Storm Benjamin has been and gone. Once again despite being in the yellow warning zone our eastily location protected us from the worst of Storm Ben.
It was time once more for Dolly and me to stretch our legs on something a bit longer than our usually daily walks.
Our walk today was a return to Dersingham Bog. A walk Dolly and I hadn’t done since earlier in the year when we came here for the charity walks we did.
As you can see from the photos there were blue skies, the sun breaking through the clouds. What the photos can’t show is the wind adding a chill to walk.
“Hurry up and get the jerky out.“, Forest Fundamentals™ Artisan Fire Mat, 80’s Polish Army Canvas Webbing Bread Bag SatchelIf I watch it will it boil faster?Dersingham BogEnjoying a brew
Thanks to the sandy soil, although we didn’t see any deer, we saw signs that they had been there as we walked round. Mainly thanks to their hoof prints still detectable amongst those of walkers, dogs, and horses.
I love spotting the fungi this time of year. There seemed to be a wider variety here than at the woods of Roydon Common.
Southern BracketThe fungi spotted (I’ll update once I’ve identified them)
We did find a brew spot under a tree. However it wasn’t ideal. But then again the side we were walking along of the bog had no real spots that gave any protection from the wind.
This meant lighting the alcohol stove with my lighter was challenging. It meant I had to resort to my fire starting kit and using the wick and bellows to get the stove to ignite.
After boiling water for a brew, I put more water on to make lunch with.
Today was a bit of recipe development for a project I have started. So I’m not going into detail here you’ll find that when the project gets announced. However I was rather pleased how this first attempt at a Japanese inspired/style curry ended up. If I had one critique then it would be that the prawns could have done with slightly longer rehydrating.
I have a couple more recipes I need to work on/try for this project. I’ll be trying these on future walks.
Speedster 30ml Spill Proof Meths/Alcohol Burner Gold, BCB Crusader Cooker Mk1 Pathfinder 25oz Stainless Steel Nesting Cup with Lid and Bat-Wing handlesJapanese inspired curryFolding chefs knife, plastic spatula, collapsible folding ladle, Boundless Voyage titanium long tweezersLightweight chopping board, foil windscreen Long handled titanium spork, Sea to Summit Delta Long-Handled Spoon, titanium chopsticks ,Lifeventure Superlight Titanium Spork with Serrated Cutting Edge, Boundless Voyage Titanium SpoonThe freeze dried vegetables for the curry.
A part from recipes to try I have a backlog of stoves and pots I want to use on the walks. One of these is the Serotonin Firefly Mini Stove. This is a wood burning stove that packs away to a small size. It’s also most likely to be the one I take out next time.
The Pathfinder cup worked well with the BCB Crusader mk1 cooker, as did the Speedster stove.
This was a chilly but chilled! walk back in nature. Just what the doctor ordered.
Today we returned to Roydon Common and the grassland or fields next to the actual common itself.
The weather was cool, but dry. Any trace of Storm Amy long gone.
By the time we started our walk the car park was busier than usual due to the morning dog walkers.
Luckily we passed most of the walkers on their way back to the car. Meaning it would be easier to find a quiet spot to have a brew and chill.
At the end the car park was nearly empty waiting for the lunchtime dog walkers.
Enjoying my brew in my UCO Collapsible Cup“I’m a cowboy, On a steel horse I ride”
Despite having a bic lighter the aim of today’s brew stop was to keep my hand in with starting the fire using the ferro rod.
My go to every time for starting a fire or igniting a stove like a trangia or a BTS3000 is a bic lighter.
However there may be a time when the lighter fails for some reason, gets lost. You get the idea.
It’s in moments like that when you need to fall back to a back up option. Such as the ferro rod, or weather proof matches.
My fire starting tin contains a BCB ferro rod and striker (there is also a mini compass on the handle!), some British Army issue weather proof matches from an army ration pack, bellows, Waxed-Canvas Fire Mat, Parrafin-Infused Wick and micro bellows, plus a US military spark- lite.
This tin stays in a pouch on my belt.
In a second tin I have a selection of tinder. This is kept in a pocket in the rucksack that I can easily and quickly get to.
Today I used some birch bark as my tinder.
The majority of the wood I burnt was kindling I carried with me. A while back I bought a bag of kindling from a garage, and it now sits in the boot of my car.
