• Please be sure to read the rules and adhere to them. Some banned members have complained that they are not spammers. But they spammed us. Some even tried to redirect our members to other forums. Duh. Be smart. Read the rules and adhere to them and we will all get along just fine. Cheers. :beer: Link to the rules: https://www.forumsforums.com/threads/forum-rules-info.2974/

Walking HADRIAN'S WALL from North Sea to Irish Sea

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Anyone want to come with? LINK => http://www.visithadrianswall.co.uk/

LINK TO UK'S National Trails website for Hadrian's Wall => http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/hadrianswall/index.asp?PageId=1

My wife and I are in the early stages of planning a walking trip. Its 88 miles from Wallsend on the east side of England (North Sea side) to the west end of Hadrian's Wall at an inlet to the Irish Sea. We are thinking a target date of sometime in late May or early June 2014.

Roughly 8 days of walking. But nights are spent at upscale B&B's, Castles, Manor homes, nicer hotels, etc. A car will transport luggage from each night's stop to the next, so walkers will take a moderate size day-pack with water, snacks, rain gear, etc, but your real luggage will be carried by vehicle. Breakfast is provided at each stop. Lunch and dinner is not provided as part of the trip, so that would be an added cost. As is transportation to and from the UK, and to/from the starting point/destination point.

I say roughly 8 days because there may be a 1 day side trip to another Roman area ruin that is off the actual wall route.

Cost of this trip is 575 British Pounds for the hotels, breakfasts, and luggage transport. The tour company also provides guide books, works out the itinerary, logistics, etc.

Anyone want to go? Seriously. Tour companies say they can accomodate groups. Kids are NOT welcome, this is an adults only trip.

A couple of the Tour Companies we are considering => http://www.hadrianswall.ltd.uk/walks.html and http://www.macsadventure.com/us/tour-113/hadrians-wall-walk
 

tiredretired

The Old Salt
SUPER Site Supporter
That's about 11 miles per day. The Romans didn't work that hard building that thing.:yum:

Seriously, sounds like a nice vacation. Have a great time and don't forget to take plenty of pics.
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
I haven't seen the whole wall. I've seen parts of it but not the whole thing. That could be a lot of fun .... if the weather is nice. By nice, I mean not pouring with rain and 8 days without rain might be some sort of record for Scotland. :yum:

To be honest, I'm in no shape to be walking 88 miles in 8 days. After day one I'd be riding with the luggage in the car. :yum:

Keep us informed.
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Sounds like a fun vacation. If I were retired I would love to do that trip, but like ETF I wonder if my knees would hold up for a walk like that. The first few days might not be bad but the cumulative affect might hit at day 5, 6 or 7. But, if you took 8 hours to walk 11 miles that is a nice slow pace. No rush for sure. I do think it would be quite the experience. Maybe one day I'll be able to give it a try. I look forward to the pics. :thumb:
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
That's about 11 miles per day. The Romans didn't work that hard building that thing.:yum:

Seriously, sounds like a nice vacation. Have a great time and don't forget to take plenty of pics.

That is actually considered a SLOW walk. 5 to 6 days is far more aggressive. We want to do some side trips and we like to expore at liesure, rather than walking past the sites, we want to examine the sites.
 

tiredretired

The Old Salt
SUPER Site Supporter
That is actually considered a SLOW walk. 5 to 6 days is far more aggressive. We want to do some side trips and we like to expore at liesure, rather than walking past the sites, we want to examine the sites.

Maybe for you. A slow walk for me is when I get up off the couch and go to the frig for another root beer and a Twinkie. :yum:

Enjoy. Sounds like a great time. :biggrin:
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Well we did a quick 3 mile walk this afternoon, probably bump it up to 4 and use that as our practice ciruit for walking. Its a nice walk because it all rolling land so we get some uphill cardio workout in a couple places. Took just over an hour to cover the 3 miles, which is probably a faster pace than we would cover walking along Hadrian's Wall.

I'm figuring that we will probably walk 3 to 4 miles, take a break for a snack. Then another few miles, break for lunch. A few more and break for a snack. Then a few more and that should put us at our nights lodging. Dinner. Relax.

