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.

Berwickshire Coast Path – Two day ‘fast & light’ walk

The Berwickshire Coastal path runs from Berwick upon Tweed to Cockburnspath covering a distance of 30 miles. Despite walking along the top of impressive cliffs, which would not look out of place on the Cornish coast, the total height gain (for the whole route) is a modest 900 meters according to my map (1060 meters if you trust Wikipedia). I walked the path ‘fast and light’ over two days. My aim was to walk from Berwick to Coldingham Bay on Day One then to Cockburnspath on Day Two. In my case I overshot my proposed end point on the first day and camped instead just shy of St Abbs Head.  This proved a far nicer spot for a wild camp. One of the practical appeals of this path is that Dunbar is just a modest bus ride (28 min) from Cockburnspath making it straight forwards to get a fast train (25 min) back to Berwick should you have parked there, as I had, or onwards to home if you have used public transport all the way. Buses only currently run this route on weekdays, so I had to take a taxi to Dunbar as I did the walk over a weekend.

Conclusion

The path had been recommended to me as “Cornwall without all the people” with which I concur. I thoroughly enjoyed all but the final 20% of the route. It is pleasingly dramatic, far more so than the Northumbrian coast path which I walked in 2021. Where I to walk in this area again, I would combine the best of both paths and start from Beal (Opposite Lindisfarne) and walk to Oatley Hill, itself ca. 2 miles beyond St Abbs head. Some of the most impressive cliffs are to be found in this ‘final’ two mile stretch and are thus not to be missed. The official route then becomes less attractive as it takes a big dive inland, and in composed of a tidy bit of road walking interspersed by very muddy fields.

The Details

Day 1 – Berwick-upon-Tweed to just shy of St Abb’s Head (17 miles, 450 m height gain)

I had driven to Berwick the previous evening and slept in the van on a back street not far from the Railway Station. This enabled me to get an early start and enjoy the best weather of the day. I was soon at the coast

The first part of the path is pleasant rather than dramatic, but the sky was clear and blue and it was early enough for no one else to be around so I revelled at being out in the sunshine. Just over five miles brought me to the Scottish border.

From this point on, knowing that I had the freedom to wild camp almost anywhere was liberating. Soon engineering marvels outdid the natural splendour as the path ran right next to the East Coast Main Line.

As you come level with Catcairn Bushes, just before you depart from being directly next to the railway, there is a flattish area protruding into the sea (NT 967,595) perfect for a wild camp and a good place to stop on the amended route I mentioned above. Water could easily be collected en route from one of a number of taps at the static caravan park passed three miles prior to this point. From here the path wiggles down to an unusual coastal hamlet – Burnmouth – which is built right under the cliffs and a stone’s throw from the sea.

The character of this little settlement really reminded me of the fictional village of Greystone in Ann Cleeves novel “The Raging Storm”, where the detective and his team are cut off in the village by wild seas. I could very much see that happening here in Burnmouth too. At this point you leave the railway well behind and enjoy some splendid cliff architecture all the way into the small fishing town of Eyemouth.

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The bronze sculpture is a memorial to the loss of 129 fisherman and 20 boats in a great storm of October 1881. It depicts the widows and bairns looking out to sea mourning the loss of their husbands and fathers.

In Eyemouth I can recommend The Ship PH if you feel the need of zymological refreshment. For me, it was a chance to shelter from a strengthening wind and open out my map and plan the rest of the day. I was so far ahead of plan that I wanted to locate an alternative camping spot another 2-3 miles past my proposed end point.

This next section was also very picturesque…

Once I was past the village of St Abbs I started to look for a pitch for the night. The wind was now very strong and my shelter for the night only good for winds up to around 30 mph. I needed to find somewhere that would offer some protection. There were some beautiful exposed pitches which I would have used with a more storm worthy tent, or on a calmer evening. However, I found a lovely sheltered pitch in the lea of Wuddy Rocks within sight and smell of the white topped waves of the North Sea.

This is the third two day walk I’ve done with my Nordisk Lofoten. To call it a tent is something of an exaggeration, it is the antithesis of the Tardis in that it is actually far smaller than it looks in the photo! However, it is far more comfortable, dry and warm than any tarp or bivvy shelter that I have ever seen or used. And, at 600g, including a polycro footprint, proper pegs and all the guys (not all of which are included in the advertised weight of 490 g), it is lighter than any of these less satisfactory shelters. Indeed, I am coming to love it for walks like this one. The fact that lying down was my only option did not seem a hardship after walking 17 miles along the coast with a 9 kg pack. Half an hour after finishing my dinner, I was ready for sleep.

Day 2 – St Abb’s Head to Cockburnspath (12 miles, 420 m height gain)

A early night (asleep before 8pm) allowed for an early start, and I was walking away at sunrise. After around 10 minutes I was greeted by the St Abb’s Head lighthouse.

