Scarpa Nepal Boots

I have here a brand new, unworn pair of Scarpa Nepal boots. They are size 42. I bought them from Nevis Sport last year at a cost of £146.00.  SOLD
The reason i bought them was because my existing Scarpa boots didn't look like they would see out the season, but they have, and hence they are just gathering dust in the loft.

I have decided to sell them but before i put them on Ebay i thought i would show them here first. I thought £75 + P&P (UK only) would be a fair price.
Drop me an email if any interest.
I will leave them here until the 26th October and after that i will delete this post and put them on Ebay if there are no takers. Thanks.

Kooka Bay sleeping mats and pillow.

I don't find the Neo-Air that comfortable but now that i have it i will just have to get used to it. One of the problems i have is finding a good pillow to use with it.

I came across this company Kookabay who will make pillows to your requirements and they also do a lightweight range of sleeping mats. So unless i come up with something else i may be making an order.

It was interesting to see that the sleeping mats and pillow are indeed quite lightweight and pack size is tiny so i thought i would share it here. Unfortunately the website doesn't give information like U vales etc. but a quick email would resolve that.
If you are in the market for a new mat/pillow duo, you might want to consider these although i know that ordering from the US can be a little expensive and takes time.

Below you will find a list of weight conversions from the US ounces shown on the Kooka Bay web page to grams..

Mats:- 72"x20"x2.5" Mummy 354gr

60"x20"x2.5" Mummy 289gr

72"x20"x2.5" Rectangular 422gr

60"x20"x2.5" Rectangular 354gr

46"x20"x2.5" Rectangular 272gr

Pillow 12"x7.5"x3.5" Inflated. 37gr

Berghaus Pro Primal Mid boot

When in Manchester on Thursday last, i picked up these Berghaus Pro Primal Mid boots at TKMax. They only had 1 pair and as luck had it they were my size and fitted fine.

I am not a Berghaus fan in any way but i must say that i like these. I think they came out in 2008 originally so i was surprised to see that they only weighed 507gr.

I have walked 12 miles in them and found them very comfy and they hold the heel very well. They have a speed lacing system but i don't like it at the moment, the spec sheet says that the lacing system tightens them in all the right places, but they don't and i needed to adjust them. Maybe it's because they are new and they need to give a bit.
I will persevere with it for a while.

I havn't got them wet yet so i will have to wait and see what they grip like when it's raining.

But for the £47 i paid, i think i have a good buy.

Gear from last trip.

Rucksack. OMM villain 45 + 10.  Back support replaced with 1m length of roofing insulation folded into 4. The original back support weighed 230gr. so it had to go. Otherwise this is a super sack.

Tent. Vaude Odyssee Winter (2 man).  As usual. A little bit heavy for 1 person, but it's my lightest tent. I also enjoyed the extra space available. It's a very stable, reliable tent and 4 season. There's going to be a new tent coming soon.

Sleeping Bag.  Rab Summit Alpine 400 no zip, A bit warm for the conditions but it's the only one i have, so no options here. I would like to get a PHD lightweight, one day.

Sleeping mat. Thermarest Neo-Air short. Still not happy with this. It's light and compact but i don't sleep well on it. I fall off it and end up getting cold. I supplement the short length by utilising the roofing insulation that i use down the back of my rucksack as extra insulation. I have not found a pillow yet that i like using with it. I tend to fill a dry bag with all my gear and use this.

Shoes. Inov-8 Roclite 320's.  First backpacking trip with these although they have been worn on numerous day hikes. I was surprised how good they were on this trip with the added weight of the backpack.
Now that the studs have worn a little, the grip seems better on wet rock, but i am still wary and take it easy when crossing. On all other ground types they are fine.
Contouring i think is a problem with them and one of my ankles ached quite a bit. The fit on the heel was fine for me as was the width. The insole dries out quite quickly but the shoes themselves take longer to dry than i thought they would. Probably take 24hrs plus.
The laces are poor and mine need replacing now. Strands have started to unravel.

GoreTex socks. These were a new pair, although i have worn Goretex socks for years. Considering the awful weather i had they were very impressive. My feet stayed perfectly dry. I got them from TG store. Worth every penny.

Socks.  Bridgedale Endurance Trekkers. Ankle length. Good, hardwearing. Dry fairly quickly.

GoLite Umbrella. This was the first time that i had taken an Umbrella backpacking and i know that many of you will frown upon it, but let me say, as sceptical as i was too about taking it, i am so pleased i did. Don't forget it was not that long ago that shoes like Inov-8's were deemed stupid for hiking.
On my first day it never stopped raining at all. I would have been soaked through. As it was, i was at best damp at the end of the days walk.
It also allows you to walk in the rain without a hood on and with your jacket partially open. Allowing good breathability and you can still admire the scenery without having the rain lashing into your face.
It also acted as a windshield when cooking once it was pegged down, and also it added to my porch area.

