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Foel Boethe warmup.

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17°C, set fair with a brisk SW breeze

Medium pack walking in fine conditions. Footpaths are better signed this end of the range. The X-shelter on the map is literally a stone wall in the shape of an `X`. It`s in an odd place, I can`t see why there since there are summits nearby that may need shelter for mountain walkers. Perhaps it`s not for them. Perhaps it’s for the people who maintain the county boundary fences.34089312921_4a4f52d2bc_z

There was some faffing about on the descent, in one field, gorse overgrew a stile which was not visible until I had climbed over the fence. Relief that it was not my navigational error that hid the stile.

This was a very satisfying walk in easy conditions. The summits are not especially high but in a sea of rolling grasslands, the views were still very grand.

The dark side of Aughton.

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11°C, light cloud, SE breeze.

Today, I walked to town the scenic route to go shopping. I crossed fields and passed a water pumping station with a view over the town. On the edge of the ridge is a modest nature reserve with gorse and wood.

All around this nature reserve is a border of Silver Birch trees. Somebody doesn’t like them. Perhaps they block their view. There is a house with plastic fake lawns. Is it their idea?
These signs weren’t cheap to make. They are printed plastic signs of the sort made professionally. There were about ten signs, on boards like the photo, and screwed onto tree trunks. All but one were gone by the time I returned an hour later.
A couple walking their dog told me about an incident nearby. They walked on a grass verge to avoid traffic. A woman in a car wagging a finger at them said: “that’s not a place to let your dog mess”. the dog hadn’t and the woman was carrying a little black bag from an earlier poop by the pooch.

Spring and body chain.

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14°C, clear and cloudless. Moderate easterly.
I rode The Paddy Wagon with MapMyRide+! Distance: 90.07km, time: 03:41:13, pace: 2:27min/km, speed: 24.43km/h.

http://mapmyride.com/workout/2085174905​​

Fitted the summer wheels and a new chain. The weather was nearly perfect, a brisk easterly built up later. These wheels are excellent, quick and light to handle. Overall, a fine ride on a fine spring day.

Worn cog.

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10°C, light sunshine and W breeze.

I rode the Paddy Wagon with MapMyRide+! Distance: 71.56km, time: 03:03:45, pace: 2:34min/km, speed: 23.37km/h.

http://mapmyride.com/workout/2058361796​

Bannister Hill was okay. Actually, there was a race going up there but they let me through. The climb was not too hard but it may have led to mechanical problems later.
I noticed the odd cracking sound in the following miles. On wtgd approach to the next village, the chain jumped off the rear cog and was trapped against the spokes. At least I could stop safely to fix it.
After fixing it, it looked like the cog’s teeth are narrow and hooked. They’re worn out.
A single-speed bike does not share out the wear across 8 or more cogs so you should expect the gear to wear faster than multi-gears. Considering the age of the gear, this is good going.
By the way, the ride was nice. It closed over later and the wind picked up. But, spring is here, daffodils in full bloom.

Testing the kettles.

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9°C, sunny with showers.
I’ve tested the new kettle today. The new one, with a heat-exchanger on the bottom promises faster boil times. Cold mornings can be a problem on a camp because the low temperature dramatically affects the time it takes to make breakfast. Maybe like me, you really want a coffee first thing to start the day.
To test these pots, I put 400ml of your at the same temperature. I timed each pot to the point when steam appeared when I hit Stop on the stopwatch. The stove is a Primus, the type with a hose and a loop of pipe that is pre-heated by the flames.
Here’s the results:

Plain kettle.
3’10”, 130g.

Heat-exchanger Kettle.
2’40”, 250g

Heat-exchanger Pot.
4’10”. 280g.

I’m a bit worried about the last result. The gas can chilled so much that it froze to the table. Gas pressure drops away dramatically when cold. This may have lengthened the boil time despite the heat sink.
Here is a close-up of the heat sink in case you’re wondering what it means. The idea is to increase the area in contact with the flames. This folded metal has a larger surface area and also channels the hot gas along the pot’s base.

