Dales an' Lakes, Sept/Oct 2016 pt1

Time for the first proper trip with our new van. Load up and it's the usual bash across the Pennines and up the motorway system to Wetherby. Since Mum passed away we've tried to call in at Dad's when possible on our way out and back. We spend the night on Dad's drive, then it's away to Altberg in Richmond to drop a pair of Chrissie's boots for resoling. Soon after, we're settled at the Caravan Club site in Hawes; a favourite with us. We're joined for dinner and beer by our friends Chris and Cate who live in the next village to us. Happenstance puts 'em in Hawes. They're starting a backpacking trip the following day.

The next day Jenny, a Twitter friend, arrives to join us for a walk and dinner. Meeting friends from Twitter and elsewhere on social media has become a feature of our trips this year and it was great fun hooking up with Jenny for the day.

Leaving the site we find a space to wild camp and take a walk before dinner and a quiet night.

We park up in Keld and enjoy a circuit across the moors to Muker and back before another wild camp on the way north.

Still northwards we go, enjoying a break at the Camping & Caravanning Club's Barnard Castle site. In the afternoon we each take a bike ride (we can't yet let leave the pups alone in the van). Islay learns how to get comfy on a front seat and we all begin to get familiar with life in our new travelling home.

Parking at Bowlees we "enjoy" a moorland walk, doing battle along the way with some excessively curious cattle. Rewarded with delicious cakes at the visitor centre cafe we leave for a fave wild camp, and a VERY windy night.

Crossing, reputedly, the highest tarmac road in England, we traverse the moors into the eastern fringes of Cumbria and another wild camp, taking a walk from Nenthead along the way.

Next stop's a Camping & Caravanning Club certificated site (five units only) close to Dufton. We enjoy another short cycle ride into Appleby in Westmoreland. And from here we venture on our first backpack and wild camp with both dogs. Both have backpacked before but never the four of us together. We're joined on this momentous adventure by Dawn, Mike (alias the Pieman) and Lucky The Dog. We set off for High Cup Nick...but it's nowhere to be seen, thanks to heavy mizzle of the wettest kind. It's fun nonetheless and the pups are pretty good in the tent. It's Islay's first time carrying panniers and, despite her smallness in labrador terms, she proves a tough little powerhouse, seeming to ignore the modest weight of the bedding in her bags.

On the way back next morning we treat ourselves to excellent breakfast butties from the Post Office tearoom in Dufton before entertaining Dawn and Mike with tea and stickies back at the van.

Life's good. Next stop, the Lakes.

TwentyPoundLand; the Crowthers' annual sale

Following a massive tidy up this week Chrissie and I are pleased to announce our spectacular, annual sale.

Yes...it's TwentyPoundLand! 

No need to ask the price madam...it's... twenty pounds! You can be the proud owner of any of these cast offs...desirable items or bundles for...you guessed it...twenty pounds! Yes £20!

Of course, that's £20 if you pick it up. At this price, if you want it posted that'll be extra, thank you. Fancy thinkin' we'd include postage...cheek! Plus, we'd need a cheque or some crisp notes posted to us first.

All of the kit is in good working condition, no repairs, ready for adventure.

So, in no particular order;

A Thermarest Prolite 4. Short 3/4 length, 464g. Older style backpacking mat, but still very practical. No stuffsac. BOTH OF THESE NOW SOLD

 

Shown folded with cap for scale (cap not included in sale).

We have two of those and no, it's NOT £20 for two. They're £20 each...silly! BOTH NOW SOLD

A Thermarest Neoair Small, 3/4 length. It's an original one, hardly used, similar to the X-Lite, 272g. Modernish backpacking mat at a giveaway price. With stuffsac. Be quick! NOW SOLD

The good lookin' bloke's NOT included.

We've kept Thermarest in business over the years. They'd have folded if not for us. Here's a Thermarest Neoair All-Season mat. Medium length (168cm). Predecessor to the X-Therm. Ensure cosy, warm nights in cold conditions. With stuffsac. Hardly used, 536g. NOW SOLD

Next, a small bundle. An MSR Pocket Rocket stove in case, teamed with an MSR gas cartridge stand. The stove weighs 112g inc case. The stand's 33g. Pocket Rockets are fine, reliable stoves. We've still kept one, which we used as backup for our Jetboil Minimo in Sweden a coupla weeks back. NOW SOLD

Double glazing not included.

Here's another bundle. An Evernew, made for REI, titanium frying pan with folding handles, along with a very useful plastic trowel (use it for cooking or toilet duties; whatever your preference). Pan weighs 135g, trowel 69g.

Finally, for serious cold weather use (you'd need a yak to carry it), a Corinthia 1000 down sleeping bag, with a stuff sac and compression straps. It weighs 1.7kg and is seriously cosy. Would be great in a car or camper in cold weather. NOW SOLD

Gurgling jug not included.

