Looking West with the flat top of Ingleborough in the far distance

Route taken:  Hardraw – Pennine Way – Black Hill Moss – Hearne Head- Great Shunner Fell – Stony Hill – Pickersett Edge – Hearne Coal Road- Hardraw.   15.4 Km ( 9.5 miles) – 4.5 hours

The opportunity for a walk in anything other than low cloud and rain has been a rare event during much of November, December and early January, so when the forecast suggested a weekend of fine weather, I  knew I had to grab the opportunity.  Ideally it would have been the whole weekend walking, but I had been away on business for most of the working week and I don’t think it is particularly fair on the family to say – “I have been away for the whole week – I’m off for the weekend – see you !”

Given the shortage of time, I was looking for area within reasonable driving distance of home and which would offer great views, something missing of late in my walks with the dire weather we have had.

Great Shunner Fell at 716m (2350 feet) is the 3rd highest peak in the Yorkshire Dales, despite this, it does not feature in the 3 Peaks challenge, it’s place taken by the lower Pen-y-ghent.

I parked up on the roadside of Hardraw village, just outside Hawes, in Wensleydale.  The temperature was around – 5C and clear, but with high cloud moving in.  Within a few metres I was on the Pennine Way heading gradually uphill on a very icy track.

The climbing is relatively easy to the top, with the view opening up more and more each time you stop. In places, slabs are laid down to avoid very boggy conditions, not a problem today as everywhere was frozen sold, but made for lethal walking conditions on the slabs and rocky areas.  Kahtoola microspikes are great for this type of situation.

Looking down from Hearne Head

Unfortunately, the weather was not going to be crystal clear as it had been on Saturday and the sun was blotted out by high cloud. By the time I had reached Hearne Head, a strong cold wind had whipped up and with the temperature below freezing gave quite a wind chill.  I reached the stone shelter at the summit at lunchtime and was glad to have refuge from the biting wind.

Great Shunner Fell summit

In weather like this, taking a leisurely lunch is not a wise option, so after having my fill, I headed off in a South-east direction away from the Pennine Way down Stony Hill and along the ridge of Pickersett Edge.  The frozen ground made for relatively easy going, which normally would be a slog through very boggy ground.  I was heading straight into the biting wind, it was bitter, but I was warm except where the chill wind caught my face.

There is no obvious path over this ground, so one needs to take a bearing or follow to a waypoint, aiming for the start of the Hearne Coal Road.  There is a very well made track, this is not what you are looking for.  This is a road which serves the shooting boxes and ends up on private land – so avoid taking this route.  Eventually I reached some small spoil heaps, the start of the road, although there is no road at all, just a faint path which becomes more distinct the further one walks .   From here I walked back to Hardraw due south along the Hearne Valley, along side the beck  meeting up with the Pennine Way near to Hardraw.

Hearne Valley

Inova Microlight

Just about the lightest piece of gear I possess, weighing just 10g( three eights of an ounce), the Innova Microlight  was a great little Christmas  present.

The Innova is powerful micro torch (flashlight) containing a 50,000 hour LED giving around 22 hours of light per battery ( 1 lumen) and 10 hours on the more powerful setting of 6 lumens.  There is also two other modes – strobe & signal mode.  The micro torch takes two “watch style” Lithium batteries which come with the torch.

With the more powerful setting it is surprising how bright and how far the Innova shines. There is a stainless steel clip which can go on a key ring, but I clip it to a belt loop on my trousers, so it is handy for when I need it.  I think the Innova will be ideal when setting up camp late, before you can find your head-torch and as an additional torch in the winter.  In the summer when we get long days and short nights it might be all that you need.  I take a Petzyl E+lite during the summer and at 10g, I will have a good back-up.

The Innova cost around £9.00 and is available widely on the internet, including Amazon.

You can get 12  CV 2016 Lithuim batteries ( Panasonic) costing £2.60 from Amazon.

At a glance:

Sizing- my size is  40″(102 cm) chest. Normally I take a medium, but with Paramo, I generally go up a size). This is a unisex garment, there is a Ladies specific garment called the Challenger Pull-on, but does not have the arm vents.

Weight – 354g (12.5 oz)

Colours – Black or Blue

Fabric – Paramo Parameta S.  Wash with normal non-biological detergent on 40 degree synthetic cycle. Paramo also recommend their BaseWash. I have not used it before, so cannot confirm that benefits that Paramo suggest in using their product to wash this garment.

Video review of the product below:

One thing, I forgot to say in the video was the smell after walking hard in it. Well this is a synthetic baselayer, so you won’t be able to go days without washing it, but for a few days it is fine and then maybe there will be an opportunity to wash it, if you were backpacking for more than a few days.

Overall rating :  4.0/5

Price: RRP £79.00 – £71.10 at Go Outdoors

What I like: warmth, comfort and venting options

What I don’t like: Rather baggy at the bottom of the garment.

