Lessons learnt

Rather than some lengthy gear evaluations, I’m going to use this post to make some short comments on the gear I took to the Lakes, which will, hopefully, be useful.

Shorts: I normally take shorts or zip off trousers. On this trip I didn’t and regretted it, especially on Saturday. It reinforces the message of be prepared for all weathers in the UK from freezing to heat wave!

iPhone GPS: I was really impressed with this. I was sceptical that it would work without a phone signal but it was quicker than my Garmin Gecko at signal acquisition. There are free apps to get grid references, but I used some 1:50,000 OS mapping software (Outdoors GB by Road Tour, National Parks, £14.99). It was very helpful to see where I was on the map and a combination of iPhone and compass should be enough for most situations. The ability to magnify the map for roads and paths to clarify details was also very helpful. One drawback is that using the GPS drinks the battery.

Integral Designs Hot Socks: I used these as bivi socks instead of my fleece lined ones. They are lighter, warmer and more comfortable than my fleece ones. They weigh 120g and are available at Ultralight Outdoor Gear. If you suffer from cold feet, these are well worth considering. I think they have an advantage over down as getting damp is not an issue.

Scarp 1 tent: I continue to be impressed by the Scarp. The two key features are space and stability. It’s also very easy to pitch and suffers much less from condensation than the Akto and Laser Comp.

Gossamer Gear Mariposa Plus: Brilliant pack. So comfortable and flexible. Love it.

Pod compression sacks: I got these from Bob and Rose. They are excellent for minimising the bulk of sleeping bags and clothes. I may get a couple more.

Merino vs. Synthetic: For the first time in ages, I took synthetic base layers instead of Merino. I used a short and a long sleeve Xstatic  top from Berghaus (uses a light Polartech fleece) and a Rohan Ultra T. While I love Merino, I have to say the Xstatic was very impressive. The advantage over Merino is that it dries so fast. While wearing it, any sweat is almost instantaneously evaporated (very good on the two hot days). As an experiment I washed the short sleeve T in Codale Tarn and pegged it on the tent. Within an hour it was dry. I used the Rohan T for sleeping. It has a lovely silky feel and was surprisingly warm. The Ultra boxers were also good. My other undies were Haglofs. Anti-smell was good on all of them, at least as good as Merino. I am now much less sure that Merino is the best for base layers.

Neo Air with silk cover: This worked brilliantly. It’s much more comfortable than without and seems to add significantly to the insulation (which is good in the first place). Interestingly, back at base camp, I used an Exped Downmat 7 and it didn’t feel as warm. The Neo Air was also great for making uneven pitches comfortable. The slight deflation during the night is still a bit disconcerting, but doesn’t affect the comfort. Extra weight is 100g.

Exped pillow: This is the new champion. At 89g, it’s almost half the weight of the Ajungilak pillow. It has a well designed inflation/deflation system (unlike the Ajungilak). It has good neck support and packs very small. Pillow problem solved.

Repackaging Real Turmat meals: If you use RT meals, it’s well worth doing this. It makes packing much easier. I was also very pleased with my pouch snug system. The base plate is a good idea as it enables more heat retention when on the ground rehydrating and also provides a handy bit of insulation under the pouch when you are eating if you are balancing it on your knees. BTW, yet again, RT proved that it is the king of dehydrated food.

Montane Marathon Jacket: Most people go for the Featherlite Smock or the Litespeed jacket, but the Marathon jacket is worth considering as an alternative. The main advantage is the vents on the sides, which stop overheating. Shame it doesn’t have a hood or a pocket.

Headtorch: It was a waste of time carrying one. I had a small keyring LCD torch anyway. In summer months I’m not going to bother with a headtorch.

Salomon XA + cap: I really like this cap. It’s got great ventilation and the removable neck flap is brilliant for sunny weather. Rarer than hen’s teeth, though!

Paramo 3^rd Element jacket: It may not be the lightest Paramo, but it’s the most versatile. Yet again, this proved to be a great piece of gear. The ability to use it as a gilet lifts it above normal jackets. It’s very comfortable in a wide variety of conditions.

Salomon Fastpacker GTX boots: I know you are getting bored with me telling you how good these are but…. They are so good. Even on Saturday, when it was touching 30c, my feet didn’t overheat. Sure, they would have been more comfortable in mesh trainers, but what other Goretex lined boot could cope with those conditions? They are very secure and grippy on all ground. In high summer, trail shoes may be better, but apart from harsh winter conditions, these boots are ideal. They even take the sting out of road walking.

Haglof LIM Barrier Pull-on: Light (262g) and perfect as a warm layer. The fabric is beautifully soft. Also rarer than hen’s teeth and now discontinued.

