Meall Chuaich...a re-appraisal..

Meall Chuaich from the approach path.

Meall Chuaich does not have the best reputation in our house. Claire has not impinged it in any way, shape or form - however both Mum and I have told her all about it.

Many years ago, Mum and I were in the NW of Scotland for a couple of days. I spent mine at Shenevall bothy - doing Beinn Dearg Mhor and the 'big 6' Fisherfield Munro's. On the way home, going through one of my hapless munro-bagger phases, we stopped off and did Meall Chuaich - about which I can remember nothing.


To be fair - most of the guidebooks are not that complimentary about it either! Claire and I were in Scotland having driven up on Friday in Suilvan - resplendent with his snow tyres, he has been getting lots of presents recently. Saturday we rested and went for a stroll around the lovely Glenmore Forest, before driving down to Achlean. We went to Achlean as our intention at first was to do Mullach Choir a' Blair the next day. Speaking to some hardy looking walkers who turned up at the car-park with tales of white-outs on top and 2' snow-drifts  - coupled with the lack of daylight and our lack of fitness - convinced me it would be cutting things a little fine...ergo Meall Chuaich.

It was not an auspicious start - one of my trekking poles has been playing up a lot recently and decided to muck around YET again. We have a set of these poles and the other 3 have been perfect; this one has been back to Black Diamond once and had been fixed by the wizzo's in Needle Sports on two other occasions - as I write it has gone back YET again to BD to try and fix. This not withstanding, we got out and started to walk towards the dam.

One positive aspect of Meall Chuaich, which makes it excellent for short autumn/early winter days - is the ease of approach. The march is actually some way - around 4km to the foot of the hill - but it is on a rough road that goes to the Hydro station and then turns into a very well constructed stalkers path. The Allt Chuaich bothy is now locked and not a bothy any more - shame as it has a nice fireplace and plenty of wood around!! and the path up had some sheet ice in places. It was a slow but steady climb to the top and for most of the way the sun was trying to get out and move the clouds - regrettably the clouds won and by the time we reached the very large cairn on top - the clouds were down and we were denied a view. [We were almost denied a map when a gust blew it out of my hand, however Claire managed an excellent save with the point of her trekking pole].

We descended by compass bearing as the path was largely snow-covered for the first few hundred feet, and it shaves a little close to some craglets for safe-keeping. As it turned it out; I steered us a little further south than anticipated, which caused a little confusion when the mist cleared for a bit. However, trusting the compass paid off as we descended and hit the stalkers path we had left some time before. This path encircles the south side of the hill and makes clearing the hill straightforward. However, the terrain is a desolate wasteland (Macbeth's witches would feel at home) so once again this is a mountaineering expedition as opposed to a mere walk - I have long held the view there is no such thing as winter walking in Scotland anyway.

After a quick drink we were back on the walk-out; quite nice to stretch the legs before the drive home and Claire's tick in her book!!!

nb: Claire does NOT collect Munro's - the fact she ticks them off in her new Munro's book is pure coincidence!!

The decline of the Thai...

Claire and I discovered the Royal Thai in Penrith by accident one saturday night in January 2011...we were looking for somewhere to eat and everywhere was heaving. The Thai had been an Italian restaurant back in the day but it had closed...we found the new Thai and it was superb.

The place has had its ups and downs over the couple of years, with a couple of change of managers. However it has changed hands again, and does seem to have finally succumbed to ordinariness....what a shame...

A moment of silence for what was the best restaurant in Penrith in its day.

A'Mharconaich and Geal-Charn..

http://www.photoboxgallery.com/3436739 are where the photo's are...a taster here...

Claire and I had headed north in Suilvan for the weekend - with a glorious day forecast for Sunday and seemingly a fair bit of snow. We arrived in our usual layby on Friday evening and settled down for the night in Suilvan (who had come back from the garage with a new battery to help him start in the cold mornings). It was the first time that we had used the insulating covers for the front windows as well to try and keep some of the heat in - the forecast was for cold.

So it transpired, Suilvan started first time on Saturday morning but we had trouble getting out of the car-park. We then had a half-hour at the bottom of the ski road as a vehicle had left the road. The plan for the day was to have a day of ice-axe braking practice - THE essential skill for anyone who wants to go mountaineering in winter (I contend there is no such thing as winter walking in Scotland). However it looked like the snow might be far too soft to allow any practice. So it transpired when we arrived at Coire Cas to find a very strong wind and light snow showers..so we decided to drive back down and have a wander in Glenmore Forest...at least that is what we had in mind.
Suilvan, unfortunately, couldn't get any traction at all...so some frantic digging with ice-axes and pushing followed, eventually we got him away. The drive back down was ok and the walk in the forest lovely, lots of snow to play in and time to recharge the batteries. An early night was had -  we all looked forward to next day.

Sunday dawned - no problem getting out of the car-park this time and we tootled into Aviemore for breakfast at the mountain cafe - this being a short walk there was not a huge amount of time pressure. This being done we drove down the A9 to Balsporran Cottages where we parked. Quite a few cars were there including a couple with ski's, which I thought was a little optimistic.

Geal-Charn is 'only' 917m (one of the smaller Munro's) and the start is at around 425m so the first part of the day was not too taxing. There was a good path all the way up and lots of footprints to follow. Claire set a lovely pace on the ascent and we were on the summit by 11.45. The skiers had been able to use ski's for the last third of the ascent and were now preparing to descend to the col between the two peaks. The view from the summit was pretty impressive (as can be seen from the pictures), with the hills of Ben Alder forest looking VERY appealing.

Our descent to the col was not quite as smooth - there was a lot more snow on the leeward side and I struggled to find any rhythm on the descent. The subsequent climb was a bit better, although the snow was certainly deeper than the ascent of Geal-Charn. Upon reaching the summit ridge, which links the hill to Beinn Udlamain - we turned right and wandered slowly along to the cairn on top of A'Mharconaich. I had done these hills before - many years ago on a day of low cloud and no views, so it was nice to do them again and to be able to see something!!

The start of the descent route is quite steep - so it was great to see that Claire's technique and confidence had improved so much she could tackle it whilst munching a sandwich!! Once down this it was quite a long descent down to the valley - with the river crossing being negated by using the railway for 50m and back to see Suilvan after a 4 3/4 hr round. To cap off a lovely day, the drive back was one of the best we've ever had - a quick 5 hours or so saw us back in Cumbria.

Left alone...again...

although at least I have been taken out for a spin....the humans and I are back in Aviemore, last night I was covered in snow -which was nice...not so sure the male human enjoyed having to push me out of the Coire Cas car-park mind you - I'm sure he'll whinge (blog) about it in due course!!!

Now I am in the car-park they are going to stay in - and they've gone to the bar....bloody humans!!!

