Combing Coombs Dale

Some of the nicest, early spring weather arrived with my legs wanting to walk. Ideally somewhere new to me, somewhere a bit different. Remembering that Dave Mycroft, Gareth Jones and Andrew White had had a jaunt along Coombs Dale a while ago and watching their video clip via Andrew's Walks Around Britain site, I thought I'd head for there.

Following a hesitant start where I had to go back home to feed my Mum's chickens (whoops), I arrived at my 'departure point' i.e. Calver Sough, at just before 11 AM this bright Saturday, and firing off a manual Beacon from Viewranger to feed into my Social Hiking track for interested people to follow me, I avoided the Eyre Arms and headed off.

It was one of those days where the wind was to toss the clouds around, so I was never quite sure if I was going to be blessed with that glorious spring sunshine, or if I'd be rained on. No matter; I had everything I needed with me, although my legs were grumbling early on with lack of walking. That soon disappeared and I settled in to heading away from the main road and off up to the start of the dale.

Following a metalled track alongside a small brook, it was pretty evident that a lot of work had gone on to manage the Elder and Hawthorn on the banks, as well as the placement of a few beautiful wooden benches. These had been recently installed and the smell of the wood oil as I sat on them was wonderful! I sat on a few of these until I reminded myself I was here to walk...

Very gently the walk went higher. I passed a man whose son was carrying an Osprey pack with a full load; I wondered if he was trying out kit for a Duke of Edinburgh award or something. Out of the woodlands the dale opened up on the right, showing exposed limestone crags like scars on the hillside. It was very pleasant walking, with the sound of bubbling water one minute and a hush the next as the water pooled in man made pits, some of the remnants of the extensive local mining in the area. Occasionally the sun would break through, showing dazzling yellow pollen on catkins, trees appearing as golden halos.

Ahead, twisted oak trees formed stunted, gnarly, moss ridden shapes, contorted into fantastic parodies of old men. More evidence of managed waterways appeared with wooden sluice gates, then nature asserted herself with hart's tongue ferns poking out of sunlight crevices.

Pausing to look at the entrance to Sallet Hole Mine, then obeying the three Danger / No Entry signs and the padlock, I turned ahead and paused yet again over a spring bubbling out of the ground and onto the track. Someone had created a sort of shrine, with a printed white piece of paper 'laminated' in sellotape and declaring:

"O most favoured by God, You confer on me the healing of your grace from your inexhaustible Spring. Therefore, since you gave birth incomprehensibly to the Word, I implore you to refresh me with the dew of your grace that I might cry to you: Hail O Water of Salvation."

It reminded me a little of the shrines I found all over the Austrian mountainsides, wherever a spring bubbled up there were wooden boxes, often adorned with crucifixes and icons of Mary, occasionally candles and dead flowers. This was a more rustic affair with a simple adornment of stones and branches, and while I didn't particularly appreciate the words used, I felt a certain gladness that people had stopped to appreciate this water which had appeared from the Earth.

That feeling of gladness was also helped by the sun reappearing out from the clouds and a distinct lack of people; since the father and son I had not seen a soul, unusual for the Peak District on a Saturday. Passing 'Rough Side' and the path having almost finished it's ascent, eventually I reached the end of the dale, at the cross roads of the wonderfully named "Black Harry Lane" (I'd love to know the story behind that one) with the track I was on heading towards Blakedon Hollow and Wardlow.

After waiting for three friendly mountain bikers on a pass from their wives to finish faffing around at said Harry's gate, I headed south with a touch of ascent. The sun had rolled back the clouds, which were starting to back up against the blue sky as Skylarks joyously performed acrobatics in front of me. I adore their song and so perched myself against a long abandoned gateway to watch and listen to them. Bliss.

It was absolutely glorious and a herald of fine weather to come; my heart sang with hope and wonder that these fluttering creatures could evoke such happiness in me.

Reluctantly I turned back to the path where, after negotiating a couple of stiles, I came across a couple of headstrong heifers, determined to outwit their farmer who was calling them by name. Good old fashioned names like Daisy; what a name for a cow! After enticement with a bucket of something or other, they gave in and joined the herd, and I walked through them to head for my next path along Longstone Edge. Even writing this now, more than a week (or is it two?) later, I still am transported away into those joyous feelings, seeing the escarpment lay out before me for miles. Handily it was time for lunch so once I'd negotiated some gorse with it's beautiful yellow, pea like flowers, I found a spot on the other side of a stone wall where I could brew up and absorb the view.

It's such a luxurious feeling, to sit on the edge of a field with a panorama around you and to not be disturbed by other people. I saw a couple of walkers who had entered into the field by the way I was to follow next, but they decided on a different route so I was again left in peace. A quick bit of banter ensued with some of my friends on Twitter who were following my route, one of them also out and about but walking near his home in Germany (@Beuteltiere), plus a bit of product placement for KitKat, LightMyFire and MSR.

