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A Weekend On The Jurassic Way

Last Thursday afternoon saw me away from home and going inland to King’s Cliffe in Northamptonshire to have a preliminary recce of the Jurassic Way (this is a medium distance route (88 miles) passing through rural Northamptonshire primarily: although it does start in Oxfordshire (Banbury) and end in Lincolnshire (Stamford)

My intention was to bimble around the King’s Cliffe area in general and looksee at the Way too.  I have backpacked in this area for some years now – although mainly further east into the fens and flatlands of East Anglia and the East Lincolnshire coast.  I especially love the vast salt-flats nestling around the Wash.

Generally I have travelled my own routes but have included the Sir Peter Scott Way, the Nene Way and a handy link through Rutland to the Viking Way.  I know many, many landowners in these areas and generally find no difficulty in locating suitable ‘wild’ campsites, despite the areas for the most part being agricultural.  The areas around King’s Cliffe, Fotheringhay, Yarwell and Nassington have an abundance of ‘wild’ woodland too.

This weekend was designed to be a restful return from some time away for health reasons.  In this respect it achieved all I had in mind, and in fact more.

I had the opportunity to take with me a brand new DD Lightweight Tarp from BPL.co.uk which at the size, weight and cost is probably one of the most efficient and effective pieces I have ever owned.   At 3m x 3m it is a veritable luxury apartment for a solo ‘packer and in fact would easily serve two or three without any real difficulty.  I experienced some quite heavy rain storms on three occasions and at no time was there any hint of a leak through the well taped seams.

I used one of my pair of Leki Carbon walking poles as a ‘tent’ pole and  pitched the tarp in a ‘flying vee’ configuration.  The corner diagonally opposite the pole and both adjacent sides were pegged to the floor without the use of guys so that at a 95% wind break was formed.  I carried a RAB Survival Zone bivy-bag but did not feel the need to use it.  The groundsheet and a Golite Adrenaline 20 sleeping bag were sufficient to ensure a toasty warm night.  The size of the tarp also meant the I didn’t have to be constantly on the alert to avoid touching the inside of the tarp with the exposed sleeping bag.  No fear of a wicking problem there.

For cooking I used a Trail Designs Caldera Cone, a Tibetan Titanium 550 pot and a 2cm adaptor to accommodate the difference in height between the ‘550 and the ‘700, the latter being the pot for which this particular cone is designed.  The video below shows what I mean.

For preparing food I used both halves of the food-grade plastic containers which now form the Caldera Cone ‘caddy’, having made cosies for each piece and also separate lids.  The whole system worked like a charm and my ‘cooked’  (own-make rehydrated food was delicious – Spicy Rice with Tandoori flavoured chicken).

I think in total I probably walked about 20 miles in the whole time out, but I did have peace and quiet, good food and excellent company in the local people who will always stop for a chat to a receptive individual.   I can also recommend the “Cross Keys” public house in West Street, King’s Cliffe.  The food there, cooked on the premises, is good, wholesome and mainly traditional for the area.  It’s definitely worth a visit to sample the cask ales, company, food and a small display of photographs documenting the history of the street and it’s occupants through 150-ish years.

I have only recently returned home with a feeling of renewal and satisfaction.  A GOOD weekend outing.  And with the additional ‘take-away’ of memories of Red Kites wheeling and diving, a couple of V’s of geese heading east and calling softly to each other in the twilight, scurrying small furry things determined at all cost to avoid confrontation with anything, Tawny Owls making the woodland ring with their hunting calls during the dark hours and numerous birds and insects.

New Beginings

We are the Pilgrims, Master; we shall go

Always a little further.