Walton circular

 A message from fellow blogger JJ came through inviting me on a walk with Rick. I didn’t know that it was an LDWA walk, so i said i would go. You may remember the last outing with the LDWA which i posted about here and i was not very happy. However because Rick was leading this walk i decided to chance it. At least if JJ or Rick lead then you know its not going to be a stupid pace with no time for photographs and there would be regular breaks.

 The walk was recorded on the recee as 14 miles and it was a circular walk starting from Higher Walton  near Warrington. I suppose i better mention that it’s in Cheshire or else i might get points deducted.

 Up at 5.45am to get the bus into Manchester, then a quick breakfast and then on the tram to Timperley where JJ picked me up at the station prior to picking up others and making our way to Higher Walton.

 It was quite a shock to find the turnout was 19 souls. I think 8 - 10 was expected. We even had one chap from Devon with us.

 The day started a bit chilly as we waited for the 10.00am kickoff and just as we were assembling for the group piccy another soul turned up. Good job we were a minute or two late setting off.

The motley crew raring to be off.

  So off we went and quickly came to the towpath on the Bridgewater Canal, part of the Cheshire ring circuit. We followed this with nice views across open country with only the Fiddlers Ferry power station water cooling towers blighting the view. Further along through Moore we passed the Daresbury Science Park with its plush facilities for dinning on view.

 Leaving the towpath and waiting for the back marker, Rick told us that we were going uphill. There was a sigh,”a hill?” on a Wednesday walk. It wasn’t a big hill, just a pimple really. But a hill in Cheshire. It was Daresbury Fir a massive 70 odd metres high.

Top of the Hill

 Over the other side there we met the minor road in Daresbury. It’s lovely church was a good place to stop as did Charles Dodgson better known perhaps as Lewis Carroll’s father. He was vicar here for 11 years. There is a Lewis Carroll centre and the church has some beautiful stained glass and a very important loo. The old court house is interesting which is just across the road as is the pub of course.

 A grinning Cheshire Cat

 Tea break at Daresbury Church

The main Stained glass window in the church

 We didn’t waver and missed out the pub.

Through Daresbury we joined the Mersey valley way, walking past some very posh property and eventually reached Appleton reservoir via Row’s Wood. Just as we crossed Warrington road i checked the GPS only to inadvertently switch it off. So i had to wait then for the satellites to be located again. I wish there was a warning on the Satmap 10 that asks "Are you sure you want to switch off.” I do this regularly and its a real pain in the bum.
 Anyway onward. Through Bellfield Farm and Hill Cliffe passing one of the most well kept cemetery’s i have seen. If you can call a cemetery stunning well this was it.

 Good views across to Winter Hill and a nice grassy bank alongside the older cemetery was where we stopped for lunch. A very pleasant 20 mins was had and JJ handed out Tea loaf. He made it all himself too. Thanks JJ it was very nice.

 Appleton Reservoir

Lunch

 Nobody was in any rush to get going again but slowly we packed up. The day was almost summery now. A short section of road walking amongst more very posh houses took us to a dell and some shade.
For a second time i switched the GPS off by mistake and cursed the software designers as well as myself.

 We followed the Dingle for a while passing Witherwin Farm and onto the Mersey Valley trail again.
We stopped again in Grappenhall for a brew. Overlooking the church with its Cheshire cat perched high on the west side of the tower. The pub next door was being renevated as it seemed was most of the village. Its a very nice place to live thats for sure.

The Cat on the tower

 Another short section of road brought us alongside the canal again and followed it through Stockton Heath until we passed Walton Hall. One of the party, name slips my mind but it seems he used to play here as a lad and he wanted to have a look at how it had progressed in all these years. And so we did.

 Its a very nice place with a heritage centre and a cafe. The flower beds were blooming and colourful. The gardens well manicured. There was an old Crystal Palace style greenhouse that looked like it was being renovated or knocked down. Not sure which.
 Its well worth a visit and i’m glad we did.

 Lovely flower beds in Walton Hall

More Gardens

 A short walk again along the towpath and we were back at the start. A quick pint in the pub and then home.

 The route was 14.5 miles long and extremely pleasant, in good company. The weather stayed kind to us all day. Thanks Rick for one of the best LDWA walks i have been on.