It was a perfect spring day and I sprung back into action, setting off across the field to Rowland where there were some enormous apple trees and very pretty and well kept buildings. Following the road for a very short time I found a squeezer stile, which was a LOT of a squeeze and gave a passing rotund cyclist a laugh too! The reality of the ground I walked on here compared to the markings on my OS map had since been obliterated and a wall across the field was 'missing'. Never mind, I navigated diagonally across the newly ploughed field to where the wall would have been, and then headed straight for the road, and was pleased to see a sunken kissing gate only 2m off from where I was. I didn't relish the next part of the walk as it was going to be along the road to Hassop, but actually it was one of the (many) highlights, finding wild gooseberry plants and masses of wild garlic emerging from the bankside woodland floor. It was like walking in a cave at one point as the road descended and the banks and huge beech trees shot into the sky around me. I chewed on a couple of leaves of garlic, thinking how glorious this would look in May when the starry white flowers would shine up from the ground.

Out of that darkness I emerged blinking into the light and the stunning edifice of All Saints Catholic Church which is a curiosity to me, very Greco-Roman in an archetypal English country landscape.

A quick explore before heading onto the main road, the B6001 from Calver to Bakewell and I was arrested again, first of all by the sight of a proper red phone box and then by another Eyre Arms. Two in one walk? Well it was a perfect day for some liquid refreshment so I wandered in and had a lovely chat with Nick, one of the owners, before retiring with a shandy (I was driving later) to sit outside to watch the world go by. Which in this case was a Nuthatch on a tree on the other side of the wall, scurrying up and down before flying off with grubs. More bliss, I was surely spoilt this day!

And once again I was off, on the last leg home now, which meant a little hill along Dog-Kennel Wood, past the old school, up a little incline and then heading north into Bank Wood. I'd walked past this section of Bank Wood about a year ago and remembering at the time that I had wanted to go in. It was a mix of broadleaved and coniferous wood with sections of plantation areas, a thin, stretched out wood along the top of the crest of a long hill. It didn't look as if many people walked here, though I did arrive into a clearing where a memorial bench was positioned towards Hassop, across from the huge quarry on the other side of the valley. I briefly stopped here and enjoyed the bands of amber and ochre threaded with steely blue. Quarries aren't my favourite landscapes but taking time to observe did help appreciate other aspects of this industry. Looking east there were incredible views towards the edges above Beeley and I could see the domes of Chatsworth Hunting Tower, glinting in the distance.

On the last of the woodland now and I had that rueful feeling of a good walk coming towards the end and not wanting it to finish. Through Bramley Wood and doing the limbo with some rhododendron, Baslow and  Curbar edges were clearly in view. Regular limestone walls abutted the wall my path followed, interspersed with drinking troughs, situated so every other field shared one. Something to note for a sneaky overnighter in the future... A short zig zag and I was headed downhill on a steep, very muddy bank. I could see multitudes of skid marks as people had slithered all the way down. I was not alone then as I grabbed on to saplings in an effort to remain relatively mud free!

Across a field, over another spring and up another field, I managed to bypass the Calver branch of Outside and made it back to my car, happy and contented, some may say, full of the joys of spring!

For anyone wishing to see the route I followed, please see the link to Social Hiking here. Note that my phone battery expired just after the pub...honest!

Brasher Women's Kenai GTX Review

A while ago I was approached by My Outdoors to see if I would like to test and review a pair of the new women's Kenai GTX boots from Brasher. Again I have been given free rein to report on them as I find and after a few walks and a few miles I gathered my thoughts which have been published on the My Outdoors site.

Not only was I pleased to be asked in the first place, but I am especially pleased, well stoked actually, as this is the first time my writing has been publicly published other than through my blog.

The review itself can be found here.

The North Face Women's Apex Elixir Jacket

After reviewing the Icebreaker Bodyfit150 Atlas top from Webtogs, and then meeting up with Gareth and his wife on a Peak District walk at the start of February and seeing Gareth wearing a softshell, Gareth asked me if I fancied reviewing a softshell jacket for him. I happily agreed with the obvious caveat that what I said would be genuinely my opinion, without bias, so here's my review.


Well, it's a review of two of these TNF Women's Apex Elixir Jackets as the first one that came was a size XL which is usually the sizing for a women's UK 16 in outdoor gear, but for me was enormous. So I also tested the returns system (easy, no quibble and now I believe has been extended to 365 days) and received instead a size L which fits much better.

The immediate thing that struck me was the feel of the fabric. I've not used a soft shell jacket before and didn't know what to expect, having fondled various Rab and Mountain Equipment soft shells in the shop; they all seem quite different to me. The feel of this was that it's relatively thin material, with no inherent warmth to it, but then when I put it on I noticed how the collar had an internal face of lovely brushed material which did feel warm. Part of the Summit Series, the jacket is geared to quite fast moving activities so I don't see that lack of warmth feeling to be an issue, but does point out matching clothing to your anticipated activity levels.