The next 2 ½ miles were the most attractive of the whole walk.

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It was then a shame that the path headed inland. I missed a trick by not taking a diversion to Fast Castle which, on seeing pictures afterwards, I would recommend to anyone walking this route. It takes five miles to get back to the coast again and it is well worth stopping to look back at the cliffs you don’t get to walk along – albeit with some sense of regret on my part.

There is significant history attached to this stretch of cliffs and the geological story which they tell. James Hutton (1726-1797), often referred to as the Father of Modern Geology, found evidence to support one of his key geological theories by examination of the cliffs around Siccar Point. He would have been a controversial character at the time, as one of his conclusions was that the sedimentary rocks seen in these cliffs must, at one time, have been on the sea bed. The processes of their formation and now elevation, he reasoned, was evidence for the earth being far, far older than the 6,000 year age held to by the Christian church of the time. A Scottish Galileo?

The penultimate mile was by far the most slippery (muddy) of the whole path and should be very pleasant in the summer, but not in early Spring! Then it was time to say goodbye to the coast and to my walk as I headed under the railway, then the A1 and into Cockburnspath.

As I sat in the excellent Station Yard micro-pub, opposite Dunbar station, I was able to reflect on what an fantastic two days it had been, and ponder what I would recommend to myself and others who look to try out this walk in the future – vida supra.

Addendum

If you opt to change this walk to my suggestion of from Beal to Oatley Hill, you could then retrace your steps back to St Abbs, take a bus to Berwick-upon-Tweed and then change for a second bus to Beal (link to 477) both of which are currently quick journeys by bus standards. At time of writing, both of these bus routes run seven days.

Alternative Yorkshire Three Peaks – A two day wild walk

In a repeat of my good fortune in Scotland in May I struck lucky with the weather for this two day walk, taking in three of the biggest peaks in the Yorkshire Dales. More than lucky, I felt blessed as this outing surpassed all of the (often excellent) walks I’ve experienced in the Dales since first going there as an student in the early 90’s. I wanted to include some scenic paths which I’d enjoyed in the past (see here and here) and thus whilst I did climb the expected Pen-y-Ghent and Ingleborough, I substituted Whernside for Fountains Fell. The latter offers fabulous views of the lesser visited side of Pen-y-Ghent as well as a commanding view down the Ribble Valley to Pendle. My route is shown below; I chose to start from Langscar Gate because in theory this would give me a great wild camping pitch at the half way point.

The underlying character of the Dales with it’s limestone outcrops and pavements was perfectly complimented by sublime winter light which gave a vibrancy to the colours of the flora and fabulous definition to the shapes of the hills because of the precision of the shadows. Thus I will seek to let my photographs do most of the talking.

Day 1 Plan : Langscar Gate to Park Fell – 17 miles / 930 m HG [ Actual finish at SD 81,76 so 14 miles / ca. 630 m HG ]

Because I needed to collect my car from a local garage before setting off I was later getting under way that was ideal, starting to walk at 0915. This walk was designed to be walked ‘fast and light’ in the summer and this was the end of November, so I got a wiggle on.

The reflection of the sky in Malham Tarn was a vibrant blue

The wind was biting on top of Fountains Fell so I only stopped for quick photo of the cairns and the view over to Old Cote Moor and Buckden Pike.

Soon I could see the peaks which would define the rest of my day, Pen-y-Ghent and the Ingleborough / Park Fell ridge.

The view from Silverdale was of picture postcard quality. I had my lunch in the lee of a wall at the foot of the main climb up the South end of Pen-y-Ghent.

It was fresh and clear on the top, but I needed to press on.  Today’s route towards Ribblehead / the foot of Park Fell was new to me. Had it not been frozen solid this would have been a very boggy path indeed. Should I walk this route again I will take the slightly longer route via Pennine Way path which has been ‘improved’. The light was now starting to fail and I needed to decide if it was wise to ascent Park Fell and look for a camping pitch in the dark. The alternative being to stop early and extend Day Two. I knew that the end of Day Two traced the Pennine Bridleway so should be easy to follow (in the dark) so I found a suitably hidden pitch next to Brown Gill Beck. I was too close to farm buildings really, but it was rough ground rather than pasture. Pitching 20 minutes after sunset and leaving at dawn meant no one came to move me on. The view of Park Fell, where I should have been camping, was beautiful in the moonlight.

Upon reflection I still believe I made the correct choice.

Day 2 Plan : Back to Langscar Gate – 18 miles / 910 m HG [Actual 22 miles / ca. 1210 m HG]

I had hoped to hit the trail at 0730 but having cold hands slowed down my packing somewhat. There was some cloud cover but within an hour this was clearing. 1 cm of snow had fallen in the night. Sadly I didn’t get a picture of my tent with its frosting of snow, but here it is on a warmer morning.