I have been asked if it could be strapped to a rucksack for hands free walking. I did consider this and i am sure that it can be done for low level walking, if it's not too windy, but it would be dangerous in high ground.
Ultralight outdoor gear sell the brolly. It only weighed 220gr and it didn't cause me any problems at all. When not in use it fitted nicely to the outside of my sack without protruding the top or the bottom of the sack.

Shorty gaiter. I like to wear these gaiters basically to stop stones getting into my shoes. They also give you some protection in boggy areas. I never like wearing the common knee length gaiters, i find them too restricting. At 70gr these Integral designed gaiters are ideal for me.

Trousers. I swop between 2 pairs depending upon the weather expected. I wore the Montane Terra's on this trip. The Terra's are fantastic walking pants but they don't have a rear wallet pocket which i find a nuisance. The belt is rubbish as well and i have replaced it with a better one.
 Otherwise would have worn Columbia silver ridge convertables. They are currently on offer at Winwood Outdoors for £25.  A good buy.

Warm wear. I didn't take a fleece or mid layer. I just took my TNF Zephyrus belay jacket and it proved to be a worthy piece of kit covering any eventualities where i needed to be warmer. I didn't wish that i had taken something extra to wear.

Overtrousers. Rab Bergan, full length side zips. eVent fabric. Light'ish in weight and dependable waterproofing.

Waterproof Jacket. Cloudveil Koven, not well known in UK but it's a good all round waterproof.

Base Layer. I only tend to wear one layer most of the year and my choice is Icebreaker Merino Oasis 200 long sleeves. It keeps the odour of dampness at bay longer than most other materials so it's a must have. It dries fairly quickly if you can hang it up but even if it's still damp in the morning it warms up quickly with it being wool. It doesn't have a collar and i might replace it with a collared version soon.

Hat. The dependable Tilley. I just love this hat. Mine is the LT5b model, lightweight and guaranteed for life.

Foul weather alternatives.  I carry with me a pair of Seal Skins softshell gloves. A pair of waterproof Outdoor designs summit over mitt and a waterproof cap also from Outdoor designs.

Stove. I took 2 stoves with me. 1 homemade beer bottle meths stove and the 2nd was the Gram Weenie Pro.
I tried out the Weenie at home and posted that i wasn't that impressed with it. I am going to change my opinion some degree now. Mostly, Sheila and  I backpack together and therefore all my thinking on gear is "will it suit us both". However on this trip i was solo and i have to admit that the stove coped.
If you just want to boil water for dehydrated food for 1 then it will do it. I didn't find that 1 oz of fuel burns for 11 minutes as the web page says for some reason. In use and measuring the volume of meths properly it burned for no more than 8 minutes. But 8 minutes is enough to do the job. It also needs to be protected as much as possible from the wind.
The stove is also a small diameter so you have to be extremely careful how you put the pot on the top of it to stop it falling over. Especially if your pot is the wide type which mines is.

Homemade Meths stove. I was pleased with the way this worked. It was wider than the Weenie and therefore not as prone to pan problems. It boiled 400ml in 4 minutes but it used quite a bit more fuel than i would like. I need to try reducing the jet numbers or changing the jet diameters until i achieve a better fuel consumption. I may put some fibreglass in between the inner and outer walls and see if this suppresses the flow a little.

Pan. I used the 600ml Titanium Evernew pot and i do like this. Very light and suits our needs. It is a wide shallow pan but i can get all my gear in to it. It all fits nicely into a mesh bag and is easy to stow in the rucksack.

Spoons. I only take a spoon and i took 3 on this trip. One Titanium folding spork, a LMF spork and a freebie long handled orange spoon from Expedition Foods. It's the same one as Outdoors grub sell as far as i can make out.The folding spork fits into the Evernew pan easily so thats a bonus, the other 2 don't.
I found that both the sporks were too short when eating my rehydrated meals and you end up with food on your fingers.
I think it would help if the food manufacturers would use wide short bags instead of the deep narrow bags. This would also help rehydration as well. Numerous times i find that there is food at the bottom of the bag that has not rehydrated.
The freebie spoon from Expedition foods wins my vote but for some reason the spoon isn't available on the web site. Strange when you consider it is a good spoon.

Lighter. I use a Bic gas lighter. It's not the lightest but it's dependable and i like the fact that there is a fuel window so that you know when it's getting low. It's also great for lighting Esbit tablets which sometimes can be difficult.
I made a flame shield for it so that if by any chance the trigger was inadvertently depressed in my rucksack that it couldn't ignite.