Details of the Mountain Pull on- Go Outdoors

Details on Paramo website

Looking North from Cut Gate End

The plan for Thursday and Friday was to do an overnight backpack around Cross Fell. A few days prior the weather forecast suggested reasonable weather.  A forecast is just that a forecast, by the time Wednesday came, it was clear that I was going to be blown off Cross Fell and Friday although less windy was going to rain all day. As I seem at the moment to go on walks where I am stuck in clouds – I thought I give it a miss and wait for a more suitable break in the weather.  So what to do now ? The forecast suggested there was a good possibility of some clear weather towards the East on Friday, but some rain later – good I will go for a day walk in the Peaks.

I decided to walk from one of the car parks on the Upper Derwent Reservoir onto the Moors, back down around Upper Derwent and back to the car. If the forecast was wrong about timings (and it was) I could spend some time lower down and I would at least see something rather than of late peering into the gloom !

Route Taken – Fairholmes C.P. – Nether Hey- Howden Moors- Howden Edge-Margery Hill – Cut Gate End-Slippery Stones- Howden Reservoir-Upper Derwent Reservoir -Fairholmes C.P. 

Distance – 18km (11 miles). Time taken – 5 hrs

Weather – Steady rain for most of the walk, briefly turning to snow on Howden Edge – 540m (1770 feet)

Upper Derwent Reservior

The dry weather lasted all of half an hour and then it rained non-stop until I was back at the car. It was a pleasant walk around the shoreline, before ascending to the Moors along the edge of Hey Bank and New Close Wood.  Plenty of mud on the paths, but the walking was fairly easy and there was little wind – unfortunately this did not blow the clouds and rain away.

I saw several Arctic Hares the other side of Row Top, their pure white coats such a  give away outside of snowy conditions. They bolted before I had chance to get the camera out.  For a rare species in the UK, it is surprising how many times I have seen them out in the Peaks.

At the top I turned to the North and followed the Edge up to Margery Stones, the rain turning to snow for a brief period. Taking shelter at the stones I brewed up and had lunch.

Brewing up at Margery Stones

Margery Hill Trig point

Today was not a day for hanging about and after a quick lunch, I passed the trig at Margery Hill 546 m (1770 feet) and met up with the Little Cut path. This path drops down steeply via several fords to the River Derwent and arrives at Slippery Stones at the head of Howden Reservoir.

Looking down into Bull Clough

Little Cut path

River Derwent at Slipperey Stones making it's way to Howden Reservior

A pleasant 6Km walk back along the banks of the Howden and Upper Derwent completed my journey.  I stopped briefly to view the water cascading down the dam before getting back to the car.  It was dismal weather meaning it was almost dark at around 3.30pm.

Snow and our little beck at home

My I wish all my readers and fellow outdoor blogging friends a very happy and peaceful  Christmas.

On a winter walk on Great Shunner Fell

Just a short post to say a big thanks to all the people who have visited my blog since I started 16 months ago, my page view counter went over the 50,000 mark tonight.  I hope you have found it interesting and informative so far. I have enjoyed these past months in the outdoor blogging scene and look forward to many more comments on my blog as well as my regular visits to all the other outdoor blogs out there.  So much good information and stories to read!

Berghaus Softshell Jacket

The Berghaus  Ardenne is a new Softshell jacket for the autumn/ winter season of 2011.  I have had this jacket for a month now and used it on several local walks. I carried it in my pack for my walk - Snow in the Peak District but did not require it as I was adequately warm.   I have worn it pretty constantly on a daily basis as it is very comfortable.

This ws the first softshell I have used. In the past I have worn or carried a fleece and worn a Montane Litespeed Wind shirt when chilled  as fleece normally is not wind – proof.

I guess this is the main reason for a soft- shell as they are meant to be warm, breathable, but also wind-proof.  Some, like the Ardenne have a DWR finish as well  and will shrug off lighter rain showers or drizzle.

The Ardenne has 4 way stretch material with the fleece bonded to the outer material . The jacket has a full length zip, behind this zip, material running the full length to stop draughts.  There are two zipped, mesh lined pockets and two meshed lined inner pockets. The mesh lined pockets will give ventilation in warmer weather, but of cause you could not utilise the pockets unzipped without stuff falling out.

The Ardenne has a high collar, a scooped tail which protect your backside and two toggles at the hem to adjust the fitting.

The jacket sleeves  are snug around the arms and I would describe the jacket as slim fitting, with movement in the jacket easy when stretching or bending down.

In use

The jacket is comfortable and snug, with the high zipped collar, keeping me warm against the wind.  Importantly I have found the jacket to be pretty wind-proof and I have felt no chill so far when using it on my bike or walking. I have not worn it in particularly cold weather to be fair, but it is certainly much better than the standard fleeces I have worn before.

The Ardenne will resist a shower better than a standard fleece and the water beads up on the DWR material, but will start to wet out during anything more than a shower I have found.  It will be interesting to see how the DWR lasts, but like all garments I am sure it will need treating to maintain the DWR.

So far I have worn both a short sleeve and long sleeve base layer underneath and there is sufficient room to add my thin Columbia micro-fleece to a base layer, without it feeling uncomfortable. I am not sure I will do this when out walking as I would put my Montane wind-shirt over it to increase warmth.

