A jacket has arrived…
11th September 2006 ...but it's the wrong one. The label was one give away: it says Latok Alpine, not Latok! However, a few other things confirmed my suspicions: it has two external pockets rather than four and the closure is single-zipped rather than double-zipped.
Thus, I emailed The Outdoor Shop to see what they had to say about it and, to their credit, they have agreed with me. Now I have got to send back a jacket that that is a good fit and very lightweight in exchange for something that definitely includes winter use among its capabilities.
While I reckon that the Latok Alpine appears a good product and wouldn't mind giving it a try, I suppose that I better get what I ordered. OUTDOORSmagic.com reports that the 2006/7 Rab range is coming out, so I might even get one of those. Tower Ridge seems to have some already! It's back to waiting again, I suppose.
A weekend visit to Moffat
10th September 2006 I am back home after taking advantage of the fine weather by taking myself off to Moffat in Dumfries and Galloway to take in some of the walking missed by the hordes passing north on their way to the Highlands; they do not know what they are missing, even if the hills show themselves to all and sundry proceeding along the West Coast mainline and the A74(M). The Southern Upland Way is a major walking attraction around here, but there are many hills to explore as well. They may not be high like the Munros, but the rough country does demand some preparation and respect.
My previous encounter with the place was last June when I based myself in Lockerbie. That time, I got in the section of the Southern Upland Way between Moffat and Ettrick Head, but the day remained cloudy until my return to Lockerbie for the night. This time, I walked the Southern Upland Way from St. Mary's Loch back to Moffat, also covering the ground that I explored on my previous visit. I had designs on more walking, but the after effects of a 20-mile stroll and a heavy pack returned me to my senses.
To get to and from Moffat, I travelled by train between Macclesfield and Dumfries (well, apart from a rail replacement bus service between Manchester and Stockport: they were working on the line yet again). On Friday evening, a taxi got me to Moffat and I left the 114 bus to do the honours on the return. There was a bus on the Friday, but a 60-minute wait would have been in order. Mind you, if I had been more patient, I might have avoided a bizarre taxi conversion laden with strange coincidences.
Over the weekend, I stayed at the Balmoral Hotel, which offered exactly what I needed. The only fly in the ointment was the locals talking loudly among each other out on the street until 02:00 in the morning. And no, I have no idea what was going on. It never endangered my plans, though.
A useful Saturday only service (Houston's 130) got me to St. Mary's Loch and would have been a useful fallback if I decided not to walk all the way back to Moffat. Both St. Mary's Loch and nearby Loch of the Lowes looked so magnificent that I could have spent the whole day on their shores but I had other walking on my mind and it really did take some willpower to get going. Most of the Way followed paths and tracks through the hills, but a five-mile road walk was endured in the middle, a minor complaint given what else was on offer. As regards terrain, the only tricky section was around between Craigmichen Scar and Ettrick Head where the effect of landslips is obvious to all. The sight of sheep grazing on steep slopes littered with them was nigh on unbelievable; it looked like reckless behaviour. Recent land movements have resulted in the redirection of the Way around here (be warned if following the OS map) but I suspect that a more permanent route will have to go up and over West Knowe some day, a potentially tiring but safer diversion.
Midge forecasting
6th September 2006 While midges are famed for being a right nuisance to walkers in Scotland, they also exist in Ireland as well. That makes recall an incident when one character paid a price by the shores of Lough Gur in County Limerick for wearing a short-sleeved shirt on a summer's evening; bare arms can attract unwanted attention. The language used was not in keeping with the tone of this place, so let us just say that the word borstals comes to mind.
Nevertheless, the Scottish counterparts have a reputation of legendary proportions. It is little wonder that some avoid the months of June, July and August because of them. Then, wild camping becomes a challenge because of them; it is one of the reasons why the TGO Challenge is held in May.
Picking the right weather will help too; breezy conditions are better than muggy, humid ones. Otherwise, the wearing of nets over one's head and keeping moving become necessary actions; waiting for a rural bus to get you to your accommodation is incompatible with remaining unattended by clouds of the beasties.