I was attempting to walk ‘fast and light’ acheiving a pack weight of just 10 kg inc. food and water – not bad for winter gear – by use of my ‘new’ micro-tent. Previously I have used a tarp for fast and light walks, but there is no way I would have slept under a tarp with temperatures dropping to -2 C – factoring in windchill an effective -8 C.  However I slept very comfortably in the Lofoten with the outer open in tarp mode (see picture above) all night and was nicely protected from the effects of the wind. For 1-2 night fast and light adventures I am coming to love my this micro-tent. At a real world weight of 590 g it’s lighter than an ultralight tarp and accessories and has proven far quicker to pitch and much more weather resistant and comfortable to sleep within.  It is small though, and is best viewed as a luxury hooped bivvy rather than a tent.

As I set off walking, I soon saw views towards Whernside which were out of this world.

The sharp shadows cast my the low sun made the texture of the fields below Park Fell stand out.

The four mile ridge from Park Fell to Ingleborough was cold because it was in shadow and I regretted not packing my micro-spikes as some sections of path were solid ice where streams had frozen.

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The walk into Wharf and on into Faizor then Stainforth is a favourite of mine and forms part of the Dales Highway which I enjoyed walking two winters ago.

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Arriving in Stainforth I had two potential plans (i) To stop in the pub for a swift pint then get a taxi for the last 7 miles (having already walked fifteen) or (ii) to get my head-torch ready and enjoy a night hike. I chose option 2.

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I got to the car at 1830, 90 minutes after last light, warm, full of joy and gratitude but with rather sore feet after 22 miles over ice hardened ground.

Epilogue.

If you haven’t guessed already I loved this walk, it is one I am sure to repeat. Clearly it would be better walked in the summer because of the need of a minimum of ten hours of sunlight each day.  That said, the quality of the winter light on the residual autumn colours (grass vs bracken vs limestone vs frost) was absolutely sublime. I plan to walk this again next winter but split it up as 3 x ca. 12-13 mile days and allow extra time to do things like go to the trig point on Fountains Fell for it’s views down Ribblesdale. Perhaps drop my kit and horse it up to the trig point of Smearsett Scar and similar fun additions. It would be good to finally camp on Park Fell too, after now two failed attempts.

Nordisk Lofoten (ongoing review) – a fell side test night with beautiful skies.

There are three spots on Pendle where I like to enjoy an overnight micro-adventure. One is good for storm testing, one is ideal when I go up with Junior and then there is a small flat ledge at 440 m which has the best view, but has only just enough space for a solo tent.

No one in the UK can have missed what a wet year it has been. So whilst I continue to wait for a dry weekend for an autumnal wild walk, I saw the forecast of a sunny afternoon, with rain only during the wee hours. I wanted both some head-space and the chance to test out my new micro-tent, a Nordisk Lofoten so I packed a bag and headed out after tea. For my detailed preliminary review of this micro tent, click here.

The Lofoten is best thought of as a luxury hooped bivvy rather than a tent, so some experience is required to know how to best work with it given that it is not tall enough (70 cm) to sit up within. There are a number of micro-tents on the market now from Nordisk, Terra Nova and Vango, but that which is easiest to pitch and has the smallest pack size is the Lofoten. All these ‘tents’ are side entry, which when you compare to a hooped bivvy has a range of advantages:

• Easier to get into / out from
• Much less claustrophobic
• A porch to store your boots and waterproofs within
• Better views of your surroundings.
• Space to get dressed (with a free yoga session thrown in!)

A game changing feature of the Lofoten is being able to use the door as a tarp which gives you covered space to cook under, so long as the wind is not too strong (≤ 20-25 mph).

Additionally, it has a pole sleeve for the main pole and not Velcro tabs so it is far far easier and quicker to pitch. It was great just to sit out of the wind (in the open porch) and enjoy seeing the sun set and the lights of the town start to illuminate.

The sky would not have won photographic prizes, but together with the peace and isolation of altitude that half hour was music for my soul.

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So what did I learn about my new micro-tent?

• Pitched with the correct orientation to the wind it was much more capable than I imagined. The wind was rather stronger than I was expecting, gusting to around 35 mph at 0200. (In future I would seek a sheltered pitch if winds above 25 mph were forecast, had the wind swung around to ‘side on’ it could have been a different story)
• The combination of heavy rain and driving wind did not lead to any water ingress.
• Even though the temperature dipped to 9 C and I had the door fully closed, the catenary cut of the fly looks to work, as I had zero condensation.
• It is much easier to enter, exit and get dressed within than under a tarp.
• The porch could accommodate my boots, waterproofs and a 40 L pack, so long as I was prepared to store the pack on my exit route and move each time I wanted to get in / out. Had my pitch not been sloping L2R I could have reduced the width of the inner (it is designed to do this) and given myself more porch space. This is the first night I have closed the door and I was pleasantly surprised with the size of the porch – yes it is petite, but it is not Lilliputian!
• I could pack up everything other than my Thermarest without getting out of the tent or opening the door.

