More Practice Walking
With only two weeks to go until we start the West Highland Way, I thought I would walk into Lincoln this afternoon, rather than use the car park near the office where my meeting was.
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Travel
West Highland Way – Practice Walk
I went out today to get some more practice miles done before the West Highland Way and explored some different paths around Heighington and out to the River Witham and the Sincil Drain.
We ended up walking out to the bridge at Fiskerton using a path that ran along the top of the embankment, by the Sincil Drain. One bit of advice, the path is faint and very overgrown in places with thistles and nettles so wear long trousers (photo above), and don’t walk it when it is wet.
The screenshot above is from my iPhone 4 using Memory Map.
At the Fiskerton Bridge we stopped for some tea and so a wasp could sting Richard! We then returned following the Water Rail Way back to Washingborough and then up to Heighington.
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Walking to Woodhall Spa – Day Two
The weather was good when I was packing up – which was lucky as packing the new Golite Jam 2, did not go as easily as it did when I packed it at home. I had put the tent in the large outside pocket but this was a mistake as that pocket has to be packed before the main bag. Both pockets share the same volume – packing the main pocket reduces the size of the outside pocket. This means the tent needs to be packed first – when actually, when packing up, it is the last thing to go in the bag. This morning, I simply piled my gear up on a small tarp I had with me, took the tent down and then packed, but it was dry and sunny. So I need a new packing plan.
I ended up meeting both Richards in Bardney – one had had walked there from Lincoln city centre the other drove – and we went for coffee. So that was the end of the walking, we got a lift home.
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At the Campsite
I camped in the same spot as I did a couple of months back – but with no ducks.
I have added a wing nut handle to my mug lid – it has proved to awkward to lift the lid off with my Leatherman. The wing nut arrangement means the handle can come off for packing, with the wing nut being stored in the same neoprene case I keep my milk powder, tea bags and lighter in.
To save washing up I made my instant custard in the packet, using the mug only to hold it in and to save burning my hands as I ate it.
I really like Indian tea, but I like it with plenty of milk in (or better still made with condensed milk) – this means it uses a lot of my limited store of dried milk. Yesterday one of my clients gave me some milk sticks, for use this walk but they have all ended up in the same drink. I make the tea the all in way, milk, cold water, Indian tea bag and two brown sugars all in the mug and bring to the boil – then I take half the tea out to drink top up with more cold water and bring back to the boil. Excellent. However this adds to my washing up as the titanium mug/kettle is a mess when finished and it gets worse if it boils over as it did during my Scotish trip last month.
This morning the weather is fine – with a nice sunrise right into my tent as I make some tea.
The bad weather did not materialise here, infect when I woke up there was no wind at all and my tent was perfectly still. However I have asked Diana to check the TV weather and call me.
Breakfast is simple here this morning, plenty of tea and granola bars – many walkers have bars for breakfast so I thought I would try it today.
Walking to Woodhall Spa – Day One
The pack weight is 11.4kgs – including all food and about 2.2l of water. This note is written after about two hours and the Golite pack is proving much more comfortable than the Karrimor I pushed into service.
There were a few drops of rain as I approached the campsite but they did not come to anything, so I got the tent up in the dry. However the warden mentioned that later we may get some wind and rain, the leftovers of a hurricane!
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Overnight Walk to Woodhall Spa
With the West Highland Way walk only weeks away now I am going to walk to Woodhall Spa this weekend for training. When we do the WHW we will be carrying daypacks and having our main luggage transported between the places we are staying at – the extra weight I will be carrying to Woodhall Spa will help with the training.
It will also be the first outing for the new GoLite Jam2, so I am busy packing it this evening.
The food will be the usual mix of “non-specialist” lightweight food simply bought from the supermarket, to keep the costs down!
Weekend walk 10/9/2011
Saturday
On the trail
Tinned mackrel, crackers, white coffee
Evening meal
Noodles with tomato soup and salami
Instant custard
Granola bars x2
Tea
Indian tea (with milk) and biscuits
Hot chocolate
Sunday
Tea – whilst still in the sleeping bag looking at the sunrise (I hope) or listening to rain!