Suilvan

Path erosion and choices we make

Claire and I had stopped for a quick lunch on the way down from Bynack More. We had gone over Bynack Beag and were pleasantly surprised to find a small but clear path that helped us descend the steep heathery terrain towards the valley. Given that our half-term foray to the north had seen Claire experience some winter in the Cairngorms with a vicious squall on top of Bynack More this was good. Neither of us were especially fit and the fact that the rest of the walk was a walk along Strath Nethy then back to the Lairig and Laoigh path and back to Glenmore Lodge, were our van was, was a good thing - enabling me to relax and enjoy (or so I thought) the rest of a a lovely day out.

 This photo shows the view down Strath Nethy. I had walked down it over 20 years ago (gulp!) when Chris and I came up after my finals and did some walking in the Cairngorms. I only had vague recollections of the path - certainly not what we got.

I was born in the peak district and, although we left when I was young, I have walked there since and spent many years living and walking in the Lakes where the paths aren't so great; however the condition of the path in the Strath was one of the worst I have ever seen, anywhere. Apart from the difficulty of walking on this path there seem to me to be two or three major issues that could do with addressing.

One possible one is that the estate should be looking after the path...they have 'done' the Lairig and Laoigh path (at least as far as we followed it) and the path up to Ryovan Bothy. Given that Strath Nethy is one the 'escape' routes from the Cairngorm plateau - is there a duty on them to make the path better?

There must also be some responsibility with walkers as well - the path was horrendously bad and we (like many others) had to skirt the path in order to find some ground that was not too bad to walk on. However, when we do this aren't we just making it worse - are we creating the kind of motorway that used to be on the 3 peaks before they got 'fixed' as well...by being lazy and skirting around the path we are making the problem worse and making the path worse - we're creating a vicious circle for ourselves by doing this. Claire and I are as guilty of this as the next person so I'm not casting aspersions on others.
The problem with this lovely and virtuous view is that parts of the 'path' were literally unawalkable thus limiting options...what does one do in this situation?

Do we put flagstones down on the path and give it time to 'recover'?

Do we use the path that exists on the other side (the Cairngorm) side of the stream? Would that help or would it make things worse with a churned up path on both sides of the stream? And if you do that how do you get across the river - it was flowing quite strongly at the part where our path met the river....

No right answers, and certainly not simple ones...

Claire descends towards Strath Nethy

Close encounters with Ellies (part 2)

I know it has been a while since my first post on this..http://sitheclimber.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/close-encounters-of-elephant-kindpt-1.html.

To pick the story up, Claire and I were about to have our  full day on the Nxai Pan..and another amazing day it was. We got up early and went to see the watering hole at dawn..the Ellies were there as well, as were the other people staying on the adjacent campsite (they left after this). We were parked up and then along came a lioness with 3 little fluffy bundles of fur - her little cubs. She was about 100 m away from and walking towards the waterhole. The little ones were trotting along in fairly close order - the pictures are all up on the photobox site btw - they were so lovely. I am sure one of them would have liked to come along and have a cuddle with us and snooze on the bed back in Cumbria - it wouldn't have been too much of a shock for him!!

Looking through the binoculars from about 200m away I was then a little alarmed to see two other lionesses running towards us!! They weren't all out sprinting but they were certainly jogging - and certainly enough to make us put the windows up in Mo!! Fortunately, they were just coming to meet the cubs and say hello to them. We later learned from the rangers that it would have been the first time the cubs would have been introduced to the pride - hence the 'aunties' were so happy to see them.

Anyway, around 4.30 pm we went back for an afternoon trip to the waterhole - the lionesses and cubs were dozing in the sun. A lone bull elephant was wandering off in a line which would take him to near our camp; however I felt sure we would beat him back easily with the vehicle - which we did.

Safely back in camp - we moved things out of the elephant path and Claire was preparing the fire and supper whilst I was picking up the water containers to go and fill them up for the last time. I took 10 steps to clear the immediate campsite and looked left - to find a large grey being approaching! The large grey being was about 100m away at least - so I went to get Claire and we elected to take the longer way to the ablution block (which is of course, elephant proof!!). Having just turned onto that path it was not ideal to see another bull elephant loping along on that path. He wasn't charging rather jogging gently - however when one is 4m tall that is still rather quick!! A rapid change of plan was in order..involving us trying to scramble over the elephant trap and get to the block. Claire managed to make a hole in her foot doing so - which Howard had to patch when we got back - and I could barely do in my flimsy flip-flops. Rather relieved, we reached the block and waited about 15 mins or so in the hope that they had passed before going back (gingerly!!) to the camp.

As I said in my previous post - maybe I am very naive about this - but I was certainly less concerned than Claire was....it is doubtful that Usain Bolt could outrun a charging bull and we certainly couldn't!! However it was certainly a sharp reminder that camping in Botswana is not quite the same as camping in the Lakes or N. Wales - or even Scotland for that matter although they do have midges!!

Afternote: The 'safety' of the ablution block turned out to be slightly illusory as it happens...next morning there was no water and one of the pipes had been ripped off the wall and was spraying water all over, and a manhole cover was missing - clearly an ellie with a long trunk had got thirsty!! The water spraying out was actually presenting a challenge as it was starting to seep through the elephant trap and form a nice little puddle - and it had a nice little herd of lovely Springbok waiting for it!! As I decided I could do without a thirsty lion or two at that point! I was able to turn the stop tap off, we decamped and went home via telling the rangers (who weren't best pleased as the ellies had already rendered the other block hors d'combat ) and Baines Baobababs...see the photo site for the pictures...

What a difference a week makes...

it's been warm (for the time of year I should stress!!) and rainy all week in Penrith - the snow has all gone :-((.

Claire and I are going away in Suilvan next weekend - hopefully there'll be some snow in Scotland.

Hazy shade of winter..

which is now going as I sit here and type this two days later...but it was certainly there on Sunday..As can be seen in this shot of a wintry looking Skiddaw (taken from the slopes of Foule Crag).

The forecast did look good for the Sunday and it was also obvious that everywhere was going to be busy, with it being the last day of the half-term holidays. So, to avoid some of the madding crowds we elected to park at Mungrisedale and sneak onto Blencathra.

The path upto the plateau between Bowscale Fell and Bannerdale Crags had a few people on it - and the plateau itself was snow covered. This was actually quite helpful as we had steps to follow rather than having to break trail.

Crossing the col at the head of Glendemeckin, the number of people increased as we climbed slowly but very steadily upwards. If (a big if I grant you) one had carried skis up you could probably have got a half decent run on them. Lots of 4 legged friends were out - yet the hills seemed totally devoid of children, maybe they had all gone sledging!

Arriving near the top of Sharp Edge (as one breasts the summit plateau) it was immediately apparent that lunch on top would not be a quiet, peaceful experience - I think I have been to some football games with less people actually. So, we stopped where we were and had lunch - and enjoyed the rather lovely view (as can be seen).

To give Claire some more practice on steep(ish) snow, we elected to descend the same way - Claire romped down. We did have an axe, however it stayed in the sacks as the snow was soft enough to render it redundant. Then, as Claire is the daughter of a man so hard he has tabasco sauce rather than soy sauce on his Chinese takeaway - we climbed back past our previous tracks and onto Bowscale Fell. A couple of older walkers were partaking of their lunch whilst we had our second lunch - and I took some more photo's!! before a leisurely descent took us back to Mungrisedale - a superb day and great tonic for the mind, body and soul.

