Hills vs Culture

Peeping out of the curtains this morning I had to conclude that the day wasn’t looking too shoddy. Not a cloud was to be seen in the sky and it was that intense colour of blue that heralds a perfect day.

Such a perfect day called for one of two courses of action. One option was that we could go for a walk. It seemed like a perfect mountain day, but journeying to mountains would have taken time and eaten too much into the day, so a walk would likely have meant us finding ourselves on the Chase. The other option that appealed was to pop down to Stratford-upon-Avon, enjoy a bit of sun on the riverside while having a picnic lunch, before going to see whatever was being performed at the Courtyard as the Saturday Matinee.

A phone call was made to the ticket office when it opened with the crushing news that the matinee was sold out. What a blow! I really did fancy a bit of Shakespeare.

Hot on the heels of that news was a correction that it wasn’t sold out but that the only tickets left had a restricted view.

“How restricted?” I asked.

The only answer I got was that there was a pillar obstructing view; no information as to whether it was a three-feet wide pillar immediately in front of the seats, or a pillar off to one side. Still, restricted view seemed a better option than no view, so the tickets were bought and with unprecedented swiftness we pulled ourselves together and got out of the door.

I do like Stratford, particularly in good weather, and today didn’t disappoint. A picnic was had as planned, Mick read a newspaper whilst I relaxed with a book and then we ambled over to the theatre to see As You Like It. The restricted visibility turned out to be a small pillar that blocked the very corner of the stage; moving the head by two inches either way got around that tiny lack of visibility.

It was an excellent performance, and the fight scene was right up there as the best I’ve seen. As You Like It doesn’t go down as one of my favourite plays, but it was still a good three hours of entertainment.

Disgustingly large ice-creams were enjoyed with more lounging on the riverside before we made our way home (and we did get a modicum of exercise to and from where we parked (thanks to me being too tight to park in town when there’s free parking to be had a pleasant 1 mile riverside walk away)).

It’s unusual for us to pop out for a good-and-proper day out of this nature, and an excellent time was had.

Back to the walking next weekend (and if the weather could be as fantastic as today, that would be just fine too).

To Sew A Toe

Back at the beginning of March 2008 I posted about a blister remedy I had come across in a book from 1848:

'Blisters:
On the feet, occasioned by walking, are cured by drawing a needle full of worsted through them; clip it off at both ends and leave it till the skin peels off.’

I was rather sceptical.

Mr. Sloman commented at the time that he thought that there was something in the advice given, as the thread would act as a wick, but at the time I didn’t think that sewing a piece of thread through a blister was something that I would be trying.

Of course, opinions can change, particularly when someone has acted as a guinea pig.

The guinea pig was Vic (the one who goes to great lengths to help me out when I find myself in urgent need of something in the middle of a long walk and who occasionally pops up on this blog). When she suddenly found herself inflicted with a number of blisters after a wet day on her Grand Union Canal walk last year, she thought the thread method to be worth a try, and found that her blisters dried out astoundingly quickly.

So, after the fourth day of the piffling blister on my little toe reforming during the TGOC, I decided that drastic action was needed. My needle and a length of thread were thoroughly wiped down with a pre-injection swab, and through both layers of my double-decker of a blister I sewed the thread. At this point Mick, who had been wandering around the vicinity of the tent taking photos, returned and snapped a quick photo of the work in progress:

I then trimmed the ends off the thread.

The following night I removed the thread and sewed another piece through, in the other direction.

It was still a couple of days before I was pain free, and who knows, maybe it would have got better by itself by then anyway, but I wouldn’t write off repeating the experiment in future (hopefully not for a very long time though – as I said at the time, I’m not accustomed to getting blisters and I don’t want to start getting accustomed to them).

 

It’s A Sign!

Every now and then whilst out and about I spot a sign that amuses or intrigues me. Here’s a selection, all seen in the last year:

I had to trespass to get that photo.

A worrying sign to find on the path of a National Trail!

From a distance I only saw the “Warning: Sheep Grazing” bit

Makes a difference from the usual “Forestry Operations Keep Out” sort of sign

I’m pleased to say that the milk wasn’t served via a pump on the forecourt

What is the world coming to? H&S instructions on how to use a ladder stile.

As opposed to …

I think I’m closer than the sign suggests (but, wow, do I look miserable there?)

At least it wasn’t raining when I took it.

Tea bags: that well known form of sanitary disposable…

Post-TGO Challenge Random Thoughts

Thank You!

Firstly a thank you for all of the comments left whilst we were away. I’m not yet sufficiently technologically advanced that I can access comments on the hoof (so please don’t think that I was being ignorant in not replying to them), but it’s always very nice indeed to catch up with the comments when we get back.

