Thursday, 9th January 2020
As predicted, my legs ache today - not unpleasantly - that kind of ache that tells you your muscles got a workout - so a lazy day it is. Happily, my tendon seems to be causing me no problems
Looking out of the window, I was greeted with patchy sunshine over Todd Crag and chums and possibly a dusting of snow on a higher, more distant fell I can just see. It did look rather a fine day to be out on the hills but I knew I'd be over-facing myself if I did anything too adventurous and hoped that tomorrow's weather would be as kind.
Today though, I decided to hit the outdoor shops and their January sales with my Christmas and Birthday money.
First off though I did a little mooch around Rothay Park and discovered a gate leading .... somewhere. I didn't have the right kind of shoes on for the muddy track I could see but I will go and explore it on my last day after I leave but before I have to hand my parking permit back!
After working up a small appetite I did my bit for local tourism and had lunch in Daisy's cafe near the market cross. I had a very nice red pepper and sweet potato soup with a toasted cheese and onion sarnie, washed down with a decent cuppa. Highly recommended.
Then, mmmmm, gear-porn. So today, I have mostly been buying...
- a new windshirt. Paid a little more than I would normally consider paying for what is essentially umbrella material shaped into a jacket but it's exactly what I was looking for and not in a luminous "lets be visible from 10 miles away" colour.
- some new insoles. Found a Meindl stockist and had to pop in to see if they had any of my old favourite shoes. The really helpful lady said they didn't and they believed they were no longer manufactured (as I thought) but I did spot some replacement insoles for my current Meindls, not that there's anything wrong with my existing ones yet but I have found a good way of relieving fatigued tooties on the hill is change the insoles - it's like putting on a new pair of shoes!
- a waterproof phone case. I finally found one that fits my GPS phone properly instead of my current naff ziploc thing that is so crumpled and creased I can hardly see the screen anyway!
- some new walking socks. You can never have too many pairs of these!
- a headtorch. A replacement for my broken one. At long last!
I didn't find a suitable waterproof "shell" for a price I was willing to pay. I have to confess, I'm struggling to get my head around how they reach these price points, even in the sales, for what is essentially a lined pacamac with a non-rustling outer and some zips under your armpits. I can't imagine they would be any more breathable than my current boil in the bag thing and I'm not willing to pay that sort of money to find out if I'm right. Having said that, my new winter duvet jacket is waterproof and not boil in the bag but it is massively insulated and only good for harsh wind / wintry conditions / keeping you warm. Plus the jury's out on whether I want a muted colour (as my new winter duvet is) or a highly visible colour seeing as the only time I would be wearing it would be in bad weather. It's been good though to get in the shops and actually see and feel and try on the gear in the flesh that I normally only hear people talking about or read about on t'internet.
Other non-walking related stuff I bought was a mug emblazoned with "I nearly climbed a mountain". Quite appropriate, well I thought so anyway. And some Agate for a stained glass wall art creation I've got in mind.
I got my packup made for tomorrow and it's an early night tonight - I want to be up early to make the most of the daylight.... and if the weather's good I have a cunning plan for my new-found hill legs ...
Looking out of the window, I was greeted with patchy sunshine over Todd Crag and chums and possibly a dusting of snow on a higher, more distant fell I can just see. It did look rather a fine day to be out on the hills but I knew I'd be over-facing myself if I did anything too adventurous and hoped that tomorrow's weather would be as kind.
Today though, I decided to hit the outdoor shops and their January sales with my Christmas and Birthday money.
First off though I did a little mooch around Rothay Park and discovered a gate leading .... somewhere. I didn't have the right kind of shoes on for the muddy track I could see but I will go and explore it on my last day after I leave but before I have to hand my parking permit back!
After working up a small appetite I did my bit for local tourism and had lunch in Daisy's cafe near the market cross. I had a very nice red pepper and sweet potato soup with a toasted cheese and onion sarnie, washed down with a decent cuppa. Highly recommended.
Then, mmmmm, gear-porn. So today, I have mostly been buying...
- a new windshirt. Paid a little more than I would normally consider paying for what is essentially umbrella material shaped into a jacket but it's exactly what I was looking for and not in a luminous "lets be visible from 10 miles away" colour.
- some new insoles. Found a Meindl stockist and had to pop in to see if they had any of my old favourite shoes. The really helpful lady said they didn't and they believed they were no longer manufactured (as I thought) but I did spot some replacement insoles for my current Meindls, not that there's anything wrong with my existing ones yet but I have found a good way of relieving fatigued tooties on the hill is change the insoles - it's like putting on a new pair of shoes!
- a waterproof phone case. I finally found one that fits my GPS phone properly instead of my current naff ziploc thing that is so crumpled and creased I can hardly see the screen anyway!
- some new walking socks. You can never have too many pairs of these!
- a headtorch. A replacement for my broken one. At long last!
I didn't find a suitable waterproof "shell" for a price I was willing to pay. I have to confess, I'm struggling to get my head around how they reach these price points, even in the sales, for what is essentially a lined pacamac with a non-rustling outer and some zips under your armpits. I can't imagine they would be any more breathable than my current boil in the bag thing and I'm not willing to pay that sort of money to find out if I'm right. Having said that, my new winter duvet jacket is waterproof and not boil in the bag but it is massively insulated and only good for harsh wind / wintry conditions / keeping you warm. Plus the jury's out on whether I want a muted colour (as my new winter duvet is) or a highly visible colour seeing as the only time I would be wearing it would be in bad weather. It's been good though to get in the shops and actually see and feel and try on the gear in the flesh that I normally only hear people talking about or read about on t'internet.
Other non-walking related stuff I bought was a mug emblazoned with "I nearly climbed a mountain". Quite appropriate, well I thought so anyway. And some Agate for a stained glass wall art creation I've got in mind.
I got my packup made for tomorrow and it's an early night tonight - I want to be up early to make the most of the daylight.... and if the weather's good I have a cunning plan for my new-found hill legs ...