 Oh i nearly forgot. JJ has some new shoes La Sportiva Raptor’s. A bit bright but most of us had sun glasses. Good job he stayed at the back.

 Some photo’s of the days walk can be found by clicking here.

Hi Tec Zuuk lightweight shoe.

 For some reason I missed these Zuuk’s when they first came out a couple of months ago. Or I didn't take enough notice of the press release. So i was taken back a bit when i saw them hanging in Field and Trek in Fort William a couple of weeks ago. I was impressed and bought a pair, as did Sheila.

The "best" lightweight shoes I have put on the blog were the Saucony Hittari. At 125gr. Per shoe, a good option for backpacking, bothying etc if you like to have a change of shoe and don’t mind paying top prices. I know some don't.
 The Hittari are still available, many places have stock but they range between £50 - £85.

 The Zuuk are not as light as the Hattari. They weigh 147 grams. (Size 7). But they are pretty cheap at £27.99.  For those on a tight budget these are a good option.

 They have a mesh upper giving perfect breathability and water expulsion with a soft inner and foot bed that is anti odour and anti microbial. The sole is white EVA on all the different colours available and both mens and ladies. For some reason there is not a black sole option which I would have preferred. But its not a big deal.

 Lacing is easy using the pull toggle tightening system and there is a small pocket on the tongue to store the excess lace.

 I found these shoes very comfy indeed and although I wouldn't use them for running, i don’t think the grip is good enough, I would use them generally around camp, in shower blocks, for fording rivers, going to the pub, around the home and garden and ideal for holidays or travel and other sports where water is involved.
 You can fold them over, toe to heel for packing but I think its best to put both shoes together and sandwich the mesh uppers. They compress down to around 40mm.

 I will probably buy a second pair before they stop making them, i think they are that good.

 Hi Tec’s Zuuk shoe

Rare Swift killed by wind turbine in Scotland

 I noticed in Herald Scotland that a rare White throated needletail swift has been killed by a wind turbine on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides.
Many twitchers had flown to the island to catch a rare glimpse of this bird only to watch it die due to a wind turbine.

I found that sad enough but i was even more saddened by the last paragraph of the attached article where a spokeswoman for the RSPB defended the wind turbine.

"Wind energy makes a vital contribution towards mitigating the impacts of climate change, which is the biggest threat to our native birds and wildlife.”

So all the raptor deaths and other less rare birds is ok then because it doesn’t happen very often..

The said article can be found below. Just paste it into your browser.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/birdwatchers-see-rare-swift-killed-by-turbine.21464885

Ultra light down gilet or vest.

 Some readers may remember that a few months ago i was looking for a cheap and light gilet to supplement my two pieces of warm wear. I have a TNF Zephyrus synthetic smock and a PHD Minimus down jacket.
 I wanted a gilet that i could use with these 2 garments as and when necessary.

 So i searched and tried on a few but nothing within my price range. I didn’t want to pay too much because it was only a supplementary piece of kit.
 I had quite a few good suggestions, which again was either outside my price or had been discontinued or were too bulky. But thanks folks for the suggestions.

 I didn’t find what i wanted and thought maybe when the winter clothes start to hit the shelves again i might find something. So surprisingly i had an email last week from Uniqlo showing the latest range of ultralight down gilets.

 Exactly what i wanted.
The stock had just arrived and choices were plenty. I ordered a medium size and in black. 2 days later i am wearing it.

Weight 138 grams.

 The gilet is black even though it looks blue in the photo.
You can see from the scales that it weighs138 grams.
 The outer shell and inner face is polyamide and has a DWR good enough for light rain showers.
 The filling is 90% down, 10% feather. The down fill is min 640 but the spec does not give what amount of down.
 There is a good high collar with 2 hand warmer pockets and the zip is YKK with a added zip pull.
The arm holes and hem are very slightly elasticated.

 On the inside there are 2 very wide and deep pockets that suit an OS map perfectly. A pocketable bag is also supplied and when packed the bundle is about the size of a coke can.

I am glad i waited.

Cost £39.99.