Although the kindling I had in the bag had been “processed” into thinner bits for use with the Bushbuddy.
Today’s stove the Bushbuddy with a Snowpeak 900ml titanium potMy fire starting tinMy tinder tin
I did pick up the odd twig from the path that was dead and dry. Generally I don’t do this but I wanted to see if a harder wood would burn slower and longer than the soft wood of the kindling.
There had been a bit of a breeze which the little woods we took shelter in protected us from. And also meant no windshield was needed with the stove.
I have to admit I do love using my Bushbuddy.
After letting the stove and ashes cool down I emptied the ashes into a bag with my other rubbish, and carried them out with me. Totally leave no trace.
The decision was made Dolly and I would be walking in a woods.
There was a logic behind our thinking.
Storm Amy was hitting the UK.
Weather warnings were being issued by the Met Office for parts of the country.
I had no idea what the advice or forecast was for our part of the country.
There tends to be a trend that all these named storms sweep in from the west and the Atlantic.
Meaning the west coast tends to take the brunt of these storms. By the time things hit the fens in the east the sting has been taken out of the storm.
Walking round a woods would give us some natural protection from what storm Amy might throw at us.
When Dolly and I left the house it was wet. But no raging winds or driving torrential rain.
As we drove there was drops of rain which I couldn’t even call a shower.
The woods we ended up at was the Roydon Common woods.
Our walk round the woods was damp. If I said there was drizzle that would be over exaggerating what we encountered. The trees protected us. No wind, at best a fine wet mist.
The one draw back of the Roydon Common woods is that it’s not a great place for a brew stop. Very few suitable spots exist there. Fallen trunks well down the path of decay, unable to take the weight of me sitting in them.
So naturally even though I had a brew kit with me, we didn’t stop for a brew.
I did spot some fungi as we walked round the woods. Which I love seeing and photographing.
I really should take the time to try and identify the ones spotted.
Back at the car a damp Dolly was treated with some bilatong and a towel rub to dry her off.
In hindsight I think we had avoided the main part of storm Amy and just had a damp enjoyable walk in the woods.
Yesterday a much needed and overdue longer walk with Dolly at Roydon Common and Grimston Warren happened.
As we walked along the upper path round the edge of Roydon Common I could see the sister tower to the WWII observation tower on Grimstone Warren to our right.
I thought I wonder if we can get to it?
As we got to the fence delimiting the border of the common, it became clear we couldn’t get easily to the sister tower following the fence. More fences and bushes providing too great an obstacle.
However once we got to the bridleway running between Roydon Common and Grimstone Warren we decided to head off in the direction of the sister tower to see if it took us close.
The bridleway did indeed take us close. The sister tower is less looked after than the one on the warren. It sits proud in the middle of a field currently growing sugar beet, slowly being over grown by bushes.
The objective of our walkThe other tower in Grimstone WarrenMSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe, Fire-Maple Petrel Ramen Pot 800mlDeer near to our brew spotObligatory selfieOblivious to the deerThe sister tower up closeLooking up the sister towerQR code tagged on the sister towerWhat do we have here?British Army ration pack snacksI like flapjack too
It’s a shame.
Eventually the roots will erode the foundations, while the branches crack the brickwork.
I don’t like advocating cutting down stuff usually. But this is a piece of twentieth century history that I think we should be protecting.
This sister tower deserves the same love as the one on the warren.
We headed back towards the tower on the warren to have our brew stop.
As we walked along the ridge to the tower down below where the tramway once was I could spot fungi. I promised to double back to them after the brew stop to investigate.
At the warren’s observation tower while getting today’s brew kit (MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe, Fire-Maple Petrel Ramen Pot 800ml) out I spotted four deer in the bracken. Dolly was oblivious to their presence. Next time I looked they were gone.
My snack today was a British Army ration pack flapjack and digestive biscuits. For me they tasted ok. But! The flapjack was too dry and crumbly. Plus it could have done with more fruit (raisins). That ratio between fruit and oats is wrong for me. It’s too heavily weighted towards the oats. I get it, slow released energy etc.
The digestive biscuits tasted fine. But too thin and bordering on too dry and hard. Even dunking them in my coffee barely made a difference.
Now if I had these in one of the war zones our forces have been in, and these were in my 24 hour ration pack. I’d probably think these were the best thing in the world at that moment in time.