Questions which still need to be addressed:

• How to manage the challenges of entry and exit in heavy rain (I have a plan, but will it work?)
• Limits to the weather conditions which would allow you to use the door in ‘tarp mode’ and thus have a covered cooking area.
• When will there be a dry enough weekend to facilitate a two day wild walk I the Dales without the tops being obscured by cloud?!?

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.

Tarp camping – my verdict…

After playing in the back garden over the summer to look at pitching and bug net options I’ve taken my tarp out for its maiden voyage. Because I didn’t know if tarp camping would be something I would enjoy I chose to buy a tarp second hand and accessorize it as cheaply as possible. Buying second hand meant taking what I could find, which in this case was a Hilleberg Tarp 5.

Regular A-frame

The prevailing advice with tarp camping is to start with something large and then only once you have some experience move to something more minimal in covered area. My experience thus far suggests that this is sound advice, it’s just that I opted not to take it! In my earlier post I covered the conceptional pro’s and con’s of tarp camping and busted a few myths along the way; So, how did these ideas measure up in a real world two night wild walk you ask? Read on…

For my first tarp camping trip I chose to use it for my shelter on a three day walk along the Lancashire Way.

What did I discover?

Positives

• The Tarp 5 only weights 320 g inc. guylines.  400 g when you include the pegs.
• Having a roof over you provides reassurance and is far nicer than using a bivvy bag.
• A tarp can hold out wind blown rain if pitched correctly vs. the wind.

However I’ve taken an unconventional approach to pitching in the wind, treating my tarp like a tent if it looks like it is going to rain. Normally you’d need a shaped tarp to do this but I’ve designed a foot end panel which should offer the best of both designs. More of this below.

The tarp & pegs are all in the red Aiguille pocket nearest to the camera

• I loved the low volume of the tarp and associated kit

• My low cost bug mesh solution worked very well.

• Very satisfying in the rain

• The light weight and low volume facilitated a great walk allowing for 16-18 miles / day.

Negatives

• The covered area in which you can sit to cook in the rain is very limited.

Not sure if this is going to be a problem as whilst I experienced heavy rain, this was only after I’d finished cooking and eating.

• Didn’t really feel that extra connection to the environment

But that may well have been due to the short daylight hours and me being too tired to do more than pitch, eat then sleep. One aim of this walk was to break a period of insomnia – which wonderfully it did.

• A tent is a lot more comfortable in the mornings

It is warmer to get dressed in, especially if the heat of brewing-up is captured which takes the edge off the chill when you are getting dressed.

• The lower amount of headroom of a tarp makes getting undressed / redressed a challenge vs. my experience of a tent.

My accessories – how did they work?

My bug net solution was comfortable and kept me insect free. For me comfort and convenience comes ahead of price, but at £20 the Sea to Summit Mosquito Pyramid Net, paired with an old footprint (groundsheet protector) felt almost as convenient as a purpose made bug tent costing considerably more. Adding a hand-sized loop of climbing cord to one of the front pegging points made for an easily visible and accessible handle to give a route in and out of the netting.

The really pleasing addition was the end panel which I designed and a friend made for me.

Whilst I know that the design could be improved on, I experienced winds of around 25 mph and rain at 1.5 mm / hr for a few hours and remained wholly dry. It is true that some rain blew through the obvious gaps but because my feet / legs were in the centre they remained fully protected. This is something to be aware with a tarp; rain will be driven under the sides for a short distance and this is why tarps are very wide compared to a tent. The extra overhang ensures that the core area remains dry. Rather like a porch or veranda on a house.

Titanium pegs

I wouldn’t trust these on a guy line, but there were perfect for pinning down the groundsheet and only 2 grams a piece.

The ultimate test – will I go tarp camping again?

Updated Sept 23 – When I originally wrote this post I thought I would use the tarp for a multi-day walk again and indeed I did.  I used it on a 5 day stretch of the Offa’s Dyke Path in Aug-23 in mixed weather.  It proved excellent at keeping me and my kit dry during periods of significant overnight rain.  It was not what I’d describe as comfortable however.  Whilst it performed excellently against driving rain, on cooler days or when I found myself in the cloud it just didn’t seem possible to block out the cool wind and so I had to climb into my sleeping bag even at 4pm.  You might reasonably say that this price of travelling ultra-light.  After all such tactics are required for winter backpacking / wild walking.