Travel Tap: I can’t understand why anyone would bother to use anything other than a Travel Tap for water purification. It’s so simple and fail safe. I’ve tried tablets, the MSR MIOX and Steripen and they are no competition. There’s no unpleasant taste and it filters out all the nasties. It also doubles as a bottle and is virtually indestructible. I know a lot of people don’t filter water high on the fells, but I would rather be safe than sorry. I’ve seen too many dead sheep in streams. I am also getting quite wary about how hygiene conscious a lot of hill users are. I’ve not encountered this yet, but it makes you very wary.

Tea bags: I remembered to take them! I use Twinings White Tea bags (which is really green tea). I love these and you don’t have to faff around with milk powder as you take it without. White tea is not as astringent as green tea. I even had a brew on a couple of lunch stops. With these and bag meals, I’ve perfected the art of having zero washing up. I also put them in my first aid kit, as befits a tea addict.

Lake District May 10 the photos

I’ve uploaded my photos to Picasa, so if you would like to see them all, here they are: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/robinmevans/LakeDistrictMay10

Lake District May 10 part 4

Saturday 22^nd

The night was very still, but the moon meant that it wasn’t very dark for the first part. Even after the moon set, the light pollution was noticeable. I got up at 6.30 and had a little wander around taking pictures. The tarn was like a mirror, with no breeze to disturb the water. Down in the valley it was still misty, although not a perfect inversion. Above there were no clouds in the sky.

Codale Tarn

I had a lazy breakfast. The sun and the idyllic pitch made me reluctant to rush. However, I couldn’t dawdle too much as I had a 14 mile day and a steep climb to start. I packed my rucksack and I was off. The climb back up to Sergeant Man is quite rough, but, as often is the case, it is easier to ascend a rough path than descend.

Codale Tarn (left) and Easedale Tarn in the morning haze

I didn’t bother to go to the summit of Sergeant Man again but tracked round the northern side, joining the well trodden path to High Raise. Like yesterday, on the boggy parts of the moor, I was assailed by crane flies. An hour after setting out, I was on the summit of High Raise. Although High Raise is not a particularly attractive fell, it is a good viewpoint, particularly to the south and west, ranging from the Langdale Pikes to the Scafell range and Great Gable. Langstrath is largely hidden from view, but the Glaramara ridge is also prominent to the west.

View from High Raise towards Great Gable

After a quick snack, I turned north towards Greenup Edge. While the path to Low White Stones is reasonable, further on it becomes a trench, which I avoided by walking on one side. There were intriguing views to the Wyth Burn, which is another valley I would like to explore.

View from Lining Crag

The path down to Stonethwaite at Greenup is obvious both because of the path and numerous cairns. I waved to a couple of walkers sunning themselves on the rocks above the path. Over the next two miles or so I encountered probably about fifty walkers. I guess many of them were doing the C2C. I imagine this is one of the most difficult sections of the C2C as the path is very steep. Going down is comparatively easy, although care needs to be taken in a number of places.

Towards Borrowdale from Greenup Gill

The day was now getting quite hot and the cooling breeze that was apparent on the tops disappeared. I was glad that I was going down rather than toiling up the path. Quite a number of the walkers I encountered had large beer bellies, heavy packs and leather boots. Some of them looked as though they might need medical treatment before they reached the top. They made me feel like a mountain goat, skipping from rock to rock! On Lining Crag, a superb view-point, one guy had his boots off and was repairing his heels with blister plasters. I felt a bit smug with my lightweight gear and boots. However, I was careful not to let it show as pride comes before a fall.

View from my lunch stop (confluence of Langstrath Beck and Greenup Gill)

Just before noon, I reached the confluence of Greenup Gill and Langstrath Beck. By this time the temperature was nearly 30c according to my Silva ADC. At the watersmeet, there was a pleasant piece of grass shaded by some trees, a perfect place for lunch. It was too good to resist, so I unpacked my cooking gear and boiled some water to rehydrate a meal and brew some tea. Life seldom gets any better than this.

Sheep in the shade

It took some will power to get going again, but after an hour or so, I re-packed and set off. The camp site on the opposite bank was nearly full, in contrast to Wednesday when I had walked past there had been hardly any tents. I passed through a field where there were a lot of sheep and lambs. Many were sheltering under the trees out of the heat, panting heavily. The path to Rosthwaite is absolutely delightful. Thankfully, it is mainly under trees, which made it a bit cooler.

Castle Crag

At Rosthwaite, I crossed the bridge and the main road and headed towards the River Derwent. The way wasn’t immediately obvious, but consulting my iPhone in GPS mode made navigation easy, although I had to be careful as the battery was beginning to run low. The footpath was well-maintained, being part of the Cumbria Way and followed the river. Under Castle Crag it passes through some enchanting woodland and the remains of a quarry, where there is a cave cum arch that is worth a visit.

