Glasgow tae Somewhere ...

A five trig Sunday

2012-01-09T21:07:00.000Z

With the high summits still getting a kicking from "upland gales" and low cloud giving a less than 10% chance of clear tops ...I am getting fat. Not just in body but in mind (which is probably more damaging anyway). Decided that a wee local retro route would help cure the ills.

The Old Kilpatrick to Milngavie "Haute Route" was a fairly regular training run during the lead up to my 2008 Marathon des Sables and has the advantage of being :- point to point, local, good mix of mind bending / energy sapping tussocks balance with good runnable tracks and trails, great views (usually), fair bit of personal history in the areas you travel through ...and various trig points to visit as well !

To add a little extra interest, I cycled from the flat into Glasgow where I left my bike before jumping the train out to the starting point. Had a slow jog up the road before starting the climb up the Slacks and the first trig. It was obvious that most of the first half of the day would be spent in the cloud - made very obvious when after leaving the Slacks, I was suprised to drop out the cloud and see the river Clyde instead of Loch Humphrey. Navigation corrected, I made my way out to Doughnut hill which took an age due to a number of fallen trees (I assume brought down by Hurricane Bawbag or the follow up Mawbag storm), the smell of fresh pine made up for the detours. After Duncolm it was more tussocks until reaching the loch behind the Whangie where good progress and easy running returned.

Over the summit and along the race route to the Queens view car park. In previous runs, I usually head straight over the road to pick up the West Highland Way but this time I had a trot down the road to rejoin the route at Carbeth. For sport, I also went over the wee trig that sits above Craigallian Loch before the last few miles down to Milngavie.

No doubt about it, I need more miles before the fat feeling goes :-(

For Paris ...read London !

2011-12-15T11:38:00.003Z

Well folks,

The results are in and sadly I didn't make the final cut for the Runners World / Asics team for the Paris Marathon.

Getting as far as I did was a blast and loved every minute of it. Many thanks to everyone for the support and votes - all very humbling indeed.

Onto plan B ...due to getting a qualifying time last year, I have a place in London Marthon - target is to go sub 3 hour EEEKKKK !

Thanks again ...
Cheers
Graham

Bootcamp ...

2011-12-15T11:36:00.001Z

A wee video from the Birmingham Bootcamp day with Runners World and Asics

Help me get to Paris ....

2011-12-07T20:41:00.000Z

Folks,

As some of you will know, I applied for a place on the Runners World / Asics sponsored programme for next years Paris Marathon

Up for grabs are:

One to One coaching
Entry and Accommodation for Paris 2012
Garmin 610 running watch
Three full sets of Asics Running Kit
Two group training days
Entry into a half marathon as preparation

From the initial 1656 applications, I got one of the 40 places in boot camp and pleased to report I am in the final 19 spread across 5 categories. Within the PB Hunter group I am down to five folks all competing for one place.

How can you help ...simples – vote for me.

Vote Here Please

Cheeky I know but if you would consider passing this onto any friends, family or in fact anyone who might help get me to Paris – that would be fantastic !

Your time would be greatly appreciated and beer and good karma will be provided in return !

Dreaming of Jupiter ...

2011-10-20T11:37:00.000+01:00

There are very few books I remember buying but Ted Simon’s “Jupiter’s Travels” is one of the few that I do remember. It was recommended and I picked up my copy in the Penguin Book Shop that used to be located in the Waverley Shopping Centre over in Edinburgh. I also remember reading it very quickly and deciding that a motorcycle was something I needed in my life.

For those who are not aware of Ted Simon – leaving in October 1973, he began travelling around the world on a 500 cc Triumph Tiger 100 motorcycle. Over the next four years he travelled over 64,000 miles (103,000 km) through 45 countries and “Jupiters Travels” tells the story. He was certainly one of the first people to undertake such a journey and it inspired countless similar adventures (he was quoted as being the reason Ewan & Charlie did the “Long Way Round”).

In 2001, Ted repeated much of the original journey with the intent of seeing how the 25 year gap had changed the world and his latest book “Dreaming of Jupiter” tells that particular story. In it he makes the observation that “only a fool tries to repeat history” and it was a concern as I started the book ….how could it possibly be as good as the original? In the end I need not have worried. Whilst it makes reference to the 1973 journey it succeeds in being fresh and as exciting as the original.

Some reviews have noted that there is a theme of disappointment running through the book but for me, that is simply stating a very human aspect of the dreams and hope for the future that tend to exist in the early part of life do not always work out as you had planned or hoped. That is not to say that is a bad thing …more just a thing. What is inspirational is that at nearly seventy years of age, Ted demonstrates that it is still possible to go out and find adventure and love in this life – now that is optimistic and comforting at the same time!

I did get that motorcycle and enjoyed a decade on two wheels before deciding I had gotten away with it and hung up ma boots …currently now stuck dreaming of my own personal Jupiter.

The Hard Way - liner notes ...

2011-09-24T22:09:00.000+01:00

Read this the other day ...it made so much sense.

Some of the people out there are trying
Some of the people out there have given up
Some of the people out there are ...well out there

But we are all people. People living in a society that equates money, status and power with dignity, when in most cases nothing could be further from the truth. The more you have, the harder it is to appreciate it.

For the last 3 or 4 years, I have been trying to figure out what one does with one's self once one's dreams have come true - after much stumbling and falling, thousands of miles, a lot of laughter and no small amount of pain, I think I have the answer - find another dream FAST !!!

Steve Earle
March 1990

A view of sorts ...

2011-09-24T21:45:00.000+01:00

As usual, the annual Ben Race marks the end of the year for me (cannae be bothered with the whole “hogmanay” crap that you are meant to enjoy …especially in Scotland.

Looking back, there were loads of great adventures over the last twelve months. Winter truly arrived late November and whilst the central belt of Scotland couldn’t move, I enjoyed snowshoeing over Corbetts above the east end of Loch Arkaig. Managed some late night Nordic ski trips around East Renfrewshire golf courses and put in some nice trails around the fields of Busby as well. Further bothy nights and mountain days were enjoyed with Graham Pascall in the lead up to Christmas.

January ended with a week ski mountaineering in the Cairngorms in what could only be described as challenging conditions. Big trip of the spring was over eleven of the Ardgour Corbetts just avoiding the wild fires which spread up from the shores of Loch Shiel and destroyed areas further north in Glen Shiel and also in Torridon. Sadly for the mountaineers (but great for the mountains themselves)

May was dominated with rain but I still managed a week on the Corbetts around Applecross, Torridon and above Garve. My Dad’s move towards finishing his Munros has continued with various trips leaving him 6 more 3000ft main summits to visit. Late summer also meant me finally getting back to a couple of AL hill races with a ramble round the Glenshee 9 and the Two Inns. I might have dropped another minute of my Ben time but suppose that goes with getting older.

In terms of stat - between Ben races:

20 hill races
74 new Corbetts
26 repeated Munros
54 days spent in the Scottish Mountains

The bad …

My biggest fail in the last 12 months without doubt has been a complete failure on the planned Bob Graham round - entirely my fault. Not only did I not get an attempt at the full round, but I failed even to get my arse down for a few recee trips. Why …dead simple, I always managed to find an excuse to be doing something else. I had offers of support and got as far as tentative plans for a joint attempt with some hill runner pals from up here but given a general “Decide and Do” strategy, I missed out the doing bit. I am disappointed in myself …and even now the “too late for this year” excuse floats to the surface. Must put that right !!!

The next …

Plan to try and get my Dad another couple of summits before winter arrives and to add whatever additional Corbetts come my way as well. Next March I will be skiing the Haute Route from Zermatt to Chamonix which gives a good excuse from some training in Scotland given a good winter. Thanks to last years London Marathon result (3:09:51), I qualify for a good for age place and it seems appropriate to run London again in the year the Olympics comes to town. A long trip into Knoydart in late April or early May should see my Dad ready to choose his day for the last Munro.

Other than that, there are a few cycle tours around Scotland in the head and yes …a Bob Graham round !

Two men, a Munro, a Corbett and a boat ...

2011-08-22T20:57:00.000+01:00

Sticking with the theme of mixing lochs and mountains, my Dad and myself headed north for another one of his Munros - Sgurr Mor being the target.

Overnight digs was the excellent Invergarry Bunkhouse which gave an easy start point for the next day. With two people to get across the loch, my wee packraft was left at home and instead the Sevylor Sirocco was chosen. The sevy is not nearly as fast as a hard hull canoe but with no transport issues, I reckon the overall trip time is the same or maybe quicker.

I had heard previous reports of the estate not being keen on folks heading over the loch so we inflated the boat down on the shore and headed off fairly quickly. An hour later we pulled the canoe up the bank and swapped paddling gear for hill gear.

One of the special things about the route was my Dad getting a new Munro and me getting a new Corbett with Sgurr an Fhuarain. We used the excellent stalkers path which goes round the back of Meall a Choire Bhuide and onto the Corbett summit. Got bugged out by some high altitude midges at the trig point so continued along the ridge to the main objective of the day of Sgurr Mor. My Dad's hill fitness was great and as we dropped back towards the canoe ..there was time to reflect on the fact that there is three more hill days before heading out to compleat !

Cairngorm John - a wee book to read ...

2011-08-16T17:02:00.000+01:00

The Cairngorm mountains have featured in my life since regular ski trips in the 1980s with my Dad. Since then I have walked, ran, camped, bivied, climbed, biked, ski toured and generally explored the area in every season and condition imaginable. I did my summer Mountain Leader training & assessment as well as winter training at Glenmore Lodge. I have always been aware of the work carried out by the Mountain Rescue Teams in Scotland but (thankfully) my knowledge has been indirect to date.

In the book “Cairngorm John – A Life in Mountain Rescue”, the author John Allen sets out to give a guide to the media on the reality of the work carried out by MRTs, share his experiences and to raise the profile of the service. No doubt about it, he fully achieves these aims.

The book starts with a bit of a biographical history of John’s life and how he ended up living and working in the area as well as the history of how the team was originally formed. It continues giving an account of a number of significant rescues each with a slightly different viewpoint or aspect but one common thread runs throughout and that is the professional, highly skilled and motivated nature of each and every team member. The hard skills of actually getting people off the hill are evident but so also are the sympathetic and human touches that too often are lacking from the media reports. As with most organisations, the MRT service is not immune to the politics – both in terms of funding and how they operate but also as seen from the non-mountaineers (i.e. the whole should insurance be mandatory) – John gives a good account of these constraints as well as an informed position which thankfully aligns with my own thoughts on the matter.

The sadness and tragic outcome from some of the rescue descriptions (especially the loss of a young German girl in the middle of summer) makes painful reading but serves to remind exactly why Mountain Rescue is an essential emergency service.

