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I went Harrison stickle - thunacar Knott -high raise - sergeant man
Langdales was full of Wainwright baggers yesterday. But I can't possibly moan about traffic when I'm in my car 🙂
I'll have to tick off Pavey ark perhaps when doing Grasmere common fells
I'm just doing low hanging fruit at the minute as I live in Lancashire. The more harder to reach north western fells will be a bigger undertaking
Just back from a week in Eskdale.
Big thumbs up for the NT campsite at Boot, absolutely superb place.
Soo......up the road to the top of Hardknott Pass to warm the old ankles up, then back along the side of the river past Wha Bridge, Doctor's Bridge etc. So beautiful.
Took a detour to try and find St Catherine's well (failed) then down through How's Wood back to the campsite. Man, that's a truly spooky place, but worth a detour.
Second day was up and over Great How via Eel Tarn. Dropped down to the bridge near Burnmoor Tarn via the west side of Great How, bit of a rocky scramble, but managed to avoid the craggy bits! Note to self, don't forget the map next time.
A days rest then a walk to Ravenglass via the easy Esk Way, Muncaster Fell and Tarn.
Steam train back to Dalesgarth! Excellent day.
A wander round Wasdale, not too high, but fun, then an explore of some of the lower bits of Eskdale we've not done before.
Boot Inn for the fish and chips, gammon and lamb Henry, Brook House for pretty much everything else.
Caught a couple of fantastic views and images of Tryfan having its own eco system last weekend .
Carnedd Llewelyn range from the A5 was a fantasic morning out.
Ben Dorain on a fittingly autumnal and cloudy day.
I think this is my 4th time up - training apprentices for 3 of them - but mrs_oab hadn't done it.
We think at least two other parties were caught out by the 'false summit' at Cairn Sasunnaich in the mists.
Blimmin chilly on the top ridge - we were bundled up for lunch, hats and gloves on and it was still a cold hour or so.
Blimmin chilly on the top ridge – we were bundled up for lunch, hats and gloves on and it was still a cold hour or so.
I ran over Beinn Mheadhoin and Cairn Gorm yesterday morning. It was a rather unpleasant day, wet, cold, windy and clagged in down to Loch A'an.
When I got back to the car park I was hailed by a bloke asking if this was the car park for Ben Macdui. I don't like to get in to this slagging folks off for being clueless but it was actually a bit scary having a conversation with him. Shorts, crocs, no jacket, no map. I suggested that if he didn't have a map and know how to use it then he'd be better off not heading for Macdui. Last seen heading for the Ski Centre shop to buy a map...
Shorts, crocs, no jacket, no map.
We passed two couples today with the magic waterproof and warm yoga pants and a water bottle in hand...
Yeah, there were about 150 similarly dressed punters running the Glencoe Skyline race yesterday, They're bloody mental. Respect! 🙂
🤣
Epic day on Blencathra via Sharp Edge. First time on proper scramble for my 14yr old daughter and he two pals. Was wonderful seeing them testing their comfort zone. Spaniel took it all in her stride. Epic day in sublime weather.
Sharp edge is a lovely place - enough excitement to challenge, high on the hill for views to distract, short enough not to freak out beginners. 👍
Just some Griffon vultures riding thermals (from the descent to vallée de Chaudefour from Puy Ferrand
Big 'ol birds....
Mrs_oab isn't so well again, so yesterday we just walked up to and along Loch Turret.
Belter of a day.
👍
Did Skiddaw this week with the kids at half-term - been meaning to do it for years so it was great to finally get up there. Ullock pike descent looked hard just eyeballing it - seen it mentioned so often thought it would be pretty accessible, but that run down the face of the pike looked pretty challenging.
How often are you all going out to condition the legs for the mountains? Cos mine were pretty tanned after that. We do like a good hillwalk - probably done most of the bigger Lakes ones with the kids over the years, but I guess we go several months between them.
It's like riding the bike, you have to keep at it otherwise you lose hill fitness.
Especially as you get older ☹️
A better view of the big birdy
Baby robin?
😉
(We loved seeing them as well in Spain, we saw an Egyptian one as well as Griffon X many.
Gear questions... after getting absolutely soaked through walking from Buttermere today I'm rethinking my waterproof kit. Do you need to go for Goretex for gear that is actually waterproof?
I've got North Face packable waterproof pants and a Fjern jacket supposedly 20,000mm waterproof rating. I was out in the bad weather for a while, but I would hope that would be enough to at least keep me half dry.
I generally run hot so don't bother with winter trousers, I just have a couple of cheap pairs of walking pants. Do I need to look at better quality waterproof trouser rather than relying on a waterproof overpant?
Do better quality bags come with better waterproof covers?
The only positive is how bloody good my Meindl boots were.
Walking is very much secondary to riding for me so I don't want to spend loads on it. But that also means most of my walking is done when weather is too bad to ride.
Not necessarily Goretex but some similar product. My old Rab jacket is Event fabric which has been every bit as good as the Goretex I have. Garments which rely on surface treatments are not as good IMO.
As for trousers I wear Scholler fabric ones which are decent enough for a light shower or to shed snow. For proper rain though you want good overtrousers - and get them on sharpish when it rains, don't wait until your trousers are soaked.
Do better quality bags come with better waterproof covers?
If it looks likely to rain I use a waterproof stuff sac inside my rucksack. A couple of friends of mine had their covers simultaneously ripped off and scattered across the fells in strong winds and rain on Skiddaw. We laughed about it later.
Rucsacs - covers are generally crap. Put everything inside a bin bag, dry bag or sandwich bag inside the rucksack.
