Journeys by hiking, running, cycling and touring
After six months of usage of Monica, my Tarptent Scarp 1, I've now got a feel for what I like (almost everything) and what I don't (a couple of minor things only). Most importantly I've got a good sense of how she performs in the field and in a range of conditions - from warm … Continue reading Pimp My Tent
After I had to abort my Far Eastern fells trip back in July, a second attempt was always going to be on the cards. This time, though, the weather was, for the most part, more favourable. Here's the story. Planning Day 1: Tuesday 18 September After a train to Penrith and bus to Pooley Bridge, … Continue reading Far Eastern Odyssey – The Redemption
Considering that the first attempt at this trip went tits up due to the weather taking umbrage at my presence in the Lakes, this second attempt went really well. This is a short post on why. How good was the planning ? This was a strange trip in that I deliberately tried not to plan … Continue reading Far Eastern Odyssey – The Debrief
I woke to sunlight infiltrating the tent, which made a nice change from gloom and rain. Above my head a 3 inch long jet black slug was slowly making its way along the outer seam of my tent's inner and I lay there for a few minutes fascinated by it, but at the same time … Continue reading Mission Complete
Last night certainly put the wild into wild camping. 7 hours of constant heavy rain and strong winds battered the tent, and with each climactic gust I watched for signs that my shelter wasn't going to hold. But it did hold, I survived it and the weather abated just before 1am, allowing me to get … Continue reading Positive Mental Attitude
Thursday was always predicted to be the worst day in terms of weather but even so the forecast I picked up on Wednesday morning seemed better than before I left home. How wrong I was. The gentle patter of rain on the tent woke me after a night when I'd actually got a decent amount … Continue reading The wind and my 11 inch sausage
I woke with a start as sunlight streamed into the tent. This was surprising enough given the miserable day 2 morning conditions of the previous attempt at this trip. But more surprising still was that I ever got to sleep at all. Cold in my -5°C rated bag, I'd tossed and turned all night as … Continue reading Deer, bruises and a perfect pitch
I ambled along Fenchurch Street, by now used to the looks of mild disdain that the sight of a guy dressed for the outdoors and carrying a rucksack evokes in city folk. I left them to hurry on to their early heart attacks while I headed for nature's playground, deriving extra satisfaction from the fact … Continue reading The Odyssey resumes
In case you were wondering, this isn't a post about Dale Winton. Although I'm sure that would be a most worthy subject for a blog entry. No, this was inspired by a piece I read on sectionhiker.com where our man was talking about his routines for making and striking camp, Â It struck me that I … Continue reading Improving My Camp Routine
My head throbbed with the effects of alcohol and I knew I was in for a bad few hours. Â I didn't want to do much other than sit somewhere quiet and feel sorry for myself. Â And it was raining outside. Maybe that would teach me to drink the scrumpy. Â When a drink's kept in a … Continue reading The Curse of the Apple Juice
I'm just back from a week's family holiday in Cornwall, staying in a cottage on the edge of Bodmin Moor. So it seemed rude not to at least attempt a walk on the moor... With my usual gift for just missing the optimal weather, we turned up in Cornwall for a week of lashing rain, … Continue reading A Short Walk on Bodmin Moor
The sky darkened and rain streaked across the carriage window as the train drew further north. Not a good sign. Time to put some faith in the weather forecast, which had remained consistent over the last few days, promising largely dry conditions with the odd shower and light breezes. Not perfect, but certainly sounding better … Continue reading Yorkshire 3 Peaks TweetMeet
It could have been a great trip, were it not for the weather and the way I dealt with it.  Here's the story of the trip - how it was planned, what happened and the lessons learned. The individual posts telling of the story of the trip are indexed below: Initial Planning - The initial phases of planning … Continue reading Trip Report: A Far Eastern Odyssey
There's no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes. Or so goes the proverb. Â But it's a load of sanctimonious bollocks... If there's one piece of so-called outdoor wisdom that really gets on my tits, it's this. Not because I totally disagree with it, but because of the way that people trot it … Continue reading A Far Eastern Odyssey – Part 4: Bad Weather ? Bad Gear ? Bad Decisions ?
Faint strains of cuckoo song broke through the assortment of snoring and farting noises as the new day dawned. A typical hostel night with 6 blokes in an 8 bed room which makes for very poor sleep. And a tactical error timing my check-in meant I was in the top bunk. Hoping that inspiration had … Continue reading A Far Eastern Odyssey – Part 3: Whiffs of Vanilla and Echoes of Thriller