My Birthday In Edale

For my birthday this year, Bob and I decided to go back to Edale and Kinder Scout, though this time we thought we'd campsite-camp so that we could have an evening in the pubs after a hard-days walking.

We arrived in Edale a lot later than expected, thanks to the sat nav sending us on the scenic route. With it being the bank holiday weekend we hadn't actually managed to get booked into a campsite and were taking our chances at being let in somewhere on the day, and luck was on our side when we rolled up to Field Head campsite. We pitched up, made a brew then set off.

Just a few hundred yards from our start point we came across a big ginger dog sh*t, complete with a fly. I took a photo, but I'll refrain from posting it. It seems like there's just no escaping these people.

Without our great big packs on our backs, we soon found we were motoring along nicely and were at the foot of Jacobs Ladder in no time at all. This presented us with the perfect opportunity to test out Bob's new water filter, filling our bottles from the stream, and it tasted just as good as the tap water we'd just emptied from them.

Lunch was taken atop some boulders, where we were treated to fantastic views that the fog had completely obscured on our last visit.
Our aim this time was to get to Kinder Downfall then turn back, but we were making such good progress that we decided to try and complete the route. The weather was just right; warm and sunny, though the clouds would come over just as the sun threatened to get too hot.

We arrived at Kinder Downfall, which in truth was a bit anticlimactic (we had been expecting some Niagara Falls-esque waterfall) and were getting on at a fine speed- then we hit the bogs.

Out of nowhere the path started to get muddy. Then it started to get very muddy. In our infinite wisdom we decided to ascend the sides of the mini ravine that formed the path, thinking the ground must be better higher up. How wrong we were. We were in the middle of peat bogs. There was no point trying to walk on this terrain, you just started to sink, so we ran from one rare piece of decent ground to the next, our boots going in past the ankle with every step. A few heroic jumps were required at the worst bits.
The terrain slowed us down tremendously, and all of a sudden time was disappearing fast and we wondered if we would ever get out of these damned bogs, but thanks to my GPS and The Walking Englishman's route, at least we knew we were heading in the right direction.

Eventually we did come to the other side and were back on terra firma once more. We still had some way to go though, so when the opportunity presented itself to cut a corner off our route we took it, only to find ourselves faced with another bloody hill which was twice as hard to come down the other side of as it was to go up.

It was almost a joy to see the ginger dog sh*t again (though now it looked like it had been trodden in), as like a homing beacon it marked our proximity to our journeys end, and we went straight into the pub for a well deserved pint. The bogs had really taken it out of us, though that said we still made it round the route in a respectable five hours.

It was back to camp for a shower- drying ourselves on our t-shirts since we had forgotten to bring towels- then off out for tea and more beer.
It was just gone eight o'clock when we left the campsite, but the sun was still shining and the beer garden at the front of The Rambler Inn was full of like-mined people enjoying a good meal and a pint. We joined them for a few, then had a wander to the other end of Edale to The Old Nags Head, then back down the Rambler's.

By eleven o'clock we were knackered and decided to call it a night, thankful for Bob remembering to bring his head torch for the walk home as the streets of Edale were pitch black.

Despite a late rise in the morning, we managed to make time for a bacon butty and a coffee in The Penny Pot cafe before heading back home to clean the peat off our boots and trousers.

I couldn't have wished for a better birthday.


Field Head Campsite

The Rambler Inn

The Old Nags Head

Review: Wild Country Zephyros 2 (Field-Tested)

Following on from my previous write-up of my new backpacking tent, Wild Country/ Terra Nova's Zephyros 2 (read it here) , I have finally managed to get out and about with it, and I can say I'm not disappointed!

The tent was even quicker to erect the second time around, and really takes no thinking about. Although smaller on paper than Coleman's Cobra 2- the tent I was replacing- the Zephyros doesn't taper down to the same degree at the foot so in some ways it feels more capacious. On the other hand, the taper at the head is a gradual one emanating from the centre of the tent, so there is less headroom when laying down which some might find a bit claustrophobic. I must say I didn't, and it was just the right size for my 6'3" length- though I wouldn't want it any smaller.