Pictures: http://www.photoboxgallery.com/3436739

Autumn in Scotland - part 3

in which Claire and Simon have an amazing day on two of the Drumochter hills...


with an excellent forecast we actually had a difficult decision as to what to do with our final day (given that we had to drive home as well)..Doing a round of Cairngorm, the mountain not the plateau!! was one option, with the possibility of some ice-axe braking practice and more snow experience for Claire. Another thought was to do Mullach Choire a Blair in Glen Feshie, however this is a long round with a potentially arkward river crossing towards the end...so we elected to go to Drumochter.

There was one munro of the 7 around the pass that I had not done, and Claire, who does not bag munro's of course (despite having the book) was not too upset at the thought of doing two new munro's. So with that in mind, we set off for the layby - only to have me move the van 1 layby too far and give us an extra 1/2 mile on the road....oops - not an auspicious start to the days walk!

Sgairneach Mhor

Our first objective was Sgairneach Mhor, a hill I had done before with a climbing mate on a wild day when our intention to do both hills was rudely curtailed by a massive gust of wind which threw me to the ground and ripped the map out of my hands! Having no spare we had enough 'fun' getting off Sgairneach Mhor without any other excitement.

Today was the opposite - a still day with very clear visibility. We came upon a bridge with a stalkers path off it - not on the map - and Claire's eagle eye spotted a path off the stalkers path which went in the correct direction towards the peak. Finding some footprints made us feel even better and we began a slow but steady plod uphill. Underfoot conditions actually improved as we gained height as the ground became more frozen and there was more snow. We eventually hit the ridge of Sgairneach Mhor and plodded uphill to the summit. After a lunch stop and a chat with a gentlemen doing all 4 of the Munro's (the other way round) [who was the only person we saw all day] we had another decision to make.

Due to taking the wrong bridge/path (which we only discovered later) and stops for Claire, me, to take photo's! time was getting on a bit. Going back the way we came was possible, however we elected to carry on and traverse over Beinn Udlamain. 

To do this, we descended quickly to the three-sided col between the peaks, Claire finding a very good line through the peat hags, and onto the ridge that climbs to Beinn Udlamain. Views over Ben Alder forest opened up, including the lovely Loch Ericht which goes to Dalwhinnie. It was noticeably cloudier to the west than it was to the East as can be seen by this shot from the summit looking east. In another (happier) slight misjudgement I thought Beinn Uldamain was 1100m as opposed to 1010m, so we were quite surprised to find a large cairn in front of us and a height of 1010m on my altimeter watch. Another glance at the map explained the situation, and a quick halt was taken for photo's..which are on the photobox website. http://www.photoboxgallery.com/3436739  

Descent was accomplished very easily, with the boundary fence to follow along over a couple of minor bumps and we soon descended to the col between Uldamain and A'Mharconaich (another unprononceable Munro!). We had spotted a little path descending down from the way up, and we were able to find it and make a quick descent to the stalkers path in the valley. This descent was quite slippy and quite steep, yet Claire went down it very well - and we were soon on the main stalkers path. Walking back along this was quite tiring for me - it's not the kind of path my knees enjoy - and it did not exactly go totally downhill the whole way either!! So, I was therefore rather chuffed to see a bridge fairly seen - and then somewhat less chuffed to discover it was a different bridge, complete with path that led right up to near the summit of Sgairneach Mhor! oh well - it wasn't on the map either. Eventually we made it down, and a quick scramble up a bank cut about 1k off the road walking section and two happy campers were back in the van - an amazing day with great views and really enjoyable walking. These hills don't have the scale of the Cairngorms or the sheer grandeur of the NW, but they are worth a visit.

Autumn in Scotland part 2....

or the one where Claire comes face to face with winter conditions in the Cairngorms!!

and make no mistake - conditions were wintry. There was not much snow around on the summits - although more than enough to make winter boots a must - but Claire got her first real experience of the winter wind and chill.

The day had started promisingly well - a good early(ish!!!!) start and a good walk in. Our destination today was Bynack More, well over 1000m but still an outlier of the Cairngorm massif - seperated from the main plateau by the Saddle and Strath Nethy. I had done the mountain and its two satellite tops after my finals (a few [ahem]) years ago - and remembered the walk down Strath Nethy as being long...it had not prepared me for what we got...more of that later.

We followed the same approach through the forest and past Glenmore Lodge as yesterday (in fact I parked next to the Lodge to save 1 mile of road walking - not good for my knees/heel in big boots). When the paths split we went up towards the Lairig an Laoigh. The Cairngorms are split by the two great Lairig's - passes - and the path we followed wound steeply uphill before dropping down to cross the Avon (pronounced A'an) and go to Braemar. Our speed up the steep climb was excellent  - steady and sustained - and we soon left the main path to start the climb to the summit of Bynack More. At this point we met the snowline. The snow was not a problem with its depth nor was it especially icy. We had not brought either crampons or ice-axe (tho we had them in the van) and neither was remotely needed. What it did do was slow us down as the path had disappeared as it wended its way in and out of the granite tors, which made the going arkward as it was. We then got joined by some driving hail/snow and a strong wind. I should have insisted that Claire wrap up very well and drink more - one of Claire's few faults is that she doesn't drink anywhere near enough fluid on walks - however she soldiered on well until just below the summit, where she started to feel very weak. Luckily, some hot ribena, christmas cake and more clothes did the trick and we were soon on top. We elected to descend over Bynack Beg (Beg/beag means small in Gaelic) and thence down the Strath Nethy.

The first part of the descent was done in excellent style and we soon made the Strath - despite a progressively worsening path and my broken trekking pole. What followed was quite possibly the worst path I have ever walked on - with the possible exceptions of Bleaklow and Black Hill. I am going to post a specific post on this with thoughts about path management later so will not say too much more at the moment. We eventually joined the main path we had followed up the hill and, now in heavy rain, made the final few km back to the van.

Our fun for the night was not over - we arrived at Glenmore Lodge to eat in the Lochain Bar to find it was late opening as the bar staff were late back from the hill!!! One good chicken curry later and we were ready for the next day...

Autumn in Scotland - part 1

So, as Suilvan told you, he was loaded up and driven over to Newcastle and Mum's house. This was because Claire and I were in Belfast first to support my stepmother as she became president of SIGBI - well done Pat!!

After a lovely weekend we arrived back in Newcastle and, after eviction from our sleep by the arrival of the builders 1/2hr early!! we set off towards Aviemore. A steady 6 hr drive saw us arrive in Aviemore and decamp into the Mountain Cafe for a cup of tea/hot chocolate. The changing of the clocks over the weekend meant that it got dark pretty early (by around 5ish) so we pottered up the road and found a layby to sleep in. We still had far too much stuff in Suilvan - although in our defence this was partly the stuff we had taken to Belfast. Claire made a lovely dahl and we were soon settling down.

