I’m on the last leg of a 900-mile railway journey. I’ll soon forget most of it, but not the man I sat next to under the Channel Tunnel. He was in his seventies, twinkling with fun. We chatted for two hours. He had been a professional musician all his life. Somewhere near the Kent coast, he told me he’d had a hard time finding his way through the station to where he was sitting, as he could not see very much. He explained he’d lost most of his vision a few years back. He wasn’t ready for a white stick; he didn’t want to be perceived in that way. He had asked a lady which platform the London train was from, and she’d pointed to a sign that he could not see, he’d sensed a bit of unkindness in her.
We talked about his music. I had a look on YouTube; he was surprised to know that his songs were on there. I told him if he uploaded them himself, he might be able to get some income from them.
He was proud of the cousin who was going to meet him. With difficulty, he found a photo of him stood in front of his house. I had an hour between trains, so I asked him if he’d like to follow me through the station when we arrived. He said “no thanks, I’ll be fine.” He was a proud man.
We waited for the carriage to empty. I made to carry his bag, but he wanted to do it. I walked ahead; he paused at the door. I told him how many steps there were and that there was a big gap to the platform. He passed me his bag, and I held my arm out to him as he stepped down.
The platform was teeming with people, all going in the same direction. I didn’t really know what to expect myself, as it had been ten years since I used this station. I offered my arm, but he said “you walk in front, I’ll follow your feet.” Despite that, I felt a hand on my shoulder a few times.
On the escalator, I told him it was the kind that has steps, not a slope. At the bottom, I told him when it was time to start walking. He told me he had nothing to declare customs-wise.
As we reached the arrivals area, I recognised his cousin from the photo. A nice-looking man a little younger than me, he beamed at us, recognising what was afoot. We shook hands, all of us, and I left them to it.
The route from Patterdale up Striding Edge and down Swirral Edge is one of the Lake District’s great circular walks, although parts of it feel less like walking and more like negotiating a geological argument.
My walking buddies were an old school friend and some of his pals. Like many Lake District days, we met up in a pay and display car park. We chose the one opposite the Patterdale Hotel, a very reasonable £5 for the day (cash only).
We set off down the road, picked up part of the Coast to Coast path and then worked our way cross-country towards Bleaberry Crag.
The first couple of miles were deceptively steady going. One of our group had a catastrophic walking boot failure within the first hour. Both of his heels completely delaminated; thankfully, I had some gaffa tape and a bit of paracord in my first aid kit. I was able to patch him up enough for him to return to his car. The rest of us continued.
Miles 3, 4 and 5 were an intensive cardio and quad workout. My average heart rate for mile 4 was 166 bpm as we hauled our way up towards the start of Striding Edge.
Evidence of my lack of fitness for all to see! Mile 4 was the killer.
The conditions were perfect, no low clouds, not too hot, nice and dry and no wind. It wasn’t overly busy although there was by now a steady flow of other walkers. We caught our breath before Striding Edge proper; I took on some chocolate and coffee just in case.
You have no choice but to take Striding Edge seriously; there are severe drops on either side – approximately 300m to the left and 150m to the right. Even on a good day, a moment of inattention could be fatal. You could also observe that this is one of the most mindful ways to spend a Saturday morning. When you’re busy thinking about exactly where your hands and feet need to be; it’s impossible to worry about anything else!
This route is superb because you can see and anticipate the full semi-circle of Striding Edge, the summit, and Swirral Edge at all times. Rather like the rides at Alton Towers where you observe the most exciting bits as you queue up. Red Tarn is a beautiful, inky, black feature below you and to the right as you approach the summit.
Towards the end of Striding Edge, there is a 4-5m descent where you need to turn around and downclimb. It felt safe to me as there were plenty of good, solid hand and footholds, but it could be quite daunting. Just after that is a slightly longer scramble up leading to the Charles Gough memorial.
The Charles Gough memorial. Click on it to learn more about it and a transcript of what it says.