Unlike the Cobra, where I used to worry about my feet resting against the inner due to its proximity to the fly, there really is no chance of the two touching at any point such is the amount of space between them.

I was lucky enough for it to rain on the night of my trial run, and as you would expect the Zephyros held this off with ease. Not only that, but there wasn't a drop of condensation inside the inner when I woke in the morning, something which I've never managed to avoid before no matter how much I messed with the vents.

Getting it back in the bag was the usual torturous affair, but I won't hold that against what I would otherwise consider to be the best solo backpacking tent under £150*


NOTE: Its worth mentioning that the 2015 version of the Zephyros 2 has a second door.

2021 UPDATE: I have now replaced this tent with the Naturehike Mongar 2, mainly it due to it being lighter yet much more capacious. See my full review of the Mongar 2 here


*I don't consider most "one-man" tents to be tents- they're more like glorified bivvy bags- so when I say best solo tent I'm really talking about two-man tents. 

  

Terra Nova Zephyros 2

BBC Radio Sheffield Elsecar & Wentworth Walk

As I was driving home from work the other day, I heard an announcement on the radio that BBC Radio Sheffield's Rony Robinson would be hosting a walk around Elsecar and Wentworth on Sunday 17th May (today). With the wife at work, and a brand new camera lens in need of a trial run, I thought why not pop along?

The meet was at Elsecar Heritage Centre at one o'clock. I thought I'd get there nice and early but still struggled to find a parking space. I was quickly introduced to Andrew White, who was leading the walk, and a chap called John from the Heritage Centre who was a fountain of knowledge on the local history.

Rony rolled up with his dog Jack and the rest of the BBC crew (including Mick Lunney) in toe, and before long we were off, heading out through King's Wood where the bluebell's were out in full force.

The walk was a nice steady route, suitable for all ages (and indeed all ages were present), with plenty of stops along the way for those who needed a break. The weather, while always threatening rain, was good to us, and a relatively warm- though overcast- afternoon was complimented by a nice breeze and punctuated with the odd burst of sunshine.

The halfway point was the stunning Wentworth Woodhouse- the largest privately-owned house in Europe- where we were somewhat unexpectedly allowed into the grounds and foyer. This didn't seem like part of the plan, and I think one of the BBC team had pulled off a bit of a coup to get us in. The foyer was just as beautiful as the outside, with a 4 x 4 bank of stone columns adorning the space and statues at every turn. Tours of the house are available, and I'll definitely be attending one.

The next stop was The Needles Eye, a pyramid structure supposedly built on the back of a bet over whether a coach and horses could be driven through the eye of a needle.

We had a steady walk back, taking in the views, and before we knew it we were back at Elsecar Heritage Centre, where upon John supplied us with more information about the Newcomen Beam Engine- apparently one of the most important inventions of the industrial revolution and something I've passed many a time without even realising it was there. I had to leave at that point to pick the wife up from the bus stop.

So what would have otherwise been a boring afternoon sat at home turned into a very enjoyable and informative afternoon in the countryside. I was chuffed with my new camera lens and learned many things, not least that Mick Lunney doesn't look like he sounds.

Wentworth Woodhouse

Elsecar Heritage Centre

Andrew White

Bakewell 2013: My First Campsite Camp

My first campsite camp with the wife was a brief one-night stay in Bakewell, Derbyshire. It was a bit of a trial-run for our new tent.

Despite being well within the grips of September, the sun was shining when we rolled up to Greenhill's Holiday Park, just outside of Bakewell. It turns out camping at this time of year has its pros and cons; on the plus side, we had the place virtually to ourselves, but the trade-off was the on-site pub was shut.
The campsite was quite a size, catering for us tenting folk, motor homes & caravans, and also had some static caravans. The toilets/washrooms were very clean, but the pot-washing facilities seemed limited to one external tap in the middle of the field.

