Hard Light: Steve Walton's Outdoor Blog

Venture Ranger 14 Open Canoe Outfitting

2012-01-02T21:28:00.002Z

Back in October 2011, I blogged about what I intended to do with my new boat.

Now that Christmas is gone and today's weather forecast was dry and sunny all day, I decided to work on my Venture Ranger 14 outfitting in preparation for white water. The job is fairly straightforward, the only frustration was in not being able to fit the new, and very nice, wooden seat hangers. The seat hangers are sold as a kit with four 6" stainless steel bolts with washers and nylock nuts. What should be a simple swap for the ready fitted alloy hangers is an impossible task. The bolts are about 2" too short. Taking the depth of the gunnel and seat frame into the equation, the ends of these bolts will not extend through the seat frame! This is absolutely absurd, these kits are widely sold by UK canoe suppliers and a bit of searching on the right canoeing forums revealed that the problem is well-known. What is worse is that the same bolts in a longer length (I need 8") are not available, and yet this kit is being sold when it is clearly unfit for it's purpose.

The only work around that I can see is to buy threaded bar and cut it to the required lengths. This will mean using nylock nuts above the gunnel and below the seat frame. This is not what I want, aesthetically it would look silly and four nuts protruding above the gunnels would be waiting to skin knuckles and damage clothing and equipment. No thanks, I'll have my money back. If anyone reading this is thinking of replacing their seat hangers with these wooden kits, beware. Make sure that the supplied 6" bolts are long enough!

So, back to Seat Hangers Plan B. As this is to be a solo boat, the as-sold bow seat will be the seat. This seat is angled for tandem paddling. It was a simple job to unbolt the alloy hangers and turn them around to angle the seat in the opposite way for solo paddling. The existing bolt holes through the gunnels miraculously lined up with the reversed hangers and no drilling was needed.

The front seat assembly was removed and stored away as it is not needed. I made up a new varnished ash thwart to retain the structural integrity of the hull and fitted this, using the 'wider' pair of seat hanger holes.

Next was to drill the deck plates and pop-rivet 0.25" 'P' clips underneath to tie-in the airbags. I have used a 60" airbag in the bow and a 48" airbag in the stern. This leaves a good mid section available for carrying kit and camping gear. I found it best to attach the pointed end of each bag first and then partially inflate the airbags to work out where the two wide-end eyes would be. This is quite important, you need to work out where the last pair of 'P' clips should be to match the eyes of the airbags.

Once I had determined that, I pop-rivetted 'P' clips along the underside of each gunnel at 4" apart. Although more common in practice and probably less fiddly, I am not a fan of drilling the hull and threading line through the holes to lace-in airbags. I think it spoils the aesthetics of the boat and to drill multiple holes in an otherwise perfectly sound and seaworthy hull seems silly to me. I prefer lacing the bags in by using 'P' clips under the gunnels because they are out of sight, despite the added work of riveting the clips. Each to their own!

Seat hangers apart, I've turned the Ranger 14 into something I wanted to get back into paddling white water again. A little heavier and a little slower than other canoes, the Venture Ranger 14 in polyethylene is more durable and a more reasonable cost option. I'll probably have to play around with the seat position, it may need moving forward a couple of inches. If so, the yoke will be removed as it is as close as I want it with the seat in it's present position. Time will tell.

Seat assemblies removed.

'P' clips for airbag lacing pop-riveted under the gunnels, out of sight.

Seat hangers reversed and seat assembly re-fitted, new ash thwart fitted and airbags laced-in: 60" bow, 48" stern. Good to go!

An Ideal Buffalo Day

2011-12-27T00:45:00.015Z

I had planned my traditional pre-Christmas walk around Kinder Scout for 23rd December, but the forecast was bad with warnings of severe weather. I've spent too many days on Kinder in the past when the weather has been so bad that any real enjoyment gained by being there only comes later with the satisfaction of beating (surviving, even) the elements over a pint in the Nag's Head in front of a roaring fire.
The forecast for Christmas Eve was better, mainly dry but with strong winds. The forecast was spot on. It was mainly dry and the wind was steady all day.

Two new items of kit went with me for their maiden outing. The first and most interesting was my new OMM Cypher smock which didn't get used at all, so I can't comment other than to say that it is a very close fit in comparison to my old Berghaus PackLite smock. I'm 5'11" with a 46" chest and my XL size Cypher is a good fit for me across the shoulders. The sleeves are a perfect length but the body is only just the right length for me. For anyone a couple of inches taller, the XL might be a touch too short. Try before you buy! The volume adjustable hood is good and deep to allow a cap or beanie to be worn underneath, has a wired peak and is shaped to give good all round vision. The Event laminated fabric is quite stiff and noisy. After using a Paramo Velez smock the Cypher feels a bit like a crisp packet but it is very light weight, so I'm happy with the trade-off. It goes well with a pair of Kamleika pants to provide a comfortable, close-fitting and lightweight waterproof outer shell. I was a bit sceptical about the Lycra-bound thumb loops in the cuffs, being more used to conventional Velcro adjustable tabs to close the sleeves around wrists and gloves. The thumb loops worked really well and the sleeves are cut for a close fit. Time will tell if the Event material and Lycra edge binding is durable enough to last the course, especially when the wearer also uses walking poles. I would be a bit miffed if the jacket was eventually let down by any such weakness in the thumb loop design. The last thing I'd want in a £150-£190 smock would be worn-through baggy sleeves that cannot be closed down without using duct-tape! As said, time will tell.

Half way up Crowden Clough at 8.30am, I pulled on my 25 year-old Buffalo Big Face DP shirt! The fact is, it didn't rain so I didn't need the Cypher. Dry all day but that wind coming from the south was bitingly cold, so this was an ideal Buffalo day.

The other virgin item of kit worn all day was my new Montane Bionic long sleeve zip neck top. Close-fitting and combining merino wool on the inside with polyester on the outside, the Bionic top was a runaway success. I never thought I would get enthusiastic about a base layer. Let's face it, they are all pretty much the same: tight in the body and short in the sleeve even if they aren't meant to be, and invariably smelly after a day or two. One day isn't enough to be able comment on the stench factor of this top, but in every other way the Bionic did all as claimed by Montane. It's warm, well-fitting, wicks effectively and actually feels good to wear. Combined with the geriatric Buffalo it kept me comfortable all day, from sitting on a rock watching the Kinder Downfall become an upfall in the teeth of the gale to working hard when putting Crowden Clough behind me, the Montane Bionic is a top quality base layer and can be had for around £29.99 if you do a bit of Googling.

Strangely, on a day when I expected to see plenty of people, I saw only 10 people all day: 6 fell runners and 4 walkers but not one other person along the entire length of the northern edge. I felt that I had Kinder Scout to myself on Christmas Eve! My descent back into Edale was via Grindslow Knoll, a tactical move thus allowing Kinder Scout to spit me out straight into the Nag's Head and that pint in front of the fire. Better still, there were no hyperactive children in the bar for once! A mellow and cosy end to a perfect Christmas Eve.

Good old Buffalo. Good old Kinder Scout. Good old Nag's Head. Good old 2011. Life is good!

Not as much water coming down Crowden Clough as I expected. The torrential rain of the previous day seems to have been soaked-up by the peat above.

This fall just below the short scramble to the top of Crowden Clough always fascinates me

Not a lot of water going over the downfall, either. The blow-back was nothing like I expected.

Above Fairbrook, reflecting on 2011. An amazing year for me. Becoming a grandfather and building on the successes I've created for myself over the past two years. Those who know me well know the full story. Not smug, just happy!

Low sun drops under the cloud layer as the day draws to an end.

I'd never noticed this holed rock near Ringing Roger before. Mental note to self: go back and photograph it properly next time!

From Peak Forest: Dam Dale, Hay Dale, Peter Dale, Monk's Dale & Miller's Dale

2011-12-16T21:13:00.001Z

Very nice circular walk from Peak Forest taking in 5 dales. Dam, Hay & Peter Dales merge seamlessly into Monk's Dale to swing left at Miller's Dale in order to make the return to Peak Forest.

Parking is limited in Peak Forest, so arrive early. It's a walk that is at it's best in early summer when the wild flowers are in full bloom. It's an idyllic northern White Peak landscape! So, coming into Monk's Dale out of a bitterly cold NE wind, there was a good snowfall in late afternoon the first this winter. I was captivated by the atmosphere in the gorge. It was quiet, no wind blowing down here. A wren and a robin close by and then a flock of long-tailed tits passed through with their musical calls and then all was quiet again.

These were moments for standing quietly and alone. Moments that must be absorbed and carefully held in the memory.

I managed to make a couple of images and then my lens steamed up. Even the micro climate is unique here!

Quiet in Monk's dale.

Top 50 Backpacking Blogs!

2011-12-06T09:28:00.001Z

I follow my website and blog traffic fairly regularly, I'm always interested to see where the hits come from and how they arrive at Hard Light: Steve Walton's Blog. One entry caught my eye this morning, the visitor is in New York and had followed a link to Hard Light from the following very interesting website: http://www.veteransbenefitsgibill.com/top-backpacking-blogs/

The Mission Statement is impressive and I wish the Owners, Editors and Contributors every success in their endeavours. I also thank them for the honour of being listed as one of the top 50 backpacking blogs, especially as Hard Light is listed in the company of some of the most interesting, widely-read and successful outdoor blogs, such as Andy Howell's http://www.andyhowell.info/trek-blog/, Hendrik Morkel's http://www.hikinginfinland.com/, Martin Rye's http://summitandvalley.blogspot.com/ and Stef's http://beardedgit.com/

Dew Ponds in the Peak District

2011-11-27T22:47:00.000Z

A couple of day walks around the Ashbourne, Biggin, Hartington and Alstonefield areas in the southern end of the Peak District has enlightened me to something: 75% of England's ancient dew ponds have been destroyed in the past few decades. Britain is home to over 50% of the world's population of newts. Newts, such as the great crested, need these ponds to breed and survive. As they are now globally endangered there is a project underway to restore dew ponds within the White Peak. That's a fascinating project.

Part of today's walk took me along Wolfscote Dale by the River Dove and it was good to see a pair of peregrine falcons stooping near Peaseland Rocks, dipper and herons along the river and buzzard overhead. It's heartening to see these species recovering.

Making my way back to Alstonefield late this afternoon, I stood by this dew pond for quite some time watching the light come and go, hoping it isn't too late for the newts.

Inov-8 Race Pac 2 Chest Pouch

2011-11-27T21:25:00.007Z

I have a high regard for Inov-8 products. Lightweight, innovative and minimal whilst retaining very practical features, I first got into Inov-8 with my fist pair of Terroc 330 shoes a few years ago. Next came a Race Pro 12 hydration pack, a Race Pro 4 waist pack followed by a larger a larger Race Pro 22 pack,
all of which I am very pleased with.

These lightweight packs are compatible with the Inov-8 H2orizontal Hydration System, which for me is the best hydration bladder system I have used. Up to 2 litres of water can be carried with ease around the waist and the bite valve does not leak.

From 2011, Inov-8 pack shoulder straps have been redesigned to take the Inov-8 Race Pac 2 chest pouch. The addition of a couple of plastic tabs to the pack shoulder straps allows the Race Pac 2 to be mounted by clips and it's own adjustable straps in front of the chest. The chest pouch is then stabilised by running the main pack waist strap through a tab at the back of the chest pouch. There is a plastic clik-lok fastener on the left strap of the chest pouch which releases it on one side to help getting the pack on and off. In use, a pack with a full hydration bladder and the chest pouch attached is no more fiddly to use than a pack without either of these attached to it.

The Race Pro 2 has three generous zipped pouches that will take items that might be needed on the go without having remove the pack, such as a hat, gloves, camera, gps, compass, mobile phone, loose change, keys, cereal bars etc. Behind the three zippered pouches is an elasticated pouch that will take a guidebook or OS map, with an elasticated clik-lok fastener to keep things in place.

Once adjusted, I found the Race Pac 2 to be very stable and a very useful addition to my pack. Accessories like the H2orizontal Hydration System and Race Pac 2 Chest Pouch are only usable with Inov-8 packs, which is a clever marketing move by Inov-8. This means I am now effectively locked-in to using Innov-8 packs for day walks, but as I said at the beginning I like these packs very much and the chest pouch at only 110 grammes with an additional 2 litres capacity means the practicality of a compatible Race Pro pack is increased significantly.

I got mine from Pete Bland's website. Cost £15.

Inov-8 Race Pac 2 Chest Pouch attached to an Inov-8 Race Pro 22 backpack

Venture Ranger 14

2011-10-26T16:01:00.005+01:00

A busy summer forced a 6 month break from outdoor blogging, but you can't have your cake and eat it, as they say.....

It's always good to see Dave Crooks from Endless River, especially when he turns up at the door with a new boat on the car!

Since most of my former paddling buddies of many years are now divorced, retired or too old and knackered and I myself am officially now a grandad (!), I am determined to continue to grow old disgracefully and take every opportuntity to get outdoors and have some fun.

To that end, I have been considering a shorter boat for paddling on white water up to G3 for a while (think Dart Loop, Wye or the Tees, etc). Tempted as I was with either the Nova Craft Supernova and Wenonah Argosy, the Ranger 14 is a boat I kept coming back to. There is something about this boat that sets it apart from the rest of the Venture (Pyranha) canoes. Try as I might to talk myself out buying a Venture canoe for no better reason than paddling snobbery, over 40 years of paddling experience on all classes of water from salty and lake to G4+ rivers told me the Venture Ranger 14 made more sense the longer I thought about it. It's short enough to manouevre around and between obstructions and is quite responsive.

I wanted a boat that is light enough to car-top on my own (I cannot do this with my Birchcreek 16') and reasonably stable yet will perform in moving water. It also had to be durable, definitely more durable than Royalex Lite. At a fraction of the cost, heavier polyethylene is a price I am more than willing to pay. It will bounce of most 'mistakes' and I don't have to worry about wrecking a £1300 boat on the first outing.

If it moves reasonably well on the flat, can carry camping gear, can be poled, sailed, paddled and portaged and is fun on white water, then it has to be worthy of consideration. Having tried a Ranger 14, it hit me that this is a boat that can really do all of this and keep fairly dry through standing waves and surf waves at around half of the cost of the other options.

The Ranger 14 is a bargain in the world of open canoeing, it can do all I want. The only drawbacks are the obvious ones of weight (it is heavy for a 14 footer) and speed (it is slower than my Birchcreek, but then you would expect it to be!). I decided to bury the snobbery and go with the common sense and I saved myself around £700 at the same time.

Dave dropped the boat off this morning and this is where the outfitting starts to transform my new Venture Ranger 14 into a solo whitewater boat (as soon as I've shifted my current workload, that is!), this boat is going to spend most of it's time travelling backwards.

The bow seat (the seat nearest the centre) will be removed along with those horrible alloy seat hangers, turned around to face the opposite way and refitted with a nice pair of wooden seat hangers to improve the aesthetics. The seat will not be moved from it's position as it is well placed just behind the yoke for solo paddling.

The existing rear seat is superfluous and will be removed along with it's alloy hangers. A new ash thwart will be fitted in it's place and the two remaining unused holes in the gunnels will be blanked off.

Outfitting for moving water will be completed with a 60" airbag lashed into the front with, a 48" airbag in the stern. There will be ample room for kit behind the front airbag. Contrary to popular practice, I am not drilling and lacing the hull as I dislike the resulting visual aesthetic effect of this. I know all about the current wisdom of risk of the gunnels being pulled off by airbag and water pressure in the event of a pinning, but I don't really subscribe to that opinion. Instead, I will be pop-riveting 'p'-clips out of sight under the gunnels and running parallel lacing across the airbags to retain them in the event of a capsize. I am undecided at this point whether I will be drilling holes in the bow (stern!) and stern (bow!) and fitting grab loops for the same reason. I realise many open boaters will disagree with this, but that's just me.

Who knows, all that canoe snobbery may well be turned on it's head when the work is done! Stay tuned.......

Sea Kayaking on Rutland Water

2011-04-08T19:54:00.001+01:00

The hottest day of the year so far was forecast today and I didn't need much more persuasion than that to strap the North Shore Buccaneer to the roof bars and join a few fellow Rutland Canoe Club members for an idyllic paddle around our 3500 acre inland 'sea'.

Any reasonable sized body of water will change it's mood according to the weather, sometimes Rutland Water is gnarly, challenging and committing, other times it is soft and gentle and is the perfect antidote to those stresses that affect most of us in some way.

Today was wonderful with temperatures in the 20's, the paddle strokes were almost silent as the Buc cut across the surface along the length of the South Arm and back along the Hambleton peninsula shore, almost as far as the dam and then back to Whitwell creek.

Osprey and red kite overhead, is this really middle England in early April?

North Shore Buccaneer

Steve Walton Landscape Photography Presentation at Focus on Imaging

2011-03-04T20:56:00.002Z

I am delighted to be invited to speak about my landscape photography on the Master Photographers Association stand at Focus on Imaging 2011.

The times for my talk have now been released as follows:

Monday 7th March 11.30-12 noon

Tuesday 8th March 10.30-11am

Wednesday 9th March 12-12.30pm

If you are planning a visit to this year's exhibition, why not come along to stand Q24 and meet me. I shall be around on all the above three days as I have also been invited to help with judging Licentiate applications.

See you at Focus!


Steve Walton Photography Ltd: www.stevewaltonfineart.com

To see more of my landscape photography, information and limited edition print ordering, please visit my website.

www.stevewaltonfineart.com

What's in your Cupboard?

2011-02-19T02:02:00.003Z

One of the biggest criticisms of the explosive rise digital photography is that the national archive will suffer as a result of images sitting quietly on countless hard drives and other storage media, unseen and doomed to obliteration.

I'm not so sure the 'problem' is any more real than in the days of film. There must be countless photographers like me who have finished a roll of film and thrown it into a drawer to be processed another day, or, also like me, quite often not processed at all.

The films I have treated in this way should at least be given the courtesy of realising their latent potential, so I'll work through them from time to time to see what I come up with. I must have had a reason for making the images in the first place, so I'll call it an ongoing project.

I can remember making these four images for starters, they were all locally captured on Ilford XP2 Super, now sadly discontinued and lost to those of us who once used it. The camera was my Leica MP and the lenses were either 35mm f2 Summicron asph or the astonishing f1 Noctilux. I use the adjective deliberately, the Noctilux is astonishing. In most ways it behaves like a pig, and then, suddenly, it creates an image the like of which you won't create with any other lens.