Obviously there will be Roman ruins to see and the locations of those may dictate the time and distance of many of our stops. Our snack stops may be incorporated into the sightseeing stops, etc.
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Bought a new daypack today.

I have looked at a few, but decided to stick with a brand that has proven itself to surpass my expectations in the past. Picked up a Lowe Alpine AirZone Centro 35 backpack. Its about 2000 cubic inches, which should be enough for what I need for this trip since I won't be packing much more than dry socks, rain gear, first aid, snacks & water with me. Got a good deal on it because its last season's model, but it still has the advanced air venting suspension along the back that the new version features.

In addition to the internal frame system with air venting, its got the hydration system pocket (using up to a 2 liter bladder) and a rain cover. All of which are features I was looking for.

Oh, and the lovely Mrs Bob bought some rain gear for herself. She was at the Goodwill store and there was a bright yellow rubber rainsuit (bib overalls + Jacket) for $4.00. It was on sale, half price, from $8.00. It won't breathe at all, she'll probably sweat inside it, but if there is a heavy rain its better than getting totally soaked. Me, I'll stick with my breathable rain gear that I bought a few years ago at Gander Mountain. Its in great shape, and will be much more comfortable should I need it.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    9.7 KB · Views: 300

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Ah!!! Come on Bob. You're going to be prancing around in your high dollar Gore Tex rainsuit toting your state of the art day pack and the poor Mrs Bob is going to be in a vinyl sauna carrying a Walmart bag. Fair play old son, at least get her an umbrella. :yum:
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Ah!!! Come on Bob. You're going to be prancing around in your high dollar Gore Tex rainsuit toting your state of the art day pack and the poor Mrs Bob is going to be in a vinyl sauna carrying a Walmart bag. Fair play old son, at least get her an umbrella. :yum:
You summed that up pretty well.

She picked her clothes, she can suffer in them :hammer:

But she will be buying a couple pairs of REAL trail shoes. SOON. So she can break them in.
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
The lovely Mrs_Bob went to the mall today to look for proper walking shoes. Merrell, Keen, Scarpa, etc. Ended up buying clothes at Macy's and skipped past Gander Mountain!

I ordered some maps/guidebooks of Hadrian's wall.
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
The lovely Mrs_Bob went to the mall today to look for proper walking shoes. Merrell, Keen, Scarpa, etc. Ended up buying clothes at Macy's and skipped past Gander Mountain!

I ordered some maps/guidebooks of Hadrian's wall.

Just don't let her go back to Goodwill to buy a pair of brogues.

I never liked the look of Keen's footwear. I thought they were downright ugly. However, last year in a weak moment I bought a pair of their trail sandals. They're still pretty ugly but they are extremely comfortable. I love the things (as long as I don't look down). :biggrin:
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I have a couple pairs of KEEN shoes and, while funky looking, they sure treat my feet well. I'm also a fan of Merrell and have a few pairs of those.

We have a fencing tournament tomorrow morning, but will probably head up to Cabela's after the tournament (assuming we have the energy) to buy the lovely Mrs_Bob some new/real hiking shoes for our trip along Hadrian's Wall.

I've also purchased a new Camelback bladder for my backpack, so I'll have 2 liters of water per day, carried in my pack. The lovely Mrs_Bob says I will be carrying her water bottle. I'm thinking it will be a small bottle :hammer:
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Well we slacked off today. Skipped our daily 3 mile walk.

We had a fencing tournament this morning that ran late, didn't have lunch until almost 3pm. Then we headed up to Cabela's and the lovely wife of mine actually picked out a new pair of KEEN high top walking shoes. She tried on several different pairs, settled on a lovely pair made of PURPLE suede, I'm sure she won't stand out at all in staid uptight England :yum:
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
the lovely wife of mine actually picked out a new pair of KEEN high top walking shoes. She tried on several different pairs, settled on a lovely pair made of PURPLE suede, I'm sure she won't stand out at all in staid uptight England :yum:

Well at least they will break the ice and get a conversation started. :yum:
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I want to carry a knife across England.

But I'm afraid of running afoul of their knife laws.


