Day one: From the village of Hope, Lose Hill, Hollins Cross, Back Tor, Mam Tor, Rushup Edge, Brown Knoll, Edale Head, Crowden Tower, Grindslow Knoll.
Day two: Golden Clough, Ringing Roger, Crookstone Out Moor, Jaggers Clough, Win Hill, Return to Hope.
Day two: Golden Clough, Ringing Roger, Crookstone Out Moor, Jaggers Clough, Win Hill, Return to Hope.
Well after many months of being kept extremely busy due to work commitments the new year sees to it that I finally have a little down time to spend catching up and updating my blog page. It has been too long since my last update and for that I apologise and with several trips to write about and upload I shall begin with a trip I did last August to squeeze in a last minute overnighter before going to the US and also to try out some new food I had been sent to trial called LYO (never heard of it until now) from James at http://www.basecampfood.com/ consisting of enough dried food to last me 24 hours out on the hill. My intention was to cram in an overnight stay while covering enough mileage to make a trip worthwhile so the route I chose was roughly the Edale skyline race route or thereabouts and I had planned to start from the village of Hope.
So finally the day came and I had packed my gear the night before as usual to facilitate a sharp early morning exit. As usual I wanted an early start and hit the road armed with a travel mug of hot coffee.
It wasn't long before I reached Hope as there had been little traffic on the road at the time I travelled and I parked my car in my usual spot, changed my trainers for my hiking Boots and loaded up with my rucksack and camera and set off on the old farm track in the direction of Lose hill.
The route took me up past Lose hill Farm and from there I followed the well trodden footpath which takes you all the way up to the top of Lose Hill where on a clear day you get fantastic views of the Hope Valley, Castleton, the Vale of Edale and Kinder Scout.
On approach for the final push to the top I rested awhile to take in some water and decided to try one of the snacks sent to me from James at Basecamp Food in the form of a dried banana snack.
It came in a neat little foil pouch that was easy to open and had a resealable top so as not to lose any in ones pocket (if any remained of course).
It's texture surprised me as I had imagined it would be like the dried banana chips you find in muesli, but instead being freeze dried it was light and crispy with a nice banana flavour and I thought it would have made a nice addition to a bowl of porridge.
Having had a little breather it was soon time to push on as in reality my journey had only just begun and I had a long way to go before my next planned stop.
In no time at all I had reached the top of Lose Hill and as it was a dull, but clear day so the view was pretty awesome and again I took a brief rest at the top before continuing further along the ridge where I had planned to stop for lunch.
I had managed to get on a little quicker once on the tops and made my way along the ridge to Hollins Cross and then on to Mam Tor.
After a quick stop at Hollin's Cross to take in the Views I continued over Back Tor and on towards Mam Tor and then after a brief rest at the top I would begin to climb Rushup Edge.
After about five minutes I began to feel a presence over my shoulder and turned to see a small group of inquisitive sheep tagging along.
After about another half an hour of walking I had decided to stop and take a proper rest and enjoy some lunch and I had been looking forward to the LYO Tomato Soup for the past couple of miles.
I didn't want to stop too long as I still had a fair way to go and the usual Peak District breeze was beginning to chill me so I found a suitable spot just out of the breeze enough and out came the Jetboil.
First up I made a hot chocolate to keep me warm as I prepared the soup according to the instructions and I opened the pouch and poured in the required amount of water and began to stir.
after about a minute I realised that the soup had become a little lumpy due to some of the dry granules not mixing properly and I had put it down to a slight delay before mixing after adding the water then sealed the pouch and waited five minutes.
Usually when I use dehydrated foods I generally a add a little less water and leave a couple of extra minutes of hydration time as I find it improves the strength of flavour and consistency making them more palatable, But as this was the first time using this brand and product I followed the directions on the packet and only added the specified amount of liquid.
I didn't want to stop too long as I still had a fair way to go and the usual Peak District breeze was beginning to chill me so I found a suitable spot just out of the breeze enough and out came the Jetboil.
First up I made a hot chocolate to keep me warm as I prepared the soup according to the instructions and I opened the pouch and poured in the required amount of water and began to stir.
after about a minute I realised that the soup had become a little lumpy due to some of the dry granules not mixing properly and I had put it down to a slight delay before mixing after adding the water then sealed the pouch and waited five minutes.
Usually when I use dehydrated foods I generally a add a little less water and leave a couple of extra minutes of hydration time as I find it improves the strength of flavour and consistency making them more palatable, But as this was the first time using this brand and product I followed the directions on the packet and only added the specified amount of liquid.