Water Filter. I now use the Super Delios filter which weighs 58gr. in total and has a filter spec of 0.2 microns. It comes with a 300ml capacity polypropylene bottle. It's very easy to use and the bottle is compact and very flexible.
I thought that the 300ml capacity would be too little but it proved ok as i filled my pot first and then filled the bottle again. I suppose if i was being picky that a slightly larger bottle would be better but it really doesn't matter because the filter will fit any std Platypus bottle.

Water bag. I took my homemade 3L capacity water bag that weighs 39gr. I used it on campsites and it worked great so it will accompany us from now on.

Food. Breakfasts i make up individually myself, usually Muesli. I put the cereal into a sealable food bag with powdered milk and a bit of sugar. It's just a matter of adding water to the bag and then giving it a shake before tucking in. Disposing of the bags when possible.
Lunch. Mug Shots and a chocolate bar or biscuit.
Tea or dinner if your posh. I took 2 lots with me. Expedition foods and Real Turmat. RT is the winner here. I don't know what veg or spices EF uses but when ever i have them it's not long before i need the loo.
RT foods are a bit expensive but they are excellent meals.

Towel. The Lightload towel that i posted about a couple of months ago is still my favourite backpacking towel and came with me on this trip. I works better than any of the microfibres etc in my opinion of course.

Well thats about it. Sorry that there are no pics on this post but there are lots of links for you to check out if you wish.

Beer bottles

Last week when In the Lake District we called into Gosforth Hall Inn for a meal and whilst there i asked the Landlord if he had any empty aluminium beer bottles. After a conversation about wanting them to make some backpacking stoves he said he would sort some out for me as long as i made him one and i could pick them up before going back home.
So the next time i went in they were ready for collection.
I wanted a few and this is what i got. LOL.

We have not had a party honest! I think i am going to be busy.

My stove set up.

L - R Cosy for meths bottle, flame douser made from a coke can, meths bottle, My homemade beer bottle stove, Gram Weenie stove that i was testing out, Foil base x2, 600ml Titanium Evernew pan, Meths measurer and windshield.

Lightweight down jacket, Uniqlo

Thanks to Richard @ blog Sheila has now received her new lightweight down jacket from Uniqlo.
She is over the moon with it and the weight is fantastic. 230gr. So thank you Richard for sharing it on your blog.

Seathwaite - Last night and today.

Last night in Seathwaite.
I had been invited to supper at Tina and Alan's and it was a lamb curry enjoyed with a nice bottle of red. Absolutely fantastic. Although Anthony from Turner Hall farm is never impressed that we curry his lambs after all the work he has put into getting them in good shape.
We wound him up about this later in the Newfield, but we left the pub together still friends.

Sheila is picking me up today, just before lunch so there was no rush to pack up.

As i made my way to the loo this morning i passed a young lady. Late teens or early twenties. It wasn't the usual tired 'good morning" comment you get when on a campsite, it was "Oh my God wasn't it a terrible night".
It had been a dreadful night. One of the worst nights camping i had had since being blown down on Harris during a bad storm.
  I got to sleep around midnight or just after, even though the wind had picked up noticeably. At 4.00 am the tent was bashing around my ears. I lay there a while and it was absolutely howling and raining. The wind direction had now change to a Northerly from a Westerly and was now a gale. Everything goes through your mind on nights like this, will the pegs hold, are those tiny Titanium pegs good enough, is everything in the porch still there, will the tent become a parachute, what if a pole breaks etc etc.  It wasn't long before i realised i would have to get out and turn the tent 90 degrees or i wouldn't get any sleep or worse.
  I could now hear a few fearful tears from the girls, emanating from the tents close bye. The trouble is with being on a campsite the noise alone can be very scary. The trees are being buffeted, the boughs are creaking, the noise of items falling over in the farm yard, dogs barking. It can be very scarry in the dark out of your comfort zone. And now there were car doors opening and closing at irregular intervals.

  I waited for a lull in the rain and then without getting dressed i dashed out in true Billy Connolly fashion and changed the position of the tent. It's an easy tent to alter, so i guess it took about a minute.
Dashing back inside and pulling the tent door zips down quickly, it got stuck on the zip flap material.
It was still dark so i had to put on my head torch and faff about trying to free it as the rain started again.
Eventually it freed and i lay there on the sleeping bag, knackered and a bit damp. At least the tent wasn't being buffeted as much now.

  I must have dozed off because i woke up a bit cold and still on top of my sleeping bag, it was coming light 5.15am. I got back in the sleeping bag and dozed off again.
  At 7.50am i had to go to the loo and that's when i met the young lady. Her and friends had slept in the cars. By 8.00am they were gone.

 Walking down to the Newfield to have a coffee and a bite to eat. I noticed that there had been plenty of damage caused to the trees. The road was littered with boughs and leaves that had parted company during the night. On meeting Alan he said that they had thought about me as it had been a real Hooley of a night.