UK KNIFE LAWS as per Wikipedia => http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knife_legislation#United_Kingdom

Knives and hiking go together like peanut butter goes with jelly. Whether used for cutting a piece of cord to replace a broken shoelace, or used for slicing a chunk of salami for lunch, a knife is just a useful tool and is more than handy out on a trail, even a trail that passes close to civilization.

I'm not talking about a BIG knife, I'm actually thinking more along the lines of a typical "Swiss Army" style knife or a "Boy Scout" type knife.

But even a "Swiss Army" knife seems like it can get you into trouble if it has a blade of 3" long. Apparently its also considered an 'offensive weapon' if one of the blades 'locks' into place, even if the blade is UNDER 3" long. This also applies to LEATHERMAN style multi-tools. A 'lockblade' makes a knife much safer to use and keeps you from cutting off your finger, but somehow that safety feature is a feature that ciminalizes the knife under English law.

Ideally I'm looking for a knife with a blade that is 2.75" long, has a corkscrew, a can opener and a bottle opener. With nothing that locks and that will hold its edge for a week or two. Bascially I'm looking for a knife that is considered USELESS in the good old U.S. of A. but that basically skirts just under the English knife laws. As a bonus, I'd like a philips head and flat head screwdriver bits, but that may be too much to ask, and is not a deal breaker.

This would be a bare minimum, but I'd hate to spend money buying it since I'd likely never use it at home. I've got other knives that I'd be afraid would be confiscated so I don't want to take them and lose them. Any advice?
8861086810142_SAK_53652_000_S1_62314_tif_1.jpg



This would work too. Don't need the scissors or small blade.
8843032789022_SAK_53389__000_S1_51215_psd_1.jpg




I'm a big fan of BOKER knives and this one, which is available with oak, plastic or stag scales, is one of my favorite 'scout' style knives. I can't find any feature on this that would make it run afoul of the English knife laws. But these are too expensive to have confiscated. I've got a bunch of BOKER knives, love them all.
110182M.jpg
 

tiredretired

The Old Salt
SUPER Site Supporter
I do not travel overseas. Those days are over for me. With that said, I do travel around here in the states and do find myself from time to time in a communist state. To be safe, I carry the Leatherman Micra. The smallest leatherman made. Has scissors in lieu of pliers but very useful for removing all those tags off clothers Mrs TR buys from time to time. :yum:

i have had it for quite some time now, but I am sure they still make it.

I have found it the perfect traveling companion (other than Mrs. TR of course)
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
I do not travel overseas. Those days are over for me. With that said, I do travel around here in the states and do find myself from time to time in a communist state. To be safe, I carry the Leatherman Micra. The smallest leatherman made. Has scissors in lieu of pliers but very useful for removing all those tags off clothers Mrs TR buys from time to time. :yum:

TR, that's what I carried for many years on my key ring as well as a "normal" pocket knife. When we went to the UK 3-years ago I left the pocket knife at home ofcourse but completely forgot about the Micra. It was confiscated at DFW airport by the TSA. I thought at one time they were going to arrest me for having it and trying to board the plane. In the end they said that they would post it to my home address but it never showed up. Guess that I forgot to give them the price of a stamp. :smile:

Bob, if all you want is something to spread the peanut butter on your crackers, why not buy an el cheapo when you arrive in the UK and then junk it before flying home. It could save a lot of hassle.
 

tiredretired

The Old Salt
SUPER Site Supporter
TR, that's what I carried for many years on my key ring as well as a "normal" pocket knife. When we went to the UK 3-years ago I left the pocket knife at home ofcourse but completely forgot about the Micra. It was confiscated at DFW airport by the TSA. I thought at one time they were going to arrest me for having it and trying to board the plane. In the end they said that they would post it to my home address but it never showed up. Guess that I forgot to give them the price of a stamp. :smile:

Bob, if all you want is something to spread the peanut butter on your crackers, why not buy an el cheapo when you arrive in the UK and then junk it before flying home. It could save a lot of hassle.

ETF, me thinks if it is packed with the luggage it may be alright. I've been wrong before though. Buying one there may be the safest and best option though now that you mention it.
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Transporting a legal knife to/from the UK inside of 'checked' luggage should be fine. I brought home some very sharp knives from Toledo, Spain by checking them through my luggage and nobody gave me any grief.

