CATBELLS WILD CAMP

Last minute decision over the BH weekend to head up to Keswick & spend the night on Catbells.
Weather forecast good with some overnight rain expected but apart from that reasonably clear skies.

Headed off on the M6 on Sunday afternoon & encountered zero traffic - from J36 to J40 I pretty much had the motorway to myself.

Arrived at Nichol End at about 530pm & parked up on the roadside next to the start of the footpath through the woods that leads to the start of the Catbells summit footpath.

A steady climb up to a nice flat grassy plateau on Skelgill Bank & a decent spot to pitch was found - views both sides for sunset & sunrise.

As forecast the sky was reasonably clear for sunset & sunrise - it rained in the night but had cleared by the morning. Arising to the first hints of red coming from the fells on the opposite side of Derwentwater, I left the tent & headed for Catbells summit before heading back down, striking camp & heading for a full English at Rambles cafe in Keswick.

All the kit stood up well though the weather/wind didn't really test it.
Kit taken was:
Wild Country Zephyros 2
Mammut UL Alpine bag
Peak Oyl mat
Osprey Exos 36
Rab Ultralight jacket
Berghaus Mera-Peak jacket (not used)
Mammut Mercury GTX boots

BENEATH TRYFAN - 1st MARCH 2014

Unfortunately the forecast snow didn't materialise at valley level for the trip to Snowdonia at the weekend, there was however a good covering on the tops which were shrouded in low moving cloud for the majority of the weekend.
Camp was made at the foot of Tryfan with glorious views up and down the Ogwen valley.

A nice steady walk up the gulley at the foot of Tryfan from camp as far as the snow covered scramble onto the ridge. Conditions and a lack of proper equipment halted us at this point and we re-traced our steps back to camp. Weather conditions ranged from sun to rain to sleet to snow to wind - typical mountain weather but quite warm while we were moving.

Tea consisted of chicken and mushroom casserole with rice washed down with rather too much Morgan's spiced!

Bed time was clear starry skies which soon deteriorated to high winds and rain which battered the tent all night - not that I knew anything about it due to a Captain Morgan induced sleep!

Sunday morning weather was not much better and we headed back at lunchtime.

All the kit stood up well to the variations in the weather and the TQ3 was outstanding in the gusts.

More testing required on the rest of the kit over the coming months………..

HOPING FOR SNOW….

Checked the forecast & it's looking good for some snow on the Snowdon range for this weekend.
Kit checked, packed & loaded ready for a weekend wild camp trip, using Capel Curig as the base for an ascent on Moel Siabod. It was hoped to ascend Tryfan but this has been discounted due to the forecast conditions & a lack of suitable mountaineering equipment!
Hopefully there will be some views of a snow covered Snowdon Massif & surrounding peaks.
Pictures & report to follow next week……….

FIRST TRIP TO THE LAKES 2014

A poor forecast for last weekend but we headed north to the Lakes anyway for the first trip out of 2014.
An overnight stop booked at the Churchill Hotel in Ambleside which was ideally located in the centre of town with good evening entertainment and a comfy room.
Follow this link to the hotels page: CHURCHILL INN, AMBLESIDE
Woke to torrential rain on Sunday morning but we decided to brave it and pushed north for Keswick after breakfast…..passing Grasmere the rain stopped and the sun came out, the rest of the day was dry and sunny but also windy and bitterly cold. The North Face Shaffle proved its worth!