In fact activity generally, as although it's supposed to be harness and pack compatible, I found some issue with the pockets interfering with a pack hip belt. I've generally worn it with an Osprey pack I'm trying out but the hip belt lended the unfortunately usual awkwardness with anything in the pockets falling below the belt. This is not a hip belt placement issue; it's a pocket placement issue and they really should be a bit higher to my mind. I can't comment on harness compatibility as I don't have one so there you go.

In fact I feel a bit critical too that there is a lower drawcord around the bottom hem, but on a fitted jacket like this (and the fit is a good woman specific cut) I didn't really see the need for it; the natural cut of the garment does the job nicely so it just seemed like extras that weren't needed to me. Getting past that the drawcord design itself is actually well thought out but I didn't find them useful.

But hey! I loved the sleeves! Maybe it sounds strange to single out sleeves but the design is fantastic, they're a close fit but with a lot of articulation, partly because of the four way stretch of the material but partly because of the raglan sleeve placement too. They were long enough without drowning me which is an added bonus! They are finished off at the cuff with a moulded velcroed tab, which compared with the pliability of the softshell fabric itself seemed a bit overkill; a softer material could have been used.






The cut is longer at the back and I would say is more flattering as well as practical, though another reason why I wonder at the drawcord. It covered the bottom of my back and more, so I didn't have any cold gaps and it didn't ride up under my pack at all. I guess through this review I may have veered off a bit into designing in my mind what I would want in a jacket, so how did it work in real life, on the hill?

On the hill it felt pretty wind proof; it's reckoned that the TNF Apex Aerobic soft shell fabric has a wind permeability rated at 10 CFM. That means that the fabric allows wind through at 10 cubic feet per minute per square meter, a relatively high number I think but appropriate given what it's designed for where breathability is more important. A lower number would hinder breathability although would give more wind resistance and I have read in researching this post that fabrics with higher numbers prove too breathable at the cost of retaining warmth. Certainly I have felt pretty cosy wearing the Icebreaker Bodyfit200 weight top underneath (and a 150 when it's been colder and more exposed); even on lunch stops in the changeable end of winter/beginning of spring weather we've had (about 4 Centigrade), I've not felt the need to put something warmer on as I haven't felt the wind penetrate to chill me. Walking uphill with a pack on and generating some heat I never felt stifled or especially sweaty, which I was pleased about as it meant I had the baselayer - softshell combo right for me. I wasn't sure what to expect with the jacket generally at first, but because of this breathability it felt great once at the top of a hill. I could admire views without worrying about getting cold through sweat chilling my body or needing to wrap up more.

In summary it is a jacket I see myself using quite a lot in spring and autumn at least, where I expect blustery, occasionally rainy conditions. With the usual DWR it will keep off light, not prolonged showers (I want to test this more though) and seems to combat the wind pretty well while giving a great level of breathability. While it packs down quite small (more than an equivalent fleece would), I wouldn't envisage needing to put it in my pack; it would be on my back unless the weather was exceptionally warm!
Finally, as my hip continues to mend and I get fitter, I anticipate moving faster so think it will really come into it's own, and maybe will provide me with a better alternative to the base plus fleece / windshirt combination I have tended to wear in dry weather.
Material
90D 202g/m2 73% nylon, 17% polyester, 10% elastane 4-way stretch TNF Apex Aerobic soft shell with DWR
Weight
384g
Size
L (16 equivalent)
Pros
Great breathability
Great wind resistance
Great scalloped fit for women
Sleeves long enough without excess 'bag'
Subtle embroidered logos (I don't feel like a walking advert)
Great, bright colours for those who want them
Cons
Drawcord; I still don't understand the need on this jacket
Pocket placement; interferes with rucksack hip belt
Cuff tabs; too stiff but a minor detail I didn't notice too much in use
Sizing is large so if you are borderline maybe order the size smaller

At the time of writing, Webtogs sell this at £89.99 with free UK delivery

Three Shires Head and Axe Edge

My relationship with the Peak District has been like a complacent lover; slightly bored and taking it for granted. However a now long standing "We must meet up" with Nina and Fiona who I met online through Twitter, gave me a firm nudge to rekindle this affair and to pay more attention.

Sometimes paying more attention, maybe focussing on a different aspect or adjusting expectations, does wonders and so we decided on visiting the western side of the Peak District, it being more equidistant for us which seemed only fair. And what a great decision that was. New landscape, new terrain, new geography, new people!

We met at the famous Cat and Fiddle Inn, the second highest pub in the UK after Tan Hill, and after enthusiastic greetings and getting booted up we set off down the obvious path heading down across the moor.
Where I had driven through some very thick fog to get here, now the sun was trying to warm (the word 'burn' would be a bit overkill) through the clouds; they started to lift and views started to appear, the horizon receding further. Walking was easy and good fun as we quickly got to find out more about one another and our conversations were punctuated with a lot of laughter.

We continued on this path, ignoring one that spurred off to the right, and continued downhill along Danebower Hollow to negotiate a stile, cross the road, over a crash barrier (very picturesque, or maybe not), over another stile and down past Nina's chimney (she made it her own) to a young River Dane. In fact now we were picking up the yellow signs of DVW, or Dane Valley Way, which we were to follow for a while.