After my rest and soup break I continued onwards in the general directon of Brown Knoll and then on to Pym Chair and Woolpacks with the intention of making it to somewhere between Crowden Clough and Golden Clough in time to set up camp before dark and I knew I would still be walking for a few hours more but wanted to reach the self imposed checkpoint in good time to avoid the rush of setting up camp at last light as I often find myself doing.
And once again I find myself running out of daylight and yet still a good distance from where I wanted to be for the final stop of the day so I had to continue until it was eventually dark and I finally settled on a camp below Grindslow Knoll just to be out of the worst of the wind and set up the tent (Wild Country Helios 2) in the dark with a head torch which seems to be more common these days and I couldn't wait to get warm in the sleeping bag and get dinner on!
It had been a while since I polished off the last of the Banana chips so I was ravenous and I hoped the LYO main meal of Pork Stew with Pearl Barley was going to fill me. I had brought along some extra food just in case the meal kit I had been sent didn't sustain me for the duration of my trip, but I wanted to trial the foods honestly without any extras.
It wasn't long before I fired up the Jetboil once again made a nice brew then prepared the Pork meal as per the instructions and waited the ten minutes.
Well I wasn't disappointed that's for sure! the Pork was succulent and well hydrated with a good chunky texture and in a broth of vegetables and Pearl Barley so far my favourite meal out of the kit.
Another design feature of the pack I really like is the tear off second section that allows easier access to the food instead of having to dig down in the pack with a long handled spoon like many other brands.
It had been a while since I polished off the last of the Banana chips so I was ravenous and I hoped the LYO main meal of Pork Stew with Pearl Barley was going to fill me. I had brought along some extra food just in case the meal kit I had been sent didn't sustain me for the duration of my trip, but I wanted to trial the foods honestly without any extras.
It wasn't long before I fired up the Jetboil once again made a nice brew then prepared the Pork meal as per the instructions and waited the ten minutes.
Well I wasn't disappointed that's for sure! the Pork was succulent and well hydrated with a good chunky texture and in a broth of vegetables and Pearl Barley so far my favourite meal out of the kit.
Another design feature of the pack I really like is the tear off second section that allows easier access to the food instead of having to dig down in the pack with a long handled spoon like many other brands.
So after a late camp and a decent hot meal it was time to hit the sack and I had earned it.
Tomorrows journey would begin early and in the direction Ringing Roger.
Tomorrows journey would begin early and in the direction Ringing Roger.
Having finished breakfast I packed away the tent and leaving no trace other than some flat grass set off towards Golden Clough with fresh enthusiasm.
I made good time on up to Crookstone Out Moor via Ringing Roger where I rested briefly before continuing on to Jaggers Clough where my Arthritic big toe began to make it's presence known considerably slowing my walking pace.
with this I decided to cut short the tail end of the trip and miss out on Win Hill and instead followed the old Roman Road back down towards Hope village where I had left the car.
Overall a great trip and with the added bonus of trying out some new and very good quality hiking food and summarise those products I found them all tasty, appetising and a pleasure to eat which can't always be said about some other popular brands.
They are all easy to prepare, hydrate well and require no extra seasoning to my taste and with the extra tear off portion of the packaging making them easier to eat they are a real winner and you can tell that a great deal of effort has gone into producing these foods.
I would just love to see a measure or fill line on the packets to make measuring the water easier and other than that they are top products that I would happily recommend.
Again I would like to thank James at http://www.basecampfood.com/ for sending me the products to try.
I made good time on up to Crookstone Out Moor via Ringing Roger where I rested briefly before continuing on to Jaggers Clough where my Arthritic big toe began to make it's presence known considerably slowing my walking pace.
with this I decided to cut short the tail end of the trip and miss out on Win Hill and instead followed the old Roman Road back down towards Hope village where I had left the car.
Overall a great trip and with the added bonus of trying out some new and very good quality hiking food and summarise those products I found them all tasty, appetising and a pleasure to eat which can't always be said about some other popular brands.
They are all easy to prepare, hydrate well and require no extra seasoning to my taste and with the extra tear off portion of the packaging making them easier to eat they are a real winner and you can tell that a great deal of effort has gone into producing these foods.
I would just love to see a measure or fill line on the packets to make measuring the water easier and other than that they are top products that I would happily recommend.
Again I would like to thank James at http://www.basecampfood.com/ for sending me the products to try.