...days to go until TGO 2012.
The suspense is becoming difficult to bear. It's great to read some of the accounts of 2011 which are popping up on Twitter and throughout the blogosphere, and if you haven't checked out http://www.doodlecat.com/ then I suggest you do right away. What a smashing little TGOC portal it is. It is currently serving as a great way to fill the time spent waiting for the nod from Mr J Manning at Challenge HQ.
I was trying to get a message to Mick/Gayle of Gayleybird Lejog & K2CW fame as it seems as though they walked almost exactly the same route as I have worked out for TGOC next year and I wondered about some of the do's and don'ts on the way. If anyone can get a message to them, I would love for one of them to get in touch so I could pick their brains a wee bit. Perhaps they have a twitter name or something?
Alan Sloman has been helpful on the first night's intended camp for me, citing Meallan Bhuidhe as a spot with good views, and a lot of deer! He also suggested that the area near Pait Lodge might be a good and common spot to pitch, with the usual courtesy to be afforded to the occupants.
It's stuff like that that I obsess about when planning these sorts of trips. Yet when I listen to, or read the things that the likes of Chris Townsend write / say about long journeys on foot, and the very flexible plans they make, letting the walk make the decisions etc, I am very envious. I guess that I should obsess less about the detail, and just make sure that I cover a minimum distance each day to ensure that I don't take too long getting to the East coast. I've got to get into that really long distance vibe.
I still can't stop thinking about it - it's a big thing for me, the longest walk - although probably not the most demanding - that I will have attempted by a factor of 2, and I am anxious and excited in equal measure.
When do we find out if we are in again???
Be great to hear if any of you have any anxieties about the challenge, its planning, anticipation etc.
Bye for now.
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Monday, 10 October 2011
Roman Around - A trip along Worsted Street
This is actually from a yomp I took with a few friends back in Spring 2011, I just discovered it in my drafts and thought you might like to see it. Not strictly a TGO 2012 post, but probably of interest to some of you.
The skies were overcast as we sat there. We were waiting at Addenbrooke's Bus Stop for a colleague to join us. He never showed up.
The skies were overcast as we sat there. We were waiting at Addenbrooke's Bus Stop for a colleague to join us. He never showed up.
The four of us stood up, adjusted our laces, straps and clothing before turning to the SouthEast and got going. Out through the 'causeway of oversized homes and into the countryside. A discreet gap in the hedgerow drew us through, away from the 'macadam and onto a grassy track flanked with myriad wild flowers and the associated invertebrates to boot.
We briefly entered Wandlebury's Northern tip before the new road embraced us again, if only for a short while.
A feathered friend stayed by us for a time, making occasional requests for just a little bit of bread that's all, no cheese. And the last bitter taste of civilisation came and went in the form of light industry, down a littered, potholed lane. We reached the end of the lane and, there it was flanked by hedgerow - The Roman Road of Worsted Street.
I imagined myself thrown back centuries to a time when the Romans were laying the foundations of the track that would be under our feet for the rest of the day. I pondered how many feet had marched where we were about to tread. I could count myself among them, for I had walked this way many times before.
The 'road' which calls itself "Worsted Street" is thought to be a trackway which has been in existence and in continued use since pre-history. It runs parallel to a 3 mile Anglo-Saxon earthwork known as Fleam Dyke which stretches from Fulbourn to Balsham (or vice versa). We were in a place steeped in ancient heritage.
There are no challenges in the navigation of Worsted Street, for it is, by nature, utterly straight. There are a couple of deviations, one such being the crossing of the A11 Dual Carriageway, and the other is the short section between the metalled Wort's Causeway and the brief encounter at Wandlebury.
I found myself tuning in and out of my surroundings on several occasions as I drifted into a bit of a daze, only to discover that I had gained a few score yards of distance between my pals who were being vastly more sociable than myself. I wished I was alone for a brief moment.
To find ourselves seated by a man's final resting place having our lunch was more than a tad odd, but in reality there is no sign, or evidence, that I can unearth surrounding the actual origins of the place name of Mark's Grave. Perhaps someone who read's this blog might offer some assistance on this.
As I sat chewing on my food, I learned that others had chosen to lunch at exactly the same spot as I. An army of Black Ants were taking nips out of me. I relocated. Pals were smiling.
