Hiking, backpacking, trekking, mountaineering...

[Reuben klang]

Mine are icebreaker as well, I’ve had them for a few years along with a few of their tees.

They’ve went right down hill since they got bought over my the north face. Basically the same company now.

I’ve started using Kathmandu (another NZ brand), they’ve got 100% merino wool stuff that’s far cheaper. I’m not sure tbh if it’s actual merino wool due the price and it’s just marking ********. However they’re fine for me.

 

[VeNT]

Alpkit have got a sale on atm - just ordered a 4-season sleeping bag

https://alpkit.com/

really tempted to pick up a bivvy. the tent's just too heavy.

 

[mid_gen]

Any tips on decent quality merino wool brands? It's been so long I can't remember where I bought last ones.

Was recently looking at Icebreakers but nearly £100 for leggings, close to that again for a base layer is pushing it a bit steep.

For leggings I've been using M&S merino blend long johns for years, been great down to -30C in Japan and several alps trips, snowdboarding, winter hiking etc....and also winters in the office with lousy heating

Upper half I'd use something a bit more technical and smoother fitting though.

 

[nitram100]

Got a memory foam mattress topper for the van from Argos recently, game changer, really comfortable now, just as good a sleep as at home.

Camped a couple times this week, Wednesday night at a place near Leek, then up early to go rope soloing at the Roaches. Then yesterday went to Edale, did the loop up Jacob's Ladder and round Upper Tor and down Ringing Roger, camped in Edale.

Obnoxiously busy campsite though, some bellends were having a pissup/BBQ at 2am :/

Bit annoyed I didn't pack my climbing gear as it was lovely this morning, drove back through Hathersage, could have done some laps on Stanage!

Probably going to an MC meet in Snowdonia next weekend....suspect it'll be wet, so hiking rather than climbing/scrambling....but we'll see. Ordered a few missing bits of wet weather gear, waterproof trousers and boots, in preparation.

Which campsite was that mate? I was at Upper Booth a few weeks back and it was dead silent, really nice camp site. We went around kinder, jacobs ladder etc loved it.

 

[mid_gen]

Which campsite was that mate? I was at Upper Booth a few weeks back and it was dead silent, really nice camp site. We went around kinder, jacobs ladder etc loved it.

Newfold Farm, the one just by the start of the Pennine way. Just unlucky there was a bunch of nobheads making noise....but really irritating taking a trip to relax and ending sleep deprived, total lottery on these big campsites.

 

[englishpremier]

Newfold Farm, the one just by the start of the Pennine way. Just unlucky there was a bunch of nobheads making noise....but really irritating taking a trip to relax and ending sleep deprived, total lottery on these big campsites.

This is why I love wild camping. Just shame it's banned in England, Wales and most of the EU countries.

 

[Reuben klang]

This is why I love wild camping. Just shame it's banned in England, Wales and most of the EU countries.

Too many dickheads make a mess or leave crap behind. So rightfully it’s banned.

 

[stockhausen]

Too many dickheads make a mess or leave crap behind. So rightfully it’s banned.

Spot on!

I have seen mounds of rubbish, piles of faeces and soiled tissue paper and any number of camp fires when walking in the Lakes - TAKE IT ALL HOME WITH YOU.

 

[englishpremier]

Too many dickheads make a mess or leave crap behind. So rightfully it’s banned.

Spot on!

I have seen mounds of rubbish, piles of faeces and soiled tissue paper and any number of camp fires when walking in the Lakes - TAKE IT ALL HOME WITH YOU.

Except it's not banned in Scotland, so why 'rightfully' in England and Wales? Is there something about the English and Welsh that causes them to make a mess? Similarly are Norwegians and other Nordic nations nationals better behaved than Germans?

Given that campsites aren't available year round it makes sense to me to allow it in certain areas. I'm guessing the government prefers that you pay £99 to sleep in a guesthouse though.

 

[taB]

With the odd exception I've been wearing Merrell trainers as my default shoes for a good 20 years.

My most recent pairs seem to have shocking build quality, compared to what I'm used to, and are wearing through so much faster than I want.

Current set needs replacing as there's no tread left and they're less than a year old. Given I haven't really gone anywhere except work in the past year I need to find an alternative.

