Friends of Blencathra

I've been visiting the Lake District every year since I was born - with at least 2 weeks every year, and sometimes Christmas-es and Easter too, that works out at about a year of my life in this beautiful area of England.  Last Summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to complete my Gold Duke of Edinburgh at the Blencathra Field Studies Centre in the shadow of this beautiful (and frankly a little daunting, from a walker's point of view) mountain.

It has been plastered all over the news in recent weeks that Blencathra (yes, the actual mountain!) is for sale.  I've never actually heard of this happening before, I never really considered who actually owned the British countryside, but it seemed beyond me that it could belong to a person, and not to the National Trust, or the British people as common land, or such like.  I was even a bit bewildered that Blencathra currently belongs to the Earl of Lonsdale - visiting the mountain, there didn't seem to be any sign that it belonged to anyone at all!  It made me start to wonder who actually owns Britain's mountains.

England
     - Helvellyn: half is owned by the National Trust, and the other (oddly) is owned by the USA
     - Great Gable: owned by the National Trust

Wales
     - Snowdon: jointly owned by the National Trust, national park authority, and a private trust

Scotland
     - Ben Nevis: owned by the John Muir charitable trust
     - An Teallach: sold in 2000 to a private buyer
     - Buachaille Etive Mor: owned by the National Trust for Scotland
     - Suilven: owned by a community group
     - Liathach: owned by the National Trust for Scotland

The John Muir charitable trust that owns Ben Nevis has said that it has considered making a bid for Blencathra, though the National Trust has said that it will not be making a bid.  Another potential buyer, however, are the thousands of people who are pledging money through the "Friends of Blencathra" initiative.  By making a pledge, you physically transfer the money to the fund, however, if the bid is unsuccessful, you get that money back.  This means that the people more or less jointly own the mountain, which I personally think is a lovely idea.  This also means that I have an excuse to buy a new T-shirt... (modelled by me below)  You can buy these through the Friends of Blencathra who you can find on facebook, or on their website: click here!

New Kit: Waterproof Trousers

Over the last few years, I've gone through a number of pairs of waterproof trousers.  As a regular Dartmoor walker due to a rigorous Ten Tors training programme, I have had a number of close shaves with gorse bushes and with barbed wire fences, meaning that I've had a number of waterproof-trouser-casualties.

Tresspass Womens Tutula Trousers (2010-2012)

These were my first pair of proper waterproof trousers, and were fairly decent value.  I think they were about £30 when I first bought them in 2010, and are around the same price now.

Features:
Waterproof: 2000mm
Breathable: 3000mvp (meaning moisture vapour permeability)
Windproof
Size: S

Advantages:

- Lightweight, waterproof, windproof and breathable

- Pockets!  Not something that you get in waterproof trousers very often!
- Straps at the bottom of the trouser allowed it to fit closer to the leg

Problems:
- No zips at the sides meant that they were very difficult to get on over walking boots
- Drawstring pulled out of the waistband after about 10 uses, this could very easily have been my fault, but I think the fact that nothing was there to secure it is a slight flaw to the product

Cause of Death: climbing over razor-wire (which was over a stile) cut open the side

Mountainlife Downpour Womens Overtrousers (2012-2014)

My second pair of waterproof trousers; were fantastic for the first year or so, and then bits and pieces started falling apart.  As far as I can remember, when I bought these they were about £40, and I went for them because I needed a more resilient fabric to battle sharp rocks and brambles.

Features:
Waterproof: Tested to 500mm
Breathable
Windproof
Size: 10

Advantages:
- Zip and poppers up the sides meant that I could pull them on over walking boots
- Heavier-duty material stood up against gorse a little better

Problems:
- The seams split, and not just in the one place; down the inside leg and (embarrassingly) in the crotch area
- Not as waterproof, after about 12 months started to allow water in, despite re-proofing

Cause of Death: The seams fell to pieces and I got fed up with piecing them back together using waterproof tape

Berghaus Womens Deluge Overtrousers (May 2014 - Present)

My brand new waterproof trousers!