We wrestled the tent up, bickering with each other throughout, then took ourselves on the short drive into the town centre. And here's my first tip- find out where the car parks are before you set off. We found parking to be a real struggle, only happening upon short-stay car parks despite doing several laps of the town. On our return home I did some Googling, and there does seem to be several all-day car parks, though god-knows where.

Bakewell itself is a quaint little town with windy streets and hidden courtyards, and is populated in the main by camping/outdoor shops, pie shops and cafe's. By all accounts the market is very good, though unfortunately by the time we'd pitched-up the market had packed up.

We had tea in one of the local pubs, where I sampled what seemed to be a local specialty, Homity Pie*, and I have to say I very much enjoyed it- so much so I bought a couple from one of the pie shops to take home with me.
Bakewell pudding- not tart- is the real specialty of the town though, and very much worth a try.

The quantity of outdoor shops led me to believe that Bakewell may be a good base for some country walking, but unfortunately our stay was too brief for us to explore this further. If this is the case, then it would be worth a return trip, but otherwise its the kind of place you can see in a day.


*Homity pie seems to be on the menu of most pubs in Bakewell, and available in most pie shops. Despite this, I can't find any reference of it being affiliated with the town, and all indicators are that it is a traditional British dish with its origins in WWII at the time of rationing.


Greenhills Holiday Park

Bakewell Online

High Cup Nick: A Tale Of Two Halves, Part 2

Our next trip to High Cup was a somewhat more impromptu affair; we had been all set to go to Malham, but at the eleventh-hour decided to return to more familiar territory.
 
As our last trip had ended prematurely, having only got half-way round our planned route, we decided to start in the opposite direction this time, heading anti-clockwise. This route seemed to take us predominantly on little country lanes, so the going was much easier.

When we finally got off the beaten track we were amazed at just how different the terrain on this side of the valley was compared to the other; a lot greener and not a rock in sight. On our first trip we had seen a small mass of water across on this side, so decided to try and find it, and before long we were sat down next to it having our lunch.

Unlike our last venture, we very quickly found an ideal spot to camp- a nice grassy divot in the shelter of the hills- but it was far too early in the afternoon to pitch up, so we carried on walking. We stopped short of the apex of the valley, then wandered down into the valley itself to see things from that perspective before heading back to our spot for the night.

It was a glorious day weather-wise, and as it was still a bit early to get the tents out, we threw ourselves down on the floor and basked in the sun, amazed at how deathly-silent our surroundings were.

Teatime came and went, and before we knew it it was time to bed down for the night. The morning brought none of the fog of our previous visit, so we were able to enjoy the views once more over a mug of coffee, before heading back the way we came.

Our two High Cup trips were very different. I wouldn't necessarily say I enjoyed one more than the other, although for a single night's camp I would favour this side of the valley.

High Cup Nick: A Tale Of Two Halves, Part 1

Our first foray into wild camping was High Cup Nick in the North Pennines, upon recommendation from a friend. High Cup Nick is a valley that looks like it may have been created by a meteor or some such, and our plan was to walk around the top rather than descend into the valley itself.

We set off from Dufton full of enthusiasm, and our packs full of things we later realised we didn't need. No sooner had we set foot on the Pennine Way, we discovered we were in for a steep learning curve. Our packs were grossly over-weight and our bodies out of shape, and we found ourselves stopping at every gate we happened on for a rest.

Before long we had managed to stray off the beaten track, but found a nice spot to sit and have a bit of lunch and take in the stunning views, before having to run- well, scramble- up the side of a hill that felt like a 4 in 1 to try and get back on the path without having to backtrack on ourselves.

We had decided to tackle the route from a clockwise direction, taking us up the left-hand side of the valley, and while not too difficult even for us novices, the terrain was fairly rocky with a lot of going up and down- not great for my dodgy knees- and we were glad we'd taken walking poles with us.

We reached the apex of High Cup Nick around 4 o'clock, and the plan had been to pitch up in the vicinity and finish the walk the next day, but the wind was ferocious coming out of the valley and, concerned that our tents wouldn't withstand the battering, we had a good think about our best options. Despite not noticing anywhere particularly suited to pitching-up on the way so far, we decided to head back the way we came, reasoning that if we couldn't find anywhere to camp we could always go back to the car.