Breakfast
Granola bars x2
Oat cakes and jam
White coffee
Lunch
Salami and crackers
White coffee
Trail food
Cereal bars x2
Salted cashew nuts
Both days 750ml water with 2x soluble electrolyte tablets
Saturday arriving at campsite SiS ReGo drink
Extras
3x tea bags and 15ml dried milk
1x white coffee
1x black coffee
2x peach tea (use hot or cold)
2x sugar packets
2x pepper packets
1x salt packet
1x tomato ketchup sachet
2x moist towels
Tissues
Weight excluding mackrel lunch (which will be eaten within an hour of starting) 900g.
For this trip I am not going to take the fleece liner for my lightweight sleeping, to add warmth, I am going to try experimenting with wearing my winter long underwear and some wool socks. This combination packs smaller and weighs less – and hopefully will keep me warm.
After recent experiences with fuel usage in the meths stove when the weather was windy, I am going to carry 250ml of meths.
Equipment
GoLite Jam2
Karrimor 1100 sleeping bag
Silk liner
Complete long underwear (cold weather / sleeping)
Air mat carried inside the pack
3x dry sacks
Belt lens case for brewkit – ease of access on the trail
1m x 1m lightweight tarp – sit mat when walking – used in tent porch
Coleman Bedrock 2 Tent
12 Ti pegs
4 steel
black bin liner – to pack the tent in if wet on the second day
Cooking
Ti stove inc copper mug support
2 fuel tablets – emergency fuel
100 ml meths
100 ml meths
50 ml meths
Half Al wind shield
Stove Board/stand
Ti mug and lid
Beaker with lid
Small brewkit in neoprene case – 5 teabags 15mls dried milk 2 brown sugar
2x lighters
Hi absorbent cloth – drying up
Pot sponge 1/2
5ml washing up liquid
Small LMF spork
Folding spoon/knife
Wide mug
cutting board – plastic 5cms x 12cms
Spare Clothes
Hi tech jumper
Walking socks
Underwear
Hat, headover and gloves
(stuffing the above in the headover makes a good pillow)
Wash Kit
Small Lifeventure travel towel
Hotel soap
Travel toothbrush
20ml liquid toothpaste – the bottle was a giveaway sample from Theramed
Comb
Mirror – from a Christmas cracker
20cm square high absorbent cloth
Tools
Camper SAK
Leatherman P4 Squirt
whistle
LMF fire steel
Compass
Petzl Tikka Headlamp
iTorch – led wind up (from Morrissons)
FAK
Safety pins, gaffer tape, needle and thread, cable ties, paracord
Two clothes pegs
2l Camelbak
750ml SIS bottle in belt case
1l Platypus Roll up bottle – for use in camp
Nano iPod and headphones in neoprene case
iPhone with extended battery jacket fitted
Booster battery for iPod/iPhone
Watatait Case
Headphones for iphone
Swisscard
Money £10
Pencil and notepaper
Personal Medicine
Sunglasses
Cricket Hat
Compeed stick
Lip balm
Sun stick – factor 50
Wearing
Lightweight long sleeved polartec shirt
3way Crag Hoppers
Northface Boots
Walking socks
Underwear
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The Journey Home
We are coming home via Loch Ness, Fort William, Glencoe and then Glasgow and the motorways.
Loch Ness
The Commando Memorial
Fort William
Glencoe – Lunch
We found somewhere to park along the route for a lunch stop.
A brew up and a chance to fill the flask for later. We really needed the extra wind shield in addition to the “built in” wind shield on the Crusader Burner – even so the wind was strong enough to push the flames onto the hardboard base and set it alight! The Crusader Mug lid I had made for me was also essential to get the pot to boil – thanks Mark – get yours here, from The Little Frog Group.
Small change of plans in the end, there were severe hold ups on the motorways around Glasgow, so we headed across to Perth on the A85 and then on down the A1 eventually.
And a photo in England.