Despite the anchoring effect the lovely warm sunbeams were having on us, it was possible for us to get back to our feet and back on the trail.
I probably didn't mention that one of our gathering was with child, and into her second trimester - it occurred to me, not for the first time, that so many pregnant women take a languid approach to their gestation. Avoidance of any effort, strenuous or otherwise, seems to befall many an expectant mother. This often results in the "can you get my files out for me" or "I'm not allowed to lift that" utterings that I realise have begun to irritate me. Pregnancy - the next reason to be provided with a blue parking badge? To clarify, I have two young children of my own, so I am not being anti-child or anti-parent, just anti-lazy git.
Thankfully, my mum-to-be friend was of the non-lazy git type and didn't utter any of these complaints.
We were grasped briefly by a pang to bag a geocache, a pang so brief, we merely peered into the undergrowth before giving up. The street of silver was now under our feet, having left the road of roman antiquity and a floating Buzzard keened above Howe Wood as if to draw us toward the closing of what had been a really terrific leg-stretch in the Cambs/Suffolk borders.
Have a look at www.frrfd.org.uk if you would like more information about this lovely, simple stroll in my backyard. Oh, and if you find out about Mark's Grave - let me know!
I found myself tuning in and out of my surroundings on several occasions as I drifted into a bit of a daze, only to discover that I had gained a few score yards of distance between my pals who were being vastly more sociable than myself. I wished I was alone for a brief moment.
To find ourselves seated by a man's final resting place having our lunch was more than a tad odd, but in reality there is no sign, or evidence, that I can unearth surrounding the actual origins of the place name of Mark's Grave. Perhaps someone who read's this blog might offer some assistance on this.
As I sat chewing on my food, I learned that others had chosen to lunch at exactly the same spot as I. An army of Black Ants were taking nips out of me. I relocated. Pals were smiling.
Despite the anchoring effect the lovely warm sunbeams were having on us, it was possible for us to get back to our feet and back on the trail.
I probably didn't mention that one of our gathering was with child, and into her second trimester - it occurred to me, not for the first time, that so many pregnant women take a languid approach to their gestation. Avoidance of any effort, strenuous or otherwise, seems to befall many an expectant mother. This often results in the "can you get my files out for me" or "I'm not allowed to lift that" utterings that I realise have begun to irritate me. Pregnancy - the next reason to be provided with a blue parking badge? To clarify, I have two young children of my own, so I am not being anti-child or anti-parent, just anti-lazy git.
Thankfully, my mum-to-be friend was of the non-lazy git type and didn't utter any of these complaints.
We were grasped briefly by a pang to bag a geocache, a pang so brief, we merely peered into the undergrowth before giving up. The street of silver was now under our feet, having left the road of roman antiquity and a floating Buzzard keened above Howe Wood as if to draw us toward the closing of what had been a really terrific leg-stretch in the Cambs/Suffolk borders.
Have a look at www.frrfd.org.uk if you would like more information about this lovely, simple stroll in my backyard. Oh, and if you find out about Mark's Grave - let me know!
214
214 is a number with two significances for me:
1) 214 is the number of fells that Wainwright covered in his 7 pictorial guides. A collection of fells I am doing my worst to ascend.
2) 214 is the number of days until TGO Challenge 2012
So that's it - I just thought I would share that with you.
Oh, and here is a picture of the splendid English Lake District looking, well, splendid.
1) 214 is the number of fells that Wainwright covered in his 7 pictorial guides. A collection of fells I am doing my worst to ascend.
2) 214 is the number of days until TGO Challenge 2012
So that's it - I just thought I would share that with you.
Oh, and here is a picture of the splendid English Lake District looking, well, splendid.
Sunday, 18 September 2011
153 down, 62 to go?
Ok, so once again, not quite a TGO Challenge post, but it all counts towards the physical preparations.
The huge magnetic pull
of Lakeland had me rolling up the A1 on Friday 16th
September 2011 on what was to be a couple of brief forays onto the
mountains culminating in the crowning of my best pal as a completer
of the Wainwright summits.