The Blogging Device

Despite having a very annoying fault and being limited compared to other solutions, my new phone did the job for sending the blog posts. I even got a signal far more often than expected (and on no occasion did I have a signal on o2 or vodafone but not on T-mobile, so I needn’t have gone to the trouble and expense of getting the phone unlocked).

It was a few days through the trip when it dawned on me that I should be able to send photos, and it was good to finally see the results on a proper sized screen. In fact, at the time that I sent each of those photos the daylight on the screen meant that I couldn’t see what I was sending, so it was particularly pleasing to see that my ‘point, click and hope’ method worked just fine (even if the Edinburgh photo does look like it’s been tampered with).

Coming up - Kit

After a few people asked me, as we progressed east, what was in my pack, I thought I would put together a kit list of what I carried on this trip (although it’s not much different from what I carried on our LEJOG last year). This time, I even sat and weighed every single item. I ran out of time at the weekend to put the spreadsheet into a sensible order, but I’ll do that this weekend and post it.

I’ll also try to pull together a few thoughts as to various bits and pieces.

Also Coming Up – Another Angle

On the first night of our trip, as we sat there amidst the slug-fest, I typed my blog entry and I gave the notebook to Mick – and without complaint (even though it was girly pink) he wrote an account of our day. He then continued to write up the journal each night.

Now, I may be biased, but I thought it was rather good. So, if you can bear a second account of the same walk, once Mick has typed it up (it would be faster if I typed it, but I can’t read the writing!) I will post it here, probably in ‘seven episodes’.

Also Coming Up – Photies

We took a lot of photos! On the ‘to do’ list is the job of culling them and putting them somewhere suitable so that others can view them.

Comfortable Sleeping

Before the Challenge, when lots of people were getting excited at the Thermarest NeoAir and I was looking at other comfy looking mats, I managed to convince myself that I was trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. As nice as the thought of having a thicker mat was, I don’t have trouble sleeping on my thin Prolite 3 (mine isn’t actually the one shown in that link; it’s the old, heavier, pink one).

Once again, I had no problem getting a good night’s sleep, but with my mind now concentrated on the alternative mats that are out there, I did notice my stiff shoulders in the morning, which felt (unsurprisingly) like I’d been lying on a hard surface.

Mick now has a NeoAir on order, and I’m contemplating an Exped Downmat or a POE Thermo Thingy Whatsit.

And so…

…that really was a random selection of thoughts wasn’t it?

 

200 feet and 6 inches above Edinburgh

With an hour and a half between trains in Edinburgh I thought we would briefly be tourists.

The first touristy thing that we stumbled across (diffcult to miss, really) was the Scott Monument - and if there's a tall structure of that nature with public access then I like to climb it.

The £3 entrance fee seemed reasonable and the chap taking money was happy for us to leave our packs in his tiny area, so up we went.

As much as I like going up towers and such, it's always about a minute into the climb that I remember that spiral staircases make me silly-dizzy.

The views from the four viewing platforms were superb and the structure of the monument itself magnificent.

Staggering with dizziness we reached ground a good while later happy to have found a worthwhile way of stretching our legs and lungs whilst getting a bird's eye view of the city - and all within three minutes of the station.

Only two more trains and a bus now before home is reached.

Day 13 - North Water Bridge to St Cyrus

Wed 20 May
8.5 miles

(delayed posting - too busy being sociable yesterday)

It was a leisurely start from the campsite yesterday morning and half of the tents had gone by the time we got away (Rory's Argos tent having gone in the bin - not that there was anything wrong with it but he was quite adamant that he was never going to backpack again).

We had not gone far when John Maning caught up with us and so it was as a party of three that we chased Kim from Yorkshire, who was just ahead of us, to the coast.

The miles flew by and before we knew it the tea room in the village came into view just in time to see Kim's back disappearing through the door.

A short discussion was had as to whether it was acceptable to stop for tea and cake within sight of the end before we followed Kim's lead.

A few others (who had got the seqence of finish - tea - cake right) came in whilst we were there but we managed to drag ourselves away.

I recalled someone saying on the way across that St Cyrus is not the wisest choice of finish because of the long walk down to the sea. At the time I pictured a long beach. The reality is a steep cliff path down to the beach - fine on the way down, a bit of a pull on the way back (and for completeness we did carry our packs).

Of all the nationalities on the Challenge I did note that I found myself on the beach with three blokes - all from West Yorkshire. John and Kim were each completing their 10th crossings and so photos were accompanied by a rather nice 10 year old whisky that John had carried to mark the occasion.

After the toil back up the cliff more tea and cake was consumed before the bus ride to Challenge Control in Montrose to sign in and officially complete our first Challenge.

Montrose

All go at Challenge Control.

Made it!

And the sun came out for us too.