Happy swimmers at Hollows Farm camp site

I met quite a number of people out for a stroll. Just before Grange, I rounded a corner to be surprised by people swimming and paddling inflatable canoes in the river. It became obvious a few yards on that they were from Hollows Farm camp site. This looks like a brilliant base and somewhere that I might use in future. I resisted the temptation to stop and have a paddle, ploughing on to Grange.

Derwent Water

At Grange I had to do a modest amount of road walking before turning off to Manesty Wood and the shores of Derwent Water. From here, I encountered numerous yellow markers for a marathon event. Rather selfishly, I hoped that I wouldn’t be engulfed by a load of marathon runners to spoil my lake-side walk. The walk along Derwent Water was wonderful. In the shade under the trees, it was reasonably cool with the breeze from the lake. The water of the lake in the numerous bays was almost aquamarine, giving it a tropical feel. I subsequently found out that this was due to an algae bloom that was potentially toxic!

The path along Derwent Water

After Low Brandlehow landing stage, I had a rest as I had been walking for three hours without a break. After a few swigs of water and some nuts and sultanas, I was off again. At Hawes End there were a lot of vehicles and flags for the marathon event. I hurried on past, heading up the road to Swinside. I accelerated my pace in order to get the road walking finished as quickly as possible.

A last look back to Causey Pike

At Low Braithwaite, I encountered a bit of a problem: the bridge had been washed away in the floods. Two cyclists and a dog walker were also looking perplexed. However, there was a temporary footbridge to the farm across the river, although it looked as though it was not for public use. None of us could face the walk around, so we climbed the metal barrier (I helped lift one of the dogs over) and tiptoed across the bridge. Fortunately, there was no irate farmer to greet us. I was on the home straight now. I strode into Braithwaite and into the camp site, which was now packed. I was glad that I had left my tent there as it guaranteed a good pitch.

A full camp site

A visit to the luxurious showers and to the shop for an ice cream and some drinks revived my tired body. It was disappointing that the camp café was closed, but I had one more dehydrated meal, so I didn’t go hungry. It had been a fabulous day’s walk. I had never walked along the River Derwent or Derwent Water before. The woods and the lush grass was a welcome contrast to the desolation of the moor around High Raise.

The charm of the Lake District is that there is so much variety in such a small area. I’m already planning a return to walk in some of the other valleys that I’ve not explored before. Overall, it had been a most enjoyable four days, despite the change of plans.

Lake District May 10 part 3

Friday 21^st May

I woke just before 6 am. Thinking that the sun was about to rise, I opened the tent door. I was greeted with the amazing sight of a band of mist drifting over the tarn, while the sun lit the crags of Hanging Knots in a yellow glow. The mist swirled around and then enveloped the tarn, blocking out the sun.

Mist drifting over Angle Tarn

It had been a very still night and the ground and tent were wet with dew. Pleasingly, the condensation inside the fly was quite modest, but the outside was very wet.

The mist thickens

I lay with the tent door open, transfixed by the swirling mist. I had an early breakfast and waited for the mist to clear. However, the wind dropped and the mist thickened. It became apparent that the mist wasn’t going to lift quickly, so I packed my gear inside the tent. I took the rucksack outside, propped it against a boulder, wiped down the tent and packed it.

The sun trying to break through

Before leaving, I tried the GPS on the iPhone (there was no mobile signal). To my delight it worked, getting a fix almost immediately. I have the National Parks on 1:50,000 mapping app on the iPhone and it showed that I was at Angle Tarn. This was enormously helpful as I made my way along the north western side of Rosset Pike down to Stake Pass. Visibility was mostly quite poor and the path disappeared for much of the time. However, a combination of compass and iPhone saw me safely navigate my way to Stake Pass. The ground was quite wet, so I used my lightweight gaiters, thankful that I had packed them at the last moment.

Hill fog clearing over Bowfell

At Stake Pass, the hill fog began to break up. I spent 15 minute sat beside the path watching the cloud disintegrate in front of Bowfell. It was another magical experience. I weighed up the options of heading back down to Langstrath or going on to Langdale Pikes and Codale Tarn. As the weather was improving, I chose the latter.

Martcrag Moor and Pike of Stickle

The sun was now quite hot and the climb up Martcrag Moor to Pike of Stickle was rather sweaty. Just before the Pike, I got a phone signal at last and some texts from home. I decided to reply to them and  have lunch. I toyed with the idea of climbing the Pike, but decided not to. I didn’t want to leave my pack and it looked awkward to climb with a pack. I also decided to give Harrison Stickle a miss.

Pike of Stickle

After lunch, I crossed the moor to Thurnacar Knott, plagued by crane flies until I reached the summit. I walked towards High Raise but turned east before the summit, taking the path to Sergeant Man. Sergeant Man looks like a mini Pike of Stickle. At the summit, I met a couple of people and a dog. The view toward Stickle Tarn and Langdale was marvellous.