They were edible. I’d eat them (and did). Better eaten than having to carry around as extra weight.
As we walked back towards the car I regretted having my fleece on. The morning was proving to be a lot warmer than I thought it would be. But I soldiered on because we didn’t have that far before we’d get to the car. Plus I wasn’t sweating lots, just getting warm.
As we got to the edge of the common, horses had appeared where we had entered. Luckily we were leaving a different way, and our path did not take us too close. Dolly did really well and ignored them.
A great mornings walk in unexpected sunny weather.
Finally Dolly and I managed to get out for a decent walk.
Life had meant it had been a while since our last “proper” walk. Dolly and I were owed a chance to get out and destress in nature.
We decided to return to Shouldham Warren. The last time we had been here we had started to head off towards the abbey remains. However we had to abandon that effort due to the heat. What we didn’t know at that point was we were about to enter into the first of the summers heatwaves that hit the UK.
It seemed right that we return and complete our mission.
The woodland on our left that we didn’t make it to the previous time was most definitely planted by man. The trees were too neatly in rows. I imagine at some point the landowner will turn this lovely woodland into cash.
River NarAn unexpected diving poolDefinitely planted by manThe abbey in the distanceWhat’s this strange object ?‘Hello there”Hops I think
Sadly when we got to the river Nar the banks were too steep for Dolly to have a paddle. Luckily I had a long enough camera stick to take the under water footage in the video below.
But the big surprise was the diving board into the river. A visual inspection of the water did indeed confirm that this was a most excellent spot for a diving board. Plus the diving board was secured to the ground with some serious big spikes. Which told me that this was a popular spot for locals.
I have to admit I was tempted to jump in. But it would have been unfair on Dolly leaving her on the side while I enjoyed a swim.
But the river Nar reminded me of bygone years when as a young lad we would swim in similar rivers at Santon Downham. That was a more carefree time.
I did shoot some video too while we were out. I even got to try one or two outdoor YouTube tropes. I don’t know how they do them for their videos. It was a right pain especially the walking towards the camera.
I even managed (after checking the video) to capture the big fish in the river near to the swimming hole.
Lunch was the usual ramen and a mug of coffee. Dolly had beef billatong and a bowl of water. There might be a pleasant surprise for the lunch break next time we go out.
We had this sitting next to the idilic River Nar.
Today’s stove was a Bushbuddy playing windshield to a Trangia burner. Pot is a snow peak 900ml (iirc). And yes that is a titanium ramen spoon!Army instant coffeeAdded the soya chunks first Finally the miso mix, and ramenThe finishing touches were the soy sauce, hot sauce, and the Japanese rice topping.Next added the friend veg and mushrooms
We didn’t actually make it to the abbey itself. We stopped at the crossing of the River Nar. It was basically a country lane to the abbey and that didn’t hold any appeal to me. Plus would we be able to look around for free. I know it’s used as a wedding venue. Which stinks of being charged and not being able to take Dolly in.
There was a good view of it from the river and where we stopped for lunch.
After refuelling we packed up and headed back the way we had come.
It had been good timing because as we got back to the car there was the odd spot of rain starting to fall.
Even on my days off I’m still wide awake early. Well I have to be to give Nico his first dose of heart medicine for the day.
So after going back to bed for a couple of hours, and then having a relaxed first mug of coffee I decided Dolly and I were long over due a “proper” walk.
After getting our stuff together and in the car we were on our way to somewhere undecided. Yep what seems to be our norm, no set destination, decision made enroute.
All I knew was I wanted to avoid honey spots such as the coast, possibly Thetford. It’s the start of the school holidays and I just wanted to avoid the holiday crowds.
Dolly and I somehow found ourselves in the Roydon Common car park.
I set us the target of finding out what the mystery structure was that we have seen in the distance in Grimston Warren during previous visits.
We were going to cut out doing the upper fields and head straight to our target.
Our path across the common was the “high” path that Dolly and I originally tried taking back in February. However we had to turn back and use the lower one because of grazing ponies.
You’re not more than 20ft higher than the bottom of the common as it runs along the boundary of the nature reserve. But still you get a nice view across the common it as you walk the length of the common.
Bawsey Church ruin and QE Hospital wind turbine in distance
Being on the “high” ground meant that when we crossed the bridle way between nature reserves we remained on the “high” ground as we followed the edge round towards our target.