  Sheila arrived and her first words were. You look tired! I wonder why.

Seathwaite, Broughton Mills, Stonestar, Kiln Bank, Seathwaite.

I had arranged to meet up at 10.00am at Alan's house in Seathwaite and by this time he would have made the phone calls to his mates, The Last of the Summer Wine walkers, and find out what was on or off as the case may be.
The weather forecast said a nice morning but rain from Lunchtime onwards with the wind picking up and changing direction to the North later.

Alan's mates live nearby  J35/J36 area of the M6 and the forecast for the Yorkshire Dales area was pretty good and so they decided to go in that direction instead of coming here to the South/Central Lakes.
So Tina, that's Alan's good lady had made us both a packed lunch so we decided that we would head off and do our own thing. (Thank you Tina)
Behind the Newfield Inn is a good track, the Park Head Road, we took this which skirts Caw and heads in a general SSW direction to meet with the fell road at High Kiln Bank. It passes an area where years ago much quarrying had taken place and there are still many adits for the intrepid explorer.

We took the path with climbs steeply up the fell side behind Hoses farm and leads past Hare Hall, skirts Scrithwaite Farm and exits on the small road at Green Bank. Cross the bridge over the River Lickle and within 5 minutes we were enjoying a beer in the Blacksmiths Arms.

The bridge over River Lickle at Broughton Mills

I have included this photograph because there is an interesting set of steps down to the river here where it is believed that the locals used to do the washing.
© Copyright Rob Noble and licensed for reuse under thisCreative Commons Licence

The Blacksmiths Arms in Broughton Mills dates back to 1577 and was originally a farmhouse called Broadstones. In 1748 archive records list the property as being an Inn, working farm of 34 acres and blacksmiths. Before this it would have been a "beer house" with the farmer serving ale in the kitchen for travellers and local workers.

The internal structure of the Blacksmiths arms remains unchanged with oak panelled corridor, original farmhouse range, large slate floors from local quarries, and oak beamed ceilings. The pub features in many guides including the AA pub guide, The Good Pub Guide and The Good Beer Guide. It remains the only pub in the Lake District listed in the National Inventory of historic pubs. (copied from the Blacksmiths website)

Back up the road from where we came to Green Bank we stopped for our packed lunch which we didn't want to eat at the pub for obvious reasons. There is a nicely sited picnic table just where the path turns West at the Nursery. The views over the Duddon Estuary are spectacular but today we could see the bad weather which had been forecast, making it's way inland. Before we finished lunch it had started to rain lightly so we donned our jackets and set off again.

The green lane which skirts the Nursery and Hovel Knot is very well made and must have been in regular use years ago. Alan thinks that this area was possibly used for Flax Scutching in times gone bye.

Not to far along this lane we took a little detour to look at an old barn below Hovel Knot. It's an interesting place due to it having a Crook timbered roof.

As we climbed up the fell to the top and now overlooking the Duddon the rain was starting to get heavier. We dropped down the path leading to the fell road which follows the River Duddon and went over to the river edge.

There are one or two spots here that make good wild campsites and it's a busy place on sunny days but be aware that the Police do move you on if you get seen wild camping here.
We had a bit of road walking to do now as we headed for Ulpha from where we left the road and headed  East passed the old school and Birks.

Along the track to Kiln Bank you come to a square enclosure planted with conifers. This is a Quaker burial ground or Sepulchre which is worth visiting. No ostentation here, no headstones, statues or monuments and a very low doorway. All is plain and quiet, inviting meditation. The last burial took place in the middle of the eighteenth century. You can still see the seating that was built into the walls for those attending the funeral or a meeting. A curious fact noticed by those who stamp on the soil is a sound as though the ground is hollow. It's also not marked as a cemetery on the OS map.
An old Mr. J. Casson, of Kiln Bank, the next farm, could remember the ground as being used as an orchard. Later it became a vegetable garden. About 1870, Mrs. Gunson, of Oak Bank, planted the trees which you can now see, and put up a new gate. It is supposed to be the duty of the tenants of New Close to keep the place in order. 

Alan just inside the Quaker Cemetery with it's low doorway.

The wall seating.

The rain was now pouring so it was time to put on the overtrousers.

On reaching Kiln Bank and the fell road we crossed over Tommy Gill and behind High Kiln Bank Farm. From here we headed on down by another extremely well made trod, too good just to be fell path it might have been the old valley cart track to The Low and beyond. The surrounding hills were rapidly disappearing  as the rain swept across, no longer could we see Grey Friar or Dow Crag.

