Ready? Get set - GO!

All the bags are in.

Had to do an amount of weeding and it's still heavy!

Progress across Scotland will be slow but steady.....

Bags of Stuff...........

Not long now!

I was going to weigh all my kit for the Challenge and produce a neat list (as others have done) but........it's a little too scary!

Instead I'll just tell you that I've put everything in stuff bags - colour coded as far as possible. If I pluck up the courage I'll weigh each bag and make a total. That may not happen.

The bus leaves here just after 8 am on Wednesday morning and I'll have to be ready by then.....it'll limit the re-packing impulse a bit. From Aberdeen I'll catch the bus to Forres where Louise and I will meet up. On Thursday we'll travel from Inverness to Shiel Bridge where we'll start our Challenge on Friday morning. It's really not possible to travel by public transport from one side of Scotland to the other comfortably in only one day hence the Wednesday start.

I had intended to post some of my pre-Challenge training walks but sadly I didn't get round to doing that. Mostly I'm depending on two weeks recent walking in Provence and some regular day walking to give me enough fitness for the route we've planned.  That fortnight was almost all sunshine and I wore my shorts every day.

{TGOC training in Provence....}

In previous years I've had trouble with my feet on the Challenge so this year I'm going to try the Inov-8 solution. Much lighter weight and cooler than boots I've got a newish pair of Ladies Terroc 308 (now discontinued!).

There's also a new rucksack to try out. The Granite Gear that I used last year and the year before remains on top of my wardrobe - I haven't taken the decision completely to replace it yet. Last Autumn I bought a Lowe Alpine Nanon 50 + 10 - it has more pockets and should be easier for packing and accessing stuff on the hoof than the Granite Gear.

{New rucksack waiting to be filled up....}

Stuff Bags - Ready to Go

Blue Tent Bag - MSR Hubba with footprint, extra guys, j-cloth.

Long Red Bag - MSR tent pole, tent pegs.

Blue Bag - Vango short self-inflating sleep mat, Poundland blow-up pillow

Exped Grey Bag -  Tundra Warmth Unlimited -5 down sleeping bag.

Exped Blue Bag - clothes: fleece, Ron Hill tracksters, 1 spare Icebreaker undies, long sleeved zip top,
SS Smartwool t-shirt, Smartwool longjohns, silk LS top, I pair thick walking socks (sleeping),
3 pairs merino wool socks, spare Buff.

Exped Yellow Bag - repair/emergency kit: fleece hat, wool Buff, head-torch, shoo-goo, Tenacious tape,
Montane Primaloft gloves, emergency foil bivvy bag.

Exped Orange Bag - waterproofs: Goretex socks, Goretex over-mitts, lightweight gaiters.

Black Bag - stove/cooking: Coleman F1 stove, Alpkit titanium mug, collapsible food bowl with lid, 2 Lexan foons, 1 spatula, tiny frying pan, windshield, tiny bottle of oil, tiny bottle of Dr. Bronner's Peppermint liquid soap, Wind-proof lighter, small folding bowl, piece of w/u sponge, TGOC mug, 100g gas canister,
canister stabilising feet.

Mesh Bag - Mountain Equipment Primaloft jacket with hood.

Exped Red Bag - food: dried vegetables (cherry tomatoes, courgettes, peppers, mushrooms), spicy couscous, dried mashed potatoes, soya protein mince, falafel mix, angel hair pasta, whole egg powder, rolled oats, dried milk powder, tea-bags, coffee sticks, oat crunchy bars, mixed nuts, mixed dried fruit, packet of small Tortilla wraps, 2 small single serving packets of humous, 4 cuppa soups, squeezy mini-juice, 2 x Pour & Store bags.

Light Green Bag - small micro-fibre towel, wash kit: Dr. Bronner's Lavender liquid soap, Faith in Nature rosemary shampoo, tiny tub of toothpaste, tiny tub of foot cream, tiny tin of vaseline, half a toothbrush, baby talc, small hairbrush, moisturiser, deodorant wipes.

Green First Aid Bag - Compeed plasters, tape, antiseptic cream, moleskin, Engo blue anti-friction plasters.