Pulling in to the car
park of the Co-Op in Keswick, a slightly built chap, going by the
name of Dennis Taylor was sitting by his backpack having arrived on
foot from Ulverston. His original plan to hike the Cumbria Way
before meeting up with me had required a little alteration. Nature
wasn't on its best behaviour; Hurricane Katia had a modicum of
maelstrom left in her when she touched the UK and this resulted in a
small catalogue of digital images of other people's tents bent double
against the force of the winds.
Low pressure reigned
supreme over the Westernmost coast of England, Scotland and Wales and
it seemed that it was hell-bent on curtailing Den's first attempt on
the relatively sedate Cumbrian long-distance path. The end of day
two saw Den in Langdale, waiting for a day of better weather after
having a rather moist and squelchy couple of outings. The day of
better weather wouldn't manifest until four days later! He chose to
sit it out in Langdale, rather than going over Stake Pass and on to
Keswick via Langstrath.
This turned out to be a
sound decision, as Den watched his peers' inferior shelters being
ripped from the ground, tattered and torn, in spite of the gallant
attempts of the staff at the ODG Camp-site, he wondered what might
have been had he gone over the tops that day. His Vaude Ultralight 2
stood firm (well, it flexed a little) and kept the outside where it
should be – outside.
I was completely
without contact with him, there being no signal in Langdale, often a
blessing, but on this occasion I did worry after not hearing from him
for a couple of days. And then I got a text message:-
“Still stuck in
Langdale. Took bus to Ambleside for food. 70mph over tops. Haven't
slept for two nights. Have abandoned c.way this time. Walk or bus to
Keswick for Fri.”
Sure enough, there he
was, looking surprisingly fresh despite the battering. I packed his
Berghaus C7 Bioflex into the boot, slammed the tailgate and pointed
the car towards Borrowdale. We were bound for Den's penultimate
Wainwright top – Rosthwaite Fell. He'd been up it before but an
administrative anomaly (ahem), had him erroneously ticked off the
peak before returning home and discovering that he'd missed the
actual Wainwright summit at 612m. When he realised, he immediately
resolved to go back and climb it again, making sure that he climbed
to Wainwright's prescribed peak.
After parking down a
tiny lane just out of Rosthwaite, we headed up the hill across open
fell in the general direction of Tarn at Leaves, where we would turn
right to our targetted top. This we did and after a bit of casting
about in the mist we scrambled over the rocks to the highest point –
Rosthwaite Fell. I then mentally ticked off my 152nd
Wainwright and shook Den's hand as he hurried off the hill, to regain
some visibility. We returned to my car inside of two hours, ready
for the drive round to Eskdale.
We went on past our
campsite at Boot, which had assumed a rather sodden appearance from
the days of rain. A vehicular struggle up the hairpins of the
Hardknott Pass, with as little wheel spin as possible, delivered us
to the uppermost car parking spot for our 'dash' up the final summit
of Den's journey through the Pictorial Guides.
When I write “dash”
I actually mean to write “languid wander” for we took a slow walk
over the waterlogged, yet still discernible path past the first,
lower summit and over the brow until our goal came into view.
Hard Knott was chosen
as Den's last when we were on Whin Rigg on an earlier outing.
Appearing pyramidal, dark and forboding, Hard Knott struck a chord
that would ring in his mind for the next, however many months and
however many fells until, well, now.
The winds – which had
been light until this moment – began to build, strengthen, in some
kind of symbolic resistance. They ensured that we pay greater
attention to our final steps toward the summit cairn. By the time we
were within striking distance of my 153rd top the wind had
become more than a light gale. Den was unperturbed and turned about
– the gusts had caused his eyes to moisten, possibly – and gave
me an hombre's embrace. I shed a tear, and reciprocated the hug
before Den reeled and kissed Hard Knott's summit cairn.
His ten-year assault
was completed.
Postscript:
Those of you who are
more astute than myself, which amounts to probably all of you, may
have noticed that there is an error in my assessment of the number of
fells I had summited. For the height of Wainwright's Rosthwaite Fell
(Bessyboot) is in fact 550 or possibly 551m above sea level. The
highest point on the broader fell is at 612m and is not the summit to
which Mr W refers. In my haste to agree with my good pal, I failed
to spot that he had in fact climbed his 213th wainwright
months earlier, and had no need to return to correct the 'error'.
More irritatingly for me perhaps, I had just climbed to the wrong
summit, meaning that I must return to climb it another day!
