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2019 proved to be a tricky year, redundancy and starting a new job, twice, isn’t for the faint hearted nor does it inspire adventure.
So 2020 is going to be a year to correct the balance, adventure is at the top of the list.
So to kick things off for 2020, Dan, Dave and I met up at the Nags Head in Edale on Saturday 4th January. We set off from the pub slightly later than we would have liked, and not for the usual reasons, I’m on a dry January so for once I’m not to blame. No, it was Dave that had some car troubles on the way up. About 17:00 we left the warm bustling pub and headed into the dark, wet and windy hills. Setting off on the path to Grinds brook we started the climb up The Nab and into Golden Clough. Dan had arranged that we’d meet Kev (a new face) at Seal Stones, so once we reached the Plateau we headed off piste (I was sober) crossing Kinder to the North edge. On reaching the other side without any dramas, we then headed West along the edge towards Seal Stones. Picking up water at Blackden brook on the way we arrived at Seal Stones to meet Kev and his dog Jannu around 19:00.
Pitch selection in the dark, in 30mph winds is not ideal, needless to say I was sleeping on an uneven, lumpy slope. Kev and Jannu joined us in the MLD Mondomid for a whisky (coffee for me, water for the dog). Dan (aka Kinderclout, Mrultralight) had not only kindly provided the accommodation that evening but also the entertainment in the form of a projector! So the evening was spent watching music videos projected on the side the tent with music through the bluetooth speaker.
My evening meal was a Chicken Tikka from Extreme Food. Not a bad meal to be honest, but not cheap either. I’ll be sticking with the Bla Band meals. The forecast was a relatively mild night temperature with gusts of around 30mph, however this was not the case. Sack the weather man! The wind speed (although I didn’t measure it, couldn’t be arsed) was blowing 50mph if not 60! The Mondomid did a bloody excellent job of staying up, the 12″ Easton Stakes helped I’m sure, but for a massive shelter that stands nearly 6′ tall, that’s impressive!!
Kev and Jannu retired back to their MLD Duomid XL (great shelter!!), Dan, Dave and I continued to watch Pete Tong on the side of the tent. My dry Jan was still going strong as I watched the other two demolish a hefty quantity of red plonk.
The next morning I woke around 8am to a very damp Mondomid. In its defence this was mainly due to the low pitch, little air circulation and the fact there was three blokes breathing in it. I didn’t bother with a bivvy bag, wrong decision, my Cumulus sleeping bag was very damp, although only the outer shell. Breakfast done, Kev and Jannu said their goodbyes and headed off. We packed away and started our walk back East along the perimeter path back across Kinder and down Golden Clough retracing our steps back to Edale. Arriving back at the car around 11am, I left Dan and Dave at the cafe near the railway station and headed back home. Very little in the way of photos this trip, I don’t know why, I just didn’t fancy it. I’ll be sure to do better next time.
A really enjoyable adventure, a great laugh despite dry Jan (bless her).