The Low in the foreground with Hall Dunnerdale behind

Once passed The Low farm house it was just a matter of following the road for one and a half miles back into Seathwaite. We were going to go via High Wallowbarrow but the rain was now bouncing and in for the day. So it was back to Alan's for a coffee and to get dry.

It had been an enjoyable walk especially with having Alan and his local knowledge of the history. So thank you Alan for the walk and the information. And Thank You Tina for everything.

Gosforth to Seathwaite Pt.3

I slept really well, it had been quite a warm night so i slept between my Neo-Air and sleeping bag. It was 8.00am and all was calm. I checked the weather and although there was some low hill fog to the East and a bit grey it was certainly the best morning so far.
The walk from Hollins campsite in Eskdale to Seathwaite in the Duddon Valley is not a lengthy walk so decided to lie in until 9.00am and then hopefully the hill fog would have lifted, giving me some good views.

The campsite has a few picnic benches scattered about so it was good to have a seat while having my bag of Muesli and pan of green tea.
Glimpses of the sun breaking through gave me hope of a good day and it was pleasant that the tent was dry. No condensation at all.

Packing up at a leisurely pace and checking my pitch for anything missed i set off to reception to buy a drink for the walk and i was away for 10.15am. (another early afternoon start Mike.)

My route today would take me passed St. Catherines church and along the River Esk as far as Doctor bridge. Leaving the river here to pass Penny hill Farm and then take the rising path to the West of Harter Fell. Over the watershed between Eskdale and Dunnerdale i would pass Grassguards and take the good track over to High Wallowbarrow. Crossing the stream by the stepping stones if the water was not too high and then through the lovely deciduous woodlands and into Seathwaite.

St. Catherines church at Boot dates back to the 12th century and is well worth a look round the interesting features and the unique gravestone carvings.

I spent about 15 minutes here and then i was alongside the River Esk which was flowing rapidly and was quite high due to the rains of the previous days.
It's a pleasant walk along the banks and i met quite a few day walkers.  To the north there is a fine aspect of  Great Barrow.

At Penny Farm there is a sign telling you to take the permitted path to avoid the farm yard which i did and after a short distance the path turns up hill. It's quite easy to miss this turn off as the path onward to Hardknott is more prominent.
As i gained height quickly, i could see Hardknott and the Upper Esk valley was starting to clear of mist. Maybe i would get some views after all.
The path up to Harter is quite steep in places but the views were improving. I stood and watched the hill fog drifting up and over Bowfell and i thought that if i stayed here a few minutes it might clear enough to get a photo and thankfully it did.

The view lasted for about 2 minutes and i thought about the people who would be on Bowfell at that moment having a view at last.
As the path levelled out just prior to the fence line i noticed one or two nice wild camp spots and marked them on the map for future reference.
Crossing the stile onto Harter Fell the path was decidedly boggy and a few detours had to be made to avoid the morass.

I know this area well, so it was no surprise to find the path being boggy, but it was atrocious.  Especially the area which the Forestry have cleared and has now deteriorated. It was a slippery obstacle course.
This route is a bridleway and it wasn't that long ago that horses used this regularly but it isn't possible to get horses over it now.
I mentioned this to a member of the Fell Race committee upon arrival in Seathwaite as it is part of the Duddon Fell Race route. Something needs to be done about the path.
So having bog trotted for an hour i came to Grassguards where another diversion path is made to avoid the yard. The 3 dogs here are really vicious and snarl at you the whole way round. Hope they never get out.
The route from Grassguards to Wallowbarrow is a fine route with great views up and down Dunnerdale and across to Grey Friar, Swirl How and the Coniston ridge.

Dropping steeply down to Wallowbarrow farm i met the only walkers of the day. (that's on the route as i did meet a few folk along the River Esk)  A couple out for a day walk up Harter Fell and an elderly backpacker with an ancient cotton Karrimor rucksack. Good on him.
Taking a left turn through the farm gate the track curves away through the woods to what is known locally as the RAF bridge but i was going to go over the stepping stones a little further round. I had a good look at them and considered that it was ok to cross.

Once over i followed the river round to Waters Meet, this is where the River Duddon meets Tarn Beck. It's a great place to swim on a summers day, but not today. There is another stepping stones crossing point here but they are rarely used nowadays and today they were well under water, so i used the bridge 100yds up stream.

Once over the bridge and through the gate, turn left on the road and the Newfield Inn is found. I called in for a Cumberland Sausage baguette and a coffee before calling on friends Alan and Tina at the Croft.
They very kindly invited me to stay for Supper tomorrow and the next day prior to Sheila picking me up.

Alan told me that the walk planned for tomorrow with the "Last of the summer wine walkers" may now not happen as the weather forecast was poor. But a few phone calls at 9.00am tomorrow would sort it out one way or the other.
We arranged to meet up later for a beer and i was off to Turner Hall farm to get the tent up and have a shower. It was quiet on the site with only 4 tents as far as i could see and my pitch had good views up the valley and of Dow crag and Grey Friar.