The valley seemed to be considering showing us the faintest hint of green: spring? Maybe. And just to provide that contrast, a small group of walkers were stepping down the hill on the right, a couple wearing red jackets that just accentuated that beautiful, hopeful colour.

Following the brook, which wasn't grand enough to be called a river to my mind, the valley walls closed in before opening at Panniers Pool and the packhorse bridge above it, connecting paths used by walkers now but which has been used since at least medieval times to transport goods, coal etc. The small group of walkers had stopped on the far side of the bridge and seemed to be a friendly bunch as they paused over their flasks of tea to exchange hellos with us.

We stopped for a few minutes. I thought Nina was going for a dip as she went out of sight to photograph the pool leaving me and Fiona chin wagging.
This was going to be our planned lunch stop, but it was only about 20 past 11 so we continued on, allowing some horses to pass before we walked up the beautiful valley with pockets of pine trees and fascinating rock formations on the stream bottom.

Moving out of the picturesque greenery towards Orchard Farm, we met a metalled single track road which we followed uphill for a while before striking off on higher moorland again, on Axe Edge Moor. The eastern side of the moor gives rise to the source of the River Dove, one of the major rivers of the Peak District and celebrated in style a few miles south wards at Dovedale (a different Dovedale to the Lake District one). In fact this is the same River Dove that Izaak Walton wrote about fly fishing in "The Compleat Angler".

Very steadily getting to the top, and pausing to examine mole hills and deep, black groughs in the hillside (ie we were a bit out of breath), the conversation continued, focussing more and more on food! The hill flattened out into a boggy top. I was reading off the map, trying to work out exactly where we were as there wasn't really a defined footpath to follow. A bit of a wobble off route took us slightly eastwards of where I'd planned, though of no issue. Seeing that it looked to be bog for the foreseeable future we picked a likely looking spot on the other side of a back road, supporting a wooden barrier; a potential seat. I sat on the ground and fired up the Caldera Cone (yes, of course I brought it with me, with meths this time) so I could boil water to make coffee. Fiona expressed an element of wonder at it, more so when I lifted the lid of my kettle to see steam billow out. The coffee wasn't up to 'Service' standards but Nina still had some served not very decorously to her. Sandwiches and coffee stashed in our stomachs we didn't linger too long before setting off on the last leg of the walk.

Crossing the last main road, the A54 that goes to the Cat and Fiddle, we were so busy chatting that we walked too far North for about 200m, passing what I thought could be a "Pixie Parliament" (or maybe a well of some sort), until Nina asked, "Where's the pub gone?" We looked at each other and consulted the map. Yes, we'd gone too far and decided that although we could extend the walk and add a bit of road walking, instead we'd backtrack to where we were supposed to walk, and to follow a "broken wall".

This section was surprisingly close to the road but thankfully it veered away. Before long the path joined a road section which we amused ourselves with by forming a click clacking, pole tapping caterpillar by walking one in front of another, me relaying which songs were stuck in my head, various inspections of the broken state of the wall and keeping check of the proximity of the pub.

Surprise, we didn't go in, but instead parted the walk with promises of meeting up again in the Peaks or maybe Wales and sampling some wares then.

All in all it was a great walk, with an added, extra post-walk Twitter analysis and befriending on Facebook. I hadn't laughed so much for a long time and even writing this walk up is putting another big smile on my face, to remember such excellent company.

Fiona can be found on Twitter at @Fionascot, and Nina at @Smirnie71.

And finally, for anyone wanting to see the route, including the extra spur, I used Social Hiking for the first time on this walk and you can see that here.

Torridon - The Kit

A couple of people have asked me what kit I took with me on the trip to Torridon, well, what kit I use generally, so I'm giving a separate entry for this alone. Please bear in mind that:
1. The kit I used has been pieced together in a largely evolutionary process which has not reached fully evolved status and is a work in progress. Other people have a 'better' kit set up than me so I am not representing this list as a guide, just a baseline of where I'm at at present.
2. This work in progress is progressing very slowly as any surplus cash I have is generated from selling 'stuff' on ebay and which tends to be spent on petrol for trips rather than updating my kit. Suggestions for improvement are welcome, but please be mindful of a very limited budget to be able to respond; I would rather get out in the hills than buy new kit!
I have also made some notes as to how I use some of the items; it's been useful as I write the list up to reflect how I could be more efficient, and again if there are other ways you have that you think could be useful please add your thoughts!

Shelter
The shelter I used was an MLD Trailstar, which I've used a number of times now. It's a great, lightweight shelter although I need to re-do the seam sealant after TheNewNomads was dripped on a couple of times overnight. It weighs 470g including the 2mm Dyneema guys and line loks. I could trim down the guy lines as I've never needed the length currently on them. I currently store it in a not very efficient Outdoor Designs Silnylon Ultralite sack which weighs 16g.

