How I organise my rucksack for wild camping...

After having packed my rucksack in preperation for a wild camp, that I then had to abandon before setting off, I thought I'd do a video to show how I organise my gear in my rucksack.

Changing to gas...

I have tinkered with my cooking set-up. Decided that a gas stove may be a better choice for me at the minute. Have a watch?

Karrimor Elite Ridge 2 tent modification.

I made a minor modification to my new Karrimor Elite Ridge 2 tent. The general gist of it is to make packing it away slightly easier...

Karrimor Elite Ridge 2 - New Tent, and ideas for improvement/modification...

Had a game of guess the tent on Facebook, many thought it to be a higher end brand such as Terra Nova etc...

So, having had my Vango Tempest side by side with my friend Simon's semi-geodesic The North Face 'Sphinx' again a few weeks ago; I started to think how comfortable I am in the Tempest 200 and whether there was scope for an alternative, given my usually low budget...

What have I been up to...?

My first venture into the Lake District.

Well, I can't deny that I have been neglecting the documentation of my time outdoors since I got back from Ben Nevis all those months ago. Between one thing and another, it has been extremely hard to get time to do any writing about my outings. There have been some ups and downs in my life recently, but I have still been trying to get out as much as possible. Not as much as I'd have liked by a long way - but good times have been had nonetheless. Here are some pictures from the last  few months...

Pictures and a video from my trip to Scotland, walking up Ben Nevis.

Although I have written an entry on my trip to Scotland, I didn't put all of my favourite pictures in the post. So this is just a post with a few more pictures in from such a memorable weekend. :)

Rhinog write-off. Destination, Derwent (Moor).

View from Whinstone Lee Tor, towards Wheel Stones.

So, unfortunately; the planned trip to Rhinog range of Snowdonia had to be postponed due to an injury to the nether region of my good friend Simon. That said, I do respect his decision to call off the trip as he has another planned for this coming weekend. One that I will hopefully be able to be a part of (work depending). Ill not mention too much about it as yet, but it should be great if I can manage it. In the mean time - I decided to venture out anyway. Where? Derwent Moor. Well, almost...

Ready for the Rhinogydd...

The Rhinogydd range of Snowdonia National Park.

So I will be heading to Snowdonia for the first time next weekend, and straying from the comfort of the familiar Peak District for the first time also. I'm very much looking forward to getting out of my comfort zone, especially in what looks to be a stunning area...

First impressions of my new pack - Osprey Mutant 38L

Not bad for a freebie, eh?

So, Ive been thinking about subscribing to an 'outdoor' magazine for a while. Mainly so that I have something to read when I go wild camping. In recent months, most have been offering free gifts to try persuade people to go for their magazine in particular. A Jetboil 'Zip' and a Paramo 'Fuera' smock were offered quite recently, but I already have a cooking set up that I am happy with and a windproof smock that suits me to the ground. I noticed the other day, that 'The Great Outdoors' magazine had begun to offer a free Osprey pack - and I knew that it'd be worth a punt...

It's all gone quiet.....but not for long.

My Vango Tempest 200, which I use for wild camping. Excellent tent.

It's all gone a bit quiet for me at the minute. Work and other commitments have meant that my friends and I haven't been able to get out for a walk in the last couple of weeks. Wild camping has been put on hold while I sort myself out with a new sleeping bag too, but...

Sunrise on Mam Tor.

The 'Shivering Mountain.'

My friend Phil and I set off bright and early last Friday, 5.00am to be precise. We gave ourselves plenty of time for the drive from Derby to Edale for the 7.14am sunrise. Once we got there, it was very muggy. Thick, low hanging cloud was in abundance; and it seemed like it may not clear in time for us to see the sun come up. After twenty to thirty minutes, we were rewarded for our early start.

Another wander in the White Peak.

"Consult the genius of the place in all That tells the waters or to rise or fall."

My friends and I went for a nice walk in the White Peak this time around. We had a couple of routes in mind, not all of which were in the White Peak, but we were definitely glad that we chose this area in particular. If you can guess where the walk was from the picture and quote above, then kudos to you.

Moors and more moors. Walks and wild camp from Hathersage.

Looking over Moscar Moor and to Bamford Moor, just under Stanage Edge. Win Hill and Lose Hill visible in the distance.

Back from my first trip out of 2013, and a great trip it was too. I tested myself on more than one score, and it wasn't all good either. Nothing too serious, but it put a bit of a dampener on part of the outing. My friend John accompanied me for a wild camp on/near Bamford Moor and a walk the next day up to and along Stanage edge.

Wild Camp / walk. First time in; the woods, new tent and new boots.

Sunrise on 'Win Hill.'

So I've been out again. Newly equipped with a bigger, more comfortable tent and a more substantial pair of boots, venturing into the woods for the first time. I set off on Monday with a definite wild camp location and a plan in place for the next day. One that I did consider changing a couple of times once I had got to Bamford. After the day I had on Tuesday, however; I'm more than glad that I stuck to my first thoughts...

Messing around with camera settings...

Edale train station at night.

While waiting for the train at Edale station, I decided to mess around with the camera settings.

Kinder Mountain Rescue; incident report - 1/11/12.

Kinder Mountain Rescue cover the whole of the Kinder Plateau.

I decided to have a look around on the internet, to see if I could find any local news or reports on the events that I became semi-involved in on Thursday 1st November.

Wild camping; a foggy sunrise and mountain rescue...

The morning view from near Crowden Tower.

Just got home from my first wild camp. Not only my first wild camp, but a solo wild camp too! Write up to follow, for now I'm just going to chill out for the rest of the evening. Had such a great time. Wind, hail, thick fog and mountain rescue teams, most of all - a beautiful sunrise this morning.

A steady introduction...

So, over the last month or so; I've eased myself in gently. There isn't a much finer place for it than the Dark Peak area of the Peak District. Or so I've read, and heard from many a source. It's pretty safe to say that this acclamation certainly rings true! I became a little overwhelmed with just how much walking there can be done in the area, and how great the views are from the top of every peak. This feeling of being overwhelmed quickly turned into a determination to explore every part of one particular area before I move onto the next. Thus, I have been back a couple more times to the place of my inception into walking; Edale Valley.

Big things often stem from small beginnings. (Or so I'm told)

...and so begins what will hopefully become, a mildly informative, narrative, perhaps at times; educational, 'blog' on my walking/camping/bushcrafting activities. I must admit, I am very new to 'blogging'. Which is to say, I have never 'blogged' before. Now that this is the last time I can say that, it will probably be that this is the last time I write the word under the safety net of inverted comma's.