Resupply logistics.

[Quixoticgeek]

I find myself pondering a long distance hike within the British Isles sometime in the next 2-3 years (building fitness and equipment will take time), and one of the things I would like to do to keep weight down, is post packages of dehydrated food, fuel etc... to points along the route, as is a typical among long distance hikers.

Has anyone experience of doing this in the UK? Did you have any issues shipping either meths or hexi via Royal mail? Did you use Post restante at post offices along the route, or did you go with B&B's/pubs etc... as the pick up point?

Thanks

J

 

[British Red]

We did a long trip to Skye 30 years ago and used youth hostels to hold just such parcels for us. Each week or so we would re-supply and shower etc.

 

[Huon]

We did a long trip to Skye 30 years ago and used youth hostels to hold just such parcels for us. Each week or so we would re-supply and shower etc.

I've done the same thing with youth hostels in the Lake District.

 

[sandbender]

"...Did you have any issues shipping either meths or hexi via Royal mail? Did you use Post restante at post offices along the route, or did you go with B&B's/pubs etc... as the pick up point?.."

I am fairly certain that both meths and hexi are things that cannot be shipped by regular mail.

I have only used post restante in far away places, it worked quite well, the one occasion where I had a winter sleeping bag sent to a hotel in France it went missing.

For food, wherever I have walked I have seldom carried more than a few days supply and pick things up as I go, either making a detour to a village or by asking at farms etc. For really lightweight but filling travel food I usually carry spaghetti (packed into a mineral water bottle) and bags of tuna or similar.

Have a great trip when you get to it, remember to post some pics here.

 

[Shewie]

I've done it in Scotland for LDWs I've done, sending parcels to campsites, hotels and post offices along the way. I have sent gas cartridges but I don't think you're supposed to.

 

[Toddy]

What you could maybe do to good effect is to privately compile a list of postcodes/phone numbers of friends and folks from here (I'll do it for the Hamilton area if it helps ) who would be happy to meet up and re-supply as you go too.
A kind of back up network or fill the gaps, kind of thing.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[John Fenna]

When I did long walks (those days are over now ) I just used to shop at shops along the way.
One day off per week for laundry etc ...
My longest non stop hike was from Lands End to County Durham, mainly using LDPs but making up my own links. Dislocated my knee near Earby and struggled after that and had to give up my plan of getting to John O Groats. I managed almost exactly 1000km.
The only thing I had posted ahead (to friends) was a packet of marked up OS maps.
For most of the British LDPs there is adequate shop possibilities along the way

 

[widu13]

Royal Mail will not knowingly carry any flammables/gas inc matches and filled lighters and also bear in mind that they now regularly fly post around the country. If the package is to be flown it WILL be x rayed. They do not remove "prohibited" items they destroy (give it to the discoverers no doubt!) the entire package and use their T&Cs as protection for doing this, For short road hops you should be okay but many couriers are now actually cheaper than RM and offer a next day service for parcels.

 

[MT606]

what about contacting parish churches that are on the route your taking ? and either ask them if they could buy you certain items and you pay on collection or you could post things to them and collect again? Not a holy roller btw or a fan of the club just spit ballin as it were...............

 

[xylaria]

Hermes do parcel shop drop offs for packages. Small village shops are becoming almost as rare as pubs and local post offices. I always would stock up in local shops. I would carefully map.where they are now before setting out.

 

[Bluffer]

On trekked routes in the UK it is hard to avoid shops en-route, I'd plan to carry no more than 2-3 days worth of food and fuel unless you are planning to do the Cape Wrath Trail or similar wilderness area in the highlands.

Have you thought about making a few caches en-route? In semi-buried small plastic barrels or metal cans, it is surprising how many people do this and how small caches can be so useful.

 

[tom.moran]

ill hold stuff for you if your near me

 

[Tracker NTS-054]

A leg through Nottinghamshire would be a perilous one. Given dates in advance Ill happily arrange a resupply as I'm not far from Sherwood Forest etc..

All the best,

 

[Tracker NTS-054]

Have you thought about making a few caches en-route? In semi-buried small plastic barrels or metal cans, it is surprising how many people do this and how small caches can be so useful.

+1 on the caches

 

[Quixoticgeek]

Hermes do parcel shop drop offs for packages. Small village shops are becoming almost as rare as pubs and local post offices. I always would stock up in local shops. I would carefully map.where they are now before setting out.

I would love to stock up at village shops, but it's hard to rely on them to have something suitable. Pretty much none are going to have really light weight food from the likes of wayfarer or mountain house. I don't really fancy carrying a weeks supply of food in the form of tins. The weight makes my back groan just thinking of it.

Hence wanting to ship dehydrated meals ahead so I have things ready.

On trekked routes in the UK it is hard to avoid shops en-route, I'd plan to carry no more than 2-3 days worth of food and fuel unless you are planning to do the Cape Wrath Trail or similar wilderness area in the highlands.