The book ends with a description of John’s move from mountains to sailing – it brings a nice end and highlights that the work of the MRTs and specifically the Cairngorm Team will carry on and is stronger than the individual.

I highly recommend that anyone who has a passion for the mountains reads this.

Lady Isle Sea Kayak trip ...

2011-08-02T23:43:00.000+01:00

I have previously admitted a liking for Trig Points – they form the basis of OSGB mapping which I read more than …well probably anything. A work colleague and friend pointed out the rather obscure Trig on Lady Isle which sits just over 5km off the coast of Troon at NS275293.

The problem in visiting it was the requirement for a boat. I made some enquiries and quickly came to the conclusion that a sea kayak trip was the best option. I have my own boat but not the skills or confidence to attempt a solo trip. Bit of chat with my pal Matt at a post hill race curry indicated he was up for making the trip. We avoided the nesting season so as not to disturb the wildlife and an opportunity arose last Friday enjoying perfect paddling conditions – in fact it seemed a shame to be only out for the afternoon. More such trips are in order I reckon.

Huge thanks to Matt for sharing the madness !

Packraft learning ...

2011-07-31T22:20:00.000+01:00

Things I learned on the first packraft trip (in order of thought rather than anything) …

1. They give approaches / access to areas otherwise difficult.
2. Dry bags are your friend (double bag important stuff).
3. Paddle too hard and you simply spin round in circles.
4. Paddle too light and you won’t go anywhere fast.
5. 1.67km per hour is not a bad average to plan on.
6. Open water solo crossings are scary!
7. A buoyancy aid is essential.
8. Inflation tubes or bags are preferable to blowing up the raft by mouth only.
9. The last bit of fill pressure needs to come from your lungs!
10. Packrafts cope better with rough water than I would have thought.
11. Boston valves are great.
12. Good to inflate then leave for a bit whilst you sort the rest of your kit.
13. Packrafts are great fun !

Getting ready to cross Loch Maree

A letterewe adventure ...

2011-07-31T00:06:00.000+01:00

If anyone asks, my favourite Munro is A’ Mhaighdean deep in the Fisherfield. I have been on it 3 times now and on each occasion, looked south into the Letterewe area in amazement at the landscape and geology.

Letterewe is remote by any standard with either a long approach from Poolewe or Linlochewe …or more directly across Loch Maree ! My Flytepacker packraft made this a realistic option.

With overnight kit all loaded into dry bags, I pushed off into the loch from the south shore to take a fairly direct 1.67km route onto the opposite shore. Took a while to get the hang of keeping the raft moving straight and forward but after an hour I climbed out and pulled the raft up onto the gravel bank. The original plan had been to carry the raft over Beinn Airgh Charr and to make another crossing over Fionn Loch but I reckoned it was quicker to simply use the stalkers path / causeway round to Carnmore.

The views north into the Fisherfield were as impressive as the reverse option. Happy to have the first summit under my belt, I enjoyed a run down to pick up the stalkers path and round the head of the loch. Nipped into the Carnmore barn for a bite to eat and left overnight gear so I could ascent the second Corbett of the day Beinn a Chaisgein Mor lightweight. From the summit, Poolewe looked a very long way away indeed. Again, I ran back down to the bothy arriving at the door just before 6pm.

Since it was only early evening and with the barn not looking all that comfy, I opted to continue over Beinn Lair and find a bivvy spot. Kinda weird being in such a remote location on my own …and yet feeling perfectly happy. Sitting around the summit it was satisfying to look over the days route before dropping off to the north and out of the wind. Tea and something to eat with my back against a rock and some tunes on the iPod.

Next morning was an early rise before a return to the packraft and back across the loch. Finished off the trip with ascents of Meall a Ghiuthais & Ruadh Stac Beag.

When i grow up ...

2011-07-25T21:58:00.000+01:00

I reckon my Dad has been a huge influence when it comes to my love of the outdoors...

The bold chap had just returned from a cycling trip to the French Alps which included an ascent of Alpe D'Huez (where the guest house owner refused to believe that ma Dad is 74 years old) and was up for some hill sport.

We had last cycled in from Attadale gardens in May of this year with the plan of ascending Bidean a' Choire Sheasgaich and Lurg Mhor - plan which ended at Bendronaig Bothy due to grim weather. Thankfully this time we were graced with sunshine and clear views from the summits !

The success leaves faither with 8 Munros to complete.

Robert Service - Men Who Don't Fit In

2011-06-27T23:34:00.000+01:00

Love all the Service poems but this is without doubt ma favourite...

Men Who Don't Fit In
There's a race of men that don't fit in,
A race that can't stay still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin,
And they roam the world at will.
They range the field and they rove the flood,
And they climb the mountain's crest;
Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don't know how to rest.
If they just went straight they might go far;
They are strong and brave and true;
But they're always tired of the things that are,
And they want the strange and new.
They say: "Could I find my proper groove,
What a deep mark I would make!"
So they chop and change, and each fresh move
Is only a fresh mistake.

And each forgets, as he strips and runs
With a brilliant, fitful pace,
It's the steady, quiet, plodding ones
Who win in the lifelong race.
And each forgets that his youth has fled,
Forgets that his prime is past,
Till he stands one day, with a hope that's dead,
In the glare of the truth at last.

He has failed, he has failed; he has missed his chance;
He has just done things by half.
Life's been a jolly good joke on him,
And now is the time to laugh.
Ha, ha! He is one of the Legion Lost;
He was never meant to win;
He's a rolling stone, and it's bred in the bone;
He's a man who won't fit in.

Gorton Bothy ..late one night

Where the time goes ...

2011-06-26T22:22:00.000+01:00

An update of sorts ...

Had on oversized post written but it had a problem - it was shit! To summarise, I drove somewhere, went to the summit of something, drove somewhere else and ran to the summit of another hill.

May started with a mix of Kintail, Applecross, Torridon had a bit of Braemar in the middle as well.

June started with probably the most important and poignant couple of days in the Scottish mountains in my life but you will need to buy me beer to get that tale.

To be continued ...

In the footfall...a ramble across Ardgour

2011-05-05T19:37:00.000+01:00

By definition, the Corbetts tend not to lend themselves to multiple summit ticks when compared to the Munros since they tend to be more individual in nature.

Since last September, a trip which would link eleven Corbetts (also taking in a Graham) had been jumping out the map at me. A bit of discussion with Manny Gorman confirmed the plan was achievable and he gave some valuable advice on a northerly direction being sensible with the hard day being the first.

I was pleased when ultra running / mountain marathon pal Jason Harrison confirmed he was up for joining me on the trip. We met in Perth before heading west and catching the Corran Ferry over onto Argour. Since it was dark, we were able to camp at the start of the route in Glen Gour without anyone noticing (not sure if anyone would have cared anyway but it is nice not to be challenged).

Left the van around 7am and made good time down the track before starting up the slopes of Beinn na h-Uamha where we came across a slow worm – no wonder these are often mistaken as snakes ! With the first summit done, Glenfinnan looked a very long way off indeed. The route continued over Sgurr a’ Chaorainn before ascending Sgurr Dhomhuill, Carn na Nathrach and the long descent to the forestry at the west end of Lochan Dubh. Here it was good to spend a bit of time rehydrating at a good water source since many of the hill streams were bone dry.

Jason opted for a traverse line directly to Druim Tarsuinn whilst I also took in the summit on Meall Mor. We continued onto Sgurr Ghiubhsachain where the wildfires on the opposite side of Loch Shiel were clearly visible. With the last summit of Sgorr Craobh a’ Chaorainn all that was left to do was drop down into the glen and along the road to the bunkhouse at Glenfinnan Station.

With my previous record of missing trains on the West Highland Line, I persuaded Jason to be up and out by 05:30am (better to kill time than try to find it) !

The underfoot conditions along the loch side and up onto Meall a Bhrodainn were actually pretty good and by the time we were on the summit of Beinn Odhar Mhor my legs were feeling good again. The wildfires were still burning but far enough away not to cause too much concern. As we descended towards the bealach below Beinn Mhic Cedidh I noted that Croit Bheinn was certainly worth a visit …on a future trip.

The biggest drop of the day also gave another opportunity to fill water bottles at the outflow from the twin lochans. I made good time up onto Druim Fiaclach whilst Jason took the decision to give the last three Corbetts a miss and drop down into the glen and onwards to the road.

The run along the ridge of Druim Fiaclach and An t- Slat-bheinn was simply impressive and something anyone who loves the Scottish mountains should experience!

I was confident that sufficient time was available to complete the full round but made a bit of a push onto Rois Bheinn (and it’s westerly top) just to make sure – paid for this extra effort big style on the subsequent climb up An Stac and had to stop for some food and what was left in my waterbottle.

Made it out to Lochailort with 90 minutes to spare before the train …what else could I do other than install myself in the hotel bar for food & ale ?

Huge thanks to Jason for the company, not many would have been mad enough to accompany me on this route.

Kaim Hill Race ...

2011-04-24T23:09:00.000+01:00

Not sure where it would recommend a hill race three days after running a road marathon, but it was a cracking evening and also Kaim was a counter for the Westies Summer League so it seemed a shame not to run. A great turnout of 18 folks from the club making up almost a third of the field and even managed to stop for chips, ice cream and a pint on the way home.

London Calling ...

2011-04-24T21:21:00.000+01:00

I reckon a road marathon time should be predictable – “simply” a case of knowing what pace you can sustain over a long run and training to ensure you can comfortably stay on your feet a good bit longer than the target time. But, given that my longest training run on the tarmac was only a 10 miler coupled with my only fast run was a 10k event on boxing day, I lined up at the London marathon wondering … Having said that, I had plenty of long hill miles in my legs so did have a larvae of a plan to finish around 3hrs 15mins which would take me just inside my previous personal best set at Loch Ness a few years ago.

A sidetrack …

Way back in 2002, I was one of 24 participants in the BBC television production “SAS Jungle – Are you Tough Enough” which was filmed out in the Sarawak region of Borneo (for the record, I proved without doubt that I was not tough enough by collapsing with heat stroke and getting put on an IV during the third day). I mention this due to literally bumping into another one of the guys who was out in Borneo on the train from Waterloo out to Blackheath on Sunday morning. Last time I had seen Chris was in the jungle and it was great to spend some time catching up on the last 8 years and how the experience had impacted on us.

The marathon …

Not sure what it is about road races but I seemed to leave the toilet only to rejoin the queue to leave to rejoin etc. Eventually time for this ran out and I headed for the start pens. Having a club entry, I was over the moon to find I was very close to start so would be able to get to race pace quickly.

The crowds were great from the start and I recognised different bits of Greenwich as the legs warmed up. I had a mile by mile split pace band and was also monitoring my speed thanks to a Garmin GPS watch. Both helped to keep things steady and not get caught up …26.2 miles on the road is a long way!