Features:
Waterproof
Breathable
Windproof
Size: 10
Weight: 226g

Advantages:
- Side zips open from both top and bottom, which allows venting when it's humid and warm
- Very lightweight!
- 100% nylon ripstop - will hopefully resist tears on this pair

Disadvantages:
- Hopefully none?

New Kit: Meindl Boots

These boots are my babies!  I love these boots, and they love me - in that, I mean that I look after these boots: I wax them, I proof them, I clean them, and in return they don't give me blisters, and they don't let the water in.

These are the Women's Burma Pro GTX - when I first bought them, they looked gorgeous and suede-ish, but I swapped the visual appeal for additional waterproofing, and applied a liberal amount of boot wax, making them appear more like leather.  I bought these from George Fisher in Keswick last summer, and on their maiden walk, I took them up Scafell Pike (probably a bit of a risk, but I had faith in these little beauties).

So, in the year that I've had them, these boots have gone up Scafell Pike twice, around various Lake-District lakes, and have trawled around 150 miles around Dartmoor, and haven't once afforded me a blister.

On Scafell Pike.  Another planking shot!  And, oh look!  New Boots!

New Kit: Rab Gaiters

My birthday present from my Nan and Grandad!  Well, I was given the money, and told to spend it on kit; I needed a new pair of gaiters, so I bought a pair of Medium Rab Latok Alpine Gaiters.

One of my favourite features about these gaiters is that you can hide away the annoying elastic at the back of the gaiter!  The product designers at Rab obviously have had the same problem that I have, in that that relentless piece of elastic constantly would twang into my leg, and leave me with bruises all up my calves!  So they sorted it, giving a loop to tuck it into, solving this problem - and not something that I've seen other gaiters do.  Something else that I thought was superior, is that you do not have to cut the under-boot strap to adjust it, meaning that it is a pair of gaiters that can be used with different boots, and for different people.  The in-gaiter adjustment system means that you can alter the length of this strap without cutting the excess off, and means that you can lend your gaiters to another member of the family with no problem at all.  The final factor in the choosing of this particular set of gaiters is that there is no zip to break!  The simple velcro system means that they are really easy to get on and off, and I'll never get stuck in them like I had with my old pair.

New Kit: Helly Hansen Base Layer

I've been on an extended shopping spree for new kit over the last 6 months, and my next few posts will be based on what I've bought.

My most recent purchase is my base layer by Helly Hansen, called "Lifa."  I went for "magenta" on top and black on bottom.  It's a fantastic piece of kit, I bought the set (top and bottom) for £39.00 from Cotswold Outdoor, and I'm really pleased with it.  I chose it over the alternatives for a couple of reasons: as a wicking layer, it moves sweat away from the skin - so it will keep me really cool when it's hot, but also keeps me dry so that I don't get cold either.  This will be ideal for my walking in the Lake District, as it always rains, at least for a little bit, every day.  Something that you can't really see from the picture is that this is a mesh-type fabric, and not a lycra-type fabric like people often use when out running.  This makes it a lot more breathable, once again keeping me dry.  Let me quote what it says on the box: "Dry Equals Warmer! The key to staying warm, is keeping your skin dry.  While traditional baselayer fibers hold moisture next to your skin, Lifa Stay Dry Technology moves the moisture away from the skin, keeping you warm, dry and comfortable".  That pretty much sums it up really.

The other reason I went for this particular product is because its able to be used as both an extra layer to wear under my other kit, but can also be worn as an outer layer on its own, when it's warmer.  When I go walking, I like to look chic, and don't like my layers flapping around, so this is ideal for me.

The picture above is me in my 'old' kit, planking on the top of "Sail"- one of Wainwrights peaks in the Lake District, a walk that I completed last Summer from Braithwaite, where we stayed at the lovely Farm House cottage in the centre.  Credit for this photo goes to a good friend of the family, Paul Taylor, who joined my dad, my dog - Zorro - and I on the walk with his wife Jenn and adorable dog, Fluke.  We walked all the way to Grassmoor (not Grasmere, might I add), and just got to our destination before it started to rain, so we didn't stay long!