It has been another lovely walk apart from the boggy path across the watershed. I had only slipped 3 times, but it had stayed dry and it had been quite warm. Very enjoyable route all said and done.

Gosforth to Seathwaite Pt.2

Last evening after having my dehydrated Spagbol from Expedition foods. I dodged the rain showers and headed for the Screes Inn for a beer or 2. There were a few local faces in that i recognised and it wasn't long before getting into a conversation.
The Wasdale Head Hotel micro brewery has now moved to Egremont after Robinsons who have taken over the WHH didn't want it. Why are Robinsons moving into deep lakeland i wonder.
The guys or one of the guys who ran the micro brewery is at this minute taking over the Horse and Groom in Gosforth. That will be a pleasant change as the pub has done nothing for ages and is known locally as the Horse and GLOOM.
It was good craich in there and it passed the evening well. I waited again for a break in the heavy showers and then headed back. I didn't make it back before the torrent started again.

Once in my sleeping bag i was dead to the world until 1.00am when i was wakened by very heavy rain and the wind had picked up. I lay there listening to the heavy drops echoing off the flysheet and realising that sooner or later, now that i was awake, i would have to pay a call of nature.

I didn't sleep too well and and at 7.15am i stuck my head out of the door. It was a little brighter than yesterday but still raining lightly. My route over to Eskdale was coming into view as the hill fog drifted over the shoulder of Whin Rigg.

I knew that my way to Eskdale was going to be a boggy walk with all the rain of the previous 24hrs. so i wasn't full of enthusiasm.
I had my Muesli and the sky was starting to clear from the west, showing some patches of blue. The rain had stopped and my enthusiasm was improving. The sun came out and steam was coming off the farm roof as the water evaporated. It's looking good i thought.

After 20 minutes of drying out the tent as much as i could i packed up and was away for 10.00am.

Just as i got to the crossroads between Wasdale Lake and Nether Wasdale i passed an American backpacker. He had the biggest rucksack that i had seen in years, his rollmat was bigger than my entire baggage. He had spent the night at wasdale YHA and was heading for Whitehaven via Gosforth where he could catch a bus.

Onwards i plodded and half way up through Latterbarrow Forest i startled about 50 Pheasants. The noise  they made as they scattered in all directions was just incredible.

On leaving the forestry the path up to Irton fell was very boggy as i knew it would be but i managed to get through it without going knee deep.
I stopped for a breather part way up and looked back. The weather was very quickly improving and it was good to see Wastwater although it would be disappearing from view very shortly as i made my way higher.

Once the shoulder of the fell side is attained i looked for the gate which leads into Miterdale forest. It looked very dark and foreboding. The path was knee deep in places as i could see from the footprints of others that had preceded me.
I moved into the rows of trees trying hard to avoid the pine needles and the peat bogs. The ground proved to be much firmer here so i negotiated my way through without any problems.

In around half an hour i crossed the bridge at the River Mite which was running fast and quite high.

Another 10 minutes and i was at the road side in Eskdale Green. Their is a small car park, a shop and a Loo at EG so i decided i would have lunch. I got some water from the tap in the Loo and used my Super Delios water filter for the first time on this trip. I had brought 2 small meths stoves, one i had made and the other was the Gram Weenie i purchased from Mark in Australia, i wanted to try them both out.

I will do a gear round up and upload the photo's at the end of the walk for anyone interested.

Post lunch i packed up and headed off back up the track i had just come down but veered off behind the Outward Bound Centre for Fell End. It was now a lovely day and quite warm as i marched on through some very long, wet grass and ferns.
This was a track i had been meaning to take for some time but i had never done it before. I took the NE track around Fell End and the views up Miterdale and across to Muncaster were very nice with some clear breaks in the cloud.
After crossing a stile the path splits NE and SE, i took the SE path towards Hollinghead Crag. Where the path on the map takes a North turn, i missed it, and continued on a very good path following the wall (which isn't on the map) which eventually meets Blea Tarn. It wasn't long before i realised that i had gone wrong but decided to carry on this route and take an alternate path to visit Blind Tarn and Siney Tarn.

I decided that Blea Tarn being the largest of the tarns is probably the most popular and thats why a short cut path has appeared. But why such a significant path has not made it onto the latest OS map is odd.

I was a little surprised at what a large sheet of water Blea Tarn is and it's an ideal spot to wild camp but don't tell anyone. It's also surrounded by some minor summits which makes it quite imposing. I will come back here again soon.
From Blea Tarn the path continues NE up BleaTarn Hill and onwards for about a mile or so to meet the track heading S to Boot village and Hollins Campsite. I had already decided i was going to stay here after Robin AKA blogpackinglight had reported that i should try it.