Red Pill Bag - daily Thyroxine tablets, Ibuprofen, Paracetamol, hayfever eye drops, anti-histamine nasal spray, Kwells (for the boat trip).

Orange Toilet Bag - digging stick, wipes, toilet paper.

Various Other Stuff - compass, whistle, Montane wind-shirt, head-net and anti-midge gel, camera, smart phone in Aquapac case, spare batteries, mobile charger, note book and pencil, tissues, tiny pen knife, spare lighter, lip-salve, handkerchief, full length foil mat, piece of foam sit map, spare glasses, suntan cream, sun hat, money and credit card in purse, bus-pass, TGOC card, waterproof hip pouch, Water-to-Go filter bottle in Lifeventure carry case, 2 x 1 litre flexible water bottles, water treatment drops, ranger beads.

Map Bag - 4 maps, A5 Ortlieb case with route print outs, TGOC route sheets.

Wearing - Paramo jacket, Paramo trousers, Inov-8 trainers, Bridgedale socks, Icebreaker undies, wicking t-shirt, Anatom walking poles.

I expect I've forgotten to mention something important! When it's written down it looks very daunting and not very lightweight so there may be some weeding to do before I catch that bus............

{Some of the bags!}

Best and last of the season.......

Finally, the high pressure arrived giving us the best weather of the whole season. Blue skies and perfect snow conditions at last! This has to have been one of the poorest winters for getting out and about since we started coming out here for the season in 2001.

The good weather coincided with me using my new cross country skis for the first time. The skis are a bit shorter and wider than the old ones so they took a bit of getting used to - but I've persevered. The problem with this kind of skiing is that I find the skis are less stable and harder to control than downhill skis. Consequently I find myself feeling anxious and having the wobbles far more often than is necessary. At the end of the day I feel as though I've 'got away with it' again - until the next time! Great exercise though especially for my feet and arms which usually do quite a lot of the work.

{First time on the snow}

{Approaching the first corner....}

As the weather improved so did the snow pack so that the avalanche warnings lessened and I felt I could safely go out on the snow shoes. This involves a whole different set of muscles than skiing. By the end of a session my calves ache a little and I'm glad to finally stop the 'stomping'. I stick to well used routes as I'm usually on my own for this.

{Peaceful lunchtime resting my legs}

{Didn't risk this slope - I could see how unstable it was}

{Warning signs to help...}

The downhill skiing in the past ten days has been particularly good. Longer days mean brighter sunshine and the views are magnificent. We have had to start earlier so that when the snow softens we can come home. Old legs don't really like soft snow conditions! Much too much like hard work.

{At the top of a tow at Ceillac}

{Blue sky and snowy mountain tops.....perfect!}

Packing up to come home to Scotland now. I'm going south first though for a bit of a recce of the area around Greoux les Bains in Provence. There's an HF lead coming up for me there in April and I'm going to have a look at some of the walks I'll be doing. If I can, I'll post some of the routes here.

All good training for the Challenge in May!

Playing catch-up.....

Oh dear, it's been a while since I sat down to write anything here. Not deliberate, but I have been busy doing things. Plenty of walks in December, by myself, with Louise and with the Friday walking group. Some decisions were made about what to take on the Challenge in May - although I constantly keep changing my mind (well, I am a Libran) so I won't write about it until I've properly decided.

Christmas was spent in the Alps. It was really dreich weather and so the skiing didn't get going until after that. The snow is a bit wet at the moment and the avalanche warnings have been somewhere between 3 and 4 for the past two weeks. There's enough to downhill ski on and there have been some good days in the limited sunshine of early January.

I have shelled out for a season pass for the x-c skiing too. It's a good way to make me go and do it! Had a second day out yesterday even though the snow was a bit hard and icy. I have been looking to buy some more cross country skis, the ones I'm using are probably 20 years old, and I find them rather long. I know they're supposed to be long but there are some available now that are slightly wider so it's possible to use a shorter length. Keeping a snow plough with the longer skis puts a strain on my knees that I can do without!