A later than expected start the next morning, coupled with general lack of fitness meant that we settled on Meall a'Bhuachaille as our choice of walk.                                                                                          

   Meall a Bhuachaille, seen from the approach to Bynack More in this shot, is a simpl(ish) Corbett (hill over 2500') that can be combined with showing Claire some of the quieter parts of the Cairngorms. We had a lovely stroll out to Ryovan bothy, where we sat with a hot drink and some Christmas cake -being joined by an RSPB party (who actually own the Abernethy estate that Meall a'Buachaille stands in). After leaving them we commenced the ascent.

The ascent was on a good path and the weather was ok - for the most part we were out of the wind. There was no snow on the peak and the top was clear of cloud. The actual summit was pretty cold with the wind-chill, and the glimpses into the Cairngorm massif did show some encouraging signs of whiteness!

A quick and lovely descent to the valley followed - the autumn colours in Glenmore Forest were in full flow and the pictures are on the photobox site  http://www.photoboxgallery.com/3436739

A bit of a gear fix in Aviemore - new trainers for me, a liner for Claire (whose sleeping bag is not quite as posh as my -20 rated down one!!) and a light that didn't work - followed by a lovely Spag Bolg in Suilvan and a pint at the Glenmore Lodge bar - a lovely first day.

More from Suilvan...

had a spa day today....wash; vacuum and air in the tyres...something is clearly afoot.

One good thing - didn't get a waxing!!!

p.s: They are starting to load me...wonder where I'm going now

Close encounters of the Elephant kind...pt 1.

or our camping trip to the Nxai Pan....

After leaving Little Mokolodi, Claire and I headed north towards the town of Nata, which is the gateway to the salt pans of Botswana which are known throughout the world.

I learnt one thing during this day - Botswana is a BIG country; it's larger than France actually to get some kind of scale for European readers...we were also in Mo the landrover which limited our speed to around 100kmh.

The upshot is that it was getting towards dark when we arrived at Nata Lodge, where we had the idea of camping for the night. At this point, I started to feel rather guilty about not giving Claire a proper honeymoon (http://sitheclimber.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/seana-bhraighan-overnight-trip-with.html) so I decided to shell out on a night at the Lodge rather than camping...it also gave us more access to the showers etc at the Lodge.

The Lodge was actually pretty cheap given its luxury, and the food was really good as well. The only downside was that we couldn't get the fan to work so it was rather a warm night for us - and a productive one for the local mosquito's with lots of me to dine on...it seems that midges and mozzie's have the same liking to me  - at least the clarityn kept the itching down and meant I had no major reaction.

Driving north, we arrived at the entrance gate to the Nxai Pan, Fiona having done the necessary paperwork for us and booked us a camping spot. The next 38km of the drive was quite tricky, Claire drove it, on a bed of shifting sand which made progress very slow and painful. One advantage of this is that it allowed me to try and come to terms with the scale of the pans - the picture is just one of the examples I took.

Arriving at the 'Office' as the signposts called it, we had a chat with the very helpful rangers and drove off to find our campsite. The road surface improved markedly and I was able to drive without any real hazards. They also provided us with a map and directions to the one waterhole that was full of water - pumped in - and some of the dry ones that we could go and explore for ourselves.

The campsite was really well maintained - an 'ablution block' was in the middle and we had a single pitch to ourselves. There was an ash bowl for the braii and plenty of space. Rather alarmingly, there was some old elephant dung on the little path from our campsite to the ablution block, and some that wandered around the top of the campsite itself - at least we knew where to pitch the tent!!

Having pitched the tent we went for a drive in the afternoon light....off to the waterhole where we saw the first picture...We saw the Ellies at the waterhole; they were huge. All jokes apart, one of the bulls would have been 5 1/2m high if he was an inch.....Having never seen any kind of game outside of a zoo it was fascinating to see the Ellies, as well as the Zebra, Springbok and the bird-life that is all over the pans.

Gawping over we went back to the camp and Claire cooked a lovely supper - although we might remember to prick the gem squash next time to stop them exploding when cooked! Having had lots of Mazoe (a lovely orange squash) and water we found that the gas cooker was awfully slow when it came to making tea (we found out later that sand had blocked one of the jets); then it was time for bed.

This is actually more complex than it sounds - as it was very likely that Hyena's and Jackals would be around the campsite (we had heard them howling already once it got dark); along with the possibility of other animals. So, the food was packed away into an old vaccine case that Claire had, as well as some into a cool box which was put into the van - the vaccine case (which needed both of us to move it) stayed outside. We had some amazing solar powered lights that Howard had leant us and we now put on, as well as putting chairs and things around the camp. The logic behind this came from Claire with her experience of such things - Hyena's (our most likely visitor) don't like noise; so when they bang into the chair etc they go away...nice idea.

Around 3am we were woken by a strange sound. Listening from inside the tent it seemed that the Ellies were walking through the campsite. Despite their enormous size, they are actually incredibly careful how and when they step - so the chance of them stepping on the tent was next to nil, especially as we'd pitched it out of the way of their path. However, we hadn't moved the vaccine case out of the way and now one of the Ellies was trying to work out what it was! Luckily for us - he decided to move it gently rather than pick it up and hurl it anywhere, including onto the tent..Claire was rather more concerned about this than me - probably due to my lack of experience of Ellies in the wild....

Suilvan speaks again...

Hmmm.....a hive of activity again at the house....am I going away again (it'll be about time, I've been awfully bored just sat here whilst the humans galivant around). They brought me a few things at the weekend as well; which suggests I may get another run out.

A lovely day on Place Fell...

there was some vacillating this morning...we woke to a gorgeous Autumn day and were not sure what to do. A long walk would be obvious; however we wanted to not rush and it was debatable whether I could manage a long walk anyway after the 2 weeks of horrid cold/sinusitis...so we settled on Place Fell; a lovely wee(ish) hill just above Ullswater.  We have made worse choices.

The photo on the left was taken on the ascent and shows both the kind of day it was and the lovely colours that autumn brings to Cumbria. As we climbed steadily towards Boredale Hause it actually became necessary to remove a layer of clothing - frankly it was warmer than most of the 'summer' this year. From the top of the Hause it was another steady plod up to the summit - with a few more people than usual milling around. The views were excellent; with lovely views over the High Street and the Helvellyn and Fairfield ranges.

After a little lunch on top we started the descent. Some parts of this were muddy and actually a little slippery - and will be quite entertaining in the ice as there is a lot of surface water around which won't go before next year now. As can be seen, the day was crystal clear and the descent was another joy.

Arriving on the Lakeside Path, we had the 4 miles or so to tramp back to Patterdale. As can be seen from the pictures: http://www.photoboxgallery.com/3436739 the colours of the trees were amazing. I was actually starting to flag a little on the last km of the walk along the Lake - so clearly the choice was the right one....hopefully I'll get a good week in before we head to Belfast; after that to Scotland for a couple of days over half-term.