But honestly I'm thinking a cheapo knife is the way to go. Don't want to risk a fine Boker. Not even sure I'd want to risk a $50 Swiss Army knife.
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Yea, you guys may be right about sticking it in your luggage. My problem was that it was on my keychain when I went through security. That was really a no win situaion for me and then again, I did mouth off a "little" bit. All I said was that if he thought that I could intimidate anybody with the little 1" blade on that Micra then he and I grew up under two totally different sets of circumstances. I don't usually do things like that but he was such an officious, sanctimonious, annoying shit that I couldn't help myself. :hammer::hammer::hammer: I lost, he won.
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Getting ready for a morning walk. Its actually pretty cool outside this morning, it will be a nice change from the hot sunny conditions in which we have been walking.

SHOES:
The lovely Mrs_Bob's new purple KEEN walking boots seemed to have treated her very well on her first outing yesterday. She wore socks that bunched a bit, but caused no problems. She's got a problem with swelling of one of her ankles under some conditions and that didn't seem to rear its head after our walk, so she is happy with her purple boots.

I've been alternating between a pair of Merrell trail runners and a pair of KEEN walking shoes. The trail runners are too soft and too responsive for use on the asphalt route that we have been walking. They are great on the grass, but my feet take a serious pounding after a couple miles on the too hard surface of the road when wearing the trail running shoes. I'm giving up on those and sticking with the KEENs.

TRAINING:
Our route is 3 miles long on rolling hills around our home, we are looking to push that out to 4 miles. Maybe today? Maybe Tuesday. We've been working to build up for this. 2 days walking, 1 day rest, 2 days walking, 1 day rest. We don't typically walk on Monday & Wednesday because those are Fencing days, but today we are making an exception because the weather is so nice this morning that we can't pass up the opportunity to walk in cool sunshine.

Looking to start carrying a backpack with about 10# of water/gear toward the end of the week. Again looking to build slowly with that, need to get over the sensitivity around the hips and over the shoulders where the straps will spread the weight of the pack. Although rarely a source for causing blisters, the straps from a backpack can abrade the skin and cause serious irritation if its not toughened up over time.

FIRST AID
Starting to look at first aid needs. I'll probably buy a first aid kit and then customize it for hiking needs. Add some moleskin, some skin glide, some???
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
KNIFE:
I found an old Swiss Army knife that will go on the trip. Its inexpensive so if it is confiscated it won't be a loss of anything valuable. Pretty basic but it covers the needs. Got the all important CORKSCREW for picnic wine bottles, a basic blade for cutting salami, can opener and a bottle opener. Oh and those silly little tweezers and a toothpick too. Should serve my needs. Wish it had a philips head screwdriver, but it doesn't and that is not a deal breaker.

 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Bob, I'm sure that you'll have everything covered. The only thing that comes to mind is that it might be wise to pack a few towelettes with bug repellant. Usually that far south midges aren't too much of a problem. Up in the Highlands and the west coast they can eat you alive. You'll be walking and moving a lot of the time so they won't bother you but when you stop for lunch or a snack they can make life unpleasant if it's a bad year. I only mention it because, for some reason, they don't bother me too much but they can see my wife coming from 50 yards away.

There is a lot of sheep farming down in that area and anywhere there are sheep or deer there is the possibility of ticks. They can carry Lyme disease just as they can here. What is the likelihood? Probably pretty low. In my younger years I wandered all over the Highlands and never got bit once.
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Did a 4 mile practice walk today. The hill coming back up to our driveway was a killer.

Other than that it was a pretty easy walk . . . except for the encounter with the German Shepard Dog.

Lady who lives right at the end of our route was outside with her two GSDs. On our way past her home one of the dogs comes running about 50 yards into the soybean field, before he decided we were not a threat. We continued to our turn around point and could see the dog turn back and go up to the lady. We turned and began our homeward journey and the lady and 2 dogs were going away from us, and were about 75 yards off the road between her home and garage. The one dog turned and started toward us again, running hard. This is a big German Shepard Dog! Lady shouts a couple times, dog doesn't even slow. Dog hits the edge of the road and I point my finger at the dog, shout NO. Dog STOPS. In the mean time the lovely Mrs_Bob is tugging at me and screaming. Lady is screaming more for the dog. I stare at the dog, finger still pointed at his nose, he comes into the road (this is only a 2 lane country road) and I shout NO! again never breaking eye contact. Lady is now screaming, dog is not happy and sees I am not backing down. Dog backs down and runs back to lady.

