I took some new things with me to the Lakes and I thought I’d give you a short post on them.

Trek wholefood bars. I had the peanut & oat and the cocoa brownie bars. I thought they were rather good, being a a kind of cross between a fruit bar and an oat bar. They are quite filling and additive free. They are very solid as well, so they resist a bit of rough treatment in your pack. They seem to be widely available through Holland & Barratt and Sainsbury’s. Worth a try.

Velbon V-pod tripod. The V-pod is brilliant. At just 275g, it’s great for a solo walker. Self portraits become simple. It’s remarkably stable. The only drawback is that it is so light that it can topple over in windy conditions. A great find. Thank you Hendrik for alerting me to this.

Integral Designs shortie gaiter. I wore these all the time I was walking and they kept the grunge from making my trousers dirty. They were never sweaty and seem remarkably robust for such a lightweight bit of gear.  Mine are green, not the yellow featured on their website. Again, recommended if you want a pair of short gaiters.

Alpkit Candy Cane tent pegs. I used these for the Fortress. Apart from looking rather good, they performed well and seem pretty robust. They are not light enough for a solo tent at 15g per peg, but good replacements the some of the sub-standard pegs you often get with tents.