A murky day and night on a monochrome moor
I parked near the summit of the moorland road, the highest part of the two day backpack. For once I was going to start a walk by going downhill. The weather forecast was iffy to say the least but...
View Article2012 – A year on the hills
2012 has been another stonking year in the hills and mountains for Backpackingbongos. There has been a lot of talk about how wet the weather has been. Thankfully up until late December I did not...
View ArticleBack from treasure island
My dream of playing castaway on an uninhabited island was realised this weekend. For the three nights that we spent on Scarba we had the island entirely to ourselves. A fantastic way to spend a stag...
View ArticleScarba – Stags on treasure island pt1
The stag weekend got off to a fine start with a curry lunch at Nottingham’s Indian community centre. A thali dish filled with curry, daal, rice, salad, chapati and desert all for £3.70. An essential...
View ArticleScarba – Stags on treasure island pt2
The day was too good to waste, so with daysacks packed we left the bothy and set off up the hill. Our destination was Cruach Scarba, the highest point on the island at 449 metres. Pete had previously...
View ArticleDessicated
Five days in the sun has left my face as dry as the West Highlands. After a long period without rain the ground that is not frozen solid has a crispy texture to it. The rivers have slowed to a...
View ArticleBackpacking Ardgour – the Cona Glen Corbetts pt1
I sneaked out of Nottingham before dawn on the Good Friday, heading north fuelled on pain au chocolat and strong coffee. Surprisingly traffic was light and seven hours later the Real food Cafe in...
View ArticleBackpacking Ardgour – the Cona Glen Corbetts pt2
Day 3 – 9 kilometres with 800 metres ascent After another very cold night I enjoyed festering in my sleeping bag for a couple of hours whilst the morning sun warmed the tent. There is something deeply...
View ArticleTwo nights on the moors – the sounds of spring above Allendale
The drive to Northumberland was punctuated by a gear stop in a middle class suburb on the outskirts of Leeds. A shiny new Trailstar was waiting for Rich at his parents house. He sat for a while with...
View ArticleSuitably challenged
My hope was that with the last two TGO Challenges being a wash out, this year would see a return of settled May weather. This was not to be and Challengers were all battered by rain, gales, snow, hail...
View ArticleTGO Challenge 2013 – days 1 to 3
My TGO Challenge this year started in the first class waiting room at Nottingham station. When I had booked my train ticket many months ago, there was only a few quid difference between first and...
View ArticleTGO Challenge 2013 – Days 4 to 7
Day 4 – 25 kilometres with 1,160 metres ascent For some reason I slept badly in the exceptionally comfortable double bed. When I opened the curtains in the morning I was surprised to see that there...
View ArticleWild camping – the one in a hundred weekend
The actual walking this weekend often had me swearing and wondering to myself why I do such things. Mostly this was when I was lurching through giant tussocks that were doing their best to break one...
View ArticleTGO Challenge 2013 – Days 8 to 10
Day 8 – 19.5 kilometres with 540 metres ascent I had a second sociable night in the Tipsy Laird, this time with an Aussie couple who were staying in the same b&b as me. They were spending a few...
View ArticleTGO Challenge 2013 – Days 11 & 12
Day 11 – 26 kilometres with 860 metres ascent I think that one of the reasons I’m veggie is because I crave disappointment. This is certainly always the case at breakfast time in a Scottish b&b....
View ArticleTGO Challenge 2013 – Days 13 & 14
Day 13 – 26 Kilometres with 300 metres ascent One peculiar aspect of the Challenge is that most participants are always eager to pack and set off super early. I could hear the occupants of nearby...
View ArticleBackpacking the Merrick and the Range of the Awful Hand
The Range of the Awful Hand conjures up images of fire-breathing dragons, goblins and orcs. A land not out of place in the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings. The Galloway Forest park has plenty of other...
View ArticleBackpacking Great Whernside and upper Nidderdale
Sometimes it’s possible to over plan and plan too far in advance. A long-standing commitment to spend a couple of nights in the Snowdonia Mountains with my good friend Rich was postponed because of...
View ArticleBackpacking hot dogs on Wild Boar Fell
It was late afternoon when I parked up off a minor lane in a scenic spot opposite the Howgill Fells. I had picked Chrissie and Dixie up from the Western Peak District after she had finished work....
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