With water stops every mile, I got into a habit of three gulps regardless of anything. Took on some lucozade isotonic drink around the 5 mile mark and instantly had a stitch …not good at all – I would rely on Hammer Nutrition Endurolyte capsules to replace salts for the remainder of the race.

Mile by mile ticked away and I was feeling good. Looked in the crowd for Mirsia who was down supporting at twelve miles but could only see a sea of faces. Tower Bridge was impressive …both the bridge itself but also the depth and noise of the crowd – it made me smile a lot!

Through the half marathon I was still feeling good and noticed I had crept a bit ahead in terms of splits and average pace. My pal Joe had planted a target time of 3hrs 10mins in my head and a couple more miles were spent some arithmetic. Cannot remember exactly which mile marker it was but I realised I was up by around 5mins i.e. almost dead on for a 3:10. I also realised that after twenty two or twenty three miles the pace would drop off so got an extra minute up to allow for that.

Had a bit of a “moment” leaving docklands when I thought the wheels were going to come off big style but it was more of a head thing than anything real. The scene along the embankment was one of contrasts …crowds shouting and motivating you to keep going compared with medics treating folks who had succumb to heat problems – I thought back to Borneo and knew I was nowhere near that bad …time to dig in and get the remaining miles over with. Past Westminster, onto Birdcage Walk and one last look at the watch …I was still on target but it was going to be close. Into the Mall and one last effort …

Crossed the line, stopped my watch and spewed (twice actually). The St Johns ambulance folks made sure I was ok before I dared to glance down – 3hours 9minutes and 53seconds.

London is a very special event for sure …

Official Splits:
5k – 00:21:50
10k – 00:43:37
15k – 01:05:37
20k – 01:27:40
25k – 01:49:52
30k – 02:12:41
35k – 02:35:44
40k – 02:59:31

Finish Time – 03:09:51

The misty Isle on a clear day ...

2011-04-11T13:12:00.000+01:00

Skye has a very special place in history …from Norman Collie & John MacKenzie in the early days of the Scottish Mountaineering Club through to my own experience as a teenager through to the Coruisk hut trips and at least four failed attempts at a full Cullin traverse. Many of the early Victorian SMC meets were based from the Slighachan Hotel. Whilst I have been in the Slig on many occasions, I have always been camping …never lodging in the hotel “gentleman mountaineer” style.

With my Dad’s last Skye Munro being Sgurr nan Gillean, we opted for the SMC standard accommodation. With a great forecast for the Saturday – Alan, Joe, Dad and myself headed north from Glasgow arriving in time for dinner and a couple of beers. Instead of the more usual start to the day (crawling out the tent to kick the stove into life), it started with a warm shower prior to heading downstairs for a cooked breakfast !

The path across the moor has been much improved since my first visit to the hill back in 1983 and feet were still dry when we topped out onto the ridge. With the final section having a few wee “interesting” sections a bit of confidence roping had my Dad on top of his 273rd Munro (celebrated with whisky and chocolate).

Cheers to Alan and Joe for support and most importantly …great effort to my Dad for his ascent of the “peak of young men”.

A Luss(ty) Sunday ...

2011-04-05T12:28:00.000+01:00

I have been on the Luss hills a few times before – Westies runs, evening rambles and shorter day walks but had always looked at the opportunity for a longer round. With bad weather forecast for the north / high tops, a nice 26km / 2400m ascent route seemed to fit the bill.

Route over the five Grahams / Marilyns as shown below.

To the east (the low carbon edition) ...

2011-03-28T20:16:00.000+01:00

In an effort to try and redress my PACT result from last year (coupled with the crippling cost of fuel), I have spent a little time identifying hill trips which can be done using a combination of train & bike – this is also helped with still being entitled to cheap train fares being a former British Rail employee.

The ability to get the furthest east Corbett in a day trip from Glasgow appealed and with a solid forecast, I left Busby at 07:06. Caught the train to Dundee (nice being able to enjoy a coffee, flapjack and read of my book) before the last leg along the coast to Laurencekirk. Once off the train and my wee Dahon unfolded the map was orientated (once I figured out the new station was not on the map I had) and I headed over to Fettercairn before taking the road towards Edzell and up Glen Esk. Whether it was the wee wheels on the bike, my legs, the slightly oversize pack or a combination of the above, I felt the a bit weary heading up the track towards Mount Battock.

Stopped to chat to a hill famer for a bit on the way up the extensive Landover track before breaking onto the summits of Western Cairn and Battock itself. Enjoyed a great run back to the bike over the Hill of Saughs before collecting the bike and making the return ride back to Laurencekirk.

Found I had some time to kill before the train so headed to the Royal Hotel for a pint of beer – I like letting the train take the strain!

Deerstalker 10k trail race ...

2011-03-22T22:51:00.002Z

The Deerstalker 10k is not your normal race – for a start it is not 10km long!

I did the first Deerstalker event along with Drew a good few years ago but for one reason or another it took until this year for a return visit. The route is based on the trails (and rivers) around Innerleithen and this year had a slightly delayed start of 17:45 in the evening (in order to ensure a portion of the course was in the dark). I was amazed to find out that around 1600 folks now enter the 10k edition with another 600 odd in the shorter 5k race which is held earlier in the day.

As on my previous attempt, I opted for a start position near the front of the field in order to clear the first obstacle of hay bales about 100m into the course. Safely over the bales it was out the back of Traquair House and onto a short road section before a left turn into a muddy (very muddy in fact) field. Suitably dirty and wet, the next section was a climb up the mountain bike trails complete with a scramble under the first of a number of cargo nets. From the high point of the course there was a fast descent back down to the road and another cargo net (this time to help stop runners from tipping onto the road). Next was a short section along side the River Tweed with a couple of dips in the water to prepare for the long river section through the town where the local kids (and some adults) heckled from the bridge …or was it words of encouragement?

A short climb followed before an easy traverse into a fairly steep scree gully. I enjoyed watching a guy trying to “power” up the scree, only to stay more or less stationary. A firework display indicated the first runner had topped out the gully. Over the log balance and there was a cracking wee ridge descent back towards the town. Down in the woods along side Leithen water the last of the light had gone and it was time for the headtorch. The remainder of the course was a bit of a blur due to the lack of light but one comic moment was when I forgot about the flooded culvert section …a short yelp (not very manly) was let out as cold water went well above the waist ! I was pleased to finish in 26th position in 1 hour 29 minutes …and something seconds.

HBT had a good representation with Don Naylor being first home in 1:16:53, Steve Cairns in second position and Clare Gordon being second girl home in 1:34:32 just behind Aly Raw of Bingley.

Had a bit of a chat with some folks from Carnegie Harriers before some beer and a nice warm sleeping bag called out. A great event and something a little different with and loads of fun thrown in.

Blew the cobwebs away with a blast round the red route in Glen Tress with some real mountain bikers …and suffering significant upper body pain today for it!

Photograph by "Scotsman" photographer Ian Georgeson

PACT - ma Carbon footprint

2011-03-17T23:29:00.001Z

Well then...

Last year I took part in a project which tracks key personal carbon emissions. I run, cycle and use the train as much as possible,only use the wee Berlingo for journeys not practicable by other means and reckon I do not waste energy at home. Yet I blew the arse out of my 4 tonne target. The cause is easy to identify - a long haul flight to Oz. So, the target this year is to avoid setting foot on a plane! Maybe drastic but guilt and karma are both rather powerful.

3 trigs on a Sunday trot ...

2011-03-17T23:24:00.000Z

It had been too long since I visited some new local trig points. So last Sunday I set out in search. Managed to find all three but had a brush with the British Army, got a sore shock from an electric fence and worst of all ...ended up knee deep in cow shit. Oh well, a nice wee run it was ...

Overall Route

Cathkin Farm

Turnlaw

Dechmont Hill

5 minutes to go ...

2011-02-15T13:41:00.001Z

Al Humphreys posted some thoughts on what he would say if there was only 5 minutes left to live.

This post stuck in my mind and actually created a welcome thought diversion. I have also thought hard about if this should be posted here or kept private since it gives away more about how I think than I would normally share this openly but there are two factors – it seems only fair since Al posted his and well … I might not get a 5 minute warning !!!!

So what would I do ….

A 2 minute look back …

Probably about 30 seconds worth of apologies. Mainly to a small but significant number of people I hurt – never on purpose but my negligence and my lack of thought does not form an adequate excuse. In particular to anyone who made the mistake of trying to love me at a time my life was in total chaos. My marriage ended in the worst way possible and I accept my share of responsibility for that – I am truly sorry.

The next 90 seconds would be to say thank you. To family & friends for the good times, the adventures, the madness, the support, the understanding, the forgiveness (see above for why that one is important), for inspiration, for guidance and generally for a life less ordinary.

A 2 minute look forward …

With the benefit of death looming it would be good to remind folks (and my future self) to acknowledge the good as you go through life since 5 minutes at the end is not nearly enough, do what you enjoy since you will be good at it, challenge things that “feel” wrong since they probably are wrong if you feel that way about them, highlight that attitude far outweighs skills when it comes to living (skills can be learned), wasted time is the greatest waste of all, look after the world around you since good planets are hard to find, embrace challenge and adventure since it will help you sleep better at night.

The last 60 seconds …

Tell my daughter to smile when she sees mountains – since, if given a choice that is where my spirit will be. Reassure folks that a life with no regrets is a good one and that I will keep them a seat by the fire (that assumes I am wrong on the mountain spirit option). Remind someone that I want my ashes tipped from the top of Crowberry Tower on the Buachaille Etive Mor (windy day preferred).

And being Scottish …pour a last dram of the Usige Beathe, raise a toast the north wind, to absent friends then say “cheerio” !

Cairngorm Ski Mountaineering ...

2011-02-13T13:19:00.002Z

Despite a week of fairly shocking high winds, I had an excellent 5 days on a Ski Mountaineering Course run out of Glenmore Lodge.

Each day was a balance of course work (avalanche avoidance, avalanche rescue, crevasse rescue, general winter skills, equipment set up and maintenance) linked in with ski tours around Cairngorm itself.

Also good to bump into Steve Fallon who was on his winter ML training course - great conditions for it !

Huge thanks to Paula (aka Bridget), Kirsti, Johnny, Alex and John for the company / laughs and to Doug Cooper for putting up with us and ensuring we all got the best out the week.

A Gaick Sunday ...

2011-02-10T16:15:00.000Z

“Fresh” from the Justin Townes Early gig, I stumbled into the kitchen …kicked the coffee machine into life before remembering to my pick up my lunch from the fridge and headed downstairs to the van.

