St. Cuthbert's Way, Gear List.
I hummed and hawed for ages about what sort of accommodation to take. I fancied camping but also fancied a nice B&B half way and when I looked at the map and saw where the Wooler camp site was I decided on a B&B instead. So it ended up three nights camping and two nights B&B. But what tent to take? The Akto seemed like overkill on such a low level route while the Trailstar tarp could be horrendous if the midges were bad. In the end the tarp won out just for its light weight and enormous size. So this is a wee gear list, more for my amusement in years to come. I look back at old photos of gear I've used over the years and wonder, 'how on earth did I ever get by carrying that lot?".
Tent
Trailstar tarp. Tons of room, light but not for the masses I suspect. When pitched wide open in good weather it's fantastic. Pitched more enclosed in bad weather there's still plenty of room inside and it's bombproof.
Sleeping bag
Rab Quantum Endurance 250. Just about right if I didn't eat before sleeping. The Trailstar was breezy at Kirk Yetholm but the bag kept me warm.
Sleeping mat
Therm-a-rest sport three quarters length. Don't know if they still make them as I've had it for years. It's light, lighter than my Exped Synmat UL 7 I think. That's a full length mat and to be honest I'm not that sure about it yet. It seems very fragile once you blow it up and sit on it. As if it might burst so I took the trusty Therm-a-rest instead. I used my rucksack to put my feet on. Worked a treat.
Feet (walking)
Merrell Chameleon Wrap Slams. They were fine if a little light on underfoot padding which I really felt on the road slogs. My right foot must be bigger than my left as it fared worse. It was first to blister in three places (little toe, heel and curiously, in the middle of the ball). I put this down to the shoe compressing it sideways too much. I really like these shoes but if I get another pair I'll prolly go a half size up. Left foot was fine until the second last day when a small blister appeared.
Feet (camp/travelling)
Teva sandals. Don't skmp, carry sandals. Your feet will thank you for it. Wore them when not on the trail.
Feet (socks)
Bridgedale light hiker socks. Superb. I also had a pair of Seal Skinz in case of heavy rain. I wore them a couple of times but had to be careful as they cook the feet and make blisters easy to form.
Feet (care)
Compeed blister thingies of various sizes. I also had a Compeed Blister Stick which was, not sure really. It did seem to help but I forgot a couple of times and nothing bad seemed to happen without it.
Rucksack
OMM Adventure 45+10, from Backpacking Light. Superb. Back length was perfect for me. Never felt tired once carrying everything in it. A really really brilliant sac.
Cooking
This is a bit of an exotic set up. Clikstand titanium stove holder and wind shield, Trangia meths burner, Fire Steel, Evernew titanium 900ml pan, X-Mug, Titanium folding Spork, Trangia 300ml fuel bottle. I only half filled it and had plenty left after the walk, mainly because I was using up old dehydrated grub I'd accumulated for mountaineering trips and also eating in the B&B and chippie. Sigg 2L bottle plus another two wee 500ml plastic bottles I picked up along the way and kept for drinking while I kept the Sigg for cooking and general camp needs.
Navigation
Viewranger App teamed with the GPS route from Walk Highlands. I downloaded lots of the 1:25K tiles from Viewranger. Handy for the maze of paths above Wooler. Harvey XT40 map.
General stuff
Most things packed in small or medium Exped dry bags, including the tarp. A change of clothes to stop the B&B clientele from running for the hills!
Foodage
I got a box of 12 peanut butter Clif Bars but only took 4 in the end. They're very tasty and very effective. A few packet soups and some cheesy oatcakes as emergency rations in case the shops were shut! You're not likely to run out of food on the route as it goes through plenty of nice wee towns and villages. Having said that, the stretch from Wooler to Lindisfarne is bereft of any shops or water sources. There's nothing at Fenwick. For evening meals when camping I had some old Expedition Foods meals I had lying around. Dinners, deserts and breakfasts.
Hill stuff
Rab waterproof jacket, Berghaus packlite overtrousers, Paramo fleece. This was remarkably useful for the first two days when it was rather cool. Worn next to the skin it was perfect for the 20 miler day.
Misc
Kindle Paperwhite. This was great for lazing outside the tarp in the evening, reading about walking and writing sonnets!
Co-op small poly bag to keep money and cards in. For that essential tramp look when you arrive hot and sweaty in a cafe!
Pacerpoles. These were superb when walking and essential when sleeping as they held the tarp up. I folded them up and carried them on the road slogs though. They're also great for leaning on and looking windswept and interesting.
I forgot to take my Tilley hat but on the last two days it would have made a lot of difference as the sun was pretty relentless.