Category: Scotland
Into a sixth…
1st January 2011 After the passing of 2010, my only wish is that 2011 brings you and yours good things. The past year saw me distracted by a change of job in the middle of it, and I think that it may have reduced my output on here. However, after catching up with a few issues of TGO recently, I have come to thinking that I need to keep reading more from the outdoors media because my perusal certainly popped a few ideas into my head for the coming year. What's needed now is to make something of the few flakes that are littering my brain at the moment.
The recent arctic conditions may have made my Christmas travelling more adventure-filled than I'd intended, yet it also brought me an afternoon spent pottering around the hills beside Glossop gain. There is the seed of a post arising from that little outing, but I also got to see how Lindow Common and the Bollin Valley look with clumps of snow stuck to everything around them too. Then, there were trots around rural Limerick in Ireland to savour what are rare conditions for the south-west of Ireland. It might be that one posting would suffice to collect my experiences of those little tasters of a whitened world.
Though I also am playing with the idea of a local wander before returning to work on Monday, there also are designs on a quick sortie by Caledonian Sleeper to see what's left of any snowy coverings in the Scottish Highlands. That's something with which I have been playing for a while, but it'll be a little look rather than a deep incursion. It remains to be seen if I can make anything of it.
Other brainwaves for the year include a longer sojourn in an area new to me (and perhaps others) that resulted in a number of postings that I can share on here. Firm ideas are few and far between for now, but I did concoct a scheme centred on Mallaig that has me going out to the Small Isles. Maybe visiting Islay and Jura might be other propositions. Then, there's always the call of my native Éire for a fuller hill country excursion to follow up my nibble of the Wicklow Mountains, nearly two years ago now.
Regarding smaller forays, there are hills around Keswick that I'd like to explore too after a few years of struggling to find a reason to go back there. That has come from the TGO writings of others, and I am thankful for them too. Looking through old photos has brought thoughts of trying to better them, and that could see me exploring Derbyshire a bit more too.
It's all very well making designs for a whole year when it can surprise you in a way that you cannot expect, but not having the ideas at all will lead to torpor like what I felt towards the end of 2010. That is something that I'd like not to see happening again. Let's hope that all of us manage to get in some quality hill time over the coming year, even if life has a habit of getting in the way from time to time.
Matters of terminology
18th December 2010 Yesterday evening and overnight, a white blanket arrived in and around Macclesfield. A company Christmas night out meant that I was out in Manchester to see the white stuff blanketing there and Stockport too. Again, the south of England seems to have been affected too, with Twitter awash with transport companies telling what services are running and where. However, it seems that hardly anywhere has escaped, with Wales and Scotland seeing some too.
There was a time when this sort of weather was enough to have me outdoors pottering over the white coverings, but it doesn't seem to hold the same appeal for me these days. Was it last winter's snows that broke the spell? Before that, snow was a short-lived visitor that never satisfied my curiosity and was enough to lure me outside, even to pace over local paths. Now, it appears that there is a feeling of extra effort required to get about instead, not that I don't have the ability of the kit to be able to get where I want to go.
All of this has me wondering if the same sort of becalming has affected my hill-going. It's easy to point out causes such as changing job, having busy working weeks, not getting alluring weather or being tired at weekends, but there may be another cause: have I more than sated my hill country appetite? With that in mind, it might be an idea to see if there are ways around this if it indeed is the cause.
Popping up accessible little hills might be one of them, and my visit to Caer Caradoc last month was very much of this ilk; the fact that it wasn't crowded either helped for enjoyment of the walk. Ironically, this month's issue of Country Walking has a feature on walking little hills and Hope Bowdler, not at all far from Caer Caradoc or Church Stretton, gains a mention in there as does Ysgyryd Fawr near Abergavenny. Maybe, creating a collection of little hills on my proverbial ideas shelf for easy planning could help to overcome any present torpor. This is far from list ticking because I like to go for walks to enjoy the surrounding countryside and not to say that I have "done" all the tops on a certain list or other.
