thoughts from gav & jof

Without a map and a trail to follow we figured we'd still pack a compass as it would help us when captioning any really good photos; i.e. which direction you're facing.

This was our first good walk in a long while. We wanted to break in the new gear but at the same time wanted something that would get us out and about for a couple of hours. Gav and me figured we would drive somewhere nice so we could have a good walk rather than going somewhere nearly like Saltwell Park or Herrington Country Park. Don’t get me wrong both of these are great parks but I’d rather get away from people walking dogs, throwing frisbee, etc. There will be plenty of exciting places closer to home too but for time being we were thinking of the places we were often taken as young nippers. Places like Hamsterley Forest and Carricks Picnic Area always come to mind when I think back to family days out so these were the choices we came up with.

Carricks Picnic Area is 21.9 miles (41 minutes) while Hamsterley is 33.4 miles (58 minutes) away from Washington, according to Google Maps. However, we were able to get more information from the Forestry Commission website and this was the deciding factor behind us choosing Hamsterley as the destination for our first walk.

Hamsterley Forest has several routes for cyclists and walkers. Originally we’d intended to go for the Spurlswood Valley Walk, however there was 1 or 2 things that prevented us from doing so. Firstly, the Visitor Centre is closed until April and we’d planned on picking out a leaflet or map. Secondly, the Forestry Commission website stated that the Spurlswood “…trail starts from the Grove Car Park, approximately 1.5 miles beyond the Visitor Centre on the Forest Drive” so we figured we’d leave until another day.  Arriving in the afternoon and with the carpark closing at 5pm we didn’t want to risk being late back.  So we went for the Orange Walk. Compared with the Spurlswood they were both of similar length (4.5 miles) and both required some good footwear. However, the Spurlswood Valley Walk recommends “Stout waterproof footwear” and is graded as “Moderate” while the Orange Walk merely suggests “Hill-walking boots or similar” for it’s “Demanding” trail.

Our car journey to Hamsterly actually only took 56 minutes and that was at a rather relaxed 60mph. We arrived around 1:35pm. It was cloudy, with patches of blue sky here and there. The temperate was approximately 14°C although we’d seen the car read out hit 16°C on the way there.

Parking is £3.00 for the day and as mentioned earlier the car park is open until 5pm. We had time for a quick stop by the gents before we set off. Decent facilities even if there’s only cold water. I was glad to be wearing my boots already mind, someone had clearly missed the urinals and there was a small pond forming on the floor!

The Forestry Commission website had 2.5 hours down for the duration of the Orange Walk. Gav and me finished the walk in 2 hours 35 mins. In all fairness, a reasonably fit person should finish this walk in well under 2 hours. We wandered of course to look about and take photos here.

We had packed a lunch which we stopped for an hour in our walk at 2:50pm. This slowed us down but I needed to eat and I just wasn’t hungry before the walk with having such a late breakfast. The night before you see we’d been enjoying some Green Goblin cider and an Aliens film double-bill round a friends; well if I were truthful I was asleep for most of Aliens. Anyway, we picked a quiet spot and sat on a tree stump to eat our peanut butter and jam sandwiches. We followed those up with an apple and a banana each and some instant coffee. We sat for 25-30 mins and, in the shade of the forest, it felt cold now were were not walking. So on went the Berghaus outer shells[?]. The problem with this was we now looked even more alike. Matching, boots, pants and fleece. Oh dear… well at least there wasn’t many other people trying the Orange Walk.

Just before lunch I’d had to stop and adjust my right boot. If think I had it too tight and it was rubbing around the lower ankle area. After this is got a little easier but obviously the damage had already been done. I had a blister and it must have burst. Now we were both wearing some Smartwool PhD Medium Cushion Crew socks but I think that with the boots being brand new and only me suffering it must have been down to how I’d tied the laces up.

Testing the waterproof claim of our Magnum Elite II boots

Towards the end of the walk, just before a stone picnic table and the sculpture (see the gallery), we came across a bridge with a reasonably shallow beck[?] running underneath. This looked like a perfect opportunity to test out the waterproof qualities of our new boots. Our Magnum Elite II 8.0 WP Leather Insulated boat a waterproof construction that is breathable thanks to SYMPATEX®. Earlier in our walk we had come across a small trickle of water which we used to clean off some of the thick much on the soles of the boots. This had presented no problem to them but what we were curious about was what would happen if the water level reached the laces as high as your ankle. Walking slowing into deeper and deeper water we were able to see bubbles being released from around the lace and toungue area but no water made it through. Once we reached the other side the water just ran off them unscathed! See the gallery for pictures.

As we got back in the car the temperature reading was 10.5°C. All in all, we’d picked a good day for it.

Finding something to help us care and maintain our boots

What’s more amazing is after our little trip we popped by Adventure at Freemans in Newcastle’s Big Market to see what they would recommend for boot care. The sales guy told us that unless they’re damaged your shouldn’t really apply anything to the boots. He said that, if you clean them and take care of them they’ll look after themselves. Applying some waterproofing agents would only effect the boots’ breathability. I was really impressed that he didn’t try to sell us something we didn’t need, even though they stocked a cleaning kit by Magnum.