After the last post I wrote about the Inov-8 shoes I reconsidered the wear and tear and decided to contact Inov-8 to find out if this was a problem they know about. In response, they sent me a leaflet about lacing shoes properly. However, an arrangement was made with the retailer (outside.co.uk) and I sent off my shoes for Inov-8 to look at. I then got a full refund as they said they were 'faulty' but unfortunately they didn't answer my question about the shoes. I still have the second pair I bought more recently and I'm pondering whether to wear them for the Challenge or not. If I can keep my pack weight down, even try to lose a few pounds from my body weight (!), then they may be ok.

One of various problems I'm having with my computer is that most of the time it won't read my camera's SD card so there are no photos for the moment. If I can get it all to work without the gremlins I'll post them up later......... That's the photos not the gremlins......

In the meantime - Happy 2014 to everyone.......

Wearing the shoes.......

I sent for a pair of Inov-8 Ladies Terrocs 308 after this year's Challenge. My boots are generally comfortable but during the two weeks my feet had become blistered and eventually I lost five toenails - big and small.

{Brand spanking new - first outing}

The shoes arrived and seemed comfortable - much lighter and cooler for the feet. I took them with me to Alnmouth for two weeks walk leading in June but didn't pluck up the courage to wear them at all.

They had their first proper outing when Louise and I walked the 7 Bridges from Ballater.

{Showing off the new shoes}

There was a big day with Mick & Gayle when we found our way to the top of Creag nam Ban and a trot up to the bottom of Glas Tulaichean exploring the old railway in Glen Lochsie. Both these walks had tested the way the water soaks into the shoes - cold at first but then hardly noticeable. In Glen Lochsie I had waded across the river a few times with no ill effects. Last week 13 miles over soggy Culblean was no problem.....

{Underwater in Glen Lochsie}

What I did notice after wetting my feet properly was that when I arrived home and took out the insoles they had begun to fall apart. These were not the insoles that came with the shoes but a pair of my own that I felt were more supportive. A search on the internet came up with Crocs RX Silver insoles which I've been using ever since.

Since then I have been wearing the shoes for all my walks. First exploring the hills of the Borders, then standing up to my shins in wet marsh on Harris followed by two weeks in Whitby for HF, established that they were really enjoyable to use on day long routes too. Although my feet were wet they were never uncomfortable. And best of all - no blisters or lost toenails!

The soles are very grippy and I haven't had a problem going up or down tracks in wet or dry conditions.

{Wear and tear after several months of use}

This is all very positive but there is one thing which is not very pleasing. The inside of the heels of the shoes have worn quite badly. I've stuck on some moleskin tape now to prevent them wearing to pieces which is OK but needs replaced regularly. However I have gone ahead and bought a second pair - possibly to use for the Challenge next year - while they are available.

I do wonder how they will be when I'm carrying a heavy backpacking rucksack and perhaps walking on harder stony tracks so I haven't completely made up my mind about using them in May. A slightly thicker insole might be appropriate for more cushioning under foot. But I'm looking forward to the river crossings!

I'll continue to use this pair until they fall apart. At the moment there is no sign of wear on the soles or the uppers. They've been washed in running water after particularly 'peaty' outings and they dry quickly. The insoles are looking worn but I expected that.

Altogether I'm liking my 'dancing' shoes......

My daily 'scamper'.......

The news that Louise and I have a place on the Challenge next May shocked me into realising that I need to make an effort to get fitter.

I have been walk leading for HF in recent weeks but it's all too easy to get back home and take a lot of 'rest' days.... SO I have vowed to myself  (and now I'm making it a public statement) - I will go out every day for at least half an hour!  This 'scamper' will be taken even on horrible weather days - after all I've spent a lot of money on really good waterproof gear and I should use it - not just carry it around on sunny days.....

The route is simple, flat and only just over two kilometres. Perhaps, once I can do this comfortably I will go round twice.

Last Saturday I took some photos on the circuit.

{Larch woods surround the Kirk}

{Passing the Tourist Information and Post Office building}

{Looking back to the Balmoral bridge}

{The War Memorial after the bridge}

{View of the Kirk across the river}

{The Balmoral Golf course crosses the road}

{Just before crossing the old bridge}

{Dangerously greasy footing on the bridge}

{Heading home}

I noticed today that it didn't take as long as half an hour to do the route. A definition of scamper I've just found implies a bit of running - in my case this is not going to happen!

scamper  (ˈskæmpə)
— vb
1.	to run about playfully
2.	( often foll by  through ) to hurry quickly through (a place,  task,book, etc)

Just visiting.............