The word "little" cropped again in my reading, this time in an issue of TGO that I was perusing on the way down to Oxford for a business trip. What I spied on those pages was a review of Cicerone's Scotland's Best Small Mountains. Since then, I have acquired a copy of the said guide as an eBook and discovered that smallness is in the eye of the beholder. With Country Walking, the sorts of heights are in the 300-500 metre category, but many of the "small mountains" are in the 700-900 metre range. There are other contrasts too, with some of the hills featured in the Cicerone book being out in pretty wild countryside, a counterpoint to the more genteel surroundings of those in the magazine. The guide starts in the north-west highlands of Scotland and works its way south and throws up a number of options worthy of exploring, some of which I have actually walked. Here, Ben Vrackie and Morrone come to mind, but there are one or two others if my memory serves me correctly.
It might that both the magazine and the book are highlighting something of which I have grown short: ideas. There also is the need for time to ponder and plan such things, particularly for those longer excursions. Then, I might be able to get things going again in 2011, but my ambitions are sure to be modest. After all, I have been developing a certain dislike for lofty terms like summits and peaks and now find referring to such things as tops to be much more amenable. Whatever I call them, there will be no obsession with these because it will be the walking, exploring and savouring that will matter above all else.
Of urban strolls and hilly hikes
7th November 2010 Sometimes, it takes what feels like an age for a trip report to become reality, and an end of August visit to Aberdeen and Braemar has become an example. Various things can delay the burst of inspiration that's needed to write these things, with a busy work life and after work fatigue not helping. That well may be, but I need to ensure that I get out into the outdoors from time to time, even if that's a work in progress for now.
It was having a look at old photos that put the idea of heading to Aberdeen into my head in the first place. After all, it had been over a decade since I made that solitary visit to the place to attend a scientific conference during the week after the death of Princess Diana. It helped that there was a bank holiday weekend in the offing at the end of August and that I fancied a getaway that didn't need too much energy expenditure when it came to planning. What was needed was a place to base myself that would keep me occupied regardless of whatever weather was there at the time.
In the event, I was to find enough rain to make me wonder if I had continued too far north. After all, Edinburgh looked resplendent if busy during the short time that I could spend there in between trains. A trot that evening saw me caught out in a heavy downpour that had me catching a bus from Old Aberdeen, a very pretty spot in the right weather, back to the city centre where I grabbed some food before returning to my lodgings for the night.
Saturday started much better when it came to weather, with blue skies and sunshine doing the Granite City a few favours. It was only right that I spent some time in Union Terrace Gardens while I walked back to Old Aberdeen to see it in better light. However, the good weather was short-lived and after grabbing a few photos of the University of Aberdeen's King's College, I found myself sheltering while awaiting the abatement of a light rain shower.
With the dampness out of the way I continued towards St. Machar's Cathedral and wandering through nearby Seaton Park under skies that wanted to stay leaden in appearance though there was some brightness from time to time. Eventually, I was to reach the old Bridge of Don for a look at the structure that is now off limits to motorised traffic. If there had been some sun, it would have made for some pleasing photography.
Next up was a spot of lunch before I followed the sandy coast on my way back to the heart of Aberdeen again. The atmosphere was eerily reminiscent of that which I felt while wandering along by the Northumberland coast. Given that I was by the North Sea there too, maybe that wasn't too inappropriate. Though there was a busy road not far away from where I and many others were walking, it still felt a world away from the bustling city centre, whose landmarks could be seen in the near distance.
Eventually, I was to find myself wandering by working docks and the air was not too dry. Still, I spotted the Kirkwall and Lerwick ferry and made a mental note for any occasion when a brainwave might carry me north towards the Orkney or Shetland islands. As if to spring a pleasant surprise, the rain passed on ward to reveal blue skies again. By then, I was in the vicinity of Aberdeen's Town House, Salvation Army Citadel and Mercat Cross in conditions suitable for photographic activity. Mind you, I now realise that there may have been better vantage points for what I was doing.
The fair weather interlude may not have lasted, but it hadn't done a bad thing. After a spot of shopping, an easy evening ensued as I organised myself for a more energetic excursion on the day after.