In parts it felt more like an animal track we were following with heather scratching my calves and probably whipping Dolly in the face. It was hard to tell with her walking behind me on this very narrow track.
But we did make it to our objective.
Sister tower in the distanceThe Grimston Warren military observation tower
It turns out the mysterious structure that had teased us from a far was in fact a WWII military observation tower.
Less than a stones throw from the observation tower are a couple of information boards. One handily pointed out one or two of the structures I could see in the distance. Such as the ruins of Bawsey Church and QE Hospital wind turbine.
It was by these information boards Dolly and I stopped for a bite to eat snd and a brew.
My stove today was a newly arrived MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe. It worked really well with the Jetboil 1.5L cook pot. I like this combo.
Once again the caffeine fix was the British Army freeze dried coffee granules.
While Dolly had her usual walk treat of beef jerky, I had some ramen.
The MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe Our brew stop
I did get a little fancy using a sea to summit folding bowl, and a Boundless Voyage titanium Chinese soup/ramen spoon! I also added some dried shrimp this time.
One thing I learnt from the information board was directly below us were the remains of a Victorian tram line.
From our vantage point it was obvious where the path of the tram line had been. I could also see what looked like possible remains of the line itself.
After packing away Dolly dropped down to investigate.
The two pieces we had spotted did indeed look like rusted tram line.
I can guess that the tram line went to Kings Lynn. But where did it go to? Maybe one day I’ll be curious enough to look into this bit of Norfolk history to find out.
Path of the tram lineRemains of a Victorian tramway
The remains of the tram line bought us out at the junction that Dolly and I took that lead us the bog bashing on our first visit here in February.
We headed back towards Roydon Common. Once there we took the lower path across the common with the “higher” path on our left.
About three quarters of the way long a deer ran out from the heather ahead of us, across the track, and into the heather the other side. I think the deer was a roe deer. Dolly was oblivious to this, or if she had seen it didn’t care.
Back at the car we packed away our gear, got in and headed home.
It was nice to be back out enjoying nature, the weather was perfect, we got to destress. Just what the doctor ordered.
I do like my 3 minute noodles or as the Americans like to call them ramen. A bowl of noodles with a tin of flavoured mackerel and chopped onions is my go to comfort food.
So it’s no wonder I like them as a backpacking food.
Plus they are light, cheap, and quick to cook.
Sadly though not high on the calories side, and possibly even boring if just using the flavour packet that comes with them and nothing else. Something I see too many outdoors YouTubers doing.
That’s why I like to jazz mine up a bit.
For starters I replace the included flavour packet with a recent find of Angus & Oink Miso Ramen Noodle Broth Seasoning. But in the past I have used stock cubes as the flavouring.
I then like to add in some dry ingredients to help bulk out the noodles.
freeze dried garden peas
freeze dried sweet corn
freeze dried carrots
dried shitaki mushrooms broken up
But other dried items could be added like dried bell peppers, or sun dried tomatoes.
I then add (and I hate using this word because it sounds so pretentious) a protein of some sort. It could be piccanti fine cut spicy salami or any other salami that doesn’t need to be stored chilled. Maybe a peperami , these have been a backpackers staple to add to noodles. If memory doesn’t fail me there used to be a super noodles with it in already. Although it didn’t have nearly enough peperami, it felt like a token inclusion how little there was. Jerky of some kind is also a great choice. Or even my comfort food favourite of tinned fish. Soy chunks would be a good choice for vegans. Oh and I almost forgot dried shrimp can also be used.
Once ready I add further flavour with a packet of soy sauce and sprinkling a packet of Furikake seasoning over top.
If I want it spicy I can add saracha hot sauce, chilli powder, chilli flakes.
The basic process is bring your water to the boil. Then add the dehydrated ingredients because they need a little longer than the noodles.
I normally add my flavouring, followed by the noodles, and the peperami/salami.
Finally once cooked I add like the soy sauce, and Furikake seasoning.
You can play with the seasoning, use stock cubes or even the flavour packets that come with the noodles. If using the stock cubes I would be tempted to also add other spices such as garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika. You get the idea. If I wanted to try and go for a themed flavouring say to give the noodles a Thai inspired flavouring I’d look at the flavour wheel from SALT, FAT, ACID, HEAT by Samin Nosrat, and pick one or two of the spices associated with the region.