Have you thought about making a few caches en-route? In semi-buried small plastic barrels or metal cans, it is surprising how many people do this and how small caches can be so useful.

Some of the routes I have planned the local shops are several days apart, for this I would rather carry a small parcel's worth of dehydrated food, rather than heavy weight stuff from local supply.

The caches are a good idea, I just don't have the ability to set them out on the hikes I have planned.

Thanks everyone for the kind offers. Once I have a concrete trip plan forming, I shall let you all know.

Thanks

Julia

 

[Bluffer]

Have you eaten this type of food for a few days in succession?

I'd rather carry dried supermarket ingredients (rice, flour, pasta, etc) because it would be healthier, cheaper and easily available.

 

[plastic-ninja]

Have you eaten this type of food for a few days in succession?

I'd rather carry dried supermarket ingredients (rice, flour, pasta, etc) because it would be healthier, cheaper and easily available.

You may find yourself getting dehydrated yourself if you eat too much of the super lightweight stuff.I always find it makes me want a gallon of water to drink afterward!
I would recommend that you try and organise some real food stops with friends (some that you are yet to meet perhaps, from this forum) as well as posting ahead to them.
Between us on this forum I'd think we have much of the country covered.We ( Mrs p-n & I ) would be happy to help you out as a mail drop and a meal break.
Cheers, Simon

 

[Quixoticgeek]

Have you eaten this type of food for a few days in succession?

I'd rather carry dried supermarket ingredients (rice, flour, pasta, etc) because it would be healthier, cheaper and easily available.

In theory very good ideas, alas I fear there may be a few slight flaws.

• The amount of fuel needed to cook dried rice properly vs packaged rice, is quite substantial, meaning you have to carry extra fuel.
• What would you make using your flour using just a meths stove?
• Dried rice, and dried pasta (can't actually eat pasta, so personally not an option, but is for others), are not exactly a rounded nutritious meal, Gonna need protein and maybe some vegetables etc... to balance it out.
• If I am in doubt if there is even going to be a postoffice along my route, then the chances of finding a Sainsbury's is even smaller...

Aside from those minor issues, all good points.

There are reasons that long distance hikers doing trails like the big three in the US tend to dehydrate their own food and organise resupply drops along the route. It's actually one of the more viable ways of sustaining yourself.

If you carried Look What We Found pouches as your meals, at 270g each, plus 75g for the rice, that means you need 350g just for your main meal. A weeks worth comes in at 2.5kg. Before you even think about the other two meals for the day. And at less tan 300 calories per meal.

Conversely, you can dehydrate simple meals like shepherds pie, and produce meals in the sub 100g area. Meaning that your weeks supply of main meals is going to set you back under 1kg. Quite a saving, when you are doing 30km a day. They also use relatively little fuel to heat up. Again keeping your pack weight down.

This all said, when pubs are 4-7 days apart, stopping off for a real meal at every pub you pass becomes quite important for morale if nothing else.

You may find yourself getting dehydrated yourself if you eat too much of the super lightweight stuff.I always find it makes me want a gallon of water to drink afterward!
I would recommend that you try and organise some real food stops with friends (some that you are yet to meet perhaps, from this forum) as well as posting ahead to them.
Between us on this forum I'd think we have much of the country covered.We ( Mrs p-n & I ) would be happy to help you out as a mail drop and a meal break.
Cheers, Simon

Fortunately most of the British wilderness tends not to come with a shortage of water, hiking through scotland water is one of those things you really don't need to worry too much about. (unlike my recent trip in Kent...) But I see your point.

Thank you to you, and all the others with your kind offers of assistance (and food). I now find myself wondering if I should change my plans from a long distance trail, to a hike round the friendly members of BCUK...

Thanks

Julia

 

[santaman2000]

In theory very good ideas, alas I fear there may be a few slight flaws.

• The amount of fuel needed to cook dried rice properly vs packaged rice, is quite substantial, meaning you have to carry extra fuel.
• What would you make using your flour using just a meths stove?
• Dried rice, and dried pasta (can't actually eat pasta, so personally not an option, but is for others), are not exactly a rounded nutritious meal, Gonna need protein and maybe some vegetables etc... to balance it out.....

• All true but still, you don't need expensive freeze dried foods such as Mountain House or Backpacker's Pantry. The ordinary prepackaged dried foods at the supermarket will usually do nicely (Uncle Bens Quick Rice dishes come to mind or Liptons) though not as a resupply in a small village.

 

[Blaidd]

You could try googling outdoor shops on Google maps, identify which if any are close to your route, call them and see if they stock the stuff you need. This won't produce all the needed pickups but might fill in a few holes which you could build on with friendly members, supermarkets, etc. The shops might even come and meet you with the supplies if you tell them they'll get a mention on here?