Be Excellent To Each Other

Water?

Faith in the Lord Baby Jesus

If it means removing the need to pack wine too, I'm in.

I couldn't help but think of Peep Show

Boots: Get! Some Berghaus ones that seems to fit and feel pretty good!

Sleeping bag: Get! A 3 seasons mummy one. SO SNUG.

Camping stove and waaaay too much gas: Get!

Also, I tested them out on a walk to Lewesdon Hill - a county top AND a marilyn! I'm a proper Hill Bagger now!

You going out over the bank holiday weekend?

Hopefully yes, but we're going camping with some friends, so it'll be more of the "walk to the pub in the sun" than any kind of serious anything!

My sister is camping on the Isle of Wight tonight as she’s doing the Isle Of Wight Challenge, a 106km walk/jog around the island non-stop in 24hrs, and her start time is 7:40am tomorrow, so she’s camping tonight to be there early. She’s doing it as part of the event but without any buddies, though hopefully she’ll meet people over the course. She did the London to Brighton version last year and enjoyed it.

Wow, that's quite something! Two and a half marathons worth! I'm planning on taking 5 days for about 150km.

I love my trangia. Convince me that I am wrong.



One Christmas Bro gave me a book of county tops and I enjoy flicking through it and marking the ones I've done, despite finding the difference between ceremonial and administrative counties far too complex and tedious for even this poor local official.

Love the term 'Marilyn'. We all know that JFK was fond of topping them.

Sister is at 95k and had a pretty tough night so is a bit behind her pace with 11k to go (was hoping to be finished now) but nearly there.

Wow, that's some effort.

I think it was the heat that set her back. She said she had a few dark and difficult moments during the night, but the heat starting up early again today didn’t help her regain her lost time. She finished about midday, so walked 28hrs instead of the 24 that would have given her the same kind of pace as the London-Brighton, but there were a couple of sizeable hills in that last stretch (not difficukt climbs, but when you e been walking 27 hours already...)

She’s got London-Brighton lined up again this year, and Kilimanjaro (I k is I’ve spelked that wrong), as well as a few other distance challenges.

A fantastic acheivement, especially given the weather. Well done!

Did a nice 10 mile loop with my youngest son today (some small part of the two moors way).



Took the best part of 4 hours, climbing 350m and my calves are feeling it now.

Good work Malcolm & son!

Not surprised it took a bit longer than planned this weekend - the weather must have made it exhausting. That's still an excellent achievement!

Apparrrntky she slipped and smashed her knee into a rock at the 6k mark. Only 100km to go!

Turns out the dog loves campfires!

And Kronenburg!

He likes a lager too.

Normally she's more of a Special Brew dog, but it's all the shop had.

Just finished a four-day 50 mile trek in the Cairngorms. Knackered and my feet are delicate but really pleased with completing it. Details to follow when I get back to the Shire.

I'm sitting in a railway bar drinking my first pint since Monday and I just read this sobering piece on The Atlantic about the dangers of the outdoors and social media:

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/ ... ak/560582/

Worth reading but perhaps not a good way to handle the post-trek comedown.

I got to the bit about holding on to the top and hand shuffling over the abyss and got sweaty palms and stopped.

'Touching the Void' ruined Boney M for me.

I pushed on and it was good

Good timing kern, it's been bloody lovely this last couple weeks.

Good stuff Kern! See any Golden Eagles or Ospreys?

Not very good with birds and the resident twitcher didn’t point any out alas. We did see two red squirrels and two deer however (well, one deer and one ex-deer), and a couple of military helicopters flew down one of the glens.

Another Marilyn! At this rate, I'll have done all the English ones by 2032! Here is a dog on top of a Trig point.

I'm not a camper but my wife's uncle has given us his old tent and a load of great camping gear! We're currently testing it in my parents garden.

The tent goes up easily and everything is present and well looked after so that's good. The camping stove he gave us works like a treat and we've bought some solar powered lights from IKEA for the inside.

Hopefully my girls will fall asleep OK and we can take it to a proper campsite in the summer. I am slightly concerned about the security in the tent though. Obviously we're fine in my mom's garden but there's nothing to stop someone opening the zips and getting in. It's a slight worry as there's two bedrooms at opposite ends of the tent. We'll be in one, the girls in the other. Does anyone have any suggestions on what would put my mind at rest? (other than stopping at home)

I'm not sure there is assuming you know that that's a pretty irrational fear. Campsites are safe environments, there's other people everywhere.

Yeah. You can hear people snoring, farting and shuffling around if you listen for it. I've never seen a secure tent, but I've never heard of anyone's tent being broken into either. You'll be fine.

Nice tent, btw

We've just upgraded our old beast of a tent to a beast of an 8 berth tunnel tent. Hi Gear Kalahari Elite 8 if you're interested. Gonna take the old one to Kendal calling though. New one's a bit big for festival use!

This. Just lock anything valuable in the car. The bigger risk is fire and carbon monoxide but easily mitigated.



Aye, looks great.

What everyone else says is true. But if it gives you peace of mind, maybe tie little bells to the main entrance zips, and the ones into the kids compartment? Maybe they'd jingle the whole time if it's a bit windy though. Tie bells to the kids!?

Put a dog in it.

Morning! Thanks for your suggestions everyone. I did think of the bells idea but on the whole, I think you’re all right in it being safe.

I slept brilliantly in there. I woke up at 4 when it was light but quickly went back to sleep.

My eldest wasn’t too keen on camping though. She said she was homesick so we may have to reconsider the camping experience we have in our minds.

It's not a proper family holiday unless one of the children hates every second of it.

My son tells me he is interested, as some of his school friends have been a few weeks ago, that said I bought him a pop-up, pirate tent which is in his room. He spends no time in it.

So I was thinking of getting a 2 man tent and seeing if he wants to spend a night in the garden before investments in any more camping stuff.

Any recommendations? Needs to be really easy to set up,( ideally just chuck it on the ground) also not too expensive.

Get yourself a massive axe or a crossbow.

These are superb. https://www.decathlon.co.uk/2-seconds-2 ... 92461.html

But is it easy to fold down again?

Yes! Even though it always feels like you're definitely going to snap it all.

Thanks will get one of those and rough it in the garden later on in the summer!

Rather splendidly, my wife's boss's mother has said we can borrow one of her fields ( they are *very* Old Money ) for a first stab at camping with our nephew. There's a kitchen and loo in one of the outhouses nearby, but we'll be somewhere totally private so we don't have to worry about noise or strangers or disturbing others. Also, she'll let us light a proper camp fire, which is the best part of camping, as any fule kno. I've also been practicing fire lighting using the trusty ol' steel / ferrocerium rod / homemade tinder combo, so I expect to be held aloft as some sort of Fire Mage when I get it going.

Wait, your families don't have their own fields?

Weird.

Well, my great trek across Dartmoor was canceled ( see post in Gas Guzzling Money Pits ), but at least I can enjoy the sunny weather at home!