Stickle Tarn

From Sergeant Man, I descended along Blea Rigg, before taking the Easedale Tarn path down into the valley. The path down to the gill that flows into Easedale was steep and rocky, so I took my time and was careful where I put my feet. I wanted to avoid twisting my ankle as I did last time I was in the Lakes. On reaching the gill I took the path that branches off to Codale Tarn.

Codale Tarn (left) and Easedale Tarn

Codale Tarn is wonderfully secluded with crags to the west and glacial moraine to the east. I scouted round for a pitch and found three possible places. I decided to pitch on the northern side of the stream that drains the tarn, as it was more open to the breeze to keep the insects at bay.

Codale Tarn

Even though it had been another short day in terms of distance, I felt quite tired and it was hard to get motivated to do my chores. The sun and pleasant breeze induced a feeling of lethargy. Nevertheless, I had a wash in the tarn, rinsed out a base layer and pegged it on the tent to dry.

Codale Tarn

After dinner, the wind suddenly freshened and changed direction so I repaired to the tent. After a couple of hours, just as suddenly, the wind dropped, leaving the surface of the tarn like a mirror. This was yet another lovely place to camp.

Cheaper and better

Over at Fenlander’s blog, he’s made a short video of the Evernew Solo cookset that backpackinglight.co.uk are now stocking. This is almost identical to the Snow Peak Solo cookset that I have been using over the past couple of years. However, it is cheaper (£49.99 vs. £58.95 @Snow + Rock for the Snow Peak) and it is a better design. Long handles on the large pot should help to avoid burnt fingers, which are a bit of an issue with the Snow Peak. Also the handle for the pot lid is a better design. Furthermore the large pot has volume markings, unlike the Snow Peak (although the small cup does have volume markings). All in all this looks like a better design to me. The question is: do I get one?

Lake District May 10 part 2

Thursday 20^th May

Today was a day of low mileage but high pleasure. The original plan was Haystacks to Burnmoor Tarn, but yesterday’s diversion put paid to that. I toyed with the idea of going over Esk Hause, down Eskdale to Burnmoor Tarn to get back on track but it would have been a long walk and the weather was not good, with more hill fog.

Langstrath Beck

I decided to have an easy day and to take my time walking along Langstrath to Angle Tarn. The weather had been dry and mild overnight, so the tent was dry. After breakfast, Jeff left for Borrowdale and Keswick (and a shower!). It had been fun to walk with someone for a change. Most of my walking recently has been solo. Jeff was good company and possibly a worse gear-nut than me!

Langstrath before Sergeant’s Crag

As I wasn’t going to a lot of miles, I adopted saunter mode. I’m not sure why I’ve not walked up Langstrath before, but today was truly memorable. Langstrath is like a secret valley, remote and unspoilt. Even the entrance to the valley remains hidden until the last moment. It reminded me of Scotland, even the name seems Scottish.

One of the impressive gullies

I followed the path on the eastern side, rather than the more popular and well defined track on the other side of the valley. There is considerable evidence of glaciations with many erratic, a small roche mutonee and moraines. The river is a delight with small waterfalls, water slides and rock gullies. There were also a number of misshapen trees, which made for interesting photos.

A misshapen tree

Near Tray Dubs, there is a delightful waterfall, I stopped for elevenses. I noticed a commotion on the hillside near the path leading up to Stake Pass. A collie was chasing some sheep. I wasn’t sure whether it was a sheep dog, but it soon became clear that it was an out of control pet. It picked on a small black lamb, which was running for its life. The dog and lamb raced down to the river and they jumped in. Fortunately the lamb was a better swimmer than the dog. As the dog hauled itself back on to the bank I managed to catch hold of it. The lamb made it safely to the other side of the river.

Waterfall near Tray Dubs

The dog’s tag indicated that it was called Riley. I saw someone making their way down the hillside with another dog. As he approached I asked whether he was the owner. Indeed he was. I suggested that he keep it on a lead. His excuse was that the other dog usually kept Riley under control. He was lucky I was there to catch the dog before it did some real damage. No wonder farmers get angry with dog owners. If the dog is not trained for recall, then it should be on a lead at all times.

Me at lunchtime

After that brief bit of excitement, I dawdled on. The valley narrowed and just above the junction with Allencrags Gill, I decided to have lunch. I was only about 200 metres below the cloud base and there was the odd spot of rain. There was also a spectacular small rock gully, which made for some good photo studies.

Another gully just before the confluence with Allencrags Gill

I was in two minds as to whether to continue up to Angle Tarn as the cloud seemed quite thick, so I took my time over lunch. Unusually for me I had a brew and made a warming cup of tea (having remembered to bring plenty of tea bags this time!). I had a pleasant nap for about half an hour. When I woke, the cloud had started to lift, so I decided to chance it and make for Angle Tarn.

