Geoff Crowther
"... travel far, not fast", Ted Simon
- Location
- Hayfield, High Peak
My OH, Chrissie, is introducing Kim to backpacking. She's working towards taking her round the Cumbrian Way next spring. In preparation Chrissie planned a night wild camping on Cross Fell last weekend. Me and Hamish fell to chauffeur duties with the vans but I reckoned we could cram in some mountain bikin' too.
We charged up the A1 on Friday afternoon in beautiful weather and were soon pitched up at one of our fave van wild camping spots.
Next morning we drove north through Alston, over Hartside Pass then down to the tiny village of Blencarn where we dumped, sorry ... dropped off ... the girls and their pooches for their "mini adventure".
Actually, Tilly the lab's my dog but I do lend her out now that Dixie, Chrissie's elderly boxer, has stated that backpacking over hills is too much like hard work (she IS thirteen). Tilly's also good at carryin' her own stuff as you can see.
Hamish and I dashed back round to Nenthead before walking the dogs (K&H have two too) then set off on a brief foray up past the lead mining museum and over the off-road section of the C2C which we missed out earlier this year (me being on my tourer).
It was fun.
We had a great evening, drinking, eating a very fine meal cooked by H, watchin' Clint in "Hang 'em High" and generally puttin' the world to rights before I fell asleep ... dreaming of my soon-to-arrive Thorn Sherpa.
Next morning we blasted over the moor again. Shot down into Garrigill then up across a byway to Alston for lunch. Then more bridleways took us on a tortuous route back to Nenthead. Hamish JUST managed to catch me as I hurtled out of the first shot.
We had a great ride ... in the most glorious of autumn weather. Even saw a couple of deer twixt Alston and Nenthead.
We picked the girls up in Garrigill and K&H hurried off home. We, meanwhile, both now ... say it quietly ... retired, just mooched off back to our fave van wild camp spot to catch a gorgeous sunset.
Over the next couple of days we dawdled back thro' the Dales, enjoying a couple of nice hillwalks before returning home on Wednesday. It had been a most satisfying little break.
We charged up the A1 on Friday afternoon in beautiful weather and were soon pitched up at one of our fave van wild camping spots.
Next morning we drove north through Alston, over Hartside Pass then down to the tiny village of Blencarn where we dumped, sorry ... dropped off ... the girls and their pooches for their "mini adventure".
Actually, Tilly the lab's my dog but I do lend her out now that Dixie, Chrissie's elderly boxer, has stated that backpacking over hills is too much like hard work (she IS thirteen). Tilly's also good at carryin' her own stuff as you can see.
Hamish and I dashed back round to Nenthead before walking the dogs (K&H have two too) then set off on a brief foray up past the lead mining museum and over the off-road section of the C2C which we missed out earlier this year (me being on my tourer).
It was fun.
We had a great evening, drinking, eating a very fine meal cooked by H, watchin' Clint in "Hang 'em High" and generally puttin' the world to rights before I fell asleep ... dreaming of my soon-to-arrive Thorn Sherpa.
Next morning we blasted over the moor again. Shot down into Garrigill then up across a byway to Alston for lunch. Then more bridleways took us on a tortuous route back to Nenthead. Hamish JUST managed to catch me as I hurtled out of the first shot.
We had a great ride ... in the most glorious of autumn weather. Even saw a couple of deer twixt Alston and Nenthead.
We picked the girls up in Garrigill and K&H hurried off home. We, meanwhile, both now ... say it quietly ... retired, just mooched off back to our fave van wild camp spot to catch a gorgeous sunset.
Over the next couple of days we dawdled back thro' the Dales, enjoying a couple of nice hillwalks before returning home on Wednesday. It had been a most satisfying little break.
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