January 2012
20 posts
Lyme Disease more prevalent than firstthought →
There but for the grace
On Saturday, four days ago, I crossed Jock’s Road from Glen Doll to Glen Callater in perhaps the most severe winter conditions I’ve yet encountered; total white-out at times, reduced to crawling on hands and knees at one point to make any forward progress. It was exciting, exhilarating - and a little chastening. A number of people have died on this route, and it’s easy to see...
Cairngorm search →
Death on Rannoch →
Just put another hole in my belt with the Swiss Army knife’s awl, the right direction to be heading.
Ribbon of Wildness →
Must be better than joining the lemmings on the Cape Wrath Trail, eh?
They don't make 'em like they used to
For the best part of 15 years I had a Thermarest mat that, aside from once being used as a scratching post by my mum’s cat, never let me down. Pakistan, NW China, Tibet, the Indian Himalaya, the Pyrenees, uncounted nights on the hill in the UK; the mat inflated each night and stayed up until morning.
In 2008 I decided to ‘upgrade’ - and I’ve been slapping myself round the...
Melgarve and the Corrieyairick
I’d considered spending New Year’s Eve at Melgarve, but it’s just too easy to get to. A glance through the bothy book revealed too many barely legible scribbles extolling the virtues of Buckfast for my liking. Even as I left the first cars were rattling in along the gravel road. I hastily made my excuses and left for a secluded woodland pitch I’d noted earlier.
After a...
December 2011
29 posts
Have yourself an elemental Christmas
I spent many Christmas holidays working on oil rigs. The deal was, I worked the holiday fortnight so my opposite number could hang out with his kids, then I got extra time off so I could take my bike and go ride in the sun for 3-4 weeks. Oil rigs are grim places at the best of times, and I found the best way to deal with the ‘festive’ season was simply to pretend it wasn’t...
Gone swimmin'
Five amazing days, hard frosts and snow, blue skies and spindrift. Running low on food and gas, I was making my way cross country to Alt Sheicheachan when I came to the Gleann Mhairc burn, frozen and covered with snow at 650m. Tested it with the pole, seemed OK. One step, two steps - suddenly I was falling through ice, sharp-edged floes scissoring up around me like something out of a Hollywood...
I'm still alive!
Blimey, I picked the right time for a stroll in the Cairngorm. Walking over from Glenmore, there were moments of sublime arctic beauty, but howling spindrift and deep drifting in the lee of Bynack More made for tough going. I arrived at Faindourain bothy after dark, tottered inside, stripped off the wet clothing and jumped into my sleeping bag. Couldn’t be arsed cooking, just ate cold food...
Laundry day
Sitting in the laundry room at Lochgilphead Caravan Park, which is left open year round for local use. Knowing where these places are is handy. I found a new one on Mull last week, behind the Post Office at Salen.
I cracked, in a B&B tonight and on the bus to Glasgow tomorrow. Swap out some maps, off to the NE. I’m also going to shave off what was going to be the winter beard....
November 2011
23 posts
End of days?
The economic news is even more apocalyptic than the weather forecast. If I lived a more conventional lifestyle I’d now be buying up a couple of months’ worth of tinned food, bottled water, batteries and stove fuel….as it is, I’ve just picked a lull in the storm to wander back to ‘civilisation’ to buy some supplies while the shops have still got stock on the...