October Camp 2012 ! Sykeside & Red Screes

It's been a while since my last blog. I've sold my house, bought a new house and basically been very busy indeed. A tradition has developed whereby each October, we visit Sykeside campsite in Brotherswater. The main reason for this is probably the Hobgoblin ale on tap !

Matthew setting up his tarp

Sykeside is a very conveniently placed campsite nestled at the northern foot of the Kirkstone Pass. In summer it can be very busy, but at this time of year (my favourite), you can usually expect the place to yourself bar a few solo campers. I was camping with my cousin Matthew. We arrived early and paid our fees at the inn. I'd brought along my old Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 tent. I've had this for a good few years now and I must say, it has stood up to some horrendous conditions with winds in excess of 80mph in some cases. The tent is very strong and capable of providing safe shelter on the high camps of Everest, never mind the English Lake District. Another plus of this tent is that it is very warm. It is easy to pitch although inner first.

Having pitched the tent I made a quick drive into Glenridding for some breakfast. I also popped into a small shop which had a good selection of local beers and ales, I picked a very apt "Spooky Ale" for the post walk beverage!

I had decided on Red Screes for our walk. The route is easy and is completed in no time. Our objectives on this trip were beer drinking and relaxing rather than an epic walk so this one fitted the bill perfectly.

We started off from the car park opposite the Kirkstone Pass Inn which happens to be my favourite pub in England!

Kirkstone Pass Inn

The path up Red Screes is well defined and easy to follow. Visibility was good lower down however the summit was shrouded in thick grey cloud. The temperature was noticeably colder at the summit of the pass.

Looking back toward the Inn

Height is gained quickly and we were soon leaving the Inn far behind.

Matthew with Windermere in background

Approaching the summit

There are no photos from the summit as the visibility dropped. On a clear day the views from the top are stunning in all directions. We found a spot out of the wind and ate lunch before a quick descent back to the welcoming fires of the Kirkstone Pass Inn.

Mountain Hardwear Trango 2

After warming up by the fire with a pint of Tirrils finest, we headed back to the camp site to find we had been joined by a D of E group. Having had the whole site to pitch on, they decided to........ yes; pitch next door.

Tent !

After the very nice bottle of Spooky Ale, it was time to try a few tarp setups.......

Hammock 

Matthew had decided to use this setup to sleep under. Having tried out the hammock, I have to say it is much more comfortable than any air mattress I have ever used. I have a Thermarest NeoAir which is very thick, the comfort nowhere near matches this.

The whole setup is extremely light weight and packs down very small. It would be ideal for cycle touring and wild camping but of course relies on suitable anchor points for the hammock & tarp.

It was soon time to head up to the on site pub, the Brotherswater Inn for some tea. Hobgoblin was on tap and was extremely drinkable as always. If you like the bottled variety then the draught is a completely different brew altogether. They had the illuminated tap badge for Halloween. The prices seem to have gone up here, especially for the meals which are a fairly standard but decent affair.

Feeling full and ever so slightly (i.e. struggling to walk) drunk, the call of the warm goose down sleeping bag was too hard to resist. Matthew struggled into his hammock after a quick guy line check.

The D of E group were out in force and ridiculously noisy. There were about 10 lads, I would guess 17-18 years old. Just as I was about to fall asleep, one of the imbeciles decided to shout into my tent "GOODNIGHT" repeatedly in a geordie twang.............. his friend informed him that it was 'the wrong tent' to which the imbecile shouted "I KNOW MAN". Shortly after, he incurred the verbal wrath through the flysheet and immediate calm was restored.

I awoke about 8 the next morning. The D of E group were up and shouting. Matthew had survived (and very much enjoyed) the night in the hammock.

This was a good trip, not about the walk, but just enjoying being out in the fresh Autumnal air and enjoying some nice beers in some nice Lake District Pubs. I'm not (much of) a grump, but the D of E group took the edge off somewhat in that their noise levels were unacceptable. I would have probably been the same when I was their age however.

I've got another walk coming up at the end of this month. I'm hoping for some snow and to bring out the down jackets. Plus I'll be trying out the new Mountain 25 Tent from North Face.

Thanks for reading.