Me and Dave went to the Lakes at the last minute over Easter. Excellent weekend. Met up with a couple of his pals Matt and Bobbie.
Had two very decent days in the snowy hills and two decent nights in the pub supping ale and whisky!
I reckon it was the coldest conditions I’ve ever slept in, despite being in a tent, in a valley and moments from the pub.
Took this at the weekend. When you go wild camping and can bivvy, falling asleep to the stars is brilliant. One of the main things about it.
It’s usually colder when they’re out, but it’s never cold in your bag.
Black Sail hut in the Lake District. There are moar on FlickR but you’ll have to sign in and friend-me first.
This is pretty much my pornography thesedays. I cannot wait to get out in The Lakes this winter. Definitely some more snowy wild-camping coming up, definitely.
Helvellyn photo taken by Jon Bennet, one of Weatherlines fell-top assessors. The rather squashed looking bivi on the other hand… was where I slept on my only winter wild-camp last year.
Google Earth is very good for this sort of thing. Pretty fucking amazing in fact. This is a short route we did in Wasdale the other weekend.
Took this on the way home this morning after a day and night in the Lakes. Wasdale to be precise.
Top of the Wrynose Pass, after driving the Touareg up it via Hardknott! (though having said that, Phils 306 made it up there too once.. and that can only do 50MPH before it goes into limp-home mode.)
Jesus, Google Earth has come-on! Excellent way to plan a walk!
Had a fantastic new-year in the Lake District. Camping in Langdale with some friends. Got up there quite late on the 30th after taking the train from London and borrowing a car to drive the rest of the way (more on cars later, I really want another).
On our arrival I dropped Jenno off at the pub to meet our pals and then went to put the tent up in the pissing rain. Proper Cumbrian rain. Wet. I nearly got the car stuck in the mud but all turned out OK and after I’d finished and parked-up somewhere that wasn’t a swamp, I walked to join them for a couple.
Used those titanium ti-pins from Alpkit for the first time and it’s a good job I’d taken them. The stock aluminium ones from Vango were just bending due to the rocky ground. The Ti-Pins are a bit thin and I needed to use two in some places but the ground was very wet and so stony… I digress.
Saturday we set off to walk Crinkle Crags but the rain was so bad we packed it in at Red Tarn and were back in the pub for 3PM.. where we stayed till one in the morning. Oh jesus.
Anyhow, I read a fact today that has cheered me up. When you actually look at it there are quite a lot of days off in the year and I intend this year to make more of them. I dont’ want to be out every weekend, but I’d like to have some in the bank, some nice longer ones planned and a couple of week long getaways.
Check it out:
105 non-working days this year (weekends and 9 public holidays) then of course I can book 25 days a year off too.. When you add all that up then work/life balance is very very nearly a 60/40 split which is alright but I would prefer it if it were skewed in the other direction and I think that for the sake of humanity, it ought to be.
More effort this year I think.
Haskey took these yesterday. On his day out skiing. In the Lake District. Fucksake man.
Here’s a photo I just uncovered of Coniston Water in the the Lake District. Took it ages ago and never stuck it up anywhere. It was a bit gloomy that day but it has stitched together fairly well and I quite like the framing.
Anyhow, it is what it is, have a gander.