For a long time I've harboured a desire to visit the Islands off the west coast of Scotland so when I saw an advert for the Harris Mountain Festival I made a decision to go along. There was no charge for the walks offered and there was a good deal on accommodation at the Scaladale Centre. Travel wouldn't be a problem - I could use my bus pass to get to Ullapool then use the ferry as a foot passenger to Stornoway.

I dreamed of blue sky, golden beaches and wild mountain places. Mmmm!

The travelling was a doddle although the grave warnings of gale force winds sent me running to Boots to buy some anti-travel sickness pills for the ferry - boats not being my favourite way to go - especially those that go up and down and round.......

While waiting for the delayed ferry in Ullapool I took one of the pills and then watched a couple of harbour seals popping their heads up in the bay - obviously also waiting for the ferry to arrive.

There was a good deal of up and down and round but I kind of dozed my way through it all. I was briefly fascinated by my co-travellers. Two ladies knitting, a group playing cards and others laying flat out on the seats covered by coats, sleeping. I suspected they may have been the frequent travellers.

{Finally arriving in Stornoway - the bus station}

{Heb Hostel, Stornoway}

Stornoway was wild, wet and windy but I found a warm welcome at the Heb Hostel. The next bus towards Tarbert wasn't till the next day - giving me time in the morning to take a different bus to the standing stones at Callanish. It was an awe-inspiring place so I spent quite a long time wandering around the stones, although by the time I came to take a couple of pictures there were quite a few people doing the same thing making it difficult to get just the stones in the frame.  Eventually I hid from the wind in the cafe hugging a cappuccino until my bus back to Stornoway was due.

{Main circle of stones at Callanish}

{More standing stones at Callanish}

When I finally arrived at Scaladale there were two other walkers already staying for the Festival. A stroke of luck for me as I discovered that moving around on the island without a car was going to be really difficult. Both of the ladies came from Yorkshire and I thoroughly enjoyed their company during the few days we shared. One of them was interested in the TGO Challenge and has since emailed me to say she's ready to send off her application for 2014! I feel like a missionary.....

I had a short walk up behind the Centre, with great views between the showers over Loch Seaforth. The sudden squalls were accompanied by strong, cold gusts of wind.

{The Scaladale Centre}

{Information board behind the Centre}

{The view from the top}

The walk the next morning was advertised as an 'Eagle Walk'. The assembly point was the car park at Bhiogadail, not far from the Centre, and I had been prepared to walk back along the road to it but gratefully accepted a lift from my two new friends. Quite a big group set off and we scanned the sky for Golden Eagles. The ranger led us to the bealach and then up hill to a small top over looking Loch Langabhat. The storm was still lingering and despite the wind we did get a couple of good sightings of large birds of prey.

{Bird watching....}

{View of Loch Langabhat}

The evening was spent in Tarbert listening to the first time Chris Townsend had delivered his Scottish Watershed Walk talk. Brilliant photos, but the route itself looked very hard.

Until I met the ladies with their car I had been going to miss the thursday walk as there was no way to get there on a bus. Fortunately I was delivered to the start point which was beside the beach at Scarasta. Without a path and sploshing through some very wet pools, the group climbed to the top of Meabhal. There were great views from the top and a trig point for the young ones to play on!

{Trig point on Meabhal}

By the time we had had lunch and descended back to the beach car park the sun was out. At last the blue sky and the golden beaches!

{The beach at Scarasta}

On the way back to the Centre we took a detour to the beach at Losgaintir, wandering through the dunes, looking across the sound to Taransay.

{View from Losgaintir beach}

The beautiful weather didn't last long and by the next morning the heavy mist, wind and rain were back. I ditched plans for the hill above Tarbert and took the bus all the way to Leverburgh. I had planned to walk along to the old Chapel and get the later bus back. Getting off the bus was difficult, the wind was so strong it nearly took my legs from under me. I wandered about for about 8 minutes, then, as the original bus was still there, I hopped back on, to the amusement of the driver and went back to the Centre!

{Windswept Leverburgh}

Next morning I made my way back, eventually, to Aberdeenshire - where it appeared to have been a lovely sunny and warm week. My island adventure was done.