No prizes for guessing which is the Nocti image, and yes it was taken at the full aperture of f1. The plane of acceptable focus is about half the depth of the book on the table.

Oddly in the current world of photography, that lens is now worth about twice what I paid for it new, around 6 or 7 years ago. I doubt the same appreciation in value will happen with my Nikon digital stuff!

Focus on Imaging 2011

2011-02-18T14:26:00.001Z

I shall be giving a series of presentations on my landscape photography at Focus on Imaging 2011 at the NEC in Birmingham.

My talks will take place on the Master Photographers Association stand (Q24) on 7th, 8th and 9th March. Times are to be confirmed.

Focus on Imaging is held annually and is the UK's largest photographic trade exhibition. The show runs from March 6-9th. I'm looking forward to meeting friends old and new, if you have the time then drop by. It will be good to see you!

Grindleford Station and back via Padley Gorge, Over Owler Tor, Higger Tor, Burbage Rocks and Longshaw Estate.

2011-02-16T15:21:00.001Z

One of the benefits (possibly the only benefit!) of being self-employed is that I can take time out of the office when everyone else is busy at work to have as much solitude as is possible. Last Tuesday presented a good opportunity to take a walk in the Peak District.

I decided to select a varied route to take in a bit of everything from the lovely Padley Gorge, up past Mother Cap, Over Owler Tor to Higger Tor, round by Burbage Bridge and along the gritstone edge of Upper Burbage Rocks and down through the Longshaw Estate back to the start at Grindleford Station.

It's a very pleasant walk and the weather was kind despite being cold and blustery on Higger Tor, for most of the morning it was almost spring-like.

All images were taken on a Ricoh GRD2 with GW-1 wide angle converter (21mm equivalent). 200asa in manual mode.

Park near the old station and enter Padley through the stile.

There are plenty of cascades in the gorge and it's worth exploring.

Cross Burbage Brook and continue up onto an ancient track that runs above the gorge.

Mother Cap is a well-known landmark and favourite venue amongst boulderers.

Over Owler Tor has expansive views over Mam Tor, the Great Ridge, Hope Valley, Kinder Scout, Alport Dale and beyond. This is looking toward the next objective of Higger Tor.

Approaching Higger Tor. It's a good place to stop for a brew, there is shelter amongst the rocks.

An approaching shower, looking back toward Burbage Brige.

This seems to be an old memorial, somewhat vandalised. Maybe someone can shed some light on it's origins .

Looking across Burbage to the restored hill fort of Carl Wark and Higger Tor.

Bullet holes scar many of the rocks, the area was used for training by the military during WW2.

Longshaw Lodge, once owned by the Dukes of Devonshire who used it as a base for grouse shooting.

The staircase that leads through the wood back down to Gindleford Station. Mugs of tea and slices of carrot cake await at weekends!

The Future Of Film (For Me, At Least).

2011-02-03T01:10:00.006Z

A consignment of film arrived from 7dayshop.com. 5 Propacks of Fuji RVP 50 and 10x 36 exposures of 35mm Kodak BW400CN. The cost for this modest amount of film was in excess of £106 plus postage. It's going to cost at least the same again for processing. If I shoot the Velvia on 6x17 format, that gives me exactly 100 frames at a processed cost of over £2 per exposure. On 6x9, the running cost is halved and on 6x6 the processed cost per exposure is around 70p. In addition to the material cost of shooting film, the time spent on scanning, adjusting and cleaning up the files makes little commercial sense in the face of falling revenue from stock and library sales. So, I have a dilemma.

Is the time approaching for me to change my fine art landscape photography workflow to digital capture? I use digital equipment exclusively in other areas of my business and have done so for over a decade since I made the big switch, so there is nothing new for me to learn there. The problem, if there is one, lies with me.

I like my chosen film and I like my analogue equipment. I like those big Fuji and Zeiss lenses and the squares and rectangles of my favourite formats. I enjoy the challenge of using the medium and I like the huge file sizes that can be created from it.

I like the process of making images on transparency film, especially on Fuji Velvia 50asa, and I like the results. Looking at a correctly exposed 6x17, 6x9, 6x6 and even 35mm transparency on the lightbox is far more satisfying to me than looking at the subsequent drum scanner-derived tiffs at 100%.

Where do I go from here when I decide the time has arrived? Digital medium format, whilst appealing in many ways presents other issues. I like wide angle lenses and different aspect ratios for my landscape work and this is a major area where MFD falls short.

Even with some major concerns, that time can't be far away and resistance is rather futile.

Mountain Laurel Designs Trailstar Has Arrived At Last!

2011-02-01T21:42:00.001Z

This is not intended as a review of the Mountain Laurel Designs Trailstar by any means, for a detailed review visit Andy Howell's blog and download Colin Ibbotson's excellent write-up .

This is a comment on my first impressions of the Trailstar now that I've unpacked it, fitted the guy lines and trial-pitched it in the garden today. The immediate impression is that of it's astonishingly large size when pitched. The Trailstar has a huge footprint with acres of room inside along with the options of a low or high level pitch.

It has more usable room than my bigger and far heavier True North Little Tarp. This is due to the pentagonal shape of the Trailstar as opposed to the rectangular shaped True North. I know that my BPL Solo and True North tarps are going to be pretty much redundant from now on. I can't see any reason why I might want to use anything other than the Trailstar for backpacking and overnighting in the hills, there is so much space for so little weight!

Overall, the quality of construction and materials is very good. There was a loose thread on one seam that had to be tied-off, otherwise the stitching is accurate and neat. There is one important job to be done and that will be to seal the seams with the supplied tube of Silnet. However, I'm very keen to use the Trailstar before then, so I'll be taking a chance with a Rab Survival Zone bivvy bag to keep things dry on my first trip.

The shot was taken in manual mode on a Ricoh GRD2 with the GW-1 converter, which is another lightweight gem to complement the Trailstar!

New Gear for 2011

2011-01-27T11:42:00.002Z

My Mountain Laurel Designs Trailstar has finally arrived! Paired with my new Alpkit Pipedream 800 sleeping bag, my re-vamped winter camping gear is now complete and ready to go.

4 Seasons in One Day on Kinder Scout!

2010-12-13T13:36:00.002Z

The sun was already up by the time we pulled into the last available parking space outside the Nag's Head yesterday. It promised to be a fine, clear day, so Joe & I decided to take the quick way up from Edale via The Nab, crossing directly to the northern edge for an anti-clockwise circuit.

Sitting in the shelter of the rocks above The Nab with a brew, looking out over Edale and the Great Ridge beyond, the warm sun gave a feeling of early autumn rather than mid winter with record low temperatures and snowfall only days ago.

How easy it is to be seduced by a few minutes of warm sun! The ominous cloud building up overhead gave a hint of what was rolling across from Bleaklow. A little rain, followed by a little sleet, followed by a little snow flurry. By the time we got to Fairbrook Naze, the clag was well and truly down and remained so for the rest of the day. Four seasons seemlessly joined together in the space of a couple of hours.

You can't help but admire our climate even if it prevents you from admiring the view occasionally!

Wildboarclough to Shutlingsloe

2010-12-09T12:31:00.001Z

What a glorious, sub-zero winter's day yesterday! Spent all morning shooting panoramics on the Fuji GX617 around Chrome Hill and Parkhouse Hill until I ran out of Velvia 50!

With the afternoon free, I went over to Wildboarclough for a walk across Piggsworth Moor to Shutlingsloe. An easy stroll which was spiced up with a few thigh-deep drifts to stumble through. Good job I packed the D3 and 14-24mm!

Late afternoon on Shutlingsloe, just me and the light.....wonderful!

Renewal

2010-10-24T20:26:00.006+01:00

I'm back. All I need to do now is to regain my fitness, especially my hill fitness.....and I can't wait! Sea kayaking today has been a wonderful breath of fresh air now that I can wield my paddle again. I've lost so much muscle tissue, but least I can now have fun building myself back up!

It all changed in an instant on this secluded lane in Leitrim at 6.30pm on 31st July. I know it was 6.30 because my wrist watch stopped at the point of impact.

It hurt. A lot. It continued to hurt for almost three months. Now it's gone and I'm back.

Image courtesy of Ben Millet. He took this while I was waiting for the Paramedics and Fire Service to arrive and extract me from the wreck. I don't know who the lady is, but I suppose she meant well.

Back to living again.....

Salomon Elios 2 GTX Shoes

2010-10-24T19:19:00.003+01:00

Following my past reviews of footwear on Hard Light, Fitness Footwear very kindly offered a pair of Salomon Elios 2 GTX shoes for me to try out. I have to confess to a liking for Salomon shoes, I had a pair a few years ago (can't remember the exact model/style of shoe) and they were very comfortable. I wore them constantly until they eventually fell apart.

From the outset, I should make it clear that I have no association or relationship with Fitness Footwear or any of the company's employees. This is simply an impartial review by a lay person who has long experience of outdoor pursuits who knows what he wants and expects of outdoor equipment and related products. This review does not imply that the comfort or safety of the wearer of this footwear will be enhanced. In other words, you must make your own decisions about what is right for you and assume responsibility for yourself in the outdoors!

Fitness Footwear obviously take their mail-order business very seriously. The company pays a lot of attention to quality packaging, heavy-gauge polythene bags are used to ensure that the contents are well protected. This is certainly a mail order specialist whom I would have no concerns about:

The colourway of the Elios 2 GTX shoes is pleasantly understated. The uppers consist of a nubuck and suede-type material in three colours which is described on the box as swamp and thyme wood beige:

I got into the habit a number of years ago of twisting outdoor footwear by hand to assess torsional rigidity. These Salomon Elios 2 GTX's are quite a stiff last, there is a fair bit of resistance to twisting and this promises well for the stability of the shoe on the hill. Unlike other manufacturers such as Merrell, the toe-bumper is not very high and could lead to wear in the toe area of the shoe, especially if, like me, the wearer is an habitual toe-stubber on rocky ground. That said, the shoes did not show any wear around the front after a day's walking in the White Peak, so it would appear to be perfectly adequate:

The heel bumper is quite substantial and offers good protection. There is no pull-on loop and this is not something I miss as I rarely use one on any footwear. The only shoes which I do use the pull-on loop regularly are my Innov-8 Terrocs because they have the habit of the heel folding under as I slide my foot into them. The Salomon Elios 2 GTX's are beefy enough to prevent the same problem:

The sole unit consists of well-spaced cleats which are not too aggressive. These shoes would not look out of place in an urban environment or on the hill. The sole is reasonably good at shedding low-level public footpath mud, the heel breast is not very pronounced and care needs to be taken on wet or slippery descents. On dry rock, the sole grips well and the firm last imbues the wearer with confidence:

Comfort in footwear is a very personal thing. One thing that does stand out about these Salomon Elios 2 GTX shoes is that they appear to be quite narrow. They seem narrow enough at first glance to the extent that I would have probably passed them by on a retailer's shelf without even trying them on. I have wide bony feet and narrow, continental European footwear styling just won't do for me. However, comfort does improve rapidly with wearing them. After half a mile of walking the shoes were very comfortable indeed and any concerns I had were proven unfounded.

As for the Goretex lining, I am firmly in the 'what is the point?' camp. Outdoor footwear does not need expensive 'waterproof' linings that aren't waterproof!

As mentioned earlier, stability is remarkably good and the foot is held firmly in place with a nicely cupped heel. Weight comes in at 800 grammes for the pair, with each shoe weighing 400 grammes exactly.

For backpacking, hill walking and low-grade scrambling either side of winter, these Salomon Elios 2 GTX shoes are a good choice. Just don't be convinced by the Goretex swing ticket!

Merrell Chameleon Wrap Slam Review

2010-07-28T02:00:00.001+01:00

Merrell built their early reputation on comfortable footwear straight out of the box. I have had my eye on a pair of Merrell Chameleon Wrap Slams for some time and the offer by Fitness Footwear for me to review a pair on Hard Light was very timely.

I have no connection with Fitness Footwear or it's employees, this is an independent and impartial review.

I have wide, bony feet as is typical of our national characteristic in the UK. In comparison with other makes of outdoor shoe on the retailer's rack, Merrell Chameleon Wrap Slams are very obviously wider than most others. For me, the shape is very appealing. If my feet are cramped in narrow footwear, they will ache and the Wraps are wide enough for me in the right areas.

Fitness Footwear obviously take care with their packaging and mail order business. The box arrived by courier within 24 hours of placing my order, in a heavyweight polythene bag.

First impressions on opening the box is that the shoes are beautifully made with high quality materials. The uppers are of a cordura-type fabric. There is a rubber rand to protect against abrasion from rocks and a plastic stabiliser from the heel to the top lacing eyelets.

The aircushion insoles are better than the average insole in this type of shoe, this is designed for comfort and holds the foot in place very well.

The ankle cuff and tongue are well padded and the soles are Vibram compound with cleats. There is no conventional heelbreast, just 2 large opposing cleats so care might need to be taken on steep grassy or slippery inclines.

The toe box is protected by a rubber rand and the substantial upturn of the sole at the toe forms a good barrier against rock bashing. This is a well-known feature of Merrell footwear and works well.

The heel box is equally well thought out with a sort of nubuck fabric outside and a rubber rand for protection. A webbing loop forms the handy pull-on strap above the heel. The photograph above shows the substantial padding around the ankle and tongue. There is no Goretex or similar waterproof lining. With all of the padding, these shoes might retain water, so waterproof socks would be advisable in wet or boggy conditions.

My walk for the review was around 10 miles, with varied terrain from public rights of way through cultivated fields to tussock grass and rocky ground.

The last is reasonbly stiff and very supportive, but the most notable feature of these shoes is the sheer comfort of wearing them! Merrell Chameleon Wrap Slam shoes are without doubt the most comfortable outdoor footwear I have used to date. A pair of SealSkins socks are a good idea for wet conditions, but you may need a half size larger than usual to accomodate the extra bulk. I am normally size UK9 and although the shoes fitted perfectly with thin merino socks, SealSkin socks made the fit a little tight.

I joined the lightweight footwear fraternity some time ago and Innov-8 Terrocs with SealSkin socks are my usual footwear for UK hillwalking and backpacking. The first major comparison I made between the Wraps and the Terrocs is that the fit is more stable with no heel slippage in the Merrells. The Terrocs are lighter, but the Wraps are far better fitting and more comfortable.

The padding results in increased weight, the test pair of Merrell Chameleon Wrap Slam shoes weighed 450g each, which is still very reasonable and a small price to pay for the comfort level.

The Vibram soles are as grippy as you would expect, contributing to the overall feeling of stability on rocky ground. Although this was a low level walk, I would have no hesitation in using the Chameleon Wrap Slams on higher, more committing terrain. They would be ideal for use in the Scottish hills and English Lake District outside of winter conditions.

The impression I am left with after my walk is that these shoes would enable you to walk all day in total comfort. They are beautifully made from high quality, durable materials

Tortoises like Chameleon Wrap Slams too!

Order your pair of Merrell Chameleon Wrap Slams from Fitness Footwear now. I can fully recommend these shoes and the retailer.

Perception Five-0 Surf Kayak Review

2010-07-01T20:08:00.010+01:00

Travel north or south on the M5 at this time of year and it seems that every other vehicle has a sit-on-top kayak strapped to the roof. I sometimes wonder why anyone would want to buy one these odd-looking craft. Looking at the majority of hull-shapes, most of them don't seem to have much going for them as far as any worthwhile performance goes. Watching the attempts at paddling by some of those holidaymakers who do take them off their roof racks and actually get them wet, I'm even more convinced that the majority of sit-on-tops are on an evolutionary par with a common house-brick, in nautical terms.

As a paddler of over 45 years year's experience and with a good bit of that time spent playing in the surf, it's all too easy to make fun of something, which for most users, will provide little more than a passing interest. The upside, of course, is that a certain percentage of those who break their paddling teeth on their odd-shaped first toys will progress to more serious paddling, and that has to be A Good Thing. The other side of the coin is that those of us who are used to more user-specific kayaks might find a use for something with a little less performance for when the conditions favour a less committing time in the surf.

I think Perception have secured a useful niche for themselves with the Five-0 and I'm astonished that very few quality kayak manufacturers have taken up the challenge to produce their own surf-specific kayaks. Apart from offerings by Perception, Necky, Dragorossi, Riot, Valley and Mega, there seems to be a gaping void in the surf kayak market. I don't believe there is insufficient interest for most manufacturers to take notice, I just don't think they are interested. Maybe they should take a collective trip to Saunton, Croyde or Woolacombe the next weekend a wave is forecast. After all, the Perception Five-0 has been around for a few years now and must still sell well enough to be viable!

Not everyone wants a decked kayak and my time with the Five-0 puts it well and truly in comparable performance to the plastic Valley Storm that I once briefly owned and got rid of. I got rid of the Storm, not because I wasn't happy with the performance, but purely because of the lack of comfort and poor attention to detail in the manufacture (there is no excuse for razor sharp edges where the fittings have been trimmed out and not finished properly - razor sharp edges as in the cockpit rim and seat mouldings are capable of severe lacerations to hands and other exposed flesh).

My usual surf machine is a composite Mega X-Ray. Anyone who has paddled any of Malcolm Pearcey's carbon kevlar-hulled High Performance creations in good surf will know all about the exhilaration to be had from throwing the little buggers around. I have had several Megas over a quite few years and all are an unbeatable blast, assuming you're in one that fits, even if only slightly!

The Perception Five-0 scores well on numerous points and some of the compromises, especially in the choice of polyethylene as the construction material can be variously forgiven, overlooked (to a degree) or occasionally applauded. It's a kayak that has been well thought out for it's intended use.

It even looks just about right as a surf craft.

There is a very useful hatch for storing stuff like car keys, loose change, Mars bars etc. It comes with a mesh bag that fits in a rebate below the hatch lid which is opened or closed with a half-turn. The cover proved to be watertight and is fitted with a retaining cord, but be warned: the boat is completely hollow and if anything falls out of the mesh bag, it will disappear into the inside of the hull. With all of the moulded-in heel wells, seat and other fittings, there is a good chance that something vital, such as car keys or mobile phone could become wedged inside the hull. Play safe and put things in a drybag and clip it to the cover retaining cord. That way, things won't become lost!

The hatch cover is very strong and is well up to the job.

The adjustable footrest is a very substantial piece of kit and very well designed. Find a heel-well that is comfortable and adjust the footrest in the track with the two large stainless bolts and brass locking plates. It's a well made and simple solution with little to go wrong. The neoprene and webbing thigh straps are secured by brass clips through stainless 'd' rings fixed to the hull. I found the best way to adjust them is to loosen the ladder-lock buckles completely, sit in the normal paddling position and adjust both front and rear ladder-locks to find the best adjustment and then loosen the front ladder-locks. Before paddling out, you only have to pull on the front webbing to return the straps to a comfortable adjustment.

