Some said the Altimeter was completely useless and not to buy it and some said it was accurate. Who do you believe? But overall the points were more positive than not. I decided to take the plunge.

 Now i read the instruction book which funnily enough i found easy to understand. That in itself is quite unusual because to this day i still havn’t got my head round the Vector instruction book and picture portfolio.

 I read that the 2 sensors for air pressure and hence altitude, were factory set but can vary and instructions were there about how to reset them.

 With this type of kit and sensors, expensive or cheap they work in a similar fashion. Barometric pressure changes and so altitude readings change and visa versa. The best method of setting it is on the day of the walk and in the area you are walking, not 100 miles away in the garden before you set off.

 Position yourself in a location where you know the spot height and check the reading. Adjust it as required within 5 metres. I have found that it will maintain this all day but it is always worthwhile when at other spot heights, like trig points etc just to have a look and see if it is correct. 

 Barometric pressure can change very quickly in the UK with our fickle weather and that is probably why some people have given the Casio poor reviews, because they just don’t check and adjust enough to cope with the changes in pressure. If you expect it to read right day in and day out without any  manual adjustment then you are very much mistaken. This will never happen.

 On Saturday, the day of my last post, i set my datum height at a known spot of 150 metres high. It actually read 175metres on the watch so i hoped that the barometer had risen since i last set it at home.

I quickly and easily reduced the hight to the 150metres. So much easier than with the old Vector.

When we got to the summit of Swirl how i checked to see what the elevation was and as you can see from the photo below it was 800 metres.

 Swirl How is 802metres high. The watch rounds off numbers so it could have gone to either 800 or 805 metres and i would be more than happy with it. If this is not accurate enough then i think peoples expectations of this type of equipment out way its capabilities. It will do me.

 The watch also has a temperature reading which just like the Suunto Vector is very much affected by body temperature. So if you require a correct reading the watch has to be removed from the wrist and given time to settle. Again the temperature sensor is easily adjusted if found to be high or low when comparing it to a known accurate source.

 The alarm of which there are five individual alarm settings, is far superior to the Suunto Vector but the background light is not as good. Adequate but could be better. It doesn’t have an electronic compass and it doesn’t have the ability to log your walk/ride.

 Overall i am more than pleased with it. It performs the basic functions well. It’s not as heavy or bulky as some i have seen. It’s easy to read and adjust. The green bar across the centre of the screen is a weather window it’s arrows pointing to show rising or dropping pressure. (The screen is also scratch proof. (added 22/08/12))

 For the price of £39.99 i must say it’s great value for money. It will certainly be accompanying me in future. Well, until i loose it anyway.

Please note that it has only been my intention here to cover the Altimeter/Barometer/temperature parts of the watch function. But it has other functions like stop watch, countdown timer, numerous separate time zone capabilities and more which can be googled if you want to review the whole watch specification.

Turner Landscapes Fell Race 2012

 Saturday 11th August 2012

The Turner Landscapes fell race is a charity race for the Alzheimer’s society. Last year Sheila and i were marshal on Swirl How and i had not recovered from Shingles. It was a most dreadful day and thought that i might not be able to carry on. The weather on the day was also pretty bad.
 This year we were asked if we would like to donate a day to help out again, doing the same marshalling point. Obviously, we said yes or i wouldn’t be typing a post about it.
 Now i/we, have heard all the tongue in cheek jokes like “We would have run but couldn’t remember where the start was” etc etc. No more Alzheimer jokes are required thanks.
 So to the race.
 It starts and finishes in a field adjacent to Turner Hall campsite in the lovely Duddon Valley Cumbria.

The Duddon valley - view south.

The tops covered by marshals are Grey Friar, Swirl How, Old Man of Coniston, Dow Crag, and White Pike. My unofficial stats for the race are 16.5kl and 850 M of ascent.

Turner Hall Farm and Grey Friar.

 Gathering up our equipment, paper, pens, board, etc and the extremely important radio we set off for Three Shires where, if we are there early enough we can manage to park up. If not then we can end up having a bit of a walk.
 We always ascend via Wet Side Edge as this is the shortest and most accessible route. If you need to get a runner off the fell quickly then with the car being relatively close it makes life a bit easier.

Pike O’Blisco and Wrynose pass.

 The route up is quite well defined with cairns along the way. The views you get on a clear day are just spectacular. I particularly enjoy the view of Bowfell  and the Crinkles from here.

Cold Pike (right foreground). Crinkles in shadow with Bowfell in sun.

 We were making speedy progress today, Sheila setting quite a pace. I had to stop a couple of times supposedly to take a photograph but it was just to catch my breath. We caught up and passed a family group with about 5 small terriers we never saw them the rest of the walk so i don’t know which way they went. The edge gives fine views across the district and although it was quite a hazy sort of day the distant fells  as well as those in close proximity could still be made out. So different to when we did the Duddon Fell race in June.