What I loved about the tarp was it’s ultra small pack volume, allowing me to walk for 3 days with a 35 L pack and up to 6 days with only a 40 L pack.  Smaller packs are not just lighter but also physically smaller, giving you a sense of being unencumbered.  I love that.  So after a lot of research and conversations with ultra-light enthusiasts I bought what I’d term a ‘micro-tent’ which offers much better wind protection, a faster pitch and is amazingly over 100 g lighter than the tarp and it’s necessary accessories.   It is thus under half the weight of my normal solo tent (Hilleberg Enan, 1200 g).

This new shelter is a Nordisk Lofoten 1, which right now I’ve only used for a handful of single night ‘test nights’ which form the basis of a preliminary review.

Solo Tent – Enan

Micro Tent – Lofoten

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…two tents, same location – had I pitched them side by side you would see that not only is the Lofoten about half the width, it is also 30 cm less tall.

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The Lofoten is an upgraded experience vs the tarp and should be compared against a tarp, or more accurately a hooped bivvy. It will not replace my Enan for > 3 day walks or fell top wild camping but this was never the aim.

Hilleberg Soulo – long term review.

If you’ve watched any wild camping video’s on YouTube you will be familiar with the Hilleberg Soulo, as alongside the Tarptent Scarp 1 it is one of the two most popular solo tent designs which feature. I’ve now used mine through two winter seasons.

Why did I buy one?

I returned to backpacking in 2017 after a 25 year gap and was drawn back by Alastair Humphreys descriptions of micro-adventures and by wanting to explore the Forest of Bowland after seeing an enticing track wiggle up into the hills. After a couple of years of weekend walking / wild camping adventures from Spring to Autumn, I decided I wanted to expand my rediscovered hobby into winter and to be able to camp on fell tops in the coldest or wildest of weathers.

Space (4/5)

There is a good area of excellent headroom in the tent thanks to it’s semi-geodesic design, I am 5’ 11” and am very comfortable. The length of the inner leaves space for your next days clothes at your feet and the steep side walls means that when you are sleeping there is plenty of space above your head even at the end of the tent. In strong winds my preference is to sleep with my head at the leeward end where the slope of my pitch allows this.  The pentagonal footprint leaves good space next to the middle of your sleeping pad for a book, map, torch, water etc. There is a single pocket for watch, phone, matches and the like. The porch is just about big enough for all my wet gear and cooking stuff.  For me the ideal porch space is 0.7 m² per person and the Soulo offers 0.6 m². The steep walls of the fly do mean you can make the most of this space and the other features of the tent make this sacrifice acceptable.

I would not want to spend more than a week in a tent of this size, but I doubt I’d ever go on a solo walk of longer than four days in conditions that justified such a design. For base camp use, I would choose something larger.

Ease of pitching (4/5)

The Soulo is easy to pitch, but having three poles means it it takes 10-15 min to get set up, 15-20 min if it’s really blowing a hoolie.  The poles are attached to the fly with clips with a short sleeve at the base of each pole.  This design aids pitching in strong winds as you can firmly fix the base then gradually pitch the fly higher up each pole in turn. One very big plus is that it goes up ‘all in one’ which means once the fly is pitched, the job is complete. Having a fly first, or ‘all in one’ pitch design seems essential (to me) if you are planning to use your tent in extreme weather. In today’s market place the large majority of tents pitch inner first which is not want you want in a tent for the 4^th season.

One thing I learnt on my first ‘foul conditions’ trial was to double peg the first two peg placements – for more info click here. You don’t actually need extra pegs for this, as once you have the geminal points pinned down and a couple of guys in place you have spread the load over 8 pegs and can remove the ‘doubles’ for use on the remaining guy lines. If you are planning on pitching at above Force 6 having a few extra pegs is wise anyway.

Another thing I learned was to mark up the windward end pegging points with some bright cord so it’s easy to know which end is which in wild pitching conditions. The porch has a fixed and an opening section and in bad weather you’ll want the fixed section at the windward end.

All the guys out and double pegged – High winds on the Howgills

The Soulo comes with 12 guy lines, six sets of two. However it is only supplied with enough pegs to mean that by design you peg each pair of guys to one peg. The weak point of a guy is usually the peg placement and unless you are willing to carry the extra pegs you might as well remove some of the lower guy lines in my view. I have removed four (to save weight and to simplify) as for single night use in even poor conditions I can only see the point of having double guys at the windward end. I carry extra pegs so I have one per guy.