There is a threaded rubber bung in the stern which should be left open to relieve pressure when the boat is not being used. Be warned. It's there for a reason and it is necessary! The temperatures I experienced during the review went as high as 28C. When I came off the water at low tide at Bantham I carried the kayak up the beach as far as the dunes where I released the bung and there was a very audible hiss as hot air escaped from inside the hull. I wouldn't want to leave the bung closed, but don't forget to tighten it before paddling out as the hull will fill with water!

The Perception Five-0 is very wave-ski like in shape, although it seems long in comparison at 297cm. The nose has pronounced rocker, moving to the lowish volume mid section, but with enough volume throughout to float my 14.5 stones (203lbs/93kgs). The rails are very good and are surprisingly sharp for a polyethylene boat.

The main bouyancy is where you would expect: around and behind the seat moulding. There is a non-slip texture (sand) applied to the seat moulding, but I think it might benefit from a thin layer of minicell sheet for some paddlers. I paddled in neoprene shorts which aided grip, but fabric-faced paddling trousers or a drysuit might not be so good for sticking your bum to the seat. There are two self-draining holes in the seat that go right through the hull. The stern is a sort of squash tail that does it's job. Those rails and the stern shape hold the faces well. The complete outfitting consists of grab handles, thigh straps, footrest assembly, hatch and mesh bag, skeg, pressure relief bung and, thoughtfully, a recess holding a plastic drinks bottle which is held in place by shockcord. That's a nice touch, surfing or rock-hopping can be thirsty work.

Underneath, we have a finbox! If you are buying new, you'll find the skeg stored in the front hatch in the previously mentioned mesh bag and you will need to fit it with the two supplied stainless screws.

The skeg is not adjustable and is placed just behind the paddling position. I did not paddle the Five-0 without the skeg, so can't really compare it's performance with and without a skeg. What I can say is that the kayak does not slide around when planing with the skeg attached, so I would always use it! The kayak is stable enough to climb aboard in water deep enough to paddle out from without a knuckle-dragging beach start that you often have to perform with a shorter, less stable boat.

The hull has channels which may help to give a little lift and is otherwise a classic surfboard shape, no 'v's here! This shape is meant to surf......

......And surf it does! The Perception Five-0 does what it is designed to do and does it remarkably well. In 3+' clean surf, it was a fun time. If you are used to an hp boat, you'll have to modify your take-off. No dropping straight down the face because the nose will bury, despite the rocker. Presumably due in no small part to the hefty 20kgs weight of the fully-fitted boat. I pushed the boat as much as I could straight down a peaking wave face and got up-ended and face-planted for my trouble, it's not an easy boat to roll but what's the point of wasting effort in trying to roll if all you need to do is just climb back on and paddle away?

Take off on a diagonal flight path down the face and the Five-0 is quick to plane and responds well to the rudder, bottom turns are easy and the boat will climb back up the face easily for such a large, heavy craft. You won't be doing any kick-flips but you are guaranteed all day fun in stable comfort.

This is where the Perception Five-0 really scores: it is a very stable kayak and on slow days when the sets are well spaced, you won't become cramped and wobbly whilst waiting out the back as you would in a mean machine. The only real downside of the Five-0 is it's weight, at 20kgs it is one heavy Mother, especially on the carry back up the beach. That said, a thigh strap soon becomes a shoulder strap to spread the load.

Tip: it carries best on the shoulder when the seat is toward your body.

The fittings and finish are as good as you would expect from Perception, it is a quality outfitting without question and being predominately HDPE, aluminium, brass, stainless steel and acrylic, it is durable. The main hull material makes itself known on the paddle out through the break: it feels a little sluggish, then as you power up and over an incoming crest, you and the boat will come crashing down hard on the other side. You will also feel the hull flex as you land, which can be annoying when you are used to something much stiffer, such as carbon kevlar. Anyone within ten metres of touchdown will either wince or look around for an inbound cross-channel ferry.

It has just about enough forward speed to pick up green waves before the boardies can join you in the fun, and the bonus is that if one of those poor misguided souls does drop in on you, the subsequent collision will leave the Five-0 unmarked.

I make that point reluctantly, at Bantham I was the only goat boater paddling amongst a sea of fools. I dislike ignorant kayak surfers as much as anyone and I always try to be an ambassador for kayak surfing (after all, it was tough northern Eskimos who invented surfing - not soft southern Polynesians ;-).......) by being polite, chatty, adhering to the 'rules' and not generally behaving like a crabby 56 year-old in the face of tanned, blond youth.

Unfortunately, most of the tanned, blond youths who were trying to outsurf me on their too-short short boards did not respond in kind and I spent much of my time steering the Perception Five-0 around them and out of trouble.....or running rings around them, depending on your point of view.

This again says much about the agility of the Five-0 under power - it carves, turns, climbs and drops very well and quickly responds to shifts of body position and paddle pressure.

If you want to learn how to kayak surf without the need for a bombproof roll or if you just want all-day fun in comfort without the wobbles and dead lower limbs and abs that an hp torture device will give you - get a Perception Five-0 now.

You won't regret buying one, it's fun and if the surf dies you can always go rock-hopping.

For: Performance, outfitting, price (£499 but could be had cheaper with a bit of arm-twisting), shape.
Against: Weight!

Here's a shot of Start Point, taken on the GRD2 after the Perception Five-0 had been tried and returned:
aperture priority
f5.6
200asa

Bleaklow. B29 Superfortress 'Overexposed' and the Wain Stones.

2010-04-27T12:25:00.002+01:00

"In the blink of an eye......."

It's an often-used term and one which has huge significance during times of personal upheaval and loss. Six words that bring events and the relationship between those events and individual perspectives into sharp focus. Comparisons between my own recent personal upheaval and loss with other events that have affected people I will never know far more deeply and permanently than my own bring some cause for reflection. Where better than a place as changeable as Bleaklow to help one get to grips with reality!

A beautiful spring day on Bleaklow. Not even a breeze, just glorious warm sunshine. The calls and songs of skylark, meadow pipit, curlew, golden plover and red grouse for company, rebirth, renewal and optimism. A day for celebration and a fresh start. A day for realising that nothing is ever as bad as it seems.

The Pennine Way cuts across the peaty wastes of Bleaklow. I remember starting that trip with optimism years ago, it's good to return.

The Hern Stones at the head of Hern Clough.

Swing westwards for half a kilometre or so to Higher Shelf Stones and you'll find the wreck site of a USAF B29 Superfortress. 'Overexposed' belonged to the16th Photographic Reconnaisance Squadron, USAAF.

The aircraft crashed whilst descending through low cloud on 3rd November 1948.

What should have been a short flight from RAF Scampton to USAAFB Burtonwood ended abruptly and tragically on Bleaklow. All 13 crew were killed. The site is well-known by anyone who walks in the Dark Peak and the amount of wreckage still laying around after 62 years is surprising. Whenever I visit this place, two things always affect me. One is the feeling of how atmospheric the area is, the sadness of the violent loss of those young men is palpable. The other thing is the respect with which the crash site is treated by fellow walkers. I have never seen anyone taking souvenirs but I have often seen people placing poppies and making crosses from the wreckage, all with their own reasons for doing so. It's a place and an event that illustrates perfectly how lives and perspectives can be changed....in the blink of an eye.

Two rather more organic examples of how things change and nothing ever stays the same. Bleaklow is an excellent teacher!
The remains of a blue hare on the peat with little left to show what a magnificent and beautiful creature this was.

And of course, the changeable Bleaklow weather! From glorious warm April sun to lashing rain, a 15 degree C. drop in temperature and visibility down to 50 metres......

......All in the blink of an eye!

Images were taken on my Ricoh GRD2 with wide angle converter.

Ricoh GRD2 - a big up for Ricoh repair & service in the UK!

2010-01-29T22:14:00.005Z

Anyone who knows me or follows this blog will know I really like the Ricoh GRD series of cameras. All three variants are superb, no frills, damn good outdoor photographer's cameras.

Like anything that gets used frequently a Ricoh GRD2 can go wrong. My much-used Ricoh GRD2 developed a fault a couple of weeks ago. It would not let me upgrade to the latest firmware, throwing up an error along the lines of 'file could not be found' when attempting to install the download.

Movie, Manual and aperture priority modes were also lost with the only option to shoot images being in programme mode. It was looking like a very sick camera, having been heavily used since I bought it and being one of the first batch in the UK, it is well beyond the warranty period.

I submitted a service request from the Ricoh UK website, packed the camera up securely and posted it off to the the repairers as per the online instructions.

I waited patiently for the diagnosis and the expected hefty repair bill. What came back 4 days later was an email to say the camera had been posted and was on it's way back to me.

Less than one week since I sent my GRD2 in for repair, it has been returned to me fully repaired, checked, cleaned, serviced and with the latest firmware installed. Completely free of charge!

Well done Ricoh, it's good to know that this kind of technical support, service and customer care is still available. You will retain one very loyal customer! You would anyway. I'm looking at a new GRD3.

Exped Downmat 7 Short

2009-12-29T14:16:00.005Z

I've used a Therm-a-Rest Ultralite 3/4 on backpacking trips for at least 15 years, but the world has moved on and new products have become available. The Ultralite no longer keeps me warm enough when camping in winter and I have increasingly found myself waking up cold during the night, although I do like the small packed size and light weight.

The Holy Grail of sleeping mats is that it is lightweight, durable and above all, in winter conditions, warm. Unfortunately for the T-a-R NeoAir, numerous forum and blog reports about leaking valves and overnight deflation put me off buying one, although the early problems with the Neo may well have been resolved by now.

I settled on the Exped Downmat 7 Short with integral pump. It's an interesting concept as a sleeping mat and completely different from the self-inflating foam core construction of the T-a-R range and various clones. The mat is filled with goose down which is held in place by internal baffles. It promises warmth!

Out of the packaging, the Downmat comes with a repair kit consisting of a tube of adhesive and patches.

Shown below in it's black stuff sack alongside the Ultralite for comparison, the Downmat packs smaller than the Ultralite by 2-3cm. The Ultralite weighs in at 490 grammes and the Downmat is 620 grammes on my kitchen scales.

Side by side comparison with the Ultralite reveals that the Downmat is a similar length, but is wider by around 10cm whilst deflated.

The pump is on the underside. Open the valve, cup the left hand over the valve and press down with both hands as per the diagram printed on the mat. The self-inflating foam inside the pump forces air through the one way valve and the mat inflates in around a minute. It's much easier than I expected and the system works reasonably efficiently. The dump valve for releasing air is at the top of the mat.
The pump does require some force to operate properly, so this system is probably not to be recommended for people with weak or injured wrists and other hand/arm problems.

Sleeping side up, the mat quickly takes shape. The side profile is considerably deeper that the Ultralite and it is warmer and far more comfortable to lie on. When inflated, the Term-a-Rest Ultralite and the Exped Downmat 7 are equal in width.

That extra 130g is a price well worth paying for the increased comfort and warmth that the Downmat offers. The new Exped Downmat 7 Short is as good as it currently gets in lightweight sleeping mats.

Richard III. The Last Plantagenet.

2009-12-24T20:37:00.000Z

Needing to get some fresh air this afternoon I set off for a Christmas Eve walk close to home. The site of the Battle of Bosworth Field lies near to where I live and there is a pleasant walk around the area in rural Leicestershire. The battle, which took place on 22nd August 1485, was the decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses between the Houses of York and Lancaster. Richard III was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and his defeat by Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond (subsequently King Henry VII) at Bosworth Field marked a defining moment in English history.

I passed this memorial stone to Richard III and spent a few moments pondering the course of our nation's history if Richard had been victorious at Bosworth Field. He was the last English king to be killed in battle on English soil.

Winter Solstice

2009-12-21T18:07:00.002Z

Today is the winter solstice which marks the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. I went down the lane to Thornton Reservoir this evening to take a few images as the sun went down on the shortest day of the year.
The winter solstice is a pagan festival which has been celebrated for thousands of years, long before the arrival of Christianity. The Romans celebrated it as the feast of Saturnalia, the Greeks as the birth of Zeus and the ancient Druids celebrated it as the rebirth of the sun as the days gradually lengthen.

Io Saturnalia, Happy Yule!

A new Challenge!

2009-12-07T20:02:00.001Z

I made number 84 on the TGO Challenge standby list so it looks unlikely that I'll be lucky this time.

Plans are being made for an alternative: in October 2010 I'm looking forward to a three-week trek in Nepal.

Watch this space!

Argos Pro Action Hike Lite Tent Review

2009-12-07T17:47:00.000Z

I used the Argos Pro Action Hike Lite 1 person tent that I bought a couple of months ago on a two-day walk on Dartmoor. This tent has had plenty of exposure on outdoors forums and blogs for quite a while, with mainly positive reviews. I was keen to see for myself if it really does present a cheap, viable option to more exotic and vastly more expensive offerings. The first thing you notice is the weight in comparison to the packed size. It's a small tent, it packs reasonably small in it's compression sack but it weighs around 2kg. That is heavy for a 1-man tent by most standards, but it's not really surprising. You won't find any exotic lightweight materials here. Just good old pu coated polyester, but for a price anywhere from £50 (rrp) to £17.99 depending on what the latest Argos offer is, there isn't much to complain about.

What you get is a well-made piece of kit with two shock cord linked alloy poles and 7 (1 spare) round wire alloy pegs. The inner is suspended by plastic clips to the poles and webbing and buckle straps connect inner tent and fly. I have described the contsruction and pitching earlier on my blog and the images show how the tent pitches. Pitching is easy, there is nothing fiddly to annoy you it's possible to get a reasonably taut fly apart from the door which would benefit from an extra pegging point.

There are some mesh panels in the inner. The mesh is a tight weave and should keep out Scottish midges. The downside is that in cold weather the tent can feel a little draughty, but not as bad as my old MSR Microzoid which had more mesh.

Ventilation is good with a front vent that is propped open by a reinforced stay. It can be closed by a velcro strip if not needed.
There is a useful hanging loop at the apex of the inner, I like to carry a candle lantern when winter camping as it frees me up from having to constantly use a headtorch. The candle gives off a surprising amount of heat and light and the warm glow is good for morale!

Three guying points give some stability, but the guys and plastic sliders could do with upgrading to something better. The strap and buckle arrangement works well to link and tension the inner and fly.

I'm 6' tall and can sit up in the tent without my head touching the inner, headroom is commendably good. There was room in the tent for my 65 litre Macpac Ascent when the cooking gear, food and water was stowed under the fly. The downside is that my 2 litre Platypus froze solid overnight and my Innov8 Terrocs were also frozen solid. The only way I could thaw and soften them enough to get them on my feet was to dunk them in the stream next to my tent. I wouldn't want to do that with Goretex-lined boots!

The porch is very small and not at all practical or safe for cooking in without unclipping the inner and rolling it back. It is impossible to use an alcohol stove in this tent with the fly zipped up without seriously risking a fire.

I used a White Box Solo alcohol stove and the flame spread would easily have caught the fly, even with a windshield in place. Be warned!

So having used the Pro Action Hike Lite in early winter on Dartmoor, what are my thoughts? It's a good, cheap, well-made tent that works well within it's limitations. It's not a tent I would want to use for full-on UK winter conditions. For the weight, I would take something bigger and stronger with more room to move around inside during those long winter nights. It's a tent I would use on commercial sites and for wild camping during summer when the weather is more suitable for cooking and sitting outside, but at the price, who's complaining?

Scorhill Stone Circle, Teign-e-ver clapper bridge and a couple of Hawthorn Trees

2009-12-07T15:51:00.002Z

The hawthorn tree has had great significance since prehistoric times. I often see these twisted and gnarled old trees on moorlands, usually near to some feature such as an ancient crossroads or burial site, and always wonder at the aura that surrounds them. Hawthorn trees have long been associated with paganism, witches brooms are reputed to have been made from them and there are often hawthorns growing beside wells and springs, many of these sites are considered to be sacred and by association, the hawthorn has connections with the Otherworld.

The tree itself was once known simply as 'May'. This is the month when it comes alive with sweet-scented blossom. Until recent times in some parts of the UK, 'Mayers' would leave hawthorn branches outside cottages, singing traditional songs as they went from house to house.

The prehistoric round pound at Batworthy Corner (above) on Dartmoor has a fine solitary hawthorn. On quiet evenings when all that can be heard is the breeze and occasional ravens calling as they fly overhead, spend some time at these ancient places and wonder about the hawthorn.

Teign-e-ver clapper bridge over the infant North Teign.

Walla brook clapper bridge with it's hawthorn tree to mark the way.

Scorhill stone circle at moonrise.

I was lucky enough to have a clear evening as the full-moon rose over Scorhill stone circle. One thing you can be certain of is that the temperature will drop rapidly when the sun has gone down. By 5pm at this time of year, it was too cold to sit outside the tent and a long night was in store. This is the best way to enjoy Dartmoor, you have to immerse yourself in it's ambience.

Canoeing in Sweden. Getting there....

2009-11-14T23:33:00.003Z

On a multi-day journey, whether it's on foot, by bicycle or boat, the days soon merge and life becomes noticeably uncomplicated. All that matters is food, water and shelter. Everything else is there to be absorbed, learnt from and appreciated. Each Island or shore we camped on had it's own ambience. In a couple of cases the feelgood encouraged us to stay for a second night. You notice things, the wildlife and your surroundings become familiar surprisingly quickly.

The Lillalven led us into this small lake and we camped there. It was a very calm evening, I was really hopeful that we would finally see some moose, it seemed to be an ideal habitat for them but we didn't see a moose! Good reason to go back, I suppose. There were osprey and, oddly, a pair of whooper swans in the reedbed acroos the lake. I had a wonderful hour paddling around this lake as darkness set in. Those sounds I mentioned earlier come back to me as i write this: great northern and red throated diver (loons, to my American readers) were calling way after the light had gone. The evening chill set in and the fire was welcome.
For those who are interested to know a little about the image above, it was taken on a Hasselblad XPan2 with 45mm lens on RVP 50, aperture was f11. The transparency was scanned on an Imacon 646.

As in most forest areas, ants are never far away! This was a very a large nest and the ants were also large. They soon find you if you stay too close for very long.

