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Monarch Chair – Alite

Bought: 2015 Tested: Yes My rating: 9.5/10 The Monarch folding chair by Alite. The solution to comfortable seating around camp! This may be extravagant, unnecessary, extra weight, extra bulk and a bit of a wimpy accessory but I think it’s amazing. For years I’ve complained about back ache after a long days ramble carrying a huge pack. When you finally drop the pack off your back and setup you tarp/bivvy and get a brew on the go, you then spend the rest of the evening sat on the damp cold ground or on an uncomfortable rock. Even sitting on you sleeping …

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Wilderness Down 4 Season Quilt – Backpackinglight

Bought: 2015 Tested: Yes (summer) My rating: 9.9*/10 The Wilderness Over/Under 4 Season Down Quilt by Backpackinglight. I’ve always struggled to sleep in a mummy style sleeping bag, I tend to move about in my sleep and move my legs around occasionally sticking a leg out to regulate my temperature during my sleep (odd you say!). Having tested a number of sleeping bags of different styles I’ve never managed to find one that provide me with the warmth and the freedom of movement…until now! Quilt style sleeping bags have been around for a while and some of the top sleeping …

2012-2015 / 2015 / Wild Camps

Pen Y Fan Wild Camp

Location: Wales Brecon Beacons Distance: 21km Date: August 2015 Kit: Solo Tarp + Alpkit Hunka Bivvy + ALite Monarch Chair Tenth Wild Camp The mighty Brecon Beacons! Having spent some very painful hours in this area during my Army Selection over 12 years ago it was time to return for a more leisurely bimble over Peny Y Fan. Leaving the car in the nearby village of Llanfrynach Tim and I made our way down the road to pickup the footpath at (51°54’42.35″N,   3°20’47.27″W) to Bwlch y Ddwyallt which continued on to Fan Y Big. The path then drops down a few hundred metres before climbing back …

2015 / Micro Wild Camps

Micro adventure – Dove Dale

Location: Dove Dale – Derbyshire/Staffordshire Distance: 16.4km Date: July 2015 Kit: Solo Tarp (BPL.co.uk) Third Micro Adventure My third Micro Adventure and possibly one of my last for a short while as I await the imminent arrival of my baby daughter. I got in touch with a friend of mine Dean Read to see if he fancied a MicroAdventure somewhere in Derbyshire/Staffordshire. His suggestion was to head to Dove Dale as its about equal distance for us to travel to and not too far given the time constraint for a mid week camp. Phone thrown in the draw, laptop slammed shut I …

2012-2015 / 2015 / Wild Camps

Alport Dale Wild Camp

Location: Derbyshire Peak District Distance: 14.7km Date: May 2015 Kit: Solo Tarp (BPL.co.uk) Ninth Wild Camp 6 months since the last Wild Camp in the Derbyshire Peak District it was well overdue. Having visited Alport Castles back in March 2014 I wanted to go back and have a look what the amazing area is like in warmer weather. I was also very keen to further minimise the kit and get my pack weight down to the 10kg mark. Opting to take the small Backpackinglight.com tarp and Alpkit bivvy along with my spring/summer sleeping bag my pack weighed 12kg including 2 litres of water, so not bad really. The route started at …

2015 / Micro Wild Camps

Micro Wild Camp: Robins Wood

​Location: Robins Wood Derbyshire Distance: 6km Date: April 2015 Kit: DD Super light Hammock and DD 3×3 Tarp Time for another Micro Wild camp, this time to test the new DD Hammocks Superlight hammock. Woodland being a major prerequisite I starting scanning Google Earth for a suitable wood that was not too far away from home, fairly large and away from civilisation. Robins Wood is a Forestry Commission managed woodland with a mixture of pine and broadleaf with many cycle paths and bridleways crossing it. Tim and I parked at the nearby village of Ticknall and followed a footpath north for a couple …

2015 / Micro Wild Camps

Micro Wild Camp: Foremark Reservoir

​Location: Foremark Reservoir Derbyshire Distance: 5km Date: February 2015 Kit: Alpkit Hunka Bivvy and DD 3×3 Tarp The first #Microwildcamp! Although this was the tenth wild camp this didn’t follow the usual format of a long walk>wild camp>long walk, instead I wanted to try out a MicroAdventure. This is something Alastair Humphreys has invented which you can read all about (here). The general concept of a MicroAdventure follows these rules: ​1. It must be overnight, 5pm-9am (opposite to the working day) ​2. Cover a reasonable distance e.g. more than you’d typically walk to your local shops …ok we didn’t manage …

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Alpkit Hunka XL Bivvy Bag

Bought: 2015 Tested: Yes My rating: 9.5/10   The Hunka XL Bivvy bag by Alpkit is a great bit of kit. Alpkit have identified one of the most annoying things about a bivvy bag and solved it. Divvy…bivvy bags tend to be small so they can pack down small. However, the smaller they are the more restrictive they are and what’s worse how much they reduce the loft of a sleeping bag (less loft = less insulation). The Hunka is very large, plenty big enough to allow my winter sleeping bag to fully inflate. Another advantage of the larger size …