Botswana trip..

http://www.photoboxgallery.com/3436739  is the place were some of the pictures from this amazing trip can be seen.


It was a long flight out to Johannesburg (we went via Amsterdam) and arriving into a driving rain storm did make one wonder why we had bothered - I can get driving rain storms in Cumbria no problem at all!!

After a few hours kip and a lovely breakfast at Mugg and Bean in Jo'burg airport - Claire assuring me that they wouldn't give us any food on the plane as it was only a 40 min flight - we eventually got on the plane (a saga in itself) and spent the next 30 mins trying to shovel in all the food they gave us - oh well....
                                                             

Typical scenery - on the drive to Little Mokolodi

This is typical of the scenery in Botswana, as it was the dry season, we had 1mm of rain during the whole of our 2 1/2 week stay! Gaborone is also a very interesting city, it is a new city 'created' to be the capital after Bots's became independent in 1966 - it has not got a 'centre' per se as most European cities do, it has several large shopping arcades (for want of better term) which have restraurants etc in them.

After a day and a half at Claire's parents house - resplendent with 3 dogs - nowhere near as badly behaved as I had been told - and with me being already covered in Mosquito bites! we set off for the trip to Little Mokolodi.

It is quite difficult to describe Little Mokolodi. It lies right on the bank of the Limpopo river (pictures are on the Photobox site) which also happens to be the border between Bots and S. Africa. The location is utterly idyllic and very quiet - it is owned by a school friend of Howard. The Limpopo also looked superb for swimming in - until a 7-8ft long crocodile drifted gently past - followed by some of his mates!! Maybe not then.

We had lovely dawn and evening walks at Little Mokolodi; night comes extremely fast in Botswana - even in summer it is dark by 7.30 and here it was dark by 6.30 - none of the endless evenings that we get in Britain. Darkness meant it was time to get the braii going (that is BBQ to us Brits) and Howard and Claire produced two fantastic meals for both nights we were there...we also got our wedding blessed on the shores of Limpopo which was lovely.

After two lovely days; the party split up. Howard and Fiona were returning to Gaborone whilst Claire and I headed north - to the famous Salt Pans.

Feeling a lot better...

Claire and I have just been for an expensive trip to Keswick - new running shoes for Claire, as we are both entered in a 10km road race in March (just south of Manchester); and some other kit. One of the things is a 30m 10mm rope which would be good for easy winter gullies/ridges and some of the summer classics as well..

I am starting to feel approaching normal - which is good after a pretty yukky fortnight. Hopefully we can get a good walk in tomorrow and do some stuff in Scotland over the half-term week (the week after next) - the snow has fallen up there but don't know whether or not it has settled yet..

Out of action for 2 weeks...

apart from the walk up Harter Fell in the last entry, I have done pretty much nothing for 2 weeks. I have been laid out with the worst cold I have ever had (aside from having full on flu a few years ago). It seems to be a mix of things - including sinusitis according to Claire - and there was no way I could do the race last weekend.

Frankly, even walking a few hundred metres has been hard work - however we are hopeful of getting a walk in on the Howgills this Sunday.

Harter Fell and Landrovers...

It was a lovely day on Sunday; so I was not at all impressed to wake up with a horrible sore throat and not feeling anywhere near 100% - I suspect the flight back from Botswana was the challenge (which I'll blog about in due course).

That being said, the day was too good to waste entirely so Claire and I decided to head up Harter Fell from Mardale Head. It is a lovely walk up a good path and does offer options for extensions onto High Street if I felt 'on it' later.

Morning in Autumn.

The weather can be seen from the picture above - a truly amazing day with very clear light. We were both looking forward to a lovely walk and were therefore not best pleased to see 4 motorbikes being unloaded from a trailer at the car-park; these idiots were going to try and ride them up the pass - despite a clear notice saying this is now verboten. [As an aside, two of the riders were clearly new to this and had to walk most of the way up]. By keeping a very slow (but steady) plod; I was able to get to the top of the Pass ok (and someway ahead of the bikes)  - with some stops for Claire (and I) to take photo's..

From the top of the Pass we turned up the final slopes of Harter Fell. Although about a mile on the ground the ascent is very well graded so I was able to make the top fine for an early lunch - and to admire the amazing views - complete with cloud inversion over the Eden Valley, where we live. This was obviously a good reason for some smugness, and for us both to take some more photo's, which are on the photobox site. 

Having had some christmas cake and cheese triangles we looked forward to a pleasant descent..so were VERY annoyed to find 3 landrovers parked at the top of the pass and 2 more attempting to climb up it. Aside from the minor detail of them blocking the path; who on earth let these 'people' up there in the first place? Checking on the UKHillwalking forum established that (despite the notice to the contrary) one can still apply for permits to do this kind of thing - and the damage it did to the path was considerable - however, I have written to the National Park to try and find some more information.

Once clear of the 4*4 idiots, and the diesel stench they left behind, the rest of the descent was lovely with the autumnal day unfolding in front of us.......the abiding memory of the walk was very good - shame about the idiots with their toys who decided to ruin lots of people's day.

http://www.photoboxgallery.com/3436739 is where the photo's are

Sunshine and climbing...

amazingly it seems to have forgotten to rain in Cumbria for a few days :-); which meant we have actually been able to get out.... and do things - amazing.

Although Claire was in London this weekend, we took advantage of our non-working status to grab a couple of quick climbs in between her studies.
On Friday, we headed to Snail Shell Crag, which lies above the delectable hamlet of Mosedale on the side of Carrock Fell. Recess Route was our choice; graded D+, a bizarre grade and not one I 100% agree with. The walk-up is a bit of a slog, following the side of the scree run (there is a faint path); the route is a short delight. Most routes on the crag have the reputation of being a bit bold; this one was fine; gear when it was needed (in truth the route is so easy and the friction so good I only placed a couple of pieces) and amazing friction. To my delight, Claire seemed to fine the route enjoyable as well; and seconded up well. Trusting one's feet is central to climbing these kinds of routes and is something Claire managed to do well (the friction on Carrock Fell is superb). A lovely lunch at the Mill Inn in Mungrisedale followed.


Today we also escaped for a couple of hours climbing. We went back to Church Crag in Thirlmere and re-did Confidence. Quite an apt route to do, as I found it ok to lead (it is a little bold) and Claire seconded it really well....and thoroughly enjoyed herself to boot.

Meanwhile, the countdown to exams and Botswana continues apace - as does the countdown to the race in October - which I am not exactly ready for yet!! Arjuna is going in to the bike shop tomorrow to get a compact chainset fitted - basically making the climbs easier! Time to get the mountain bike out!!

Checking out the route...

yesterday; depressed whilst the rain poured down in Cumbria, I decided to enrol myself in this...

http://www.sportinaction.co.uk/index.php/sportevents/duathlon-events/72-hartside-duathlon

So, today, with a funny yellow thing in the sky and the temperature at least 10 degrees hotter; I went to ride around the bike route. Quite a few people will know the descent from 2/3 of the way up the Hartside to Renwick - some of it is done (in reverse) by those doing the C2C and using the off-road approach (which is MUCH better); whilst those who do the PCW will have climbed up what I came down today. Likewise, those who've done the Cumberland Challenge, will have climbed the way I descended today.

