It took some planets to align to get this one together, but eventually, I was able to shoulder my pack, lock the car and head into the hills.....
My pack contained the following mix of gear....
From top left, in columns:
1
Craghopper puffy jacket
Ron Hill windproof running trousers
Rab Vital wind jacket
Marmot Precip waterproof jacket
Sealskinz gloves
2
Powerbank and charging cable
Alpkit head torch
Camping gas
Lixada 550ml titanium cup
Sponge
Lixada titanium spork
2 x lighters
107 Gioridas pocket knife
Sweat rag
500ml water bottle
Goretex socks and toilet roll
Cnoc water bag and sawyer mini
3
Alpkit air bag
MSR Elixir2 tent and poles
4
OMM chest pouch
Inflatable pillow unbranded
Alpkit Numo air mat
5
Mountain Warehouse 45ltr pack
Alpkit Cloudpeak 300 sleeping bag
Missing from picture
Beanie unbranded
1ltr mountain warehouse water bladder
Phone
Small cuts kit
3 x AA batteries
6 x water purification tablets
My food for the trip:
In column:
1
3 x coffee bags
Military ration Electrolyte drink
2 x LMNT Electrolyte drinks
2 x tea bags
2
1/4 bag of jelly babies
3 x homemade 700kcal bars
1 x bottle of olive oil
1 x bottle of honey
3
Freeze dried pasta (2 x Aldi pasta packs)
Homemade oats breakfast
Missing from picture:
2 x Nature Valley bars.
I had planned a 40km loop over the Peaks. The weather was forecast dry days and rainy nights, which sounded perfect for me. This route had to be conquered, as I had attempted it earlier in the year and had been beaten by 60mph winds and driving torrential rain on the first night, which quite frankly broke my enthusiasm.... this one started better, though, with warm sunshine and a very light breeze once I was on the top of the first plateau.
The light breeze kept me and my buddy at the right temperature as we chatted incessantly. We hadn't seen each other in a very long time and we had a lot to catch up on! The views were as good as to be expected.
As the kilometers ticked by unfelt, the sun began to set. My time/distance calculations came to fruition and we arrived at our planned camp site just as expected. With the wind picking up and the clouds scudding in, we got set up pretty quick. My friend had snapped a pole on his own tent on a solo trip earlier in the year, so I had lent him my Alpkit Soloist. Within 15 minutes we were up and in...
I had a cup of tea and a 700kcal bar for supper, while my friend dined on a caramel hot chocolate. We chatted away into the night until the rain got so loud we could barely hear each other so we turned in. The wind and rain increased throughout the night, so sleep was fitful. The gusts were strong and more than once I saw the side of my tent flex inwards. The wind and rain abated about 3am and I slept until 5.30 to a silent, warm dawn....
A breakfast of oats and coffee, sweetened with honey was enjoyed. My friend and I took a relaxed approach to packing up but by half 6 we were up and at em. My friend was only out for the one night, so the pace to our parting point was taken slowly to enjoy our time together.
And we lingered for a while, enjoying the conversation. Eventually, he went one way I the other with promises of doing it again soon. He snapped this pic of me without my knowledge and sent it to me later...
I headed north, following the edge of the reservoir heading for the head of the valley, where I would eventually walk up to the plateau. The sun was shining and warmed my back as I walked the paths that got steadily narrower and steeper as the kilometers clicked past under my feet.
I came across these two sheep grazing on the path. I thought they would run off but instead they quietly meandered in front of me like pets for a few hundred meters, before suddenly looking back at me then bolting down the side of the valley....
The blaeberries were out in force and I snacked on quite a few as I tramped along. I'm pretty sure these are cow berries but not being 100% certain I left them alone...
There were loads of them, so manybe I missed out?
It took until about 10am to get to the head of the valley, where it suddenly and steeply rose upwards. The path by now was little more than a sheep track through the heather, and it made my heart pump getting up to the top. But the landscape was worth the effort... nothing but the purple plateau, all the way out to the horizon.
The map on my OS app showed a footpath some 300m north, so I picked a spot in the distance and took a bee line to it. Going straight was impossible as the heather sits on deep peat, intersected with deep, wide and wet cuts which can literally suck you down to your knees if you're not careful. I slowly picked the safest route and a half hour later I found the path, turning roughly east I cracked on.
The wind came from the SW in strong gusts and being up high, there was no protection from it. It buffered me relentlessly, until eventually I stopped and got out the Rab Vital windshirt. Putting the hood up and zipping up to my chin, I immediately felt the benefit and I felt much more comfortable.
I generally snack throughout the day as I go to keep my energy topped up and this hike was no different. These 700kcal bars are easy to make and great to graze on.