Waterproof - nothing is perfectly waterproof unless you've got proper old school PU coated stuff. Then you drown in sweat. Imo, new DWR's are awful, and everything wets out quicker. That said, imo, it's worth paying for a GoreTex if you can.
Trousers - again, DWR wears off them quickly, and few survive the beating they get. I buy cheap Berghaus Deluge or Berghaus PacLite and just suck up less than perfection.
If it's properly wet, you're going to get wet. Baselayers, quick wicking trousers etc are needed. Never wear a puffy jacket under a waterproof. Etc etc.
Brolly?
Brolly would have been interesting today!
Never puffy jacket under a waterproof - never heard that before. I presume you mean down jacket type thing? Because it will soak and hold anything that seeps through?
Was up Ben Vrackie yesterday and experienced a 'Glory' phenomenon which was interesting.
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Cracking Brocken Spectres!
My question from Friday is "What colour is Cairngorm granite?"
Cracking pics Andy...
Crampons advice please.
This is a present, he's got Meindl B2 (wide fit) boots.
At present just hillwalking, possibly some scrambly / steeper but not ice climbing or vertical.
Petzl Vasak with the Flexi system seems very good all-round crampon. £112 from Rock and Run.
Anything I'm missing or another model I should consider?
Came here on to look for this thread, and it's already right at the top of page 1 🙂
Thought this would be a good place to ask this rather than starting a new thread...
Anyone have any good tips for avoiding heel blisters? I've been doing all the Wainwrights this year, and while I was running a lot earlier in the year, I find as the weather gets wetter and colder (not much in evidence this week though!) I'm walking more, which means proper boots. I've had mine for years, and love them. They fit pretty well generally, but do find that I get blisters on my heels more often than I'd like.
I think the problem is the heel curves in too much and too low. I'm lacing them up as tight as is comfortable (if I lace them too tight, it irritates the tendon(?) on the top of my left foot) and wearing decent, usually wool or wool mix, socks.
I’ve had mine for years, and love them.
Could be an issue. I had a pair which went from slippers to agony - just in time for my ML assessment too...
Have you played with the lacing - getting a tight lower foot, while allowing some heel movement? You can achieve this with twisted laces etc between lower and upper foot.
EDIT: lacing ideas: https://www.gore-tex.com/blog/how-to-lace-hiking-boots
I found that having two socks - thin and thicker works wonders on a pair of boots which gave me blisters. Allows movement between the socks.
Crampons advice please.
Best if you can try a few pairs on to make they’re a good fit and stay put - the tiniest of movement means they can sometimes work their way loose at the least ideal moment.
Interesting, thanks Matt. I haven't tried different lacing patterns, only really adjusted the tightness. That heel lock thing looks worth experimenting with. I'm not sure it'll work with mine which are a very rigid leather outer, but I'll have a go.
Yeah, I remember reading years ago (after a particularly long and painful walk with a heavy load) about using a thin pair of cheap fully synthetic socks inside thicker wool socks, the theory being the socks slide over each other rather than layers of your skin, and buying some cheap socks to try. I must remember to give that another go.
Having said that, I found this article this morning which was quite interesting, looking at the root cause of blisters: https://lermagazine.com/article/tape-use-to-prevent-blisters-does-it-really-do-what-we-think-it-does
You do start to question your life choices when you find yourself reading Lower Extremities Review (surely due a guest publication slot on Have I Got News For You?).
@dovebiker - that is the problem, it is mean to be a surprise. Ordinarily I would have sent him to try some on. hmmm.
I have a pair of thin silk inner socks that I wear under my normal socks on 10+mile stomps.
Looking at those last few posts about sock combinations from @thenorthwind & RNP... I've never done anything but wear one thin & one thick pair in boots. It's a habit that came from my dad 50+ years ago. It's the default even if just taking the dogs out for a mile or two on a weekday in a pair of approach shoes. Doesn't everyone do the same?
For running, I have a pair of 1000-Mile brand socks which are double layer, presumably for exactly the same blister-reduction reasons.
Wouldn't usually occur to me to wear two pairs of socks, unless for warmth, since I don't usually get blisters. For most of the year they would make my feet too hot, which I find really uncomfortable, and would make blisters more likely.
Crampons advice please.
Petzl here, model before the Vasak I think. It has a step in system in the heel rather than a lever (your heel goes in first rather than your toe). They seem to have dropped that though it works fine for me. Highly recommend Petzl, they know what they're doing. Mrs. Slow has a pair of conventional rear lever DMMs which are also very good.
Both on Scarpa Manta M4s (B2).
Socks. I wear Bridgedale Coolmax inner socks over Thorlo hiking socks in normal 3 season boots and switch to Thorlo mountaineering socks in winter boots (again with coolmax inners).
A very damp and windy day today as chauffeur.
At the request of mini_oab and mates who felt a good way to spend a Saturday was having a Shehallion on Shehallion...
I think I'm doing ok as a parent with requests like this...
Looks a bit damp!
Glorious day in the Lakes, particularly the afternoon. Did a loop of Robinson, Dale Head and Hindscarth, Ard Crags and Knott Rigg.
Thin synthetic socks under thinnish merino - no blisters!
Went up Little Mell Fell and Gowbarrow in the dark, to give me a fighting chance of doing a route round Glenridding and another of the Uldale Fells, leaving me with just one Wainwright remaining. Forecast is looking good!
Took advantage of the warm weather this weekend and took the kids up Helvellyn via Striding Edge on Saturday.
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Been a few years since I've done any proper hiking, and my old legs don't like going down anymore!!
Nice broken spectre!
Broken or Brocken?
😜
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A few from Skye this weekend.
😍
A couple of phone pics from the local moors on Sunday. It was a glorious day