Back from Torridon and Applecross

 Back from a lovely area of the UK to normality again. We had a great time, simple as that.
The weather was ok. Could have been better but could have been far worse of course. No complaints.
The bothy we rented for the week was exceptional and could’t have asked for more in comfort,views,walks or the welcome we received from the owners.

 The only issue we had was the internet. There is no phone signal as in many of our rural parts and the internet was a basic package provided by satellite. As long as you only wanted to check/write an email, or do whatever you do on twitter and farcebook then you were ok. If you wanted to blog, add photographs or download anything, then no chance.

 After trying for the first couple of days i gave it up as a bad job. So for my sins i have spent the morning sifting through the dross and picking out approximately 25% of the shots i took. It still amounts to 88 pics but not bad i suppose for what was in fact a 10 day break.

The view from our bothy.

 Well if you have spare time or are just simply bored then please click on the link and check out this lovely area of Scotland.

Link to photo's

Beinn Damh and Sgurr na Bana Mhoraire

  Dorothy said you two go off and do something yourselves. That Liatach blob can wait until i've done the Manchester Marathon. I'm not taking any chances pulling a muscle getting up there. 

 So i hatched a plan, in fact i had Plan A for a good day and if it was a bad day then Plan B. I'm told always have a Plan B.

 Plan A, as it turned out was where we went. Beinn Damh, Meall Gorm and Sgurr na Bana Mhoraire. We decided to leave it until 11.00 am to start because the mid and late afternoons were better than the mornings.

 Parking up just outside the Torridon Hotel, adjacent to the track up through the Rhododendrons.

 This first section of the route is delightful at this time of the year. The flowers were huge and in full bloom. As we made our way up the good path the sound of a waterfall fills the air. I would love to be here in times of spate because it sounded great today.

 I spotted a toad in the undergrowth and it stopped while i took a photo. Along the track there are lots of wind fallen trees with the huge root balls acting like walls as we passed. The humidity was quite high, no wonder the Rhodies were doing so well. We started off with our windproofs on but they were quickly removed. 

 Clearing the woodland the breeze greeted us and it was so nice after a mile in a sweatshop. A chap in front of us took a left path which crosses Allt Coire Roill. It looks a nice walk on the map exiting at the southern end of Loch Damh. We took the right branch, climbing steadily uphill. Crossing an old boundary fence the track gets steeper but is still a good one. It stays good almost to the top of the col but due to some water erosion the track is disjointed but easy to follow.

 Strangely as we ascended we passed numerous signs that off road motor bikes had been up here. I don't know if that is legal or not.

 When the col is reached we do as probably everybody does and that's to go and see the view from the other side. There is a lovely view down to Loch Damh.

 Our first top would be Beinn Damh to the left as this was a little higher than the tops to our right. We would come back and do these later. Setting off from the col the obvious route is to aim for the first high point but this is not the easiest track. At a point half way up look out for a split in the track. One goes high and one goes around, contouring. The right split is the one to take.
This takes you directly in line with the second col prior to the 903m summit. 

 The views from the summit and the top 868m command views 360 degrees and in my opinion the view over Coulin Forest rates as one of the best views ever, anywhere in the world. A camera just doesn't do justice to such spectacular views as these.

 It was very windy crossing the col and at one point Sheila was almost blown over. We climbed the boulder field and headed for the shelter. We got in behind the shelter to gain our breath which at this point seemed to be sucked out of our bodies. We stayed 5 minutes or so and then headed back down across the boulder field to the intermediate col. 

 There was no wind here and it made a good stopping point for a coffee and some lunch. The views still superb. All the high tops on the north side of the Torridon Rd were clear of cloud. The view down the glen  and out to sea, excellent. 

 The path up to Meall Gorm 675m and beyond to Sgurr na Bana Mhoraire 687m is a good one although there is a little exposure just before the final summit for anyone who suffers from vertigo. Its not dangerous in respect.

 The top provides a wide summit with great views of Torridon and surrounding lochs. There is also a trig point which i forgot to photograph the number plaque. I will have to go back.

 Retracing our steps we took the Pythagorus route off Meall Gorm, we took the diagonal until we encountered the path alongside Allt an Toll Ban. As we left the top the rain started. Not heavy but the curtain of rain was sweeping in and the views were diminishing.