Descent on Arjuna is not one of my strong points - especially today with a strong cross-wind and roads I don't know well. I certainly feel better prepared for the race having ridden it - and will probably ride it once more before the race at least (we'll be in Bots for 2 1/2 weeks before the race) to get the hang of some other parts of the course as well. The actual climb up the pass went pretty well - I was able to get into a nice tempo; however the section from Kirkoswald to Langwathby was not as fast as I'd have liked.

The cycle course is pretty brutal for its 21 miles - am going to have work on fitness a LOT to do the two runs and the bike - aim for this race: Don't be the lantern rouge.

Breaking in Claire's fell shoes...

it is a measure of the chaos (mostly work related) that has surrounded our lives that Claire today finally began to break in her fell-running shoes.

What is slightly disquieting about this is that I brought them for her birthday - back in April!! This is not good....

running down High Pike I had forgotten a) how much I love fell-running and b) what a damn good workout it is...

My battered old Inov8's are still going - they got chewed up by the OMM in 2008 but have steadfastly refused to die - which is pleasing to me; although I have a new pair I got a couple of years ago in the sale ready to go when they do die.

Claire reported no real problems with her shoes - and she ran down well....which is also good.

The least said about the weather forecast for the next few days the better - Claire is at a mock exam in London next weekend and I am debating going to Scotland with Suilvan or staying here - this will depend on the weather a bit as well.

My photo's are moving...

http://www.photoboxgallery.com/3436739  is the new location where they will all be stored. In due course I am hoping to try and sell a few of these  - they can also be made into calendars etc and a whole variety of stuff - please spread the word to all those around.

The photo's will be on picasa for a little bit - can't say for sure how long though.

Braeriach

Claire and I decided to take advantage of the excellent forecast for the Saturday and delay our departure south by 1 day - another big advantage of having the van. Sure enough, the day dawned hot and sunny and we were ready for an early(ish!) start - with quite a goal in mind.

Claire descending to the Lairig Ghru

Braeriach is arguably the daddy of all the Gorms - not the biggest or the most remote, but a big top a long way from anywhere with a reputation for appalling weather and tricky navigation. It also boasts, in An Garbh Choire, arguably one of the finest of all corries in Scotland. Our plan was to park at the Sugarbowl on the ski road and traverse the hill-side to the Charlmain Gap, before descending to the Lairig Ghru - one of the two great passess that split the range. From there, we would climb the loooooong ridge of Sron na Lairig (which we'd have to ascend as it's a munro top!) and thence onto Braeriach itself. We'd be facing about a 200m re-ascent to the Gap on the way back - giving a 20km day with around 1500m of ascent.

The path to the gap has been re-made since I was there (almost 20 years ago on a trip to Corrour bothy after finishing my finals) and made for quick going to the Gap itself. The gap is actually a rocky boulder hop that Claire did not find to her liking - surprising for one so usually sure-footed. However, given the magnificence of the day this was not a massive problem and we were soon descending towards the Lairig Ghru.

Crossing the stream was easy - and gave the promise a water re-fill at the re-cross (which given the heat we'd need) - and we were soon starting the VERY long climb up the Sron. The weather was astonishing - I was seriously hot in short-sleeved wicking top and shorts! This has not been the usual weather for the summer in Cumbria at least. The ascent starts quite steeply but then eases into a bit of a drag, but there is a good path to follow which helps a lot. About 2/3 of the way up there was a brief and very violent 3 min rain/hail squall - apart from this the jackets stayed in the the rucksack.

Looking to Ben MacDui.

The path actually skirts the summit of Sron na Lairig and, fortified by a banana and a country slice, we started the final climb to the summit of Braeriach. The views were amazing - across the vast expanse of An Garbh Choire to the Angels Ridge, a superb grade II scramble/grade I winter climb which needs to be looked at, to Cairn Toul and across to Ben MacDui. The view even extended to the far east and Ben Avon. The photo's are all on the photobox gallery - link later.

Having had lunch at the top - and gazed out at the plateau and the hills of Thursday we began to descend. We went over Sron na Lairig - not too bad an ascent before dropping down the long descent to the Lairig. I then re-filled my bottle giving vital energy for the last climb - which is a bit of a drag back up to the Gap. Claire was much more sure-footed through the gap second time around and we were soon beginning the walk-out to the car.

7 1/2 hours for the round-trip was pretty good going for us and to have such an amazing day was utterly priceless.

http://www.photoboxgallery.com/3436739  is the link to the new photo storage site - they can be downloaded and brought/made into calendars etc...

Glen Feshie hills..

The Thursday morning dawned ok - it had rained heavily overnight but had stopped and the cloud was quite light on the hills. The forecast was for it to improve as the day went on as well; so Claire and I drove Suilvan round to Achlean farm and parked up. The stalkers path mentioned in the books as the way to approach these hills was a delight - it did mean we'd have about a 4km road walk at the end of the day; however a strong southerly wind precluded us using the bikes to bike up and walk back south (our original idea). This way, the wind was at our backs.

The stalkers path as superb, well drained and well graded, so we could maintain a slow but steady plod up the path towards the summit of Carn Ban Mor. This area is known for being a navigational nightmare in thick mist and it's easy to see why. Visibility was not perfect (far from it with it being limited to around 100 yards); however there was a cairn at the junction of the four paths and it enabled us to find the wind-shelter on the summit of Carn Ban Mor easily [ a word of note; the cairn is not the biggest and may well get buried in the winter snows].

Lunch was taken on top and, with no improvement in the weather, the decision was made to retreat to the van. We'd got about 100m down when suddenly the clouds started to lift and the sun began to make an appearence - so we climbed back up and continued with the traverse as planned. 5 minutes later and we'd have been too far down to re-ascend - truly a stolen day.

This picture is the next stage of our route with Claire starting the ascent of Sgor Gaoith, one of two Munro summits on the plateau, the other being at the far end which we weren't visiting today.

                                                                                                                     

This was a view looking back - showing the desolation of the Moine Mhor (or Great Moss). Using the path that we followed, you can walk across to Braeriach and to the hills of Monadh Mhor and Beinn Bhrotain. Irvine Butterfield, author of the 'High Mountains of Britain and Ireland' (pretty much the bible for me in my Munro bagging) describes this as the most "psychologically intimidating walk in Britain" and one can see why.

Sgor Gaoith had marvellous views into the great corries of Braeriach, and also marked the high point of the day's round. From there, it was a short hop onto Sgoran Dubh Mhor and onto Geal Charn, the last top of the day at 920m. From there, a steep descent took us to another lovely path, with lovely trees and heather to look at - which took us back to the road.

The 4km on the road was not good for my knees, however the lamb chops at the van did make more than amends for this - as did the sunset that night. With less wind, we were back in the high car-park - no midges!!!! - and this was our reward. A great end to a stolen day.