I also sip on LMNT Electrolyte drinks throughout the day, making sure my body has enough good stuff inside to carry on. I didn't feel tired or hungry at all the entire day. At about midday I came to the perfect lunch stop. Tucked in to a rock formation I got a hot brew on and nibbled on jelly babies and the remains of the 700kcal bar. I hunkered down for about half an hour before packing up and carrying on.
The wind was still in good form. It was very sunny and that wind was warm. Without my hood up my ears felt the full force and I knew I'd end up with a headache if not. In the middle of the afternoon I eventually came across two lads at a check point. Truth be told, they had been behind me since I popped up on the plateau in the morning, and having stopped for my lunch they had overtaken me. But they were laden down with huge packs and I had caught them up as they rested at a Trig point. We said our hellos, I got a quick summit snap and bounded off ahead of them...
Ahead of time (I didn't want to arrive at my planned camp site until evening time) I went exploring off piste and dropped down into a very steep, wooded re-entrant. At the bottom I was rewarded for my efforts with this secret pool.
I contemplated a wild swim, but while filling my CNOC water bag for filtering, my bare skin was attacked by midges! I quickly decided against a bath and popped the water bag in an outer pocket of my pack for filtering later, and climbed back up and out, up onto the high ground again. The climb was very steep and I was breathing hard again as the day began to draw to a close. I went in search of my campsite. Up and over another hill and I looked down to see it. Next to a collapsed stone building, abandoned long ago, I set up my tent and got set for dinner.
There wasn't a breath of wind. It was totally silent. So I ruined it by firing up my gas stove and heated water for dinner. A nice cup of tea and a double pasta meal for Sir? Don't mind if I do...
As I waited the 20 min for pasta to rehydrate I drank the remains of my Electrolyte drink and prepped another one for the morning. I reclined in the tent and enjoyed my dinner, watching a kestrel soar above me hunting.
After dinner I laid back listening to an audio book. I felt sleepy so turned in to sleep.
10hrs later I woke up! A great night's sleep I felt restored. Time for breakfast. Another 700kcal bar and a cup of coffee with honey. I enjoyed it in the tent.
After getting dressed, I stepped outside for the first time since waking, and immediately got attacked by a dark horde of midges! Argh! They were all over me and quickly made my life total misery. I broke camp in record time and left in haste, but left no trace....
The morning sun crept into the valley as I followed the path the remaining few kilometers back to the car. Easy walking. Skirting the edge of the reservoir once again, I was delighted to watch a buzzard soar right down the middle of the water. An amazing end to a great trip.
Hope you enjoyed the read!
My pack contained the following mix of gear....
From top left, in columns:
1
Craghopper puffy jacket
Ron Hill windproof running trousers
Rab Vital wind jacket
Marmot Precip waterproof jacket
Sealskinz gloves
2
Powerbank and charging cable
Alpkit head torch
Camping gas
Lixada 550ml titanium cup
Sponge
Lixada titanium spork
2 x lighters
107 Gioridas pocket knife
Sweat rag
500ml water bottle
Goretex socks and toilet roll
Cnoc water bag and sawyer mini
3
Alpkit air bag
MSR Elixir2 tent and poles
4
OMM chest pouch
Inflatable pillow unbranded
Alpkit Numo air mat
5
Mountain Warehouse 45ltr pack
Alpkit Cloudpeak 300 sleeping bag
Missing from picture
Beanie unbranded
1ltr mountain warehouse water bladder
Phone
Small cuts kit
3 x AA batteries
6 x water purification tablets
My food for the trip:
In column:
1
3 x coffee bags
Military ration Electrolyte drink
2 x LMNT Electrolyte drinks
2 x tea bags
2
1/4 bag of jelly babies
3 x homemade 700kcal bars
1 x bottle of olive oil
1 x bottle of honey
3
Freeze dried pasta (2 x Aldi pasta packs)
Homemade oats breakfast
Missing from picture:
2 x Nature Valley bars.
I had planned a 40km loop over the Peaks. The weather was forecast dry days and rainy nights, which sounded perfect for me. This route had to be conquered, as I had attempted it earlier in the year and had been beaten by 60mph winds and driving torrential rain on the first night, which quite frankly broke my enthusiasm.... this one started better, though, with warm sunshine and a very light breeze once I was on the top of the first plateau.
The light breeze kept me and my buddy at the right temperature as we chatted incessantly. We hadn't seen each other in a very long time and we had a lot to catch up on! The views were as good as to be expected.
As the kilometers ticked by unfelt, the sun began to set. My time/distance calculations came to fruition and we arrived at our planned camp site just as expected. With the wind picking up and the clouds scudding in, we got set up pretty quick. My friend had snapped a pole on his own tent on a solo trip earlier in the year, so I had lent him my Alpkit Soloist. Within 15 minutes we were up and in...