This was another pleasant section of the Lillalven river, the reeds were alive with warblers and we saw a few woodpeckers. The real surprise was the roe deer with her fawn that we saw in the reeds. The adult disappeared in an instant, but the youngster stood his ground and watched us for a few minutes before he went off to find his mum. I savour rivers like this for the light and the wildlife.

We passed the scene of a violent incident. Grey down on the water and broken reeds revealed A canada goose's nest had been attacked by a predator. The eggs had all been broken open and eaten apart from this one which was floating in the water. Mink? Fox? Wolf? Who knows. Just another day in the wilds!

Dave (with ubiquitous cigarette!) and Julie preparing dinner. The evening sun was welcome.

After over a week living in the outdoors and despite being fastidiously clean with the help of innumerable baby wipes and washing in a folding bowl, the prospect of a real bath was a luxury I couldn't ignore! We stayed for two nights on this island, it was sheltered and warm. Unfortunately, the water was far from warm, in fact I have never known such cold water. It was bone-chillingly cold but wonderfully refreshing!

Nature put an amazing show on for us on this morning. At 11 o'clock (I remember looking at my watch!). Seemingly, every tree in Varmland simultaneously released it's pollen. There were clouds of yellow-green dust drifting on the gentle breeze, it coated everything and formed a creamy slick along the windward shore of the lake. The release lasted about 45 minutes and was a sight I will never forget. I wonder what the trigger was that caused this spectacular event?

We had several portages on the trip. This one was the most problematic, the ground was too soft to take the weight of the boats on portage trolleys and the portage was a couple of kilometres to the next lake. We used logs and branches to carry the boats over the worst parts. Fortunately, the steep gradient (the images don't give the right perspective of the slope) was with us, but care was needed to control the boats. We just managed to get them both over this makeshift bridge as it collapsed under the weight of the second boat.

Such obstacles require a fair bit of physical effort and teamwork but add something to the adventure.

Ange & Dave are both very experienced paddlers, having completed a number of epic crossings of Scotland and pioneering at least one new route. Well, that's what happens when you try to guess which way Ray Goodwin went! It's important to have people with you who are competent and self-reliant on a journey like this. Open water paddling is no place for novices. The weather can turn very quickly, as it did the following day. We were caught in a heavy thunderstorm and the temperature plummeted as the wind increased to around f5-6+. When you are 2 or 3 kilometres from shore in such conditions, you need to concentrate on your own paddling and not have to worry about your companions. That doesn't mean that you abandon your friends, you keep an eye on each other without the concern that inexperienced paddlers would cause.

We were approaching the end of our journey here with only two days of paddling left to bring us back to Arvika. Just as it is when backpacking on a long distance trail, your fitness has reached a point where all you want to do is walk, you reach a stage on a canoe journey where you feel that you can paddle forever. You feel invincible. You don't want to stop, ever.

One more instalment should cover the trip, we're getting close to human habitation here.....

A note on the images: with the exception of the Hasselblad Xpan and those images kindly supplied by Angela (even though she uses a C*n*n, boo!), all of my record shots were taken on my Ricoh GRD2 with wide angle converter. This is my preferred 'notebook' camera equipment.

There is a rationale behind this: without the w/a converter, the GRD2 has a fov and aspect ratio equivalent to my Fuji GSW690111. With the w/a converter attached, the GRD2 has a similar fov to my Mamiya 7(11) with 43mm lens.

I have no need of zoom lenses and the GRD2 is the only digi compact I have found that ticks the right boxes for me, not least because of the genuine wide angle capability and reasonably fast and good quality lens. The noise issues concerning the GRD sensor are very overblown, in my opinion. Given the ability of the canera to capture .dng files and a bit of workflow understanding, noise is not an issue! No doubt the GRD3 will offer even more advantages.

TGO Challenge 2010

2009-11-10T12:16:00.000Z

After failing to make the draw, I've just received notification that I'm number 84 on the standby list for the TGO Challenge 2010.

Can I leave the dates free until April in the hope of making it via the standby draw?

Not if there's the chance of an alternative challenge in the meantime.

Canoeing in Sweden. The journey continues....

2009-11-10T01:35:00.011Z

Even the most gentle current is a bonus when it's going with you. Yes, there was a flow on the Lillalven as we threaded our way through a reedbed downstream of the beaver lodge. The boat was heavy and the push that the current gave was very welcome. Our route followed the Lillalven into and out of many lakes. Like all wilderness rivers this one has beautiful serene sections that could only be found by travelling on the river itself, it does not give up it's secrets to just anyone. You have to live with the river to find them.

There was a nip in the air, just enough to remind us that this land can still bite despite benign weather. Julie needed that Buffalo Special 6 shirt and her Reed Chillcheater Transpire fleece polo neck and tights, I was wearing my Cascadas, Cambia long sleeve t-shirt and Torres gilet and was fine as long as I kept up a steady cadence with the paddle.

Paramo! Who would think that a range of outdoor clothing could produce so much heated debate on outdoor fora. Without wishing to fan the flames, I can say that Paramo works well for this kind of expedition. I wouldn't take anything else.

Here's one of the culprits responsible for presenting us with our first frustrating obstacle. You can't help but admire these fascinating creatures. I like anything that possesses an innately wicked sense of humour! He (she?) was playing with us. Under the boats, following the boats, watching us from behind tree roots on the riverbank. They know when they've briefly made your life difficult.
It shows in their grin.

Lining:
Other obstacles were rather more problematic. The river narrowed for a while and the current increased through a rock garden with a small drop on the left-hand bend just downstream of me here. This was the only section where we had to line the boats through faster water as the rocks became too numerous to paddle through.

Lining is an art that all open boaters need to master for river paddling, the tedious alternative of unloading the boat to carry it around the difficult sections would not be a welcome prospect.

I was being a little lazy with the kit here. I used two 3 metre tie-down straps instead of the two 10 metre floating lines I had in the boat. They did the job ok!

Shelter:
Routine is a necessity on any multi-day trip. You complete one task and move on to the next in a logical manner. That way, nothing is lost or overlooked. The tarps took priority over everything else when we decided on a suitable campsite and they were always the first thing to be set up. Everything else then becomes much easier, you have a dry area to work in and sort out gear, brew-up, eat and relax.

Tarps are one of the greatest assets in a wilderness canoe trip. Angie's needlework is as impressive as Dave's tarping expertise. Big is good. Bigger is better!

(Images above are reproduced by kind permission and are copyright of Angela Kirk)

Fire and water:
In May, the temperatures always dropped rapidly as evening approached, sometimes with added wind chill. Don't be fooled by the sunlight! A good fire is essential for comfort in the evenings. At this time of the year, there are rarely any fire restrictions in Varmland, but that doesn't mean that anything goes. A wildfire would be devastating in this area, so care and common sense is paramount.

I always build a fireplace or repair an existing one. The saw is a folding pruning saw, not expensive but worth it's weight in gold. It cuts in both directions and will go through 10-inch diameter pine in a couple of minutes. Make sure you buy one with a blade lock to stop the saw accidentally folding on your hand as you cut!

Bushbuddy stove:
If there is one bit of kit that I simply could not be without, it's my Bushbuddy wood burning stove. Uncomplicated, dependable, beautiful. The Bushbuddy has soul. You know you're wilderness camping when the Bushbuddy is working it's magic.

Earl Grey tea:
A mug of Earl Grey tea made with the stuff we have been paddling on. Tea doesn't come any better than this, who needs milk!

The pot is a 1ltr Primus Litetech Trek kettle, this lightweight non-stick coated, anodised aluminium pot with frying pan complements the Bushbuddy perfectly. The small Light My Fire firesteel and a White Box Solo meths burning stove all nest inside the pot and the tin of Maya Dust sits on top of the frying-pan lid with a spork down the side in the mesh stuff sack. It's a neat and versatile multi-fuel cooking option.

Tullamore Dew:
Darkness falls quickly and the forest is once again our home for the night. Routine. Dinner is finished, the washing up is done. We pass the Tullamore Dew around and keep warm by the fire. Tired from a long day's paddling, looking forward to more of the same tomorrow.

Magical moments, good company in dear and trusted friends, making great memories.
It's all anyone needs.

Four more essential items of gear are the £5 folding shovel I picked up from Go Outdoors in Loughborough, Dave andAngie's Ortlieb folding washing-up bowl, my lightweight folding bowl from BPLUK and a good supply of baby wipes.
Life in the forest would be very different and less pleasant without these.

Calm:
Dusk. I've watched the sun go down and the onset of darkness in many places. Sometimes it's from a peak, sometimes from moorland, sometimes across water. Evenings when the breeze stills and those interesting sounds travel across water are the best ones.

I heard bittern booming from a reed bed across the lake on this evening.
A pair of ravens flew overhead, calling as they went.

A new day:
Routine. The boat is packed in exactly the same way as the day before and the day before that. Another day, a way of life.
(Image below is reproduced by kind permission and is copyright of Angela Kirk).

The journey will be continued.......

TNF Hedgehog GTX XCR shoes - initial review.

2009-10-27T22:56:00.005Z

I got the opportunity to give a review of these TNF Hedgehog GTX XCR shoes via my young blogging chum BG! He had been contacted by Adam at Fitness Footwear of Stevenage in Hertfordshire with a request to review some TNF outdoor footwear. The offer was a simple one, simply choose a pair from the Fitness Footwear online catalogue of the right size that were in stock, try them and then post an impartial review on my blog.
The pair I chose were The North Face Hedgehog GTX XCR lightweight Goretex-lined shoes. This is the first time I've ever ordered footwear without trying them for fit and comfort first. I am a UK size 9. In line with UK national podiatric characteristcs, I have wide, bony feet. Footwear for me has always been a bit of a lottery. Get it wrong and I can suffer blisters on the back of my heels due to having heel 'spurs'. I also have an enlarged big toe joint on my right foot, caused by an old rugby injury. Long walks with heavy packs can cause me considerable discomfort (aching) here if the shoes or boots are narrow fitting.

I placed my order and the parcel arrived the following day. The quality packaging and delivery advice information was impressively professional and indicates to me that Fitness Footwear are one company who take their mail order business very seriously, unlike some well-known retailers I could name. The North Face box and packaging was securely wrapped inside a heavy-gauge polythene bag. This was good!

It was with some anticipation that I opened the box. Ok, TNF don't have the best image in the UK. This is mainly due to certain TNF products having been adopted as a kind of fashion accessory by some urban sub-cultures. That's an undeserved association, TNF produce some seriously good gear and the company have equipped major expeditions over many years.

Anyway, back to the contents of that expensive-looking box:

For Goretex-lined footwear, these Hedgehogs seemed to be quite lightweight. This was looking good! I weighed them and the pair came in at 840 grammes. That is noticeably lighter than my old 'lightweight' eVent-lined Karrimor KSB's and the Meindle Goretex-lined approach shoes which have long been relegated to lawn mowing duties They are heavier than other genuinely lightweight shoes such as my Innov8 Terrocs, but my first impression was that they would be considerably more durable.

There has been much debate over the point of 'waterproof' linings in footwear for UK use. The overwhelming consensus is that there is no point in 'waterproof' linings at all. I agree with that opinion. I have tried footwear variously lined with Goretex, eVent and Sympatex. In every case, the lining soon looses it's ability to keep water out and once that water gets inside, it takes forever to dry out again. So what is the point? Absolutely none at all, in my opinion. Unless you are turned on by little logos attached to the shoes and a few extra swing-tickets on the infuriating plastic thingy that you can't break with brute strength or ever find the scissors with which to cut it.
Actually, the urban TNF gorillas mentioned earlier might like the idea of a 'waterproof' membrane (note the sarcasm in the quotes). It could keep feet dry when peeing in a 'phone box. It does keep your feet dryish when walking round Newcastle town centre on a shopping spree in a downpour. To that I can attest (the wet shopping trip, not the wet 'phone box).

Logos apart, the work that goes into off-road shoes these days is remarkable. All those bits of exotic materials and fabrics! The stitching is neat and accurate, just the way I would do it myself.... if I could. The styling is understated but contemporary, there are sound marketing strategies here: they look good on the street and they look good on the hill. Look good (or think you do) and you will perform better. Which is why we all wear Ron Hill Tracksters, you see.

Yes, these are good-looking Hedgehogs.

Back to logos. The soles are made by Vibram. That's good enough for me. I like Vibram. It sticks to things it's meant to stick to, within reason. This a quite a sticky compound, the soles have a good cleat design which seems to self-unclog when the mud clings. You can ask the Polish lady who cleans the apartment I was staying in in Ireland last week. The soles unclogged themselves all over the laminate floor. The front of the toe box is adequately protected.

There is a fairly deep heel-breast and this is good when descending steep wet grassy slopes. The toe-box is reasonably firm and protected by some protective material which extends around the sides of the shoes. That's good, I have a habit of scraping the toes and sides of my footwear on rocks.

Look at that needlework. Anyone's Granny would be impressed with that level of seamstresship! Sweatshop artistry at it's best.
The loop is shockcord and the sole layup has a slight bouncy feel. Plenty of protection for the lightweight mesh around the shoe in the form of some kind of 'nubuck' material. It looks to be durable.

The cleats are quite open, which may aid anti-clogging. The heel breast is reasonably substantial.

Straight out of the box, these shoes are very comfortable. The fit is just about perfect for my foot type and there has been no sign of rubbing or hot-spots in the areas where I might have problems. The insole is quite substantial for a change. No skimping on materials or quality here.
I normally over-pronate and this one feels very supportive and stable. The lacing system is conventional and the laces remain tied, which is useful. I have a pair of Meindle's which have a habit of untying themsleves as soon as I take my eyes off the laces. That is just infuriating. The laces on the Hedgehogs are quite narrow. This may save a few grammes when they become waterlogged, but I doubt anyone would notice.

What's that Vibram compound like on rock, then? Well, it's pretty good on wet and dry rock within reason. The cleats are a bit 'squishy' and I was a bit concerned that they might shear off under the weight of my not inconsiderable body mass. They didn't. They felt secure.

The last is quite firm. I weigh around 14.5 stones and the shoes are plenty supportive for me for graded scrambling. Importantly, those soles seemed to grip quite well on this dry pre-cambrian stuff. Polished limestone might prove different. But then it would, wouldn't it. Try it out at your own risk.

I like these TNF Hedgehog GTX XCR shoes. There's not much to dislike about them, apart from the validity of that Goretex liner, which we all know won't keep real water out. But then I wouldn't use a public 'phone box or go shopping in the rain in my Terrocs, either.

Would I buy a pair? Yes, I would. I've bought far worse. Would I use them for a multi-day backpacking trip? No, I'll stick with my sieve-like Terrocs. Would I use them for day walks? Yes, especially low-level mixed terrain. They're very good. Just be sure to order your footwear from Fitness Footwear!

I'll post a long-term review at a later date to see how these shoes hold up with extended use.

Footnote:
Please note I have absolutely no association with Fitness Footwear. The TNF Hedgehog GTX XCR shoes were offered to me purely in exchange for an impartial review on this blog. All opinions stated in this review are my own as a lay-person and are not implied or represented by scientific testing or measurement.

In other words, you'd be daft to buy footwear without trying it on first.

Sweden by canoe. The story continues....

2009-10-16T22:00:00.003+01:00

The planned journey followed the course of the Lillalven River, which connects a series of lakes. It made for a varied and interesting journey with numerous portages. This year, we were blessed by good weather for most of the trip. We encountered only one storm on the penultimate day, we had to run for an island as the approaching storm hit us and get a tarp rigged up for shelter. How welcome that tarp was! Dave has become something of an expert in quickly rigging a tarp without using pegs in several different ways. The tarps have proven themselves to be potential lifesavers to us over the past few trips. When the weather turns bad in Sweden in May, it can be bitterly cold and it's imperative to stay dry and keep out of the wind to avoid hypothermia. A tip for anyone planning a canoe trip is to take the biggest tarp that is practical. You need plenty of space to sort out kit, cook, relax and shelter from the wind, rain, sleet and snow. A long distance canoe trip in Sweden without a tarp would not be a pleasant or safe prospect!

The get-in was on a remote lake, miles from any habitation and the paddling was good. We had warm spring sunshine and ran with a gentle breeze. Those first few paddle strokes were memorable, a long journey lay ahead with all the anticipation of what may come. We knew there would be some hardship, there always is on a self-supported trip, whether it be on foot, on water or by bicycle. There will be moments of concern for safety, health, equipment and weather, but there will be moments of sheer exhilaration for surviving unsupported in a beautiful environment. Anyone who has backpacked a long-distance trail or taken a wilderness voyage will know what I mean.

The first portage came at the end of that first lake. The first 400 metres were very difficult over uneven rocky and boggy ground. It was only then that we realised that the canoes were the heaviest we had ever handled. With two weeks' food and camping gear, they must have weighed several hundred kilos each. They had to be coaxed along through the forest on their trolleys one at a time, carefully. We found the forest track that we would be hauling the canoes along for the next few kilometres until we found a suitable get-in on the Lillalven. We found a suitable get-in, only to be confronted by a beaver lodge and river-wide dam! There was no chance of hauling the boats over the beaver dam, so we had to back-paddle upstream to where we had launched, get out, put the boats back on the trolleys, portage around the beaver's teethwork and get in again downstream of the obstruction. Beaver! I love 'em!

Beaver lodge on the Lillalven.

We took most of our own gear, but decided to hire the Helsport twin-hooped tunnel tents. That was our only regret, it would have been far better to take our own. Those Helsport tents are just downright nasty, being heavy, saggy, badly vented and thus very wet with condensation. Next time, I'll take my old Vango Mk4 ST out of mothballs. A tip for anyone takine a lightweight tent to Sweden is to make sure you also take a groundsheet protector or footprint. The forest floor is not kind to lightweight technical fabrics!

WE took plenty of food including fresh vegetables. Poached salmon fillet with cabbage fried in oil with garlic and onion creates a most wonderful tasty meal!

The following morning was another glorious day in this beautiful land. Steady paddling for a good 10 hours through a landscape of lakes, forest, hills and abundant wildlife to the next camp. The canoe is a Linder Inka 525. The design was originally created by Grumman, the American WW2 aircraft manufacturer who were looking for a good alternative use for surplus Hellcat fuselages after the end of the war! These boats are not the most graceful of canoes and the handling and construction is somewhat agricultural, but they are ideal for a wilderness trip. I know from experience of being caught in a violent storm on a 7km crossing of Stora Gla in 2008 just how seaworthy these boats are. Tough as old boots, but they are dependable.

The temperature always dropped considerably when the sun went down. A roaring wood fire is a wonderful luxury! We were always careful to make sure our campsite was clean with no sign of our passing before we left in the morning.

