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| Our exclusive view |
It was time to bring out the one man tents and plan a wild camp. I was and still am, suffering from a horrendous cold. 'Man Flu' may be a more apt description depending on how you feel about these things. I had a last minute change of mind and was going to head out to a National Trust Campsite, however Matthew told me to take some pills and get on with it.
I scoured the maps and came up with Angle Tarn on Bowfell. There seemed to be quite a few potential pitch sites around the Tarn.
I was using the Vango Helium 100SL for my tent. Matthew opted for his Gelert Solo. Both were to be tested to their absolute limits.
I checked the weather via the very useful Met Office Twitter page. The forecast was to be a dry start, becoming gradually windier and wetter towards the evening. That was to be a massive understatement.
As always on a wild camp, I intended to take as little as possible. I managed to get my pack size and weight to a respectable level.
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| My world |
I was meeting Matthew in Booths, Windermere. On arrival, I had fifteen minutes to spare so a wander round the aisles added a few kilos to my pack weight in the form of a bottle of Shiraz and Coniston Bluebird. There was also the amusing spectacle of the general manager being 'arrested' for charity by the local Constabulary in order to raise funds for the air ambulance.
Matthew arrived and a £3.95 four item breakfast was in order. A quick stop in Ambleside to pick up an extra Wayfarer meal and we were soon on the road to Great Langdale.
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| Hobgoblin at the Stickle Barn Tavern |
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| New Dungeon Ghyll hotel from Sticklebarn |
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| Start of the walk, Matthew weighed down ! |
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| Old Peculiar at the Old Dungeon Ghyll |
The weather was gradually worsening, grey clouds began to drift across the formerly blue sky. The wind was also beginning to pick up.
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| Matthew heading into the valley head |
We crossed over the beck and headed up towards Rossett Pike which can be seen to the right of the col in the above picture.
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| Our route up followed a zig zag path towards the Col |
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| Looking back down Great Langdale |
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| Angle Tarn |
On reflection, this was our first mistake. Opting for the view instead of shelter ultimately led to the worst night I have ever spent under a piece of canvas in my entire life. In our defence, the wind had been blowing to from the left of the above picture, so we were afforded some protection by the slopes of the Col.
Once the tents were pitched, it was approaching 17:00. I was starting to feel very ill. I downed more medication. It began to sleet and as there was no protection, it was either a case of lie down inside the tiny tent or get very cold and wet.
The Helium 100 SL (right above pic) is too small to safely cook in. Any flare ups would immediately reduce the flimsy fabric to a shrivelled mess. I had brought my Jetboil Flash and two Wayfarers meals. I was very hungry so started up the Flash outside the tent. The wind had really picked up so I used my body as a wind shield. Gas canister performance was reduced in the cold weather and it took about 6 minutes to achieve a rolling boil. I opted for the Chilli Con Carne and Rice. This was a 'new' version with increased protein and carbohydrate. Matthew had chosen his MSR Pocket Rocket and Seagull pan set. I thought he would struggle with the lack of wind shield on an open type stove but it performed surprisingly well, on a par if not surpassing the performance of the Jetboil. He cooked up some Cous Cous & Mackerel.
With spirits slightly lifted, we turned our thoughts to reinforcing our tents. We found some suitable rocks and placed these on top of all pegging points. The supplied pegs with the Helium 100 are practically useless in all but the lightest of winds. Tonight, they would not hold on their own.
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| Freezing cold |
Suddenly, a massive gust of wind called time on any outside of tent activity. I entered my fabric coffin and hoped the weather would pass. It began to snow and the wind and rain lashed the side of my tent at a deafening level. The gusts were so strong that my tent was blowing completely flat at times, squashing me inside. If you were claustrophobic this would have been your worst nightmare. A particularly strong gust ripped the rear peg out and the tent crumpled around me. The rain and hail stung as it slammed against the fabric and into my face. Matthew had seen what had happened and quickly helped in re-pegging and covering with the rock. I felt too ill to get out of my tent and was shivering hopelessly in my sleeping bag.
Time really dragged. The wind began to increase and I honestly thought that the tent would be destroyed. The light gradually faded and the rain and sleet grew more until it was being blown horizontally under the flysheet. The noise was deafening, the tent fabric acting like a giant diaphragm in the wind. Conversation was impossible due to the noise levels.
From about 18:00 to 03:20, I lay mostly awake hoping that the tent would hold out. Sleep was near impossible.
It was the worst night I have ever spent in a tent. Exhausted, sleep deprived, soaking wet and becoming more ill I hoped that morning would arrive soon.
Eventually, the faint morning light began to penetrate through the fabric of the tent. A quick watch check confirmed it was 05:55. My sleeping bag was damp through condensation and rain being blown in through the air vent. My head was pounding and I needed food. I couldn't face getting out of the tent so somehow managed to boil up a Wayfarers Beans & Sausages in the minuscule porch without setting myself on fire or dying from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Matthew was still awake and had not slept all night either. By some miracle it stopped raining. This was a window of opportunity to get packed away.
The massive amount of rainfall had created some new waterfalls which were not present the evening before.
Bag packed and soaking wet, I felt awful. We had a quick check around to make sure we had left no sign of our stay and set off back to Great Langdale.
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| Looking back towards Great Langdale |
I was glad to reach the valley floor and reach firm and stable ground. The walk at this point was fairly pleasant. A cool breeze helped to dry off our outer layers. We soon reached our cars and changed into some clean and dry clothes.
I did enjoy the 'adventure' aspect of this trip. With hindsight I would have preferred a low level camp at a commercial site.
At the time of writing this blog, it is now three days since our trip. I am suffering from full blown man flu.
I must comment on the Gelert Solo. For a £30 tent, it performed impeccably. The low profile ensured the brunt of the wind simply flowed over. Small yes. Comfortable, probably not. If however you need to depend on shelter in the worst of conditions, I would not hesitate to recommend the Solo. My Helium 100 SL cost nearly £200, suffered a torn guy line and caught the wind like a kite. This trip also served to highlight the importance of selecting a good location in which to pitch your tent. We chose a ridiculously exposed spot, next to sloping ground. The result of which nearly ended in 3am disaster and flooded ground.
I have no intention to repeat the above. The next wild camp will be in Summer.
Thank you for reading.
Next Trip: 17th & 18th March