Illustration by Wendy MacNaughton
I suppose my point here is you don’t have to be tied to the included flavour packets. It’s possible to basically make your own “flavour” packet that tastes much better.
Whatever route I decide from what I’ve just written about I like to put all of, or as much as possible of the ingredients in a single zip lock bag. Then I just have to grab that one bag and I have everything I need for my meal.
Obviously there are other recipes too. A good source of ideas has been Chef Corso with his Outdoors Eats YouTube channel. I particularly like his pad Thai noodles (link here). However he does have other ramen recipes on his channel too.
My pad Thai adjacent noodles
Then there is the now infamous ramen bomb. Which my understanding is a combo of ramen noodles and instant mash potatoes.
You can tell this was a backpacker /thruhiker invention. It’s light weight, quick, and packed with calories.
Personally I’ve not tried this yet. It’s something that became a thing during my time away from the outdoors. Do a search on YouTube and unsurprisingly you will find every backpacker and their dog has a take on this dish. Chef Corso has his version or spin on it.
I hope this post has helped and shown a packet of noodles, no matter how budget or fancy that they can as Chef Corso likes to say be “elevated”. And possibly inspired you to try your own creations with them.
Between work and going away for a couple of days for the union to learn about the new employment rights bill currently going through the House of Lords, it’s been busy.
With yet another heat wave hitting the UK this week. This must be the third or fourth this year so far. Dolly and I headed off to Shouldham Warren.
The thinking was I wanted to do a woodland walk to give us much needed shade. Plus to try and wrap the walk up before midday.
After parking I thought let’s head towards Pentney Abbey. So that was the direction we headed off in.
As we walked through the cooling shade of the various varieties of tree, there was a slight cooling breeze.
I did have just over two litres of water on me.
I looked at the time and how far we had to get to Pentney Abbey. I made a decision to turn round and head back to the car.
There was no way I wanted Dolly out in the midday heat.
Dolly was starting to show signs of the heat affecting her. We had done longer walks than this one, but she was struggling.
We took little breaks when she needed them. Each stop I poured her some water.
I did give Dolly a longer break and an energy boost of some beef jerky.
As we got to the car there was one dog owner about to take her dog out in the midday heat. Madness.
It was a lovely short walk. But next time Dolly and I need to be out earlier. It was borderline too late this time.
The initial plan was to write a daily post during the expo. But I’m old and get tired easily. Plus as you will see I had great company in the evenings.
So this post has been written a day or two after getting back from the expo.
Be warned it is a long post. So if you don’t have the time to read it, here is the to;dr – I had a good time, met friends, bought some games.
Thursday – Day 0
Thursday was as usual my travel day to the expo.
For one person my car was pretty loaded up. Mind you this wasn’t a backpacking trip across Scotland or the Lakes. This was car camping after all, and I’d paid for a pitch with an electricity hookup.
I had booked a pitch with an electrical hookup at the Mousley House Farm Campsite. Which according to Apple Maps was about 25 minutes away from the NEC.
After doing my final chores at home, such as walking Dolly, and getting mum some meals, I set off around midday.
Two and a half hours I was checking in at the camp site.
The pitch I had been given was ideal. Close to the facilities, water tap, and no cars going past me.
After setting up camp I thought I’d make a coffee. Out came the brand new unused Jetboil Genesis Basecamp.
All setup I switched on the gas. Nothing. I reattached the fuel regulator. Still nothing. Pushed the fuel line in and gas flowed. The fuel regulator wasn’t being held tight enough to allow gas to flow without extra pressure.
I tried using plaster tape to hold the fuel regulator in. But that didn’t work.
It was basically unusable. I couldn’t cook and constantly hold in the fuel regulator.
I was kicking myself for taking the Kelly Kettle out of the boot that morning whilst packing. I did have a BCB Firedragon folding cooker with a couple of fuel blocks. Just about enough to boil a kettle of water. Not enough to get me through the long weekend.
Still I boiled the kettle and had a brew.
I tried calling Jetboil customer support but they had gone home for the day.
Unable to cook my planned meal, I was lucky I had some Greek yoghurt I could have for tea.
Alpkit Tarpstar 1The Jetboil Genesis Basecamp Thursday – Day 0
I was emotionally drained, embarrassed, seething, going through a whole range of emotions.