 Sheila on Carrs with Grey Friar behind

 Wet Side Edge with Little Langdale in the valley.

 We stopped on Carrs to look at the memorial to the 8 Canadian crew that were killed in the Halifax plane crash here in 1944. They were only a few metres below the ridge line when the fatal accident happened in bad weather.

It doesn’t matter how many dozens of times i have passed this place i still stop and read the inscriptions. Some of the Halifax wreckage is still visible below Carrs in Broad Slack.

Broad Slack

 Approaching the summit i checked the watch and we were in good time. There were plenty of people around who said hello and were dressed for summer. They must have found it strange that we were layering up and putting waterproofs on when most people were layering down.

 The thing is, if you keep moving you wouldn’t get cold but standing still for a couple of hours you can still become hyperthermic without realising. So the plan is always to layer up.

 We checked in to race control to let them know we were in position and the chat across the radio was quite amusing at times. Being nicely early at the summit gave us a bit of time to wander around and take in the scenery before the business of checking in runners started in earnest.

 Just near the sheepfold at the head of Greenburn Beck i spotted a yellow dot. It turned out to be a North Face tent wild camping in a lovely spot.

Wild Camp near Greenburn beck.

 I have wild camped here myself and although it can get very windy it’s still a lovely spot. We were quite envious of the peace and quiet these people were having in comparison to our noisy night on the camp site. The campsite was very busy with hardly space left on the usual 2 main fields. Anthony, said that this year has been a disaster regarding numbers of campers. So this weekend’s crowds was great to see. He will always find room for everyone even if it means opening up new fields. You will never get turned away unless your too rowdy.

Our base camp set up with Scarp 2 and kitchen basha.

 We did get a bit of sarcasm for being glampers this weekend and we were told that if we were not careful we would be heading for camper van territory. Hm. Friends eh. 

Still the basha was quite good and if used in the opposite way to the set up above ie long ways, it would be a good wild camp bivi as it only weighs 600 grams.

 Time passes by so quickly, and before long we heard on the radio that the first runners were through Grey Friar checkpoint. 

 We checked the skyline and sure enough the runners were fast approaching. If you have never seen fell runners in full flight then you should make the effort to watch a race. They are lightening fast on the downhills which really does have to be seen to be believed. A few minutes later and we were doing our job of marking times and checking race numbers. 

The front runner from Ambleside AC. Tom Gibbs 

Quite a few walkers had stopped to watch as the runners approached, said thanks for marshalling and sped off heading for Old Man of Coniston. We were asked do they never stop for a sandwich or to look at the views. That gave us a bit of a giggle. Then one lady approached and told us she had seen a runner way off the track and must be lost or something. We explained that runners don’t have to follow strict routes and that as long as they go to all the checkpoints they can use what ever route they want to.

A think she was a bit happier to hear that and away off towards Wetherlam she went.

 Due to the fine weather i managed to take quite a few photo’s of the majority of runners and i will put a link at the end of this post for those who may want to have a look and if anyone wants to copy the pictures then be my guest. No need to ask me.

I will also put a link to our photo’s of the weekend.

 Pike O’Stickle from Swirl How

Carrs and the Scafell range in the haze, from Swirl How

 Seathwaite tarn

Dow Crag

  Because we were only the second checkpoint all the runners were soon passed us. This means that if we hurry up we could get back to the start point for the soup and cakes that are put on by the organisers and although because this race is for charity, and there are no specific prizes, the first runner to finish and the first lady to finish always get a hand shake from legend Joss Naylor. We made it back in time, so thanks to the ladies who made the cakes etc, wonderful.

 Unfortunately i missed getting a photo of the handshakes because i had left the camera in the car and didn’t have enough time to get it and get back before it was all over. There’s no hanging about with these guys.
However, i was kindly allowed to copy a fellow marshal's image. Thanks Ian.

Tom, Joss and Anna

The official race results have not been posted yet but i will amend this when they are available. We had a really lovely day and the weather was fantastic. Thanks for inviting us to take part.

Link to Turner Landscapes 2012 fell runner photo’s. HERE

Link to our weekends hill scenes etc. HERE

RACE RESULTS CLICK HERE.

GoreTex reproofing

Need your GoreTex jacket professionally cleaned, reproofed and DWR reinstated?

Well i came across this recently and i think it's a good deal so i am passing it on to you dear readers for your enjoyment whilst the next row is brewing in the Holympics!

The TG Store is offering existing customers of theirs, this service for FREE except for postage and packing.

But, don't sigh now, if you have never bought anything from them and don't have an account then the price for the service is £10 for one item and £16 for two. Now i think that is a fair price.

Anyway you can take a look see and if you find this of interest it's HERE.

