Solitude and Scenic Views: Wildcamping on England’s most remote peak

Sometimes we all need the healing hand of nature, in my case I love the solitude of time alone, wild camping in the summit of a fell or mountain ridge. As a consulting brewer, April is a busy month for me as people prepare for the two bank holidays in May, so I’d been working hard and wanted a break. I was inspired by the project of a very personable YouTuber – Crag Rat (Jason) who is seeking to camp at all the most remote spots of every National Park in the UK. What this has shown, is that whilst these places are a long distance from roads and buildings they are often not so attractive as locations in themselves. Often they are next to forestry tracks which are neither pretty nor do they engender a sense of remoteness. So whilst Jason has set himself a great project, and is a very engaging videographer, I thought I’d seek out the most remote peak in England.

A quick look at a map of the UK tells you that the most isolated places in the UK are located either within Northumberland National Park or the Forest of Bowland. The more remote parts of Northumberland are at low elevation, so the peak I was looking for was to be right on my doorstep. Because the Forest of Bowland is used for commercial grouse shooting, the gamekeepers would be almost certain to move you on if they saw you, so I will only refer obliquely to where I went. If you want to know more, please PM me via my profile on the UK walking forum. I am very fortunate to only be 20-30 min drive from several access points to the fells of the Forest of Bowland, my chosen peak was a minimum of 5 miles from all / any road end. I chose to start from the Southern End of the Hornby Road, a Roman Road that crosses from the Hodder to the Lune valley.

The Hornby Road is an easy gateway to the centre of the Eastern Bowland Fells and after about 90 minutes I got to the point I needed to turn off this easy track of go ‘off piste’ and into proper Fell Country. I have walked in this area on several occasions and always wait for at least a week of dry weather before I venture out, because if you stray off of the stalkers tracks you can soon end up knee deep in bog after a period of wet (normal!) weather. I was on the top of my chosen peak by lunchtime and loved the views and sense of isolation.

I left my pack on the summit and went for an amble to the Whitendale Hanging Stones because these claim to be the geographical centre of Great Britain. Several places make such a claim, and much depends on whether you are working it out based on Great Britain, the United Kingdom, or just the British Mainland, all of which give different answers by the same method.

Whitendale Hanging Stones – Centre of the Kingdom?

Which ever may be the true centre, it proved a pleasant amble and gave me my first definitive sighting of a Hen Harrier, the iconic bird of this area after which a noted local beer is named. Learning to brew this beer formed the cornerstone of my career change back in 2018.

I returned to my pack and took the risk of pitching my tent early, a risk that paid off as I saw absolutely no-one from that afternoon until was a mile from the car the following morning. The views in Bowland are not as dramatic as the Lake District, Scotland or Snowdonia but they have their own charm and you can, like me, easily go for > 18 hours between seeing a single person.

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  The perfect summit pitch?

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  Looking back to the Hornby Road

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  Distant Yorkshire Dales

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  Whitendale (don’t forget your waders!)

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  The final approach

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  Dusk

I returned with my mental batteries recharged and having had a warm up for my planned trek along the Cambrian Way at the end of the month.

Returning to the Helvellyn range – a two day winter wild walk.

Back in 2019, on what was only my fourth wild walk, I walked the Helvellyn range from Threlkeld to Ambleside. At the time I wrote “Next time I’d like to tackle it in the winter”. This post is the account of my return to this route in the winter of 2023/24.

It is really interesting to contrast the photo I took of Blencathra on each occasion

Winter 23/24

Summer 2019

The colours of winter and the sharpness of the light added so much character to the views from the very beginning. The sun was very low in the sky (it was mid January) and it took a good 90 minutes before I ascended enough to get out of the shadow of the hills ahead of me. The walk and the views were even better than in 2019, I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

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The ground conditions were not like anything I had experienced in my previous 34 years of hills walking. Snow was only a decoration on shaded slopes, all the rocks were free of verglas, yet because the ground was frozen so hard and topped with an powder of frost even sections of gravel path were really slippery and I was really grateful for my microspikes.

My initial plan was to divert from the ridge and camp on Catstye Cam but when I got to Swirral Edge I did not fancy climbing down the scramble in such slippery conditions with a full pack on my back. I think I would have been happy to walk up, but not down. So like last time I walked on to Nethermost Pike.

We experienced something akin to a temperature inversion that night with the temperature on the summit only being one degree below that in the valley and a mild -2 Celcius. The sunset was not Instagramable but was suitably atmospheric.

I had expected the temperature to drop somewhat lower (-6 C), so learning from previous winter trips I prepared my water for the following day before going to sleep. To keep weight to a minimum I now harvest water as I go, rather than lug it all up the hill. This time I was able to get water from a stream between Great Dodd and Watson’s Dodd (NY 340,189). Water filters are great, but can freeze easily which is not only inconvenient but could damage the tubules within them. My Hydrapak one litre bladders are different colours so I can easily tell which is potable water. I kept my filter in my sleeping bag that night and in a pocket close to my body the following day until I ran out of pre-prepared water. I also filled my cooking mug so I could easily thaw and boil this for a brew in the morning.

Being winter, it was easy to be awake for sunrise but I was initially met by low cloud. Once I got walking though, I was soon awarded with some very fine views.

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Again the paths of the North side of the hills was frozen and slippery and I got to really appreciate how quick and easy it was to slip my Nortec micro-spikes on and off even with cold hands. I can highly recommend them and will write up a review (link to follow) when time allows.

Truly it was a gorgeous day to be up high in the hills and I loved every minute. Because there is very little by the way of steep climbs on this route, once you have attained the ridge, it is ideal for a winter two day walk as you can cover a reasonable distance even within limited hours of daylight – hasta luego!

Unfinished business – An exceptional four day wild-walk in the NE Cairngorms.