The Cumbernauld roadworks were empty due to it still being early and I was soon through Perth and onto the A9. Passed the Stanley turn off and thought back to a few kayaking trips (which always included more swimming than was necessary). Thankfully found the wee turn off which indicated the starting point for the day easily (I was not in the mood for any more driving than was required). Plugged myself into the ipod which was loaded with a selection of Americana, wriggled into my trail shoes which felt as if they had shrunk.

The route was simple – head north through the southern end of the Gaick pass to the sadly neglected Sronphadruig Lodge only stopping to get the waterproofs on due to the increasing rain and to watch a golden eagle soar for a while. Started up towards the first summit of An Dun with great views up Loch an Duin which was still frozen – it was easy to imagine the original glacier which formed the glen. As the rain turned to snow, I searched my pack in vain for a pair of goggles (which were later located back at the flat in Glasgow) before continuing over the summit and down the steep slopes to the head of the loch.

Sitting eating a cheese roll, I noted that I had put too much pepper sauce on it. Lunch over, it was time to motivate the legs into uphill mode. Wondered about the hallucinogenic properties of Tabasco sauce when a small patch of snow sprang into life and headed up the hill at a tremendous rate …thankfully the “patch of snow” was in fact a mountain hare who decided running away was preferable to getting stood on (a reaction I can identify with). Visibilty disappeared again above the 800m mark which made finding the tiny cairn good sport. Visited both tops to be sure before a great run back down the ridge to just above the lodge.

I usually am not keen on out and back routes but the view heading back to the car was impressive (in a kind of bleak way). Back at the van I checked in with folks to confirm I was off the hill again before starting the journey south and going in search of coffee and cake to end the day with.

Life extension ....

2011-01-21T13:49:00.000Z

Imagine you are on your death bed with only a few heartbeats left …and someone offers you another week to live in turn for handing over some hard cash – would you take the opportunity or not ?

Thankfully, I do not have a complicated life that requires a big bag of gold to sustain it and I realised a few years ago that time is now my biggest constraint – in fact I am positively scared of running out of it!

Each year, the company I work for offer folks the chance to buy additional time off in return for a reduction in pay. I am pleased to note that my application was accepted and I have another week of life this year – I do not intend to waste a single minute of it.

Rear view mirror ...

2011-01-20T00:18:00.000Z

2010 ended with a bit of a cross section from Scottish Hill Lists – a “Munro” with Alan Kelly, a “Graham” with Mirsia, a solo “Corbett” and half a dozen “Donalds” with Paula and John from Westies.

Looking back, last year was my most active on the hill in my forty two years on this wee planet. It started with a trip to the Peak District in March for the HPM (as mad an event as they come), continued down under in the North Face 100km Blue Mountains race to the west of Sydney as well as seventeen hill races here in Scotland. Spread over 50 individual days, I also managed to stand on 65 new Corbett summits & 13 previously visited Munros.

Maybe due to not having nearly enough coffee today but it feels really strange looking at photographs of places that I will probably never visit again in this lifetime.

Looking to 2011 there are a few thing starting to appear on the horizon …

- Marshall as many Westies organised races as possible.
- Support my Dad in visiting his last eleven Munros (he has compleation - planned for the first weekend in October).
- With the exception of the Ben Nevis race and possibly Ben Rinnes,only “never before” hill races.
- Continue to visit new Corbett summits .

As sub-projects, I have an Ardgour run planned for late April – a traverse from Corran Ferry to Lochailort. Probably over two days but who knows …possibly a 24 hour shot ? There is also the small matter of a Loch Mullardoch round – my only previous attempt was binned due to bad weather.

The main personal focus is for an attempt at a Bob Graham round – the map is on the wall and plans are being made …

"Learn from the past, set vivid, detailed goals for the future, and live in the only moment of time over which you have any control ...now !"
Denis Waitley

Ayr Turkey Trot 10km road race

2010-12-27T16:49:00.000Z

Suppose like many of us, I was a roadie before discovering that running on the hills, fells and mountains was not only possible but a pile of fun.

It had dawned on me late in the summer that I only ever trained on the road and never raced on that surface any more. Had already decided that 2011 was time for another road marathon (enough time has lapsed for me to forget the pain of these) and when Niall McAlinden put out his "Big 8" email, I saw a wee bit of a new project.

It seemed appropriate that the Ayr Turkey Trot would be a good benchmark to see how things were since it was two years since going as fast as I could on the tarmac.

It had looked like the race might have been on the beach but fair play to the organisers for letting runners be grown ups and had the race on the usual pavement / roads (I am sure we can all decide how fast to go based on conditions and look out for the slippy bits).

Started off a bit quick with a first 1km time of 3:36 but thereafter things settled down to a more sustainable pace keeping under around 3:50 per/km(ish). Had a bit of a hissy fit around the 5km mark when I thought I was going to spew but shouts of encouragement from my cousin who was spectating restored morale.

Happy to cross the line in 38:27 (that is one of the "Big 8" ticked).

Big shout out to fellow Westies Neil and Elizabeth Adams. Nearly didn't recognise Elizabeth since we was running as Santa and a great result from Neil who finished 4th in the 5km event.

As an aside, due to the possibility of the beach run, I decided to race in a very worn out old pair on inov8 mudrocs - they worked well as pseudo minimalist road shoes!

From Woody to here ...

2010-12-22T11:23:00.000Z

The first music that made any sense to me was punk sometime back in 1978. In particular, it was the aspect of giving a social commentary and consciousness that I identified with. In hindsight, there was as much manufactured punk as there was true genius but band like Stiff Little Fingers and the Clash are as relevant today as they were when I first heard them over thirty years ago.

It took me a while to work back to the roots but I reckon what made punk great began with the likes of Joe Hill, Woody Guthrie, Cisco Houston – continued through Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, Ewan MacColl - all of whom were in trouble suffered censorship by the media and governments of the day. The list could go on but the important thing to me is the seamless connection to folks knowing the difference between what is right and what is plain wrong and singing about it and making the rest of us think ...even just a little bit is better than nothing.

Which takes me to the present – over the last year of so, I have been listening to the likes of Frank Turner, Chuck Ragan and most recently Tim Barry. Do your own research on these guys ...go and see them live - the tradition continues.

More midweek Mountains

2010-12-14T17:04:00.000Z

Anyone reading this may be forgiven for thinking I have not been at work much – suppose they might be right but it is only due to keeping some annual leave for early winter raids given a fair weather forecast.

This trip was to sweep up a couple of Corbetts at the east end of Loch Arkaig. I drove north on the Sunday afternoon after getting confirmation that the roads were open (if a tad on the icy side). Stopped off in the Fort for some additional food supplies where I bumped into Oli Bloomfield before heading to the Grey Corries Bunkhouse before and early night. Woke up to that dead sound only ever associated with a significant dump of snow outside (confirmed that was a fact by a glance out the window). Delayed my departure a bit to let the roads get themselves sorted out a bit. The decision point was at the commando monument which sits about Spean Bridge, a decision made easy by seeing a snow plough heading towards me – the road was passable!

Left the car beside the Glean Cia-aig before tramping up through the forest. Where the trees started to thin out, the snow got deeper and it was time for my Yowies. I had used more traditional snowshoes before and was pleasantly surprised to discover you can more or less walk as normal with the Yowies version. They are made over in Australia of all places (maybe gives a bit of a reason why the binding resembles a Teva sandal). Without snowshoes, I am doubtful if it would have been possible to make progress up the hill on my own due to the depth of the powder snow. Even with, it took an age to get up the final slope and onto the summit of the first hill Meall na h-Eilde. It was nice to sit and look over the Dessary hills and all the way round to Ben Tee but cold enough not to sit too long.

The descent off the summit and on towards Meall coire nan Saobhaidh was great fun but I soon found out that running with snowshoes does require a different style and went “base over apex” on a couple of occasions.

The short but steep slope onto the summit of Geal Charn challenged the slope angle that the snowshoes were comfortable on – not helped by an excess of snow hiding small rock features! With fading light, it was time for a swift drop down into the glen as the light was starting to fade. I yomped along the 2.6km road section to arrive back at the van just after dark – fairly tired but happy.

Over the course of the day, a number of texts had indicated that bad weather had hit Glasgow. My initial thoughts were to head south but with traffic chaos in progress, a night in the excellent Corran Bunkhouse was in order. To cement the decision to stay north, a couple from Lancaster kindly shared a large brandy …since I could no longer drive, I had to stay.

Next morning dawned clear and cold again. A wee single Corbett was the target and Meall Lighiche fitted the bill just fine. Was treated to early morning sunlight over the Aonach Eagach whilst walking up the glen and it was nice to reflect back on the Two Inns race earlier in the year (and my route mistake on the easy ground !?!). The snow on the lower slopes gave promise with crampons being required. Sadly the snow on the higher slopes was back to deep powder – I say sadly, since I had left the snowshoes in the van! There were spectacular views all around …north towards the Ben, over to Bidean and down Glen Creran but again, the air temperature was too cold to hang around much.

To give a bit of variation, I descended to the bealach just under Sgor na h-Ulaidh. Was a bit alarmed by pockets of unstable windslab which had been forming – not enough to pose a hazard but windslab none the less. Once on the glen floor it was an easy ramble along the side of the semi frozen river back down to the van.

The drive south went fine until reaching the south side of the Erskine bridge where I was treated to a display of shocking driving and bad manners in general. With the aftermath the mad snow the day before, folks were still driving way too close and there was an amazing number of cars still abandoned by the roadside. Note to anyone who believes a 4x4 has better steering or braking on ice ….IT DOES NOT !

Corrour to Spean Bridge

2010-12-10T12:03:00.003Z

This was a trip that had been on the "to do" list all summer but it took until the end of Novemeber to actually get lined up. The plan was a good point to point one - train up to Corrour then into the Lairig Leacach bothy then out to Spean Bridge over the summits of Sgurr Innse & Creag Innse.

Joe Coll and myself got the lunchtime train north and made quick progress initially whilst we still had some daylight. With the path from the end of Loch Treig buried and light snow showers starting things slowed down a bit ...maybe not a bad thing since we did not want to miss the bothy !

Arrived to find the only other occupant of the bothy a rather friendly (or brave) mouse - on a number of occasions, it had to be chased out of rucksacks, gloves etc ... The overnight was brutal with the bothy being at 465m above sea level and cold beyond what was reasonable. Thankfully, we had my MSR Whisperlite stove which performs a lot better than the usual gas stoves I have so hot food and drink was not an issue.

We left the bothy just before dawn and headed towards Sgurr Innse - finding a route up the craggy face took a bit of time as we balanced being sensible in terms of safety with finding a bit of sport. The initial descent was similar in character. Short hop over to Cruach Innse before a bit of a run out to Spean Bridge (where I got the train time wrong so a bus jounrey south was required).