Rohan Ether trousers (Not Pants)

 At the end of our last walk we headed back to the bus station in Manchester via the Rohan Shop which was having a Sale.
 Since losing a bit of weight over the last few months, i’ve gone from 88.7kg to 74.0 kg so far btw.
But it now means that all my current walking trousers are too big.
 Rohan can be a bit on the pricey side to say the least but the quality is generally assured. We do like the gear from them (boots apart) and my birthday is fast approaching.
 So i had it in my head to have a look at the Ether trousers which are said to be extremely light.
Eventually a pair was picked, purchased and Sheila has kindly bought them for my birthday.

         -   The stated weight is 200 grams per pair so i was shocked to find that the trousers less the belt was actually 160 grams. Size 32 waist, regular leg length.

        -    The material is Hollow Core polypropylene which gives them the windproof property.
        -    Total UV sun block and have been treated with Dynamic Moisture Control which will keep you cool in hot and humid conditions. (Not that we get too many days like this in UK) Great for those holidays abroad.
        -     Non Iron, crease resistant. (Believe that you’ll believe anything.) Non Iron maybe, but crease resistant! No.
        -     Drying time - 2 hours
        -     Highly wind resistant.
        -     Pack size 0.6 Litres
        -     Pockets, 2 front hand pockets, left one has a key fob. 1 rear wallet pocket. All 3 are mesh type for good ventilation. The rear wallet pocket also doubles as a packaway pocket.
        -     Zips, All YKK. (Std zip type)
        -     Articulated Knees.
        -     Durable material.  (TBC)
        -     The belt supplied is a quick release type and i am pleased to say it’s design is different to ones i have used in the past which i have found comes undone much too easily when wearing a rucksack. It will be interesting to see how i get on with this one.
  The belt weight is 35 grams and is also held secondary to the trousers by a press stud. So all in, the trouser and belt weighed 195 grams. For those who want to save weight even further, the belt could be replaced with a lighter one. I’m happy with the one supplied although i have found one on an old pair of Peter Storm Pocket pants that weighs 15 gr.
        -      Colour - Charcoal.
The one thing that surprised me a little was that they had not been treated with an insect repellant like the Craghoppers Nosilife range of clothes, considering anywhere hot and humid is bound to have mozzies of one type or another. So when i wash these i will be doing so with a Permethrin additive.

 The stitching quality is excellent as you would expect on a pair of trousers with a retail price of £88. The Sale price was £70.

So that’s a first look at the trousers. I will update the page when i have had them for a while.

Update January 2014
Definitely not suitable for backpacking but ideal as a second pair for those evenings after a wet day. Suitable for summer day walking or holidays/light travel.  

Home to Manchester on the Rochdale Canal

 We had been talking of walking this towpath for a while as Dorothy hadn’t done it. Sheila and I had walked it a couple of times and although some of the scenery is a bit run down and you can meet some strange characters on route we decided that the forecast was reasonable to do it today (Saturday 27th July).

 Just as we were setting off, in fact i had the key in the door lock, it started to hail stone, we waited. It was quite dark and the only good point was that it seemed to be brighter in the south, our route. Ten minutes later and with just light rain we set off wearing our waterproofs.

 As we progressed, we met lots of dog walkers and we seemed to be saying ‘Morning”  every few paces. We were nearly run down by bikers who seemed to get pleasure from sneaking up on walkers with their hoods up, unaware that they were only a few feet away. Get a bell or something, how hard can it be.

  It was getting brighter and although rain was still gently falling it looked like our over trousers at least could be removed. As it happened we left them on, which turned out fortunate because very soon rain was pouring. I decided to put my jacket in the rucksack and just walk using my GoLite brolly. I was a good decision. I didn’t get wet and it was pouring for a good half hour.

 I thought i had put the camera in the rucksack but then remembered i had left it on the sofa whilst we were waiting for the hail to stop. What a nuisance, that meant we only had a 3mb phone camera with us  and not a full battery so the photo’s are few i’m afraid and a bit grainy.

 It was good to see that as we passed Failsworth that the canal cleanliness was reasonable. The last time we passed it was full of shopping trollies, fencing, road cones and other detritus. Pretty horrible stuff.
The rain eased of and blue sky was starting to break through. Still quite humid.

 There were quite a few places where the canal bank had subsided due to the heavy recent rains we presumed. Although the water board had fenced the dangerous towpath sections off the local brain dead had decided that the best places for the steel fencing would be in the canal blocking a bridge to narrow boat traffic. A mile or so further down we had a chat with a couple who were negotiating a lock and told them about the problem ahead.

Lots of wildlife was to be seen and included the usual Canada geese, swans with Cygnet, Mallard, Pied Wagtail and for the first time here we came across a city fox that was quite comfortably sunning itself and wasn’t a bit bothered that we were there.

One of the lock gates had a moth resting out, we did well to spot it.