When dog is back to her she shouts over and apologizes. Lovely Mrs_Bob accepts apology. I almost said, but did not say, "that dog will be shot next time. . . " but I left the words in my mind instead of letting them pass my lips.

Perhaps a walking stick/staff would be in order for this trip? I could have my brother-in-law buy one for me over there, and then pick it up from him upon our arrival.





Bob, I'm sure that you'll have everything covered. The only thing that comes to mind is that it might be wise to pack a few towelettes with bug repellant. . .
Frank I'm not sure I do.

Actually posting here is helping me think this whole thing out as far as my needs.

I'll probably do some equipment reviews during this thread as I plan to have everything tested before taking it to England.
 

rlk

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Melensdad, you may have heard this before, but I have been told that the insect spray that shoots a stream about 20 feet is very effective for dogs/critters that want to bother you. Supposedly hitting them in the face/eyes gets their attention and changes their focus rather quickly.

Don't know if stuff like that is available where you are going, but it might not be a bad idea to have a can handy, just in case.

Bob
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I hear that WASP spray is nasty if you catch it in the face. I'd actually love to see some proof of that, but I'm not willing to let the lovely Mrs_Bob shoot me in the face with that stuff. She might get too much pleasure out of it!

Bear Spray is forbidden in the UK as is hiking with a pistol. Which is why I thought a walking staff might not be a bad idea. I suppose a small can of Wasp Spray, if I can find a small size can, would be a nice 'tool' to have in the pack too.
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Heading out for another morning hike today. Plan to do another 4 mile hike, but we are looking to take a slightly different route. One that will avoid the untrained German Shepard Dog that lives a the end point of our former path. Basically at the 3/4 point we are simply making a turn down a different road to avoid the dog. The original path had us climbing a long easy slope, the new path will have us descend, climb, descend and then climb again a shorter and steeper hill. Oh well, it will probably be no different than what we will face at some point in the 88 mile walk.


A bit more of the gear:

WARNING STROBE:
NATHAN clip-on amber strobe for walking along roads past dark. Hopefull we won't need it at all, but its in the pack. If we are still walking at dusk then it will be clipped to the back of the pack, just in case. These are inexpensive safety devices, NATHAN makes safety gear for road workers, road runners/joggers, etc. The LED lights are incredibly bright and are programable with either a flashing pattern or can be left ON. If it is unneeded not too much of a burden, size is about 3/4" thick, 2.5" tall, and 3/4" wide (easily fits in the palm of your hand). http://www.nathansports.com/visibility/led-lights/strobelight





WATER BLADDER (fits inside a sleeve inside the backpack & WATER BOTTLES:
Camelbak Omega 70oz bladder. [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Camelbak-2-0L-Omega-Reservoir-90271/dp/B002QX2A2K"]Amazon.com: Camelbak 70 oz/2.0L MG Omega Reservoir 90271: Sports & Outdoors[/ame] Most of the trekking grade day packs and back packs have a special sleeve that runs vertically behind your spine (but separated by an air channel) to hold water bladders. The bladder is simply more convenient than carrying a water bottle, it also holds the weight of the water closer to your body, and along its centerline, to provide better balance and less strain on your body during a long walk. Several brands exist. I chose this particular bladder because of its claim that is more durable, also because replacement parts are pretty easily found at most any outdoor store since the Camelbak brand has become the most common choice.




The water bladder will be for ME to drink while walking.