Very occasionally all the factors which facilitate a great multi-day walk all coincide; availability, fitness, weather, time of year and location. That is exactly what happened with my 2023 trip to the Cairngorms and truly an answer to prayer after having to miss out a section of my big seven day wild-walk last April. This four day tour of the NE Cairngorms has to rank as the best multi-day walk I’ve done in ten years and my best wild-walk ever. The walk totalled 52 miles over four days at the end of May 2023.

Day 1 – Linn of Quoich Car Park to Ben Avon : 11.5 miles / 1020 m

It is a long walk in to Ben Avon, and many people opt to cycle the shooters track to the base of the climb to cut 8 miles off of the total. Whilst not as appealing as Glen Lui, with it’s photogenic Scots Pines, it was an reasonably attractive walk in made more so by knowing that I would not be re-tracing my steps. My route first took me up Beinn A’ Bhuird (the first of six Munro’s and at least as many tops of this trip).

Whilst the summit is apparently featureless, the beauty of patches of delicate alpines which graced my lunch spot were simply delightful. As is typical in this area, whilst the hills are mostly flat topped, the cliffs and Cories are spectacular, especially when patches of snow add further contrast.

 

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The descent to the Bealach between Beinn A’ Bhuird and Ben Avon was sketchy due to the fine loose surface on the steeper sections which I was negotiating with a full multi-day pack. The re-ascent was a lot easier. One of the significant attractions of Ben Avon is the granite tor which forms the summit, a feature more often associated with Dartmoor. On the morning of starting my walk I had to decide which tent to take with me, my plan was to use my four season Soulo if the wind looked to be strong or my lighter Enan if the conditions looked more gentle. The later being 1.2 kg / 50% lighter. The nature of the ground on my approach to the tor had me doubting my decision to bring the Enan as it looked like ground which would not take pegs and a freestanding design would be essential. However, my preparatory research had suggested that the far side (NE) of the tor would be my most likely camping area, so I held onto hope.

Whilst much of the far side of the tor was strewn with rounded boulders there was also a sizeable area blanketed with moss which on investigation I found to be atop fine rounded gravel. Whilst I needed to double peg the main guys I managed a secure and very comfortable pitch.

Once set up for the evening I enjoyed climbing the tor itself.

Day 2 – Ben Avon Summit to Loch Avon – 14.5 miles / 240 m

This was to be a longer day in terms of distance, but one which was mostly downhill and it started with a beautiful clear sky and the lightest of winds. After retracing my steps back across the Bealach it was time to head off piste on a pathless route down to Glen Avon passing beside the rocky outcrops of Stob an t’Sluichd. Whilst the descent was slow, the poor soil meant than none of the heather was deep so it wasn’t hard to find a sensible route across the ground. About ¾ of the way down I hit the path shown on the OS Map and headed to the suspension bring across the River Avon.

Much of the rest of Day 2 / the lower reaches of Glen Avon were an uninspiring but necessary yomp to get me to the head of Glen Avon ready for the next day. The highlights of the day were waiting for the final 30 min of the day. The first being the Fords of Avon Refuge.

After this the Glen narrowed in and held its magic in suspense round a bend in the river like a slowly revealed plot twist in a well written novel. The view up Loch A’an (Avon) made the afternoon’s route march wholly worthwhile. Truly the most stunning wild camping spot I have ever experienced in over 30 years of backpacking! Arriving at the Loch I was initially disappointed to see a group of five lads with big packs, but they were just having a break and when they moved on I had the Loch to myself all evening. Such a beautiful place, which included my own private beach allowing me to cool and wash my feet whilst drinking in the majestic splendour of the location.

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To sit and eat your dinner / breakfast with views of Cairngorm, Ben Macdui, Carn Etchachan and the Shelter Stone across the clear waters of the loch was simply sublime.

Day 3 – Loch Avon to the Wells of Dee – 12.1 miles / 1380 m

This was going to be my biggest day and I was unsure if the higher streams on upper slopes on either side of Cairngorm would still be running so I started my first big climb of the day with two litres of water to last me until I reached the Lairig Ghru around 3pm. Actually there was still plenty of snow melt feeding both the stream just above The Saddle and that draining into Lochan below Cairn Lochan. The story of this day is better told in pictures than words

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This was my first ascent of Cairngorm so I enjoyed seeing the famous weather station on the summit.  My route then took me along the edge of a spectacular series of corries and buttresses until it was time to drop down to the Chalamain Gap and further into the Lairig Ghru. It was now the hottest period of the day as I started my ascent of Braeriach which afforded the views I had hoped for, yet missed out on, last year. The final push around Coire Bhrochain to the summit was hard, it being the culmination of a total of nearly 1400 m that day with full kit.

 

The springs to the North of the Falls of Dee were otherworldly but not a suitable place to stop.

The banks of the larger stream from the West (fed by the Wells of Dee), however, were an excellent spot. Sadly it was not possible to pitch close enough to the edge of the cliffs to get the amazing view from the tent itself but finding myself at 4000’ and it too warm to sit in the tent to cook was a very pleasantly surreal experience. Walking over to see the Falls of Dee only to find them hidden under a snow bridge simply added to the bizarre nature of the place.

My highest ever camping pitch in the UK at 1245 m (4085 feet)

Lairig Ghru looking South

Lairig Ghru looking North

What an amazing day!

Day 4 – Wells of Dee to Linn of Dee – 13.4 miles / 300 m

I awoke to yet another fine warm day and was on the move by 0730. I was expecting the descent back into the Lairig Ghru to be slow. After revelling in the views from the top of The Angels Peak it was tackling the boulder fields around the summit of Cairn Toul (1291 m) which proved the slow point of the day. Whilst no climbing is involved, picking a route through these boulder fields makes Cairn Toul feel like a hard-won summit.