 Resisting to put on our waterproofs because we were headed into the humid woodland again we enjoyed the rain, it was pleasant, not heavy, not drenching but softly falling. We managed to find a viewpoint for the waterfall which somehow we missed on the way up. The falls crash through a wooded revine of some depth.
With the water now on the leaves of the Rhodies the colours looked pronounced. I took some photos of the splendid flower heads and differing colours.

 All too soon we were back down at the car. We had seen 5 people all day. 

1100m ascent approx and 15k including the satellite tops. One of the nicest days i have had in the hills.

photo's to follow.

Loch an Eion bimble.

 Standing outside the SYH building Dorothy summed up the surroundings brilliantly. Everywhere you look they are so big. It doesn't matter which way i look.
I smiled and said there's another 1/3rd still up in the cloud yet.
We were of course facing Liathach in Torridon. It was grey, floor to ceiling of almost shear rock.
Today it looked like the glen was curtained, there was no sun shining on its slopes to pick out the colour or the detail. Quite foreboding, there was no gap between mountain and sky.
I'm not going up there, am I she said. Not today i replied.

 The path i chose today, i hadn't done before, and i was hoping that it wouldn't be too hard for her. I said tell me if you feel its too much and we will go back. My plan was to get to Loch an Eion below the bulk of Maol Cheon-dearg which would be an ideal turning point and a place to have lunch.

 I'm sure that many TGO challengers would pick this route on the first day out of Torridon and do it quite quickly.

 Cloud base was about 800m and grey, but it was pleasant as the sun occasionaly found its way through. We found the start of the path in Annat and said good morning to an elderly chap who looked like he was waiting for a bus or a lift.

 The path is a good one, obviously been used as a way through the glens for many a year, probably hundreds of years.
 Great views across to Liathach and Beinn Eighe and Sgurr Dubh beyond Loch Neumha. At one point the clouds lifted just above Liathach's highest point Spidean a Choire Leith giving me a chance to get a photo of the whole ridge. Then as quickly as it cleared, the tops disapeared again.
 During this spell of clear, Beinn Eighe was sparkling with its quantity of 600 million year old
Cambrian Quartzite and at the other end Beinn Alligin looked imense.

  Our rise was quite a gentle one, ideal for backpacking in fact. The geology again stopping us numerous times to visualise the glaciation. Numerous boulder fields have been left as the glacier melted and massive eratics abound. I can spend hours looking around these areas even though i know nothing really.

 Dorothy was doing really well, i had expected one or two moans but she was enjoying it. As we levelled out and the waterfalls came into view from Loch an Uilt-bheithe the loud sound of birds defending their territory startled us. It was so loud considering that the wind was picking up. I tried to see if i could make a bird fly so that i could identify it but alas no. The ground birds may have been further away than they seemed and my efforts were futile. As we moved on 100m the birds became quiet again.

 Approaching the Loch an Eion i found a good spot to stop for lunch, sheltered from the now very strong wind. The sky lowering itself down the slopes of Maol Chean-dearg. It was looking ominously like we were in for a downpour. We had not stopped long before the first smatterings of raindrops interupted our break. We had already put on our waterproofs because of the strong wind but now they were needed for real. Down it came with some force and the view of Liathach  and all the high tops disapeared completely.

 Time to head down i thought, not a place to have Dorothy slip sliding around on wet sandstone. Not that there was any complaining.

 When we reached the boulder field we met a mountain biker coming up, pushing his bike. He was a jolly guy, telling us why he was pushing his bike instead of spending all the energy in cycling. It seems that his wheels were spinning more than he liked and decided progress would be better pushing.

 He was meeting a group of friends coming up from the other side, and he was meeting them halfway. I presume he meant somewhere at the saddle or the bealach na Lice. He asked if we were staying at the Torridon Hotel where if were he would have a chat with us later. Unfortunately we weren't, which was a shame.

The rain was easing as we descended and before we got to the bottom it was almost like summer. Waterproofs off and back to daudling.

Reaching the Annat road the old boy we said good morning to hours ago, was still stood there, waiting. We sat in the car and finished off the coffee and sandwiches, we were going to offer him some when a car pulled up and he got in. How long he had been waiting before we set off is anyone's guess. Strange we thought.