This Jetboil wasn’t cheap (none of their stoves are) and here it was no better than a very expensive paper weight.
I would need to find an outdoor shop the next day and buy another stove to get me through the weekend.
After watching a little bit of YouTube to try and calm down I had an early night.
Friday – Day 1
I woke bloody early. Still fuming I wasn’t going to start the day as planned.
I’d also hurt the back of my tongue somehow during the night. Which made swallowing a little painful. But more importantly I would find out later talking harder. Something that would inflict me for the whole of the expo. Basically I’d sound like I had a lisp, or just plain incoherent. I’d have to slow down and concentrate on what I was saying. It was very frustrating at times trying to make myself be understood. Some words were definitely a struggle to say.
After having a shower in facilities that put to shame the “hotel” I stayed in at the start of May.
I left the camp site a tad after six, trying not to wake the rest of the campsite. Which was harder to do than you would think when you have to drive over gravel for half of the campsite site.
Using Apple Maps I found a Tesco Express ten minutes drive away that also had a cash machine.
Sadly the express didn’t open until seven. But I still got the cash I needed for later.
I then headed towards the NEC and the expo.
By the time I had parked in the east car park and taken my traditional stroll in the expo halls I had arrived exactly at the right time to be Starbucks first customer as they finished opening up.
After having an over priced coffee, muffin, and cheese and ham toastie it was time to join the queue to collect tickets.
Yes even at 7:15am I was not the first in the queue! But I was pretty close to being so.
While waiting in the queue I spotted a fellow union rep I knew walk pass and head towards the halls. Were they helping on a stand? I thought they never mentioned they were into board games in Blackpool. Then I thought wait I could have been playing board games in the evening at the ADM.
My objectives for the day were to do the trade for Root, pick up The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship, and meet up with Ben, and spot my friend.
The first two on my list were done within minutes of the doors opening to the exhibit halls and me getting a shop and drop box.
The Catan sheepI have my weekend passGiant sized Battle of HothObligatory show selfieFriday – Day 1
I met up with Ben and his sons. We then spent the rest of the day systematically walking up and down the aisles going from one hall to the other. Despite doing that I still missed my union friend. But I did bump into Diego and his daughter Lizzy.
After mid day I had to find the Trespass at the Resort World complex next to the expo halls. I needed a stove to cook with. Ben and sons joined me so we could also look for food afterwards.
I found the Trespass, and they had a cheap Coleman stove. But no butane fuel for it!
After that disappointing experience we had lunch at Five Guys burger chain. My first time ever with them. Whilst the others went the burger and fries route, I went hot dog and fries. I liked how you can personalise your burger/dog with toppings. The fries were good and a decent portion size. Plus the soda drinks were unlimited refills. I thought it was still expensive for what it was. But thinking about it was on par with Burger King, and better value. I should say thank you once again to Ben for generously treating me to lunch.
Once fed and watered Ben and his boys headed off to the bring and buy stand while I said my good byes to head off and find a Go Outdoors.
There was indeed a Go Outdoors about 18 minutes away from the expo. It was near to the Fort Dunlop Travelodge where I’d stayed previously.
I bought an OEX Savo stove. The reason I went for this stove was because I hadn’t got a stove like it. I find it hard to believe that I never had a stove of this style in the fifty odd that I own. But I didn’t, and now I do.
When I got back to the camp site Diego was set up in the pitch next to mine.
Finally I was able to cook my food, I had the ribeye steak I had bought with me. I think ribeye is my favourite steak. I don’t do anything special. I season it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. That’s it.
After tea, the three of us played some of the board games Lizzy bought at the expo or had with her. I enjoyed this gaming session. Although I didn’t record any of the games.
Then it was time to sleep.
Saturday – Day 2
Saturday morning got off to a much better start. It was much more relaxed.
There was no pressure to get to the show early. I could have breakfast, coffee, and chill. I even made Diego a morning coffee after he discovered he had left his mocha pot at home.
The OEX Savo stove and Firemaple kettle with its heat exchanger worked really well. It boiled water so fast. Rivalling a Jetboil for boil times easily.
I was still finding making myself understood frustrating.
My agenda for the day was pick up a game for Marcin, meet up with Byron, and find my friend.