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The sense of satisfaction of claiming my sixth Munro of the trip, three of which being above 4000’ was considerable. Now it was time to tackle the descent of the boulder field, across one more top and drop down into the Bealach at the foot of The Devil’s Point. The fine rounded gravel, typical of the Cairngorms and erosion of the path made the initial descent, following the burn, to the Corrour Bothy tricky with 11 kg on my back. However after only around 50 m the path became less steep and more secure so I could enjoy walking alongside a series of waterfalls down to the bothy.

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Now I was on the walk out, but as I remembered from last year the trees of Glen Lui and Gleann Laoigh Bheag were a delight and offered welcome shade. My erroneous route plan suggested the day was to be 16 miles, so I ate lunch on the hoof and was surprised how quickly I reached Derry Lodge. It was a welcome surprise to realise that I only had three miles of pleasant flat walking to finish my adventure in the Cairngorms.

I enjoyed a second lunch at the Linn of Dee whilst cooling off my feet in the river.

Epilogue

I have been multi-day walking for over 30 years and wild walking since 2017 and these four days proved an unchallenged apex of all my walking experiences in the UK. The ability and opportunity to climb several peaks over 3000’ and three over 4000’ whilst having all I needed for a comfortable unsupported 52 mile trek was an amazing blessing. The views, made accessible by the weather, the solitude, the warm evenings to relax, read and enjoy my evening meal with world-class views from highly elevated camping pitches were all prodigious aspects to an exceptional four day walk.

If you are inspired to spend time in the Cairngorms remember they are a truly wild place whose weather is rarely as kind as it was to me on this trip. Whilst my waterproof gear proved a dead weight, I would not have gone without it. Note also that once you are > 30 min from your entry point / road-end you will not get mobile phone coverage unless you are close to a skiing centre, I use a Garmin InReach Mini satellite tracker / communicator for walks like these which provides assurance to my family and the ability to contact either my family or the Mountain Rescue from anywhere with a view of the sky should that be required. Finally I must thank Mrs W who drove twice from her Aviemore campsite to Braemar to drop off and collect me.

Heading for Hope – a two day wild walk in the Dark Peak

Here in Lancashire the winter weather has been especially dreich. From November until mid January there had only been one dry weekend and that was one on which I already had a commitment. I hadn’t been out for a multi-day walk since October and was feeling the lack.

My route was ‘pinched with pride’ from the same excellent UK Backpacking site which inspired me to collate an index of my last five years of wild walking trips. So early on a January Saturday I headed for Glossop to start my walk from the Railway Station which would facilitate this linear two day walk.

Day 1 – Glossop to (near) Fairbrook Naze – 11.7 miles / 700 m HG

As I set off across Glossop I was really impressed by V&G’s route along the urban paths which led me to the edge of town. It really felt like a natural link through housing areas, parks and to the industrial fridge of the town, it could easily have been a National Trail it flowed so well. Soon I was on a track which would lead me to the top of Bleaklow Fell. I really enjoyed how the path traced the top of the scarp slope

A little higher and I was in snow and it was time to follow my compass as the path of the ground was hidden under it’s crystal blanket. I had opted for this route, rather that the one I walked in 2021 because I though avoiding the South Edges of Kinder combined with the cold weather would mean avoiding the crowds. I had not reckoned on the popularity of the WW2 US plane wreckage near Higher Shelf Stones. I did enjoy the spectacle of the 65 year old aircraft engines sitting on the snow, albeit a sad memorial to the challenges of navigating in the fog without an accurate altimeter.

The next 90 minutes was something of a slog. Initially it was the over exposure to the general public and then it was the featureless nature of the Pennine Way stretch South from the A57 crossing which dampened my enjoyment. When I was suitably far away from the road and the carrion-like Parking Enforcement Officers who were depositing tickets ‘like guano on Bass Rock’ I looked for a spot for lunch. In terms of features this hour was the low point of the walk. I could not find any shelter from the wind so settled for a peat hag next to the path to at least give me a comfortable seat. Safe to say, blanket bog in the winter has little to recommend it.

Thankfully it was not long before the climb from Black Moor to the Northern Edge of Kinder came into site and at around 500 m I reached the snow line. It was very pleasing to see the first of the sedimentary rock outcrops which define the Kinder Edge path for me.

What had been an occasional person walker on this section of the Pennine Way reduced to total isolation as I turned off along The Edge towards Fairbrook Naze. My spirits lifted. In warmer weather this is one of only two wet / boggy sections of the path with circumnavigates the Edges of Kinder but with the temperature not having risen above zero here for several days, all this was sealed below a frozen crust. I donned my micro-spikes and set off with confidence towards my planned camping spot.

As I was negotiating the hags and gullies just 500 m from my end point I almost fell over a pair a tents pitched in the shelter of one the gullies. A pair of matching Hilleberg Soulo’s hiding, quite unnecessarily, from the wind. Whilst cold, it was far from strong. I’ve personal experience of a Soulo comfortably handling wind three times that of the gusts forecast for that night, and I was intent on a view!

A lovely pitch for which a Soulo would have been over-heavy over-kill

I soon found the rock formation that most reminds me of a stack of American pancakes and opted to camp in the lea of this. I think the view from the other side of this formation is a little better, but the combination of view and shelter was too good to overlook.

Day 2 – Fairbrook Naze to Hope – 10.5 miles / 250 m HG.

The sunrise the following morning made the whole weekend worthwhile. It became increasingly impressive with time

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Early into my day I crossed paths with a father and son who had camped further around the edge. It had been – 3C overnight and the lad was only eleven. I was very impressed by his resilience and told him so. Big smile. Many stretches of the path were sections of frozen stream, but with my micro-spikes fitted I could stride out with confidence. I enjoyed the edge path (Seal / Blackdown Edges) as much today has I had the last time I was here and decided to make a diversion to Mad Woman’s Stones. Sadly with this formation, reality was less exciting than their title.