Till the next time.................................

Reflections..Part 1

The recent TGO Challenge is still on my mind so I'm going to share some of these thoughts in this post.......

First of all, I'm going to have a rant......about the state of the tracks left by the churning of the bike wheels by the riders during the Scottish Six Days Trial. It's really staggering to realise that this is being heralded as a 'great success' by the organisers with hill paths and tracks completely destroyed by the passage of hundreds of motorbikes. I hope their ears were burning as I tried to negotiate my way across this ground.

{Somewhere near the Blackwater Reservoir}

I'll move on to happier thoughts.......

The Challenge 2013 route that I designed for myself was officially Acharacle to Lunan Bay but those who've followed the links and read through my account will realise that once again I didn't finish at Lunan Bay! It's so seductive to wander along the trade-route from Tarfside to Edzell to North Water Bridge Campsite then across to the coast. NOT going to Lunan Bay is becoming a record in itself.....

After failing to continue last year I made a few adjustments to ensure I could keep going this year.....I bought a hip mounted water bottle which I could use without taking my rucksack off. I carried more snack bars and dried fruit for eating during the day. Whenever I pitched the tent I was ultra-careful to consider the wind direction and strength - even using heavy stones to weigh down the pegs.

The next problem I face every time on a long distance walk. The condition of my feet. I currently use Keen leather boots which overall are the most comfortable I have ever used. But I still had blisters. The first few days there were numerous river crossings which meant I removed the boots, put on sandals, waded the torrent, then dried my feet and put on the boots again. I think that protected my feet in some way, certainly cooled them down regularly, so I was pleased that at the end of day 2 I had no problems.

That changed after I had to walk the road. To begin with my heels became blistered, not something I'm usually bothered by......this pushed my feet forward in the boots and then my toes blistered too.

{On the mend - after getting the Compeed off!}

To try and stop this happening next time I've been reading up on Inov-8 shoes and found a pair to try at a reasonable price. I didn't use them when I was leading walks in Northumberland but I did try them yesterday on the Seven Bridges walk with Louise.

{First steps for new shoes}

I was worried the Inov-8's wouldn't be wide enough but the tops are quite soft so I think they'll mould to my feet. The insoles I replaced with my normal instep supporting ones. My feet tend to heat up quickly so there should be no problem keeping them warm in wet conditions.......only time will tell! Certainly for 5 miles on the flat they were comfortable and extremely light to wear.

{Cooling the feet in Glen Tilt}

The repairs I made to my tent withstood some heavy rain and gusty winds but I've redone them this week with some sealant better suited to use on the silicone-coated fly of the Hubba. None of the patches have moved at all. Once it's dried off again I'm planning a little overnighter somewhere local to test it out......

When I fell heavily in Glen Gour I not only banged my thigh and twisted my knees but bent my walking pole too. I've been using Mountain King TrailBlaze poles for a few years now. Admittedly they are rather lightweight for Challenge use but they've survived surprisingly well. After a phone call to Mountain King I sent them back for a 'reasonably priced' refurbishment - two new sections were put in for me. Great service - thank you!

During that fall I also ripped holes in my new Paramo Quito trousers. I continued to wear them throughout the Challenge - but they're away being repaired at the moment. Being Paramo they withstood rain, wind, sleet and hail, along with, mud, peat and river water, admirably. They're also not so heavy as the original Cascadas so were comfortable to wear all day.

A casualty of this thought process will be the Paramo 3rd Element jacket. I love it for its waterproof qualities but it's a bit short for me and if I'm being brutally honest, a bit tight for me round the hips.  It's going to be sold, probably on Ebay. It splits helpfully into a hood and sleeves, and a gilet. During the time I've used it I have also never unzipped it into two parts like that........

Meanwhile - I'm still thinking..............

Rainy Day

Today's heavy rain has forced me to start actually typing up my diary from the recent TGO Challenge. You can find it in the Pages menu to the right-hand side of the blog.

I have decided to just transcribe the diary I kept and post the photos I took, day by day. There's not a lot of detail about my route in the writing and my camera got very wet and eventually died along the way......

