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..............

Gelder Shiel for lunch....

Despite the weather forecast telling me there would be rain, the sun shone quite warmly. There was a strong wind though. However, if I'm going to get fit enough to complete the Challenge this year, I have to brave the elements. No problem today then, even the sky was blue for a while.

My other problem is a blister under my big toenail on my left foot. Why this has happened I am not sure - but it is quite painful as it keeps hitting the top of my boot. I wrapped the toe up to protect it and wore some cosy merino socks then walked fairly gently, trying not to hobble too much.

I thought that going downhill might be the most problematic so I chose a more or less flat walk out and back to Gelder Shiel, taking my lunch.

{A lot of snow-melt in the River Dee} 

The warm air had removed almost all the snow that had been lying last week. I could hear the River bouncing along well before I reached the bridge.

Apart from the strong gusts of wind which occasionally threw up a tiny bird above me struggling to fly, the walk was quite uneventful and I reached the bothy easily.

{Inside the bothy}

I sat inside to eat my lunch and listened to the wind howling around outside while I read the bothy book. It's a cold place so I didn't stay very long.

{Outside looking towards the Lochnagar corrie}

{Looking back towards Balmoral}

I walked a little way past the buildings to the burn which was in full spate. The ground was wet and there were still some snow drifts, now melting in the sun.

{Best view of the day}

My toe didn't feel too bad but I decided not to push it and started walking back again. A loud 'plop' in the ditch was probably a frog in the mud but I wasn't quick enough to see it clearly.

{A VERY bad photo of some frog-spawn}

There was frog-spawn in the ditch - the first of the year.

Back home, Viewranger says I walked just under 14 km which isn't bad with a sore toe!

Invercauld Bridge to Crathie......

I had to wait till after lunch before I caught the bus to Braemar. Getting off at the Invercauld Bridge I was first of all tangled up in some roadworks, then, caught my hair in a low hanging tree branch and finally had to wait for ages before the GPS would start up.......

{Towards the Bridge}

{A bit of history to read....}

{Onto the Bridge.....}

There was just a hint of snow on the road over the Bridge but as I turned left towards the Estate gate there was a lot more - deep, soft and where there were footprints or tyre tracks it was quite slippery. I decided to put on my Microspikes. This is more easily done sitting down but I hopped about on one leg at a time and eventually set off, crunching through the hard slush.

{The gate}

Of course I had no sooner got going on the snowy track than I turned a corner and discovered.....no more snow! More hopping then followed as I took the spikes off again!

{Thirty metres on......}

The forest was peaceful with just the occasional bird calling from the branches above me. On the walk across the fields by Ballater two days before there had been oyster catchers, lapwings and plenty of crows. At the bus stop waiting at Crathie I had even heard a woodpecker but it seemed to still be Winter here, closer to Braemar.

{The White Bridge}

I passed the White Bridge (which has locked gates) and turned onto a faint path. There, ahead of me, more snow, but this was much softer and I walked through it easily. A movement caught my eye and I saw a small group of Red Deer were standing watching me.

{Click for a closer look at the Deer....}

{Red Deer footprints in the snow}

The track passes close to the River before reaching Connachat Cottage. It was deserted but there are a few different tracks here so I had to pay attention to the map.

{A glimpse of the river}

The rain had started now so I was glad of the Paramo trousers and jacket. At the junction for Balmoral Castle I followed the signpost for Crathie. Stopping to take the photos I set a kennel full of dogs into a barking frenzy.

{Gate to the Castle}

{Instructions on the gate.....}

{Smart signpost to follow}

TGO Challengers intending to walk this way instead of along the A93 to Ballater might be interested in both the above signs. Once getting to Easter Balmoral it's worth noting that the shop and Post Office are now closed.

{The old shop/post office building}

Having carried my spikes I put them away just before finding more snow to get through. Some nice sticky mud too.....and a squeeze through the kissing gates.......

A short walk down the Brae and onto the South Deeside Road brings me to the Bridge across the Dee to Crathie and another woodpecker (maybe the same one as before) greeted me from a distance.

{Crathie's White Bridge}

Viewranger recorded just 11.5 km for this afternoon stroll.

If anyone has been paying attention that's four walks this week as part of my Challenge training. No really hard days yet, those are to be attempted soon. However, I already have one blackened toenail, which was careless at this stage.

More walking to come next week..........

Whatever the weather..............