Day 13 - Elevenses

We would be on the beach at St Cyrus by now, except that to get to the beach we had to walk past the tea room. Unsurprisingly we fell in and in front of me I now have a very large pot of tea.

Next, the beach.

North Water Bridge Backpackers' Convention

Some of the tents at the campsite (28 in total at the last count).

Terra Nova dominates by a whisker above Hilleberg but there has been much discussion of the Argos Tiger Paw, in the middle of the cluster, which set Rory back £15 when he bought it new 8 years ago. There is talk of condensation amongst those with the expensive tents. Rory looks duly smug as he confirms that his Argos model is condensation free.

Day 12 - Forgotten detail

Ooops. Forgot the stats again for that last post.

Day 12 is Tuesday 19 May (good job my watch tells me these things or I would have struggled to work that out) and the mileage for the day was 17.

They were fast and easy miles though, so it didn't feel that far.

Day 12 - Tarfside to North Water Bridge

Twenty five or so tents were pitched on the field at Tarfside last night, but by 7.30 this morning that number was already reducing as people made their way to one of the breakfast establishments or to start their day.

By just gone 7.30 we were away too, retracing our steps a short way to the other side of the river North Esk from where we followed paths and tracks alongside the river the whole 12 miles into Edzell.

Arriving dripping (heavy showers once again today) at the tea room we joined 3 other Challengers who were already inside and set about consuming quantities of food and tea. More Challengers (increasingly soggy ones) came in until the place was full and it became only proper that we give up our table to some new arrivals.

Edzell marked the point where our route becomes a road-walk to the coast so the final five miles of the day were fast but unremarkable.

We were the second tent to pitch at the campsite but it wasn't long before many more arrived (all pitching on top of us and one another despite the big area available).

The showery weather is continuing, so having done laundry and taken a blissful hot shower we're now unsociably zipped up in the tent.

The end is now in sight. Tomorrow morning we will set out for the final 9 miles along little roads to the sea at St Cyrus.

Day 11 - Glen Clova to Tarfside

Mon 18 May
14 miles

As we walked into Glen Clova yesterday and I saw the hills over which we were to walk this morning I was really looking forward to the views we would get in the good weather that was sure to hold.

As I opened the door of our bunkroom at 6.15 this morning I gave fleeting thought to just turning around and going back to bed. The cloud was down and it was raining. This was not the day we had planned!

By 8.10, 20 mins into our day, we were up in that cloud and the light rain had become wind-driven heavy rain. The climb up to Green Hill (870m) got the blood pumping but we saw nothing and we made our way along the tops often with compass in hand.

The compass got even more use as we decided that we didn't fancy following the path as it descended 200m off Skuiley only to reascend 200m up Burnt Hill when there was an obvious route across the tops. The heather and hags
made it a strenuous option but it felt better than the alternative down and up.

As the morning went on the odd few holes started appearing in the low cloud giving us occasional glimpses of our apparently stunning surroundings but still the rain fell.

The best thing to do in the conditions seemed to be to keep moving so we motored along until at just after noon the rain stopped - which coincided with us reaching a wind shelter on Cairn Caidloch - our last hill of the day. We didn't need persuading to pause briefly for lunch.

Then all we had to do was to drop down to the road (took an interesting route there too) and follow it to Tarfside and as we did that the weather turned to heavy showers interspersed with a golden orb.

Arriving at 2.30 between showers the tent was pitched before we hotfooted it to the church for tea & chat & tea & cake & chat & tea & chat.

A damp day, with 5 hours of rain in the 6.5 we were out, but not a bad one all in all.

Day 10 - First view of Glen Clova

As we broke out of some forestry just after noon it was with an 'ooh' that we noticed this view.

The path from this point to the next lump of forestry had the distinction of being one of the wetest paths along which I've walked - and I'm no stranger to bogginess. Squelch!

Day 10 - Glen Markie to Glen Clova

Sun 17 May
15 miles

'Did you hear the rain in the night?' asked Mick. I can't say that I noticed it, but I did notice the absence of rain (but the presence of dripping condensation, thanks to the still night) as we got up and packed away.

As if on cue the rain started again the very moment I exited the tent and I was a tad morose at the thought of another day of being wet and cold.

Mick helped my morale with a pep talk ('for goodness sake, pull yourself together, you've got a face like a wet weekend'), and off we set.

As a bonus over yesterday visibility was remarkably improved so we could see the lumpy, heather clad landscape through which we were passing.

As a double bonus, by the time we stopped for elevenses, on a bench by the chapel in Prosen Village, the sky was looking decidedly brighter and I was having thoughts of removing my overtrousers.

A woman who arrived with her Dyson to give the chapel a bit of a fettling before the noon service gave us some (unsolicited but very useful) route advice for the last couple of miles of the day, then we were off again.