When Sunday morning came, there wasn't much in the way of blue skies, and the rain that fell while I made my way to Aberdeen's bus station would have had anyone asking why a trip to Braemar would have seemed in any way to be sensible. Nevertheless, a continuing improvement over the course of the day was what was promised in the forecast, and I took a chance with that.
Things did dry up before I was on a coach destined for Royal Deeside. If I was so minded, there were a number of castles that I could visit and Balmoral would only have been one of these, with Braemar being another. For a walking idea, a trot from the former to Braemar would have been tempting, but the idea of mounting Morrone (also known as Morvern) had taken hold.
Though there was plenty of sun to be seen out the coach window, Braemar wasn't fully dry when I arrived and wet weather gear was to be in use for much of my hike; a chill in the air ensuring that I wasn't going to overheat. In some ways, it was frustrating to have sunshine and rain together because having raindrops on a camera lens doesn't help to make pleasing photos, even if you have a skylight filter in front of it for the sake of protection. There were quite a few times when mine needed wiping down.
Since I was set on a walk, I navigated my way to the good path leading to the top of Morrone. Though there was a good deal of height to be gained, it wasn't anything that steady progress couldn't overcome. As I made my ascent, the countryside round about me opened out before me. To the west, I could gaze towards the hills around the Linn of Dee. What lay to the north was beset by the low cloud associated with passing showers, but these were the sort of stony heights that I have never gained on foot anyway. There were hills to be seen everywhere, and I could look across Glen Clunie too.
The showers did eventually stop, but not until they had produced some of the best rainbows that I ever have seen. Being able to photograph a rainbow without too much of a rush has been a privilege that wasn't really mine until that day. My only hope is that I didn't waste it.
When I finally did gain the top of Morrone, a cloud cap lay overhead to obstruct the sun, and that was to be the story of much of the rest of the walk for me. Having gained most of the vistas on the way, I wasn't going to delay on a flat, stony summit next to a transmitter on a day cold enough to be more typical of October than August. A vehicle track was soon found for the purpose of coming down again to fashion a circular route. The predominant greyness meant that my camera was given a rest, though I did deviate from the track to reach a shoulder of Carn na Droichaide before I returned to it again. Though tempted, I was content to leaving alluringly accessible nearby heights for another time. Overdoing things on a first visit is needless, and it's always good to leave somewhere with a reason to return.
The track soon enough deposited me on a quiet lane in Glen Clunie. When it came to lighting the hills, the sun was very spotty, so I tramped the tarmac without much in the way of distraction. There was the occasional car but not so many as to be intrusive as the signs of Braemar become the more apparent as I neared the place. My return wasn't in time for much more than the tail-end of a bagpipe band performance, and shops were coming towards the end of their working day anyway. Maybe it was just as well that I had decided on catching the next bus to Aberdeen, and the cold didn't make hanging around so enticing.
As if to lure me back, the sun could be seen to light the surroundings on that return journey. The next day, it was time to go south again on another improving day when Edinburgh looked resplendent in sunshine as crowds heaved around it to catch that last of any festival events. It had been good to get away, and it may not be the last visit to Braemar and Royal Deeside. From what I saw, it deserves more exploration.
Sampling a Cicerone eBook
2nd October 2010 For whatever reason, I retain a soft spot for Cicerone guidebooks and have amassed a collection of them. Whether it is the handy presentation, the descriptions, the included maps or the authoritative coverage of many parts of Britain and beyond, I cannot say exactly but all must play a part in the buying decisions. Of all of the ones that I have, it only seems to be Walking in the Hebrides that left me unsatisfied. Otherwise, they all seem to offer what I need for route planning. Hopefully, a newer one that concentrates on Harris and Lewis is a better bet since the older title's eschewing of maps makes it hard to read and that's unusual for a Cicerone book.
A recent look at the publisher's website has put other tempting options like Ronald Turnbull's Not the West Highland Way along with Walking on the Brecon Beacons and Walking Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. Then, there's Chris Townsend's Scotland to follow at this time of writing too. It's all too easy to let the list of tempting walking titles tempt you but I managed to contain myself apart from a certain errand that sent me onto Cicerone's online outpost in the first place.