The pegs I use with it are a mix of pegs from my old Trisar, at 17g each, and some Akto pegs at 11g each, totalling for this trip at 128g. I store them in a thickish plastic bag which weighs 3g. I got some lighter pegs for Christmas so will use those on the next outing.
The shelter doesn't have a groundsheet with it, just being a skin in effect, and because I had left my polycryo bundled up (and now slightly green and smelly) after my last outing, I used a rather heavy silnylon groundsheet I have which weighs 342g in a mesh stuffsack. (I don't normally use this groundsheet.) It wasn't big enough to cater for more than one person so Kim brought a separate sheet. That totals 956g without Kim's sheet.

Generally I like my shelter set up though obviously there are areas I could make a lot of saving (the polycryo groundsheet instead for example though I find it to be a pain to fold up and pack, and it wears out quickly so will replace with a lighter silnylon sheet I think). But my main concerns are the size of the thing where pitch space is tight, and in full on winter weather with bowling winds of rain or snow I would say you have to expect some ingress, despite the ability to pitch low. Even on the top of a hill with a double skin tent you are going to get spindrift inside the fly if the weather is that way so expecting better performance from a single skin shelter would be I suggest illogical. We had some weather in from the front opening so this is my experience.
For the future I am thinking tents again, maybe something like the GoLite Shangri-La 1 or 2, though I love my basic tarp and am looking to do a lot more of that this year. I will certainly look to get a bug net for the Trailstar for the midge season. For winter I am drawn to the Vaude Power Lizard or even the old Akto or TN Laser Competition.

Sleeping

The lightweight crowd may groan at this but for this trip I took a heavy Snugpack Softie Elite 3, a military spec bag, weighing 1685g inc stuffsack. Swapping out the stuffsack for a lighter compression bag would reduce the weight some, and I could change the zip pulls etc. But I like the bag a lot, it's olive green which I strangely love, it's got a great lined feet area for hardcore bivvying with boots on (not that I'll probably ever do this) and I like the shoulder and hood baffles. A great thing was that in the morning when I discovered my feet were venturing for freedom outside of the shelter, a bit of a flick of the bag and a quick wipe with a bit of pack towel and the bag was fine. Amazing considering how wet the weather had been through the night.

It's a 3 season bag which I lined with a Sea to Summit Thermolite Reactor Extreme liner, which I like the feel of and which seemed to help boost the rating of the bag. It weight a whopping 414g; yes, the weight made me gulp too. It was above freezing though I suspect not by too much overnight on the Torridon trip. I was warm enough but did have my clothes on too! I do sleep horrendously cold though which is incredibly annoying because it means I have to boost whatever bag arrangements I have which of course means more weight, and more cash.

A great asset was borrowing a POE Bamboo sleeping mat (610g) which I've had a bit of trouble finding a link for so I suspect it's not for sale now, but I've never tried a mat with insulation in it before and it was a revelation for me. Definitely something on my wish list for next winter.
I don't bother with a pillow when sleeping but was incredibly impressed with Kim's Big Agnes Clear View pillow, so very light. I may add that to my list (it's always so interesting walking and camping with others to see what they have and how they use it; I always learn something new).

Thinking into the future, for cold weather I would really love to be able to afford a 4/5 season bag and to take fewer clothes and possibly not take the liner, but the low cash flow I've had this year has meant a lot of compromise. For summer I have the option of using this liner with a bivy bag for sleeping outside, but I do like using quilts instead so would like to get something better than the Thermarest Down quilt that I currently have (which may in the future be subjected to a MYOG makeover...). A lot is driven by cost; if I spend money on this then I have less to spend to get to the Lakes or further away and I would rather get out there! I tend to spend in smaller increments to 'patch up' kit I have, but I do recognise that saving for some bigger items would give me different benefits. Hmm, food for thought. It would mean I wouldn't be able to get away as often as I have managed to do...


Pack

I use a GoLite Jam original version (since replaced with Jam 2) that weighs 560g. I used it first on my West Highland Way walk back in August last year and it's been with me on every overnight plus walk since. I like the pack a lot, though would love a better front pocket and pack compression straps to really cinch it down when it empties. Hip belt pockets would be really lovely too, though I don't miss padding at all (maybe that's because I have plenty myself!). Most of all I really miss having a top pocket. I used to find it so useful for segregating my stuff, and I felt more secure against rain finding its way, rather than through the roll top that's on this pack. It, like me, tends to have a bit of a pear shape thing going on, where I prefer a more structured pack.
I did try on an Osprey Exos 46 which felt absolutely fantastic with about 10Kgs of shop weight loaded into it (I know you could probably argue this with most packs), but I'm not sure I could put a use to all the straps and 'features' that abound. I have an Osprey Hornet 24 on loan which I'm trying out so will report on that at some point soon too, though my kit wouldn't squeeze down that much for an overnighter with it.

For packing I use a mix of sea to sumit and exped dry sacs but am seriously thinking of getting a big sea to summit pack liner and doing away with some of the other bags. There is an advantage though in that they keep your kit organised, though conversely I find I get a better pack shape if I stuff extraneous, loose stuff in it.
Thinking to the future I would like to replace it, even one day with a mighty Laufbursche huckePACK, a Colin Ibbotson (or should I call it Tramplite?) Skins pack, but if I could find a supplier in the UK for an Osprey Hornet 46 I would seriously consider that, or even an OMM pack...