A top trip and well worth the wait.

Bothy Culture and my 100th Corbett

2010-12-10T11:41:00.003Z

Over the years bothies have featured as the accommodation of choice around this time of year. Chances are the gear is a bit on the wet side and you carry more, so it is good to have the space to spread out a bit - with some time off due, a bit of bothy culture was in order.

Graham Pascall (aka The Gnome) and myself headed north towards Fort William and it was tipping down with rain to the point we had an extended stop in the Fort which included a ramble round the various outdoor shops and the Morrisons cafe. With fading light beginning to be an issue we nipped round to Fassfern, loaded my bike trailer with coal and started the cycle up Gleann Suileag. Gear dumped in the bothy, a quick ascent of Meall a Phubuill filled the remainder of the afternoon.

Guid wee night with a fire and whisky to keep the cold out.

Next morning was a pack, cycle out and drive round to Glen Dessary and A'Chuil bothy with another afternoon ascent of Sgurr Cos na Breachd Laoidh. Snow towards the top was a sign of things to come - deep powder which took a tremendous effort to move through. I got back to the bothy just after dark ...the Gnome shortly after dark !

I had a fairly big route planned for the next day and we agreed I would head away a bit earlier in order to maximise daylight since the route finding off the first hill and up onto the second looked to be interesting. The Gnome opted for doing just the first hill so enjoyed a bit of a longer kip.

Again the snow made things a bit difficult but managed onto the summit of Carn Mor in about book time.On the descent in the spectacular Gleann an Lochain Eanaiche I was able to spot a good line up through the crags and onto Sgurr na h-Aide. Had a bite to eat since I was well ahead of schedule and enjoyed a bit of sun before pushing up to the summit. Getting onto the summit proved tricky with a short but steep rocky step buried in loose snow. I realised that I could not reverse this section and following a brief photo stop at the cairn, set about finding a alternative route down. In the end it was fairly simple to drop off the ridge and traverse back under the step - phew !

Dropping back down into the glen, it was just a case of following the forest road back to the bothy. I got back to the bothy just about 15:00 ...the Gnome long after dark !
Next morning was time to pack, return to the van and for me a quick ascent of Froach Bheinn & Sgurr Mhurlagain in rather drab cloudy conditions.

Having been out for three nights, we choose to head up to Invergarry and the tremendous hostel to get sorted out again. Had dinner in the hotel and it was nice eat off a plate again instead of direct from the pot or bag.

Ben Tee was the choice to celebrate my 100th Corbett - getting onto the summit was less than easy with silly high winds (100mph was recorded on the nearby Aonach Mhor). Managed to get a wee summit pic however.

The minature from the 10 year old Speyside bottle !

10 year project ...

2010-11-08T20:23:00.000Z

Ten years ago I compleated my Munros. As an aside, it was also ten years ago I applied for a free bottle of Aberlour whisky - the only catch was that I had to wait for it to be made and matured ! So for the last decade, I have kept a wee certificate waiting ....and waiting.

Last week, I finally took delivery of the bottle in question. I was sorely tempted to crack the bottle open but have decided to keep it until my Dad compleates his round of Munros next year.

Ticket to ride ...

2010-11-03T12:30:00.000Z

One of the most enjoyable ways of getting to a hill is by train. The hassles of driving are left at home and you can get a couple of pints at the end of the day!

With a rail special on, Alan Anderson and myself jumped the early train (07:06) north towards Kingussie with the luxury of fresh coffee to start the journey. The trip was made especially easy with no requirement to change at Perth. Six hours between arriving and the return journey gave a comfortable time window to ascend Carn an Fhreceadain (878m).

Rambling up through the golf course we saw two red squirrels – one alive and running up a tree and one dead having sadly been hit by a car. Past Pitmain Lodge (a very strange looking place), we started out onto the open hill with rain threatening. Stopped at a small (but rather posh) estate bothy for a bite to eat – reckon it is more used to shooting parties than more regular hill folks. Continuing up the land rover track the rain arrived big style – waterproofs on which also gave some additional protection from the increasing wind. Arriving on the summit of Beinn Bhreac it was clear that the OS map needs updating since the landrover track extended across to the main summit. It was simply a case of heads down and over to the trig point for a couple of photographs before continuing down onto the lee slope and out of the wind a bit. There were great views looking down to the town and over the Spey and Insh Marshes.

We arrived back just missing the earlier train south so opted for the Tipsy Laird and a couple of hours watching the Darts on TV.

Out of the cloud ...but only just !

Some autumn corbetts ..

2010-10-28T13:33:00.001+01:00

If the last two years at work had been harder than they should have been (suppose that is the nature of some projects sometimes), the last month has been seriously crap. The the worst of it in the rear view, a little hill sport was back on the cards. Sadly the weather forecast was trying to re-create the works scene with a messed up set of frontal systems, high winds and what the forecasters described as a "deep Atlantic low" all on the horizon. But as with most things, there were a couple of weather windows on the short range - the first was on the Thursday.

Having completed Section 0 of the Corbetts last month, it seemed appropriate to have a run over Meall Tairneachan & Farragon Hill in order to complete Section 2.

I got caught up in commuter traffic twice and after the three hour drive (it should only have taken about two), started on the hill a lot later than hoped. Leaving the Berlingo at the old Limekiln, it was simply a case of following the fence line then a wall towards the summit. After a quick nod to the trig point, I dropped down onto the mine road to make up time. Continued down the steep zig-zag section of the road to find the baryte mine VERY active indeed. Kinda interesting that I had sat a few days previous in awe of the rescue operation in Chile to get the trapped miners out and yet felt an element of anger at the damage done to a Scottish hillside by the Foss Mine - a very human reaction of "not in my backyard" but not a feeling I was entirely comfortable with. Very quickly, I was through the mine site and back onto open hillside (where I cursed the deep heather instead ....go figure). Had a bite to eat just below the summit of Farragon Hill and retraced my route back to the car. No sooner had I opened the hatchback and the weather window closed and the rain returned big style. Topped the day off with a visit to the Aberfeldy Distillery (where I treated myself to a new bottle) and a visit to the new Tiso shop at the Perth roundabout (where I made a narrow escape without making a unneccasry purchase)

The next spell of stable weather was on Sunday. After the previous drive up the A80 / A9, something a bit closer to home was in order. Section 1 showed an opportunity for a round of Ceann na Baintighearna & Stob a'Choin above Balquidder. Since I was still in Inov8s and there was snow on the tops, I opted for the winter combination of Injinji Toe Socks and my Seal Skinz waterproof socks. By the time I had crossed a few streams and climbed up through the forestry, my feet were wet ...but warm ! Found a wee patch of snow to kick around in ...first snow of the year is always nice. Another nod to the trig point then started the descent where I met a couple of hill shepherds and four insane collie dogs. Had a brief chat about dogs, sheep and weather with the guys confirming the belief that a hard winter lies ahead again this year. Descending down towards the forestry at the head of the Allt Sgionie, I came across a significant herd of deer. Couple of hinds sped off leaving an angry stag to roar towards me before heading off in chase of the now dispersed hinds. Sat listening to more roaring and another couple of stags facing each other off whilst I munched on a cheese and pickle roll. Nice wee run along the summit ridge before topping out and dropping down onto the steep slopes leading back down towards the glen again. Decided to cross the river above the bridge to give the fell shoes a bit of a clean before a jog back down to the car. Another top day out and the world felt a little more in balance again.

Man or Mouse ....

2010-10-18T22:21:00.000+01:00

Had a tasty wee weekend starting with Manor Water on the Saturday. Was good to meet up with Johnny Hall and his daughter Esme (who was a tad scared by my current beard) and we had a brief chat about a nice adventure in the planning stage for next summer.

Lined with fellow Westies - Steffen (birthday boy), David Dickson & Keith Adams on a rather mirky day which promised the summit would be in mist.. Really enjoyed the course even if it was a bit toooo runnable. Summited within sight of Davy D but he opened a huge lead on the descent. Finished the race in a sprint finish with Derek Cassells of Carnegie ...which he won. Not sure how but managed to dink my back which hurt like hell for the rest of the day.

Sunday dawned with the sore back still there ...popped the right drugs and headed east. Spent most of the race in or about the middle of the wimens race for 2nd place - Jacqui Higginbottom / Sarah O'Neil & Miss Homewood were swapping the lead from fairly early on but there was an impressive finish for Ellie when she opened up along the ridge and took off down the last descent. Finished slower than last year but quicker than two years ago which was nice.

Photograph courtesy of Johnny Hall and wee Esme

Born to run the minimum

2010-10-03T16:54:00.001+01:00

Back in April, I was running up the side of Loch Lomond on the West Highland Way. I passed a guy with an impressive beard but what was more impressive was the fact that he was walking up the rough track barefoot complete with big pack on his back. I asked how his feet were …he replied “fine” and asked me how mine were to which I replied “really feckin sair since you asked”.

A month later and I was out in oz running the 100km North Face event in the Blue Mountains and I came across some guys at registration wearing Vibram Five Finger KSOs. Ran for a while along a ridge line with one of the guys and got talking about minimalist running and it got me thinking a bit about how my own running had changed over the years.

Initially, I was mainly a road runner and suffered from shin splints and knee problems – the solution (which did actually give symptomatic relief) was cushioning shoes. Whilst not getting injured or sore, they kinda felt wrong. I noticed that my balance came from the shoe rather than from any natural ability and the wear pattern on the sole of the shoe indicated I was a rather heavy heel striker. Over the years, I have drifted into only short road runs with most of the miles (and all the long runs) either in the mountains or trails. My shoes for this have been minimal in terms of cushioning really only offering protection and grip (walshes and various inov8s). I have noticed the wear pattern on the sole has moved from the heel to the forefoot.

In the days after the Blue Mountains 100km I also started thinking about running in general. Running is a very natural behaviour (even if a significant number of adults no longer do it) and running on trails and off road is the closest thing to what we have been doing as the human race for thousands of years - running on concrete and tarmac is fairly recent and about as unnatural as you can get I suppose.

Shoes have so many aspects – fashion accessories (for both guys and the wimen folks), status symbols, socially “required”, they give protection from the surrounding environment (and therefore an element of isolation from that environment), we have work shoes, play shoes, formal shoes, casual shoes etc …

Anyway …where is all this going. In short, I decided to see if there was anything in the whole pseudo barefoot Vibram Five Finger thing. Visited the V5F shop in Sydney, got measured up and treated myself. Over the summer I have increased from walking about in them (yup …I get some very strange looks) to trotting round my wee 35 minute local road run and playing on some local trails. I have not experienced any negative points or pain probably due to already having changed my running style a bit since taking up hill running and cutting down road running a few years ago. Not sure I am a better runner for it but the big thing is that they feel good and it is great fun !!!