Weather worthiness (5/5)

Trusty Soulo after a cold night

This is where the Soulo is in a league of it’s own. So far I’ve used use it in very strong winds, heavy rain, driving horizontal rain, low temperatures (down to -6 C) and on very poor ground. I’ve spent a relaxed, warm, dry and secure night in each case. The only ‘4^th season’ condition I’ve not tested it in is heavy snow fall. The covered high level vent keeps out spindrift and the heaviest of rain, so long as that rain isn’t horizontal. The semi-geodesic design should be easily strong enough for a high snow load.  When I did have horizontal rain and had to close the vent, the wind coming under the (down to the ground) fly was enough to prevent any condensation.

Ventilation / Condensation (3 / 5)

This is the one weakness of the Soulo. In colder weather, unless you have a moderate wind ( > ca. 15 mph)  wind you will suffer moderate levels of condensation on the fly. In sub zero conditions I’ve had small amounts of ice on the inner tent too. For me this has never been more than an inconvenience and extra weight to carry the next day. However, for some users condensation is a real issue, to the point of their sleeping bag getting wet. Perhaps I respire less water overnight than average, or maybe I have less of an issue because I never pitch my Soulo in a sheltered position on a cold night?  One of the inner doors can be zipped open to reveal a mesh panel to aid ventilation of the inner, I always have this partly open.

If you want a tent which will keep out wind blown snow you will have to have a flysheet that comes down to the ground, in the past snow skirts were also used. This is almost certain to lead to condensation in a (low volume) solo tent. I know I see more condensation in the Soulo than my two man four season tent under comparable conditions, presumably because of the lower volume per person and thus ease of reaching the dew point. Also, two man four season tents tend to have two doors and thus a cross venting option.

My conclusions are these:

• The Soulo is a tent for the 4^th season and is not ideal to use all year round in the UK.
• I get a 5-6 C temperature differential in the Soulo in winter, higher than the 2 C differential of my Enan – this is welcome when it is below zero outside.
• You are best not to pitch the Soulo in a sheltered position, make use of the breeze to reduce condensation.

If you only feel comfortable pitching in a sheltered position and don’t want heavy condensation then a 3 season tent is probably the best choice for you. It will vent better, be lighter and usually cost less to buy. A good 3 season tent will cope with most UK conditions all year round. Only if you are fool enough to want to pitch your tent on a fell top in a gale or somewhere with heavy snow fall then the Soulo would be something to seriously consider. These are the reasons I have one and I’m when I do use it I am delighted to have it.

Footprint (Score 5 / 5)

As a solo tent which is just the right size, the footprint is small and I’ve been able to pitch the tent small spaces. Given my renewed love of wild camping this is an excellent characteristic. Also, because it is free-standing you can pitch it well on ground which is far from ideal – say on top of heather, or even somewhere you cannot use all / any of your pegs. I once used a mountain bike as my tent anchor when I pitched on volcanic ash which would simply not hold a peg securely.

Weight vs. Robustness (Score 4/5)

The Soulo is unarguably robust. In terms of design, geodesic tents are the strongest, if you push down on the roof and feel it spring back you get a good sense of this.  The materials are very strong and the construction excellent. I have the Red Label version – for an explanation of the colour system click here. A Black Label – even stronger – version is now also available. However, from my experience the only place I feel this would add value would be for group use / commercial / hire situations.

At 2.4 kg it cannot be considered a lightweight tent by today’s standards. I have carried it for 2-4 day walks, but would not want to carry it for a week. If the weather is simply cold (below -3 C is cold in my books) but not wild I’m better to carry a warmer sleep system and a three season tent as I did here. However if I am expecting strong winds for an elevated camp I am delighted to use the Soulo. It was ideal on my recent winter traverse of the Dales Highway with high elevation pitches on Ingleborough and the Howgills

Summary

If you want a totally reliable 4^th season solo tent, and you are happy to own another tent for milder conditions, the Soulo should certainly be on your shortlist.  For such a need I would always choose a geodesic / semi-geodesic / dome design – to understand why read this article. It’s not a good idea to choose a tent from it’s statistics alone, I’d always draw up a shortlist on paper then go and see these options pitched at a local stockist and have a good poke around. If I had the chance of a month’s trial ( If you are listening Terra Nova! ) with other models in place of my Soulo those I would seriously considered would be:

• Terra Nova Southern Cross 1 – total weight 1.7 kg (£600)
• Tarptent Scarpa 1 with the extra cross poles – total weight 1.9 kg (approx £620 inc. tax & duty)

I bought my first Hilleberg Tent in 2001 for a cycle tour of Iceland and was blown away by it’s quality, easy of pitching and well thought out design. They were rare in the UK back then. My original Hilleberg is still in great condition and used to this day, albeit infrequently because Mrs W is now rather less keen on camping.  In the last 20 years I’ve tried models from a number of other European makers but when it came to choosing a tent for wild walking I returned again to Hilleberg.  Whilst they are expensive (Soulo RRP is £895 at time of writing), if you plan to use your tent both frequently and to it’s limits of it’s capability I would contend that they offer excellent value.  The Soulo is not a tent for the occasional weekend on a campsite, but if you need true 4th season performance, my experience is that it does not let you down.

