Dales and Lakes Bicycle Tour 2020: Day 7
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| Langstrath was to be my goal today. |
I had visited Langstrath once before on a hiking trip over the Stake Pass into The Langdales. That was a very hot day too.
At first light a minimalist wild-camper appeared, he had bivvied at a spot he described as "ideal" just in the woods nearby. He set up to make a brew next to me and asked if I had a lighter for his stove, which I duly passed over to him. We chatted for a while and he saw my bike locked to the fence, partially covered by a tarp.
" A gravel bike " he said, presumably having clocked the GRX drivetrain.
His face then all screwed up with faux pain as he declared disapprovingly,
"Heavy that".
"You wouldn't want to lug all this gear on a light bike" I replied. I don't think he was convinced.
It reminded me of the scene in "A Walk in the Woods" when Bill Bryson meets a stranger in a hostel who goes through all is newly bought gear telling him why it's rubbish. At least I had a lighter that worked. Hope it wasn't too heavy for him! I didn't bother telling him that GRX is secret code for cyclotourist.
I spent the morning pottering about camp sorting gear. My tent is an old one, the Terra Nova Solar Minor. It wasn't cheap when I bought it around 2002. Modern tent designs seem to have better space to weight ratios but the single pole pitch of this tent is simple and effective. It is waterproof and the asymmetric design makes it stable in moderately windy conditions. The slightly frayed footprint has done its job protecting the inner tent groundsheet.
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| The bathtub at Stonethwaite |
After a refreshing dip in the beck, I set off for an afternoon stroll up Langstrath. It was belting hot as I left camp and progressed up through the rocky woodlands with the beck cutting a deep narrow gorge through the landscape.
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| Stonethwaite |
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| More stones! Wild swimmers were out in force. Within the gorge two children filmed their Dad swimming in an icy looking pool. At Black Moss Pot many young people queued up to hurl themselves into that deepest of deep pools. I was thinking about having a dip myself if I could find a suitable place. |
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| Lower down Langstrath |
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| Middle Langstrath: Where Barney Rubble holidayed after building the highroad at Barbon. |
After crossing the stream across some stepping stones I followed the valley as far up as I could avoiding Black Moss Pot. That is where most people seemed to be heading.
I collected dried out rabbit droppings as I went, storing them in the pockets of my shorts. These would be put to good use in my wood stove later on, I thought.
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| Look back at that |
The Sun sat perched right above the top of the valley blitzing everything in its path, including me. It was reminiscent of the day at Aisgill in the Upper Eden Valley a few days before when the tarmac was melting.
A long and inviting pool looked promising but without a wet suit I decided against it and kept on up to the head of the valley.
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| With a wetsuit maybe |
Right at the very top of the valley I found the pool for me. It was deserted and hardly a boot trod anywhere near the surrounding trails.
I gently lowered myself in and completed a whole width of the little pool. Since I had to get back , I did another one. It was jolly cold, 'eckin freezin' in fact. When I got out the blast from the Sun soon warmed me up.
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| Pool at the head of Langstrath |
Next I tried using the stream as a water treadmill swimming against the current at the head of the pool. I did not do this for long as the icy water bearing down on my core was life-threateningly cold.
Looking down the pool I thought about it briefly and then decided that it would be lengths for me. The pool was just long enough to complete one length before the cold became overbearing. I could then get out and warm up quickly on the centrally heated rocks. So I completed a couple of lengths leaving my socks on to avoid catching my feet on any sharp rocks.
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| A chilly water treadmill |
I loaded the rabbit droppings into the stove and fired up the Kelly Kettle for a lovely cup of green tea as the Sun set behind me over Langstrath.
I cooked up a typical camp meal like this:
Put the steel pot on the meths burner (two lids of fuel)*. Chop some chorizo and vegetables up really small. Fry them off in the smaller of the mess tins. Put a sachet of miso paste into the mess tin and a nest of wholemeal noodles on top. Pour half of the now boiled water into the mess tin. The rest of the water goes into the cup with a green tea bag. Heat and stir the noodles on the gas stove then turn the gas off. The larger mess tin then gets placed on top. After five minutes, scoff the lot.
Next trip I will try cooking the noodles in my thermal mug with extra insulation around it. This will enable me to skip the gas cooking entirely. That should work if the veg is chopped very small and if it is left slightly al dente then so be it.
* I also used the Kelly Kettle and wood stove combination for this sometimes. Water stays hot in the Kelly for quite a long time after it has boiled.
Then it was time to settle in for another cold night.
My sleeping bag is a two season summer model (Snugpak Elite 1) rated at 7C. On the cold nights I used a silk liner and a travel towel for extra insulation. I also stuffed all the clothes I wasn't wearing inside the sleeping bag. A white shower curtain, that I bring on all outdoor trips, served as my bivvy.
By wearing a beanie, base layers, thin fleece jacket, drawing the baffle around my face and keeping my neck area wrapped with a buff, I was able to keep warm. The night temperatures were well below 7C (especially at Blencathra) so these extra measures were necessary for a comfortable night.
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