I've not been out overnight for over a month, and the last time I did, I lost my car key. Thank god my car key is carried separately from my house and work keys! So I was hoping this trip would be better, and it was so.......
I'd been eyeing up a secluded spot in the Peak District for a while, having seen a certain YouTuber camp there. It's away from the beaten track and has a wonderful vista.
I loaded a new pack with my old usual kit (I'll add a flat lay of my gear later, if you're interested). I've been looking for a 50ish litre pack for a while and was almost going to pull the trigger on the Osprey Exos 48, but then I saw the Kelty Zyp 48 for £66! I already own a Kelty Redcloud 110ltr, and it's an absolute peach of a pack for winter/heavy loads, so I ordered to Zyp. It has the same back system, which I love as I'm shorter than average.
Parking my little car in a small village, I noticed I was opposite a little local deli, so I popped in to buy a coffee. 10 min later I sat outside the cafe by the road, sipping a Mocha and devouring a homemade sausage roll that could have held a door open, and a wedge of rice crispi cake that could of choked up a car. All for £6! (I'd already smashed the sausage roll by the time this pic was taken!)
Suitably fed, I shouldered my pack and strolled through the village, peeking in gardens and admiring the old stone houses as I went. By the time tarmac became grass and gravel, I had adjusted the pack straps a few times to get it riding properly. With everything as it should be, the pack felt hardly any weight at all. I guess the entire weight is around 8kg, including food and water.
The path continued along an old Roman road before I intended to branch off up a clough. The sky looked good, and the wind was light. Things were looking up...
The clough just to the left of the picture was my off-piste line. At the head of the clough is a G2 scramble, which I was looking forward to. I picked my way along, following sheep tracks and the edge of a brook, crossing it several times before I came to the head of the clough and the bottom of the scramble.
It looked like a beautiful bit of wet rock. Too wet due to recent weather. I enjoy a good climb, but I'm not silly! Nope, not today, my friend, not today! I looked up at the rock for a quarter of an hour, trying to pick out a dryer, safer line. But I couldn't see one. Oh well, I'll find a way up the steep grassy slope instead...
Once up, it was a case of a slow meander across the tussocks, skirting the granite outcrops. The ground rose steeper still as I aimed towards the plateau and the well trodden Pennine Way. Almost at the top, and in a steep sided narrow section, I stopped to rest. Hearing a bleat, I looked down and saw this random mum and baby!
I looked at them, and they had been at me for a while. They chewed grass while I chewed on a bit of homemade biltong. We said a lot without speaking before parting ways. I left them to it.
At the top, I was rewarded with a lovely view.
From the shelter of the clough, the change in conditions on the plateau was markedly different. A tight wind was gusting at 30 odd mph, coming across my face. On went the wind shirt. I pulled the hoody up over my cap and pressed on. Eventually, I came to a spot height, meeting two guys who were doing the entire Pennine Way. It was a planned rest stop for me, so I pulled on a puffy jacket and sipped at my electrolyte drink while we all chatted away about the weather, gear selection, route conditions, and whatnot We parted ways with handshakes and wishes of good luck after a half hour, and I headed further west...
I dropped down into a wide re-entrant following the stone path, and having missed the opportunity for a coffee back at the Spot Height, I found a sunny sheltered spot by the brook. Getting out my air mat and brew kit, I settled down for a brew. With no wind and the warm sun, I dozed off for half an hour! I was woken by someone loudly coughing back on the path. A few seconds later, the person coughed again, only this time much louder. Having been laid on my side sleeping, I stretched and moved my legs. The cougher muttered something to someone, and they walked off! They must have thought I'd come a cropper and been quite concerned....
Impromptu snooze over, I packed my brew kit and mat away, donned my pack, and jumped the brook. I was only a few km from my planned camp site, and it was only late afternoon. I would arrive earlier than expected despite my sleep.
The ground rose sharply and steeply from the brook. I got my legs pumping and eventually got up to the top. Climbing up through the heather and blueberry bushes was a task! The effort was rewarded, though. The view from my campsite was awesome!
It was, however, rather windy. Once the sun began to set, I pitched my tent in the lee of a large rock and settled in for the night. My trusty MSR Elixir2 is doing the business once again. It brushed off the gusts of wind without issue.
I got dinner on. A Firepot meal. I'm not a fan. This is the second one I've had, and like the first, it didn't rehydrate fully, and I was left chewing on what felt like grit. It tasted very nice, but despite following instructions, stirring a few times and leaving for an eventual time of 40 min, it was still more than Al Dente! Oh well, if anyone can recommend a good dehydrated meal brand, let me know.
I got myself into my tent routine pretty quickly and fell asleep listening to an audio book about 8.30pm. I awoke fully rested about 5 am. After a breakfast of coffee, electrolytes, and an oat bar, I packed up and returned along the route I came in on.
A nice little adventure and a decent test of a new pack in preparation for my summer trip to Scotland, where I will follow the route of the 2022 Fjallraven Classic through the Cairngorms!