Now it was time to descend off of Kinder and onto the ridge formed by Crookstone Hill & Hope Brink

Here I met several groups of mountain bikers. However they were more socialites than cyclists as I found I was covering ground faster than they were! I enjoyed the view down into the Edale valley but it was too hazy to merit a photograph.

The obvious rocky prominence of Win Hill was a very suitable endpoint and I enjoyed visiting the trig point. I have a life long love of these iconic cartographic pillars. It was then time to drop down to Hope, have a swift pint in the pub and jump on the train back to Glossop.

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Epilogue

It had been a long time since I had been able to get out for the weekend and that was a great tonic. The middle of the first day was rather bland and did not avoid the crowds as I had hoped. I still loved being on the Kinder Edges, but when I next go I will revert to my original route from 2021.

Longridge Fell

Some images from my local walk this afternoon.

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  The summit…

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  The author…

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  Forest of Bowland

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  Ribble Valley Sunbeams

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  Bowland Fells from Longridge Fell

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  Taken to show to Junior

Buttermere to Styhead – a two day reunion walk

Once a year I meet up with a good friend from university days for a walking weekend. In 2021 he said he wanted to try a wild walk* and we spent two days circumnavigating Kinder Scout and the Edale Valley. This year he was keen to do something similar, so we headed to Buttermere in the Lake District. Our plan was to walk to Seathwaite Fell where another friend had recommended a great camping spot which we would be likely to get to ourselves. The planned route is shown below.

Day 1 – Buttermere to Styhead Tarn – 9 miles / 1200 m height gain

It was a two hour drive to get to the start so we only started walking at 1100. Most of our itinerary coincided with a route I walked in the winter of 2020. The cloud occasionally obscured the view, but lifted often and long enough to make it a very enjoyable day

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When I first walked the route from Red Pike to Hay Stacks I put my slow speed down to the slippery snow on the descents, but in summer conditions we were not that much faster. The loose scree descents on the descents held me back as much as the snow had in the winter. This made me feel a little better about having cut my winter walk short. Towards the end of the day the cloud lowered and would clearly have obscured our planned camping spot, so with this and the late start we opted to finish the day at Styhead Tarn and stay below the cloud.

t was great to catch up with Alastair and good too to see what he thought of the Rogen, a tent new to me earlier in the summer bought for two person adventures such as this and when I go out with Junior. He agreed with me that it is more practical than the tunnel tent it replaced. I am now firmly of the view that having the door/s on your tent on the long axis is the better option. I could sing the praises of the Rogen still further, but let’s just say I that I think it excels in almost all areas.

Day 2 – Return to Buttermere via Littledale Edge – 9 miles / 700 m

The cloud was a little higher than the previous night, but sadly Littledale Edge remained shrouded in clag. Such a shame, as I repeated this section because it gave the occasional glimpse of good views last time and I hoped to see more on this occasion.

I can recommend the bacon butties at the Honister Mine cafe, but you need a lot of patience because the service is so slow as to be measured on the geological timescale. Oh and when we asked to top up our water bladders, we were told that due to H&S concerns they could not supply water for this. Explaining that we had filters to remove any bugs didn’t aid our case! It was Leo Tolstoy who said “The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him.” From which I conclude that whilst the service was slow, the mental acumen of the staff was beyond question.

After climbing back into the cloud on Dalehead, that was the end of the views for this trip. However the primary aim was quality time with a good friend and that objective was wholly met.

What I need to do now is to devise a better route to Seathwaite Fell which whilst providing a satisfying day of walking, covers easier terrain – for walking with full kit – by being less hampered by scree. I wonder if the following idea has merit, any suggests or feedback would be most welcome.

*Wild walk – a multi-day walk made possible by use of wild camping, the objective being the walk and the ability to get away from ‘civilisation’ or to stay at altitude to increase the pleasure and / or the remoteness of the route.

Wild Boar Fell & Mallerstang – a two day Wild Walk

I’ve pondered over maps many times to try and plan a really good circular two day route to take me over Wild Boar Fell. Initially I wanted to use a high level route over the Howgill Fells as my return path but I could find an agreeable way across the valleys at either end. East Baugh Fell would be an option in the summer but is reported to be very boggy in the wetter months. When I walked along the North side of this fell as part of the Pennine Journey and this was both ‘moist’ and thigh high in reeds. Whilst I’ve had reports that it is better (and reed free) on the South side, you still have the valley crossing at the North end of the walk to consider and there is no way to avoid a fair amount of road walking. Whilst I accept the necessity of a little road walking on a longer trip, I seek to avoid it for a weekend outing.

The route I walked is shown below and I think it can be said to have been 85% successful. On the day I was returning from Great Shunner Fell to Garsdale I found Cotterdale to be significantly under par as I shall expand on below.

But let’s start with the good stuff. To have a high camping spot at my half way point, and somewhere sensible to park the car I decided to start from Garsdale Railway Station. The omens for the walk were all positive with me spotting a red squirrel and three donkeys before I even left the car park.

Day 1 12.8 miles / 900 m height gain (approx)

The walk-in was OK and did afford me excellent views of two viaducts

Whilst there is no formal footpath up Swarth Fell / Wild Boar Fell this is open access land and there is a well defined path on the ground. Interestingly this seems to follow the county boundary between Cumbria and North Yorkshire. The character of these hills is very much like the Howgills but with some limestone crags to be enjoyed on the Steilhang slopes.

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My walk was some weeks into a very dry spell so it was interesting to observe which pools and gills were still filled. Since I was harvesting water as I went (to reduce weight carried) it was more than just a casual interest. The pools which are noted only on the 1:25k map were all dried up, those large enough to be on the 1:50k map, such as the larger one which is on the coll between Swarth Fell and Wild Boar Fell, were well filled and looked likely to remain so all year around. A point to note if you, like me, plan a variant of this walk in the future.