The story will be continued........

Kinder Scout Circuit

2009-09-03T13:05:00.016+01:00

I was lucky to find somewhere to park the car outside the Nag's Head in Edale on a Bank Holiday Saturday. The weather forecast was for a blustery day with occasional showers, so I decided to brave the holiday crowds in the Peak District for a circuit of the Kinder Scout plateau. Kinder Scout is the nearest significant hill from home and is a great place to escape the office for some space and fresh air. My route took me across the fields to Crowden Clough, I always enjoy this route because it's quiet and has plenty of interest with a very short scramble at the end onto the plateau. The sun was shining as I set off, but by the time I arrived at Crowden Tower glorious Kinder Scout clag had set in reducing visibility somewhat!

On through the Woolpacks, where I got stuck in the peat a couple of years ago (another story!), the wind had picked up considerably. Is there ever a calm day on Kinder?

I was hopeful that the strong wind and rising temperatures as the day warmed up would clear the heavy mist.

By the time I got to the trig pillar at Brown Knoll, the mist had thickened and the northwesterly breeze had taken on gale force speeds.
Ever optimistic, I pinned hope on the fact that it might clear by the time I reached the Kinder Downfall.

Dropping down from the trig pillar onto the western edge, suddenly the mist was gone. I could see the water blowing back as I approached the Downfall. This area is a focal point for a day's walking on Kinder. Arrive any time after 10am on a weekend and there will be numerous walkers on the skyline or sitting amongst the rocks having a brew or a snack. Considering this was Bank Holiday Saturday, I had so far seen only two other walkers and was lucky enough to have the Downfall to myself. It was interesting that I only saw 10-12 people all day on the hill, I had expected to see crowds!

Crossing the Kinder River, I continued on around the perimeter track to the northern tip of the plateau where the Pennine Way descends to Mill Hill. Swinging eastwards, the escarpment of The Edge is an impressive sight and one of my favourite places to walk in the Peak District. My next objective was Fairbrook Naze which can be seen from many places in the Dark Peak.

Close to Fairbrook Naze, the Boxing Glove Stones stand proud right on the very edge. For me, this outcrop is an impressive jewel in the Kinder crown.

The impressive buttress of Fairbrook is a good place to have a lunch break and there is a fine overhanging rock just around from the point that offers rare shelter from the ever-present winds on Kinder.

The views are extensive, taking in Bleaklow and Black Hill to the north, the Snake Pass, Ashop Moor, Woodlands Valley, he Derwent Edges and much more in good visibility. The day had turned out to be glorious. One of those days when you feel you want to walk for ever, and still no other walkers!

Seal Edge has many wind-sculpted rock outcrops and great views across Seal Flats to Lady Clough, the Woodlands Valley and Alport Castles.

The heather-clad moors take on a colourful transformation in late summer with purple, brown and green shades. I had the company of a solitary raven and a blue hare in it's brown summer coat. I hope to see him again in all his pure white winter glory!

Looking back westwards at my route, Blackden Rind and Fairbrook Naze stand out. The rocks on the summit of Blackden Rind make a good vantage point. Dropping down to the base, there is a good overhang for shelter and a brew.

Black Brook has many cascades in the lower reaches and a nice grotto a little further into the plateau. This is another good spot to shelter from wind and rain.

I love that brown, peat-stained water! However, I always take enough water with me for a day walk on Kinder Scout. It's not a place where I would drink from any streams, there's too much human activity for that.

The trig pillar near Blackden edge seems to stand in a perpetual swamp. The peat is badly eroded around the base, at least 60cm seems to have gone since the pillar was erected. My route continued on around Madwomans Stones, past Ollerbrook Clough and then onto Ringing Roger and descending via The Nab back to Edale and the considerable Bank Holiday crowds. I'm looking forward to revisiting Kinder Scout!

For anyone interested in the images, they were all taken on the Ricoh GRD2 with the wide angle converter, metering c/w between 80-200asa, aperture priority at f5.6, exposure comp. usually set to -0.3 stop, jpegs saved from 16-bit raw files.

My daysack is an Innov-8 Race-Pro 12 with 2ltr Source wraparound bladder. I will post a short review of this pack soon.

A new domain name for Hard Light

2009-08-28T19:20:00.006+01:00

Just to let anyone know who follows or regularly visits this blog, the domain name has been changed to www.stevewaltonsblog.com

The old domain of www.lordofthecrinkles.blogspot.com is now dying on the vine but will still work for some time to come, so Google say.

My new wedding photography blog can be found at www.stevewaltonphotography.com/blog

You may want to update your records. I shall now sit back and watch my stats plummet! :-)

Canoeing in Sweden

2009-08-28T19:00:00.007+01:00

Ok, three months have passed since my canoe trek in Sweden in May. As with many things, business comes first and we have been exceptionally busy since we returned, despite the recession. I'll be breaking this trip report down into bite-size chunks in order to get something on the blog. So much happened, a good distance was paddled over the eleven days, about 120 miles the weather was pretty good for the time of year (we had no blizzards this time!) and the food and whiskey was better than ever! It was a good trip, full of interest with abundant wildlife, great landscapes, rivers and lakes.... and a little drama during a sudden violent storm to leave us with great memories and wanting more.

This year, we did the food shopping for ourselves. We learnt from experience that it is not a good idea to leave the food shopping to anyone else via email, especially since I am a life-long vegetarian. We spent the first day in Arvika stocking up with 4x 11 breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desert, multiple snacks and enough tea, coffee, hot chocolate and soup to feed an army. We ate well, even fresh fruit and vegetables. After a few days in the wilderness, fresh cabbage, onion, carrot and courgettes seem like a real treat. The great thing about an open canoe is that you can carry bulk! No reason to torture ourselves with dehydrated food, we took the real thing.

How Arvika has changed in a year! It has never been a place to linger, but now it is just a place to leave - as quickly as possible. It may be the global recession to blame, but there is definitely something less pleasant about the place. The queue at the local job centre was impressive, not for the content but for it's length and having the car vandalised right in front of us by a group of local youths did little to improve my opinion of the place. Being public spirited as I am, I took it upon myself to 'educate' the main culprit. He may now think twice about doing something similar in the future, I hope.

So, that first night was spent bagging-up 1000's of much needed calories into individual daily rations. The plan worked perfectly and was the main reason for such a successful and memorable trip.

Yes, the boats were heavy. I have no idea of the laden weight of the two Linder Inkas 525's, but the portages (there were several interesting ones) were a joint effort in concentration and exertion to avoid injury by the boats running away out of control. A broken leg, or worse, would have been a disaster.

All of the gear we took between us worked without fail, the stuff we hired just about worked. If there is one piece of hired gear I would not recommend, it is the Helsport twin hoop tunnel tents that we had. They are pretty horrible things, heavy, saggy, baggy and always wet due to poor internal venting.

If there is one outstanding piece of gear that I simply would not do without, apart from my drysuit and Aquagear Survivor bottles, it has to be the Bushbuddy stove. What a gem that thing is! We took enough meths and gas for the trip, but next time there will be less. Woodgas rules in Sweden. So does a £5 folding shovel from Go Outdoors.

The shot above was taken on the penultimate evening. It was peaceful and calm on this island, bitterns were booming in a reedbed across the lake and there were fresh signs of moose all around our camp. They must be good swimmers, we were about a kilometre from the nearest shore. Despite searching for several hours, we weren't able to see any moose. We did find a couple of deer that made a rapid exit when they saw us, though. None of us were in a hurry to pack the tents up the following day. It was a good wildcamp and a place for reflection. That's why I took the shot. I wanted to remember my thoughts.

Hasselblad XPan11, 45mm lens, f16, RVP 50 for the technically minded.

The story will be continued......

The power of blogging

2009-08-21T23:19:00.006+01:00

Since I started this blog, I have come into virtual and actual contact with many people and new opportunities have presented themselves to me in ways which I would never have previously considered. One thing we all share is an appreciation of the outdoors. We all have our reasons and philosophies behind this appreciation and I enjoy reading the multitude of thoughts, opinions, gear reviews, routes, images and useful information that blogging throws into the virtual outdoors world.

One major discovery I have made is the power that a regularly updated blog can hold within the murky world of search engine activity and the immeasurable potential for driving internet traffic to a website.

With that in mind, I've turned my attention to resurrecting my wedding photography blog:

www.stevewaltonphotography.net

Late coming, I know, there can be no excuses for the neglect. It may not hold much interest for many who read and follow Hard Light, but it all happens outdoors, given the chance!

Woodstock 40th Anniversary

2009-08-14T16:53:00.005+01:00

BBC Radio 2 have a programme scheduled on Saturday 15th August to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock music festival. The presenter is John Sebastian (those of a certain age will remember the Lovin' Spoonful!).
1969 will seem a lifetime away for anyone who was born the right side of that vintage year, for the rest of us it was the apex of the short-lived hippy idyll. What did Woodstock do for the hundreds of thousands who were there and the millions more who, like me, lived it via Michael Wadleigh's 1970 film? It gave us the belief that we were immortal and we could change things. We've been proven wrong about immortality, ask Jimi, Gerry & Janis, although Carlos and Richie may disagree. I'm not too sure that we did change much apart from kicking up a little dust here and there, but one direct spin-off at home was the 1970 Bath Festival which I did get to as a 16 year-old hitchhiker. From there on to Canada and a very brief foray into America and suddenly finding the stark reality of what it was we were all protesting about at that time, through the friendship of a few draft dodgers. Now that was a laugh!
It seems that Michael Eavis was also suitably impressed by being at the Bath Festival all those years ago. Change becomes habit.

Y Garn

2009-08-12T00:19:00.017+01:00

Business took us to North Wales last week. Just a stone's throw from Snowdonia and the Ogwen Valley, the temptation to stay over was simply too great. We decided to pitch the heavyweight camping gear under the watchful gaze of Tryfan for a couple of nights. What a beautiful evening. Warm, sunny and most un-Ogwen like. The Milestone Buttress layby is always busy at weekends, but once everyone has gone (and they always do!) and the A5 quietens down, it's a great place to sit on the wall with a glass of wine and soak up the surroundings on a fine evening. I had high hopes of the same again for the following day. I should have known better, this is Snowdonia!

I was hoping for some late afternoon light. I didn't get much of that, but it made for an optimistic walk up and over the summit of Y Garn and back down by the Devil's Kitchen path to Llyn Idwal, it was a nice circular leg-stretcher. The weather was heavily overcast for most of the day and the threat of rain was constant. In fact it did rain frequently, but not enough to actually be really wet. It was refreshingly fine drizzle whilst I was hauling myself up the steepest parts and annoyingly persistent whilst I was waiting at the top for that elusive light. I gave it a good while, other walkers came and went, clouds rushed on by and my muesli bars vanished. The heavy cloud did part briefly and I managed to quickly get a few images on the Fuji GX617, which is what I was there for. I'll post a panoramic shot when the films have been processed and returned from the lab.

The view in the opposite direction gives a stunning aspect of Crib Goch and the Snowdon group when the light is right. I've made a mental note to return to Y Garn this coming winter with the Fuji GX617 and the superlative Fujinon 300mm lens, it really is the best view of the Crib Goch ridge I have seen apart from standing on it.

Whilst I was waiting, I took the record shot above on the Ricoh GRD2 with wide angle converter 80asa @ f.8. ( jpeg saved from the RAW file). Even on a dull day the view down to the Ogwen valley is impressive. Pen yr Ole Wen and the Carneddau to the left, Tryfan and the Glyders to the right. Inevitably, though, I had to move on as the wind increased and I became too cold to hang around. August, eh!

I'm looking forward to standing on top of Y Garn again and not only for that shot across the way.

Late nights and long days.

2009-08-06T23:58:00.014+01:00

I finally got around to tidying two of the really important websites I own. Well, they do put bread on the table! Too many images on both, so I've trimmed them down a bit and re-arranged the text to make things a little faster and more legible.
With anything important and technology driven, it's seems to be a long-winded and occasionally frustrating process to get things looking something like the way you want them to on a website. The shot of Norfolk Island on Ullswater above is a good example. The template will only show a very low resolution version of it for some reason. Infuriating! For the technically minded, it was taken on RVP 50 with the Hassleblad 503CW and 80mm Planar at f8. Not sure of the shutter speed, but I guess around 1/8 sec.

Frankly, I'd rather be taking photographs!

I shall miss the Fairport Convention Cropredy Festival this year. It's previously been an annual pilgrimage for me, but I have to work. I hope Brian & Morven and the other 30000-odd real ale conoisseurs have a great weekend. I'll be thinking of you, especially if Steve Winwood turns up!

Argos Pro Action Hike Light 1

2009-07-29T18:15:00.026+01:00

Some items of gear are bought in the knowledge that you will use it to destruction or use it a fair bit with no chance of selling it on because the residual value is so low that you may as well donate it to the local Scout Group. You may even buy gear against the chance that it may not see a great deal of regular use, but if the purchase price is low enough does it really matter?

I have read plenty of favourable reports on the web about the Argos Pro Action 1 tent over the past few months. The latest being the Lake District trip report over on BG's blog where he used this tent for a multi-day backpacking and wild camping trip. That was good enough for me, I took the plunge and shelled out £24.44 for one of the last three remaining at my nearest branch of Argos. I also bought a packet of wine gums with the change from 25 quid!

The tent fills a gap in my camping quiver. I wanted something that I can throw in the back of the car or backpack for a few days away. The intended use is for commercial sites where I need not worry too much about having expensive equipment stolen, low-level wild camping in reasonable conditions, not too big and heavy and something that I can sit up in. I have several tents of different layouts and sizes, from lightweight backpacking to multi day wilderness canoe trekking. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a technical masterpiece crafted from exotic materials, I just wanted something that will work well within it's limitations. The Pro Action 1 looks as though it fits the bill.

It seems to be a close copy of recognised American tent designs, such as Sierra Designs and MSR etc. It'll come as no surprise that the Argos Pro Action 1 is made in China. The nylon pu coated fly claims a hh of 2000mm and all seams are taped. The poles are pre-shaped alloy and the pegs are alloy. There are three guying points fitted with nylon lines and plastic sliders, one on each sidewall and one at the rear. The tent is erected inner first and the fly is tied to the poles by tape and attached by clips to the inner by webbing straps and ladder-lock buckles at the pegging points. It's a tried and tested design that works well in most three season conditions. There are toggle and loop tie-backs on the inner and outer doors.

All of the seams have accurate stitching. The fly can be pitched fairly taut, given the nylon material, with only a bit of flappiness along the bottom of the door. Overall, the Argos Pro Action 1 is made of good, functional materials at an amazing price. So far, it's only been pitched in the garden, but despite being left out in heavy rain the tent did not leak. At just under 2kg, it is heavy for a single person backpacking tent and not one I would consider for multi-day long distance backpacking trips. But, you get a lot of tent for a bargain price and of good enough quality to withstand any reasonable use. I'm looking forward to using it.

The inner tent has some mesh panels to save weight. It is a very tight mesh and should cope with Scottish midges. The bathtub groundsheet extends for several inches up the sides of the inner and should help cut draughts. The fly is a good fit and not too short from the ground - as I have found to be the case in more expensive tents.

The Inner is suspended from the two pre-shaped poles by tape and plastic clips. This could be a possible weak point on such a cheap tent, but the tape and clips are quite substantial and should be up to the job.

The tent comes in a stuff sack. The stitching which retains the drawcord soon parted and needed re-stitching.

There is a four-page instruction sheet packed with the tent.

Two pre-formed shock-cord linked poles and ten alloy pegs with a spare peg, guyline and slider come in their own bags.

The vent is held open by a stiffened strut and curved, reinforced rim. The strut is held in place by velcro.

The fly attachment is by webbing straps and buckles. The bar-tacking is good and should cope with the strain of moderate winds and cinching down when tautening the fly.
There is a reasonable separation between the fly and inner. The pole tips are located in metal eyelets in the guying straps.

Overall, the Argos Pro Action 1 is close in construction, materials and layout to more expensive tents such as the MSR Zoids. I'm 6' tall, there is more than enough length to lie flat. The inner tent roof does not sag and touch my face, which can be a problem with tents of this type when laying down. There is enough headroom to sit up inside. The porch is roomy enough to use a small stove with care.
It's not too long ago when a tent of this standard of manufacture and attention to detail would have been considered state of the art. We live in a world of new materials with weights and performance that would have been inconceivable only 15-20 years ago. These new materials make less exotic tents like the Pro Action 1 look heavy and staid, but at less than £25 for a perfectly usable tent who cares!

Mac Book Pro...bloated battery!

2009-07-27T17:17:00.012+01:00

It started with a perceptible lessening of battery capacity, then the trackpad and clickpad felt decidedly wrong. Then there was an audible crack.
I figured my 17" Mac Book Pro was unwell. Putting the Mac down on my desktop confirmed my fears as it rocked back and forth. The battery had bloated!

Steve Jobs if you're reading this (which I doubt), your hardware is gorgeous, your software is edifying, but your outsourcing and qc in China sucks! This failing of a battery is unforgivable on what is supposed to be professional standard equipment.

The upside is that a quick trip to The Apple Store in Leicester had the offending battery replaced with a brand new one, free of charge, by a very nice and helpful chap called Adrian.
"It's caused by a chemical reaction!" He said.

Wrong, Adrian. It's caused by cost-cutting, poor r&d, cheap outsourcing, crap quality control, poor manufacture and an unshakable conviction that your products are beyond reproach.

It will be interesting to see whether I will have to pay for the next replacement when this new one bloats itself to death once it's out of the 12 months guarantee period.
At the current price of £84.35 + vat, I think not!

Grrrrrr....

White Box Solo stove

2009-07-22T19:18:00.028+01:00

I have been looking for a good lightweight brewkit alternative to gas and the ubiquitous mini Trangia for a long time. I think I have finally found it on Bob & Rose Cartwright's Backpacking Light UK website!
The White Box Solo and the GSI halulite kettle are a perfect match as a lightweight brew kit for day walks and paddles either side of full winter conditions. It's a simple, robust and lightweight combination that I have found difficult to beat. An ideal solution with little, if anything, to go wrong. It complements my Bushbuddy perfectly.
There is ample room in my Innov-8 Race Pro 12ltr sack for the kettle with stove nested inside the infuser, meths bottle, mug, windshield and firesteel, with room left over for a Berghaus PacLite smock and cereal bars.

Some items of outdoor gear are so simple and efficient in design and function that they are a pleasure to use. The latest version of the White Box stove is guaranteed to put a smile on the face of any dedicated alcohol stove enthusiast! It's made from the same recycled aluminium bottles as the original, but is a little shorter with a smaller fuel capacity. The lower centre of gravity is a definite advantage.