Journey to Aviemore....

Suilvan here again...remember how I said I was being loaded and I wondered what the humans were up to...I was right, time to get on the road again.

This time I was pretty full indeed, with a bike rack on the back and a bike in me as well....however it wasn't too bad a drive until we got to Aviemore itself. The male human starting chuntering about how the layby we were going to stay in wasn't there anymore (cycle path instead) and the female human was worried about parking in layby's with 'no overnight parking' signs - unlike the male human who wasn't worried about that at all!

They eventually took me most of the way up a very steep hill to a very windy car-park. Things didn't get much better there as the male human managed to empty most of the contents of the salt-cellar over his supper!! Luckily there was enough to go around for both. It was also very windy (I'm not talking about the humans either but the weather); so my humans decided to take me down to a car-park known as the 'Sugarbowl' which was more sheltered - but had midges...God these humans moan...at least they weren't getting rained on - unlike the bikes and me.

Being unwell in Devon..

me unfortunately not Suilvan - not that I wish he was unwell either!

I woke up on Tuesday morning feeling decidely off colour, as if I was going to vomit (something I hardly ever do) and was totally unable to do any climbing with Matt, Liz's partner and a very good climber. This was a bit of a bummer for all concerned - especially poor Matt who had been tempted up to North Devon with the promise of climbing! He did manage to work a route - which he eventually decided not to do on the Wed with too much grease in the air - and I was able to stagger very slowly and gingerly down to Screda Point to do some belaying for a couple of hours.

I'm still not totally sure what caused me to feel so crap - I didn't eat properly for about a week afterwards; certainly not over the following weekend when Claire was at a course in London and I stayed in the Wye Valley (including a look around Tintern Abbey - very impressive) or when we went to visit some of Claire's family in Cardiff.

I did get some routes in on the Screda Point slabs on the wed - top-roping a HVS and an E1, quite encouraged actually although not sure I would want to lead the E1 yet!! Liz and Matt departed on Wed afternoon - Claire and I stayed another day on the Thurs; more marvellous weather and then headed off on the Fri - Devon was a fantastic place; we'll (hopefully) be back soon(ish!!).

Suilvan speaks again...

there are lots of boxes and lots of activity amongst the humans....wonder if I'm about to get some more excercise?

A friend to play with....more from Suilvan

It was nice on Monday - another van arrived to keep me company. Some old friend of the human (the male one) and her family turned up. The other human spent most of the time trying to make friends with the dog that turned up as well........however Liz (the old friend) came with a nice van that  I could talk to; which was nice as it was getting a little lonely for me in my little corner. The humans were loving the fact the campsite was nice and quiet and so close to the sea and the village (they even walked there this morning to get some food - didn't by me an ice-cream I noted) but that meant that I did not have much to do; it was a nice relaxing holiday for me though.

Anyway - with the other van arriving it was nice to have the boxes taken out of me as there was talk of going climbing the next day - another human (Liz's partner Matt) - was going to come up the next morning in his car; so boxes of kit got sorted. The humans also had another bbq - the steak burgers...

A tale of two hills.....

nothing to do with the Devon trip....the two hills in question are Strawberry Hill and the Beacon.

Most of you who have done the C2C will know Strawberry Hill; it's the descent from Penrith to the Eden Valley and towards Langwathby...those who remember it will know it's steep! This is fine you might say, why would this be important in my bike ride on Arjuna...I was riding up it!

Arjuna, pictured here, is designed for fit people to ride - when you are fit riding him is a joy - when you are not fit his gears make it hard work going up 1:4 hills.

The benchmark I aim for in cycling is 16 mph average - not too bad on some of the hills around here; I managed 15.9 on this ride - it was 16.2 before Strawberry Hill....something to aim for.

The Beacon was yesterday (Fri 10th Aug); it is a favourite walk of Claire and I, however this time I decided to try and run it. It was very hot and I am very unfit (more so on my running than cycling where I have a base level of fitness from years of doing it). Anyway, I ran all the way up the road to the base of the climb, but have to confess to speed walking up the majority of the hill rather than running - another goal to aim for.

Second day in Devon....

Suilvan here again...not much to say today as I got to stay on the grass and chat to the other camper vans and enjoy the lovely weather...so I'll let the humans write about today:

Looking out to sea.

 Well, Sunday dawned a lovely day and Claire and I decided to go for a walk along the Devon coastal path up to Hartland Point - where there was apparently a tea van!! As well as being close to the sea - and having a prolonged dawdle on some beaches; we could also check out some of the cliffs that are in the area, such as Smoothlands which has a route I would love to do one day.

First thing about the Devon coast path; it ain't exactly flat!! In fact there were some quite sharp ups and downs; especially for two unfit people trying to wind down after a trying few months.

Lundy in the distance

That being said; it was impossible to quibble, the day was lovely and we found a lovely beach to sit on and munch some cheese triangles and outcakes before tootling along the coast further.

The weather was glorious and lots of stops for gazing at the cliffs and water were needed before we eventually got to Hartland Point, where tucked away was a VERY nice tea shack. A cup of tea and a pasty (so close to Cornwall after all!) went down very well before we attempted the return route. I say attempted as we ended up going back the way we came, due to the path we wanted to take being a muddy path. When I say muddy I mean flooded with mud - clearly there had been oceans of rain in Devon as 3 days of 25 degress plus had not evaporated it/dried it out. That being said, it did give us time to soak our hot feet in the sea on the beach we had been to before!! not a bad thing really.

Supper was at the pub again; having come back to Suilvan for a shower and change....as you can see another glorious evening.

Another glorious sunset.

Relaxing in North Devon...

Suilvan here, thought I would blog about my first road trip with the new owners. It was down to Devon and we actually had some glorious weather. 

First off for me was a few days in the doctors getting a couple of things attended to, my alternator was tuned for example so I could make sure that things worked when I was away from home. After that, I was loaded up with SO much kit it was untrue (it would have been easier if I had to take what was left in the house!!) and the Simon human and I set off for Devon.

It was a long drive, the first day of the school holidays (whatever they may be) and Devon is a long way. There were frequent stops for the human to refuel and quite a lot of cursing on the way down as we hit lots of other traffic. There were a few other nice older vans to say hi to - and some caravans to swear at -  don't know why the master told me to swear at all the caravans (or 'grockle pods' as he calls them) but there we go.

To cut a long drive short, we eventually arrived in Exeter and I was parked up for the night. Next day, the humans my owners were staying with wanted to have a look at me - they had never seen such a lovely van. My top compartment even got tried out by a little human (Claire's nephew!!) and it was nice to be the centre of attention. Soon enough we were heading off on some rather narrow lanes towards the place we were going to stay. The Simon human was driving and he tried his best; however  I don't think he has too much experience of driving a van, so I did struggle up a few hills. However, we got there in the end and I must admit the humans had chosen a nice spot. It was a lovely campsite and had POWER - so I could plug in and relax and enjoy the scenery. I also got to laugh at my humans as they tried to work out how to make things work. All humans struggle with this to some extent but these two are worse than most. Once that was done, we could settle in and enjoy the lovely views of the sea and the local area - some pictures they took are below.