What do people recommend? At the moment I'm thinking of trying Saloman but haven't had a pair of those for a good while.

Merrel’s quality has nose dived recently I bought a pair of walking shoes of their’s and ended up only wearing them once. They had rough stitching that rubbed a massive blister in the back of my ankle after a couple of hours walking.

curious as to what you done?

my old man wears merrell boots, he’s had them for decades and they’re still good. Mine didn’t last any length of time.

I prefer approach shoes rather than boots for all walk, trails, hikes etc the B3 only come out in the height of winter.

Last time round ~ 2 years, I went for la sportiva tx4, cleaned them after today’s walk and noticed the sole is starting to come away from the side. The sole itself is still perfect.

Anyone tried mendi or scarpa? Do they last a reasonable amount of time? I hate breaking them and getting them to that sweat spot for them not no longer cut it. I know the latters can be re soled which seem like a great option to me.

Saloman trainers lasted 5 months. Both shoes now have fairly big holes in them at the inside toe joint. Given I haven't been for a proper yomp in them and it was just general wear and tear it's pretty disappointing. Have asked them if covered under warranty and will see what they do.

In the meantime have been wearing some Scarpas that are robust but not comfy.

A pair of Meindl bought today. Really pricey but we'll see how they go.

 

[mid_gen]

Except it's not banned in Scotland, so why 'rightfully' in England and Wales? Is there something about the English and Welsh that causes them to make a mess? Similarly are Norwegians and other Nordic nations nationals better behaved than Germans?

Given that campsites aren't available year round it makes sense to me to allow it in certain areas. I'm guessing the government prefers that you pay £99 to sleep in a guesthouse though.

As much as I would like to be able to legally wild camp in England/Wales, I just think that the population density close to popular areas would just create an unmanageable mess.

You can wild camp in England and Wales, people do it all the time, you just have to be conscientious and diligent. Camp late, up early, leave no trace. It not being technically legal keeps numbers down and gives clear rights for people to be kicked off if they get caught.

 

[cheesefest]

Could someone recommend here a pair of strong sturdy boots which are lightweight, got a good grip and waterproof? Need some new ones for litter picking and walking. Budget is £50. Though got flat feet (anything with an arch support inside is like having a stone stuck to foot) and size 8 shoes.

 

[mid_gen]

Had a good trek yesterday, I've been wanting to check out the climbing on Kinder Scout for ages so got up early (was staying with the in-laws in Glossop) and parked up at Snake Pass. Doesn't look that far when you set out but with two packs full of climbing gear it's a bit of a slog!

The weather turned as I got to the top so I pulled on my rainproofs and pondered life a bit and had a brew, then the skies cleared again, and I continued East along the edge above Ashop Moor.

Got to the crags, tramped around a bit...the rock was fairly dry, but 'a bit green' would be an understatement. Set up a top-rope and had a go anyway, had some new gear to try out. Half an hour later, after taking several sudden and unplanned falls from slipping on the slimy rock onto my soloing gear, packed it in. Definitely somewhat life-affirming to take a genuine lob off a remote crag with nobody for miles Good for my head game though!

Yomped back to the van....that walk back to snake pass is a tease....you can see your car almost immediately....and you keep walking, and walking, and it's still there, not getting any closer.

Got there in the end, decided I needed to get a bit more climbing in so headed to Stanage North. Light was fading by the time I dragged my gear to the edge....then a gale blew up from nowhere. Cursing quietly but determined, I got a rope setup and managed a few lines before it became difficult to walk straight let alone climb, and darkness arrived. Good day out! 25k+ walked in the end with a bloody heavy pack.

Props to my new Scarpa Mescalito Mid GTX that were broken in and super comfy and just as at home scrambling up slimy gullies as tramping over the moors. Also, I need more Darn Tough socks

 

[Martynt74]

After a bit of advice. I've just signed up for a long run in Spain. I knew it was a mountainous event, but assumed it just had some very steep trails. However i found a video on Youtube from a prior event and this was a screengrab from the video.

All i can hope is that the route has changed slightly and it no longer goes up here! The video is from 2012 when the course was only 64km and it's now changed to 73km

How would be best to try and prepare for something like this? I've never done any climbing and any pictures from the website only showed pretty small climbs (~5m) up rocks with some ropes, but this looks like a real steep hill, unless it's just a bad picture.
Don't really have any chance to get over before hand to recce the routes either.