It comes with a square of aluminium flashing for a base...

....and a windshield made of the same material which has vents punched into it and is held in place by a large paper clip.

The stove needs around 45 secs to 'bloom', the jets are perfectly sized to give an astonishingly powerful output. In indoor conditions, I boiled 600ml of cold tap water (enough for two mugs of tea) in 6.5 minutes from 1.25 fl ozs of methylated spirit. The burner continued to burn for a further 1.5 minutes. Outside in a breeze it takes a couple of minutes more, but the stove seems to be more fuel efficient and faster to boil than a Trangia.

White Box stoves are known to have a wide flame spread. It is not suitable for pots of less than 4 inches in diameter because the flames will curl around the outside of the pot. The GSI kettle is 6 inches in diameter and works perfectly. The whole of the base of the kettle is covered by the spread of the burner. Beware if using the stove inside a tent porch, the burner will flare from the centre when the pot or kettle is removed.

An upturned mug can be used to snuff out the burner:

Tea brewing and alcohol burning at it's best!

GSI Halulite Kettle

2009-07-22T18:44:00.009+01:00

This GSI Halulite kettle caught my eye on the Backpacking Light UK website. It's very light weight and is made of a hard anodised aluminium alloy. It is a simple, functional design that is impossible to fault. The manufacturer claims that the alloy used has superior heat transfer properties to titanium and other metals. I wouldn't argue, it just gets on with the job!

What makes it slightly different from most kettles such as the Trangia offering is the infuser that sits inside under the lid. I'm an avid tea-drinker and this seems like a simple but useful idea. No more fishing tea bags out of a mug, simply drop them in the infuser and brew up! The kettle is well made and has a robust feel to it, the handle is very substantial with a plastic grip. It stands high up when the kettle is on the boil, well away from the heat source and doesn't flop around when pouring boiling water into a mug.

One major benefit of the infuser, whether you use it for tea bags or not, is that it seems to stop the lid blowing when the kettle is full and boiling. Anyone who has boiled a full Trangia kettle will know what I mean!

I can't fault it, the GSI kettle does what it's supposed to do without fuss and now forms the basis of my day walking and paddling brew kit.

Bill Bellis

2009-07-11T00:42:00.004+01:00

I have been working away recently and did not have time to post this before I left for Ireland.

I was shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Bill Bellis after a fall on Am Basteir on 26th June. I met Bill through mutual friends a few years ago and had the pleasure of his company on some great walking and scrambling weekends in the Lake District during the time I knew him.

With deepest sympathy to Bill's family. He will be missed.

MPA East Midlands Region Master Photographer of the Year 2009

2009-06-12T11:05:00.007+01:00

The Master Photographers Association East Midlands Region Awards Dinner and presentations took place last night. I was delighted to become the East Midlands Master Photographer of the Year 2009.

There are many very good and highly respected Master Photographers within the Region and the competition for the top regional title is always strongly contested. Many thanks to Desi Fontaine (those of a certain age will remember the Athena posters of the 70's & 80's, especially the female tennis player scratching her butt - it was not Desi, I hasten to add!) for the constructive judging and congratulations to all those who did well in the categories.

I look forward to joining the judging panel for the MPA National Awards in August.

MPA East Mids Awards

2009-05-26T23:58:00.002+01:00

The annual Master Photographers Association East Midlands Region print competition took place this evening. I won the Landscape & Travel category outright and also scored an Award of Excellence and two Merits with the four images I entered. Desi Fontaine FMPA, who leads workshops for Charlie Waite's Light & Land, was judging this year's Regional Awards. I also scored an Award of Excellence in the Pictorial category.

I will not be able to enter the National Awards this year because I have been invited to join the Judging Panel for the commercial categories, which includes Landscape & Travel. This is a great honour for me and I look forward to being involved.

A short interlude!

2009-05-09T19:54:00.007+01:00

I'll sign off here now for the next couple of weeks. I'll post an account of the trip after I return, in the meantime here's a shot from a previous trip that shows what paddling in Sweden can be like when the weather is kind.

A sort of heaven! :-)

The waiting is the hardest part.

2009-05-09T11:34:00.012+01:00

The final few hours of waiting to set off on a journey are the hardest hours. Anyone who has planned an adventure will know what I mean, all the planning has been taken care of, the kit is sorted and packed and the anticipation builds with a small sense of frustration that you can't quite make a start.
Because you have to wait!

Oh well, to pass the time, I've had a look through a few previous moments in Sweden:

Portaging between lakes and rivers can be hard work. This forest road was one of the better ones because vehicles use it. Others are little more than rough, rocky and muddy single tracks. A rare moment of sunshine between heavy rain squalls on this day. If I wasn't soaked by the weather, I was soaked in sweat!

Beavers! Amazing creatures, beaver. There are places where downed trees block the portage trails and subsequent manhandling of the canoe over or around these obstacles can be a very strenuous exercise. Good fun though, it always gives me a thrill to see beaver. They're usually active around dusk and can be quite approachable with care.

Wind shelters are a welcome feature in the Swedish National Parks. Most of them have a firepit and a stock of wood for warmth and cooking. They are a welcome sight after a long hard paddling and portaging day in bad weather. This particular day was very cold, wet and windy with snow and sleet. I was exhausted when I finally landed on this island, but conditions became even worse on the following day. A committing crossing of Stora Gla into a big swell and a snowstorm followed. I was really thankful I brought the drysuit, a capsize in those conditions would have been serious.

It's often that bad weather during the day gives way to spectacular sunsets and calm evenings. There was an active beaver lodge about 50 metres away from my camp. I watched these interesting creatures through the darkness until tiredness took over.

Sweden by canoe

2009-05-09T09:02:00.018+01:00

Everything is now packed and ready for the drive to Heathrow at 4.00am tomorrow. The start of this year's trip follows the same pattern as before: fly to Oslo, pick up the hire car, drive to Arvika, camp overnight, spend the first day buying 2 week's worth of food and supplies. Another overnight camp and then to the outfitter to collect the tent, canoe, paddles, portage trolley, etc and finally the landrover trek to the get-in, this time somewhere north of Algsjon.

The route this year is quite long and remote, about 12 days paddling, unless I find an island that I feel like living on for a couple of days! I may spin it out to 14 days. From past experience, I know it will be quite arduous, but Sweden is a beautiful country even when the weather is against you. The kit list hasn't changed much, I'm taking only what I know works well:

Paramo Velez
Paramo Cascadas
Paramo Cambia base layers
Paramo Mountain pull-on
Paramo Torres gilet
Paramo cap
Reed Chillcheater Transpire base layers
Smartwool socks
Rab down socks
Tilley T5
Dam X drysuit
Mountain Equipment lightline duvet
Mountain Equipment Dragon 500 sleeping bag
Mountain Equipment 3/4 sleeping mat
Trangia with gas converter
Bushbuddy with Snow Peak 900 titanium pot
Snow Peak titianium mug
Titanium spork
LMF firesteel
Bowie knife
True North Little Tarp
Assorted Ortleib and Exped drybags for double bagging essentials such as sleeping bag, mat, cameras and clothing.
First-aid kit
Princeton Tec Apex head torch
Aquagear Survivor water filter
Folding spade
Ricoh GRD2
Hasselblad Xpan11 with 45mm

Everything is then packed into a Nookie 100ltr drybag which is securely tied down in the canoe.

The only untested kit I am taking are the Five.Ten Canyoneer 2 boots which I bought at Paddlefest in April and the Reed Aquatherm socks. I know Reed Chillcheater very well, I've used their gear for years and have no concerns about the quality or the capabilities of their products, it's top quality throughout. The Canyoneer 2's are a bit of a shot in the dark, but they are well made with good attention to detail. The materials certainly seem to be up to the job, they are designed for canyoneering but more importantly they are comfortable. A strap and buckle closure would seem to be a weak point in any design, but these are very robust. The boots are reasonably stiff and the soles are made of a sticky rubber compound, which will be useful on the portages. The fold-over cuff is neoprene covered in lycra and is comfortable and supportive. The upper is mainly mesh with a side drain-hole. I know I'm pinning a lot of faith on these boots, but given the high quality of materials and workmanship, I'm confident that they will be up to the job.

16 hours to go.....

Up the Cowsic and down the West Dart

2009-04-27T00:28:00.026+01:00

I had a day to myself on Dartmoor, so I decided to return to an area that I have not visited for a few years. I like the remote areas of Dartmoor for, as I have said earlier in my blog, moorland gives me space to think and breathe. People and problems are soon left behind and the Moor fills your life. The strange thing is, it seems those things are more quickly left behind if you set off from a popular area of Dartmoor.

The walk I had planned involved setting off from the quarry carpark at Two Bridges, walking up the Cowsic River onto Beardown Tor, on to Lydford Tor, Devils Tor and Beardown Man, Rough Tor, Browne's House, and then above the upper West Dart river to Higher White Tor, Longaford Tor, Crockern Tor, Wistman's Wood and then back to to Two Bridges. Not a huge walk by any means, probably less than 10 miles, but plenty of archaeological interest with the tall menhir of Beardown Man and the remains of Browne's House. It was a beautiful spring morning at 8.30 am, warm enough to forego a mid layer. Although threatening clouds did dominate the day from about 10.45, it didn't rain.

Looking from Beardown Tor towards Lydford Tor, Devil's Tor and Rough Tor

Beardown Man.
Beardown Man is a tall menhir, the storm clouds began to threaten but the rain never came. I liked the way the split in the clouds adds an appropriate atmosphere to this scene.

Browne's House.
The story is that Browne, a farmer, had an attractive young wife. He was a jealous man who built his house in this remote part of the Moor in order to keep her away from the unwelcome attentions of other men! Just this ancient gatepost and a pile of rocks is all that remains of Browne's House.

A fellow traveller.
A wild Dartmoor pony grazing on Lower White Tor. It seems shameful that these hardy creatures have little apparent value and are are often destined for the Belgian meat trade or end up as dog food.

Higher White Tor from Langaford Tor.
Looking back at my route onto the ridge above the West Dart.

Longaford Tor.
The top of Longaford Tor makes a great viewpoint on a clear day like this. You can even pick up a short scramble to the top. This rock caught my eye. It reminded me of my sea kayak riding a swell.

Crockern Tor.
The ancient site of the Devon Stannary Parliament where the price of tin was fixed. Tin was extracted for many centuries on Dartmoor and around the South West of England.

Wistman's Wood.
Wistman's Wood is a jewel in the crown of Dartmoor. It is a remnant of the ancient oak forest that once covered the Moor. It is atmospheric at any time. Sit quietly for a few moments and it doesn't take much imagination to be transported into a Tolkienesque world. The stunted, twisted oaks and rocks are covered in lichens, ferns and mosses. There are rare and delicate plants all around. If you visit Wistman's Wood, please treat it with the respect and consideration it deserves.

All images were taken on a Nikon D3 and 14-24mm lens.

Rangefinder Magazine - Trumping The Work Of The Devil!

2009-04-19T00:14:00.013+01:00

I've been busy over the past 10 days with working trips to Ireland and Dartmoor. I got back from Co. Leitrim to find that some copies of the April 2009 edition of Rangefinder (USA photographic magazine) had been delivered. I knew that they had prepared a feature about my work, but I hadn't expected 6 pages! Wow, I'm grateful for the exposure and some very kind words. It seems to have followed a recent pattern with work coming in via an American publisher, hence the working trip to the Emerald Isle and Devon.

There is a pdf version of the article available for free download from the front page of the Rangefinder website.

A recent post on an outdoors forum reminded me of a day back in February when I was trying to get some images of Parkhouse Hill and Chrome Hill in the Peak District. It was one of those days that started well with a beautiful sunrise as I was driving through snow to get to Longnor. I used the Hasselblad Xpan 11 and 90mm lens for the shot above because I needed panoramic format images. I also took the 503cw for some square format images. By the time I had reached the spot I had chosen from the OS 1:25,000 map, the colourful sunrise had disappeared and was taken over by overcast leaden skies and a bitter cold wind with heavy snow flurries. One thing about shooting on Fuji Velvia is that it lends itself to good monochrome conversion, which is useful as the day became completely monchrome. I enjoyed the walk over Parkhouse Hill and Chrome hill. A couple of post-walk pints of ale by the roaring fire in The Quiet Woman were most welcome!

A monograph!

2009-04-04T00:52:00.005+01:00

I've been toying with the idea of starting another blog for quite a while. Colin Griffiths is a frequent and prolific Blogger with several interesting sites. His Lubbesthorpe Bridle Road and Croft Hill blogs are exactly what I have had in mind for my own monograph which will run in tandem with 'Hard Light'.

Thornton Reservoir has been a sanctuary for me for many years. I once lived in Thornton, my children were raised there and Joe, my youngest son, still lives in the village. Since I moved to Markfield, the 'res' is very close once again and I have been re-aquainting myself with the peace that I find there. Thornton Reservoir is the subject and title of my new blog and I shall be updating it frequently. My aim is to record the flora and fauna and the changes that this area continues to experience.

So, an evening walk around Thornton Reservoir with my camera this evening spurred me on to begin my 2nd outdoors blog. The image above was taken this evening on the D3 with 14-24mm at f5.6. Exposure at 200 asa was 10 seconds. I hope you enjoy your visit!

Podcast live!

2009-03-28T12:05:00.003Z

I met Andy Howell at the Outdoors Show and he tells me that the podcast he made with me at the Focus on Imaging exhibition in February is now available for download from Bob Cartwright's Backpacking Light UK website

The Outdoors Show

2009-03-28T11:47:00.004Z

Well, yesterday marks what will probably be the last time I visit the annual Outdoors Show at the NEC in Birmingham. I have attended this show since the first time it was staged and have seen a steady decline in the quality of the event to the extent that my visit yesterday was little more than a disappointing and wasted day. I don't blame the exhibitors. I have exhibited at NEC shows in the past and I am aware of the exhorbitant costs involved and fully understand why the major players and most smaller manufacturers and specialists now seem to boycot the event.
Unless the organisers revue their planning, I feel the Outdoors Show has now run it's course. The future may well lie in smaller, more specialist events held on different dates around the UK.

Birchen Edge

2009-03-23T23:19:00.005Z

Mark Richards' three well-known walking guides to the Peak District are amongst the most well-thumbed books I have. They are a few years old, but the walks are all good and well researched. The hand drawn maps are clear, detailed and accurate and the text has an easy and informative style. Last Monday, I decided to revisit walk no.8 from White Peak Walks The Northern Dales.
It's been a good while since I walked along Birchen Edge and this route is an easy circular walk that takes in Jack Flat and Gardom's Edge with expansive views throughout. There is plenty of interest and the walk can be extended to include Curbar Edge and more. It makes a very pleasant afternoon out with the bonus that the start and finish are close to the Robin Hood Inn, which just happens to serve some of the best ales and home-cooked food in the Peak!
The monument above commemorates Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson and was erected in 1805.

2009-03-23T23:13:00.003Z

The Three Ships:
from the left, Victory, Defiance and Royal Soverin. The gritstone outcrops were named after the three principle ships of the Royal Navy at the Battle of Trafalgar. HMS Victory was Nelson's flagship.

2009-03-23T22:59:00.003Z

This outcrop near Gardom's Edge is quite dramatic when the late afternoon sun catches it. Time things just right and the polarised light is perfect for defining cloud detail. Although the tree on the far right is slightly separated from the outcrop, I felt the inclusion of it adds a little tension to the image, almost as if it is wanting to climb aboard to join it's neighbours! The 14mm focal length exagerrates perspective and makes it possible to pull in the whole scene from quite close up. I really like the Nikkor 14-24 f2.8, it is a powerful lens for landscape and architecture.

Fellow Travellers

2009-03-23T22:21:00.008Z

The last time I encountered a herd of Highland cattle was when we were sea kayaking in the Outer Hebrides a few years ago. We had paddled to the island of Great Bernera and stopped for lunch. I went off to explore the island's ruined chapel and found myself surrounded by about a dozen over-curious bovines. They were quite agressive and determined to see us off their turf, which they did. We weren't going to argue! These Peak District cattle were rather more friendly, but it seems to be a characteristic of Highland cattle that they are naturally inquisitive.
I came across this herd near the Eagle Stone which can be seen on the distant left of the middle image.

Newcastle upon Tyne and Ford Anglias

2009-03-13T21:19:00.004Z

This is where the Leica is a joy to use and where it really excels. As a travel camera, it's difficult to beat. Ok, it's uses film. That could be a drawback for some, but it doesn't need batteries and it is quiet and unobtrusive. I'm no HCB, but I understand the great man's high regard for his Leicas. I took it to Newcastle with me on a job yesterday. Not that I used it for the job, I simply used it for my own enjoyment. Processing film is definitely a step backwards but I don't have to do it these days. When I do get my hands dirty, it's because I want to. The Ford Anglia above was an appropriate subject for the MP and 35 Summicron asph. Funny to think that this was the car that most working-class people drooled over in the 60's. Simplicity of engineering is not always appealing. I never liked the Ford Anglia much back then, let alone today! The shot of the Tyne bridges was taken on the 90mm Elmarit. Film was Iford delta 100 in ID11.

Jewelry

2009-03-13T20:48:00.002Z

Cameras and photographic equipment are the tools of my trade and not something I usually get sentimental about and neither do I spend time dreaming of owning particular cameras or lenses. There is one exception and that is my Leica MP and my three Leica lenses. When I first saw the MP on it's release several years ago, I wanted one instantly. No, I didn't need a Leica MP, I simply wanted one in the same way a collector of watches would want a Breguet or Rolex, perhaps. There are probably several reasons for wanting something like a Leica MP and I daresay none of those reasons are particularly wholesome or even very sensible, but I bought one anyway. If nothing else, my MP and the awe-inspiring Noctilux f1 lens that I paired it with are a constant reminder of my dear old late Gran. I only wish I could have used it to take a photograph of her. My Leica may have been expensive, but a photograph of my Grandmother would be priceless.

Llynnau Mymbyr

2009-03-06T11:12:00.010Z

Suffering for one's art as a landscape photographer is easy. Just expose yourself to clouds of midges on a calm, warm and humid morning! Being eaten alive on this beautiful June morning in Snowdonia left me feeling suitably artistic. How can a creature so small as to be barely visible inflict irritation on such an extreme scale? I admire the midge. Despite 54 years of perfecting my own irritation skills, the humble midge leaves me in awe.