There have been times when I have been irritated by them, yet I reckon that others suffer more (my brother may be among those; he certainly has spoken of them in that way), some so much so that they are put off Scotland for life. The Scottish Midge Forecast then is a useful tool in the armoury of many an outdoors enthusiast, particularly given the grandeur and renown of Scotland's hill country.
Originally, the forecast was developed by scientists at the University of Edinburgh and uses a combination of weather forecasting and midge traps to inform visitors of the pest level of these blighters so that any discomfort can be avoided or, more likely, curtailed. These days, you will find the thing under the custodianship of Smidge, a manufacturer of insect repellent; it takes no stretch of the imagination to work out how such an association came to be, even if the existence of the service makes you wonder if it is a hazard to their profitability.
An Arran adventure
3rd September 2006 Last Easter, after a plan to explore Northumberland and the Scottish Borders hadn't come to fruition, I came up with another idea: Scotland's Isle of Arran. After all, I fashioned a plan about this time last year to head there on a Friday afternoon and stay until the following Sunday but it has stayed on the shelf since then. In fact, the whole idea of exploring Arran was planted in my head in the first place by friends cycling all around it. After seeing the ups and downs of its roads, I now realise that to be a considerable undertaking.
On Arrival in Arran on Easter Sunday morning, I dropped off some of my things at my accommodation before starting to make tracks towards Goatfell. At that stage, I couldn't have known that I was going all of the way to the top with low cloud shrouding it from time to time. Even I went just part of the way, I wouldn't have been disappointed. The weather that I found on Arran was a marked contrast to the glorious sunshine that blessed Ardrossan. Along with the clag, showery rain was about too though it was dry for most of my walk.
Though I doubted my hill fitness and head for heights, I did make it to the blustery windswept summit of Goatfell. It was clear of cloud at the time too though I did meet a hail shower as I got near the top. That was while I was scaring myself witless clambering over rocks and boulders after losing the path before a helpful fellow walker set me right. Any shame at losing the path in the first place was displaced by seeing it snow-covered on the way to the summit. Though there is a viewpoint up there, it was no day for lingering so I steeled myself for the descent because Goatfell is a steep-sided thing and there was that snow in the way too. Nevertheless, no harm came to me with the only disturbance to the peace being a hefty rain shower that I encountered on my return to tarmac after progress along a well engineered track. That rain was to stay a little longer than desired as I passed Brodick Castle and scurried along the shoreline towards my bed for the night.
Next morning, glorious sunshine drew me out for a photography session on Brodick's beach before breakfast, with Goatfell and its fellow hills acting as beguiling subjects. Tired legs and another heavy rain shower convinced that a bus trip around the island before my departure was a good idea. Ironically, the south of the island was basking in glorious sunshine; this is where most visitors go, apparently. It was the mountains that were inducing the showers and the north-south split of the weather was more than apparently. From Arran's west coast, showers could be seen perambulating along the Mull of Kintyre and I wonder if some were crossing to Arran; they aren't far apart.
After my circumnavigation, the time came to return home after what was admittedly a flying visit. Still, it gave me a feel for the island and sows the seeds for a return. Between the mountains and the west coast, there should be enough to keep me busy on a longer stay. Let's see what happens.
Travel Arrangements:
Overnight travel by National Express coach between Manchester and Glasgow after rail connection from Macclesfield. Stagecoach Express service from Glasgow as far as Kilwinning followed by a ride on another Stagecoach bus to Ardrossan. Return ferry trip between Ardrossan and Brodick; it was very busy on the way back. Travel by train took me from Ardrossan to Glasgow from where a rail replacement coach conveyed me to Carlisle. After that, it was a pure railway journey to Macclesfield with changes at Preston and Manchester.
Photos of Arran now online
2nd September 2006 Following my quick visit to the Isle of Arran at Eastertide, I have been putting together a new album in my photo gallery dedicated to photos taken while there. One of these is below so you get a sense of what I have for you to savour. Details of the trip itself will appear in another post.