It was an improving weather situation, the sun was out at last and made the walk much more of a pleasure. Mum and Dad were quite proud showing off their cygnet and never made a fuss as we approached for a closer look.

 The tall buildings of Manchester were getting closer and Dorothy was finding the mileage a bit of a struggle at this point. We had walked about 7 miles and there was about 2.1/2 miles to go before we got a coffee in town. We passed a chap sat at the side of the towpath with a 2L bottle of Strongbow cider, 1/3 rd empty. He wanted cigarettes which none of us had and he was asking if we did mountaineering.
We didn’t stop to converse.

The basin between the Rochdale Canal and the Ashton canal was under rejuvenation the last time we passed here. They have obviously spent a lot of money because it was very run down. It now gives narrow boaters a nice place to moor up overnight. Close to the city centre.

The bridge we were standing on for this shot was also new and very good design. We should have taken a photo of this as well, but didn’t. I looked on the internet for one but couldn’t find anything.

 The old mills were looking resplendent now that the refurbishments were completed and the whole area  is on its uppers as new bridges have been installed, new apartments completed, new mainstream retailers installed and if only they would do something with Piccadilly Gardens  to make it look as
good. It is a horrible place at the moment, city planners should be ashamed at how they destroyed what was a lovely area.

It was now time to find Dorothy a chair, she had done well and deserved a break. So before retiring to a certain Joseph Holts establishment for a well earned beer we called in to the first cafe we came across for a quick snack and a coffee.

 Yours truly in the Ape and Apple.

  Walking back through town to the bus station we passed this renovated old Morris van. It was causing quite a stir from passers by.

We called in to the Rohan shop on the way back too. They had a bit of a sale on and obviously we couldn’t walk past without seeing what was on offer.
More to come on that one later.

All in all we did about 14 miles and had a smashing day out.

Karrimor Sleeping Mat.

 Before you all rush off and switch on the test card, the post IS titled Karrimor.
Now like all of you of a certain age group you will remember when Karrimor were at the top end of outdoor gear and they made stuff to last. Designed and made in good old Lancashire by people who knew their stuff.
Having a Karrimor rucksack was as good as it got and who's still got one in the loft!

 Nowaday's Karrimor is synonymous with cheap and pretty nasty low end of the market stuff having been relegated from Lancashire to God knows where in the far east. Over the years it's been quite hard to keep up with the licence agreements and who is using the name under licence or just using it anyway.
 Shying away from Karrimor branded products has been quite easy. Sports Direct/Field and Trek are the stockists in the UK.

 However, this last few months i have noticed a change, albeit a small change but a change non the less. Better quality items have been seen alongside the tat.
 Now i've heard say that in Japan the quality of Karrimor gear is up there with the best and expensive. So i can only assume that some of this better quality gear is percolating down to us.

  One of the items i have picked up recently are the drybags. They are equally as good as Expeds dry bags for about half the price. I cannot fault them.
 I looked at the new boot and shoe range and although i havn't purchased any they look a step in the right direction. (No pun intended).
 They are selling an eVent jacket for £99 in store or £89 on the web. It has a water resistant zip without a storm flap, so it's not for me unfortunately. But i tried it on and it's a nice jacket.
 I liked the design although a little on the short side but a good fit otherwise. Weight is around 400 - 450gr i suspect, nothing was printed on the tag for the weight so this is purely a guess.
 It goes to show though that you can design, manufacture and sell eVent waterproofs at a reasonable price.

 But this post was about the sleeping mat the Karrimor x-lite Inflate.

   I had to look twice when i saw this. A full length mat, 70mm thick, 6 tubes, £29.99. (Not the RRP on the tag £59.99)
 My first thought was, yes but it weighs a Kilo.
 I had a look at the tag and the weight was stated was an impressive 300grams. Was this true i thought after all it is Karrimor? Anyway i took the plunge and bought it.

 Getting home and weighing it, yes 300grams, as stated. Now the tag also says 3-4 season! Who are they kidding the Tog rating is 1.6.
 Ok, you could use it in 3 - 4 seasons but not on it's own. You would need more insulation, but i can live with that.
The material is 20denier fabric and feels just like most other inflatable mats, slippery. But no complains when cost and weight are most important to me.
 So having slept on it now for 10 nights what do i think. Well it retains air pressure as good as my Exped UL7  lite and better than my Neo-air. It moves around the tent like any other mat. The valve, although not as neat as Expeds is certainly industry standard and look the same as my ThermArests.


The tubes (6) are all the same diameter.
I would have preffered the outer one to be bigger diameter but don't forget the price.
It's comfy, easy to inflate. Deflating seems a little slow but not ridiculously so, just slow in comparion to my Exped.
 It packs up remarkably small for a full size mat and stays neatly that way. It doesn't try and unravel itself.






Would i recommend it. Yes, absolutely, with 10 nights usage, so far so good.