Rangefinder magazine in the US are preparing a feature about me and my landscape work and this image of Llynnau Mymbyr in Snowdonia is being used as a header to the article. A significant percentage of my sales come from overseas, including America, so I am both flattered and grateful to Rangefinder for the exposure that has been given to me. I only wish the clouds of midges had evaporated as rapidly as the mist on the lake did at sunrise!

Fuji GX617
f22
RVP 50 (25asa equivalent with centre nd grad).

Ilford FP4+

2009-02-26T13:59:00.005Z

I found a folder of old negatives today. Some of these go back a couple of decades and more to the days when I used a twin lens medium format camera for landscape photography. Not a lot has changed despite the convulsions that imaging has undergone over the past 18 years since the advent of digital capture. Ilford have also undergone their own corporate convulsions and have survived to be strong in a diminishing market. Monumental change can create specialist and niche markets. Ilford FP4+, as well as several other legendary emulsions from Ilford, Kodak and Fuji, is still available to those who are determined to work with film and chemistry to create their images. Long may it remain so. Film does not give the instant gratification of digital, the gratification comes later, but what film did give us was the ability to understand light and relativity. We learnt by our mistakes and by getting our hands dirty. We did not learn by histogram. I think those of us who understand film are fortunate. We didn't need to learn about photography whilst we were learning the new technology. Look at it another way, film lets us use new technology to achieve so much more than we could before. Digital capture is not the real threat to analogue. Without the means to convert analogue to digital, the days of film could well be numbered. The continued availability of scanners is the key to the viability of film based photography at a commercial level. Only a few years ago, many people were saying that digital could not replace film. How wrong they were, it can replace film because for most practical purposes and in most ways, digital capture exceeds film. There is some irony in the fact that film will likely eventually disappear because the hardware required to convert it will no longer be available.

The image above will be recognisable to anyone who knows Grindsbrook well from their upward excursions to the delights of the Kinder plateau. Although taken many years ago, it is good to be able to handle these negatives. I remember the day I took this and the neg is as fresh and clean as the day I took it from the developing tank. I don't think I would say the same about a digital file in 30 years time. There is a kind of emotional and tactile attachment to film that digital capture cannot replicate.... except with a scanner.

Changing seasons

2009-02-19T14:09:00.005Z

Saint Sunday Crag and Fairfield across Grizedale.

We have 12 degrees Celsius today. We also had goldfinch, greenfinch, chaffinch, bullfinch, starling, blue tit, great tit, robin, blackbird and house sparrow at the feeder together this morning. The snow has gone completely, the sun is shining and the birds are singing. Yes, it's early days, but there is a change in the season. I wonder if the shot above of St. Sunday Crag and Fairfield from two weeks ago will be the last fresh snowfall image I will make until next winter?

I hope not, but that scene is far removed from the weather today. Changing seasons bring changes to emotions, the first warm day of impending springtime brings with it feelings of anticipation of the year ahead.

The journey continues......

Camera bags

2009-02-17T12:10:00.010Z

The question of camera bags pops up quite frequently on outdoors forums. I have a dislike of camera bags of any kind. They are heavy, bulky and usually over-designed. Camera equipment does need some protection from the elements, but I am completely unconvinced that cameras need to be cossetted in padded bags. I generally use lightweight Exped drybags of varying sizes and colours to indicate what they contain. Even my large Fuji GX617 lives in a drybag inside my rucksack. One great advantage of using drybags is that the bag can be slipped over the camera and lens when mounted on the tripod to protect delicate equipment from rain, sleet, snow and mist. If I am carrying my Nikon around my neck as I sometimes do, It's very convenient to clip a drybag over it for weather protection.

A couple of years ago I was at the Canoe Expo exhibition in Coventry and I came across this company. AboardUK Marine Equipment are based in Cornwall and make some useful waterproof bags for sailors and surfers. This little 'Horizon' roll-top bag is ideal for carrying a compact camera and assorted bits and pieces. There is a zipped pocket on the front to hold SD cards and spare battery. It comes with a waistbelt, which I have removed. I carry it by threading a rucksack compression strap through the belt loops on the bag. It's been out in all weathers and has never leaked, although I wouldn't advise total immersion. Cost about £25.

Sandy Hole Pass

2009-02-16T22:05:00.005Z

I camped in a gorge downstream from here the previous night. I didn't exactly rush to get packed up in the morning as there was thick fog and I only had about 5 miles to walk to Vur Tor for my next camp. When I emerged from the gorge, I found I had left the fog behind. I had been camping in a temperature inversion. What a beautiful morning I had been missing! It was crisp, there is hoar frost on the grass and ice on the rocks in the river. I'm not at all moved by most of the myths surrounding the moor, much of that is perpetuated for the tourism industry, but the peace and solitude of Dartmoor is a precious thing.

Fur Tor (or Vur Tor...or even Vwr Tor)

2009-02-15T13:28:00.004Z

I have finally got around to scanning some of the transparencies from my New Years Eve/Day backpacking trip to Dartmoor. I'm quite pleased with this shot of Fur Tor at sunset and it has made a nice 24x72" print. The warm colour temperature belies the wind chill at the time. The ground was frozen and the wind was quite strong, as can be seen in the blurring of the grass. I find this differential between the movement of grass and the granite outcrop quite pleasing. The superb Fujinon large format lenses that I use on the Fuji GX617, in this case the 90mm lens, are designed to be used at very small apertures. Typically I work at f22 to ensure maximum depth of field from foreground to horizon. Most small format lenses, such as those used on dslr's for example, are adversely affected by difraction degradation at apertures of f16 and below.

My film of choice is always RVP, either 50asa or 100asa. These slow emulsions and small apertures mean that shutter speeds sometimes run into minutes and this can bring the added complication of reciprocity failure, which is the inability of the emulsion to maintain a predictable exposure value or colour rendition. The shutter speed I used to make this exposure on RVP 50 would have been around 1/4 second and reciprocity failure with RVP is not an issue above about 4 seconds.

Bradgate Park

2009-02-13T20:04:00.008Z

It was a beautiful morning this morning. Too good to be in the office, so I decided to take a walk to the neighbouring village of Newtown Linford. Bradgate Park is adjacent to Newtown Linford and was once the home to Lady Jane Grey, the Nine-Day Queen.
Some of the ancient oak trees in the park are reputed to date back to the time of Lady Jane and there may be some truth in the legend that many of these truncated old trees were decapitated after Lady Jane Grey's beheading on February 12th 1554. Deer herds are maintained in the park and I was fortunate to spend time catching some early rays in the company of this fine red deer stag
'Old John' is the folly on the hill on the right and to the left is a war memorial comemorating those local people who gave their lives in both World Wars.

Bushbuddy Stove

2009-02-13T19:20:00.013Z

I know woodburners are currently very popular, but they are rather good! They're fun to use and free you up from having to carry fuel. I followed a couple of outdoor blogs where different types of woodburners had been tested and reviewed. Having spent a bit of time assessing the options, I decided to order a Bushbuddy from Fritz Handel in Iskut, BC. This kind of stove is ideal for my forthcoming wilderness canoe trip in Sweden in May. Last year, I had to keep a close eye on the amount of methylated spirit (denatured alcohol) that I used for cooking and making tea or coffee. In a wilderness area there are no outdoor shops around to buy more should you run out. A woodburner is the logical choice. I can take meths or burn wood if I wish and not have to worry about fuel, wood is plentiful in Sweden.
Fritz Handel is a perfectionist, this is evident in his workmanship and attention to detail. The Bushbuddy is a lightweight work of art! It fits perfectly inside a Snow Peak 900ti pot and a trangia burner can fit inside the Bushbuddy with room for a small firesteel. The whole package is very compact and lightweight. I won't write yet another lengthy review there are plenty elsewhere, suffice to say that the Bushbuddy works perfectly and is one of those pieces of gear that you instantly like. Fires are fun!

Start the fire and load the Bushbuddy with twigs followed by larger bits of wood. If the kindling is damp or 'green', you can expect smoke for a while until.....

....flames burst into life, 'gasification' starts and the smoke vanishes.

850ml (30 fl ozs) of water. Efficient burning, only white powdery ash remains in the Bushbuddy. Black soot remains on the pot!

12 minutes to a rolling boil and two mugs of lemon & lime tea!

Gitzo GT1550T Traveller tripod

2009-02-12T15:46:00.016Z

A good tripod is essential for successful landscape photography. For several years I have used a Manfrotto Carbon One 440. It has been a reliable and sturdy platform. Apart from ocassionally having to tighten the lever leg locking screws, the Manfrotto has done it's job very well. Fitted with the 443RCZ ball & socket with quick release head, the total weight comes in at 2.24kg. Even with the Fujinon 300mm tele lens mounted on the Fuji 617, the Manfrotto has proven itself to be rock solid in moderate winds.

This sturdiness comes at a price. Even with carbon fibre construction, 2.24kg is a weighty piece of kit to carry on the hill. For a long time I have looked for something lighter and just as stable. This was a bit like searching for the Holy Grail of tripods, but I came across the Gitzo GT1550T Traveller at the Focus on Imaging exhibition in Birmingham in 2007. This tripod is so compact in it's collapsed state that I almost passed it by as being too small to be worthwhile. The legs are in five sections which can slow the set-up speed, but the tiny folded size and minimum weight of only 1kg made it worthy of a closer look.

The GT1550T Traveller measures 35.4cm folded....

....and extends to a very useful 146cm.

It comes complete with a b&s head, which is my preference (I have a strong dislike of pan & tilt heads). With the addition of a Manfrotto q/r plate, the total weight is just 1.2kg - half that of my Manfrotto tripod.

Fully extended, the Gitzo GT1550T Traveller is remarkably stable and is now part of my standard equipment for landscape photography. There is a spring-loaded hook at the base of the centre column for hanging a camera bag or backpack from to further improve stability and safety in strong winds.

Length comparison with collapsed Makalu Ultralite pole.

Strapped to the Macpac Ascent. Feet in the wand pocket and centre column extended slightly to enable the top compression strap to be used to aid carrying stability.

The Gitzo GT1550T Traveller has to be one of the best tripods available for the landscape and travel specialist. This comes at a price. At around £430 to include a q/r plate, it isn't exactly a bargain. However, if you depend upon image sales for your living and want to lighten the load on the hill, then I think this tripod will tick most boxes. With a maximum quoted camera and lens weight of 2kg, it is usable across a range of formats. It is astonishingly stable for it's size, with the usual Gitzo attention to detail and quality. The legs extend and collapse smoothly with no binding and the lock mechanisms are equally smooth to operate. This really is amongst the best of camera platforms.

Striding Edge....pt2

2009-02-10T01:46:00.005Z

The forecast for Tuesday was for a clear day, and this was perfect. I decided to go back up to the ridge and retrace my route from the previous day again with the Fuji 617. I left the Nikon behind this time and took the Ricoh GRD2 for the record shots. It was one of those glorious mountain days that you wish would never end. The air was like crystal and the sun was warm, although the temperature was -3 down in Glenridding and rather less 3000' up. How different 24 hours can be! I have a soft spot for Helvellyn. It was the first 'proper' mountain I climbed with a few mates over 40 years ago. I am always reminded of that time when I visit Helvellyn. We have all remained friends. A great mountain with great memories for me.

Ricoh GRD2
Wide angle converter

Striding Edge....pt1

2009-02-10T01:12:00.008Z

When I saw the weather forecast for the week beginning 1st February, I thought a trip to the Lake District would be a good idea. I wanted some winter shots of Striding Edge and Helvellyn. Heavy snowfall was forecast for parts of the UK during the week. As it happened, I left some of the heaviest snow behind in the Midlands. The South West also saw a lot of snow and, as usual, the country ground to a halt as he effects of the weather took hold. I took the motorhome and parked overnight by Ullswater. It snowed during the night and I decided to move to Glenridding on Monday. The inevitable happened and I was snowbound in the carpark at Glenridding for a couple of days, which is exactly what I intended to happen!

The snowfall began to back off about 10am, so I loaded my rucksack with a Nikon D3 and 14-24 f2.8 lens and the Fuji 617 with 90mm swa, tripod, film and lightmeter. Quite a hefty load, both cameras and lenses are substantial chunks of gear. The Berghaus Extreme Climb has been a brilliant sac for carrying cameras and assorted equipment. I'm convinced Berghaus litres are greater than normal litres, this is supposed to be a 35ltr sac, but it seems to swallow big loads without problems.

All went well until I got to a steep section that leads up the flank of Birks to Hole in the Wall. The snow suddenly became hard-packed and icy. Time to strap the crampons on! By the time I reached Hole in the Wall, there was a moderate wind on my back and I was being blasted by spindrift. Visibility dropped to about 12 metres and this gave me a good indication of what I could expect on Striding Edge. I wasn't wrong. When I got to the top of Low Spying How, the wind was so strong that it was impossible to stand upright during the strongest gusts. Visibility dropped to what seemed like zero! The temperature fell dramatically because of the windchill. I have no idea how low it went, but my water bottle had frozen solid in my rucksack. Taking gloves or mountain cap or hood off were not an option. As I made my way carefully along the ridge, the day became a whiteout. I stopped briefly to take a record shot of the conditions on the ridge with the D3. The camera went white and iced over almost instantly. Although it was working fine, I didn't want to risk damage to the Nikon, so I put it away again. It stayed in my rucksack for the rest of the day. There's not a lot more to say about the walk because I had to focus carefully on negotiating the ridge and then navigating my way through the whiteout to get safely off Helvellyn and back down to Glenridding. It was dark when I got back to the van. All that effort for one record shot!

Nikon D3
Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8

Dartmoor: out with the old!

2009-01-31T01:08:00.014Z

Vur Tor

Sandy Hole Pass

The Grey Wethers

As it's the last day of the first month of 2009, it seems appropriate to post a couple of shots from the last day of the last month of last year. I took myself off to Devon to visit family and to see in the New Year on Dartmoor. New Year's Eve was a glorious day, a better end to 2008 could not have been possible!

The Grey Wethers are two seperate stone circles adjacent to each other, dating back to the Bronze Age. 'Wethers' is an Olde English term for sheep, presumably the stones looked like sheep grazing on the flank of Sittaford Tor to some olde English person.

Sandy Hole Pass is an area near the upper East Dart with extensive tin mining evidence. There is a tradition of mining and quarrying on Dartmoor that goes back to prehistoric times.

Vur Tor (or Vwr Tor, or Fur Tor) was the spot I chose to camp on New Year's Eve. It looks fairly peaceful in the shot above, but Vur Tor lies within an MoD live-firing range. Consequently, public access is restricted to non-firing days. It was bitterly cold as the sun was going down. There was moderate breeze blowing and the tent soon turned white with a coating of ice when darkness came. Unfortunately, the weather turned quite bad during the night. The temperature rose and heavy fog descended. I packed up at first light as there was no point in hanging around. The visibility dropped to around 10 meters as I crossed Cut Hill on my way back down to Postbridge. I got to the Warren House Inn about 11am. OK, a pint of Otter costs £3 but you also get:
a. A superb pint
b. A friendly welcome from the Landlady
c. A choice of two log fires
d. Good food.

So I made full use of the log fire, had a meal and more than one pint.

I like the Warren House a lot, it rates alongside other great and remote upland inns such as the Tan Hill, the George & Dragon at Garrigill, The Stag at Dufton and the Cat and Fiddle near Buxton. Great beer and atmosphere are the hallmarks of these old inns. Pity I can't say the same for the Wasdale Head Inn. That place has been ruined by ignorant bar staff and appalling management. The only saving grace of the Wassie Inn these days is the good range of ales they offer.

The image above is one of my last views of 2008.
The tent is my Terra Nova Solar 2. I like this tent for winter use, despite the heavy weight (about 2.5kg) It is a two-man tent, so it has plenty of room for when I'm wearing bulky down-filled clothing and storing a big pack.

Blades

2009-01-31T00:42:00.005Z

Looking at my kit list leaves me thinking about knives. I remember a thread on an outdoors forum last year where someone asked if people carry knives when they're backpacking. The opinions on the thread were very polarised. People either do or they don't. Those that do wouldn't be without one and those that don't can't see any reason to carry one. I do. I always carry a knife when I go backpacking. I always have done, I guess it's something that goes back to my time as a Boy Scout many years ago! We learnt how to use a knife safely in those days. Usually it's my folding Victorinox camper, which I like because it has features that I use regularly such as a can opener and corkscrew. I find it useful for slitting boil in the bag rice, and preparing food for instance. The other knife I have is the one above. It's a Spanish-made (Muela) mini Bowie knife. The blade is about 3" long and it is a very nice thing to use. It will be going to Sweden with me again. If I didn't take it, how would I clean all the fish I never catch?

Kit Lists

2009-01-30T00:02:00.011Z

Plans for my wilderness canoe trip in Sweden in May are just about complete and I've been thinking about kit again. I'm not a gearholic, but it's inevitable that you build up a considerable amount of equipment when you have been involved in several outdoor activities over many years. Some of my kit is over 20 years old and still gets used. It's like having old friends along who won't let you down! I'm not an ultralight fanatic, but I can get my base weight down to around 2.75kg with tarp and bivibag for a weekend away. Some of my equipment is utilised between activities. I've seen a few blogs which have extensive equipment test reports that are far better than anything I ever read in outdoors magazines when I used to buy them. Maybe I'll get around to writing up a few gear reviews later. In the meantime, here's a few lists according to category and activity:

Tents/shelter
MSR Microzoid
Phoenix Phreeranger EB
Terra Nova Solar 2
Vango F10 mk4st
Mountain Range twin hooped Goretex bivibag
Rab Survival Zone bivibag
Rab Storm bivibag
Tentipi Varrie 7cp
BPL solo tarp
True North little tarp
Swift 590PR motorhome

Stoves/cooking
Snow Peak titanium gigapower auto stove
Snow Peak titanium mini cookset
Snow Peak titanium spork
Snow Peak titanium collapsible chopsticks
Snow Peak 900 titanium pot
Bushbuddy woodgas stove
LMF firesteel
Trangia 27k
Trangia 25k
Mini Trangia
Trangia gas converter

Sleeping
Assorted Mountain Equipment down sleeping bags
Therm-a-Rest mats of various sizes

Rucksacks
Macpac Ascent 65ltr
LA Snow Peak 50ltr
Berghaus Extrem Climb 35ltr
LA Summit Attak 30ltr
LA Mesa Runner
Innov-8 Pro Race 12

Clothing
Paramo Velez Adventure smock
Paramo Fuera smock
Paramo Aspira salopettes
Paramo Cascada trousers
Paramo mountain cap
Paramo Torres gilet
Paramo Mountain pull-ons
Paramo base layers/boxers
Rab generator smock
Rab neutrino down gilet
Mountain Equipment drilite down duvet
Mountain Equipment pertex windshirt
Mountain Equipment pertex trousers
GoLite Wisp windshirt
Buffalo Special 6 shirt
Buffalo climbing shirt
Buffalo HA salopettes
Buffalo mitts
Sealskinz dry winter mitts
Trekmates dry gloves
Assorted buffs
Smartwool socks
Berghaus Paclite Goretex smock
ME dwr stretch trousers
Rab down socks
Sprayway pertex shorts

Footwear
Scarpa Manta M4
KSB eVent lined lightweights
Raichle approach shoes
Karrimor Lizard sandals

Safety
Grivel G12 crampons
Stubai Blue Star iceaxe
Kahtoolas microspikes
Leki Makalu ultralite poles

Lighting/navigation
Princeton Tec Apex headtorch
Petzl tikka headtorch
Garmin HC Summit GPS
Silva type 4NL compass

Canoeing
Birch Creek 16' canoe
Grey Owl ottertail & beavertail paddles
Eckla portage trolley

Kayaking
Dagger Approach kayak

Sea kayaking
North Shore Buccaneer kayak
Damm drysuit
Lendal carbon asymmetric touring paddle
Lendal splits

Surf kayaking
Mega X-Ray composite surf kayak
Reed chillcheater dry cag
Reed chillcheater longjohns
Yak b/a
Carbon workblade paddle

Whose hands?