The cairns on top of Wild Boar Fell were fun.

Why so many?

The weather was pleasantly warm – this was the weekend before the ‘Red Alert’ heat wave of July ‘22 – and after lunching at the top of Wild Boar Fell (WBF) I allowed myself a 30 min snooze. Whilst the crags of WBF were best enjoyed from the other side of the valley, I did get a taste from my lunch spot.

The route down then along the River Eden whilst not stunning, was pleasant and the route up out of Outhgill easy to find. It was at this point I was reminded of a pre-trip conversation with Mrs W. Be sure to look for water sooner (lower down the hill) than normal we agreed – and this was a sound conclusion with the higher gills being dry.

I’ve found it great to harvest water ‘as I go’ but it does need a little more thinking about. However it drops over a kilo of my pack weight so it’s worth that extra mental effort, and anyway for me the planning and anticipation is part of the fun.

A view towards Mallerstang Edge from under the railway

The final push up to Mallerstang Edge was hot and hard work because of it being so steep, but I took in in 50 m elevation chunks and was soon on the ridge. The first top of High Seat was to be my last of the day. At 709 m it took me by surprise to find that it is taller than both Pen-Y-Ghent (694 m) and Buckden Pike (702 m). Just beyond the summit I found a flat spot with a great view of Wild Boar Fell and Hangingstone Scar.

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Day 2 – 13.0 miles / 330 m height gain

An unpredicted rain shower woke me at 0500, but it soon lulled me back to sleep. The showers stopped as a breakfasted and I was on my way at 0820 with the fell tops to myself. I didn’t see anyone until I started to descend the Pennine Way from Great Shunner Fell at 1100. When I thought of the rammed car parks in Horton and Ribblehead I was pleased with my choice of route.

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Once I had walked 30 min down the Pennine Way, I struck off right on a bearing heading for the isolated end of a Bridlepath which would take me down through the forestry plantation into Cotterdale. Don’t go to Cotterdale! On the day I was there is was alive with flies and afforded footpaths which had last been walked by the person who put the signs up! They were thigh deep in grass, had not been walked for years, and lacked any positive virtue.

Once out of Cotterdale my path was a pleasant walk out back to the Railway Station.

Epilogue.

Should you plan to walk a route similar to mine I would suggest it would be best after a good dry spell as the ground between Hugh Seat and Great Shunner Fell (GSF) is clearly a bog with the all the fun that would involve had it been saturated with rain. I was very pleased with my wild camping spot and would have been equally happy with the top of Wild Boar Fell and its views of Mallerstang.

Sitting here reflecting on my route afterwards I wonder what I might do differently should I walk a similar route again. The majority of my route was very enjoyable and I was pleased to have both climbed and seen (from across the valley) the mighty Wild Boar Fell. Whilst the plain between Hugh Seat at Great Shunner Fell (GSF) is not ‘amazing’ I think taking in GSF – for which I have a fondness – then backtracking to Hugh Seat and then following the Lunds Fell Ridge down would be a choice worth exploring. Another option could be a linear walk from Dent Railway Station via Great Knoutberry Hill (the name appeals to me) over WBF then down into Kirby Stephen. Then you could return by train. I’m no rail enthusiast, but it must be a most picturesque route which would allow you to relive you memories of your outward journey.

Garmin inReach Mini 2 – a real world review

The Garmin inReach Mini 2 is a satellite facilitated tracking and text message communication device. It is small and light and designed to be used in combination with a Bluetooth enabled smartphone to act as remote keyboard and larger viewing screen. As the name suggests it is the second incarnation of this device. I bought one of these earlier in the year to give my family peace of mind when I was on an eight day solo wild walk across the Cairngorms.

Executive Summary

I found the unit easy to use and my family found messaging me and following my location using the tracking page straight forwards when I was in the field. The battery life was excellent, it would have lasted 12 days between charges using the configuration I chose. The reassurance of having a ‘Daddy Tracker’ was highly appreciated by the family and I benefited from getting messages and MWIS summaries sent from home. It gets a thumbs up from me.

What does it do / why might you want one?

By linking to both the US GPS, international GNSS and Iridium satellite networks it can pinpoint your location anywhere in the world where you have sight of the sky. Then by using its connection to the Iridium network (which is what powers satellite phones) it can broadcast your position back to your support team / loved ones via a Garmin hosted webpage. It does this at a frequency anywhere from once every two hours to as often every two minutes.

Using the Iridium network it allows the transmission and receipt of 160 character text messages. These can be sent to a mobile phone, received as an SMS message, or sent to an email account. A link within outgoing messages allows recipients (e.g. home base) to reply to the inReach via a web based messaging portal or via SMS to a dedicated pseudo mobile phone account at Garmin.

Finally the unit has an SOS button which will transmit an emergency call and your location to the local emergency services and also your chosen two primary contacts. Thankfully I’ve not tested this, but once in contact with the emergency services you can share text messages to fill them in with your status, nature of your emergency/injury etc.

I got one so that my family could be assured that I was OK and we could keep in touch with each other for the long periods I was without mobile phone network coverage (in my case for 5 ½ of the 8 days of my trip).  I was walking alone.

How easy is it to use?

After a couple of short test walks I was able to consistently and easily use the unit. Whilst it can be used on it’s own, if you want to send bespoke rather than just preset messages this is MUCH easier when you link it (via Bluetooth) to your phone. The unit itself has only four buttons, so typing on it would be a very slow process. However, you can read even long messages on the unit itself with ease.  The screen looks like that on a Kindle. Linking to the dedicated app on your phone is quick and easy. Reviews I read ahead of buying it all suggest that the Mini 2 user interface is much more intuitive than the original Mini 1. I have a 10 year old Garmin GPS Map and know that I can attest that the Mini 2 much easier and more intuitive vs. the older style of Garmin interface.

