Journeys by hiking, running, cycling and touring
The Mardyke is my local river (ignoring the fact that the Thames is actually nearer), and I've done many walks along and around it. This time last year I even took Little Miss Hillplodder for her inaugural wild camp in its environs. It's about as close to wild land as its possible to get in … Continue reading The Mardyke Bivvy
Some sad news from home had greeted me at the hostel, and it was in reflective mood that I set off for the last full day of the trip. After 15 miles of walking the previous day, I decreed that today would be a gentler one, a series of shorter walks, and spending some time … Continue reading March in the Lakes – Part 4: Reflections
When I was deep into my carless Wainwright round, the Far Eastern fells presented something of a problem. The only useful bus route runs along the western edge of the area, making the fells to the far east of the far east virtually inaccessible on a day walk. The need to pick off these fells … Continue reading March in the Lakes – Part 3: “Close” to home
Somehow, in a little over 24 hours, I'd broken Cath. We'd done no strenuous walking, beer intake had been modest, we hadn't even carried heavy packs. All I could ascribe her ailment to was some sort of allergic reaction to paintbrushes (it certainly wasn't the cookies as in a huge act of self-sacrifice, I pigged … Continue reading March in the Lakes – Part 2: A Sunday Stroll
The date was in the diary, the pre-order had been made, the accommodation had been booked. Then the unthinkable happened - Andy Beck's book launch was pushed back from the weekend of 4-5 March to the equivalent weekend in May. Issues with the colour reproduction in the printing process necessitated this delay, and one I … Continue reading March in the Lakes – Part 1: Viewpoints
In my quest to make a dehydrated meal that isn't bovine in origin, I finally got around to it, and set about a lamb dish we eat every so often at home. I was particularly drawn to this one because the grain this would be served with would be cous cous. Since the cooking method … Continue reading Tales from the Dehydrator: No 5 Lamb Tagine
I'm desperate to increase the variety in my dehydrated meals, as everything so far seems to be beef based, but recent attempts to introduce lamb have been thwarted. The meals I dehydrate are chosen to fit in with the household menu for the week, and as luck would have it last minute hiccups have prevented … Continue reading Tales from the Dehydrator: No. 4 Pasta Bolognese
I hadn't heard anything back about my amended TGO route sheet for the best part of a month, so I chased it up. No news turned out to be good news, and HQ confirmed it was signed off. So here it is in all its glory. The accommodation is all booked, so now all I … Continue reading Done and Dusted
My dehydrator, an Andrew James model, is marketed primarily as a tool for dehydrating fruit and vegetables and making a bit of jerky. It's not explicitly promoted as a device for dehydrating wet food into backpacking meals. Nevertheless, before buying I'd seen that someone in one of the Facebook groups had successfully used one for … Continue reading Tales from the Dehydrator: No. 3 Beans, Apples, Raspberries & Blueberries
The dehydrator is washed and ready for action again, and having crafted this week's menu specifically to generate a meal for dehydration, it's time to get on with it. Today it's Beef in Red Wine, a sort of poor man's Boeuf Bourguignon. This is just the sort of meal I like to eat cowering from … Continue reading Tales from the Dehydrator: No. 2 Beef in Red Wine with Mash
It may seem odd to plunge straight in and attempt a whole meal rather than just drying out some fruit or whatnot, but there are good reasons for doing so. Firstly Chilli is the one meal I've found is consistently good across all brands of commerically dehydrated backpacking food I've tried. The dry product breaks … Continue reading Tales from the Dehydrator: No.1 Chilli
“Many thanks for your application for the 38th Great Outdoors Challenge. We are delighted to inform you that you have a place on the 2017 Event,” appeared at the start of an email I, and over 300 others, received one day in early November. It threw me into an immediate panic. I'd half expected for my … Continue reading The Start of Something…
Cath was safely dumped at Exeter St Davids, Jim was heading home, and Paul and I had a camp planned. The mission was twofold: a camp at a favourite tor, and a return to pick off a rock formation that eluded me last time I was in the area. We parked up and made our … Continue reading Another New Year on Dartmoor – Part 5: A Night at a Favourite Tor
The group had by now broken up, Paul and Jim heading north to Paul's house, Phil and Sarah heading home to the Far North and the arctic wastes of Bristol. Cath too was heading home, but as her chauffeur I proposed a walk that would fit in with the run to Exeter. We headed off … Continue reading Another New Year on Dartmoor – Part 4: Blackslade Down
The New Year started with a massive dilemma - with the Fox Tor Cafe not opening until 11, it was pushing it to have a proper breakfast and get a walk in. Neatly solved by Phil and Sarah providing bacon sandwiches. General lethargy, though, meant it was still after midday that we finally got going … Continue reading Another New Year on Dartmoor – Part 3: Familiar Ground