Early on I met up with Byron who gave me a copy of his kickstarter game that I backed called War. He then went off to look for a couple of games.
A little later we met up in the open gaming area to play a game of War.
The first game was real quick with Byron taking the honours. Game two was more tactical and psychological. My plan nearly worked while Byron was distracted by my forces on the right, my artillery slowly got closer and closer to targeting his base. But he eventually cottoned on, burst through my distraction to grab the win. Our third and final game saw me drawing tank after tank. So they just advanced rolling over all before them and getting me a win.
I may have lost 2-1 on the day. But I’m 4-2 up if we include our earlier games from a couple years back.
Earlier in the day I bumped into Charlene and family buying games. I think Charlene and Ben must easily have larger collections than mine.
Tank blitz! Loved psychological bit I did in this gamePigeons nesting hereOEX Savo stove & Firemaple kettle Saturday – Day 2
While wandering the halls I looking for my union friend I did bump into my friend Dean from Chatteris. It was good to see him. However I still didn’t see my union friend.
While waiting to meet up and collect Marcin’s game I was messaged by him asking if I could collect another two games for him. Which I gladly did.
After a bit of hide and seek I did also manage to pick up a free copy of a roll and write game called Grave Keeper that the game designer was handing out.
About 2pm time I was done with the show for the day so I headed back to camp to chill.
I have to say it was nice being able to just sit and relax outside my tent. If I’d gone back to a hotel room and stayed in the room I don’t think it would have been nearly as relaxing.
Diego and Lizzy arrived a little before our planned tea time. Yes it had been planned. The previous day Diego had booked pizza from the camp sites little bar/pizza bar for the three of us.
The pizza was pretty nice actually. Just the right size for one. And went down well with the pint of cider I had.
After chilling for a little while outside our tents it was time to hit the sack again.
Sunday – Day 3
The last day of the show.
After packing up camp and using the morning sun and breeze to dry out the ground sheet and tent outer. It was time to say goodbye to Diego and Lizzy, wish them a safe journey home, and head off for the final day of the expo.
I usually head off home around lunchtime so I arrive home mid afternoon. It gives me a chance to unpack, get any chores that cropped up while away done, and cook tea.
With that in mind my aims for the morning were to give Marcin his games, get the Star Wars Unlimited promo. Later I’d add to that short list after seeing an Osprey post on Bluesky that my friend Duncan shared.
So I headed over to the FFG Star Wars Unlimited stand to “try” the game and get this years promo card.
For the expo they were using the Han and Boba starter decks. Sadly not the new ones coming out next month.
I got to play against a visiting American to the expo who had never played the game before.
Even with the demo person helping them it wasn’t a fair matchup. They had the Boba deck while I had the Han deck.
For the demo purposes we both started with 15 points of damage.
The traditional “club” photo at the showMarcin losing his first game of WarOver priced but tasty expo lunchSunday – Day 3
My opening hand had two chewbacca’s. So I took my mulligan drawing into a couple of 1 cost units and the Falcon.
After playing the Falcon the fourth turn saw a pilot added to it, plus a +2/+2 buff on top, allowing it to swing in for 8 points of damage. It was game over really.
After getting the promo card I went browsing the retail stalls. Whilst browsing one a friend was helping out the retailer. So we had a brief catch up.
I then found a spot in the open gaming area to rest my wary feet and wait for Marcin to arrive.
Eventually I thought while waiting I’ll treat myself to an overpriced lunch. So I headed to a burger stand, bought their Diablo burger (meant to be a spicy hot chili burger) and a side of fries with nacho cheese and jalapeños. It was pretty tasty.
I’d not long finished when Marcin finally arrived.
After handing over his games I quickly taught War to Marcin. If Byron had still been at the show he could easily have sold a copy to Marcin.
While chatting it was revealed Jonathan had also made it to the show and the traditional show photo was taking place at 1pm.
While waiting for the photo time I headed off to the Osprey stand looking for a copy of Hairfoot Jousting. Sadly they had sold out. But the stand staff took pity on me and sold me the display copy. I then went to another stand that they pointed me to buy minis for the game. The minis were not bad price wise. The box was enough for two players to play a game with.
After catching up with Jonathan and the group photo being taken I headed back to the car and home.
The Haul
I don’t like putting photos of the games I bought at the expo on social media. It’s all to do with not wanting those in a worse place than myself feeling bad about themselves and the situation they are in.