So, so far the weight is at 4225g...

Cooking

Once again I took my bea-yoo-tiful Caldera Cone (34g, plus plastic caddy 73g), with my MSR Titan Kettle (90g)  but this time took a Gram Cracker (3g) with Esbit tablets (14g each). I do like the proper foil sealed Esbit tablets rather than the Hexamine tablets you get with Highlander Hexi stoves though I find them hard to obtain. I used a heavy, blow torch like Turboflame Multi Task lighter (76g) to light the Esbit which did take after some gentle persuasion. I had a basic bic lighter and a few waterproof matches too; at one point all combinations were used it was that damp!  I also took an MSR Titanium Mug at 60g which was useful for coffee while I was using the pot; no I don't have a Kuksa...

Food wise I described it in my post but I am really proud of myself, that I prepared a bolognese sauce and dehydrated it at home before trying it for the first time here. That and eating proper ramen noodles (Blue Dragon, 4 bundles in a pack weighing 250g, one bundle is a large portion for a meal but they hydrate really quickly; £1.07 from Asda) made me feel like a 'real' backpacker!

The bolognese was stored in a normal supermarket freezer zip type bag but divided up into a Pour and Store bag I'd got from Morrisons and the food reheated in that (4 for £1 if memory serves correct). They have a gussetted bottom which means they can stand up if you have somewhere flat to put them. I opted for the cradling in my hands option to warm up and 'manipulate' my food to encourage it to hydrate. (No idea if that worked but my hands were toasty on the inside at least!). I added the ramen noodles to the Pour and store bag when they'd cooked, including the v small amount of water left from boiling in a tribute to Ray J, and ate (scooped) from the bag with my Spork (10g).

On the walk itself I think I had a snickers bar and I usually take a bag with a handful or two of GORP, literally raisins and peanuts in this case, with the addition of a couple of brasils and walnuts.
Other than that it was porridge for breakfast (a mix of Oat So Simple original with a handful of fat steel cut rolled oats) made with water that I'd boiled for coffee. A slightly squashed banana was consumed to avoid further squashing in the pack (messy).

For water; water was plentiful! And there was no need to filter it either as it was running straight off the hillside, especially the following morning. So I had my 600ml Tango bottle (28g) as my main receptable - which I also drink directly from - and my 2l Platypus (47g) which I just used at camp to collect water. It has a narrow opening and collecting the water from the burn (from the loch so maybe it could have been contaminated, though low risk) was very, very cold. I could barely feel my fingers at the half full mark. I would have been better off using the MSR Kettle to collect water to pour into the platy instead.

Clothing

As usual I had my black Icebreaker Bodyfit200 long sleeved top, a dark heather coloured Berghaus Spectrum Micro Full Zip Fleece and my black Mountain Equipment Seraph jacket which was worn AT ALL TIMES!
This was coupled with a pair of black Craghoppers Kiwi Stretch Pants (I must write about these; they've been fab) and topped off with a pair of Berghaus Deluge Pants which have performed fantastically since I bought them and worn on my walk with Cath and Gareth too.
I brought along a pair of Helly Hansen Lifa long johns for evening wear (!) and my lovely heather Rab Photon Jacket in case the weather was cold (February, Torridon, but actually it was ok!).
On my head I wore a Trekmates Merino Wool Beanie which is super; warm, stretchy, comfortable, and when raining I wore my SealSkinz Cold Weather Hat that really does nothing for me but is warm and waterproof and generally feels ace!

On my feet I wore a pair of Smartwool socks though I have so many pairs I can't remember the specific model, and (horrors) I wore my old lightweight for leather, Brasher Hillwalker GTXs which kept my feet dry and warm though as usual with this particular pair I did start to get hot spots though no actual blisters. I lace them in a particular way to alleviate pressure off my achilles - before I bought these a few years ago I had no idea there were so many ways you could lace up a pair of boots. You Tube it and you will see what I mean!
On my hands I wore a pair of Outdoor Designs Merino StretchOn liners, covered with Trekmates Tromso 3-in-1 Gloves (I don't use the liners that came with them). The OD liners are great. Reasonably priced and keep my hands warm. The Trekmates I'm not sure about yet and think I might prefer mits but will carry on with these til next autumn/winter.

Poles
I have a pair of Leki poles, they must be at least 12 years old. They did have an anti shock system which I'm not sure still works, but which is fine for me as when pitching the Trailstar it helps to have something a little more rigid to use to tension against. (The shock system 'boinging' on the Coldedale Zen walk woke me from my sleep!) But they are incredibly heavy. I really don't want to weigh them! I compared them with some carbon fibre poles Kim showed me, from Gossamer Gear and was staggered. But I don't NEED to change them yet; they've saved me on a few falls now and despite being a little bent they still do the job!

