Aborted trip and kaput knee.

[andybysea]

I was meant to be camping out with Peterleepaddler(tony) last night and today but we cancelled due to the predicted bad weather,

this is where we were meant to camp, at the back of the cave you can see in the pic.

Rather than wast a Saturday i decided to go for a walk along the cliffs to check out some seals on a beach about 3 miles north of above pic.

The weather was cold and clear good job as there's lots of drops like this to avoid.

After about a hour's walk it started to spit icy rain, id just crossed a farm gate on a fence to stop the sheep going over the edge,when i slipped, the ground was grassy but slick mud underneath and my right leg shot out infront of me and to say the pain in my knee was intense was a understatement i screemed like a child and now cant put any weight on my right leg if its bent, but its okay if straight, this is where i slipped.

Just then i was hit by a blizzard out of know where, i was just in the process of strapping up my knee as best i could with a shemagh,and my belt.

when the weather went from above pics to this,,

what took me just over a hour to get to took me two and a half to get back home,

this is me on way back,

and this is looking at where we would have been camping on the way back,

It was actualy fun to be tested like this in a way i just hope i havent done any serious damage to my knee, as at the minute after a warm bath its still painfull and i cant bend the damn thing without alot of pain.

 

[Wayland]

Glad you're OK.

Hope the knee sorts itself out Andy.

Just goes to show how fast things can turn pear shaped when you're not expecting it.

 

[Toddy]

Nasty, but glad you got yourself home safely.

I think if I were you I'd go and get the knee checked out properly.
If it's tendons they can attach back wrongly. I did that to my ankle and it's still not right ten years later
A & E would do for starters if you can't get to the Doctor's quickly.
In the end I was strapped from my toes to my knees for six weeks.
Go prepared to sit and wait though, pack a good book, bottle of juice, munchies, notebook and pen, the lot

Hope it heals quickly,
cheers,
Toddy

 

[MartinK9]

Glad to hear that you made it home safe.

 

[Barn Owl]

Certainly does just go to show...

I was on some snow dusted rocks by deep water today,thinking keep your distance from the edge Tom...so I did.

Hope it heals quickly Andy.

 

[andybysea]

Cheers guys,as for Hospital my nearest is a 1 hour drive, plus you come out with more than you went in with if you know what i mean, i will see how it goes for now, its very sore but i can walk on it, its more when its bent that the pain kicks in, i actualy set it off a few weeks ago, climbing down cliffs it went to far underneath me and hurt at the time but soon recovered, i think ive just made that injury worse, but hopefully not to much worse!

 

[rik_uk3]

As a knee sufferer I recommend an ice pack, use a bag of frozen peas they shape well around the knee.

 

[deenewcastle]

Take care Andy but if you do go to A&E, add a tarp to Toddy's list so that you can get an entry for the Blatant Bushcraft comp

 

[andybysea]

Yep im a knee sufferer to, although ironically its my left that had the damage until now, did the cartiliage in it years ago when i used to do some of the Munro's stupidly we'd try and get down as fast as we could which caused havoc with the old joints.

Cheers Dee, maybe the Doc's on monday no hospital for me if i can help it.

 

[The Cumbrian]

Get well soon Andy.

I used to suffer with my knees, but I found that a trekking pole when out walking helps enormously. I only use one, but even that takes an awful lot of strain off the old joints. The extra stability it provides when crossing scree and slippery slopes is welcome too.

Cheers, Michael.

 

[DavidJT]

Sorry to hear about that, well done for getting yourself out of a tricky situation. Get to a hospital or GP and get yourself checked out ASAP. Could be more serious than you think, and if it isn't that will come as a relief anyway.
In the meantime remember R.I.C.E. = Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.

 

[Shewie]

An eventful day Andy, glad you got back okay and your fall wasn't in a nastier spot.

I did my knee in on my second trip down "the path" when we camped at the beach. That part where you squeeze through the gorse bushes about halfway down. Put my right foot into fresh air off a ledge and bent my left knee sideways, heavy load on my back too. Still having a bit of grief from it now when the weather's cold.

 

[QDanT]

1/2 bottle Rum - bite on leather strap - saw leg off - dip stump in hot tar - carve wooden leg - say "Arrgghhh" - join Cap'n Badgers crew ---- just look at all the Bushcraft skills
Hope you're up and about soon, but stay clear of hospital if possible
cheers Danny

 

[andybysea]

Cheers guys, Michael i did have some leki walking poles with me im glad i did because it would have been alot tougher to get back without them, ive had a ice pack on it and now got it strapped up, if by Monday its not improved i will go to Doc's, In the mean time im drinking Guinness for Medicinal purposes,Rich ive had a few falls on that cliff myself but theyve happened during the summer so ive been warmed up and just had a twinge when ive done it,(for people who havent been there getting down is almost impossible without some kinda slip or two) today it was freezing winds and my legs where probably cold plus the injury from two weeks ago didnt help, because the slip today itself wasnt a bad one and my leg went infront of me and didnt twist so hopefully nothing serious but GOD did it hurt when it happened. In two weeks time my Bro and me are going for a three day trip down there so i hope its better by then.

 

[QDanT]

this is where we were meant to camp, at the back of the cave you can see in the pic.

Hi Andy what's at the back of the cave - level floor ? or ledges ? any photo's ?
Or, an open question to any climbers, have you drilled and eye-bolted the rock to hang hammocks. I've often thought of eye-bolting the odd bivy site where there's plenty of rocks but no trees ---- like

I'd have no problems for just a tarp but what would be the minimum spec. for bolts to hang a hammock ?
cheers Danny

 

[andybysea]

Danny i think my wording was a bit misleading when i said at the back of the cave i meant at the back of the rock formation in which the cave sits, here it is looking down from above its got a small grassy area just big enough for a couple of bivi's, also you can get to it only when the tides out, but there is a escape route to get back up but not down to it, if you know what i mean,

i know what you mean about setting up some eye bolts in the rocks for a hammock here's two locations id love to do that to,

the latter has been used by stooboy off here for a tarp location, and by me,my brother and sister and her boyfriend as a tarp location with my dd 4x3

 

[stooboy]

Andy your out and about tales always have me on the edge of my seat, partly because im not great with heights and because ive seen how steep those cliffs are first hand! I remember your post when you went up a track and it was getting steeper and steeper and had to come back with difficulty!

Hope your knee mends up quickly and painlessly, i thought you where going to say some of that old metal fencing in picture had punctured the skin.

Stoo

 

[QDanT]

Cheers Andy, still looks a fantastic place, which just leaves the question for any climbers what type and size of eye-bolts to hang a hammock ?
after reading articles like this :- http://www.thebmc.co.uk/bmcNews/media/u_content/File/equipment_advice/bolt_funds/Users_guideLR.pdf it's not quite as easy as it would appear though no doubt trial and error would work it out and if I manage I'll post results and a grid ref.
cheers Danny

 

[gsfgaz]

sorry ti hear that Andy , glad u managed to get hame ok m8... it was amazing how the weather changed on u... that's what i love aboot the weather in Scotland especially in the mountains , one minute it's clear the next Ur in a white oot .... yi cannie beat it

 

[andybysea]

Gaz, the weather changed in less than a minute, it was spitting rain/ice to a total white out visibility down to 20 ft or so, Stoo i too hope the damn thing heals and quick, im out in less than two weeks down the big cliff, fingers crossed and leg strapped,plus i need it to be good id like to do that Lake district trip in the New year.
Danny look forward to seeing pics if you get a hammock set up done.