r/UKhiking

Before I start let me make clear that I have sent a form off to Paramo for some advice.

However I wanted to ask on here to see how people with a similar problem might have rectified it.

I have a Velez Light smock that I bought 9 years ago and I have noticed a slight tear on the back of each shoulder near the stitching where my rucksack straps have been rubbing all these years.

A pal of mine doesn't think that stitching them back up is going to be a long-term fix because that area has been weakened.

They suggested something like a patch which can be sewed around it.

I will add some photos.

Thoughts?

Hi all, hope this is ok to ask here! My partner and I are looking to explore off the bus route while we're in the Lakes next week. We're both relatively new to this, and trying to get out and about, get a bit fitter, and see beautiful and picturesque places. Both of us are office job, sedentary lifestyle, and I think we're yearning to get outside, touch some grass, and enjoy something real. To give an idea of where we're at, we did Easedale Tarn and the Coffin Route on our last trip (taking nearly twice as long as recommended, but we weren't rushing!) and will be doing Loughrigg Fell this same trip. We've got good boots and poles and a sense of gentle, hobbity adventure.

I had a brief play around with the OS map and I think I have a relatively sensible route here. The idea was:

Bus to Elterwater mid-morning after breakfast at the B&B, grab a coffee, and set off. Lunch at the Three Shires before heading to Slater Bridge, Cathedral Cave/Quarry, Colwith Force, (google suggests there's a cafe/tea garden near here?) then Skelwith Force, where we'll grab the next bus and head back for a bath and a probably a wee drinkie.

As far as I can see it's mainly footpaths to avoid lakes motorists flying around blind corners, and while I'm sure for some this is a nothing, I'm hoping for us it'll be a lovely day walking around some pretty terrain. Can I ask for advice from you more seasoned walkers and folks familiar with the area? Have I made any rookie mistakes? Is there anywhere gorgeous just a short detour off the route that I'm missing? Is the path beset with herdwicks with a hunger that only newbie hikers can satisfy?

Gosh, that's a wall of text! Sorry!

Last year my friend and I did the Fan Dance for the first time in some truly awful conditions and for large parts of the route we barely saw another soul, we were nicely tested but comfortable despite the rain and wind.

This year we planned a second trip but at much shorter notice and in fair worse shape, only for her car to shutdown on the M4 at 0615 just as I arrived at Pen y Fan, leaving me to either strike out solo or drive 3 hours home without a dance.

I was well equipped but would likely have kept to a single ascent and back to play it safe, if not for a few hundred people massing by the phonebox for an organised Fan Dance race.

Still solo but knowing the route would be well travelled gave me the reassurance and I set off, albeit feeling thoroughly unfit and mentally wobbled by not having a companion.

On the Roman road descent, the front runners of the race went steaming past. My legs had already started cramping badly and I was dreading the return.

After the Torpantau turnaround I was headed back with a constant procession going the other way, some giving encouragement and praise as we passed. On the route back up the Roman Road, someone fell into step close behind and there he stayed for mile after mile.

I was genuinely in quite a bad way at points but having someone a yard behind gave me reason to drive on, we hadn't acknowledged each other but I knew my pace was helping him as much as his presence was keeping me going. We'd pulled well away from a lot of the main pack and for so long it was just steady, left right left right left right.

We spoke briefly at the start of Jacob's ladder and then that was it, my thighs and calves were cramping repeatedly but I slowly climbed while he paused for water. I eventually made it back to the peak and shortly after saw him reach the top and strike off down again.

From there I finished solo but was damn glad to have made the decision to go ahead.

I wasn't in their race but the marshalls along the way, the supportive competitors, the sign waving families and my one time walking companion all made a huge impact and saw me through. Everyone I encountered had words of enouragement and it was a inadvertent but all round immense experience.

Just browsing through this boom of mapped walks (after completing a couple already) jumping ahead to the scafell walk i see they've marked the route down from slight side as a straight horizontal line down an unmarked, unpathed route. Is this at all possible?

I finally did the Scafell Pike hike this Thursday and it was honestly amazing.

Being the Lake District I was expecting the weather to change quickly and it definitely did. It was drizzling on and off with occasional pockets of sunshine but what really stood out was the wind. The Met Office had forecast winds around 42 mph (roughly 66-67 km/h).
I was prepared to turn back if things got too rough but the wind was seriously strong. At the summit especially it made it hard to just stand around and take it in felt like you could get blown off your feet (not literally, but you get the idea).

Navigation on the descent was also trickier than expected. I’d read that it can get confusing up there and the fog really does amplify that massively.

Definitely recommend downloading OS Maps or AllTrails offline before going. Biggest takeaway for me was to never underestimate the Lake District even on “manageable” forecast days.

I’ve linked the route I followed as well. I chose not to do the circular route because I wanted to avoid Piers Gill which I’d heard can be a pretty tricky section.

Happy to answer any questions if anyone’s planning it.

Link -Scafell Pike from Seathwaite on AllTrails
https://www.alltrails.com/en-gb/trail/england/cumbria/scafell-pike-from-seathwaite-out-and-back?sh=pate72&u=i&utm_medium=trail_share&utm_source=alltrails_virality

Last month I attempted a route I found in an old Trail Magazine. I managed most of it!
It was fairly brutal though, halfway round I stayed at Eskdale YH. I started at Threlkeld about 3pm and camped at the following places:
Skiddaw YHA
Buttermere YH
Black Sail Pass
Wasdale Head pub camp field
Eskdale YHa (private room)
Chapel Stile BaysBrown campsite )
Grasmere YHA

I finished by coming down off Helvellyn to Thirlmere and getting bus back to Keswick.

Highlights:
- Once up Scafell, the hike over to Mickledore and up Foxes Tarn Gully to Sca Fell.
- Section over High Stile, Haystacks was incredible (this wasn’t on my route but added it in)
- Was really looking forward to Pavey Ark but was a thick foggy mist! It cleared by the time I got to High Raise and Greenup edge which was spectacular.
I

Osprey Eja Pro backpack
Durston X-mid 1
Sea to summit spark
Thermarest x-lite

Think my pack came to about 6.5kg as I had to take wet weather gear, hat, gloves, hot weather gear 🙄 etc.
Food - I sent some to Eskdale YH, but did manage to resupply ok.

Really sad to see YHA Dartmoor closed it's doors at the end of June, and to see so many more will close by the end of the year.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2kx42e2n1o

Got a tick bite about a month ago, got it removed at a walk in clinic and they cleaned and gave me antibiotics which I took the full course of.

Tick was dug in and since it's been removed it's been itchy and it's now raised. Doesn't hurt but wondering what the hell is going on with it