The path up to Angle Tarn

The climb was quite steep and seemed to go on forever. I started to doubt that there really was an Angle Tarn and wondered if it was a cartographic illusion. Eventually I crested the lip of the ridge to be confronted with the savage beauty of Hanging Knots, the crags at the northern end of Bowfell and Angle Tarn below. The cloud was still low, drifting across the rock face. I didn’t fancy going much further, so I looked around for somewhere to camp.

Angle Tarn and Hanging Knots

There appear to be only two pitches, one either side of the stream outlet. I decided on the eastern side, which is slightly further away from the path. Although there was a breeze, it wasn’t particularly strong and the cloud was coming and going. After I finished pitching, another backpacker appeared, looking for somewhere to camp. I suggested the pitch on the other side of the stream. Several other people wandered along the path, but I was far enough away not to be bothered.

My pitch

As I “cooked” my evening meal, the cloud base lifted to reveal the crags in all their glory. The wind dropped and the tarn mirrored the rocky outcrops and the spectacular gully. This seemed like too much reward for what had been a comparatively easy day, but I was glad that I had decided to push on. All in all it had been a marvellous day. If you’ve not walked Lagstrath, you are missing something special.

The gully on Hanging Knots

Lake District May 10 part 1

Tuesday 18th

I had a remarkably good journey north with no hold ups. The nearest to a problem was on the final stretch on the A66, where a truck had dropped a plastic pipe and the traffic slowed to drive round it. It had been glorious sunshine all the way and I arrived at Braithwaite at just after 3 o’clock.

I had nearly finished pitching the Fortress (my Marmot Thor), when Jeff (aka Trentham Walker) arrived. Not surprisingly he picked out my tent immediately! Jeff was going to accompany me on Wednesday’s walk before heading back to Keswick. He arranged to leave the car at the camp site, but I pitched my tent to ensure that I had a place to get back to on Saturday, anticipating that the camp site would be very busy as the Keswick Mountain Festival was taking place that week.

Before setting off we had a cup of tea in the café. I managed to catch the weather forecast on the TV, which suggested the sun wouldn’t last, that Wednesday and Thursday would be a bit mixed but the weather would improve towards the weekend. Was my weather jinx going to strike again?

On the way to Stoneycroft, the view to Catbells

Thirst suitably quenched and loins girded, we set off for Stoneycroft Gill, about two miles away. We wandered down the country lane past the wonderfully named Uzzicar and up the mine track to a secluded pitch that I have used before. Very sad, but Jeff and I immediately fell into conversation about backpacking gear. It turns out that Jeff is as bad as me when it comes to buying gear, except that he tends to flog his surplus on E-bay, whereas I horde mine.

The idyll at Stoneycroft

I was slightly concerned that someone might have got to our pitch before us but it was empty. The combination of sun, flat ground, short grass and a babbling stream made for an idyllic pitch. After dinner we saw a few walkers and runners pass on the track above. As soon as the sun disappeared below the ridge, it was noticeably cooler. After a bit more conversation, it was time to hit the sack.

Wednesday 19^th May 

Overnight there was some intermittent light rain but it had stopped by the morning. The temperature remained above 12c in the tent and there was virtually no condensation, helped by a slight breeze.

Stoneycroft “gorge”

Jeff was rather quicker at packing than me, but we were away by 9 o’clock. It was cloudy but mild, with some hill fog. We headed over to Robinson via the road and a farm track. After High Snab, we climbed High Snab Bank, which was a bit of a shock to the system as it was a steep pull. After a little way along the ridge, we decided to have elevenses and take in the view over Newlands towards Keswick and Skiddaw. The trouble with the Lake District is that at every turn there is a beautiful view, which makes for slow progress, especially when you are an inveterate snapper like me.

View from High Snab Bank towards Little Town

 

However, we exercised some discipline and only had a modest break, although long enough for me to eat two pita bread and cheese sandwiches. The next steep section required some modest scrambling. The rock is quite polished and I was glad that it was dry.

Conquering Robinson

Nearing the summit, we entered the hill fog, although visibility wasn’t too bad. At the summit cairn we met our first fellow walker of the day, closely followed by two fell runners. We caught occasional glimpses of Buttermere and surrounding fells through the clouds. I polished off the rest of the cheese and pita bread. The weather seemed to be closing in, so it was time to press on.

The view down Little Dale

Although the cloud was thickening, the walk to Dale Head posed no navigational challenges. However, by the time we reached Dale Head the visibility had reduced markedly and the wind had freshened. After the obligatory summit photos at the summit cairn (the most shapely in Lakeland, we agreed), we headed down to Honister Pass.