With a number of manufacturers now realising that folks want minimal, there is no need to go to extremes so get out there and try it. If you want a bit of inspiration then read the amazing book Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall.

Either that or watch the clip below ...maybe a bit zen but I liked it a lot.

Lists ...of Corbetts to be exact

2010-09-20T21:41:00.000+01:00

Ten years ago this month I compleated a round of the Munros.

Maybe a bit of a geek thing but I remember the sense of satisfaction seeing progress against the list being made. I would mark up summits visited and scan through maps planning the next trip. Whilst the mountain adventures have never stopped (and never will), the last decade has been taken up with revists to areas, training for my ML qualification and assisting other folks with "their" lists. After a couple of days with Manny Gorman on his Corbett run last year, I decided a round of Corbetts was something I wanted to do.

So far this year I have been over 43 new summits. The Merrick hill race saw me complete my first section.

Merrick Hill Race

2010-09-20T21:08:00.000+01:00

The opportunity for running a race that I had never done and to finish off a section of Corbetts was a good one ! Why some events are over subscribed and some fantastic routes are more low key will always escape me but I lined up with another 33 runners in improving conditions. Alisdair Duke and Fraser Laird made up the Westies contingent.

By mistake rather than design, I started up the first steep hill on the narrow path just behind Steve Fallon and Russell Anderson in 3rd place (captain Chris would have been proud) ...once on the open hill things settled down a little with Peter Simpson, Alan Smith and Adam Anderson overtaking. Feeling fairly good, I stayed within sight of Adam and Alan managing to just nip ahead of Russell on the last climb towards the Merrick summit itself (which was sadly in the mist).

Rounded the summit and started the descent putting in a bit of an effort. Dropping out the mist, I realised why I had lost sight of everyone else - I had missed the ridge leading down towards the forest. Stopped to check the map ...swore a bit ...and started a frantic traverse. Was pleased to discover I had not lost too much time and only one place. Picking up the course markers and the heart rate returned to something sustainable. Ran the final ridge swapping places with Scott Bradley until the last marshall where he took off down towards the track leading to the finish.

Was over the moon to finish 6th in 1:45:08.

Steve & the Skery Old Shoogle Blues Show

2010-09-19T20:34:00.001+01:00

September has been a great month for gigs ...

It started with an excellent night out at the Inverness Airport the night before the Ben Race with Skerryvore and Shooglenifty - The Skerry folks took me right back to the early days of going to see Runrig in Glasgow ...it was at a time when we were starting to be proud of traditional music again. Still trying to find the right words to describe the music that Shooglenifty play but reckon acid croft about covers it.

Post Ben was spent on some Corbetts around Ardgour then back to Glasgow and work.

I have only missed one Steve Earle tour since 1990 (I was out in Nepal) and made the journey over to Dunfermline to see his solo show. Got a nice wee surprise when Glasgow punk blues singer Dave Acari wandered on stage as the support. One of the reasons I love and respect the music and songs that Steve Earle makes is due to the fact he is still doing it ...kinda gives me hope that you can get through about anything and still stay strong.

The run of gigs ended with a bit of a double bill with the Dave Rawlings Machine including Gillian Welch and John Paul Jones (aye of Led Zep fame) and the Old Crow Medicine Show. It sometimes alarms me how much I enjoy alt country and bluegrass these days ...maybe down to the current beard I have on my chin - don't know and don't care ...good music is good music.

Ben Nevis Race

2010-09-09T21:28:00.000+01:00

Some folks use more traditional “hallmark” events to mark another year done and dusted. I have never been big on birthdays and being an a devout sinner, the religious stuff passes over my head but …over the last 5 years the annual Ben Nevis hill race seems to fit the bill of something to celebrate (getting an entry is worth this alone).

If last year was silly cold, wet & windy …then this year was perfectly clear if a little on the warm side. Registration done and it was time to wander about nervous as hell waiting for the race to begin.

The start caught me a bit unaware but soon joined the surge round the field (taking my usual wide left line) before heading out onto the road. Finished the first mile in just over 7 minutes which seems about normal from previous years. Things continued at a reasonable pace onto the track and folks split up a bit as different lines and shortcuts appeared. All seemed much of a muchness and which one was quicker had more to do with congestion rather than gradient and distance.

Crowds along the path above the Red Burn were great …shouts of encouragement do help morale ! Past the half way point and up the steep scree with a mix of sweat and suncream nipping the eyes. Onto the plateau and time to dodge walkers with sticks (the hill was really busy due to the good weather). Having the leaders pass on the descent is good …the summit cannot be “that” far away. Passed my tag to the summit marshall in about 1:17 …again about the same as previous years.

Dodged the trekking poles down the initial descent before dropping off the path. With very few runners in sight, I had to pick my own line down the scree ...and most of my choices were bad. On two occasions, I went too far left and lost a pile of time. Managed down the green wall without incident and thanks to dry rock enjoyed the lower section of the mountain. Checked my watch on reaching the road and was chuffed to see that unless I made a real mess of things I would cross the line in under two hours for the third time. With cramp threatening the whole way along the road, I opted for a safe pace which meant I was a bit slower than last year but no point in being silly about things. Had a great wee sprint to the line (which I lost) with Stuart Malcolm of Highland Hill Runners.

Already looking forward to next year !

Results

Viewranger Software

2010-09-09T20:55:00.000+01:00

I have been using Viewranger software for a number of years. Firstly on my old Nokia 5500 then a Nokia N86 (before I drowned it in heavy rain) and more recently on my HTC Hero. The product has always been great but the thing which sets it apart from any other GPS mapping is the customer support.

Recent example …

I updated the software to the latest Beta version prior to leaving for a weekend of hill sport. I checked it was working ok on the Sunday morning as I parked the Berlingo around 9:00am only to discover that for some reason, I had deleted my licence details and could see no maps! I emailed customer support (remember it is early on a Sunday morning) and within half an hour, they had emailed me back with my licence details. A few minutes later, my maps were back. I reckon that was above what could normally be expected – hope you agree and purchase a copy of the product ..they deserve to be supported by anyone who loves maps and the outdoors.

The last of Glen Affric ...

2010-08-30T22:20:00.000+01:00

Another weather window and another few hills for my Dad.

With the SYHA hostel at Alltbeithe due to close for the winter on September 14th and the weather lookin good but not great, my Dad and myself took the opportunity to climb his two remaining Glen Affric hills. Half day from work and we headed up the A82 towards the Fort before turning east and along Loch Ness - two reasons ...driving the A9 is too much like Russian Roulette for my liking and the views through the Coe are nice.

The car park was once again midge hell and we took no time in getting the bikes sorted and onto the track to the south of Loch Affric. Just past the first gate I could see my Dad was less than happy - in short his pannier was too heavy and rubbing against the wheel. The contents were emptied to see what he didn't need - I commented that was actually the entire contents ...he mumbled something under his breath and headed back to the car with the offending pannier ! (worth noting at the end of the trip he also commented that he did in fact not actually require anything that had been returned to the car).

The track appeared rougher than previous memories from the Highland Cross but maybe we are just softer ...who knows.

Arrived at the hostel and chatted to a nice bunch of folks from all over the world (well ...England, France, Canada and Fife) whilst cooking dinner (my Dad had brought in oven chips and sausage rolls !?!). Fairly early into the sleeping bags ...I relaxed with some tunes on the ipod. Up equally fairly early and started up the hill.

As always, the first hour was a bit on the sore side but the great track helped us make good time. Over the wee 941m and 970m tops and sadly into the cloud to arrive at the cairn for Sgurr nan Ceathreamhan. The cloud and a couple of ridges made a bit of compass work necessary in order to avoid any additional descent / reascent and very quickly we dropped out of the cloud (always nice to see that you are in the right place). The ridge heading north to our second summit was simply great with awesome views to the Mullardoch hills. Once on Mullach na Dheiragan, I nipped out to the subsidiary top missed on my last visit.

For the return we cut the corner a bit by dropping down into the coire and traversing onto the bealach - reckon it saved about one hour on the day. Back at the hostel we picked up the bikes and sadly headed west back to the car ...it would have been nice to have been able to stay another night.

The Fisherfield

2010-08-29T14:34:00.000+01:00

The remaining Munros on my Dad’s list have been coming down steadily over the last two years. The key trip for this year was always going to be the Fisherfield 6.

Striking the balance between too early (not enough hill fitness) and too late (not enough daylight) in the summer was going to be challenging. Factor in weather (only good was acceptable) and folks availability and there was probably only 3 possible dates. The first option saw bad weather and Joe in Spain but the next available looked great – solid forecast giving a two day weather window and folks were available.

We left Glasgow and headed north on the Saturday stopping to watch the finish of the Creag Dubh Hill Race (I had planned on running it but sadly the timing did not work out) before continuing north. Dinner in the Aultguish and we left midge hell aka the car park at Coire Haille just after 7pm.

The track over to Shenevall was fairly dry and we crossed both rivers without incident at last light. Our plan revolved around camping high up Glean na Muice to give a good starting point to what was sure to be a long day. With time pressing on, we opted for a nice bit of level ground and got the tent up. The Mountain Hardwear 3 man might not be the lightest tent but it was bombproof and more important midge proof. Joe and myself had a cup of tea before heading off to sleep.

Next morning we woke to what sounded like rain but in fact was thousand of midges on the flysheet – Joe headed out to answer the call of nature ….and nature tried to eat him! With no prospect of spending any time stationary, we got up and headed up the glen. Thankfully, we were able to stop for breakfast higher up on the slope below the summit of Ruadh Stac Mhor. Once on the summit we could see the expanse of the round we were attempting. A short drop down the back, another climb saw us on A Mhaighdean (my favourite Munro for a number of reasons). It was good to be able to pick up some water on both the start and the end of the traverse across to Beinn Tasuinn since it felt increasingly warm.

Heading to Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair I felt confident we were going to complete the six Munros but there was still a lot of ground to cover. The descent off the fifth Munro Sgurr Ban took forever – down a boulder field / scree …not what tired legs were in the mood for. After the last summit of Beinn a Chlaideimh, I ran down to start packing the tent. Radioed up to Joe to let him know the midges were not too bad but by the end of the sentence …was swarmed. Midge hood on and I continued to pack things away just in time for my Dad and Joe to arrive, pack and continue towards the bothy (we didn’t fancy another evening of self defence).

Arrived at the bothy just after dark and had a well needed meal ! Had some chat with a couple of guys from Paisley one of which was down to his final nine Munros.

Next morning we simply walked back out to the car – just in time for the weather window to close and the rain to arrive back !

The Campsite looking back towards An Teallach

Joe and my Dad on A Mhaighdean

10 years of the KIMM

2010-08-02T22:36:00.000+01:00

I love mountain marathons.