The local weather forecast has been promising snowfall for a few days now. There's been a sprinkle overnight from time to time but nothing serious. The last couple of days were not entirely sunny but we downhill skied anyway - until the light failed in the afternoon and we went home early.

On our self-imposed 'healthy' diet sandwiches are forbidden, so I have been racking my brains to come up with alternative lunches. As the temperature is still low the food we choose has to be hot - hence the new toys! So far I've invented spicy rice, mexican bean stew and various curried vegetable dishes.

{New toy - the food flask}

Two flasks were dispatched quickly courtesy of an ebay seller and they work very well. The little spoon lives in the top of the lid. Very neat.

However, even a hot flask of food couldn't tempt us to ski in a thick, cold mist yesterday so we had our first walk out on the snowshoes instead.  I think we went further than we meant to - but it was good exercise. There was quite a lot of snow in the valley at Ceillac and it took us a long time to find a tree to huddle under to eat our lunch. Our food was still hot enough to enjoy though.

{Bit gloomy but still magical...}

Lunches in mountain restaurants are restricted to Saturday only - partly on health grounds and also because of the cost. Eating out every day on a ski holiday for a week is part of the fun but as we're expecting to be here for most of the season it could get very expensive.

{Our lunch venue last Saturday - Abries - double click to read the menu}

After the meal we had at Abries last Saturday it might be my chosen restaurant for the rest of the season. A courgette, goat's cheese and mint tart with side salad and chips was delicious and there were other choices for vegetarians too - most unusual in France.....

Unfortunately the predicted poor weather has really arrived today. A small amount of snow has fallen here and probably much more at the ski resorts. The snowshoeing yesterday was quite strenuous for my shoulder and I could feel it this morning so a day at home catching up with the washing and hoovering was a good option.

{Resting snowshoes...}

Welcome to France.....

After the usual procession down to Dover via as many relatives as possible we drove through France and arrived in Briancon. A visit to the supermarket to stock up with essentials was followed by a spectacular sunset sky......

Now that's a real welcome.......

Word of the day..............

Study the picture below............double click for a good close-up.............

Today's word is DREICH..........

An old Scots word - still in use - here's the definition..............

"A combination of dull, overcast, drizzly, cold, misty and miserable weather.

At least 4 of the above adjectives must apply before the weather is truly dreich."

Loch of Skene

This week's walk was on the Dunecht Estate and Marion was in charge. The past few days our weather has been very wintry but this morning the temperature rose again, turning the snow into slush.

Parking was at the main gate entrance to the estate and we set off to discover the underfoot conditions were a lethal mixture of slush and thick ice. It wasn't long before a halt was called and a good number of us raked in our rucksacks for various 'spiky' footwear. The majority (including me) produced Microspikes and we wore them for the rest of the walk.

The route included a couple of cattle grids and a climb over a locked gate - not easy with the spiky feet! However, undeterred we stomped along until we came to the Tower Lodges.

As the battery in my camera was still on charge at my bedside (oops!), I had to take today's photos with my phone. That means the views look a trifle dark and grey but atmospheric nonetheless.

{Approaching the Tower Lodges and gates}

Once through the gates there was a fine view of the Loch of Skene. It was still half frozen with geese wandering about on the ice. One or two were swimming and the sun was mostly hidden behind some approaching low cloud.

{Loch of Skene}

My picture makes the towers look quite spooky and as it happens there is a story about a ghost hereabouts. An unfortunate carriage driver and his carriage and horses were drowned after attempting to drive across the frozen loch and are reputed to lurk about around this area. We didn't see him. But we did meet a man who was trying to spot a black swan on the water.

{The Loch information panel}

{One of the lodges}

We wandered back along the path and found a great place for lunch. There were fallen trees to sit on and a great view of the loch. Sadly as the rucksacks were opened so did the heavens and it began to rain. It got heavier and heavier, diluting coffee and making sandwiches soggy. We gave up. Packed up. Stood up. The rain stopped!

{On the march again}

The next part of the walk took us along a forest track and past the big house at the centre of the estate. It's a great view but the trees were a bit in the way of a good photo. I expect that in summer the house is hardly visible at all.

{There's a house in there somewhere......}

The rain started again as we reached the back of the house and the spikes were removed for the last stretch on the now wet and muddy road.

{Dunecht House in the rain}

The Viewranger stats give me 11.8 kms. Really enjoyable - despite the rotten weather and full marks to the Microspikes!

{Final view of the day}