2009-01-26T21:51:00.005Z

Gindslow Knoll

Whose hands set this beautiful old gatepost and built these walls? I look at such things in awe. They add to our landscape and our conciousness, I stop and think a little about how life was and how values change. Things that were once both functional and necessary have a different place now. Cause and effect. Land-shaping and the passage of time. Monuments to monumental change.

Cold light

2009-01-26T21:42:00.004Z

Above Grindsbrook

A Sunday when the blanket cloud showed some promise of lifting, but it never did. That's Kinder! Odd thing was, this cloud blanket was much higher than usual. Strange how failing light has a quality of it's own. The blueness sets in and the cold wind bites.

Sunday strolling

2009-01-26T21:30:00.003Z

Above Edale.

One good thing about dawdling on the hill on a post-Christmas Sunday walk is that the hordes will descend before I do, leaving me to enjoy the plateau in solitude. I can't remember when I first went to Edale, but it was probably some time in the 60's on a school geography trip. I never tire of Kinder Scout, I've seen it's many moods throughout the seasons and a good long day on Kinder Scout is a good work-out.

Special Offer

2008-12-01T15:01:00.003Z

The four panoramics below and all open edition panoramic images on the website are now available on special offer in time for Christmas. Images are printed to 45x15 inches and supplied in a protective cardboard tube. The cost is £75 inclusive of p&p.

Please see the website for contact details.

Wasdale

2008-11-30T20:19:00.007Z

Well, it is said that this is England's favourite view. It is rather a good view, though. There is something about Wasdale that is not often found elsewhere. Maybe it has something to do with the sudden transformation of the landscape from cultivated, pastoral and man influenced to something rather more difficult for humans to shape. Everyone loves Wasdale. This was an eight second exposure at f32. These four panoramic images I made in and above Wasdale on 16th November have been acepted by one of my galleries and will also appear on the website later.
I'm looking forward to going back to Wasdale. As always.

Mosedale from Lingmell

2008-11-30T20:06:00.004Z

I decided to take Lingmell head-on, rather than follow the boring Lingmell beck route. I knew it would be a leg and lung-busting option. It is a steep route, especially with a heavy pack full of photo gear. I took the Fuji 6x17 with 90mm lens , the Fuji 6x9 (65mm lens), four propacks of RVP 50 asa, lightmeter, the big Manfrotto, Lee filters and various other stuff plus food and water. The main benefit of a steep route is that you go up or down relatively quickly!

As I was crossing the stile at the wall, someone on the other side asked if he could include me in his photograph! We got into conversation after I climbed over and he suddenly said "I know who you are! You're Steve Walton, aren't you? I was looking at your website yesterday because I wanted to photograph Great Gable from the spot you used above Piers Gill." Small world!

Great Gable and Kirk Fell

2008-11-30T20:02:00.003Z

This really is a playground. Some of the best hill-walking in the UK, in my opinion. Certainly some of the best in England. Gable and it's smaller sibling, Kirk Fell. Basking in late afternoon November sun. Out of the breeze, it was unbelievably warm and I actually got a little sunburn whilst I was setting these images up!

Great Gable and Styhead Tarn.

2008-11-30T19:57:00.004Z

Lingmell has to be a landscape photographer's gift! The views from around the flat, grassy plateau are breathtaking. Classic Lakeland. Great Gable is an imposing peak from any angle, but looking across upper Wasdale to the scree chutes and crags of Gable is awe-inspiring.

A few days in Wasdale

2008-11-30T19:32:00.003Z

The weather forecast was not too bad for the weekend of 15-16th November, so I decided to take the camper up to Wasdale for a few days. There was an OM meet planned for the weekend so it seemed a good opportunity to catch up with a few members who I have met before and whose company I have enjoyed. The weather was not good on the Wednesday evening when I arrived, it was raining heavily with a strong wind. Thursday was worse! There was little chance of making any worthwhile images so I set off for a walk up Great End. Needless to say, I spent the day being jet-washed and the clag was down. Friday was just as bad and I spent most of the day around upper Wasdale, trying to get some half decent images for stock use. I met up with a few OM-ers in the pub on Friday night and we made plans to tackle the Mosedale Horseshoe the fiollowing day. A 9.00am start seemed a bit late if we were to get round in daylight, needless to say the last hour or so descending back down to Wasdale Head was done in darkness. Due to failing light (mainly), we cut the walk short by missing out Kirk Fell. It was a bit disappointing, but was the right decision. My head torch batteries would never have lasted, as I suspect neither would have several others! The off-piste drop down to Mosedale was a bit of a knee-wrenching exercise, but at least we didn't opt for the scree-run! We had a good day and I really enjoyed the company again, I think there were 10 or 11 of us. Not bad for me, I usually tend to avoid groups on the hill! The weather was very blustery in places and visibility was not too good, but the rain held off all day.

The forecast for Sunday held the best promise. I wanted to use Lingmell as a viewpoint for the Mosedale Horseshoe of the previous day and to make some more images of Kirk Fell and Great Gable. You can never get enough of that stuff!

British Professional Photography Awards - update.

2008-11-30T19:15:00.003Z

It was a great weekend in Newcastle, good to see so many friends from all over the UK and some new ones from overseas. The Awards this year was a more muted event compared to past years, mainly due the the BIPP pulling out of the PPQB and going their own way. As usual, there was a good bit of controversy over some of the winning images, particularly in the wedding and portrait categories. Variety is the spice of life, so it is said. It will be interesting to see if any of this year's winning images influence the content of next year's entries.

I had to settle for runner-up in the UK Landscape & Travel category this year, but I shall be trying hard to regain the Oskar in 2009. Three outright UK titles in four years makes the Awards rather addictive!

June, July, August, September and October were manic for us in the business this year. We had weddings all over the UK and were speaking at several seminars, including a three day stint at the MPA School of Photography which was held this year at Durham Castle. It was a very well attended event and we look forward to being involved again in the future.

New website live at last!

2008-09-04T12:26:00.005+01:00

Finally, after almost two weeks of hard work and several frustrating days trying to get the hosting company to resolve a few issues and another couple of days trying to get various domain registration companies to do what I want, Steve Walton Fine Art has launched!

www.stevewaltonfineart.com

It's been a interesting week, I found out that I have won an Award of Excellence in the Landscape category at the British Professional Photography Awards. This means that I am again a finalist and in the running for another "Oskar" at the event in October. If I win, this will be my fourth success in the last five years, but I can't believe I'll do it again! It will be interesting to see who I am up against this time.

Some of my work is now on display at a new gallery in Rothley. Julie & I spent most of yesterday hanging prints and we are pleased with the result. The gallery owners are very happy too, already interest is coming in and people were taking business cards away as we were filling the dispensers.

Rangefinder (USA) magazine are publishing an article about me and my monochrome UK landscape work. Not sure when it's coming out, but I'm very pleased to get more exposure in America. I'll post the publication date when I know more.

New websites on the way!

2008-08-28T11:55:00.004+01:00

It's been a few months since I updated the blog and traffic has slowed. Much has happened this year, but I will be updating on trips and events that have taken place during the "quiet" spell. Latest news is that I am currently putting the finishing touches to one of two new websites. The first is to be my primary landscape and fine art shop window, Steve Walton Fine Art. I shall post the link when the new site goes live within the next few days. The new site will contain all of the monochrome UK work whilst FineArt Images will be a colour gallery site displaying images from around the UK and overseas.

The other exciting development is that after the launch of the new Fine Art site, I shall start work on www.stevewaltonphotography.com which will be my new, long overdue, wedding photography website.

Tortoise and millstone.

2008-01-03T22:19:00.001Z

Tortoise rock and an unfinished millstone, Owler Tor.

Ricoh GRD11
21mm converter
Aperture priority
200asa
f5.6

Carl Wark from Higger Tor

2008-01-03T22:15:00.001Z

Looking down to Carl Wark and the Longshaw Estate. I took this shot during a sleet shower.

Ricoh GRD11
21mm converter
Aperture priority
200asa
f8

Higger Tor from Carl Wark

2008-01-03T22:12:00.001Z

Looking back at Higger Tor from Carl Wark, making my way back down to the Longshaw Estate.

Ricoh GRD11
21mm converter
Aperture priority
200asa
f8

New Year, New Camera!

2008-01-03T21:16:00.001Z

When I heard about the imminent release of the upgrade to the Ricoh GRD, I was really excited. I am a great fan of the GRD, despite a couple of significant issues with the camera. The .dng write time is well documented and is probably the most frustrating problem. Excessive noise, especially at 400 asa is also disappointing, but can be dealt with adequately in ACR. Two quite major problems spoil an otherwise excellent camera. The slow write speed you learn to live with, the noise you learn to deal with in PP. I was very interested to see the increased resolution of the GRD11 (10mp against 8mp of the GRD) and how improved processing engine of the GRD11 has addressed these problems to improve upon the image quality. On Christmas Eve, I went to Jacobs in Leicester, played with the only GRD11 in stock for 15 minutes and bought it! Despite it being the Season of Goodwill to All Men, Jacobs (or rather, the person on the other side of the counter) could not bring themselves to throw in an SD card! It was a reminder of why I dislike Jacobs as a dealer and why I normally never buy from them or any other high street outlet. Anyhow, I liked the camera and it was available. I am not disappointed, the firmware is superior to that of the GRD and overall the upgrade makes the GRD11 worthwhile for anyone who is using a compact camera seriously. The write time has been addressed. I am now shooting RAW at around 4 seconds write speed, fine for landscapes! The noise issue has been improved. The GRD11 is a seamless upgrade for an existing GRD user and capable of producing superior images to the GRD. The accessories that came with my GRD, 21mm converter, lenshoods, viewfinder etc., are fully compatible with the GRD11. Another advantage is that the battery seems to last longer. I took the camera with me to the Peak District today for a walk up Higger Tor and Carl Wark from Grindleford. The weather was cold with sleet showers and a moderate easterly wind, the ground was frozen. The camera performed very well and I am very happy with my purchase. The shots above were all taken at 200 asa, aperture priority set at f8 and centre weighted metering.

British Professional Photography Awards 2007

2007-11-01T20:26:00.001Z

Three images out of the four in the final were mine, so I was hopeful of winning the UK Landscape & Travel category for the third time since 2004. It was a nail-biting moment when the category was announced by Colin & Linda Buck (CEO and Secretary of the Master Photographers Association). There was a brief pause and then I was declared the winner! I remember hearing cheers around the room from amongst the 400 or so Gala Dinner guests as I made the walk through the tables to applause. Two steps up onto the stage and I shook hands with Tony Hadley (ex-Spandau Ballet), who presented me with my Oskar and crystal plaque, and Nick White (Epson UK) who presented me with my certificates for my three Awards of Excellence. Julie & I were guests of Epson UK at their table for the ceremony, as always the hospitality that was extended to us was magnificent. The whole event at the Newcastle Hilton was a brilliant three days for us. My Fellowship panel was the centrepiece of the exhibition and most people wanted to see it, it seemed. It is only the second time that an Associate submission has been judged to be so good that it is worthy of Fellowship, and so I made some history within the Professional Photographic Qualifications Board! I am usually my own harshest critic when looking at my work, but I was rather proud of my panel. I had so many complimentary comments from other photographers, some from people whom I hold in the highest regard for their skill and artistry as image makers. We finally made it to bed at about 4.30am on Monday!

My three successful images are above, the winning image is at the top. It is a winter-sun shot of the Boxing Gloves on Kinder Scout. It involved a bit of chilly hanging around until the low-angled sun caught the outcrop. As it turns out, it was worth the wait, I even managed to get off the hill before darkness set in. Not bad considering that the Boxing Gloves are situated on the Northern Edge and my car was parked by the Nag's Head in Edale! The shot was taken on my Fuji GX617, 90mm lens at f22. The film was Fuji Velvia 50asa and was scanned on my Imacon scanner. The file was converted to monochrome via The Imaging Factory's Convert To Black and White Pro3 which is a plug-in in Photoshop CS2.

The middle shot is of the Langdale Pikes. This was taken on a very cold, wet and windy January day. Julie was not happy as we sat hunkered down behind some rocks near the summit of Side Pike, but I was convinced that the rain would lift and the cloud might break because of the strong wind. Eventually, the cloud did break briefly. As the wind blew the clouds eastwards, some shafts of sunlight swept across the Pikes. I waited until Pike o' Stickle, Harrison Stickle and Pavey Ark were lit and then took the shot. Fuji GX617, 90mm at f22, Fuji Velvia 50asa, scanned and converted to monochrome as above.

The bottom image was taken from the summit of Goatfell on the Isle of Arran in March. Although the weather was warm and sunny as I set off from the Co-op carpark in Brodick, it deteriorated as I climbed higher. By the time I reached the summit, visibility was about 4 metres as the cloud closed in. I waited for about 3 hours for the cloud to lift, but it did not lift entirely. It kept breaking, tantalisingly, and then closed down again. Eventually, my patience was rewarded when the re was a break in the cloud that allowed a shaft of sunlight to hit the peak on the ridge leading to Cir Mhor, opposite. Seconds later, the clag closed in again and the light was gone for the rest of the day. Fuji GX617, 90mm at f22. Fuji Velvia 50asa, scanned and converted as above.

My prints were all printed on a rare high-gloss material which I mounted onto 3mm white plastic to keep the images flat. The gloss of this material is so deep that an uneven mount surface will show through the image, so mountboard cannot be used. The print and the plastic mount were then double-matted onto bevel cut mounts. One problem I had with mounting my panel is that the submission criteria stipulate 20x16" mounts. My images from the big Fuji GX617 are all 3:1 aspect ratio and my submission images were sized at 15x5". An image of these dimensions does not sit well within a 20x16, or 5:4 ratio mount. This is the reason I double matted the prints. Two bevels at 1cm apart broke up the expanse of white mount board around the image and gave a better balance.

Hardest light

2007-10-23T16:09:00.001+01:00

A recent photography thread on OM brought me back to thinking about light, more specifically when is the best light? It has to be first light for me, which is also the hardest light. Hence the name of my blog. The best landscape images that I have made (and some of the worst!) have been taken at first light, just before the sun appears. This shot of Llynau Mymbyr in Snowdonia is a reminder of just how HARD LIGHT can be. I camped overnight by the lakes and was up around 3.00am to be in the right place looking eastwards towards Plas y Brenin. The light was rich and gorgeous as it built up to that intensely saturated pre-sunrise crescendo which is always followed by the rapid demise of mood and euphoria as the light dilutes and weakens. The mist on the lake lasted only seconds, the colours astonishing. But what made this light so hard?

....The bloody midges, that's what! As hard as anything Scotland has to offer. Hard light indeed.

Fuji GX 617
90mm + centre nd grad.
f22
Fuji Velvia 50

Big cat sightings

2007-10-23T15:58:00.002+01:00

Not unknown in Leicestershire, puma seem to be the most common. I killed the cougar.

Field archery

2007-10-23T15:32:00.001+01:00

It's easy to spend an entire day in the woods "killing" everything from leopards to flamingoes and grzzlies, it's also a bit of a laugh and a great way to offload stress. I'm a bit in awe of those who stand in front of distant targets with their stabilised and sighted bows and are able to group six arrows within a 2p piece. Personally, I like the blunt-instrument approach of big wooden arrows.

Vegetarian hunting

2007-10-23T15:17:00.001+01:00

My new bow which I have called "Orion" (because it is a hunter style bow!) and an evil pheasant that I saved us both from by killing it twice. Orion is a Samick SHB hunter with 55lb draw-weight. A light, well-balanced bow heavy on power. And to think I'm a life-long vegetarian, too!

BPPA Awards

2007-09-13T21:49:00.001+01:00

Have been notified by Master Photographers Association HQ to say that I am a finalist in the landscape category at the British Professional Photography Awards this year! This is great news, three of the four images I submitted have been given Awards of Excellence, that means I have three images in the final 4 or 5 from which the winning image is selected. The categories usually have 4 or 5 images that have been given A0E's, so it would seem that I am possibly up against a couple of other photographers. The category winners are announced on the night. If I win again, this will be my third Oskar! I know that I'm also in the running for the Peter Grugeon Award for the best fellowship panel. I can barely think about winning that as well! Even if I don't walk away with another Oskar this year, Julie & I are really looking forwards to the Awards. Tony Hadley (ex-Spandau Ballet) is handing out the Oskars this year at the Awards ceremony which is being held in Newcastle. The shot above is the fourth image that I submitted which didn't get an AoE. It's Normanton Church by Rutland Water in the evening. Taken on the Fuji GX617 with 90mm lens.

The most westerly couple....

2007-09-09T23:36:00.001+01:00

Doing the tourist thing on a day too nasty to be bothered with paddling on Loch Moidart. Ardnamurchan Point is the most westerly point of mainland UK, it sticks out into the Atlantic 23 miles further than Lands End. Good spot for sea-watching. Manx shearwater and gannet were passing close by. Good job they were, otherwise we wouldn't have seen them!

Angela and Buc

2007-09-09T23:34:00.001+01:00

Angela paddling Julie's Buccaneer on Loch Sunart.