I even have second thoughts about putting up the list of what I got on here.
None of these are big expensive games. The majority are £20 or less. Oh and Vegetable Stock although technically not bought at the expo was ordered Saturday morning over breakfast at the camp site because I couldn’t find a copy at the expo. So I’m calling it a show purchase.
Final thoughts
The expo was definitely bigger. Thanks to a “last minute” thing the organisers also got hall 1 that was used for ticket collection/purchase and the bring and buy. Which meant the aisles were wider allowing better movement on the busier days.
I’d hate to see how they would have squeezed the hall 1 stuff in if they didn’t have it. More cramped for starters I think.
For me I think the highlight of the expo as always was meeting my friends. Sadly I somehow missed my union friend. Which is the only regret on that side.
I really enjoyed the campsite and my time with Diego and Lizzy. It was amazing we were able to have pitches next to each other.
Camping I found was definitely more relaxing than staying in a hotel. A lot more chill.
The campsite itself was perfect for me. Having the on site bar and pizza was a nice bonus. The camp site shop was basic but you could get breakfast stuff plus ice cream.
After a morning of chores Dolly and I headed out later than planned towards Shouldham Warren.
I’ve never been to Shouldham Warren before.
I’d discovered Shouldham Woods a couple of weeks earlier when driving from work to Thetford for a meeting.
As I was driving along the A road I thought “oh this looks like a nice woods” and then noticed a forestry commission sign with the name of the woods. I mentally made a note to look it up later once home.
A week later I was talking with a friend/colleague about where Dolly and I were planning to walk next. Strangely for me I remembered the name of the wood. The friend said it was a nice woods. They had often gone there with the kids.
Apple Maps took us across country as the fastest route. One or two of the roads travelled were the typical fenland back road, single lane and bumpy.
I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived. Not a main road in sight or ear shot. A fairly spacious car park.
With the light rain I decided we would not stop for a brew. We would just use the walk as a reconnaissance walk. I’d only take the Pathfinder canteen and Dolly’s collapsible water bowl.
Once ready we headed to the trail head.
We were given a choice of two signed routes round Shouldham Warren. The Range Walk was a mile, and the Warren Walk was two miles.
An executive decision was made. We were going to follow the Warren Walk.
More eco vandalism going onFlippin litter bugsWearing my tarphat and Jack Stillman Drifter ponchoDolly investigating what made this way down to the stream
As the photos show the woods themself are diverse in the trees growing there. A sign at the car park listed nine species planted as part a restock program. Plus I recognised oak, beech, rhododendron.
It’s strange what two or three weeks make. Our last walk at Whitehills Wood the rhododendron were not flowering. But now here at Shouldham Warren they were. I really do love the rhododendron flower.
As we followed the yellow disks marking the route there were paths going off to the sides. I had to resist going off to explore. That would be for another day.
We saw only the odd person in the distance following other paths. The rain obviously discouraging people from going out. No car sounds or talking, just bird song, the odd cuckoo. It was peaceful.
The Warren Walk does take you to the edge of the woods and a lovely man made stream. I say man made because it’s too straight and long to be natural. Sadly the banks of the stream are too steep to get down and paddle for Dolly.
However odd spots looked like wildlife had dug routes (still steep) to the water. In some mud I thought I saw what was a badger paw print. Had it been the one making the route down?
The only drawback on this walk were the two blankets/rugs left discarded by the side of the path in a couple of spots.
There were obvious signs that some of the route was a bridle path. And I’m not talking just hoof prints.
At the return to the car park I examined one or two of the signs there. The woods themself are part of the Nar Valley Way, a 34 mile route between Kings Lynn and Gressenhall.
There was also a sign post pointing towards Pentney Abbey, apparently two miles away. Plus a sign for a ten mile circular walk that had no disk. So I’m not sure if the route has any sign posts now to follow.
Once home I did a bit of google research and found an official council pdf with os maps for the circular walk (which I printed out).
It would also appear from my googling that Shouldham Warren was the site of a Second World War rifle range. Something for me and Dolly to look for traces of next time we visit.
I can see Dolly and me returning here a lot. Not to just explore the side paths. It really is a beautiful woods. Plus it’s about the same travel time as going to Roydon Common or Whitehills Wood.