Let's make that 152 for
me then, shall we?
Sunday, 11 September 2011
Sunday Suffolk Woodland Stroll
I finally managed to squeeze in an afternoon in the countryside today. It's more about not letting the family down these days. I can't go off gallivanting when there's work to do leaving the good lady to look after the two little rotters, can I?
Well today I had a pass, to stretch my legs a wee bit in readiness for a jaunt in the fells in the next week or so. I was convinced to go with my brother-in-law to do a little walk that I love around Moulton, near Newmarket in Suffolk.
I have to say that I do love the hills, and mountains, and valleys, and gorges etc etc, but I can't ignore the treats in my back yard. Suffolk has some of the biggest skies around, with genuinely pleasing, smoothly rolling swells of fields and ancient woodland. My walk around Moulton, Dalham and Gazeley fitted this description perfectly.
The walk is only about 6 or 7 miles, so perfect for a afternoon outing. The setting at Moulton is quite endearing, with a 14th century packhorse bridge in pristine condition taking pride of place at the middle of this little village.
We had a few wildlife encounters, as we always seem to do on these country walks. A small, young hedgehog crossed the road - we didn't ask him why - but we carefully lifted, and placed the prickly parcel on the other side of the lane to save any squashing by vehicles.
I stopped to take a look at some vines hanging from the bough of an Ash tree which completely covered the bough, and a Tawny Owl burst out from the centre of the foliage straight towards me, over my head, circled beneath the canopy and then flew off through the woodland. My first daytime Tawny encounter - and a good one too.
The last wild rendezvous was a simple one, a common toad crossed our path. That's it. She was a lovely one, young and bright - like she had just been unwrapped. I couldn't resist picking her up for a closer look. I began to get all philosophical about her, so I brought myself round and let her hop off into the undergrowth.
I noticed on the walk through the Dalham Estate that every single large tree on the path was marked with a red plastic tag which had been hammered into the trunk at about eye level. The tag had a five-digit number with the letters PRN printed beneath in white.
None of the trees away from the path had any numbers or tags, and I pondered what they might signify. I wondered if they were navigation marks for the Estate's woodland managers allowing them to pinpoint other trees by using these as reference points. I'd be glad to hear from anyone who can add any suggestions.
The winds were getting up and rain was threatening to dampen our thus far dry afternoon out. Hurricane Katia was making noises that she might start battering Britain's Western coasts and counties. On went the Montane Featherlight jacket to shrug off the looming rainfall. The changes in the weather seemed to add to the atmosphere of the walk. After just a spattering of fat droplets, the rain had passed us by and the sun began again to shine. The last mile of road walking was a bit of a shame, particularly given the cracking woodland surroundings we had just been moving through. There was a silver lining to the macadamed cloud - The King's Head.
One pint of IPA down the hatch, and back to the village hall where our car was parked, via a huge box of Bramley's that was left outside a house beckoning "please help yourself". We'd clocked the apples on the way out and made a note to collect some on our return.
They were all gone.
___
http://www.moultonsuffolk.co.uk/index.html - a bit about Moulton - try the Kings Head!
http://www.dalham.com/ - a bit about Dalham
http://www.onesuffolk.co.uk/GazeleyPC/ - a bit about Gazeley
http://greatbarrowchallenge.co.uk/ - a fantastic challenge through the Suffolk countryside (including Gazeley)
Well today I had a pass, to stretch my legs a wee bit in readiness for a jaunt in the fells in the next week or so. I was convinced to go with my brother-in-law to do a little walk that I love around Moulton, near Newmarket in Suffolk.
I have to say that I do love the hills, and mountains, and valleys, and gorges etc etc, but I can't ignore the treats in my back yard. Suffolk has some of the biggest skies around, with genuinely pleasing, smoothly rolling swells of fields and ancient woodland. My walk around Moulton, Dalham and Gazeley fitted this description perfectly.
The walk is only about 6 or 7 miles, so perfect for a afternoon outing. The setting at Moulton is quite endearing, with a 14th century packhorse bridge in pristine condition taking pride of place at the middle of this little village.
We had a few wildlife encounters, as we always seem to do on these country walks. A small, young hedgehog crossed the road - we didn't ask him why - but we carefully lifted, and placed the prickly parcel on the other side of the lane to save any squashing by vehicles.