See ya!
I'd been eyeing up a secluded spot in the Peak District for a while, having seen a certain YouTuber camp there. It's away from the beaten track and has a wonderful vista.
I loaded a new pack with my old usual kit (I'll add a flat lay of my gear later, if you're interested). I've been looking for a 50ish litre pack for a while and was almost going to pull the trigger on the Osprey Exos 48, but then I saw the Kelty Zyp 48 for £66! I already own a Kelty Redcloud 110ltr, and it's an absolute peach of a pack for winter/heavy loads, so I ordered to Zyp. It has the same back system, which I love as I'm shorter than average.
Parking my little car in a small village, I noticed I was opposite a little local deli, so I popped in to buy a coffee. 10 min later I sat outside the cafe by the road, sipping a Mocha and devouring a homemade sausage roll that could have held a door open, and a wedge of rice crispi cake that could of choked up a car. All for £6! (I'd already smashed the sausage roll by the time this pic was taken!)
Suitably fed, I shouldered my pack and strolled through the village, peeking in gardens and admiring the old stone houses as I went. By the time tarmac became grass and gravel, I had adjusted the pack straps a few times to get it riding properly. With everything as it should be, the pack felt hardly any weight at all. I guess the entire weight is around 8kg, including food and water.
The path continued along an old Roman road before I intended to branch off up a clough. The sky looked good, and the wind was light. Things were looking up...
The clough just to the left of the picture was my off-piste line. At the head of the clough is a G2 scramble, which I was looking forward to. I picked my way along, following sheep tracks and the edge of a brook, crossing it several times before I came to the head of the clough and the bottom of the scramble.
It looked like a beautiful bit of wet rock. Too wet due to recent weather. I enjoy a good climb, but I'm not silly! Nope, not today, my friend, not today! I looked up at the rock for a quarter of an hour, trying to pick out a dryer, safer line. But I couldn't see one. Oh well, I'll find a way up the steep grassy slope instead...
Once up, it was a case of a slow meander across the tussocks, skirting the granite outcrops. The ground rose steeper still as I aimed towards the plateau and the well trodden Pennine Way. Almost at the top, and in a steep sided narrow section, I stopped to rest. Hearing a bleat, I looked down and saw this random mum and baby!
I looked at them, and they had been at me for a while. They chewed grass while I chewed on a bit of homemade biltong. We said a lot without speaking before parting ways. I left them to it.
At the top, I was rewarded with a lovely view.
From the shelter of the clough, the change in conditions on the plateau was markedly different. A tight wind was gusting at 30 odd mph, coming across my face. On went the wind shirt. I pulled the hoody up over my cap and pressed on. Eventually, I came to a spot height, meeting two guys who were doing the entire Pennine Way. It was a planned rest stop for me, so I pulled on a puffy jacket and sipped at my electrolyte drink while we all chatted away about the weather, gear selection, route conditions, and whatnot We parted ways with handshakes and wishes of good luck after a half hour, and I headed further west...
I dropped down into a wide re-entrant following the stone path, and having missed the opportunity for a coffee back at the Spot Height, I found a sunny sheltered spot by the brook. Getting out my air mat and brew kit, I settled down for a brew. With no wind and the warm sun, I dozed off for half an hour! I was woken by someone loudly coughing back on the path. A few seconds later, the person coughed again, only this time much louder. Having been laid on my side sleeping, I stretched and moved my legs. The cougher muttered something to someone, and they walked off! They must have thought I'd come a cropper and been quite concerned....
Impromptu snooze over, I packed my brew kit and mat away, donned my pack, and jumped the brook. I was only a few km from my planned camp site, and it was only late afternoon. I would arrive earlier than expected despite my sleep.
The ground rose sharply and steeply from the brook. I got my legs pumping and eventually got up to the top. Climbing up through the heather and blueberry bushes was a task! The effort was rewarded, though. The view from my campsite was awesome!
It was, however, rather windy. Once the sun began to set, I pitched my tent in the lee of a large rock and settled in for the night. My trusty MSR Elixir2 is doing the business once again. It brushed off the gusts of wind without issue.
I got dinner on. A Firepot meal. I'm not a fan. This is the second one I've had, and like the first, it didn't rehydrate fully, and I was left chewing on what felt like grit. It tasted very nice, but despite following instructions, stirring a few times and leaving for an eventual time of 40 min, it was still more than Al Dente! Oh well, if anyone can recommend a good dehydrated meal brand, let me know.
I got myself into my tent routine pretty quickly and fell asleep listening to an audio book about 8.30pm. I awoke fully rested about 5 am. After a breakfast of coffee, electrolytes, and an oat bar, I packed up and returned along the route I came in on.
A nice little adventure and a decent test of a new pack in preparation for my summer trip to Scotland, where I will follow the route of the 2022 Fjallraven Classic through the Cairngorms!
See ya!
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