I had a cup of tea and a 700kcal bar for supper, while my friend dined on a caramel hot chocolate. We chatted away into the night until the rain got so loud we could barely hear each other so we turned in. The wind and rain increased throughout the night, so sleep was fitful. The gusts were strong and more than once I saw the side of my tent flex inwards. The wind and rain abated about 3am and I slept until 5.30 to a silent, warm dawn....
A breakfast of oats and coffee, sweetened with honey was enjoyed. My friend and I took a relaxed approach to packing up but by half 6 we were up and at em. My friend was only out for the one night, so the pace to our parting point was taken slowly to enjoy our time together.
And we lingered for a while, enjoying the conversation. Eventually, he went one way I the other with promises of doing it again soon. He snapped this pic of me without my knowledge and sent it to me later...
I headed north, following the edge of the reservoir heading for the head of the valley, where I would eventually walk up to the plateau. The sun was shining and warmed my back as I walked the paths that got steadily narrower and steeper as the kilometers clicked past under my feet.
I came across these two sheep grazing on the path. I thought they would run off but instead they quietly meandered in front of me like pets for a few hundred meters, before suddenly looking back at me then bolting down the side of the valley....
The blaeberries were out in force and I snacked on quite a few as I tramped along. I'm pretty sure these are cow berries but not being 100% certain I left them alone...
There were loads of them, so manybe I missed out?
It took until about 10am to get to the head of the valley, where it suddenly and steeply rose upwards. The path by now was little more than a sheep track through the heather, and it made my heart pump getting up to the top. But the landscape was worth the effort... nothing but the purple plateau, all the way out to the horizon.
The map on my OS app showed a footpath some 300m north, so I picked a spot in the distance and took a bee line to it. Going straight was impossible as the heather sits on deep peat, intersected with deep, wide and wet cuts which can literally suck you down to your knees if you're not careful. I slowly picked the safest route and a half hour later I found the path, turning roughly east I cracked on.
The wind came from the SW in strong gusts and being up high, there was no protection from it. It buffered me relentlessly, until eventually I stopped and got out the Rab Vital windshirt. Putting the hood up and zipping up to my chin, I immediately felt the benefit and I felt much more comfortable.
I generally snack throughout the day as I go to keep my energy topped up and this hike was no different. These 700kcal bars are easy to make and great to graze on.
I also sip on LMNT Electrolyte drinks throughout the day, making sure my body has enough good stuff inside to carry on. I didn't feel tired or hungry at all the entire day. At about midday I came to the perfect lunch stop. Tucked in to a rock formation I got a hot brew on and nibbled on jelly babies and the remains of the 700kcal bar. I hunkered down for about half an hour before packing up and carrying on.
The wind was still in good form. It was very sunny and that wind was warm. Without my hood up my ears felt the full force and I knew I'd end up with a headache if not. In the middle of the afternoon I eventually came across two lads at a check point. Truth be told, they had been behind me since I popped up on the plateau in the morning, and having stopped for my lunch they had overtaken me. But they were laden down with huge packs and I had caught them up as they rested at a Trig point. We said our hellos, I got a quick summit snap and bounded off ahead of them...
Ahead of time (I didn't want to arrive at my planned camp site until evening time) I went exploring off piste and dropped down into a very steep, wooded re-entrant. At the bottom I was rewarded for my efforts with this secret pool.
I contemplated a wild swim, but while filling my CNOC water bag for filtering, my bare skin was attacked by midges! I quickly decided against a bath and popped the water bag in an outer pocket of my pack for filtering later, and climbed back up and out, up onto the high ground again. The climb was very steep and I was breathing hard again as the day began to draw to a close. I went in search of my campsite. Up and over another hill and I looked down to see it. Next to a collapsed stone building, abandoned long ago, I set up my tent and got set for dinner.
There wasn't a breath of wind. It was totally silent. So I ruined it by firing up my gas stove and heated water for dinner. A nice cup of tea and a double pasta meal for Sir? Don't mind if I do...
As I waited the 20 min for pasta to rehydrate I drank the remains of my Electrolyte drink and prepped another one for the morning. I reclined in the tent and enjoyed my dinner, watching a kestrel soar above me hunting.
After dinner I laid back listening to an audio book. I felt sleepy so turned in to sleep.
10hrs later I woke up! A great night's sleep I felt restored. Time for breakfast. Another 700kcal bar and a cup of coffee with honey. I enjoyed it in the tent.
After getting dressed, I stepped outside for the first time since waking, and immediately got attacked by a dark horde of midges! Argh! They were all over me and quickly made my life total misery. I broke camp in record time and left in haste, but left no trace....
The morning sun crept into the valley as I followed the path the remaining few kilometers back to the car. Easy walking. Skirting the edge of the reservoir once again, I was delighted to watch a buzzard soar right down the middle of the water. An amazing end to a great trip.
Hope you enjoyed the read!