When I used the manual on / off tracking mode I found I could easily turn off the tracking by mistake. I never did work out what I was doing wrong. My solution was to set it to auto-tracking which meant I never accidentally turned off the tracking. This worked flawlessly.

Sometimes in deep valleys, or where there was tree cover it flagged a ‘poor satellite connection’ and asked if I would like to delay sending my message until it was guaranteed to sent without any errors. I opted for the ‘wait’ option and found that it never needed to wait more than 30 seconds before sending my message – a delay of no relevance as far as I was concerned. In the manual it suggested that messages may take up to 20 min to arrive with the end recipient (or get from them to me). On two occasions I had a back and forth text conversation with no perceivable delay.

Battery life?

There is always a difference between the optimal values quoted by manufacturers and real world performance. In the case of the Mini 2 your battery life will depend primarily on four main factors:

• The frequency you opt to send your location back to your Garmin web page
• How many messages you send / receive in the day
• Whether you leave the Bluetooth link on all the time or actuate it ‘as needed’
• Terrain / tree cover impacting satellite coverage.

In my case these factors were as follows

• My location was set to ping once every 30 minutes
• I sent around 10 messages per day and received 2-4
• I only turned on the Bluetooth when I wanted to send a bespoke message
• I was only rarely in deep narrow valleys or under trees
• I had the unit switched on for around 8 hours per day

inReach Mini 2 – clipped and strapped to my shoulder strap for good reception and easy of use

With the above settings / conditions I consistently used 8% of the battery life per day over my seven full days of use. Thus I could have got just over 12 days of use from a single charge of the internal Li ion cell. This seems excellent to me and all most people would every need. The unit is charged using a standard USB / phone charger (USB C) and thus can be topped up in the field using a power bank. The internal battery is 1250 mAh, so around 40% of a modern smart phone for comparison.

How the messaging works

The message payment model works as follows:

Preset messages

You can set three ‘preset messages’ via your Garmin Explorer web portal. These are fixed messages each sent to a (potentially different) fixed group of recipients. All and any aspects of these messages can only be altered via the web portal. Once set on the web you sync to your device either via USB or via the app on your phone / Bluetooth. You can send as many of these preset messages as you like at no extra charge. You can choose to include a location link within them.

Bespoke messages

Each message is up to 160 characters. These can be composed on the unit if you really have to and have a lot of patience (it has only four buttons) or are more readily composed on your phone then relayed via Bluetooth to the inReach and then up into the deep dark reaches of space. You can choose to include a location link with your message if you wish.

The cost of bespoke messages and location pings depends on the level of subscription you decide to pay for. Each subscription package includes some complimentary messages / pings and then you pay per message / ping after that. Since these costs will likely change with time best that you look here on the Garmin site for more information. This third party video is good too.

Both outgoing and incoming messages count towards your quota and will cost you once this quota has been exceeded. (Currently £0.50 / message).

Once you message someone, they can message you back.

Weather information

You can pay to have a weather forecast sent to you, it is multi-day forecast and can be standard or premium. I didn’t use these services so cannot comment. I arranged for Mrs W to send me a summary of the MWIS mountain forecast every other day. This service proved excellent!

Web portal configuration

This is very important as the settings on the portal will determine what your audience will see and what functions they will have available to them. You share a URL with them of the form https://share.garmin.com/xxxxxx. You can password protect the page if you wish and choose whether you want it to be possible for friends to message you from here. But note that you pay for incoming messages too.

On the portal you input your emergency contact information (two people). Via the app, you can populate a contacts list with their mobile / email details, these can be easily imported from your phone’s address book.

Costs

Again, look at the Garmin site for up-to-date costs, but their model has three levels of package further split into whether you opt for a monthly or an annual plan, so six options in total. There is an annual subscription fee too which is lower for an annual plan than a monthly plan. One thing that was not clear on their website is that if you buy a month’s usage this appears not to be 30 days, or from the Xth to the Xth of the month, but is instead for the calendar month. Worth noting if you plan to use it in the early part of the month, don’t subscribe until the 1^st of the month at the earliest

I would suggest however that you would want to be able to familiarise yourself with the unit and check you can configured the settings on the web portal correctly before you head off into the wild and allow 2-3 days for this before you first use such a device.

Final thoughts

I’ve written this review after my first use of such a device, but it was a very comprehensive eight day trial – it was used ‘in anger’ so to speak. I could not fault it for either ease of use, robustness or battery life. From what I’ve read the Mini 2 has an easier interface and slightly longer battery life than the Mini 1. Mrs W was greatly reassured to be able to track me and get “I’m OK” messages at the start / end of the day and at each rest stop. This was the longest and most remote wild walk I’ve done so far and I was concerned I’d start to feel lonely after 4-5 days, but thanks to knowing I could communicate from absolutely anywhere (and you can send / receive messages from inside a tent without an issue) was probably a major reason behind this not being the case.

The subscription is relatively expensive at £35 pa plus £35 per month used (middle level plan) but if it facilitates an adventure, as it did for me, it feels well worth the cost. My original plan was to sell the unit straight after my trip (cheaper than rental according to my sums) but rental is an option. However Mrs W has asked me to keep hold of it, so there’s a commendation right there.

