The Roaches Wild Camp 22/2/14

I hadn't even heard of The Roaches till a few weeks ago! Curiosity got the better of me though..!

Not long after leaving the car I passed some friendly, inquisitive folk beside the singletrack road..

A nice pleasant amble along the road beneath The Roaches..

It was very windy on the walk up and along the ridge, it made taking photo's very difficult..

The trig point is impossible to miss and provides excellent panoramic views. 

The ridge path gives a good view of Tittesworth reservoir.. 

Doxey Pool (I should have collected water here as it's the only place I came across up high). Hindsight eh?! 

I wandered round to the front of the rock face in search of water, pausing to watch the climbers doing their thing. 

A couple of interesting little caves were found in my search of water..

I eventually found a stream, a few centimetres in depth, it put the Travel Tap through its paces!  

Found a nice pitch away from the crowds.. the only problem was the incline, easily remedied by placing my pack under the lowest part of my sleeping mat.

My meals for the trip, the noodles went down a treat after a hard days slog!

Had my usual choice of coffee's too!

The view from my temporary accommodation while the noodles were hydrating! I kicked off the boots and enjoyed the scenery! 

Dusk time with my lighting on.. shortly after this I hit the sack, I slept like a baby while the strong winds were blowing through the treetops.

After my standard camping breakfast (Wayfayrers all day breakfast and a coffee) I packed up and made the short stroll back to the car :)

Snowdon Wild Camp 4/8/13

I decided my first foray into mountain climbing and wild camping should be Snowdon.
I looked at the routes and decided on the South Ridge route (starting out from the Rhyd-ddu car park) as it seemed to be a bit of a challenge!

I set off early afternoon in decent conditions and made fast progress up the rough paths (for saying I had an 18kg pack!).

I began to hit the clouds, so I was making good progress!

The ridge path took me by surprise, only being a foot or so wide (with a sheer drop to the left) I had to cling on and progress dropped considerably, teeth gritted, it was either crack on or turn back and go home..

As the sheer drops disappeared behind me, I breathed a sigh of relief and as a couple of guys passed me, I increased my pace and slipstreamed them to the top. 

 I reached the trig point and began to get a little chilly, I didn't fancy the ridge route back down so I decided to head for the rangers path and veer off to leave the tourists behind.. 

 After a short while I crossed over the rail tracks and found a loose rock clad path which led away from the crowds.

  I descended carefully and saw a perfect looking pitching spot some way below..  

When I arrived I speedily got my shelter set up, the ground was flat and had some natural protection from the decent breeze blowing.

The views were amazing and I took them all in while hungrily downing some boil in the bag meatballs! (I hadn't eaten on the way up).

As the evening began to close in, the slowly setting sun peeped through the clouds and shone a warm glow on my beautiful little oasis! I sipped on a coffee and listened to some music before hitting the sack.

I slept well (even though it rained quite heavy at times during the night).
Morning came and I had the usual coffee/breakfast and peered out of the tent, the rain
had thankfully dispersed during the night, I packed my kit away and donned my
rucksack once again.

It was a fairly short trek (following the rail tracks) back to the car, I did come across a fair sized obstacle and decided it better to backtrack, I was thankful as I had taken a wrong turn! Minutes later and I was back at the car :)

Kinder Scout Wild Camp 12/1/14

This was my second visit to Kinder, the first visit was a bit of a damp squib so I was keen to explore the area more.

I set off from Edale via the Pennine Way, it was super slippy underfoot so progress was made cautiously.

I was getting a little thirsty so I filled up the travel tap in this fast flowing stream, I was glad I did because Jacobs Ladder required some refreshment further up!

 With Jacobs slippery Ladder out of the way I could appreciate the views a little more! 

I decided to take the route straight over the top towards Kinder Downfall, passing lots of wind carved rocks along the way.

 Looking over the edge towards Kinder Reservoir.. 

My destination was Mermaids Pool, which required a steep descent, the fence certainly made a nice handrail!

Looking up towards Kinder Downfall from Mermaids Pool.

I managed to pitch behind some rocks and promptly fired up the Jetboil, I needed food and a warm drink.

My Pathfinder watch measured just below freezing, it felt far colder!

After a quick brew and breakfast, it was time to pack up, I decided to take a route roughly North-east from Mermaids Pool, it was very tough going but quicker than following the fence.

A descending Emirates A380 took the grimace off my face for a brief moment!

 I took the ridge route back, I had better views of Kinder Downfall and I'd eventually pass the trig point. 

It was a very pleasant stroll back, with the path much easier to follow than straight across the top.

The snow had melted from the lower area's so the return leg was a breeze.

 I passed an interesting figure at a small wood yard and made the gentle meander back to Edale, where I treated myself to a bacon cob and some cake at a nice little cafe :)