Hygiene
I have an MSR Blizzard Snow Stake after reading the Phil Turner inspired make your own poo stick article from Colin Ibbotson, but without the accoutrements of gross grain ribbon etc. In terrain such as Torridon it was difficult to dig a hole more than 6 inches deep before hitting rock so packing out is a better option. I use a small roll of Andrex On The Go (natch) which is convenient though I'll also use moss or snow if I have to!

I use a normal Oral B toothbrush without having sawn the handle off, with a small 'pot' of Theramed toothpaste which I swallow when brushing my teeth rather than swilling and spitting as I'd do at home. I used babywipes for my face and bod though on my own I usually use my MSR packtowel ('Ultra' I think though I'm not absolutely sure which variety now, there's quite a few) cut in half in conjunction with some water boiled in the kettle and a small tube of face wash / bar of soap (which I find better personally for cleanliness and is okay if stored in a small plastic bag). The towel then gets attached to my pack (in decent weather) to dry as I walk. The packtowel is a great, simple piece of kit that I used to wipe off water from the bag, sleeping pad and anywhere else, and having cut it in two I can separate one for hygiene. When I'm out for more than a couple of days I boil it in my pot to keep it sanitised. I don't know what other people do?

I take a small selection of plasters and compeed with some painkillers too, in a small plastic bag. I have actually used items in my kit; compeed and micropore tape with melolin for blisters on the West Highland Way (the scissors on my classic Victorinox penknife were invaluable in cutting it up), and painkillers when I did my knee in on the Coledale Zen walk in the autumn. I've never needed more but I think with walking alone so much I want to learn more about general stopping blood and fixing up more dire problems for myself if I do ever need it. I know first aid kits have produced a lot of discussion in different blogs; a matter of risk management and I'm risk averse in this case.

Well done if you have got this far! I am running out of steam but have covered most of the points, apart from:

navigation: I took a compass, whistle and mini thermometer combo I have on a lanyard, 65g, a guidebook and OS map with an Ortlieb mapcase (very much needed in the wet). Plus a Tikka Plus Headtorch (the switch seems to be playing up so I shall look at alternatives now) and spare batteries; all items I take on every walk I do.



I am conscious that there will be a few small odds and sods I've not mentioned, coffee, maybe other bits of food for example, but by and large this is what I took. I think it was pretty well equipped and I felt safe and comfortable (apart from that dodgy switch on the torch which I must get sorted). While there is room for improvement, hopefully you will find it interesting / useful / amusing to see what I have!

(A last point; I will spreadsheet the kit and weights at some point for public viewing...!)

Torridon

Torridon. A land of sleeping giants, older than Everest and the mountains of Nepal, rising straight up from sea level into the sky. When you can see them...

A stark contrast with something new and fresh; a friendship with TheNewNomads which had been building up through the wonders of Twitter, Facebook and our blogs, and a meeting for a couple of hours over Christmas. 3 or 4 days with a new person. Would we get on? Would we get on with Torridon?

Monday saw me make the drive from Sheffield up to where she was staying near Perth. I drove up the A1 as far as Newcastle and treated myself with a revisit of old memories of days past with the Group B Rallying crowd; halcyon days of Opel Mantas and Forest Spec Escort 2000s. Driving through Otterburn and Kielder and over the spine of England into Scotland via the award winning Best Pie Shop in the Land was spectacular and I would very much recommend this route if like me you didn't have to rush on to the end destination. For me the roads were clear and fast, giving me a taste of the more wintry weather that has largely bypassed where I live. Speckled heather and snow covered hill sides, dark forest, reminders of bronze age settlements and the rather touristy Brigantium site, closed as I passed Redesdale, but the roundhouse very much visible from the road.

Reaching Perth and Kim was very welcome and it wasn't long before we were talking kit and exchanging ideas. Exchanging ideas and easy company was very much a theme for the week, not just around backpacking and walking gear but even around what to have for breakfast (I kid you not!). We poured over the maps and guidebooks we'd got and agreed a bit of a plan for the week, adopting curious pronunciations of mountains which I wont repeat here for fear of provoking the wrath of my Scottish friends... An early start to Torridon beckoned for the Tuesday however, so it was a case of reassembling the packs which we had dismantled in glee, and to pack ourselves off to bed for the next part of the adventure...

...Which started with another fairly long car journey, almost 200 miles from Perth to Torridon via Inverness. It didn't really matter in so far as enjoying company. It did matter somewhat in terms of getting there, walking and finding somewhere half decent to pitch overnight! A Babybel supply stop in Aviemore and the odd photo stop, before casting a passing glance over the outside of the Kinlochewe Bunkhouse (still not sure after reading varying reports), we hastened down the turn towards Torridon before coming to a halt at the breathtaking awesomeness of a massive hulk of a hill, mountain, in front of us. I actually commented, "So, do think this is Beinn Eighe?" as I stood in front of the park sign...

With the tone set for the next few hours, we were treated to some fantastic scenery and a view of Stuc a' Choire Dhuibh Bhig, the eastern end of Liathach, as we drove down the single track road towards the car park at the head of Glen Torridon, and the start of the walk into the hills.