Dales Superhighway – a four day wild walk

Whilst out on a family amble I discovered that our route formed part of the Dales Highway. The section we were walking from Stainforth to Faizor was very attractive, so I looked into details for the whole route. It runs for 90 miles from Saltaire to Appleby-in-Westmoorland. The low level section at the Southern end was not of interest to me, but the route it took through the Yorkshire Dales and over the Howgills looked inspired so I planned a four day section from Settle to Appleby which had the practical benefit of a train station at both ends making this a logistically easy linear walk. Having completed this I would suggest that if you are interested in the ‘hill section’ as I was then a better option still would be to terminate your walk at Newbiggin-on-Lune where you can get a regular bus to the train station at Kirby Lonsdale and from there, the train back to Settle. Read on to find out why…

Day 1 – Settle to Simon Fell (12.2 miles, 740 m)

One reason why I prefer the Dales for my winter walks is that the underlying geology means it is mostly free of much mud underfoot irrespective of recent rainfall. The first section along the Ribble was an exception to this. It seems to be a very popular route for local dog walkers. However I was soon at Stainforth Force and I was blessed with sunshine, the prospect of a dry path and excellent views just minutes ahead of me.

I love the limestone formations of Smearsett and Pot Scar which you see on the path to Faizor.

I ate my lunch overlooking Austwick Brook Dub, a pool in the brook which used to be used to wash sheep free of parasites in Spring and Autumn. Those farmers wresting sheep in chest deep cold water must have been hardy men indeed!

After lunch I came to another lovely section walking next to limestone pavement with Pen-Y-Ghent as the backdrop.

I enjoyed the solitude whilst I could as 90 minutes later I was on the eroded motorway which is the ‘Three Peaks’ route up to Ingleborough. Whilst I find this the least attractive approach to this hill, it was a price worth paying for the route thus far, and the prospect of camping on Simon Fell, a satellite peak to Ingleborough itself. The cloud started to close in as I approached the top and whist I enjoyed views on arrival, I was enrobed in cloud by the time I got the tent pitched so have no pictures of the pitch on night one. Had it been the summer I would have headed to Park Fell to be undisturbed.

Day 2 – Simon Fell to Dent (12.9 miles, 500 m)

Whilst I awoke in the cloud, after striking camp I did not have to descend too far to be free of the cloud and to find that it was Ingleborough alone in wearing a flat cap of cumulous. The rest of the area was in bright sunshine. This afforded a wonderful view of Whernside.

The official route does not take you over the top, but it was too good a day to skip the summit. At the top the remnants of the previous week’s snow where still in evidence.  It was very windy on high ground so I simply kept walking on and skipped lunch. The route through the Whernside Tarns was attractive but then it was  a slog along the stony track that leads down into Dent Dale. However, the walk along the river into the village was very pleasant once again. I arrived unfashionably early so opted for shelter, warmth and a liquid lunch in my favourite of Dent’s two pubs.

The morning had been a mixture of bright sun and total cloud cover, but the late afternoon was wholly warm and glorious when out of the wind. I pitched myself in the campsite (hands up! I didn’t wild camp every night) and enjoyed my book until an hour before dinner when I once again retreated to the Sun Inn. They had Tiffin Gold from Kirkby Stephen brewery which was tasty, moorish and nicely session-able at 3.6% ABV. I was back in the tent and asleep by just after 8pm, such is winter backpacking. Today had really felt like a holiday.

Day 3 – Dent to West Fell : Howgills (12.6 miles, 740 m)

This was to be the best day. I started walking at 0830 and was greeted by warm sunshine.

My route would take me via Sedbergh. You might imagine that the path would follow the same route as The Pennine Journey, which I completed in 2019, but this is not the case. I was soon walking new ground with the Highway living up to it’s name and leaving the river earlier and heading over the ridge between Dentdale and Garsdale at a higher point. I loved leaving tarmac and rocky tracks behind and also the early panorama of the Howgills.

One major highlight over my overall route was that I would be crossing the whole of the Howgill ‘range’ from South to North and seeing them set out before me whetted my appetite.

I had thought that the climb up to Calders would be hard work, but in my minds eye the peak seemed far closer to Sedbergh that it is in truth. The reality is that it is a steady walk which is not over steep. There was not a cloud in the sky which was wonderful, but don’t be mistaken into thinking it was warm.  The wind was a steady 30-35 mph and finding any shelter for lunch was a challenge. Thankfully, just before the final climb to Calders I was able to sit in the lea of a small hummock to eat my lunch. I rued the lack of drystone walls which are myriad in the Dales. Once fed I needed to press on to keep warm given the windchill. My route took me over the Calf, shortly after which I was able to collect water, but I had to break the ice at the edge of the tarn to access it.

The hills of the Howgills are not dramatic like those of Western Cumbria, nor do they have the limestone features of the Dales but something about them appeals to me, perhaps it is simply because they are different. One thing for sure is that they offer very little by way of shelter from the wind.

The Calf (676 m)

After passing the Calf I had the fells to myself and I enjoyed romping along and drinking in the views as I headed for the most northerly top, called West Fell, which my research suggested would be a good place to camp. The wind remained strong and steady, the forecast told me it was not expected to rise overnight and it was evidently free of gusts. I know from my first test camp in the Soulo  that it was easily capable of handling this wind speed (Force 7) , but I was glad of the quality of the mountain forecast which I reviewed before choosing which tent to bring. When I got to my planned pitching point the ground was level but once again there was no hint of shelter. Looking further down the path towards Bowderdale suggested the ground was mostly soft and uneven for the next section. Soft ground is no good if you want your pegs to hold. (I found out the next day that my judgement was sound, there were no good camping spots further down on West Fell.)

All the guys out and double pegged – Hilleberg Soulo

It was a really lovely evening if you discount the wind. Using what I had learned over the past four years of wild camping made what could have been a difficult tent pitch something controlled and reasonable. My top tip is to always double peg / back stake your first two peg placements. I had a great view over the smaller North Eastern Howgills but was not blessed with an ‘Instagram Ready’ sunset on this occasion. I knew I had to be setting off at 0730 the following morning so after dinner and finishing my book it was soon time for sleep. The buffeting of the wind must have been what woke me every two hours, but in between I slept soundly enjoying the juxtaposition of the strength of the wind and the warmth and security of my shelter.