Conclusions

Certainly the Ardenne is a comfortable stylish piece of clothing which has both a level of water and wind resistance.  The jacket’s weight of 543g (19oz) in medium is no heavy than my standard fleece and wind-shirt combined.  It has the advantage that I would not have to stop to put on a wind-shirt over my fleece, when the wind was getting up.  Ideally I would wear the Ardenne and also carry my Montane Lite-Speed wind-shirt, giving me plenty of options, with a small but acceptable weight gain of 165g (5.8oz).

I would conclude that this set up would be most appropriate outside of winter.  In winter   I would use my Paramo jacket and base layer combinations – more about this soon.

Overall rating :  4.5/5

Price: RRP £80. There is an option with a hood for £9o

What I like: Style, comfort, wind resistance

What I don’t like: Nothing I can think of

Berghaus outdoor clothing

Berghaus Ardenne

Great conditions  to test new gear. I will post up these in due course.  There was water pouring down the hillsides in all directions, with paths covered with water  and some of the stream crossings were a challenge.

Here is a flavour of today.

Along Snake Path

River Ashop

Start of the path to the Northern Rim

Fairbrook Naze

Top of Woodland Valley

Looking down Woodlands valley

By time I got back to the car park, my car was covered in snow. I struggled out of the car park onto the A57, heading for Sheffield. At Ladybower reservior, I passed the “Road is Closed sign” just out in the nick time!

Hilleberg Soulo - one year ago yesterday

This time last year, it couldn’t have been more different. Here at home in the Lincolnshire wolds we had 18″ of snow and temperatures which went down to minus 19C. This autumn/winter we have had two light frosts and the central heating has hardly been switched on and I am still cutting the lawns at home.

The snow fall of 15″ overnight was something you rarely see in England and I was snowed in for a week.  I made good use of my newly acquired Kahtoola snow shoes and micro – spikes and slept in -1oC temperatures in my Hilleberg Soulo tent.

I do hope we get some this year and I can go out in it and enjoy it like a big kid !!

Here are some pictures to remind you of our Siberian weather last year.

Our shelter belt planting

Looking down to my house

Feeding our sheep

Sunrise at home

Snow shoes on Buckden Pike

Top of a wind swept Buckden Pike

Lunch break - getting out of the wind

Berghaus Terabyte 25 urban backpack

I was approached by Berghaus to do some product reviews, I have two products on test at the moment, the first one is something a bit different and strictly speaking is not something I would use for walking or backpacking – an urban  daysack or backpack as I call it.  This came just in time as my current laptop backpack is on its last legs.

So what is an urban daysack or backpack? Simply it is a pack that one can use for carrying a laptop, work books, work papers and all the associated odds and ends.  There is no reason as to why you couldn’t use it for a day walk, but there are likely to be more suitable packs available.

I use an urban backpack  to carry all my work bits and pieces. They are useful for public transport, wearing while cycling and useful on plane journeys and trade shows that I attend, where there is always a lot of walking.  I have used the Terabyte 25 everyday for work and used it for a pack when cycling.

Features of the Terabyte 25

First thing to say is the Terabyte 25, which is new for this season, has many features which one probably would not find on many laptop bags or backpacks. In that way it is to my mind a hybrid of features found both on day walking  packs and laptop bags, but without compromising the product .

There are two main compartments, the front one has  a large number of pockets for pens, business cards, USB data sticks etc, there is a large zipped pocket and key ring tab to hang your keys from.  There is a large amount of space for work books and papers.

The second compartment is used for laptops and I am pleased to see it take a 15.6 inch (39.5 cm) laptop, which I use. Quite a few backpacks cannot take this larger sized laptop. The compartment features the d30 shock absorption system to protect the laptop from knocks and shocks.   This is a unique material which is soft and flexible, but the molecules lock instantly making the material rigid when hit or dropped to act as a shock absorber.

compartment with d30 shock absorbing technology

The video below explains the technology

Within this compartment, there is a sleeve to place a hydration bladder, with a corresponding outlet for the tube at the top of the backpack. I not sure that I would carry a hydration bladder alongside a laptop, but it is there if you should desire it.

There are two side mesh pockets for water bottles and a small top pocket and a larger one which I use for the power cable to my laptop.

The straps are well padded and so is the back of the pack making it comfortable to wear. There is a chest strap and when this is clipped in, I have found that the pack stays very securely on my back when cycling.  I have to say that this pack is extremely comfortable to wear when cycling. I have not worn it a long distance when walking, but there no reason why it would be any different.

There is also a waist strap,but I not use this so far, as there is enough support with the chest strap.

Back view of the Terabyte 25

Conclusions

A comfortable  well made backpack with plenty of room for a large laptop, books and paper. Loads of pockets. I like the idea of the shock absorbing technology in the laptop compartment, although I am not going to drop it, to test whether my laptop will survive !

Overall rating :  4.5/5

Price: RRP £60, but can be found on-line for £48

What I like: design, comfort & loads of pockets

What I don’t like: Nothing I can think of

Details on the Terabyte 25 can be found here on the rucksacks page of the Berghaus website