The continued deterioration in the weather and spots of rain generated a discussion of whether it was worth continuing to Haystack, especially as the navigation above Honister was likely to be challenging. Also deterring us was the prospect of limited or no views and the probability of rain at higher elevations. I suggested that we might head over to Langstrath.

Honster Pass from Dale Head

We repaired to the café at the slate mine to consider our options. In the café, we were served by a rather sour antipodean girl. While we supped our tea and ate chocolate rice-krispie cakes, we were asked twice whether we were “Coast to Coasters”. The negative answer appeared to take the wind out of the sails of an elderly gentleman, who had clearly lined up an avenue of conversation about the C2C.

Despite a brief and tantalising glimpse of sun, the hills remained resolutely shrouded in cloud, so we decided that Langstrath was a good option. This appealed to me as I had never walked in Langstrath before. However, it did mean completely rearranging the middle two days of the walk, which I mulled over as we meandered down the pass.

Borrowdale from Honister

Our route now coincided with the C2C as we descended into Borrowdale. We avoided the siren calls of an ice cream at Seatoller. As we passed through Rosthwaite a lady asked us why we weren’t camping there (she owned the rather Spartan camp site at Rosthwaite). I mumbled about heading over to Langstrath, but Jeff who had had a bit of a run in with her before, regaled her with the story of when he had last been at the camp site and had been accused by her of doing a runner. I kept in the background in case things turned nasty.

Bleak How, Langstrath

 

After this little interlude, we walked on to Stonethwaite, where we crossed the river. Nearing the turn south to Langstrath, the river became more interesting with boulders, water races and falls. The entrance to Langstrath is almost hidden, but crossing the footbridge back over the river, we were there. Almost immediately I spied a potential pitch on the bluff above the river confluence. However, I suggested to Jeff that I leave my pack with him and scout a bit further up to see whether there was anything better.

Langstrath Beck

A few hundred yards further on there was indeed a better spot. Although not entirely flat, it was secluded, quieter and had better water access. Indeed, it was yet another beautiful place to camp.

Langstrath

The tents were up quickly, meals cooked and rudimentary ablutions were performed. The breeze picked so we repaired to our tents, satisfied with a good day’s walk despite the change of plan.

A taster

I’m quite tired from traveling today. I’ll write some reports over the course of the next couple of weeks on the trip and gear, but, in the meantime, here’s a couple of pictures (from the 266 I took!) to whet your appetite.

Early morning mist over Angle Tarn, Hanging Knots (Bowfell) lit up by the rising sun

A perfectly still Codale Tarn

Breakfast at Tebay

I know you like my food photos. This is second breakfast at Tebay. Apologies for the lack of live blogging but a combination of no phone signal for much of the trip and low batteries conspired against live blogging. As is usual there were changes to plan. I also took a lot of photos including some spectacular misty ones. Must finish my cup of tea and get back on the road.

Lake District May 3.1

This is the first phone signal since Wednesday lunch time. I had done some interim posts but they will take too long to send. I won’t do a picture either as the signal is too weak.

The story so far. After lunch on Robinson, Jeff and I went to Dale Head is worsening conditions. Low cloud and rain threatening. After a cup of tea at the Honister cafe, we decided Haystacks might be challenging in the mist and it wouldn’t be fun to camp in the clouds. Plan B was to head to Langstrath to camp. Great camp below Eagle Crag.

On Thursday Jeff went back to Keswick. I had a lovely wander up Langstrath to Angle Tarn. Stunningly beautiful. Hill fog cleared late afternoon.

Early morning today was very misty and didn’t clear until 11. Having lunch at Pike o Stickle heading over to Codale. Now sunny and quite hot.

I’ve got lots of photos and will do a trip report when I get back.

Lake District May 1.2

Lunch on Robinson. Occasional glimpses of Buttermere but mainly murky. Will we be able to find our way to Haystacks?

Lake District May 1.1

Yesterday glorious. Light rain overnight. Cloudy with some hill fog this morning but only light wind. Sitting above High Snab having elevenses with Jeff (Trenthamwalker). Wonderful view.

The plan

OK here’s the plan. Up to the Lakes tomorrow, wild camp in the evening. Jeff aka Trentham Walker is joining me for Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday it’s Robinson, Dale Head and wild camp on Haystacks. Thursday is Pillar, Scoat Fell, Red Pike, Yewbarrow and wild camp at Burnmoor Tarn. Friday is Scafell (not Pike) Esk Hause, Langdale Pikes, wild camp at Codadale Tarn. Saturday, either the ridge to Castlerigg Fell or down to Borrowdale and finish at Braithwaite. The weather looks OK, but I’ve built in a bit of flexibility. Most of yesterday and today has been spent packing and getting supplies. Base weight is c.9kg. Food is c. 3.6kg. All up weight with fuel should be around 13kg. Not UL, but not too bad!