A most pleasant few hours walk anyway.

Once again pictures won't load, i will keep trying.

A day in Paradise

 Today (Monday), we got up to poor visibility. We could just make out the other side of the loch, but no hills. We sat on the sun deck. Ha.  Then, as the west looked brighter we decided to go to Applecross. We had never been there before.

 The drive is splendid, and as we passed Fearnmore the sun was shining across the sound of Raasay with Trotternish and the Cuillins silhouetted. Trotternish was clear but the Cuillins were topped with white cloud. It was a good decision to go west as the day was definitely improving rapidly.
 We stopped a while at the viewpoint north of Sand before continuing onto Applecross.

 Rounding Rubha an Guailne the small village houses of Applecross sparkled white, standing out across the blue of the bay. Appplecross was busy with tourists, the car registration plates proving the popularity to the Dutch, German, Austrian and French in particular.
 Kayaking, wind surfing and gorge walking also seems very popular.

 Finding a parking spot was more luck than anything else. But we did find one close to the Applecross Inn. Walking through this pretty place we headed towards Camusteel where we stopped for a coffee before returning.

 I remembered watching Time Team excavate a Broch here and it poured down. What a difference it was then to today. I took the chance to have a look at the campsite and was pleased to find it very pleasant. They even have a cafe/restaurant and a bar on site although it is very near to the Applecross Inn.

 From the campsite we headed uphill, yes that is correct, UP! On a delightful path through recently felled forest and across to Strath Maol Chaluin.
Passing a very old sawmill that reminded me of the one in the Waltons TV programme. Then passed the Adventure school and Applecross House with its extensive parkland and walled garden. A very nice walk that could be done in an hour but we dawdled and gorped, seeing that the day was now so lovely.

 Sheila said she would drive back, if we wanted to stay here for an early evening meal and so that i could do a quality control check on a couple of beers. I must say the Scallops and Langoustine was excellent as was the draught Bealach na Ba cask beer.
 Our table was in the front beer garden and i had to make several challenging walks from the garden to the bar. I managed this task extremely well and regularly. I can now state without any doubt that i could start guided walks at this venue.

 The late afternoon was in full sun and it was looking more like a resort on the Mediterranean rather than the West Highlands. We got chatting to 2 motorcyclists, there lovely machines drawing a crowd and glances from passers bye. They were riding Suzuki Intruder 1800cc and a Honda F6C 1600cc i think.

 When we got back the midges were biting. I applied the only thing i have found to work which is "Goodbye Sandfly", Its not available in the UK and i am pretty sure you cannot buy it over the Internet here either. When i say it works, i mean to a degree. Nothing really stops them. We lit the barby and the wood smoke kept them at bay, allowing us to sit outside and enjoy the long light days.
 An excellent finish to the day considering we had gambled on rain earlier.

The Internet here is not fast and today it will not allow me to post any photographs from my camera smart card. I will try later because the views are well worth seeing.
Update. 3 pics = 2 hours of spinning egg timer.

Applecross

View NE towards Croic bheinn from Applecross. 

View North to Croic bheinn across Strath Maol Chaluim

To get our bearings.

 Up with the lark, 6.30am. That's early for me, believe me, but late for Sheila. The window beckoned us to continue viewing across the loch to the high mountains. They were covered in a thin white veil and higher still grey clouds. The sun had not completely risen to us yet but the rays could be seen beyond the ridge in front.
Soon we would be bathed in warm sun and would again bring the midge. Our hosts next door had informed us of a good walk which goes from here across to Ardheslaig which offers great views up Loch Torridon and beyond. Dorothy wasn't up for it but didn't want to stop us from going, and so we did.
Picking up a good path which goes all the way in fact. The views were indeed great with Croic bheinn 493m and Beinn Bhan at 896m rising on our right.

 Our path was delightful and we strolled along completely transfixed with the geology of the area. Glaciation was obvious, even to this amateur with the deep scratch lines and eratics plain to see.
The long since cooled paths of molten rock had us stopping for ages just taking in the environment.
 Then the view opened up and the number of times we just said "wow" was becoming repetitive.