In conclusion, I think the heat-exchange pots are worth having for the boil times. The only disadvantage is the extra weight.

Kinder downfall

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10.20am Grey start with hill fog visible above 400m. heavy rain later.kinderdownfall

Walked with Chris along the southern edge of Kinderscout plateau. Once on the plateau, we took a diversion to see a WWII crash site then returned to our main route.

The intention was to see Kinder downfall after a night of rain. We even considered the possibility that the downfall would blow upwards. The waterfall is at the head of quite an angular valley facing the oncoming wind. As it turned out, visibility was so poor, <50m, we could not see any water although heard it clearly.

Rain started around the time we descended becoming quite heavy as we popped out of the cloud base.
I had a flask of hot water waiting at the car. The choice was soup, coffee or tea in the form of sachets or infusion bags. the kit list was about right. I had normal walking trousers plus thermals under. Even when the rain started, I didn’t feel such a strong urge to put the waterproof overtrousers on.
Note for future: (1),this worked really well. the water had kept hot for 8 hours. If I were to take a flask on the walk, it should be a bit smaller than this one. I’ll keep it for sharing.
(2),I barely used my new camera, but it’s better to take a light camera and not use it rather than a heavy one and not use that. One problem, it has a strong magnetic field. It deflects the compass by a good 30°C. It’s awkward taking compass readings at arm’s length.

3: Carned y Gribeau and broken bridges.:

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9°C. fog and no wind, no change from yesterday.

Wild-camp-> end: Woke to more fog and the sound of grouse. The night was utterly silent apart from the gurgling of the spring. Occasional soft drizzle and the odd waft in the calm air.

Back to the fenceline and head north. Back at L. Edno was a big pile of rubbish caught in a fence. The day before, made a note of this and returned to clear as much as possible. My storage was limited because I had my own rubbish, but I got the worst of it.
Next, walk north along the fences again. Net a fell runner heading south who seemed a bit troubled by the navigation. I know the conditions are tricky, but all he has to do is follow the fence line. His route round Edno is unnecessary, and probably slippery.
I continued passed the bwlch onto Carned y Gribeau. There was a brief moment of clear air which urged me on. The summit has a nice little lake which made a good place to shelter and eat.​
 For a small lake, it was amazingly deep. Even at the edge, I could plunge a fully extended walking pole.

The descent was aimed for the footbridges at SH673560. the ground in that area was horrible to walk on, lots of plunge holes and hidden streams. It was a struggle to get there only to find the bridges long destroyed and deeply rusted. Take note, they are clearly marked on the OS map, but not on Harvey’s.

Eventually, back at the car, I was glad to get my wet boots off and dip in the lake to wash my feet. You have to treat wet feet as soon as you can to prevent unspeakable problems later.

Two in one Day.

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31°C, no cloud and light NW wind.

I rode Focus hire bike with MapMyRide+! Distance: 27.03km, time: 01:35:10, pace: 3:31min/km, speed: 17.04km/h.

http://mapmyride.com/workout/1636292948

This photo was taken on the first of two rides on this day. Even though it was hot, I was desperate to try out the new hire-bike. It comes with a light frame and Ultegra groupset. The gearshift is silky-smooth and has ideal gear ratios for this terrain. Here in Mallorca, there are long long climbs  of up to 1:12.

Later, I rode west into the mountains towards Col De Femenia.
31.59 km Bike Ride with MapMyRide; Duration: 1:29:36; Pace: 2.8 min/km
http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/1636978520

I turned back not long before the col because of time. The ride back would only be 40 minutes long and this is when the bike really showed what it could do. The stiff frame was very accurate on corners and banking over was confident.

The only negative I could think of was the wheel-set. A pair of Mavic Aksuim might have been better.