Wet 'n Wild Camping

The theme of my last couple of blog posts has been torrential rain, and this update is sadly no different.

Last weekend, I made my bi-annual pilgrimage to the Lake District National Park to climb a few mountains with two close friends. On this occasion, we had planned to "wild camp" on the ridge of a small but nonetheless substantive mountain called Lingmore Fell.

What better night to do it than summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Our intent was to watch the sun go down late at night whilst enjoying a drink or two after a hard day's walking and then revel in the early morning views from our high perch up above the valleys. As with all the best laid plans, it didn't quite work out as we had intended.

The weather forecast was dreadful, but we did an outstanding job of ignoring it. Sadly, the doom and gloom of the Radio 4 weather report, combined with an illness and a fierce hatred of camping in the rain, put off Mike.


From the moment we set foot on the mountain, it rained. And rained and rained and rained. In fact, it didn't let up for more than a minute until we were driving south from the mountains the following day.

Here's 10 important things I learned about being out in a raging storm for 28 hours:

1. Just because the word "summer" features in "summer solstice", don't expect anything less than a cat. 5 storm.

2. Never say "I think the weather forecast might be wrong" in your outside voice.

3. Never say it again 5 minutes later as evidence for the first time you said it; Mother Nature will really, really make you pay for it.

4. When your friend says "I think now is the right time for waterproof trousers", don't snort and think "big sissy".

5. Blackberry's don't like to sit in a puddle of rainwater inside your supposedly waterproof coat for 28 hours.

6. German car keys, on the other hand, are thankfully water resistant down to a depth of 10cms in your rucksack.

7. When entering a busy pub soaking wet after spending the day almost swimming on the mountain, think twice about carelessly throwing all your wet, expensive Goretex kit into that oddly convenient out-of-the-way empty hole under the mantelpiece. Yes, that's a fireplace. No, your kit isn't fire or coal resistant just because its soaked up the equivalent of the Indian Ocean.

8. Frozen sausages take two, miserable, heart wrenching hours to turn a slightly browner shade of raw pink on a pathetic disposable BBQ positioned under a dead tree to stop the storm from extinguishing it, and your only chance of eating.

9. Always cook meat thoroughly before consuming. Semi-raw sausages do not help you make friends in a tent a few hours later.

10. For goodness sake, listen to and believe the Radio 4 weather forecast.

Having said all this, Richard and I laughed all weekend. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much and had such a fun weekend in the mountains.


Langdale Pikes being lashed by the severe weather.


View down the Langdale valley.

I bet Gordon Ramsey doesn't have to cook in these conditions.