Car parked, we eagerly started our first walk together, between Liathach and Beinn Eighe's peak Spidean Coire nan Clach. Kim is a great person to walk with and knew I wasn't sure about the recurrent problem I'd had with my hip, but together we seemed to just fall into a pace that felt spot on for me; slow but making progress and for once I didn't feel as if I was having to keep stopping to catch my breath. With a democratic approach to walking we swapped who went first a couple of times but I felt very comfortable with her taking the lead, and she was very attentive to checking out with me if the pace was alright. Sharing the excellent route details in the Cicerone Guide "Walking in Torridon" by Peter Barton (updated by Chris Lowe and Jim Sutherland), we made decent time along the Allt a' Choire Dhuib Mhoir (which the book says is pronounced 'Alt a' hhorry-doo-voor' and which reminds me somewhat of Afrikaans). It wasn't a walk where we were going to make any great summits; instead it felt as if it was about a passage of time and space, history and prehistory, as the clouds rolled in and out over the stark, huge landscape. Just being there was enough, for the land to seep into our souls and to think in wonder at the earth we trod.


We could see a bit of weather coming in from the sea, the signs of the low pressure out to the west in the Atlantic, which in Torridon you're not too far from. Clouds started to hang lower over Liathach, flattening the top out as the snow covered mountain got lost in the air. Surprisingly it didn't feel at all cold, especially considering it was towards the end of February. I hadn't know what to expect weather wise and had tried to be prepared for a range of possibilities.


On we walked, starting to wonder as the path curved around, just when would we finally get to the Fhearchair? It seemed a bit deceptive as we gazed down the glen towards Loch Maree in the distance and at the sight of another massif, wondering if this would finally be it. Time was getting on and the weather encroaching at our backs. We had a discussion over likely spots to pitch. Kim had sussed out an area on the map that looked good and flat but neither of us had anticipated how boggy nor rocky the environment would be. It was by no means a desperate situation but we were conscious of making a decision. We swapped pitch sites around in our minds and settled on one below Loch Coire Mhic Fhearchair, which was sloping a little but was about the flattest and least rocky around. Tuckered out, I opted to pitch the Trailstar while Kim checked for alternatives up towards the Loch itself. None showed themselves so I got on with the job.


Another experimentation for this trip was the dehydrated food I'd made using a marvellous Stockli Dehydrator on loan from a friend. Dried bolognese sauce was divvied out between us and we each used our own stoves to cook while laying in our bags, heads up towards the open end of the shelter. Now getting colder, it was tricky to light my Esbit tablet for the Caldera Cone (using with the Gram Cracker) but I was very impressed with Kim's extremely fast stove. Even more so when she had already got her food rehydrating in the Pour and Store bag as my water was only just luke warm. All good things come to those who wait though and proper ramen noodles cooked in the pot and then added to the bag when the food was ready gave me probably the best meal I have had while backpacking! And then of course the piece de resistance, Spotted Dick provided by Mr Kipling! Wonderful times!
I managed to provide entertainment for the next hour or so as various zips got caught, my bag continually sliding down the gorgeously warm POE Bamboo sleeping mat I'd borrowed via Kim from Phil (thanks Phil). I had the option of my NeoAir and to combine it with a CCF mat, but on feeling and seeing the insulation in one of these mats, and then trying it out in the field, boy was I glad of that decision!

The weather that had been slowly pressing in towards us decided to curl in towards us in the corrie, bouncing off the Ruadh-stac Mor, the triple buttresses of Beinn Eighe and round to Sail Mhor, at the bottom of which we were camped. The Trailstar was pushed a little, suffering from too short pegs in too boggy ground for tension to be drum tight. I had pitched it low, more by luck than judgement, but still the rain entered through the opening slightly. More a problem for me was in the morning I found I had slid downhill and my feet had exited under the Trailstar at the back. Luckily for me I had taken a hard core bag so I could just flick most of the water off when I found out. Neither of us had had an awful lot of sleep but after porridge and a coffee and a wander about up at the Loch for me, we packed up and left for the car.

It was a very different feeling to the day. Low, grey clouds with no sign of that glowing orb in the sky, we could see the rain in cascading sheets across the glen. No matter, we were well fed and warm and both managed to keep dry for the most part and felt a sense of unity in being the only people out in this weather in this landscape. The snow that had lain on the hills the day before was most definitely in retreat and coupled with the rainfall, many of the burns were churning down the hillsides. Great fun and easy water for us. And a growing sense of adventure and delight in crossing the stepping stones towards the end of the valley, some of which were completely submerged now. I love times like this, preparing my mind for adventure though for Kim having walked the Arizona Trail and crossed plenty of creeks with snow melt, I guess this was a little less than challenging! From then on we did Wonder Woman and Six Billion dollar man impressions, crossing 'raging torrents' that were maybe 18 inches across at best! Again we kept pace with one another, seamless, almost effortless. Rain came down but we were cheerful. No stress, just considering our options. The outcome of that is an entirely different story...

The photos I took for this blog post can be found here.