I stopped to take a look at some vines hanging from the bough of an Ash tree which completely covered the bough, and a Tawny Owl burst out from the centre of the foliage straight towards me, over my head, circled beneath the canopy and then flew off through the woodland. My first daytime Tawny encounter - and a good one too.
The last wild rendezvous was a simple one, a common toad crossed our path. That's it. She was a lovely one, young and bright - like she had just been unwrapped. I couldn't resist picking her up for a closer look. I began to get all philosophical about her, so I brought myself round and let her hop off into the undergrowth.
I noticed on the walk through the Dalham Estate that every single large tree on the path was marked with a red plastic tag which had been hammered into the trunk at about eye level. The tag had a five-digit number with the letters PRN printed beneath in white.
None of the trees away from the path had any numbers or tags, and I pondered what they might signify. I wondered if they were navigation marks for the Estate's woodland managers allowing them to pinpoint other trees by using these as reference points. I'd be glad to hear from anyone who can add any suggestions.
The winds were getting up and rain was threatening to dampen our thus far dry afternoon out. Hurricane Katia was making noises that she might start battering Britain's Western coasts and counties. On went the Montane Featherlight jacket to shrug off the looming rainfall. The changes in the weather seemed to add to the atmosphere of the walk. After just a spattering of fat droplets, the rain had passed us by and the sun began again to shine. The last mile of road walking was a bit of a shame, particularly given the cracking woodland surroundings we had just been moving through. There was a silver lining to the macadamed cloud - The King's Head.
One pint of IPA down the hatch, and back to the village hall where our car was parked, via a huge box of Bramley's that was left outside a house beckoning "please help yourself". We'd clocked the apples on the way out and made a note to collect some on our return.
They were all gone.
___
http://www.moultonsuffolk.co.uk/index.html - a bit about Moulton - try the Kings Head!
http://www.dalham.com/ - a bit about Dalham
http://www.onesuffolk.co.uk/GazeleyPC/ - a bit about Gazeley
http://greatbarrowchallenge.co.uk/ - a fantastic challenge through the Suffolk countryside (including Gazeley)
Friday, 26 August 2011
2012 - The Countdown Begins
Well it really has been a long while since my last post. I've been up and over the Yorkshire Three Peaks, round the back o' Pillar and Scoat Fell etc in the Western Fells and made a few significant decisions concerning my future (more on that to follow).
So here it is, I am now officially an applicant for TGO Challenge 2012 and my hours/days/weeks spent in front of the OS sheets are now being put down in ink for the first formal draft. I'm doing it for real this time! I just hope and pray that I am one of those first timers that gets on the challenge.
Great to see Bob and Rose's videos on Youtube - they are always really detailed and helpful. Great for ideas for kit to take and kit to leave out.
I have to say though, that I threw in the towel with the Golite Jam - it was just too floppy and I couldn't be bothered with packing it so carefully. I put it on eBay so someone else could take the time to get the most out of it. I've apologised to the MACPAC now, and I think I am forgiven. I'll never desert it again.
So now it is time to wait. A wait in anticipation of the response from the TGO team with a confirmation that I am in. And then I suppose I should get my skates on, get rid of the spare tyre(s) that have formed, and reduce my resting pulse rate a tad.
I'm off up to Lakeland in a few weeks to help a mate of mine finish of his last two Wainwright's - Rosthwaite Fell and Hard Knott. We'll probably do a bit of a wildcamp so I can test my gear again and I suspect we'll stay at Fisher Ground on at least one night for a bit of campfire cooking.
I've pre-ordered my mate a copy of The UK County Tops (new release by Cicerone) so he isn't short of a list of things to tick off as he'll have finished the WWs. I'm fearing he might not thank me for that, and if he doesn't, I'll ask for it back!
Oh, and after this trip, I've a week near Mosser in a wee cottage so I'll get out and about a bit that week with the family I should think - carrying the bairns up and down hills ought to help the pins get back into tip-top (ahem!) mountain shape again.
I'll do another post if anything interesting occurs between now and then.
Much love to my handful of followers - look forward to hearing about your plans for the outdoors.