We sat down on a great slab of Toridon sandstone, looks and feels like pink granite and with the aid of the map picked out the tops surrounding our view.

 We didn't go all the way down to Ardheslaig because it would have meant walking all the way back up and we wanted to stay high for the views.
At a good point overlooking Loch Beag we turned and headed over numerous sandstone humps until the trig point came into view.

A' Bhainlir at a huge height of 175m. Nose bleed territory.

A view of Upper Loch Toridon from A'Bhainlir

From the trig point we carried on the tops NW and picked up sheep trod that brought us back down towards Kenmore.

Kenmore fishing village with our accommodation far left.

Between us and the cottage runs a lovely stream with numerous waterfalls. Fortunately with the good weather the stream was tame and gave us no trouble crossing. Just in time for lunch.

Post lunch all 3 of us went on a second short walk down to the harbour just taking photo's.

Today we saw, an Otter! Fab.

And also Great Northern Divers, Buzzard, Siskin, Cuckoo, Bullfinch and our resident Wood mouse.

Last nights visitors were!

Not just one Pine Martin but two. The first time i have seen them.

They are back! Blighters, or biters maybe.

We were pleased that our recent visit to the Lake District was midge free but as the breeze died away last evening they came back here with a vengeance. We managed to sit out for all of about 2 minutes before they were in your eyes, ears and well, everywhere. The midge nets were deployed as well as the balaclava and gloves. In the end they won and we headed indoors.  The view was just as nice looking through the patio windows. For once i was pleased not to be camping.

The sun deck was now quiet and it brought out our first visitor.

Over to you Louise.

Our little visitor.

Peace and Tranquility

 A lovely night we had in the Cluanie Inn. Good choice of whisky too. 211 different ones to be precise. Most expensive was £55. No we didn't have one of those. We had a few showers sweep by but not heavy.
 The Cluanie is in a great spot and we must come back here.

 The morning dawned sunny but by the time we had breakfast it had changed to cloudy with showers. Breakfast was excellent  We gave our compliments and paid the bill and headed off to Torridon.

 The drive from the Cluanie to Sheildaig has to be one of the most beautiful drives in the UK. Fortunately the day improved and the views were stunning.
 Stopping in Strathcarron for a few supplies and a coffee we had a call to say our cottage would be ready early and it would be ok to check in at 1.00pm.

 We made good time, not a single caravan got in the way. Our home for the week is a cottage on the south side of Loch Sheildaig in Kenmore. It is right on the loch with the wonderful sight across the loch of Beinn Alligin,

 Its a peaceful place with a sun deck. We have made good use of it this afternoon watching nature at its best. So much to see, Herons, Buzzard, Red throated divers, Cormorants, lots of the usual garden birds and even a Door mouse came to visit the dropped seeds under the bird table.

 The scene changes by the minute as the light and shadow varies with the cloud movement. We can't take our eyes off the loch as we are told Dolphins, seals and otters can be seen. The constant smile on our faces tell it all. Most wonderful.

 We now are waiting for the sun to set on our first day here and hope for good sunset.

Now where did we put the whisky.

Our stunning view. I think we might just sit here for the week.

Torridon Bound

 We left Manchester at 9.30am for our journey to the Highlands of Scotland.
It has been a good drive although a frustrating one due to the hold ups caused by the numerous and annoying caravans trundling along and the 2 abreast cyclists out in droves on such a lovely day. Don't these people realise that other people have a long way to go and its so difficult and dangerous to overtake.

 So its now 6.30pm and we have checked into the Clunie Inn. Enough is enough today.
Our room is lovely with a spar bath and a sauna. 4 poster bed and beautiful views from the windows.

The hotel is a credit to the owners. We are going to check out the bar facilities now as one must.

More tomorrow.

Grease proof bags for dehydrated foods.

 First let me say that this is not my idea. I am pinching no ones thunder, but I like it and am sharing it.
And this is where i first came across it. Click

 When we backpack in the UK, some but not all of us carry dehydrated foods. Most buy them, some make their own, but find packing 3 or 4 days worth a bit restrictive due to the bulky packaging and lack of flexibility with the purchased variety. The need for such a bag is because of the re-hydration requiring boiling hot water.
But if you don’t mind pouring the contents into a pan and then using a pan cosy whilst re-hydrating then why not consider decanting the food into a grease proof bag and break up the food so that packing it is far easier.
Dehydrated food will stay fine re-packaged for a few days.

