Sat & Sun, 15 & 16th September, A Lakes Backpack

 
But not just any Lakes Backpack, this was the Backpackers Club long-awaited Treasure Hunt.
The were a few hurdles to overcome before my weekend could get underway: Dad needed sorting, I had some business to deal with, stuff like that.
Nick, No2 son, was supposed to take part in this event with me but a university friend's wedding got in the way. Margaret, aka Beryl the Peril, stepped into the breach and did a handsome job of entering into the spirit of the event – which is a sort of weekend-long orienteering event....but with knobs on.
The basic plan (Plan?? Ho-ho!) is to navigate around as many predetermined locations as is possible and then when at each of these locations, answer a question. The question is relevant to the location so can only be correctly answered when you visit the spot. Cunning eh?
Oh, and there's a wild camp on the Saturday night.
I collected Margaret from Preston at around 7.45am (the one in the morning) on Saturday and we stormed up the M6 towards the Lake District. At least that was the general idea. Unfortunately the traffic gods were against us...big time: the M6 was closed due to a fatal accident. We should have arrived at Skelwith Bridge around 9am, we didn't actually get there until well past 11am. Not a good way to start a (slightly) competitive event.

Skelwith Bridge in the sunshine

I was a little nervous of competing with Margaret, she's a powerful and very experienced walker….whereas I'm a wuss. I needn't have worried. Margaret was getting over a bad dose of lurgy and consequently I was just about able to keep up with her in her weakened state.

At NY335032: ‘Evidence of an old school?’

We set off from the campsite at around midday and started picking off various checks. Two heads are certainly better than one on this event.

At NY328031: ‘What is special about this tree?’

The weather was glorious and we both really enjoyed navigating the fells and dealing with the questions. A tea shop appeared, well it was a tea garden really.

Tea-shop: bearing 10degE, range 80 metres and closing

Well, it would be rude not to....so we did. A large pot of tea and a couple of freshly baked scones were ordered and demolished as we sat in the warm sunshine. We probably spent the best part of an hour enjoying our break.

Alan take note: this was in danger of turning into a Daunder. You should come next year!

Slater Bridge

Colwith Falls

We trundled through High Colwith, then close to Little Langdale, before heading south through the many disused quarries towards Tilberthwaite.

Searching

We slowly but surely ticked off the checks one by one.  Our late start (and long tea break!) meant that we didn't tick off all the checks we wanted to on Saturday.

Fading light

At 8pm we came to a halt as the light was fading. Searching out a campspot we found a suitably flat spot adjacent to a disused quarry at Low Tilberthwaite, plenty big enough for our two tents. Inside the steep and high walls of the quarry and on it's grassy floor, were half a dozen tents – all fellow treasure hunters. There was insufficient space to fit our tents into the protected enclave so we made do with the grassy patch outside. But we had the better view from our tents:

A mainly dry but quite breezy night followed. The breeze was a bit of a worry because the ground only allowed tent pegs an inch or two into the ground. Sliding the pegs into the ground at a very shallow angle was the only way to hold our tents anything like taught. Fortunately the tents stayed up all night.

The disused quarry at Low Tilberthwaite

Next morning the happy campers awoke to a very light drizzle. Breakfasted, tents down and all packed up, the Treasure Hunters set off to continue their searches for checks.

Packed and ready to roll

Before the rain started in earnest

Margaret and I had A Plan (Ho-ho!) to pick up three fairly high scoring checks close to our overnight pitch. We stashed our packs and set off, unburdened, to navigate our way to the checks and after some faffing, successfully solved the clues.

NY305007: What is found at the end of this short gully? Ans: A cave.

By this time the drizzle had turned to rain -  and it was getting heavier. Two more checks were picked up quite easily, at High Yewdale and up the road at Glen Mary Bridge.

No pies, and it certainly wasn’t sunny!

Over to Tarn Hows and then Knipe Fold had more points successfully collected before we had to head back to base in order to beat the 2pm deadline. Arriving after this time would incur a heavy points penalty. A fruitless struggle to grab one last check very close to the event base, meant we arrived just inside the time allowed – just a minute or two to spare. 
We presented our answers to Colin, the organiser and course-planner of the event. Colin must have spent months putting the Treasure Hunt together, he worked really hard to make it such a success.

 Colin Smith pointing out where Treasure Hunt participants went wrong

Colin presenting the worthy ‘winners’, Bruce & Harry, with their award

It was good to see that Bruce and Harry ‘won’ the event – they are past organisers of the Treasure Hunt and I felt it was fitting they finished ahead of the rest of the field.

 

Some of the checks we used

There were many more checks, these were just the ones we used. I’ve no idea of our mileage or ascent, neither were excessive.

My kit caused me a fairly major problem over the weekend – I got absolutely wet through. The heavy rain on Sunday somehow worked it’s way through my ‘waterproofs’. The relevant kit was my Paramo Velez Adventure Light smock and Berghaus Goretex Paclight overtrousers. In addition to ME getting wet through, some of the contents of my Golite Pinnacle rucksack were soaked, in spite of a waterproof rucksack cover. The problem needs further investigation.
In spite of my sogginess I’d enjoyed myself. I think Margaret did – the other competitors certainly did. Thanks go to Colin Smith of the Backpackers Club for working so hard to put on such a successful event. Oh, and to Margaret too, her navigation skills certainly helped us complete the route efficiently – and having that extra head and extra pair of eyes made all the difference to our end result.
The next morning I was to fly to Madrid (the one in Spain) to walk a section of the Via de la Plata so I needed to get home to pack. The sogginess of my rucksack contents extended to my (paper) Driving Licence….the same Driving Licence I was to need the next day in order to pick up my hire car in Madrid. Oh well…. 