{Blue skies at Alnmouth!}

The last two weeks I've spent walking in glorious sunshine in Northumberland based at Alnmouth. I have a few photographs which are still on my phone so I'm going to try and post them directly from there.....
Wish me luck with that.....................

[copied the photo from my own Facebook page - haven't had the courage to fiddle with the phone yet!]

Heading off.....

All packed and ready to go - Acharacle to Lunan Bay.....

It's been a busy week - fitting in some more training walks and finalising food etc for the trip.

{Lunch spot from Morrone last Tuesday}

There'll probably be no posts from the Challenge - I've upgraded my phone to an all singing all dancing Samsung S3 mini so I've no idea where the most recent photos have been stored on my computer!

But I'll be back......

Overnight camping on the Dava Way.......

It's only a short while until the set-off date for this year's TGO Challenge - but there is still a lot of training needed......

One thing left to do was to have an overnight camp somewhere wild(ish) to test out the patching on my tent fly after last year's disaster when it all flew away in a 100 mile an hour gust of wind. I've bought a new footprint as the original one was completely shredded and the inner seems un-damaged. Unfortunately there are abrasion marks and small splits in the fly sheet. After seeking advice from MSR I have used some patches they kindly sent me along with some seam-sealer to try and make it watertight again.

After pitching it in the dining room for a few days it was time to test it out.

Louise and I arranged for me to get the bus to Forres so we could have a night out on the Dava Way. This is the route of an old railway line which ran from Forres to Grantown-on-Spey (more info here). The weather forecast was rather mixed but not altogether miserable.

I tried to pack all the essentials for the Challenge with a few exceptions. I wasn't carrying the obligatory pile of maps, days of food, wading sandals, and a few other odds and ends I like to shove in the bag just before I leave. My lightweight Paramo Velez jacket was going to get a try out to replace the 3rd Element Paramo and I took an old Paramo shirt instead of my Challenge fleece. There was a new Alpkit waterproof cover to put over the rucksack and I hadn't attempted to carry such a heavy pack since I broke my shoulder last summer.

{Setting off along the track}

{A frog/toad on the path..}

We didn't intend to WALK very far on this trip so after plodding along, trying a little puddle jumping, we started to look out for somewhere to pitch the tents. Louise has a new Terra Nova number which she wanted to try. The pitch needed to score at least 7 on the scale of 'good places to wild camp'. The first requirement was 'out of the wind' which was forecast to be a bit blustery by morning. A bit of a view would be nice too and hopefully not on too wet or muddy ground.......

Further along than we thought we would have to go, we eventually decided to leave the Way and explore a farm steading at Bogeney behind the Knock of Braemoray. The land immediately beside the old walls was too stoney and lumpy but by following the track above the ruin we found a good spot and after a bit of a faff while we worked out which way to face the tents, we pitched and settled in.

{Just getting organised....}

During the night I discovered (in no particular order) that I had pitched over a lump, my sleeping bag needed more shaking to properly distribute the down, using spare clothes as a pillow is fine until you need to wear them, low flying aircraft and helicopters sound very close in the dark, the ground was exceptionally cold and settling down to go to sleep before 9 pm means I need to get up before morning to visit the bushes........but it did rain and the fly didn't leak....... Louise will probably mention the snipe drumming and the curlew calls......and an owl or two....

One of the things I hadn't taken was a spare battery for the phone so I turned it off which meant when getting up at dawn I couldn't take a photo but it was spectacular.....the sky was golden and the tents were frozen solid.....magic!

{Packed up and ready to leave....}

There was no hurry, so we chatted and packed up after cups of tea and flapjacks. (Thank you Louise, chocolate and ginger goodies - mmmm!). Just as the tents were stuffed away there was a heavy hail storm....

We strolled along to Logie Steading. Viewranger wasn't engaged so I have no idea how far it was.....maybe about 7 miles......we passed the Half Way Hut with its smart benches and picture boards, then over the Divie Viaduct with its 7 arches, a detour past an old station platform and had a coffee break at the Dunphail Breathing Place.

{Rucksacks resting outside at Logie Steading...}

Lunch was eaten and then David (Louise's husband) came to pick us up and I caught a much-delayed bus back to Aberdeen.

Now the kitchen smells of wet tent and I'm resting and reflecting .........