 Apart from a slight weight saving, once used, you can burn the bag and therefore save carrying out your messy empty foil one.

 To seal up the bag i suggest decorators masking tape. This also burns exceptionally well.

The bags are environmentally friendly too.
100% Unbleached paper.
Not chemically treated. Totally chlorine free.

Made from Scandinavian Spruce trees.

They come in a re-cycleable box of 48 bags. I bought mine from the Vit shop here. £2.70.

Support for White box type stoves.

 I recently noticed that Backpacking light UK have started to supply the excellent White Box stove. I really liked the simplicity of this stove and i’m pleased that it is now easier to buy here in the UK rather than have it shipped from the US with all the extra charges incurred.

 It’s a very lightweight alcohol or meths stove made from an aluminium seamless container.

The White box stove in action.

 Many moons ago i managed to get hold of lots of Aluminium beer bottles, i posted about it here, and made quite a few of my own stoves.

 But one of things that any potential buyers of the stove will be thinking is about how to stop it from tipping over in use. The diameter is only around 50mm depending on container and pots can get quite wide and heavy. A recipe for disaster. 

 I for one certainly have my "heart in my mouth" as the saying goes when i use it. I googled a support for it but there’s nothing out there as far as i could tell. So there was only one thing for it and that was to make something. Now the stove is very light, around 30 grams all in with it’s reflective base. So i didn’t want a support which weighed much because that just defeats the object.

 So i made 2 supports. One for soft ground and one for hard ground. These are my first attempts and thought i would pass them on to readers who may also be looking for ideas.

If anyone has better ideas than please feel free to share them.

 So, the soft ground stand. 

Made from 2mm stainless steel. Basically its a loop and eye lasso that is shaped around the stove and the loop is bent at a point which will retain the stove without slipping.

Simple Lasso support

Stove partially located, in soft ground 

Stove fully supported and secure. The lasso is located about a 1/4 of the way up the stove

and in conjunction with the ground prevents the stove from tipping over. My Evernew 600ml pots works just fine with it.

 Fits nicely inside my pot

Weighs in at 7 grams.

The hard ground or bothy support.

 I made this from exactly the same beer bottle as i made the stove but if you buy a stove from BPL instead of making your own then its quite a simple job to make one from any aluminium container of a suitable size. There are many types around which will suffice such as deodarent, water or hair products that use the same type of container.

 I simply cut the bottom off the container then spaced out 3 legs and 3 retaining lugs and making the relevant cuts. Cleaned up all the sharp edges and then carefully bent over the 3 narrow lugs which perform the levelling duties whilst the 3 wide lugs create the stove support.

The hard ground support and stove.

 Stove and stand in situ. 

It does work ok on grass too but it’s not as secure as the lasso on soft ground.

The underside of the stand. 

The 4 holes are there to remove the vacuum effect. 

The complete centre of the base could be removed for the very weight conscious readers if required.

 Both bits fit into my pot.

Weight is 12 grams

This photo above is what i use to extinguish the flame from the stove, a douser in effect. Which saves fuel.

Made from a drinks can and with a handle glued to the top. When packing up, the stove fits neatly inside it.

 So, those are my 2 ideas to support the White Box and any other similar stove construction. Hope you find them useful.

Duddon Valley Fell race 2013

 The Duddon Valley Fell Race is an annual event and is a classic race. There are 2 races at the same time known as “The Long race and the Short race”.  For obvious reasons.
Unfortunately this year, it clashed with another race and so numbers were slightly down on previous years.
 This time we had 137 runners in the long race and all but 4 made it round the 18 mile circuit that has 6000ft of ascent. The short race had 33 runners on it’s 10 miles circuit with 3000ft of ascent.
 Sheila and i marshal the check point on Swirl How in the Long Race, the highest point at just over 2634ft high and the most exposed.

The Duddon Valley fell race circuit.(Long Race)

 We had the bad news that the electronic “Dibbers” that we normally use, and which make life a little easier because all the information is downloaded from them, would not be available. Apparently the person who has them had been rushed into hospital and nobody could get into his house. 

