It will be clear from the last post that the trip didn’t go quite to plan, as I stopped short of my intended end point of Llandovery. But that’s not to say it was a failure, and I’m looking at … Continue reading Cambrian Way Phase 1 – Post Mortem
Hopefully you can see where I’m going with the title of this one… Continue reading “Snowy Learnings of Cumbria for Make Benefit Glorious Walk of Cambrian Way”
After six months of usage of Monica, my Tarptent Scarp 1, I’ve now got a feel for what I like (almost everything) and what I don’t (a couple of minor things only). Most importantly I’ve got a good sense of … Continue reading Pimp My Tent
There’s now only three sleeps left until I load up my camel, plant my feet firmly on the Silk Road and head to the Far East. Well, the “Far East” of the Lake District, that is. And I’ve started gathering some gear… Continue reading “A Far Eastern Odyssey – Loading my Camel”
Monica has a lot to answer for. It’s all because of her that I’ve spent so much money on gear this year… Continue reading “Some new gear”
Every year on the weekend nearest to my birthday I go away for one or two nights with the tent. Whilst it’s good to get out, the main driver is the fact that my daughter’s birthday is 3 days after mine and she somehow manages to pull rank when it comes to any parties scheduled for the weekend. As her birthday celebrations usually involve a gang of giggling girls staying over in the house, the tent is actually the best place to be. Not that I’m given any choice… Continue reading “A Birthday Camp”
Monica is in the garage, sprawling languidly over a selection of discarded furniture and old boxes, as she dries out from the trip. It was sods law that having been dry as a bone both nights up high, that she should be sopping wet on the morning I travel home.
I woke (yes actually woke, thereby signifying that I’d actually slept!) early and stuck my head out the door to see if there was any sort of sunrise going on. Not much happening of interest, so I had a lie in. Sleep had come courtesy of no musical wind, a better set of nocturnal sartorial arrangements and I guess out of sheer tiredness. Mind you, I’d slept again in double base layers and a zipped up down jacket, and put my Skins on for a bit of downstairs warmth. I’d still been cold, but by not moving about too much I’d managed. Continue reading “My first wild camp – Part 3: Drawing the Line”
All night the wind gusted around the tent, setting off metallic twangs as the crossing poles resonated. I lay shivering in my sleeping bag, barely dozing for much of the seemingly endless night, willing the dawn to come.
Continue reading “My first wild camp – Part 2: Tired, Cold and Hungry”
Quite literally, in fact…
You know what, I have a walking trip coming up fast and I’m struggling with my planning for it. Not struggling to come up with a plan – not by a long chalk. My struggle is with my trying not to plan it. Continue reading “A different planning perspective”
It’s early morning and I’m in a unique situation. Whilst I’ve blogged from a tent several times before, this is the first time I’ve done it over a Wifi connection. And moreover, my own home Wifi!
Yes, I’ve never camped in the back garden, and thought it was time I did so. I had an ulterior motive of course – I felt the need to test my new tent, before I take her out to the hills for adventures together. So having sorted her out in the afternoon, we had our first date. Continue reading “A first date with Monica”