Don't faff about it you want any of this. Reckon it'll go quick at this price (£20) and don't insult us with offers...it's twenty quid. Yes... £20!

Contact us via comments on here (I'll get an email) or, probably quickest, via Twitter; @GeoffCrowther1 or @Chrissiedixie2, or find either of us on Facebook, or send a carrier pigeon to Crowther Towers, Hayfield...or a drone. Best of all, pick up from here in Hayfield, High Peak, Derbyshire, England, Europe, Earth.

Smile and...be quick...£20!

By the way, if you buy two items it'll be two twenty quids...ie forty quid (£40) etc, etc...

Lightening the load; a post Arctic weight review

Regular readers will know my thoughts on ultralight backpacking. If you don't, read here and also here. So, given my stated views, don't expect any evangelising from me on an ultralight theme. These are just my thoughts on what suits me. It may help you - it may not.

Chrissie and I are just back from a fantastic trip in Arctic Sweden (see previous post). It was the longest backpack we've ever undertaken; eight nights. Our rucsacs looked huge and felt heavy, packed at home, but, strangely, once out on the trail I was pleased at how well we both coped with such significant loads. nine days of food is a lot, regardless of our reliance on lightweight, dried meals. Chrissie carried eight days last year, but she had all her own independent camping gear. This time we shared tent and kitchen stuff so that eased things a little.

Incidentally, we never once regretted carrying all 3.5kg worth of the Terra Nova Polar Lite 3. It was just so comfortable, giving us respite from midges and rain on different occasions. We'd use it again without hesitation.

As so often happens on our journeys, conversation turned to possible further load refinements, despite our coping so well.

I was very impressed with the way my Osprey Xenith 75 swallowed everything I threw at it, including half of our three person Polar Lite 3 and a massive bag of food, all inside the sac. The tent goes inside the two rear zip pockets (which became one, once I'd removed the unnecessary divider). It managed so well Chrissie began trying to persuade me to buy a smaller sac for my, more usual, one and two night trips. Despite my grumpiness, I am open to ideas which might make backpacking less arduous. We also chatted widely about alternative clothing, which I sometimes overlook in a bid to keep costs down.

All this preamble goes some way to explain our recent spending spree, once back home.

In the past couple of weeks I've purchased the following:

Rab Dryflow 120 long underwear, to replace the Aldi merino wool ones I'd been using. Saving 84g

Thermarest Neoair Xtherm regular, a mummy shaped one, replacing my Xtherm max. I'd felt I needed the wider rectangular one, but tried Chrissie's regular while away and found it suited me AND fitted my chair kit better. Saving 96g.

Exped UL inflatable pillow, to replace the standard one I had. Saving 47g.

Montane Allez Micro Hoodie pullover, replacing the Rohan merino wool one I had. Saving 63g.

Osprey Kestrel 68, to use for shorter trips instead of my Xenith 75. Saving 500g.

So, that little lot has not only lightened my virtual wallet by many pounds sterling, but also my load by 790g.

I've just done a trial pack of my Kestrel and I'm amazed at how easily all the stuff I usually carry for a one nighter has gone in. A zip pocket on one side accommodated our Terra Nova Polar Lite 2 Micro with no difficulty, despite my having already packed the main body of the sac (the pocket, potentially using volume in the main body). This also means our Hilleberg Enan, a smaller, single person, shelter, will go in easily.

As you can see from the photos, it's far from fully loaded. There's plenty of space left under that floating lid.

We're in limbo at the moment. We're waiting for some dog-proof, washable covers to be made for the seat bases in our van and a couple of warranty issues to be sorted. I have a dental check up on 16th September and Chrissie's waiting for the opening date for next year's TGO Challenge. Once all these boxes are ticked we'll be off in the van. We're planning a trip across the north of England, taking in the North York Moors, the Dales and the Lakes. Buoyed with enthusiasm after our Arctic jaunt we're gonna try some short backpacks with Pebbles and Islay. We've never camped with two dogs before. Watch this space. Ample opportunity to try out my new rucsac.

Regular visitors will know I've been on a  self-imposed, wild camp every month challenge, started last October. Well, I've failed. I didn't camp in July. Too much seemed to be going on. We were waiting for the new van and faffing with all sorts around the house prior to its arrival. I suppose I could argue I more than made up for it in August. But I failed in the easiest month of the year, smack in the middle of summer. What the heck? I'm quite content that, for the first time in my life, I wild camped right through the winter months, including a very cold trip over the Yorkshire Three Peaks. I'm planning to carry on from here though. Hoping to make wild camping a normal monthly (at least) routine.

Yesterday we booked flights to Lulea in northern Sweden for next August. We've been bitten by the Arctic bug. We're off to Sarek National Park; venue for Chrissie's trip with James in 2015. A different route though. Bring it on!

Life is good.

Smile!