LEJOG #8

The intended route is now complete to John o'Groats. I now just have to finish breaking it down into daily segments so that I know where I'm likely to be at the end of each day. I hope to do this tonight and will then post a completed schedule. The total distance is just under 1100 miles.

I've set up a JustGiving page which was easy.

Backpackers Peak District weekend

It just goes to show that you shouldn't plan your life around weather forecasts. The forecast for last weekend was wet with gusting winds. This was actually correct but what the forecasters can't say is that this weather will only happen during the nights (and one evening as well, to be completely accurate). The daytime weather was almost perfect walking weather. Have a look at the photo below. In fact, I'm very pleased with the photo - beautiful colour and a touch above my usual standard. It's taken by Pilsbury Castle looking north towards Crowdecote.

LEJOG #7

The route is planned as far as Fort William. From there I intend to follow part of the Great Glen Way before striking off north at some point. Another few days and the route will be finished.

The last walk of 2008

31 December was a glorious cold, crisp day although misty. I just had to go out to enjoy it. I planned a full day's walk from my doorstep. It was a seventeen mile circuit of the northern Cotswolds.

A frosted hedgerow

Approaching Adlestrop

Chastleton church with Chastleton House behind

These sheep thought I'd come to feed them, I think

An old packhorse bridge near Bledington

LEJOG #6

The LEJOG route planning is coming on well. From Land's End to Hebden Bridge is now plotted on the map - probably about a third of the way. On the map, I've just joined the Pennine Way. This now has to be broken down into days after identifying likely stops at the end of each day. Using the Anquet mapping is fun and by using it more and more, I'm getting the hang of its various features.

LEJOG #5

I'm now route planning in earnest. So as not to monopolise the main PC in the house, I've resurrected a laptop I've had for some years and not used much. It needed a new power cable and this has now arrived by post after the first one I ordered had to be returned as it wasn't compatible - my fault; I never realised there were so many different types. My laptop is quite obsolete and the firm that sold it to me, Evesham Technology, is no longer trading, I found. Anyway, full marks to http://clonesuk.com/

I've just about got to grips with the Anquet mapping software and I'm really enjoying plotting the route. I've got as far as Taunton but there will be lots of tweaks to make in order to take in campsites, village shops/post offices and payphones (for uploading to this blog).

Backpackers Club Christmas weekend

Each year, this is held at Biggin, several miles north of Ashbourne in the Peak District. Members camp at a farm site some 200 yards up the road from the village hall where we get together on and off during the day and for the Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Numbers attending were down this year compared to 2007 for some reason.

A little snow had already fallen and it was quite cold. I brought my tent this time, a Wild Country Sololite, after the bad time I had last year with my tarp (see http://litehikersblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/backpackers-club-christmas-weekend.html It took only a few minutes to put up.

On Saturday, a few of us took a walk down Biggin Dale, up Wolfcote Dale and then across some fields. over to Hartington.

We had a pint and lunch at the Devonshire Arms next to a fire. It was a wrench to leave for the walk back. The weather was clear, crisp and cold - a perfect day but it was going to be cold on Saturday night.

During the past week, I'd been thinking that wearing longjohns during the cold nights camping mightn't be a bad thing. I'd never worn them before and looked in my local Co-op. They had them but not in my size at £14.99 (for two pairs). M&S have them so I stopped off in Stratford-upon-Avon on the way up to the Peak District. I never got to M&S, however. Stratford market had them at £3.00, a very tasteful dark grey. Sorted. I put them on on Friday night and they stayed on all weekend. The pack recommended that they be washed before wearing which obviously was not feasible. However, this would have made sense as my legs were a grubby looking grey when I got home. I'm now a definite convert to longjohns but no photos available.

The temperature on Saturday night dipped to minus 3°C and I kept very warm but the tent looked like this when I emerged in the morning.

It was good to meet up with others, some of whom we hadn't seen since the last pre-Christmas do.