The lovely Mrs_Bob chooses to use water bottles, but I will be carrying all of the gear for both of us. There are plenty of water bottles from which to choose. Thinking of picking up a couple Camelbak 25 ounce capacty "Podium Big Chill" water bottles. They have a fast flow valve that is 'hands free' and allows you to squirt the water into your mouth, then automatically closes the valve. Cost is about $12 (street price). http://shop.camelbak.com/podium-big-chill-25oz/d/1056_cl_498

Between 2 water bottles for the lovely Mrs_Bob and a water bladder for me, I'll have 120 fluid ounces of water on my back in the morning at departure time. Water weighs about 8 pounds per gallon, so I'll have roughly 6 pounds of water on my back if all go out full. Honestly I may not fill the water bladder completely, but this is a concern of mine as I don't want to carry more weight than is necessary. Rain gear, first aid kit, trail snacks, camera equipment (camera, extra lenses, batteries), passports, eating utensils, camp cups, extra socks, tail map, etc will also be adding weight.



At some point I'll post up some photos, some weights, potentially a total cumulative weight, etc of the gear that will be on my back.
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
The original path had us climbing a long easy slope, the new path will have us descend, climb, descend and then climb again a shorter and steeper hill. Oh well, it will probably be no different than what we will face at some point in the 88 mile walk.

Without a doubt. As I remember it, the going shouldn't be too bad on either coast but it gets a bit uppy and downy in the middle, basically rolling hils.

I find this interesting as it's what I used to do in my younger years only further north in the Grampian Mountains. For Americans the term "mountains" is a misnomer. They're not very high but they can be nasty. Back then it was called Hill Walking not Hiking. It's amazing how the gear has changed.
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Frank the gear choices today are amazing. I remember the old heavy leather Timberland hiking boots with the thick/stiff Vibram waffle soles! They still make books similar to those boots from 30-40-50 years ago, but while they may 'look' like those, the internals, soles, support of the new boots are so much better. Then there is the miracle fabric Gore-Tex, what a blessing that is.


RAIN GEAR is a huge concern of mine. Not just for her, but also for me.

My rain gear is fairly expensive, has lots of features, is comfortable, but is also heavy and not designed for hiking. Her rain gear was almost free, but would be totally MISERABLE to wear should we need it. There is some great equipment out there that is packable and works, but it comes at a high price. GoLite Rain Jacket => GoLite Men's Malpais Rain Jacket Not sure I want to drop that kind of cash (times 2) for rain jackets, and then double it because we need pants too! Hopefully there is a reasonable compromise that can be found that is light enough, compact enough, DRY enough and somewhat less pricy. Our experiences in the UK with rain are generally positive, having spent some summers there with the family. No downpours, but generally frequent lighter rains. My rain gear is designed for downpours and is great while out fishing or even on a tractor as a protective layer in the snow, but the pants are way too heavy for hiking. Jacket is not too bad, but pants, umm, no.



Today's walk, 4.1 miles of hills. Elapsed time 1:17. So we are keeping up our 20 minutes per mile average that we established in our previous 3 mile walks. This is the pace we want to maintain in training, even if mileage goes up. That is a faster pace than we will need in the UK, but we will be walking much farther each day, so for these training walks we need to keep up our pace to compensate for the shorter distances we are walking. OH, and 5 minutes of that time was spent talking to the lady wtih the big Germans Shepard Dog, she drove out and apologized again, assured us the dog would not bite (I do NOT believe her) but accepted her apology and then diverted our walk anyway!



FANNY PACK . . . oh and the lovely Mrs_Bob has agreed to a fanny pack. Siezing upon the opportunity before she changed her mind, I ordered a fanny pack with a single water bottle holder and modest size pocket. I was trying to decide between a dual water bottle pack and a single and opted for the single simply because the pocket on the single packs are somewhat larger. Figure I can carry 1 of her water bottles, she can carry the other. As she empties one, she can slip it in my pack and I can carry her empty. The larger pocket means she will be able to carry her rain gear? Snacks? Our medical kits? SOMETHING!

I had been looking at these long before today and I did struggle on the choice, but had previously considered several. In the end it came down to a GoLite dual water bottle fanny pack or a Lowe Alpine single bottle. Opted for the Lowe Alpine Lightflite Hydro LINK => http://www.lowealpine.com/packs/lightflite-hydro Most fanny packs don't have much venting along your back, the Lowe Alpine units have a mesh back wtih an internal offset that allows for some airflow to keep a bit cooler.
 
Top