I’d forgotten all about him, but the memorial sent me down a Wikipedia rabbit hole. Gough was an artist born in 1784. Originally from Manchester, he set off to do the same walk as us on 17 April 1805. He fell from roughly where his memorial stands and died of a suspected head injury. His body was discovered by a shepherd on 27 July. His dog, Foxie, had stayed with him for all of that time, surviving by drinking from the tarn and scavenging.
The striking flat plateau at the top of Helvellyn
We took a few photos and then headed down by Swirral Edge, an enjoyable route but not as difficult as Striding Edge. We chose a different way, crossing the top of Red Tarn and down into Glenridding. By the time we reached the Traveller’s Rest, we’d covered just over nine miles, climbed one of England’s best-known ridges and frightened my cardiovascular system sufficiently for one day. We took our time nursing our pints with our boots off before making the last mile through the village and back to the car at Patterdale.
If you are curious about the kit I used, here are some links so you can learn more and check prices on Amazon. None of this gear is sponsored. It’s simply what I use and trust.
Compass – this one is decent quality, it has a few more advanced features. Could be very handy in low visibility.
Satellite Beacon (PLB) – rescueME PLB1 – A subscription-free personal locator beacon. I carry it on the fells and permanently in my buoyancy aid at sea, more for peace of mind than anything else.
Head Torch – LED Lenser H7R Core. I didn’t need it this time, but if there was any realistic chance of darkness I would absolutely pack it. My review is here:
Lifesystems Mountain First Aid Kit I have carried mine since 2020 for hiking and kayaking, it’s a great all round kit. Had to replace the gaffa tape after this trip!
GoPro Hero 12 – The action camera used for the POV footage. There is a newer model on sale but the 12 is still very good.
GoPro Clip Mount – I usually clip the GoPro onto my buoyancy aid when kayaking, but it also works well attached to a rucksack strap.
Paracord – I’ve just ordered this to replace the section used during the emergency boot repair on this walk. Looks ideal for general emergency use.
Gaffa Tape I now wrap a couple of metres around a Sharpie pen and keep it in my first aid kit.
UK Map App (the link is to the Apple App Store). This app has not got great reviews, it deserves better- I’ve had it for years. You can download maps and use it offline, it rotates based on where you are facing. I use it all the time.
Leatherman Wave+ One of the few bits of kit I carry almost everywhere. I’ve written a detailed review here:
When you’ve spent good money on decent tech, you quickly realise how dependent you are on it. Phone, watch, laptop. All useful right up to the moment the battery dies.
For trips away, especially anything off-grid, a reliable power bank stops being a nice-to-have and becomes essential.
I chose this Anker 20,000mAh portable charger. I’ve had it since December 2025, used it on several trips, and more recently put it through a fairly obsessive round of testing at home.
I’m very happy with it.
TL;DR
Kept my iPhone 16 Pro going for about 4 days
Ran out during day 5
Recharges very quickly when you get the chance
Built-in percentage display is genuinely useful- way better than the 4 vague LEDs you often get
Integrated USB-C lead is a simple but excellent feature
The last 10% does not do anything
Main features
Built-in USB-C lead that can both charge devices and recharge the power bank
Fast charging up to 87W
20,000mAh capacity, roughly comparable to a MacBook Air battery in energy terms
Digital display showing exact remaining charge
Can charge up to three devices at once
Charges itself quickly, I saw around 64W in real use
Size roughly similar to an iPhone Pro in a case
Weight 421g. For context, my phone is 262g and a pint of water is about 840g
What is mAh ?
Power banks are usually rated in mAh, which stands for milliamp hours.
In simple terms, it is a measure of how much electrical charge the battery can deliver over time.
So a 20,000mAh battery could theoretically supply:
* 20 amps for 1 hour
* 1 amp for 20 hours
That is useful, but not the best way to compare devices.
A better unit is watt hours, which accounts for voltage as well:
Wh = (mAh × Voltage) ÷ 1,000
Most lithium batteries use cells at around 3.7 volts:
20,000 × 3.7 ÷ 1,000 ≈ 74Wh
That gives you a much clearer idea of the actual energy available.
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