Today had been a surprisingly lovely day, not a particularly long walk but interesting with plenty of up's and downs supported by splendid views all round.

Entering reception at Hollins i was taken back by the high standards. It had a good shop with wines and beers and plenty of spare camping gear. It was good to see that they stocked all types of fuel too as this can be an issue for backpackers sometimes.
I paid my £7 something and had a look at the showers. Just as good as you can wish for and spotlessly clean. I was impressed.

The chap in reception said i could pitch wherever i liked so off i went for a look round. I was therefore surprised to see just how much standing water was around and also there was quite a few large areas of bare earth where tents had been pitched for too long and killed the grass. These areas were now muddy messes.
I paddled through some water near to the water taps area and headed for the only sloping area on the site. I found a dryish spot and pitched.
There was only a few people about. 3 tents and a couple of motor homes/trailer tents.

It is a lovely site but they need to improve the ground drainage a good deal. Quite surprising when you consider just how much money has been spent on superb facilities that they seem to have ignored this important part.

My evening meal was Real Turmat beef stew and excellent it was too.
I had a quick pint in the bar at Brook House but there was no conversation and no atmosphere so i left. The food looked delicious though and the beer was good with a number of choices.
I walked up to the Boot Inn which used to be called the Burnmoor and found a much better atmosphere where the staff were very chatty. Especially as the Eskdale show was pending. The beer was a bit pricey though i thought.

I turned in at around 10.30pm and it was dry and calm. Hopefully tomorrow will be just as good.

Gosforth to Seathwaite, Duddon in 3 parts.

It's strange being away from the keyboard for so long, you miss so much of what is happening and things move fast in the blogasphere.
I have just found out about Alan Slomans injury. We both hope he is progressing and wish him well. I know what he is going through. I once was climbing a wooden stile with a fishing basket when i slipped and landed leg first onto a double barbed wire fence. It wasn't a pretty sight. I now have a 3" (75cm) scar on my calf. Why is barbed wire used so much? Is it to keep animals in or out or is it for humans to injure themselves on. It's a kind of keep out or else message i know, but we cannot put it on house fences can we.
Anyway enough of that.

Sunday the 19th September was the planned start day for my walk to Seathwaite in the Duddon valley from Gosforth in West Cumbria. In mileage it's no great adventure, in fact i had done it before in less than a day and a half. But the plan was to meet up with friends on tuesday evening and plan a day walk for Wednesday.

I looked out of the house window at 8.00am and it was dark and raining hard. One of those days when you just want to get back in bed and pull up the duvet.
Anyway i was going to go so i made breakfast and final kit checks and i was away for 10.15am. It was still raining as i shut the front door and headed for Wellington bridge.

My route was to follow the River Bleng to the head of the valley, go over the watershed between Seatallon and Haycock, drop down to Nether Beck and camp somewhere along Wastwater.
I knew the river would be high and i was not wrong. It was flowing at a good rate of knots. As i climbed steadily up the forestry path the visibility and the rain was getting worse and i knew that my planned route would have to be changed.

As i approached the open moorland the visibility was very poor, i hadn't met any other people and all i had was the company of some very sad looking sheep. The path was getting more like a river with every stride. Thankfully my Goretex socks were working well.

The view (or rather no view) over to Haycock.

I decided to backtrack out of the mist and leg breaking old forestry land and take a right (SSE) at the head of Blengforest and make my way down to Harrow head via the Windsor farm track. From there i would go through Gill and head for the campsite at Nether Wasdale. 

The track was now a beck as i made slow and wet progress.

As i approached windsor farm the track was very slippery and the usually tiny beck was in full flow. I carefully picked my way down to the road and turned left.

I took the footpath passing Gill farm and headed for Gill Wood on a good path. As i turned around the mist had started to lift a little on Buckbarrow and one of the many new rivulets appeared into view.

As i reached Church Stile camp site it was obvious that not many people were braving the weather. There was only 2 tents on site as i checked in. I paid my £7 and headed off to the Screes pub for a coffee prior to erecting the tent and having a shower.

I picked my spot carefully as the site was quite boggy in places and lots of standing water. 

I had been trying out a new 230gr GoLite brolley today and i must say that it had done me proud. It had kept a lot of the heavy rain off me and my pack and it never once tried to turn inside out. I was pleased to find that my Icebreaker Merino top was only damp. My brolley was a nice shade of green and not Chrome as the link depicts.

I got my sleeping gear sorted and got my cooking gear set up ready. The rain was diminishing so i decided to go for a stroll down to Wastwater to pass another hour.

Roll on tomorrow.