I’d summarise my comments by saying that the Soulo is a tent for niche applications, but within that niche it excels.

After my ‘foul conditions’ test night – Storm Bella (Force 8 gusts) on top of a local fell.

If you have found this review helpful, you might also find value in reading my other tent reviews:

• Hilleberg Enan (solo three season)
• Hilleberg Rogen (two man three season)
• Nordisk Lofoten ULW (solo ultralight three season)

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.

Overspecified but not Overheated – Hilleberg Rogen in a Heatwave

Whilst it is true that many countries see summer temperatures well in excess of that seen this July in the UK – having night time temperatures above 22 C here in Lancashire was less than fun*. Daytime temperatures of 33-34 C turned the walls of our house into a massive storage radiator too. One benefit of being a keen backpacker / wild walker is that I have a couple of tents I can opt to liberate from our hobbies cupboard. Since it has two doors and is new to me I opted to pitch my Hilleberg Rogen and sleep in the garden.

The big benefit with the Rogen is the both side of both doors / porches can be rolled back. With the mesh doors you can get then get a through draught to help to keep you cool

I bought my Rogen second hand and it came also with a ‘pole holder’ kit which allows to pitch the inner tent alone. However it was too hot to pitch, detach, then re-pitch the tent. I can see now why folks in the US prefer inner pitch tents for nights like this. However since I normally wild walk on the fells I am very happy to have an outer pitch / all in one design for most circumstances.

Of course, had I been more versatile I could have just slept under the hedge!

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*We have two challenges with high temperatures in the UK.

1. Our weather is very variable so our bodies never get time to adjust to large swings in temperature.  This variability (along with the very British desire never to talk discuss our feelings) is why the weather is a common topic of conversation.
2. Our built environment has not been designed for relative ‘extremes’ of temperature.

Hilleberg Rogen – a review

This is my initial review of the Hilleberg Rogen, a two (and a half) pole dome tent, designed for three season use by two adults. I’ve had searches set on several second had sale sites for over 18 months and finally I bagged a pre-loved Rogen which had (it was claimed) only been used once.

User Requirements Specification (URS)

No tent is perfect for all conditions and all duties, that is why there are so many designs out there. My requirement was for a light weight, yet robust, two man tent to use for mini adventures with my son (8 yrs) or when I go wild walking with a friend. It needed to be capable of handling being pitched on an exposed fell top and have enough porch space for the wet gear and rucksacks from two adults.

My personal preference (based on too many years experience) was for tent where the door was on the long side and not the short side / end as this enables you to sit up in your sleeping bag and cook. Also when you have two people it’s easier for both to sit in the doorway to admire the view. Porch space is very important to me and experience suggests to me that around 0.7 m² per person is ideal.

So how is it shaping up against my requirements?

Space (Score 5 /5)

The Rogen feels like a Tardis. Being a dome it has an excellent area of good headroom. The long sides of the inner are vertical because of the two porches and each porch is a generous 1.0 m². On a recent trip we comfortably sat three people for evening drinks, there would have been room for a couple more too. There is space for a 55 L rucksack, boots, waterproofs and cooking gear in each porch. With cooking gear put to one side each of you can enter through your own door so you can get in quickly should it be cold or raining. I’m 5’11” (180 cm) and there is 30-40 cm spare at my feet (or head) to store clothes overnight. There is a good sized pocket on each side too for phone, GPS, matches etc.

The roof pole helps to make the best use of the internal space. It gives rise to eaves on each porch which help protect from rain when you have the outer door/s open.

When I was last out in it there were periodic short showers and I was sat in the porch cooking and kept completely dry despite the door being open. Further, the eaves give rise to a steeper door angle which means you can maximise the usefulness of the massive porches. (I could sit wholly in the porch and cook with two further people in the inner tent, not bad for a 2.1 kg structure.)

Ease of pitching. (Score 4/5)

The first point to note is that the Rogen pitches fly first or all in one. I find this the most practical option for British weather. Sometimes outer first tents have a rather loose, flacid inner, but not so in this case because it is a dome structure. This is the first tent I’ve had with ‘roof pole’ and so far I’ve found this OK to insert but challenging to remove when striking the tent. I’m hoping I’ll get used to this with time. The single ended pole sleeves make putting the two main poles in a breeze and the tent can be pitched by just one person, even in a moderate wind. Striking it is far easier with two if it’s windy, but then it is a two man tent.