The gods were with us, however, and we managed to find the only decent spot in a section of the route that we had bypassed on the way out when we'd drifted off the track. Pitched on a slight incline, we spent most of the night in the bottom halves of our tents.

With the morning came the fog, and the wondrous views of the day before had all but vanished, so we decided that we hadn't done bad for a first attempt and made our way back to the car, aching all the way.

Review: Klarus P1C Torch

Bob and I do like a good torch (or flashlight as we call them in the pro's. Ahem.....), and my current weapon of choice for wild camping is the Klarus P1C. Its not an obvious choice, so here's why it made it into my kit:

Klarus as a brand is one of the wave of highly-regarded Chinese professional flashlight manufacturers that have emerged over the last decade-or-so with the advent of LED lighting, along with rivals such as Olight and Nitecore.

As a general flashlight, the Klarus P1C has everything going for it. At a diminutive 89mm long by 23mm diameter (at its widest point), and a mere 54g in weight (excluding battery), its perfect for carrying around in a pocket or bag. Its also waterproof and dust-proof to IPX8 standards and made from military-grade hard-anodised type 3 aluminium.

It has high and low output modes, with low being rated at 20 lumens and high at 245 lumens. To put that in perspective, the majority of Petzl head torches put out a maximum no higher than 160 lumens. Run time, according the manufacturer, is 1 hour in high or 18 hours in low output, and the low setting is plenty enough to illuminate a 2-3 man tent.

The torch comes with a removable belt clip and lanyard, can tail-stand, and is compatible with the Klick Fast system for attaching to belts and (police) vests.

So all that sounds pretty impressive, right? But what makes it a good camping torch?

Well, we've established its small, light and powerful. It can be thrown in your pocket, bag, or clipped to your belt or rucksack. And its waterproof, another advantage.
It runs on a single CR123 battery* which typically weigh around 16g, while a AAA battery, the most common type found in head torches and many low-end flashlights, weigh about 12g- but most torches that use AAA's need at least two if not three, so carrying spares for the Klarus is much lighter and takes up less space. It also means the torch with battery installed weighs in at miniscule 70g.

The torch has a momentary-on switch; basically you can half-press the switch and the light will come on, and go out again when you let go. This is not only great for general use when you just want a quick root around your bag in the middle of the night, its also a lot better for signalling if you ever find yourself in a scrape.

Unlike many multi-mode torches, output selection is independent of the on/off switch, so once you've chosen an output level it will stay at that level until you purposely change it- no more waking the entire tent up in the middle of the night because you accidentally turned the torch on full whack.

Then there are the accessories.

Available as optional extras, Klarus make a head band and two diffusers (white and red) to suit this model. Pop the torch in the head band, and you have a head torch. Pop a diffuser on the end and you have a lantern, with the red one being perfect for preserving night vision and avoiding unwarranted attention from the local wild life.

And its the combination of all these features that make this the perfect camping torch in my view. Its versatility to provide a three-in-one solution, coupled with its respectable run-time, excellent light output, very low weight, and waterproof and drop-proof credentials make it an outstanding all-rounder.
You may find a better lantern. You could possibly find a better flashlight. You'll most certainly find a better head torch. But will you find a better torch that competently does all three? You'll have to look long and hard I think.


*CR123 batteries tend to be used in higher-end flashlights because for one thing, they deliver a higher voltage than AA or AAA batteries. One thing to be aware of in CR123 flashlights (and other lithium battery-based torches in general) is they tend to use drive circuitry, which helps delivery a constant voltage to the LED.
The negative side of drive circuity is, unlike AA/AAA powered torches, whose light output will generally get dimmer as the batteries near their demise, drive circuitry will shut the light off once the battery is no longer capable of supplying the required voltage, which in real terms means that one minute your torch is on full whack and the next minute its dead. For this reason its always worth carrying a spare battery or two, as the remaining battery life cannot be judged just by turning on the torch. 


Klarus P1C