Finally got here....wish they knew how to drive me.

Lovely church behind the campsite

Screda Point..main slab in the middle.

 The humans went off for a walk around the sea (one clutching his climbing guide) and they had supper at a pub on the sea front). Personally I prefer diesel; however the humans assured me that the beer was excellent at the pub. They also said that the climbing looked excellent as well. This was good as some more humans with a lovely van were coming in a couple of days to stay with them - company at last!!
The day ended with a lovely sunset....boded well for the week said the humans.

Sunset on the first night.

Suilvan's first day out!

Claire and I took advantage of the fact that it hadn't actually rained in one whole day (pretty amazing for the last few weeks) and got out for a walk today. I seem to be winding down towards the end of term and feel totally shattered with very little oomph. However, waking to a morning without a biblical amount of rain was too good to pass up so we loaded up Suilvan and set off.

Claire and I are still getting to know Suilvan, yesterday for example we had a total pig's ear of trying to light the gas - thanks Peter for the assist!! and there seems to be a problem with the back door. However, it was still good to pootle along at 60 all the way to Braithwaite were we parked in the school.

There was next to no wind and it was quite warm and pretty sticky, so it was a bit of a flog at times. The path up to the Hause seems to get looser and steeper every time I do it - and lunch was taken at the top of the Hause. We watched with amusement as some DofE people took a very odd line up a loose scree slope to near the top of Eel Crag and (having praised their fitness and questioned their iq level!) we set off on the path.

As can be seen from the pix, https://picasaweb.google.com/102361192587557786751/EelCragViaColedaleHause

we seemed to have got the best of the weather which was good - and the arrival of a gentle breeze made the ascent up Eel Crag not too bad. I was still struggling with distinct lack of energy - can't believe I used to fell run hills like these - but once on top the energy did come back a bit as we tackled a lovely descent. Sail was first  - with lovely views down quiet valleys (unlike the hills which were pretty busy with a lot of DofE types out), before we swung away from Causey Pike and descended a lovely valley before crossing a col and dropping into Braithwaite. From there it was up to Claire to take Suilvan home - which she did with aplomb (not bad for the first time she has driven him).

Not much of a walk - but probably all I can manage at the moment - need to get some fitness up through the holidays.

Suilvan...

no it's not a misprint....Claire and I have brought a campervan; after a brainwave of Claire last weekend when were having lunch at Rheged. The van is lovely and cosy and has a surprising amount of space, a fridge and gas and electric hook-ups.

 We found the van from an advert on a second hand website and went to see it on Monday. I then test drove it Thurs and we put an offer in which was accepted and we got the van on Friday.
The van is a conversion but was done professionally and clearly with some eye for detail and common sense.

We have sussed out a fair bit about it already and will be taking it for its first test run next weekend to Scotland. Not entirely sure what we'll get done give our fitness levels - I have been so focused on preparing for my final assessment that I have barely seen the sun in weeks and the weather  - but we'll

 see.

Re the weather - Thurs was horrendous with 3-4" of water in the cellar - which then receded pretty rapidly when it stopped. Tomorrow has a reasonable forecast - need to drag my carcass on the hill somewhere and somehow.

Seana Bhraigh...an overnight trip with Claire

Magoo's Bothy

 Wednesday was originally a rest day for us, recovering from our exertions in Inverlael; however the promise of a good day weather wise on Thurs, and then a change in the weather spurred us into action.

Over a lovely breakfast at the Ceilidh Place, we decided on a plan of campaign. A trip to Tesco to get some supplies and then we'd drive to Oykel Bridge and drive the 7 miles into Corriemulzie Lodge - on an estate road that has a mixed reputation. From there we'd shoulder overnight packs and walk into Coiremor bothy which is an excellent jumping off point for the ascent of Seana Bhraigh, which is one of the most remote of the Munro's. I drove the track - incredibly slowly it must be said - and we parked up in the rain. The rain stopped pretty quickly which was good, and we had a bit of a chat with two lads who were biking out having climbed the peak in one day (we had seen their car at the Oykel Bridge Hotel), before heading on towards the bothy. The walk in was about 5 miles in my guess and we got to the bothy to find there were in fact 2 - next door to each other as well. Magoo's bothy - the new one - was the one we elected to stay in. It was built by some RAF people in memory of one of their friends killed in Kosovo. It was lovely, with candles, benches, a table and some cutlery etc. It's not maintained by the MBA (who do look after Coiremor), but maintained by friends and family of the guy killed (whose call-sign was Magoo hence the name.) Supper was two rounds of minestrone soup and noodles, as well as some shortbread. Bed was a lovely lie out in the bedroom with some candles. It got a little cold for me - revenge for  Claire's  for winter as her summer sleeping bag is better than mine :-) The feeling of peace and solitude at Magoo's is  tangible - and a reminder of what bothying is like. It has been a few too many years since I was last in a bothy - must go back soon and do some more overnighters...

Waking up to a lovely morning we found we had a slight challenge - the milk had gone off. So, we had two choices; either water on our cereal or Tabasco Sauce. Claire; despite being a daughter of Howard (a man SO hard he has Tabasco Sauce on his toast!) elected for water - so water it was. Actually it was quite nice and a good fuelling session as what was clearly a steep ascent waited for us.

Having tidied the bothy we packed our kit and retraced our steps to the head of the loch. Fording the outflow, which can be quite an epic, was easy given the recent hot spell and was simply a quick boulder hop. We then pulled up into the corrie before slanting left with a steep ascent onto the ridge. From the ridge, we pulled onto point 760m where a widening vista revealed itself. Most of the pix can be found here: https://picasaweb.google.com/102361192587557786751/SeanaBhraighViaMagooSBothy

Looking to An Tellach.

the one's below are two of the examples from the rest of the day.

We were both amazed to find someone on top - who had come up from Inverlael in about 2 3/4 hrs. The line of ascent towards the rest of the Beinn Dearg range was clear - with the clouds lifting and swirling around. After a second breakfast on top we set off on the descent - taking a nice ridge down towards pt 592m; from where we planned to descend to join one of the network of  stalkers paths that serve this area. Our walk-in had actually started on this main track - it is easily ridable although the section we walked back on was not totally flat!

Having had some food at the top of point 592 we descended towards the path and were soon on it. The return leg seemed quite long in the heat - although the fantastic views all around more than made up for this. This is a really empty quarter of Scotland, even by the standards of the NW Highlands, and the peace and quiet was lovely.
Re-joining the main track we had been on the night before as it wended it's way along the Strath there were several tempting pools to bathe in. However, I suspect that my ankle would have tightened up had we stopped, and we still had the drive-out to do; so with regret we passed on. Claire, by the way, did the drive out to the road and was a little! more confident and quick than I was ....oh well

Lovely sculpture on the drive out..