Oh, and that fence....23 nails - the bottom left section was only secured by one nail. Go back and check if you don't believe me!
More pictures are here.

Day 12, to Tarfside

 

It would have been around 3am when I became aware of a cold bum. Minutes later it was getting decidedly uncomfortable…. on my deflated Pacific Outdoor Equipment airbed.

Soddit.

You may remember that it was only the previous day that Nik had suffered the same problem with the same manufacturer’s airbed. I was particularly miffed as this was a replacement airbed for one that had also failed on me. I had been assured that the problem was down to a manufacturing fault, but closer examination showed that my problem was exactly the same one that had caused my first mat to fail. It seems the (presumably) heat-sealed seams are the problem. When I investigated my first airbed failure I found lots of tiny holes, far too many to repair, around the seams. My replacement airbed had failed the same way – and only after around 20 nights.

Moral: don’t use POE airbeds. It’s a shame because they’re extremely comfortable, according to Nik they’re even more comfortable than the NeoAir.

I really don’t know what to do about this. POE guarantee their kit for life so there won’t be a problem having it replaced, but that’s no good if the stuff fails when you’re in the middle of nowhere.

I slept badly, just about managing by sleeping on a load of clothing.

Around 7.30am I had attempted to carry out a repair using the supplied repair kit. I must say I thought I’d been successful so I was looking forward to a reasonable night’s sleep the next night.

Louise soon arrived from her bunkhouse and we soon had a small band of Challengers all looking forward to the day’s walk.

As I packed my kit, Doug Bruce and Richard Baker appeared, loaded up with their packs. I felt a photograph coming on…..

Richard, Louise, Nik and Doug

With the two Irish unofficial Challengers

Today’s intended route involved heading over to the Mounth Road and over to Mount Keen. A navigational error (on my part) early in the day meant we were, er, slightly delayed.

It was getting quite hot even at this relatively early hour and before long a map consultation was called in a suitably shaded and comfortable spot at Bridge of Muick.

At Bridge of Muick

Leaving our very agreeably shady stop we aimed south along a LRT that skirted Craig Vallich and (this was where the nav error occurred) spent a good 20 minutes going round in circles. I blame the GPS.

Whilst trying to extricate ourselves from this navigational faff, we were being taunted by a most annoying cockerel. A shotgun at this time would have proved most useful….especially if I had known how to use one!

Cock-a-doodle-bloody-do!

Eventually, and quite happy we were now on track, we started our climb.

This IS the right way!

Ahead of us were the two Irish ‘Challengers’ – but they were moving at quite a pace and we soon lost sight of them. Gaining height, our views improved dramatically and we soon didn’t need much of an excuse to stop for a sit down and to drink in the expansive panorama.

 

The splendid view

Louise’s feet were still cause for concern. She was struggling, especially on the rocky tracks – the soles of her boots just didn’t protect her battered, bruised and blistered feet sufficiently. Most of the problem originated earlier in the trip when she suffered very wet feet. Progress was slow but steady. We weren’t in a rush – we were on our holidays!

Gingerly descending down into Glen Tanar we spotted a lone Akto pitched close to the ruin of Shiel of Glentanar. There was no-one around so we have no idea who it might have been.

Still not lost!

The bridge over Water of Tanar, Mount Keen in the background

Now climbing up the rocky path that would take us around the summit of Mount Keen, and with Louise’s feet complaining loudly, we realised the day was going to be longer than originally anticipated. No matter, we would just carry on at a manageable pace and stop to eat and drink when we felt the need.

Hunger overtook us at the Queen’s Well so we stopped for tea, soup and a well earned rest. In an attempt to alleviate her swollen feet, the ornamental surround of the spring was put to good use:

I hope it’s not a capital offence, but as well as using the Queen’s Well for limb elevation purposes, I used the stream emanating from the spring for a good wash down – I just hate feeling sticky. Alan, Phil and Andy will confirm that I don’t hold back when there’s chance for a good wash down!

Onwards, but now swathed in Paramo to stave off the chill, we headed off to Tarfside.

Summer arrived as we approached the road. Suspecting the onset of the male menopause (I told you I was old) I suddenly became all hot and sweaty. It was only when Louise commented on how hot she’d suddenly got that I realised it was getting much warmer – and it wasn’t merely because we were at a lower level, this was real warmth!.

Paramos removed, we hobbled carefully towards are stop for the night – still 2.5 miles away. Then I received another ornithology lesson: there, quartering it’s territory whilst looking for it’s late evening take-away meal, was a short-eared owl. Now up until this point dear readers, I had no idea what a short-eared owl even looked like, let alone appreciate it’s rarity. Louise was thrilled, whispering loudly and excitedly to me, explaining this birdy’s habits.

Our arrival in Tarfside was met with cheers from those drinking outside the Mason’s. It was late and we were tired and hungry, so as soon as we pitched and had eaten, we made straight for the Mason’s – for rehydration purposes you understand.

Nik, Alan and Ian - engaged in serious rehydration operations

Once again a sociable evening was enjoyed. Some were so sociable that by the end of the night they were decidedly wobbly.

Andrew getting very sociable

I climbed into my sleeping bag, on the still - inflated airbed and looked forward to a comfortable night’s sleep.

The airbed stayed up until around 3am.

Ho-hum.