What mainly caused that errand was my apparent misplacement of my Cicerone walking guide to the Cairngorms, something that I only noticed before a trip to Royal Deeside in Scotland at the end of August. Another matter that I wished to investigate was how Cicerone's guides appeared in eBook format after their announcement of its availability a few months back; seemingly, not every title is available like this just yet. The result is that I now have an electronic equivalent of the paper volume that I have yet to find again; no doubt, it's somewhere that I haven't searched yet but experiments always are worth doing.
What Cicerone don't give you is a straight PDF with which you can do what you like and read using whatever software you choose; there's more than Adobe out there. Perhaps for reasons such as revenue and copyright protection, they make you use Adobe's Digital Editions software instead. Given that it is available free of charge for Windows and OS X, that isn't such a restriction though users of Linux/UNIX like me need to make their own arrangements but we generally are technical types that can manage that anyway. For transferring eBooks from one computer to another, you need an Adobe ID and ensure that both are authorised. It also seems that the same arrangements can make things operable for certain Sony eReaders too.
The good news is that the eBook itself is a faithful copy of the paper counterpart and very legible too, though I do have a 24" wide-screen display that helps a lot with this type of thing along with surveying any digital maps. In the software, there's a navigation pane at the left that contains a useful hyperlinked table of contents and the facility to add your own bookmarks too. Apart from those and the ability to display a double-page spread, there's not too much that I need so I come away from the experience satisfied though I do wonder at the wisdom about charging the same for eBooks as their paper equivalents and severely limiting printing too. Maybe they're trying to staunch any rush to the electronic world for now. After all, there remains a certain something about having a paper book in your hands even if their digital equivalents take up less space, a feature that I appreciate when it comes to storing music, and may not be so easy to mislay either.
On the power of price reductions and open doors
26th September 2010 Over the past two months, I have to admit that two spur of the moment purchases got made, and price reductions were partly to blame for them. Another cause was my playing with buying the sorts of items in question in the not so distant past anyway. On both occasions, I wasn't really on a shopping trip but it was the curiosity that drew me into the emporia in the first place anyway.
The first lapse took place in Chester when I popped into a Field and Trek store and spotted a Berghaus Twister Softshell jacket on sale with £30 off the normal retail price. Having realised the usefulness of a heavier softshell once upon a time when pondering outdoor gear, I came away with the thing and it has been exposed to some of the copious amounts of rain that have been visiting us over the last few months. That was enough to convince that it was capable of shedding more than a little light rain on an evening when there was plenty of the wet stuff about the place. Well, the material encourages beading much in the same way as any Gore-Tex or eVent hard shell jacket so that looks promising. There may be no hood but it's the way that I prefer them and a cap always addresses the omission. With a microfleece lining, it may be better able to deal with chilly days like yesterday than my Berghaus fleece too.
The next lapse of financial strength came upon me while browsing in the Cotswold Outdoor store in Aberdeen's Union Square shopping centre. My seeing a tastefully presented outdoors shop was enough to draw me inside it. Along the way, I spied Rab Pinnacle jackets on sale with a £50 reduction. What made me more vulnerable to the prospect was that I have thought about having a lightweight waterproof a while back and this is lighter than the Rab Latok that has given me plenty of good service since I got it nearly four years ago. It, too, uses eVent but remains untested as yet. Nevertheless, it's a good fit for me and opportunities for trying out its rain-proofing should come in due course.
After both of these lapses with my wallet, I think that I might to stay away from outdoor gear shops for a little while. Nevertheless, I was stood outside Jo Brown's in Buxton yesterday and, though I saw Paramo gear in the shop window display, my willpower held firm even though there were sale signs there too. Did having to walk through a closed door help? Maybe that's most of the chain stores leave theirs open.
Temptation can reign online too as I found when an email dropped into my inbox featuring a Terra Nova Laser Competition tent at a well-reduced price. Of course, having to get the thing delivered was sufficient to keep any cravings under control. As ever, there are more important things to be buying so building up outdoors gear wish lists is for me something that's best avoided even if it's so easy to do.
