Saturday 16 December 2017

Cheviot wander

Recently Mike purchased an all singing, dancing winter sleeping bag. Of course now it had to be tried out in suitable conditions!
A trip to the Cheviots was planned. Given the sub zero temperatures being forecast, it looked as if were in luck.

 It was a gentle walk in and finding a suitable spot that was fairly level, had gorse and thorn bushes to offer a modicum of shelter and with running water close by we set up camp.
It was still fairly early in the day and the rest of the afternoon was spent drinking tea, snoozing and reading. There was a smattering of snow, sleet and freezing rain during the night. In the early hours of the morning the temperature plummeted. My water containers had ice in them. The tent froze, condensation on the inside and moisture on the outside of the flysheet meant that the tent was rigid with ice, interesting?
Having found a suitable spot for the tents, we decided to stay put, do a round of a few local hills with a light pack and return. Unfortunately I was forced to turn back after almost fainting. Blood pressure problems. At differing times in the past I have had both high and low blood pressure. Mike continued on while I headed back to the tent. Very frustrating, I had been looking forward to that walk. Mike returned early afternoon and an easy afternoon was had by all.
Tuesday saw the temperature rising and by Wednesday the weather was on the change. We walked back to the College valley by a circular route. Freezing rain, hail and wet sleet came sweeping in and a second breakfast in Wooler seemed a good idea. More winter trips are in the pipeline.

A few photos from my daily perambulations.









9 comments:

  1. Those status in the ‘oggin look so lifelike.

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  2. It was the northerly wind that was chilly Alan, sea conditions where a tad iffy too.

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  3. Hi Dawn. I dip into your blog now and again. What a lovely part of the world you have chosen to live in. Certainly a step up from The Smoke! Have a lovely Christmas. I hope your health issues stay at bay in 2018 so you can continue to enjoy the great outdoors.

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  4. Aye, those statues look better than the ones off Southport ;-)

    What sleeping bag were you using Dawn? Obviously a decent one!

    A bugger about the faintness, not what you need on a winter trip.

    As ever, excellent photographs Dawn :-)

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  5. Hi Lite Hiker! have moved north to Northumberland. Many thanks for your kind comments. have a good Christmas and many enjoyable trips in the coming year.
    Hi JJ! At the moment I am using an Enlightened Equipment quilt. When it gets chilly I have a lightweight pair of down trousers for tent use and if need be they are handy for extra warmth at night. A light down jacket and a microlight down vest supplement that.

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  6. That looks very cold indeed - a completely frozen tent, never seen that. Those sunset photos on the coast are superb. happy New Year and all that :)

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  7. Rather you than me Dawn as I hate camping when it's very cold. But you seemed to have had a good one.

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  8. Thank you FB, getting out for a call of nature in the middle of the night is the worst bit!

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