Lightweight Overnighter

13th August 2011


I managed to squeeze a quick overnighter in at one of my favourite valleys in the Lakes this weekend, not particularly bushcrafty but I wanted to get out and test some new kit. I've been getting back into the hills again this year so I've been slowly putting together some lightweight gear again after selling all my old stuff when I got into bushcraft shenanigans.
I met up with Tony around lunchtime on Saturday and took the easy 4.5 mile trail round to a stealthy camp site I knew about. I'm still not 100% and didn't fancy any big hills this weekend so I planned a nice flat route along the shoreline instead. We didn't get up to much apart from exploring the surroundings and chilling out around camp, we decided to have a fire later on so we went foraging for dead standing in one of the plantations nearby. We used an old fire scar and sat by the fire sipping Jura for an hour, by 11 o'clock we were both pretty knackered so called it a day.

Some pics ...

My new Trailstar tarp shelter, with an annoyingly close young pine, I didn't have a clue how big the footprint was going to be

A palace for one

Tony getting set up

I've not seen the water as low as this for a long time, parts of the old village were starting to appear in places. It happens quite regularly I think but I always seem to miss it.

One of the local Reds had been down for a drink recently

A nice relaxed night under the stars, cheers for coming along Tony

Kit list for those interested ...

ULA CDT Pack
MLD Trailstar tarp shelter and pegs
MLD Superlight Bivvy
UKHammocks summer top quilt
TAR NeoAir short mat
TAR inflatable sit mat
Polycryo groundsheeet
Mini Atomic stove
Titanium pot
Caldera Cone
4oz of meths
Gore-tex paclite waterproof jacket and trews
Montane Windshirt
Rab Generator vest
Cap
1L rollup water bottle
Drinksafe Supalite gravity filter bag
Long handled ti spoon
2 x dehydrated meals
Peppered Beef sandwiches, chocolate raisins & biscuits
Brew kit (Kenco 3-in-1, Bovril stock cubes, Galaxy drinking chocolate, cherry KoolAid for cold drinks)
Camera
Ipod
Torch
Gerber mini tool
FAK
1L drinking water for walk in
Gsi hip flask containing a nip of Jura Superstition
Pacer Poles

Total weight = 7.3kgs

Lake District overnighter, should've been two though

1st May 2011



I got back today from an interesting few days in the hills around Haweswater and High Street. We were supposed to be doing two nights but last night mother nature made sure that didn't happen, ten minutes after pitching the tents one got flattened by a huge gust and then when we turned in later on another tent got smashed by the relentless winds.
Angle Tarn near Patterdale is a place I camped at around 12 years ago and I was keen to get back there again for a night, the wind was strong from the NE all day on our route but I thought we might be able to seek shelter once we reached the tarn with good camping spots on all sides. How wrong was I, the wind was blasting up Bannerdale and then coming straight back down onto the water creating mini typhoons and wreaking havoc from all directions. Me and Andy did a loop of the tarn trying to find a sheltered spot for three tents but it was just as bad wherever we went, we decided to stay where we were and hoped the wind would die down eventually. I think I managed to grab around 3-4 hours sleep at some point but Andy and Mick only got half that between them. I think we all agreed that last night was the worst night any of us had spent out, it was one of those nights which was so noisy that you couldn't get off to sleep and then as soon as you did you got a face full of tent as the sides collapsed in again.
So with two broken tents an no sign of the wind dying we made the decision to head back for the cars this morning, we were all pretty knackered from lack of sleep so the return journey was fairly hard going.

It was all good fun though, especially getting airborne a couple of times in my hooped bivvy in the night :)

Our route plus a return down Kidtsy Pike this morning

Andy & Mick, on our way

The car's parked over there somewhere

Looking back up Mardale

On we go

Lunch stop next to a waterfall, out of the wind and before the big climb

Up we go

Heading for the summit of High Kop

Andy admiring the views across the rest of the Lakeland peaks

Heading up to The Knott

A breather above Hayeswater

The gloom of Angle Tarn

Camp for the night (before the tents got smashed)

Hiking in Horton

April 2011


I had planned to whisk Mrs Shewie away for a weekend of canoe camping and relaxing in the Lakes, but emergency shed repairs meant I was up a ladder most of yesterday so in the end we didn't bother. I checked the forecast late last night and today was promising more fine weather so I talked her into doing a mid length route somewhere in the Dales instead.
There were a couple of places I wanted to visit after reading some of Danny's Teddy Tours last year, a big hole in the ground was one and foraging for some Moughton Whetstone was another. A quick scan of the maps and I worked out a half decent looking route.

I parked up on the road just by the campsite in Horton and then we set off up Brants Gill Head

Up onto Horton Scar

Pen-y-ghent to our right

A series of limestone gullies on the way up

Hull Pot Hole, one of the, if not the largest natural hole anywhere in Britain. It's an old cave where the roof has collapsed, I think what makes this one special is that there is no access into the bottom unless you use climbing hardwear.

Hull Pot Beck, this crashes over the lip of the hole in winter but at the moment it's a tiny trickle which sinks before it gets there

At the beck we turned north east and heading across Green Hackeber Hill, an evil bog ridden stretch of moorland even in this weather, one to avoid in winter. After we crossed the worst of it we sat on a hill and took great enjoyment watching those following us pick their way through the stinking filth. Two fells runners were the best entertainment, they both just ran at it head on and went straight in up to their waists, oh how we laughed :)

After the misery of Red Moss Bog we reached High Birkwith where the scenery changed from open heathland to lush green arable land

A lovely walk down through Low Birkwith towards Selside where I noticed something splashing in the tiny brook next to us. It turned out to be a little trout which had managed to get itself into a tiny pool and was now stranded in less than an inch of water. I picked it up and carried it down to the main stretch of the river and released it, good deed for the day.

I was hoping to grab a pint and a sandwich in Selside but it was nothing more than a cluster of houses and a farm, we passed through and climbed up the gentle slopes in the direction of Allum Pot and Ingleborough. We came to this sign on my planned route which kind of threw me, is it even legal ?

So I had to dig out the map and choose a lower route up Gill Garth and up to Sulber, we stopped for a brew at the top and finished off the homemade ginger flapjack. I wanted to push on to Moughton after here but Mrs Shewie's knee was playing up so we cut the trip short and headed back down Sulber Nick, a minging pint at the Crown and then a steady stroll back to the car.