Congrats to England

World Twenty20 champions. Sounds good doesn’t it? Well done boys. All you have to do now is retain the Ashes in Australia and you’ll be legends.

Power Lizard – more from Maz

Below is Maz’s field review of the Vaude Power Lizard:

My first field trip in the Vaude Power Lizard UL took place recently on the weekend of 7th to 9th May 2010. Two of us travelled to the Moelwyns in Snowdonia and this was to be the first outing testing the Power Lizard. Conditions seemed nonpareil for a genuine test – 45-55mph winds, severe wind chill, rain and temperatures of around 2^oC at 600m where we would be pitching. My friend would be in a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 & I would occupy “Lizzie”, as he had dubbed the Power Lizard. 

The first night, in order to break up the 5hr journey from our London homes, was spent at Sytche campsite in Much Wenlock, a particular favourite of mine and a convenient stop-off point. The campsite at Sytche is a pleasant, lush green grassy affair (£7 per person, per night) within easy walking distance of the village high street, pubs and a rather good Indian restaurant. Note, however, that all the pubs stop serving food at 9pm. Irksome, given we normally arrive shortly thereafter, but the Indian is rarely buy enough that late arrivals cannot be seated.

It rained all that night, Friday, and temperatures hovered around 5^oC. The noise of the rain was as expected and no worse than any other lightweight shelters. There was not a leak in sight of course & not a hint of anything on the inside of the groundsheet. Unlike the Seedhouse, I was not showered with water when I opened the fly door.  The Seedhouse fly door sits at an angle not best suited to huge amounts of porch storage nor does it protect the user from rain when opening it. However, I was slightly concerned to see some condensation on the inner and a significant amount on the fly. It was certainly quite cold but not such that, on a well ventilated tent, condensation should form. That said, it was not particularly bad – simply sporadic beads of moisture clinging to the inner above my head. Whether this is simply down to the design, I cannot say – perhaps it is present on the Laser Comp and the Akto as well, but the design could do with more ventilation – something I would be confirming Saturday night. I know some users have jury-rigged the Akto to provide better ventilation. Packing was easy, despite the wetness of the tent but when pitching again – if you have good weather – leave the porch door open to ventilate the inner and fly, and wipe down the inside floor with an MSR pack towel (or similar). The rest of the moisture evaporates quickly.

Pitching, refining & using the tent remains. I find that following the guide I set in my last review, and then tightening the pitching via the end poles and the pegs next to the end poles in the corners. It is easier to pull the top of the end poles away from the middle of the tent by hand, then adjusting the line-locks to tighten the pitch whilst still holding the poles. This creates a very taut pitch which obviates any problem with inner touching the fly and creates a very effective barrier against inclement weather. The porch area swallows kit whilst still permitting comfortable egress for late-night toilet excursions. The only thing I noticed in comparison to the Seedhouse was that the guylines, which do tend to extend significantly beyond the footprint of the tent as there are no line locks, are not reflective, unlike those on the Seedhouse. One modification would be to get reflective dyneema with line locks to shorten the distance they extend and so they can be seen more easily in the dark. This could be easily sourced through Bob at Backpackinglight, for example.

On Saturday, we drove to Snowdonia and headed into the Moelwyns. It was windy, cold & wet underfoot but otherwise good conditions for walking. After about 20km and traversing the Moel Meirch & Ysgafell Wen ridgeline towards Cnicht, we camped by Llyn yr Adar. The ground was boggy underfoot but we found a site to pitch that was relatively moistureless & sheltered sufficiently from the wind. The air itself was cold but dry. Overnight, I found the Power Lizard to be somewhat warmer than my Big Agnes Seedhouse has previously been but the temperature outside had dropped to 2^oC so it was still pretty cold. The condensation problem again became apparent but this time, it was significantly worse. Around 60% of the roof of the inner was replete with tiny beads of condensation.  The fly was also wet to the touch. I do not consider it to be a pivotal complication as, even when the hood of my sleeping bag brushed against it, there was not enough moisture to cause me any real concern – the DWR on any sleeping bag will shrug off that sort of moisture and, given the weather, I cannot see it being any worse than that. It was not, for example, dripping on me! It does however suggest that the ventilation is not as good as it could be – something perhaps for Vaude to look at. When airing the tent at home, the inner can be easily disconnected from the fly and, in a warm house, the whole tent is dry within hours.

I also find, even when the fly is taut, that the inner remains less taut, across the wider end, than I would care for. It’s not a considerable drawback and for a 1kg tent with enormous space, it is doubtless pedantry but it might be for some. It does tend to mean that the roof of the inner tends to sag slightly. I also find the porch zip incessantly catches the thin material covering it from the elements. Again, these are punctilious, but worthy of note.