Lesson here to be learnt from for the future.

 So, it meant that we would have to go back to the manual system of writing down every runner and recording the times and then double checking to ensure everybody is accounted for. (Not that we never double check anyway).

And also we were to have a 3rd marshal this year in the name of Paul Cox, an ex bobby.

 Friday was a gorgeous day and we just hoped that the weather hadn’t peaked too soon. So Saturday came and it was almost as nice, just a little cooler and a bit of a breeze. Perfect for running.

 So the 3 of us set off early to get a parking spot at Three Shires. It’s usually a very busy place and especially so on a nice day, and you would have no chance of parking if you left it till later. The unfortunate negative is that you get to the check point too early and if it turns out to be a lousy day, then it can be a bit miserable.

 As it was, our “newbie” was raring to get up there and he set a hell of a pace up Wet Side Edge. It turns out that this was Paul’s first fell race marshalling and he was full of enthusiasm and couldn’t wait for the runners to get to us. But like i said earlier, we had 2 1/4 hours until the runners got there.

Finding a nice seating place we talked and admired a wonderful panorama. The time flew by.

 Great Carrs in foreground with Scafell Ridge line behind.

 Great view of Scafell and Scafell Pike 

  The ridge line was quite busy with many very large groups being guided. Spanish, German and Americans.

We also had numerous people whom, even on a perfectly clear day and with maps, thought that they were on a different summit to where they actually were. A lot thought they were on Wetherlam rather than Swirl How.

As usual we had lots of interested people asking about the event. Always nice to talk to folk.

The airwaves were getting busy and race control kept us informed of runners progress and any retiree’s. etc.

The first group of runners got to us at around 1.00pm, 3 came almost together and looked very fresh, like they had only ran 100yds. The last runners came to us at 3.00pm and looked shattered. Cramps were giving them some problems but they carried on and crossed the finishing line.

First runners through. The eventual winner is 2nd at this time.

 Paul knew a few of the runners, being a local lad and ex Ambleside Policeman.

 It all got very exciting when we were visited by a Rescue Helicopter. It just looked like a practice and it had nothing to do with our event, thankfully.

Rescue helicopter above Brim Fell

 The weather started to change, the clouds started rolling in and getting blacker with every minute. The wind picked up and the temperature plummeted. Ok if you could keep moving but for us we became very cold. The layers started to get put on, the down jackets, the windproofs and then the waterproofs.

Trying to write when your hands are shaking and numb is not that easy. Also the noise of the wind was giving us a few problems with hearing the runners numbers.

 Paul had now gone from very excited to wishing those last runners would come in so that we could get going off the fell. It looked like rain for quite a while but it never happened, thankfully.

Going through the numbers and cross referencing, we accounted for everyone and let race control know the status and that we were now closing the station and heading down. As we moved from our relative sheltered spot the wind was incredible and as we turned to head for Great Carrs we were almost blown off our feet. Not a good place to get blown off, as the drop is precipitous and about 800ft.

Top of Broad Slack with Great Carrs in background

 Paul wanted to find the running line around Great Carrs and so we moved NE to accomplish this. We think he fancies running it next year. 

 Again the pace quickened and we had quite a struggle to keep up with him. He is definitely a quick fellow and it wasn’t long before we were back at the car. With some luck we just got back to the race field as the prizes were being given out. 

Simon Booth won again in a time of 2hrs 55 mins 32 seconds. (I think this is his 5th or 6th time of winning). Not bad for a veteran.

 Sheila had made a curry for 6 people, a tradition of ours at this race. So after a quick wash and brush up, the meal was cooked at the side of the tent, our friends came over and it was demolished along with a few bottles of wine and a pack of lager. Prior to an evening of blues music and chat at the Newfield Inn.

Not sure what time we went to bed!!! But the nice thing was, the MIDGES were not in plague numbers and i didn’t get one bite this year. We camped at the back of the pub and so we didn’t have the walk back to Turner Hall that we have done so many times before.

 A brilliant weekend.

Thanks to everyone for making such an effort. It was well worth it and a pleasure to be a part of it.

 A slideshow of the day can be found here