The landscape of Glen Prosen is pleasing indeed if lumpy, rough and heathery is your thing, but it was as we broke from a lump of forestry on the way down into Glen Clova that an 'oooh' escaped me. By this time the sky was blue and Glen Clova was looking absolutely stunning. I'm so pleased that we arrived today, with good visibility to allow us to appreciate it.

We were at our destination at just gone 2 and were soon booked into the bunkhouse and once again doing the chores that occupy me when I want to be resting. Still, the chores are now done and as I type this (at 4.30pm) I have my feet up & a cup of tea to hand.

It's all gone quiet over there...

For those who've been looking out for the daily updates, I can report that Gayle and Mick are alive and well (if slightly damp) in Tarfside, enjoying cups of tea.

As expected, the mobile phone coverage has gone from patchy to non-existent. Normal blog service will be resumed as soon as they get a signal.

Cloud's Lifted!

Ooooh! For the first time since before 10 this morning we can see some of our surroundings.

Day 9 - Evening

Two things have been learnt this evening:

1) When Terra Nova warn that the Superlite Voyager is not watertight they are quite correct. In this evening's rain we have sprung a leak. Not catastrophic (yet!). I will be sealing those seams myself when we get home.

2) If you fall asleep whilst waiting for your Chick Pea Stewy Thing to rehydrate and accidentally leave it for an hour then the chick peas do fully rehydrate. I've never managed such patience before.

Day 9 - Kirkmichael to Glenmarkie

Sat 16 May
13.5 miles

After we left Kirkmichael this morning, after a lie-in & a cooked breakfast, we discovered that had we continued on yesterday we would not have been short of choices of pitch.

I was happy, however, to have had a night of luxury and was particularly pleased with having indulged in an indecently long shower followed by the joy of getting dry in a warm room with a big fluffy towel. After 8 days of being outside (featuring just 2 showers!) it was a worthwhile treat.

So, off we set this morning, noting the possible pitches & making our way through farmland, all the time playing 'spot the stile'.

The spotting of stiles became trickier when, about 45 minutes into the day, the cloud came down. Down it stayed too, such that we didn't see a thing all day.

I know that we passed from farmland onto open moor and that we skirted a bit of forestry & crossed more moorland. Great attention was paid to navigation in the pathless yomping & we managed to stay on track (on the tricky bits anyway; we did go very mildly awry on forestry tracks right at the end of the day)- but at no time could we see where we were going or what our surroundings were like.

And so I find that after a day of walking through this area I have no feel for the visual nature of it, which is rather a shame.

On the plus side (every cloud and all that) the day was not as wet as forecast. Although mizzly in the cloud, it wasn't until 4 hours through that any real rain fell and then it was only light. The proper wet stuff managed to hold off until we had been in the tent for a whole 10 minutes - what timing!

We're now pitched in our preferred position - at the edge of a babbling stream. It should lull us to sleep nicely later.

As for other people, it has been a quiet day. Just one couple was met out for a stroll in their 'back garden'. We chatted a while and proving what a small world we live in it transpired that the chap grew up 1 mile away from where I did.

Day 8 - Blair Atholl to Kirkmichael

It was a sociable night last night in the Atholl Arms, chatting to people we already knew & meeting new faces. Amongst those present was Alan who we first met at Wolverhampton station & who has been having an eventful challenge. A few days ago he slipped, fell & did a nasty mischief to his head/ear. Glen Coe MRT went to his rescue and a local Medical Centre glued his ear back on, then incredibly he got himself back to the point where the accident had happened and continued his walk. He wins my award for continuing in the face of adversity.

As for today, we knew that the weather had changed as soon as we woke. There was not the clear-night chill in the air & sure enough a short while later a gentle patter of rain was to be heard.

Waterproofs on, off we set hoping that it would just be a passing shower. That rain did pass but as we ascended it was replaced with a strong headwind which made the going much tougher than the terrain suggested it should be.

Then, about an hour and a half in, the rain started again & this time it didn't stop. From what I saw the surroundings were very nice indeed, but from my little world of Underhood it wasn't possible to enjoy them to the full.

Terrain was varied, ranging from a few km of heather-bashing & yomping to a lovely forest path to a not-so-nice couple of miles down a quiet A road.

Amongst all this, lunch turned into a quandary as we needed to eat but I was cold by then & knew that stopping would risk me getting so cold that I would struggle to get warm again.

3 miles from our destination we did find a spot sheltered from wind and rain and as we ate I started fantasising about finding a B&B for the night.

Had a good pitch presented itself before we reached the village we would have used it, but as it didn't we succumbed to our first luxury of the trip. So this afternoon not only do I get the rest that I failed to achieve amongst yesterday's chores, but due to the time of breakfast service we get a lie-in tomorrow too.