Weather worthiness (Too early to rate)

So far I’ve only spent three nights in the Rogen. I can say that it stood up very well to 30 mph winds in an exposed position. In such winds it makes sense to make use of the extra guy points on the porch and it’s a shame it doesn’t come with spare guys for this purpose. My other Hilleberg tents with Kerlon 1000 fabric have never let in a drop of rain. The Rogen has more seams than many tents and the potential for water to pool on the top leaward end of the tent so time will tell. The design is very similar and fabrics identical to the Niak which this tent replaces and I owned for several years. I was dry and secure in both very wet and very windy  weather without the Niak missing a beat, so this bodes well. The Rogen also boasts waterproof zips on the doors.

Ventilation / Condensation ( 4 / 5 so far…)

If people have cause to complain about Hilleberg tents it’s normally about condensation. Let’s first consider the fly; The Rogen flysheet does not come down to the ground but instead has a catenary cut design – the bottom of the fly curves up between the pole ends.

As noted above, I bought the Rogen to gain more porch space on my old Niak which has the same catenary fly design. I found the Niak to perform excellently wrt condensation over a range of conditions and an improvement on my previous Terra Nova Solar 2 and my current Soulo. I’ve only used the Rogen for three nights so far and so long as the wind was not totally absent I’ve not experienced any condensation at all. That said, no tent will be condensation free in all conditions. Because the design has two doors this allows for a cross breeze to be set up. To aid this I would recommend carrying two clothes pegs so that when you open the zip at the top of each door you can force the gap to be wider.

Internally each door is 100% mesh which allows for excellent inner tent ventilation. The steep walls should also reduce your breath condensing on the inner on cold nights. Finally the DWR finish on the inner means that should you re-pitch it damp, on day n+1 of your walk, it will dry out* in around 20 minutes.

*The higher the contact angle of a material, the faster it will dry.

Pitch Flexibility (Score 5 / 5)

The design is asymmetric. Whilst this does not make the tent very photogenic it does impart significant practicality. The flysheet door is divided into a wide and narrow section and you can choose which is the fixed section and which becomes the opening ‘door’ depending on the conditions. Combine this with the dual entrances and you can always have a leeward entrance / protected outside cooking area. It is easy to swap the pegging point for each door so if the conditions change you can change the set up in seconds. Ideally you would pitch with one of the narrow ends into the wind, but given the size of the porches, if the wind moves around in the night there is plenty of space between inner and fly on the long side to handle this. I will be adding an extra guy (or two) to my kit to tie out the windward porch. Two tie on points are there for this purpose.

Weight vs. Robustness (Score 5/5)

The Rogen weighs 2.10 kg. This is not the lightest two man, dual entrance tent on the market but neither is it the heaviest:

• MSR Hubba Hubba – 1.72 kg

• Vango F10 Krypton UL 2 – 2.01 kg

• Nordisk Telemark 2.2 – 2.2 kg

• Terra Nova Pioneer 2 – 2.15 kg

• Terra Nova Southern Cross 2 – 2.29 kg

If your URS is the same as mine then the MSR Hubba Hubba is certainly something to consider. The Rogen has a 50 Denier groundsheet and the MSR is 30 Denier so you should probably consider the weight of a footprint if you plan to wild camp with the latter which adds another 220 g. MSR tents tend to be like Marmite – some people love them, others criticise the robustness of the materials they choose to keep their weight / cost down. I’m keeping out of that debate.

I’ve long felt that Hilleberg’s yellow label (lightest weight) range gets the balance between weight and robustness just right if you are a regular / frequent wild camper. I’ve used by Enan for over 40 nights in the last two years and before that my Niak in some tough conditions, never suffered any damage and always sleep securely because of the confidence in my shelter.

Summary

I look forward to being able to write a long term review in 12-18 months time because I am really keen to use this tent for two person adventures. It remind me of a modern version of my Phazor Dome – for those old enough to remember this design – however because of the Kerlon fabric you have all the space of a base camp tent in one easily light enough to carry. I do find the roof pole hard to get out when it’s windy, but hopefully that is something I will get the knack of with time. My biggest complaint would be the price, currently £1030. When you can buy a Hubba Hubba for £440 or a Telemark 2.2 LW for £540 it’s hard to justify the additional cost unless you are a heavy user or have deep pockets. I was pleased to buy mine second hand, but I had to wait for 18 months for one to come up for sale – either because people love them too much to want to sell on, or more likely because of the price when new.

I’ve been fortunate to try many tent designs over the past 35 years, many of which I got to borrow rather than buy and have a strong preference for the dome design for three season use. The Rogen is an extremely well designed and manufactured example of this construction which thus far seems even better in use than it appeared on paper.

If you have found this review helpful, you might also find value in reading my other tent reviews:

• Hilleberg Enan – (solo three season)
• Hilleberg Soulo – (solo four season)
• Nordisk Lofoten (solo ultralight, three season)