So here it is, I am now officially an applicant for TGO Challenge 2012 and my hours/days/weeks spent in front of the OS sheets are now being put down in ink for the first formal draft. I'm doing it for real this time! I just hope and pray that I am one of those first timers that gets on the challenge.
Great to see Bob and Rose's videos on Youtube - they are always really detailed and helpful. Great for ideas for kit to take and kit to leave out.
I have to say though, that I threw in the towel with the Golite Jam - it was just too floppy and I couldn't be bothered with packing it so carefully. I put it on eBay so someone else could take the time to get the most out of it. I've apologised to the MACPAC now, and I think I am forgiven. I'll never desert it again.
So now it is time to wait. A wait in anticipation of the response from the TGO team with a confirmation that I am in. And then I suppose I should get my skates on, get rid of the spare tyre(s) that have formed, and reduce my resting pulse rate a tad.
I'm off up to Lakeland in a few weeks to help a mate of mine finish of his last two Wainwright's - Rosthwaite Fell and Hard Knott. We'll probably do a bit of a wildcamp so I can test my gear again and I suspect we'll stay at Fisher Ground on at least one night for a bit of campfire cooking.
I've pre-ordered my mate a copy of The UK County Tops (new release by Cicerone) so he isn't short of a list of things to tick off as he'll have finished the WWs. I'm fearing he might not thank me for that, and if he doesn't, I'll ask for it back!
Oh, and after this trip, I've a week near Mosser in a wee cottage so I'll get out and about a bit that week with the family I should think - carrying the bairns up and down hills ought to help the pins get back into tip-top (ahem!) mountain shape again.
I'll do another post if anything interesting occurs between now and then.
Much love to my handful of followers - look forward to hearing about your plans for the outdoors.
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Lowland leg crunches, Lakeland windblasts & more gear...
It's been a while since my last post (I wonder how many blogs begin with just those words?). Anyway I have been out stretching my legs in the wilds of Suffolk with a day walk from Bury St Edmunds to Clare, and on to my hometown - Haverhill. In all I'd guess its 26 or 27 miles (plus a bit for diversions - I took a couple of wrong turns).
This was largely a bit of preparation for The Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge later in June as a means to getting my head on really.
The stretch from Bury to Clare (around 18 miles) felt pretty good but it all got measurably harder from Clare to Haverhill - the last 8 or so miles. Having said this, the Inov8s performed really well (I threw away some memory foam inserts I was trying as they kept creeping around my shoes) and my feet felt tired but ok by the end of the day. The road walking had given them a battering but this was to be expected, and I don't expect that any of my days will even approach 27 miles on TGOC.
I've also been up into Lakeland (the scenic region, not the kitchenware shop!) again getting a bit more hillwalking under my belt. A friday afternoon jaunt from Castlerigg to High Rigg of around 4 miles to get the juices flowing, followed by the three Dodds and Clough Head to the north of the Helvellyn ridge. To say that the wind was strong was understatement of the century - I won't estimate the windspeed but thank Montane for their windproof gear - the Featherlight jacket and trousers nailed the windchill. Just my hands suffered at one point when I picked up my poles (which I actually used to great effect this time) and jogged over to catch up with my brother in law who had gone off ahead. I swear frostbite was moments away - brrr!
I took the opportunity to test out walking in running pants (I'd recently bought a couple of pairs for £16 from Aldi) and have to say they performed brilliantly, keeping off all but the keenest wind and when combined with the Montane Featherlight Pants made for an excellent alternative to regular mountain pants. One slight downside is the lack of pockets. Just a single money pocket at the back, but this really is a pedantic complaint and they are a definite contender to be in my pack for TGOC. I'll just have to get over the psychological issues of walking in tights!
Helly Hansen's baselayer Tee is a new garment for me and I hardly noticed I was wearing it which has to be a good thing. Two for £32 in Blacks Keswick was reasonable I thought.
