UKC

Hi everyone,

I've recently come back from a 4 day wild camping trip in the Lake district. The trip was well planned and I was prepared for rain, wind and cold so everything went well and we had a great time.

One thing I did not consider before starting the trip was lightning. While we were camped out in the fells, there were thunder storms and lightning. I haven't seen lightning being mentioned as an issue while wild camping in the UK and I know camping in rainy stormy conditions is normal in the weather here.

I was wondering if other experienced hill walkers and climbers who wild camp take any precautions for lightning while camping out in the hills or if this is not an issue in the British weather conditions.

Thanks
Mishtu

In reply to mishtu:

I have never taken any particular precautions beyond what I would do when walking in a thunderstorm - stay off the ridges & summits, don't be the most prominent thing in the area.

A good thunderstorm viewed from a tent can be spectacular. I see them as good photo opportunities

In reply to mishtu:

Lightening is not that frequently predicted in weather forecasts up here and I simply avoid going out wild camping on those days where it is. I used to always take my dog with me and, as most dogs are, he is terrified of the stuff.

In reply to davidbeynon:

Yes, similarly here - camping in a combe, rather than on the summit or a ridge - would seem to be the sensible option, and likely to be much more sheltered from wind and have a better water supply - so I'd be unlikely to camp in an exposed spot unless the weather was very settled anyway.

I've had a fair few thunderstorms whilst wild camping, and whilst they can be scarily loud echoing round a rocky combe, I've never had any other problems.

In reply to mishtu:

Off topic, but did you catch Tomas Shafernacker's weather report on countryfile t'other night? He ended with... 'just watch out for Thor's lightning balls, BOLTS!'

In reply to sheep:

Ha, yes classic. He's a favourite with the ladies, or at least with my lady.

In reply to mishtu:

Got caught on top of the Wetterhorn in a Lightning storm we shouldn't have been there all the Guides had turned back..But it still wasn't as scary as the Lightning we had when backpacking the South Downs Way.so exposed ..

In reply to mishtu:

I think we were in the same storm; it sounded much worse than it was, I think, when it was in the area. Then, when it was too far away to even hear, it looked much worse than it was, lighting up the whole tent.

We wondered whether a geodesic tent would act as a Faraday Cage - apparently not, and there is much more of a threat from a nearby strike running along the ground. So avoiding summits but also avoiding being next to a prominent object?

http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/ploutdoor.htm

Anyhow, we just camped next to water and right next to a large boulder on a slightly elevated section of the terrain, and lay there worrying about traffic accidents and food poisoning

Jon

In reply to mishtu:

I have had a number of incidents with lightning and its mainly been either unlucky or bad call. As a kid in a tent in the 80s at half way lochan on Ben nevis. We got a very impressive display until it reached us then things weren't so much fun. I remember the fear in my mates fathers eyes inside the tent. I said to him we should stay away from the metal upright poles. He replied that if lightning hit them there would be no tent left. It kind of sunk in at that point.
A weird one not camping but climbing in the picos was during a storm waves of sparks would come down the rock flowing like water. Bizarre sight and frightening.

In reply to Dorq:

Many years back while camping with scouts we were putting up a canvas patrol tent during a thunderstorm. I was inside holding one of the poles. As the lightening got closer the other lads sheltered in a nearby hut. Lightening struck a nearby tree and one of the lightening spurs hit the top of the pole I was holding. I heard the noise, saw the flash through the canvas, and felt a tingle off the pole, but was fine. I'm assuming the Faraday cage effect worked with the wet canvas around me.

In reply to mishtu:

I have heard stories of Alpine mountaineers who being caught out in a sudden violent thunderstorm have found themselves on a high glacial plateau with nowhere to run quickly. The solution was to strip themselves of any metal (axes,crampons,krabs,pulleys etc) and then tentatively retreat to anywhere without falling in a hole.

Any truth in these tales? Any merit in doing this in reality?

The usual ending goes ..."and they returned to their gear to find a pile of molten metal, freshly steaming".... Has this ever happened?

In reply to mishtu:

reckon you'll be ok in a tent..
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=439_1401315956

In reply to davidbeynon:



Agree. Just watch what you do with any walking poles.

I was camping out whilst on a hillwalking/ cycling trip on my 50th, and got a spectacular light show as a birthday treat.
( snag was I had not made it back to the tent dry, so all my gear was wet, which was a bummer. )