2012-2015 / 2014 / Wild Camps

Wild Camp: Langsett and Howden Reservoir

Location: Derbyshire Peak District Distance: 19.3km Date: November 2014 Kit: Tarp (MLD Trailstar) Eighth Wild Camp testing out the new Alpkit Down jacket. For sometime I’d been trying to plan a 24hr route that camped at the River Westend. Its a tricky place to get to without circling Howden and Derwent Reservoirs which include a number of very busy footpaths. The solution I found was to start at Langsett Reservoir and drop down to Margery Hill. The issue with this route is that its a “there and back”,  not my favourite type of route. I tried a number of alternative routes such as taking one leg around …

2012-2015 / 2014 / Wild Camps

Wild Camp: Tryfan Snowdonia

Location: Wales Distance: 19.3km Date: July 2014 Kit: Tarp (MLD Trailstar) Seventh Wild Camp. This was a very nice two day walk starting from the North face of the mighty Tryfan. The route started with a scramble up to the summit of Tryfan to the famous Adam and Eve stones. The route descends Tryfan on the South and dog legs up to Lyn Caseg-Fraith to top up water supplies. Time to properly test the new Sawyer water filter, a recent addition to my kit. In principle an amazing bit of kit but I’m reserving judgement for now. The first night was spent under …

2012-2015 / 2014 / Wild Camps

Wild Camp: Alport Castles, Win Hill and Lose Hill

Location: Derbyshire Peak District Distance: 27.5km Date: March 2014 Kit: Tarp (MLD Trailstar) The sixth wild camp, the MLD Trailstar stands up to a beating! Having had a successful wild camp in the Trailstar it was time to test it out in different conditions. This time there was three of us, my brother Pete wanted to experience wild camping in the Peaks.  The route started from a B&B carpark (permission kindly granted) on the Edale Road climbing steeply to Lose Hill. Following Back Tor to Hollins Cross and into Edale. Weather was sunny, very windy and the occasional hail/snow flurry. Continuing through Edale we took the …

2012-2015 / 2014 / Wild Camps

Wild Camp: Wooler Knoll and Stanage Edge

Location: Derbyshire Peak District Distance: 30.6km Date: January 2014 Kit: Tarp (MLD Trailstar) The fifth wild camp, the introduction to the tarp or more specifically the amazing MLD Trailstar! Having briefly explored the world of hammock camping which changed my view on Wild Camping. I was looking for something that offered the same open feel of a hammock but wasn’t constrained to woodland and provides a warmer environment during the winter months. Enter the TrailStar! Reading through a walking magazine, specifically The Outdoor Magazine, I came across an article by Chris Townsend. For those of you that aren’t aware of who he is, which …

2012-2015 / 2013 / Wild Camps

Wild Camp: Shining Tor

​Location: Derbyshire White Peak, Peak District Distance: 25.7km Date: October 2013 ​Kit: DD Hammock The forth wild camp and testing out alternative camping equipment…a hammock! One thing I’ve learnt about wild camping is tents although they have their advantages, also feel claustrophobic and uninteresting. This wild camp formed the turning point in my choice of camping equipment. It was time for a change and to explore somewhere different and head further south to the White Peak area of Shining Tor. The car was left in the village of Flash, the highest village in the Britain at 463m. The route drops down to the west from Flash …

2012-2015 / 2013 / Wild Camps

Wild Camp: Bleaklow and Kinder

​Location: Derbyshire Peak District Distance: 33.4km Date: August 2013 ​Kit: Tent (Vaude Power Lizard) The third wild camp, second attempt at a 2 nighter and second attempt at Bleaklow. ​ Since the first wild camp in 2012 ended in disaster I wanted to complete the route and wild camp on Bleaklow and redeem my damaged inner adventurer. The route starts at the Snake Inn where I retreated back to in 2012 during the deluge that stopped wild camp 1 in its tracks. The kind landlady agreed to let me park in their carpark for a couple of nights and wished us on our …

2012-2015 / 2013 / Wild Camps

Wild Camp: Baslow and Curbar Edge

​Location: Derbyshire Peak District Distance: 26km Date: January 2013 Kit: Tent (Vaude Power Lizard) The second wild camp, determined to be more successful than the first! This was longer but gentler route than the first, this route started at Baslow and headed to Stanage Edge and back. The route started on a cold January Saturday morning leaving Baslow at the North East up onto Baslow Edge. Stopping for a coffee at the top the route continued North to Curbar Edge. The path along Curbar and Froggatt Edge are very accessible and therefore very busy. Keen to keep away from the busy footpaths that become motorways of ramblers …