Day 4 – West Fell to Great Asby (11 miles, 140 m)

Whilst it proved a wet day, the intensity and frequency of the showers were far lighter than the forecast suggested. Sunbiggin Tarn is beautiful in the sunshine, less so in the clag. Day four was a massive anticlimax after days 1-3. Should you be following in my footsteps I would suggest finishing this route at Newbiggin and on a high. There is a regular bus from there to the train at Kirby Stephen.

But I don’t want to end this report on a low point…

Final thoughts.

The route which the Dales Highway takes through the Dales and the Howgills is really attractive and I enjoyed these days immensely. I’ve wanted the opportunity to camp on Simon or Park Fell for a couple of years, and starting from Settle makes either of these an ideal endpoint. Water can be gathered high up on the route to this ridge meaning you don’t have to carry it very far. I didn’t get a prolonged view but it was super whilst it lasted. It was fun to put my five season tent to good use and take advantage of elevated camp spots, especial night three in the Howgills. Having the map open whilst I write this has given me ideas to enhance this route still further for those who are happy to wild camp to take advantage of route options unfettered by having to reach fixed accommodation. I now have in mind an amended route, a ‘Superhighway’ if you like.  Once it’s complete I’ll publish here for comment.

Inversion – a two wild walk via the summit of Fountains Fell

I was beginning to feel the winter blues drift into my airspace so Mrs W suggested it would be good for me to get out for a wild walking weekend. It has been a while since I was last out.  The first thing to check was the mountain weather forecast; this showed something rather unusual. A cloud inversion was expected in the Yorkshire Dales for the whole weekend. Foggy in the valleys but clear blue skies were to be expected on higher ground. Another impact of this is that the usual reduction in temperature with altitude scenario is reversed, with it warmer on the tops of the peaks than down in the valley. The dichotomy of sitting indoors looking out at the fog vs. walking on fell tops bathed in sunshine was enough to rouse my lacklustre enthusiasm. The route I chose is shown below:

The elevated moorland between Ribblesdale and Airedale only rises to 400-550 metres, but this was enough. As soon as I reached 360 m, I punched through the cloud into warm sunshine. Whilst it makes meteorological sense, it is still an odd feeling to walk out of the top of a cloud and suddenly feel a whole lot warmer. The precise height of the top of the cloud had not been forecast, it was just said to be ‘well below 700 m’ so there was a chance that I may not have been clear of the cloud until I was on my way up Fountains Fell. Walking up into the sunshine really lifted my spirits. I’d walked this section of path before and remembered the impressive limestone crags to the North of the path and was jubilant to see them again in glorious sunshine.

My route took me to Malham Tarn and joining the Pennine Way around the Tarn before starting the gentle climb to the top of Fountains Fell.

You have to divert off of the footpath to get to the actual summit which is about 700m SW of the highpoint of the footpath – unsurprisingly many had made this diversion before me. I knew from a review of Geograph photos that some flat level ground lay just to the West of the summit. Here I would like to plug Geograph to anyone planning a camping enhanced wild walk. Details on a 1:25k OS map are really helpful in shortlisting good spots to camp, but the pictures, they speak louder still.

To my delight there was a nice level rock free spot right next to the summit cairn which allowed me to orientate my tent to have a view of both Pen-Y-Ghent and the possibility of a sunset over the top of the cloud inversion which was filling Ribblesdale (Yorkshire), the Ribble Valley (Lancashire) and its tributaries.

After harvesting water from a small rivulet near the summit, it was time to get my legs into my sleeping bag and split my time between reading my book and drinking in the view. Because I’d started at sunrise and managed a fine pace I was fully set up a good 45 minutes before sunset. The sun was setting behind the cloud inversion thus it was not possible to take any pictures until it was kissing the horizon. After that words fail me, so I’ll leave it to a slideshow of how the colours changed over the next hour.

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My bladder woke me at 0230 but I opened my sleepy eyes to an unexpectedly bright light. I wondered if it was a torch but no, it was an extremely bright full moon! At 0630 it was time to make a brew and get packed up for a rather longer second day. I figured I’d rather walk the final stretch to the car (day 2) in the dark than pitch a tent in the dark in an unfamiliar location (day 1) so I started my walk from Langcliffe rather than Stainforth. In the summer I’d start from Stainforth to even the distance to 14 miles each day. I left my summit camp just as the sun bobbed above the Eastern horizon. First stop was Pen-Y-Ghent.

From there I headed to the Western Side of the Horton Road (B6479). The limestone scars between Horton and Wharf looked inviting on the map. Here I have to confess to a navigational inexactitude. I kept following a well trodden path that stopped being the true footpath. I only noticed this as it faded out one kilometre into my error. The valley into which I should have headed to was filled with cloud / fog and I was already a long way off of my route so I thought I’d continue around the edge of the scar tops, enjoy the fine view and then hope to find a gentle slope down to the Wharf road.

The map suggested to me that SD790, 700 looked a promising point to lose height, and indeed it was. I would not, however, recommend this to others due to a lack of convenient gates in the drystone walls that I needed to cross. The path free route I took across the tops was not arduous (deep heather often is, but this was not deep nor the ground uneven), was very attractive and legal as open access land. Had time been on my side, it would have been better to continue to Moughton Nab (SD798, 697) and pick up the footpath down to the road.

After this, the rest of the day is what I’d class as a ‘walk out’ – something to be done quickly to finish the day. I’d really enjoyed climbing Pen-Y-Ghent and seeing all the limestone formations. It was time for a swift pint then to drive home. Here I should give a shout out to the landlord of the Craven Heifer at Stainforth who keeps his beers extremely well and who poured me as good an example of Thwaites IPA as I’ve ever had. It’s not a modern style IPA, but still the hop oils shone through very nicely.