Friday 13 July 2012

A Wild Camp above

Ullswater

Me & Paul

Two days holidays what was I going to do? a quick mini camp in the woods or would the weather play ball for my trip to Pillar.  None, the weather was looking rubbish with rain flooding everywhere, I study the week before the weather and it changed from light rain to heavy and back again, winds were low then high and back again, what didn't change was the fact that low cloud would hamper any views I was wishing to film on top of Pillar.

So with this in mind it would be a quick one nighter in the lakes on a hill that would be smaller than 600m cloud base.  I had left the plan on where to last minute to get the best weather as I wanted to take my DSLR and get some nice video.

I would have company for this trip in the form of Mr Kilburnicus aka (Paul) from YouTube who has become quite a friend.  He was happy for me to plan the trip, as like me he was just happy to be out wild camping.

The plan was made for a place I have been too already with my friend Chris Cox, its not high and is a very easy walk up but with breathe taking views, Watermillock Common is a must visit if you haven't already been. We planned to meet at the hotel/pub in Dockray, I sent Paul a picture of where we would park, which I later found out he never received, relying on technology isn't always the best idea.
Messing about as I waited for Paul
When I arrived at the planned car parking place, I had made it in good time I was actually 10 mins early.  I sat and chilled in the car waiting for Paul to turn up, we had talked the night before about getting a couple of pints before we headed up, so after about 40 mins sitting in the car thinking he might be stuck in some traffic, I thought to get a pint and chill in the beer garden after all it was sunny.

I just sat down in the beer garden with my pint when I saw Paul walking up the road.  As I said earlier he hadn't got my email and parked further down road about 20seconds walk, he had been there for an hour, what a nightmare but still we found it funny and sat for a good hour chatting away before deciding to head on up.

Boots and gaiters on back pack strapped up we head for Common Fell summit, a nice relaxed pace we were in no rush to get to the top.  A pleasant walk up stopping plenty of times for rests and photos.

In tent and it chucked it down
Once at the top I could feel a very light rain starting so tents went up quick and as we got them up the heavens opened.  I put my boil in the bag on, I was starving.  I had a Look What We Found meal with a bread roll chopped up and stuck in the bag, makes it more filling.

Lying back in my tent listening to the rain is so relaxing I could have easily drifted off into a deep sleep, this is the life relaxing the way we should, resting my body and mind from every day life.

I noticed quite a few earwigs trying in vain to get in my tent but they were soon flicked at high speed back the way they came. After about an hour of rain from light to heavy, it stopped, I can't remember the time but we both got out of our tents to see a cloud inversion forming.

Great Mell Fell @ night with cloud inversion
We both had our cameras out capturing the moment but we were losing light, there was no sun as the clouds covered the sky just a small opening letting a little light in.  It was nice to see Great Mell Fell surrounded by cloud and just its very top sticking out.  We sipped our drinks and talked till after midnight, until one of us wondered what time it was when it was checked we both agreed it was time for some sleep, we wanted to be up for sunrise to hopefully capture it.

The view at 4:30am not much light but still breathe taking
I woke at 4:30am extremely tired but once I opened the tent and seen a beautiful cloud inversion, I grabbed my camera and tripod and went outside for a better look.  Paul was up within a minute of me being outside the tent, his first words were "you should have woke me up, it beautiful." "I have just stepped out the tent, was about to give you a shout soon as I was finished using the toilet." 

We filmed and took pictures talking about what we were seeing until about 6am.  It had been a wonderful sight as the cloud was low above Ullswater and then would rise above us sometimes passing us and then settling back down again, a true lovely sight to see.

We retreated back to our tents when if lifted for a much needed sleep, it was only when my alarm went off at 8:30am I awoke or I might be still there now, I took my very thin summer bag which to be honest the amount of feathers after each wild camp there can't be many left in, so when I went back off I left my down jacket on.  To say when I woke I was hot was an understatement, it took me  a while to just move and get out.
Still overcast 8:30am
Tent door open and still a beautiful view, it was time for a bacon sarnie.  Next time you go on a wild camp my advice to you is to take some bacon there is nothing more nice than to chow down on a bacon sarnie.

We headed down and when we got near our cars it started to spit onto rain again???? this was unreal so we both said our farewells and jumped into our cars while the rain did its thing.  A very strange thing the weather we just made it up and it rained and now back at the cars it started again, I wouldn't dare grumble though we had near on perfect weather for must the trip, mind we never did get the sunrise as the clouds covered it, so I can only imagine what my video would have looked like with the sun helping me out on the lighting.

Thanks for dropping by and hope you like the video, please feel free to leave a comment. 

 

2 comments:

  1. Hi paul exellent vid. what a few looks great.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the comment mate, am quite pleased with what I captured :-)

    ReplyDelete