The groundsheet, for an ultralight tent, is as strong as I have seen on an ultralight tent weight 1kg. I would not think, if pitched sensitively and the ground properly inspected, that a footprint/groundsheet protector would be necessary. The inner and fly are of a significantly thinner material which does require care, but not as much as would immediately be apparent when first touching them. Ultralight material does not necessarily mean ultra-delicate! When hanging both to air dry at home, I found them to be pretty resilient. Also, when adjusting the fly to make it taut, it can take much more abuse to get a taut pitch than you might think.

The Vaude Power Lizard UL is an extremely good tent indeed and many of the trivialities I have précised may, as for me, matter little to some. There is an opulence of space for the weight and it really can be considered a snug 2 person tent, in my view (rather than the Laser Comp’s 1+ “rating”). At 1kg, that is startling and I think it genuinely will be as indomitable and protective as Vaude claim it to be. That said, the layout (the Laser Comp/Akto setup) is not for me. I bought the Power Lizard as the  ability to sit upright in the tent and cook in the porch, or converse with my hillwalking confederate, would be a boon. The high-point of the Seedhouse was set too far back for that to be tenable. However, the milieu in the Seedhouse suits me better – it is an unquantifiable thing. I will in fact be looking into the lighter version of the Seedhouse from Big Agnes – the Fly Creek UL1 which suits the way I sleep more readily. Take nothing away from the Power Lizard – it is something rather special, just not for me.

Wallpapering tips

1. Avoid wallpapering at all costs.
2. If you fail with point 1, don’t get a wallpaper with a long pattern repeat.
3. If you fail to observe points 1 and 2, kiss goodbye to a substantial chunk of time.

Phew, I’ve finally finished!

Wallpapering and backpacking

Why is wallpapering similar to backpacking? Because it always takes twice as long to reach the end compared with your first estimate. Master decorator, I’m not!

 

Featherweight undies

I mentioned that Rohan had introduced some interesting lightweight clothing recently. I ordered an Ultra T-Shirt and Boxers, which arrived yesterday. They are ridiculously light at 62g and 37g respectively. The material is very fine and silky. As a spare pair of undies, they are ideal. Whether the material stands up to much wear and tear, I don’t know. I had some of the original Rohan silver T-shirts which were twice the weight and liked them.  I wore them today and they seem very comfortable, similar to silk in feel. I’ll take them to the Lakes next week and report back.

Planning

While a significant proportion of backpacking blogdom is off to Scotland for the TGO Challenge, next week I shall be heading to the Lake District. Originally I was going this week, but for various reasons I had to delay. At the moment I have two plans: a preferred plan and a back-up plan. Next week is the Keswick Mountain Festival, which may impinge on my plans, in which case, I will go somewhere quieter.

As some have commented in relation to the TGOC, the weather looks a little cool, so I am pondering gear choices. I will be taking the Scarp 1 definitely. I shall be returning to Paramo as well, which should be well suited to the conditions. The key thing to remember is tea bags!

The Evernew has landed

I received my Evernew DX Stand and Titanium Stove today. It actually arrived yesterday but was delivered to a neighbour as I was out at the time of the delivery and our neighbour brought it over today. Unpacking them you are struck by how small they are, particularly the DX and how well made they are. I also ordered a Vargo Ti-Lite to complete the set.

I skived off doing a bit of decorating this afternoon to have a play. I filled the Ti-Lite with 330ml  of water. Using about 45ml of meths I brought it almost to a rolling boil but not quite. Although there was a bit of a breeze, I didn’t use a wind shield as I wanted to see how it coped. Quite well was the answer. I used the Power Plate and it certainly seemed to work.

Total burn time was 7.5 minutes. There was a little bit of soot on the underside of the Power Plate and the pot. The flames were quite powerful and a fair amount came out of the side of the DX, so I’d be pretty cautious about cooking inside a tent. I’d certainly consider having a wind shield as well. Below is a little slide show of my test.

 

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The big question is whether it converts me to meths. I think the answer is probably not. I like the convenience and controllability of gas. It also means I can cook under cover. If I was using a tarp or single skin shelter with plenty of clearance I would use it. Also if I was taking a day walk where I wanted a stove for a brew. I think it is also handy as a backup stove if gas supply is uncertain. I’ve not tried the wood burning option, but that also appeals in a Ray Mears kind of way.

It is also dirtier than gas. I had to wipe off a bit of soot, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The other limitation is that I would need two boils for an evening meal, one for the food and one for a cup of tea. Not a major problem as it cools quite quickly but more of a fiddle than gas. It’s a super bit of gear and I’m glad I bought it. There’s a real pride in owning well-engineered gear. It won’t replace gas, especially for longer trips, but it does give me another option. At some stage I’m going to get a tarp and I think I would be more tempted to use it then. Thanks to Bob and Rose for your efficient service (and the Skittles!) and well done for securing distribution for a great product.