Ravenglass

Now back in Gosforth after my 4 days walking and gear testing in the lakeland hills. I need to write up the walk but it will have to wait a little while. Today, Sheila and I are taking Dorothy, (Sheila's mum for a walk along the Cumbrian coastal path starting at Ravenglass.

The day looks really nice, sunny but a bit of a cold breeze, it should stay dry though which will be a bonus.
I have no end plan, it just depends how far she wants to walk. We will see. I will post later.

The great lightweight gear myth

Earlier last year i started to make  serious inroads into lightweight backpacking gear after many years of not really taking it too seriously.

How i carried some of the stupid weights of the past, only my now knackered back can tell you.

Without a shadow of a doubt it is the right way to proceed though and this post is just a wake up call for me if nobody else. 

After reading numerous recent lightweight gear reviews of the benefits of going the Titanium way, and as an engineer i agreed with the reviews, i fell into the trap. 

Looking on the web I cringed at the prices, anything from £15 - £25 just for a mug! 

I took the plunge and bought a Titanium mug from Lifeventure for £15 and saying to myself "if you want to make inroads into pack weight you have to pay for it". I know this or i thought i did.

It arrived, wonderful, gosh, isn't it light we all said!

Into the backpacking gear it went and out went the old mugs into the reserve store. I was a happy bunny, until today.

 I was putting some gear back into the loft. From one of the bags my old polypropylene cup fell out. It brought back many memories. It has certainly travelled around the world and has completed thousands of miles. It still looked in good nick.

When i picked it up i realised it was quite lightweight. How can this be, it's 20 yrs old. 

I decided to weigh the 2 cups just because i could and lo and behold here are the results.

The Titanium cup

The Polypropylene cup

Titanium mug 60 gr.            Polypropylene mug 57 gr,  

What! how can this be, the Titanium mug should be lighter surely. 

So the moral of this post is:- be aware before parting with your hard earned cash exactly what you are getting. I wasted £30 because i bought 2 mugs thinking they would be lighter.

 The original poly cups are still available today from dozens of places at a cost of between £1- £2. We got swept away on the Euphoria, YOU don't have to be, just check first.

On the benefit side, if you want to use the Titanium cup as a cooking pot then weight wise you win hands down, but that's not what we wanted them for.  On the down side they are not that good to drink from because they hold the heat and you can burn your lips if you are unaware. The poly cups do a better job of doing what they were made for, being Mugs. (oh sorry the mugs me!)

Upcoming walk

This Thursday will see Sheila and i off to pick Dorothy up from Gosforth Cumbria and Sheila is bringing her back to Manchester on saturday to Shop!
I will be staying on and have planned a walk which will lead me to Seathwaite in the Duddon valley for Tuesday night.
Wednesday i will hopefully join up with some friends who are better known as The last of the summer wine walkers.
I have no idea what walk they have in mind but it will be fun.

My trek from Gosforth to Seathwaite will not be direct or the shortest route, but to be honest it all depends on the weather what route i actually will take. Currently its not looking to good.
Anyway if it's as bad as it is right now i may call in at Hollins campsite in Eskdale and give it a whirl. I will decide on saturday afternoon when i know the forecast.
I believe you have to book a pitch beforehand.

I have a couple of stoves i want to test out and also the Super Delios water filter which i have tried but not in too much anger. So i will see how that goes.

I have packed my rucksack and it weighs 8.5kg all up. Including food for 3 days, the complete Odyssee tent which i usually share with Sheila, with it weighing around 1.8kg, 2 lightweight stoves and fuel which is meths.
I must post a kit list one day.

Sheila will pick me up on Friday, and then we will both carry on walking for a further 3 days. No route has yet been decided at this time. Again it will depend if this low weather system still prevails.

Boris? Is that you?

I was reading Mike Knipes blog about his pet spider going missing when i saw this beut trying to open the beer chiller!
It must have been 150-175mm across.
I was going to smack it with my slipper but decided it might smack me back so i left it.

It drank 3 pints of Black Sheep, burped and did a runner.  Is it yours Mike?
Last seen heading for the M62 with a dog in tow.

The all in one?

I came upon this today whilst looking at some sites and thought i would share it on my blog. A Jacket, sleeping bag and bivi bag, All In One.
I'm not suggesting that it's good/bad or indifferent or that it's a recommendation to buy one.
I just thought it's good thinking outside the box. A bit different. See what you think.
http://jakpak.com/privacyinfo.aspx

Meths stove

Above is a short video i have done of my new homemade meths stove. It's the first video i have made and put on the blog. It's a trial run really, so it's not too good and there is no commentary.

I am very pleased with the stove in operation, although not tried yet outdoors the results are certainly where i want them to be. It boiled 430ml of water in just under 4 minutes.

I will post more on it shortly.