Ten years ago I had been out training for my first road marathon and had picked up a magazine which had a feature on "adventure running". In particular, I noticed the detail on the Karrimor International Mountain Marathon. I mentioned it to my cousin Alan and we got an entry off. I have done the same every year since.

2000 - Lake District Medium Score event with Alan Kelly.
2001 - Clyde MuirSheil Regional Park Medium Score event with Alan Kelly.
2002 - Cheviot “A” class event with Alan Kelly.
2003 - Langhome Medium Score event with Lee Gilbertson.
2004 - Brecon Beacons Long Score Event with Lee Gilbertson.
2005 - Eastern Lake District (Ullswater) Medium Score event with Bill Horsman.
2006 - Galloway Forest Park Short Score event with Joe Coll.
2007 - Lowther Hills “A” class event with Jason Harrison.
2008 - Borrowdale “C” class event with Alan Kelly (we did finished day 1 before the event was cancelled).
2009 - Elan Valley Short Score event with Irene Riach (my wee sister).

The KIMM was always a highlight in the year and led me into hill running which is an important part of my life but since it became the OMM (Original Mountain Marathon), I feel the event has changed. Maybe a sign of the times but I feel what used to be an event with a bit of product at the back of it has now become a bit of a marketing tool for the sponsors built around an event.

There are now a number of other events which follow the same format but are simpler, more grass roots affairs and to be frank ...have more imagination when it comes to location.

This year will be the first time I am not scanning the accepted entries to confirm a place and for the first time in a decade, I will however be following it online from an armchair - wonder how it will feel ?

The obvious hole in the experience is never having attempted elite category. Could I have completed an elite - not sure. Reckon with the right prep and partner (Jason and I did talk about it this year), I reckon so ...maybe another time in another event.

To Alan, Lee, Bill, Jason, Joe and Irene - cheers for putting up with me on the course and midcamp. It was a blast and I would not change a single second or navigational decision (which at times could have been improved on my part).

Joe and me in 2006 - midcamp

Irene & me in 2009 - start of Day 2

Simon Triger Memorial Race ...

2010-06-30T22:47:00.000+01:00

Tonight was a bit special ...

A bunch of Westies met up to race in memory of Simon Triger who lost his life climbing in the Alps almost two years ago. I suppose like everyone who had the pleasure to know Simon, I still miss him. A few folks running never met Simon and to fill in a bit of detail, some old stories were told.

The detail of the race ...who did what time etc ...doesn't really matter all that much (although huge congrats to Paula who was first home). We shared the time on the hill, had a laugh after and went to the pub after - I reckon the big fellow would have approved.

Simon rounding the summit of Dumgoyne back in 2008

Glen Dessary Munros

2010-06-30T22:37:00.000+01:00

Back in the Fort, I had a wander round the outdoor shops before retiring to the comfort of the Nevisport bar for a beer, watch a bit of the World Cup and write a couple of postcards and wait for my Dad.

We opted to visit the excellent Old Station Restaurant in Spean Bridge for dinner. Arrived a bit early but was welcomed in by Ben & Vanessa anyway …and even got a guided tour of their new camper van!

The Loch Arkaig road is painfully slow with every twist, turn and blind summit having the possibility of a head on with something coming the other way. With the car parked, we quickly sorted the bikes to avoid the increasing midge population and headed towards Upper Glen Dessary. Bikes hidden we walked the last km or so over to A’ Chuil bothy. Been here a number of times and each with each visit the bothy seems in better condition which is good. Had a whisky and chat before an early night (still shattered from the WHW day or so).

Left A’Chuil around 7:30am and made our way over to the track leading to the first hill of the day – Sgurr nan Coireachan. Dumped the overnight kit in a very obvious location …a small dip about 50m above the track and behind a large single rock (easy to find on the return journey?). A small path made the ascent reasonable but I found it difficult to get the pace right. Once on the summit, the view were impressive …north over Loch Quoich and out towards Eigg especially.

We continued west following the large stone wall. Once again, I wondered at the men who built this …what conditions they worked and lived under. Sitting on the summit of the second Munro of the day Garbh Choich Mhor, it was clear that we were going to achieve the objection of the trip and take in the third and most westerly hill of Sgurr na Ciche. We made the last push stopping to chat to a couple of folks making the return east along the ridge. A short out and back to the summit before starting the drop down from the bealach towards Glen Dessary.

The walk out was always going to be long but in the early afternoon heat, it seemed to take forever. The 2.5km along the forest indicated that it would soon be time to start looking for the overnight stuff stashed earlier …I was glad I left it close to a significant landmark.

Reached the end of the forest …scanned the hill for the rock which was easy to find …headed up the hill a bit …there was the small dip …but NO dry bag ! I checked back down the hill and check my line …yup right place …a sinking feeling took over …someone has lifted the gear. Another sweep to check I was in the right place coupled with my Dad asking “are ye sure it wiz here son” …”AYE …was the reply”. Brief thoughts led me to running over to the bothy in case someone had helped move the gear back ….about 30 mins later I returned gutted to find my Dad smiling. There was another big rock just down the path and the gear had been there all along – phew !

Short ramble back to the bikes (which were easy to find again) and all that was left to do was spin back down the track, pick up the car and drive south.

A great series of days …a WHW race completion for Jason, 3 new Corbetts for my collection and 3 new Munros for my Dads (this leaves him with 25 main summits left to visit).

Father & son on Sgurr na Ciche

Have you the one aboot the three Deargs ?

2010-06-28T22:13:00.001+01:00

Post WHW race celebrations were enjoyed in MacDonalds where the three of us actually randomly managed to attempt to eat each others food for some reason. After a pile of food and a gallon of coffee Mark & Jason headed off to the prize giving and I headed off for the train to Roybridge …I had a bit of Corbetteering in mind.

Last time I was in Glen Roy the road was blocked by snow and I skied down a fair bit of the glen. This time, I used my wee folding bike to access the lower end. With the cycle section over, I stashed the bike and bothy gear and headed up the first of the Deargs.

It was alarming how dry the hill was and I felt a period of dehydration would be in order by the end of the day. It seemed to take forever bashing through the heather to get up onto the shoulder which led to the summit of Carn Dearg (number 1). Stopped to drink a third of the water bottle and started the descent to the north west. Sadly, the streams shown on the map were all bone dry …so much for a typical Scottish summer.

The remaining ascent onto the summit felt much easier than the earlier climb and I celebrated reaching the cairn on Carn Dearg (number 2) but downing another third of the water bottle. Picked a rather bad line down towards Gleann Eachach but recovered the situation by finding a sheep trod which traversed the steep slope.

Once down at the bridge I decided to risk drinking from the stream despite too many cattle than you would want near a water source. The water tasted lovely.

Once back at the bike, I reloaded my pack and headed back up Glen Roy and to Branachan Bothy. Was pleased to find the bothy in great condition possibly due to some maintenance work the weekend previous. Sat outside for most of the evening reading a book Jason had passed on – nearly pished myself with laughter on more than one occasion. The Hills are Stuffed with Swedish Girls comes highly recommended.

Next morning and there was one more hill to add. Stayed in my sleeping bag much longer than originally planned and had a very leisurely ramble up behind the bothy and onto the summit of Carn Dearg (number 3) – chuckled to myself at doing three hills all with the same name in succession.

Back at the bothy, I packed up and cycled back out to Roy Bridge before continuing back to Fort William and a beer to wait for my Dad who was driving from Glasgow to meet up for some Munro sport …

WHW Race - a supporting role

2010-06-27T17:41:00.000+01:00

My pal Jason Harrision called up to ask if I was interested in supporting him for a WHW race attempt ...at the time supporting appealed more than running it so was more than happy to have a solid excuse not to even consider entering.

The other half of the support team was Mark Rawlinson who I knew from GL3D events.

The three of us met up in Milngavie around 23:30 on the Friday night with the actual race starting at 1am ! Wandering around the car park it was nice to meet up with some pals from other events. This was especially true for Kate (Highlander Mountain Marathon / Highland Fling), Tony (Marathon des Sables / Highland Fling) and James (Marathon des Sables / Highland Fling).

Some words and a round of applause for Dario ...and the race was on.

Mark and me headed up to Balamaha and the first support point. Hopefully, with a few hours to go until Jason arrived we had some time for a bit of sleep. Rather than sticking up a tent, we opted for crashing out on the grass in sleeping bags with midge hoods. It can as a bit of a surprise to be woken by Jason who was a bit ahead of schedule but I felt a tad guilty none the less. We jumped up and started what was to be a regular routine of serving Dhall, coffee and whatever else was needed.

Jason headed off to Rowardennan along the WHW - Mark and me did the same in the van. Jason came through looking strong and once he was on his way along the shore, we re-joined the caravan of madness and headed north to Beinn Ghlas farm.

Confident that we had loads of time, Mark put the tent up and I crashed out in the van. I woke to the sound of someone knocking on the window ...asking if I was Mark or Graham - SHIT SHIT SHIT !!!! We had slept in again and Jason was already getting support from another team ...oh dear. We fussed around in that way that only guilty support teams can.

Did the whole dhall, coffee, painkillers dance again at Auchentyre and tried to work out if a sub 24 hour race was still possible for Jason. Briefly bumped into Rob Treadwell who I had not seen since the Sarawak Jungle back in 2002 which was really nice ..shame it was so brief.

We continued to leap frog Jason in the van and soon established a nice wee support camp at Bridge of Orchy. Chatted with folks and actually was ready for Jason coming in. For me this marked the start of the interesting section(s) of the route.

The next support point was at the Glen Coe ski centre. It was one of those almost perfect summer evenings - enough wind to keep the midges away and warm enough to mean t-shirt was enough. I ran out onto the moor a bit to meet Jason reckoning he might be starting to need a bit more than dhall.

As we fed him, I asked if he still wanted me to run from Kinlochleven with him to which he asked if I could run from this point on. I got changed, sorted the pack and we trotted off towards the Kingy and on to the Devils Staircase. Kept pace / overtook a few teams until the start of the descent where one of the girl runners appeared to gain wings and skipped off down the path ...we admired her enthusiasm but left her to it.

Coming into Kinloch, the wheels were really starting to come off for the big fella. I sorted myself out whilst Mark fed Jason gels, crisps, flat coke and anything else that would go down. Jason complained about feeling sick and we suggested the best thing to do was start moving towards Fort William again. This seemed to work and by the edge of the village, he was starting to actually feel good again. We kept a steady pace on the climb up into the lairg where a good running pace took over. Night was starting to close in and headtorches were required just before the forest that indicated. Sadly, it was also here that I realised the sub 24 hour target was gone - I decided to keep that to myself but it turned out that Jason had been keeping an eye on pace and time was well (which was impressive considering he had been running for over 20 hours).