Anywhere in the Lakes where i could get some decent practice?

 

[touch]

Wow! I wouldn't call that a "run"!

It looks like it might be a Via Ferrata rather than a rock climb though? Essentially metal rungs like a ladder bolted into the rock all the way up. There's a saftey wire along the route which you clip yourself onto.

 

[Martynt74]

Ah ok, that i could probably manage, it'll help give me a reason to work on upper body strength! It's not the biggest of events so information seems fairly limited and the Youtube video above was from 2012 and the quality is pretty poor.

I was mainly basing the climbing on the pictures in the following which just show some smaller climbs
https://www.perimetral-benissa.es/carreras/

Here's a more recent video that doesn't seem to show anything quite as extreme, although still some elements of climbing. No sign of safety wires though, i'll prepare my final goodbye post before i set off

EDIT - In the official race notes it says

4.- CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RACE AND TERRAIN.
4.1.- Technical data:
4.1.1.- Ultra of 73 Km; positive accumulated slope 3,835 m .; Maximum time 16 h.
4.1.2.- 42 Km Marathon; positive cumulative elevation 1,755 m .; Maximum time 9 h.
4.1.3.- Half Marathon 23 Km; positive cumulative elevation 876 m; Maximum time 5 h.

4.2.- The course of the race is through mountain terrain, forest tracks, roads, trails and quarries. There are technical sections, so participants must have experience.

4.3.- The Ultra will be held part of the night and part of the day, the weather conditions may change at any time, so participants must bring the mandatory material detailed in these regulations (Art.-9).

4.4.- Considering its relationship between total distance and positive unevenness, the Ultra is a competition of high difficulty with grade +. The Marathon is medium difficulty with grade +. The Half Marathon is low difficulty with grade +

4.5.- As the Ultra is a long-distance and semi-self-sufficiency test, with significant unevenness, good physical and mental preparation and a great capacity for personal autonomy are essential to finish the route. The organization warns that an effort as large as this can cause serious health risks

In normal running worlds "Technical" just means rocky and uneven rather than anything needing specific climbing experience, so maybe i'm just over thinking it!

 

[Martynt74]

Also, any good recommendations of steep but runnable options in either the Lake district or around the eastern Yorkshire Dales?

Other than Pendle hill, i don't really have too many options and need to really load myself on ascents i think.

 

[Dup]

Also, any good recommendations of steep but runnable options in either the Lake district or around the eastern Yorkshire Dales?

Other than Pendle hill, i don't really have too many options and need to really load myself on ascents i think.

Get yourself over the Yorkshire Three Peaks. Pen-Y-Ghent and Ingleborough both have scrambles. It works out about half the Lakeland 50 8n terms of length and elevation overall and can be done in less than 6 hours. It's about as accessible as it gets too.

 

[Martynt74]

Good shout. Might work to build up to that for the Christmas break. Feels like a good target to aim for after recovering from this ankle injury.

 

[Jonnybmac]

Ah ok, that i could probably manage, it'll help give me a reason to work on upper body strength! It's not the biggest of events so information seems fairly limited and the Youtube video above was from 2012 and the quality is pretty poor.

I was mainly basing the climbing on the pictures in the following which just show some smaller climbs
https://www.perimetral-benissa.es/carreras/

Here's a more recent video that doesn't seem to show anything quite as extreme, although still some elements of climbing. No sign of safety wires though, i'll prepare my final goodbye post before i set off

EDIT - In the official race notes it says



In normal running worlds "Technical" just means rocky and uneven rather than anything needing specific climbing experience, so maybe i'm just over thinking it!

I doubt it's a via ferrata as you'd need to carry a harness and lanyard which isn't practical when running. Could be a very exposed grade 3 scramble? Routes always do look worse from further away but obviously still require skill and confidence like.

I watched a Solomon race up curved ridge in Scotland in September which was pretty cool to go up it as everyone else was racing. That included both the grade 3 route mentioned and the grade 2 aonach eagach.

I've added a link to some videos below

https://photos.app.goo.gl/wfp5SGG8arCEg9Dz8