I can't remember if I mentioned that I have sold a ton of kit on eBay but that's exactly what I have been doing. Here's what I sold:
- Mtn Eqpt AR Ultralite 1 Tent
- Trangia 27 UL Cookset
- Primus Stove
- Thermarest Prolite 4 Reg
- Rab Summit Extreme Jacket
- Some climbing crabs and quickdraws
- My MLT confidence rope (spare)
- A few other sundries
and here's what I've bought with the money:
- Tarptent Moment (so excited about that)
- Montane AntiFreeze jacket
- Golite Jam
- Montane Featherlight Pants
- Vargo Triad Titanium Meths Stove
- Lifeventure Titanium Mug
- Helly Hansen base layer Tees x 2
- Fizan Compact Lite poles (pair)
I have had to put very little towards the new kit so my mantra of "BUY CHEAP BUY TWICE" has truly paid off here. I look after my gear so its all in good nick. If I had bought cheap gear it'd probably have packed up by now so I would be replacing it anyway, but by buying top gun gear, and looking after it I have been able to 'recycle' it into new gear for little if any extra outlay.
The resale value of top gun kit on eBay is excellent. Folk realise that well looked after kit on eBay can save them money and can be resold meaning that kit can be kept up to date without shelling out for more and more gear whilst the old stuff festers in the loft space.
That'll do for now, I'm at work and due back from lunch in five minutes. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who reads the blog about connected issues so feel free to comment.
Might try an audioblog next time.
Bye for now.
Carl.
This was largely a bit of preparation for The Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge later in June as a means to getting my head on really.
The stretch from Bury to Clare (around 18 miles) felt pretty good but it all got measurably harder from Clare to Haverhill - the last 8 or so miles. Having said this, the Inov8s performed really well (I threw away some memory foam inserts I was trying as they kept creeping around my shoes) and my feet felt tired but ok by the end of the day. The road walking had given them a battering but this was to be expected, and I don't expect that any of my days will even approach 27 miles on TGOC.
I've also been up into Lakeland (the scenic region, not the kitchenware shop!) again getting a bit more hillwalking under my belt. A friday afternoon jaunt from Castlerigg to High Rigg of around 4 miles to get the juices flowing, followed by the three Dodds and Clough Head to the north of the Helvellyn ridge. To say that the wind was strong was understatement of the century - I won't estimate the windspeed but thank Montane for their windproof gear - the Featherlight jacket and trousers nailed the windchill. Just my hands suffered at one point when I picked up my poles (which I actually used to great effect this time) and jogged over to catch up with my brother in law who had gone off ahead. I swear frostbite was moments away - brrr!
I took the opportunity to test out walking in running pants (I'd recently bought a couple of pairs for £16 from Aldi) and have to say they performed brilliantly, keeping off all but the keenest wind and when combined with the Montane Featherlight Pants made for an excellent alternative to regular mountain pants. One slight downside is the lack of pockets. Just a single money pocket at the back, but this really is a pedantic complaint and they are a definite contender to be in my pack for TGOC. I'll just have to get over the psychological issues of walking in tights!
Helly Hansen's baselayer Tee is a new garment for me and I hardly noticed I was wearing it which has to be a good thing. Two for £32 in Blacks Keswick was reasonable I thought.
I can't remember if I mentioned that I have sold a ton of kit on eBay but that's exactly what I have been doing. Here's what I sold:
- Mtn Eqpt AR Ultralite 1 Tent
- Trangia 27 UL Cookset
- Primus Stove
- Thermarest Prolite 4 Reg
- Rab Summit Extreme Jacket
- Some climbing crabs and quickdraws
- My MLT confidence rope (spare)
- A few other sundries
and here's what I've bought with the money:
- Tarptent Moment (so excited about that)
- Montane AntiFreeze jacket
- Golite Jam
- Montane Featherlight Pants
- Vargo Triad Titanium Meths Stove
- Lifeventure Titanium Mug
- Helly Hansen base layer Tees x 2
- Fizan Compact Lite poles (pair)
I have had to put very little towards the new kit so my mantra of "BUY CHEAP BUY TWICE" has truly paid off here. I look after my gear so its all in good nick. If I had bought cheap gear it'd probably have packed up by now so I would be replacing it anyway, but by buying top gun gear, and looking after it I have been able to 'recycle' it into new gear for little if any extra outlay.
The resale value of top gun kit on eBay is excellent. Folk realise that well looked after kit on eBay can save them money and can be resold meaning that kit can be kept up to date without shelling out for more and more gear whilst the old stuff festers in the loft space.
That'll do for now, I'm at work and due back from lunch in five minutes. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who reads the blog about connected issues so feel free to comment.
Might try an audioblog next time.
Bye for now.
Carl.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)