I thought it would be useful to jot down some practical observations from the trip. No great surprises, but worth recording!

Things that were good:

Gear

Flatworld/Orisako bowls and cups - These folding cups and bowls were great. They fold flat after use, allowing easy, compact storage. The cups lived flat against the cooking pots, which had the stove and the rest of the brew kit inside. The bowls unfold after use to let you lick out the corners, The material is easy to clean/rinse off, generally without the need for polluting detergents. I got mine from Planet Fear

Tent - I bought a Terra Nova Laser (second hand on Ebay) for the trip. It was excellent: lightweight, packs small. Big enough for two (smallish) people (provided the rucksacks go outside in a survival bag.)

Sleeping bag - I got a new Snugpack Travelpack Lite for the trip. Packs very small (12x12x14cm) and weighs 0.7kg

Rucksack - I used my Osprey Ceres 50 litre sack for the first time in this sort of walk. I'd used it before for carrying climbing gear, but not for a long walk. It was great! (but maybe a bit small for anything but a summer walk)

Stuffsacks - proved very useful in keeping the sack organized. Mine were cheap and light (bought from Tchibo). A lightweight fabric drybag from Ortlieb safeguarded the dry gear.

Map Case - The Ortlieb map case was great too.

Food

Couscous was a great success. Flavoured couscous, mixed with cuppasoup, and bulked with something like tuna or ham or dried mushrooms. "Cooked" in the bowl by adding boiling water. (On some nights we also added a packet of instant noodles, leading to some very strange mixtures of flavour.)

We also carried a pair of dehydrated meals (Reiter Travel Lunch), the sort where you just rip the top of the packet off, add hot water and wait 5 minutes. These were very welcome on a wet night when we just wanted to get into the tent and get some food inside us.

Breakfast was instant porridge, which is light and packs small, made in the bowl mixed with hot water, and sometimes with a Mars bar chopped up and melted in.

We managed to maintain the discipline of only using the pan for boiling water, which keeps it clean.

"Trek" bars proved a great walking snack – solid and substantial and lots of energy.

Clothes

Basics - The basic strategy of carrying a lightweight set of dry clothes for the night in a drybag, with another (sometimes damp) set for walking, proved good.

Cold Weather Gear - It was tempting to leave behind gloves and balaclava given the summer weather, but we were very glad we didn't. It was never that cold, but a couple of hours of driving drizzle showed how valuable and important gloves and a buff can be.

Things that were bad

Slower progress - Despite doing careful planning, the days took longer than expected. I shall have to adjust my Naismith's Rule calculation speeds, especially for lumpy country like the Rhinogs.

Other things

GPS - I took my GPS receiver, mainly to record the route. I used it for navigation a couple of times (when I'd missed the path in the fog) but could easily have survived without it. It eats batteries!

Candle Lantern - I have a candle lantern, which takes 9 hour candles. We didn't really NEED it, but I like the comforting light it gives off in a tent at night!

Book - I took a book to read: "A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush", by Eric Newby. Marvelous adventure ... but I never found the time to read it!