We dropped onto the road and the boy put in a strong finish (even thanking 3 bushes for coming out to welcome him to the finish ....he did think they were people however). Jason crossed the line in 24 hours and 41 minutes - awesome I reckon.

It was a blast doing support and I really enjoyed the experience ...now all I need is a good excuse for next year :-)

Decompression ...

2010-06-06T19:34:00.000+01:00

As any diver will tell you …decompression stops you from getting hurt. In running and adventure terms, I reckon some kind of decompression after an event is good for the soul at least.

With the North Face 100km over, I opted for a side trip over to Alice Springs and a spot of time camping in the outback. With only three days to spare, Wayoutback Tours fitted the bill perfectly. After a night in Alice (as good a border town as they come), the 4x4 truck / tour bus arrived fairly prompt at 6am. We loaded up, made introductions and headed south. Next few days were spent visiting Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) and Kings Canyon – evenings were spent under the stars by the fire.

As seems to be the pattern, my first weekend back in Scotland did not pan out exactly as planned. But as with most things, it did give the opportunity for two excellent days in the mountains. Saturday saw Alan Anderson, Matthew and myself ascending the Meall na Leitreach & the Sow of Atholl (with an extension to take in Sgairneach Mhor for Matthew and myself). Sunday was a ridge run of Arran starting at Glen Sannox heading over / around the witches step, onto Cir Mhor, along the A’Chir ridge and onto Beinn Nuis before dropping back to Brodick in time for beer and chips (yes …in that order).

Maybe time to start planning again …or maybe not just yet.

North Face 100km

2010-05-24T20:31:00.000+01:00

Sometime last November, I got an email from my old pal Des (who I ran a fair bit of the 2008 Marathon des Sables with) asking if any Tent 82 folks fancied running the North Face 100km race in the Blue Mountains to the west of Sydney Australia – it seemed a shame not to !

Fast forward six months and I found myself down under and on the start line. I will save the reader a step by step account since it probably won’t mean a lot but ... the route was along existing trails with a seriously beautiful mix of dusty ridge lines covered with small shrubs, steep descents and climbs into and back out of what felt like primeval rain forest, a series of linking fire roads. Other interesting features included a number of sections that ran along cliff top ledges and one descent on fixed vertical ladders (rigged for the event).

There were five control points located at 21km, 38km, 54km, 67km, and at 89km – all of which provided more than enough food and drink. One Control Point even had a pizza stall (in case you didn’t want anything from the BBQ they had set up).

Highlight for me on the route was leaving Katoomba and running along the cliffs just as the sun was going down. Low point came just short of the 50km point where the heat of the day was taking it’s toll on mind and body.

Fairly early on in the event, I decided my target time was sub 15 hours, with about 2km to go my watch packed in and I had no idea how much time I had left. Topped out to see the finish line clock sitting at 14 hours 59 minutes and 40 seconds which leg as much of a sprint finish and accompanying bull roar to cross with only 10 seconds to spare. Des finished a few hours later and under the 20 hour mark that was required to get one of the North Face belt buckles.

The race had a joint winner - local boy Andrew Lee and more interesting ex-Shettleston Harrier (now Melbourne) boy Stu Gibson. Not only did Stu help set the new course record but he also finished 11th overall in this years Marathon des Sables. Had a bit of a chat with him after the prize giving on Sunday.

I haven't done a pile of analysis on the results but around 650 runners started with just over 100 DNFs - a fair number of folks struggled with the drop in temperature when it got dark (which was rather nice for the non-Australian folks). I was 86th from 553 finishers.

It is kinda hard to recommend a race on the other side of the world but should you be inclined to visit Oz ...the North Face event makes for a nice little side trip.

Heading south ...

2010-05-07T17:31:00.000+01:00

To quote the Redlands Palamino Company ..."by the time you read this, I'll be gone".

Heading south tomorrow ...way south ...the Blue Mountains in Australia in fact.

Usual pre-advetnure emotions - not started yet but no longer at home either. That inbetween stage where you are neither rising or falling ...just stuck in the middle. Maybe due to the distance, or maybe just how I feel but it feels like a really, really long way away from where I belong this time.

I love running because it is simple and yet I seem to be able to make the whole process of finding new running adventures more complicated than maybe it should be.

Anyway, there is a link to the Blue Mountains 100km race just to the right of this.

Will be back north again soon ...

Remembering Woody ...

2010-05-06T00:44:00.002+01:00

Different election ..same issues.

Just in case we had forgotten ...

2010-05-05T23:54:00.000+01:00

This post might be a bit late since the election is hours away but ..

I am seriously worried that there is a generation of voters who never grew up under Thatcher.

The simple fact is Tory policy remains the same ...exploit the weak in society to the benefit of those who are already fat...and on the off chance folks organise to defend themselves or maybe even fight back ...then introduce legislation to prevent such behaviour.

It might not be fashionable to wave a red flag these days ...but use your vote wisely.

The Highland Fling - 53 miles from Milngavie to Tyndrum

2010-04-26T18:18:00.001+01:00

As I tried to locate the source of the noise which was telling me it was time to get up, it dawned on me ...ignore it and sleep in. It would give me the perfect excuse for missing the start of the 2010 Highland Fling Ultra. Sadly, by the time I found my phone I was fully awake and all there was to do was stumble through to the kitchen and kick the espresso machine into life. About two hours later, I was registered and on the start line at Milngavie with 53 miles to cover until the finish line at Tyndrum ...oh dear.

Met up with Stevie Bell fairly quickly and the chat helped pass the time along under Dumgoyne and out to Drymen where the first control was located. I stopped to fill a bottle of water and Stevie drifted into the distance for a bit. I caught him up at the start of the forest and before long we caught the tail end of the women's race who had started an hour earlier (despite rumours, this starting arrangement was not supposed to give the v40 men a reason for putting in a good effort early on).

Some folks don't like Conic Hill - personally I love it since it gives the first real opportunity to slow down and eat. We pass Jim Drummond who was as cheery as always (he even suggested entering a new race out in the Pyrenees). Into Balmaha and it was great to see Davy Broni marshalling ...bottle filled and it was time to head north again. The next section towards Rowardenan is lovely ...a great wee trail through the woods with enough short hills to break things up a bit but not enough to make things difficult.

Rolled into the Rowardenan control and looked at my watch and was surprised to find I was about 20 minutes quicker than last year. Most folks would have been happy but I was concerned ...very concerned indeed. In 2009, I blew up big style along the lochside and putting in an effort early on (I consider the 26 mile point early) might not have been the best idea. As such, I spent a wee bit more time than planned eating and drinking before continuing. The undulations along the forest track went ok although the heat of the day was building a bit. Met up with Kate Cheesewright who I knew from the Highlander Mountain Marathon and got her tale of how Elsie and Elizabeth opened up the awesome Day 2 lead the other week.

Felt better than I had expected at Inversnaid where it was good to find one of my neighbours and his wife marshalling. Decided not to waste any time here and after a quick bottle fill continued along the lochside. Last year I was a bit of a mess on this section but actually enjoyed the boulder / tree root avoidance this time round. Knowing that Beinn Ghlas farm was close, I resisted looking at my watch until I arrived at the control - think I might have made a wee whooping noise when I did however ...another 10 minutes gained on 2009. Immediate thoughts were along the lines of "dinnae mess up and I could get in under 10 hours for the whole distance". Chatted with Strathaven runner Tony Thistlethwaite who I knew from the Marathon des Sables (he had only just returned from this years MdS !!!!).

Leaving the farm there are a succession of heart breaking hill before you are able to commence running again. I tried on a number of occasions to raise the pace to a shuffle but almost always ended up walking and decided to save what running the legs had left for the flat and downhill. Had a couple of altercations with cattle (did the farmer put them along the trail on purpose????) which was less than welcome before turning the corner above Crainlarich.

Met up with Stevie again just before the finish and it was very nice to hear the sound of the highland bagpipes about 100m from the line itself !

Was over the moon to find I had covered the distance 9 hours 51 minutes (about 40 minutes quicker than last year) - a winter of hill walking and the High Peak Marathon last month were responsible I reckon.

The Fling is a great event and recommended but I think I will look for something else in 2011.

Highlander Mountain Marathon - Gairloch

2010-04-26T18:06:00.000+01:00

Last March, my pal Joe Coll came off his bike at a roundabout and headbutted the tarmac big style. The resulting head injury by and large has kept him off the hills and roads pretty much for most of 2009. For the OMM, he kindly gave me his place so as a bit of compensation, we entered the 2010 Highlander Mountain Marathon.

We opted for the “B” class event - long enough to be tasty but not silly long (or so we thought). Sadly, between entering and getting to the start line, we had been unable to get in enough hill running time together as we would have liked.

Drove north on the Friday afternoon and after registration and some food, met up with some old Heb Challenge pals before retiring to the relative comfort of the Berlingo for the night.

Day -1
Next morning dawned with clear blue skies (which we failed to take into consideration and left the sun cream in the van for some reason). Picked up the first bus to the start close to the Victoria Falls car park on the south side of Loch Maree. We got our controls and started marking up the maps …it was going to be an interesting day. Very quickly I identified a route which actually took in two Corbetts – Beinn an Eoin and Baosbheinn. Was pleased that Joe agreed that since we were not fit enough to be competitive, we could pick the aesthetically pleasing route. The second control was a cracker, bottom of a re-entrant / gully. It was obvious that the course planner Alec Keith and team had put in a good effort in control location. After visiting the next few controls, we started up the summit ridge of Beinn an Eoin before a fast out and back to the summit. Dropping down to Poca Buidhe took a while and it was obvious that very few (if any) had taken this route choice. Thankfully, there was a line across the small lochans that kept our feet dry before starting to climb again.

Another team joined us at the next control – we headed up towards the high ridge of Baosbheinn and they dropped back down to the lower ground. Over the summit we had the challenge of picking a route down through the crags to the next control. Thankfully a steep gully led almost directly down to the re-entrant in question!

From high up, I had planned a line across the open moorland passing a small top and leading up another short gully. Unfortunately, I had mistaken exactly where the 293m top of Mullach na Cadhaichean was and we ended up a bit further west than we should have been. We used a small lochan with an almost jigsaw like feature to relocate and all was well again.

The route continued in a generally west direction but we were both getting tired and the pace slowed dramatically. Nice bit was that the heat of the sun had gone and we were left with an impressive evening light on the surrounding hills. With the last few controls sorted, we dropped down onto the track which lead to the midcamp at Sheildaig. Shortly after arriving, we had the tent up …fed and relaxed with a beer chatting to other racers and enjoying the Ceildh band.

Day -2
Next morning, Joe was in a bit of pain. I never said anything but another epic day was not what was needed. After marking up the map with the days controls, it was obvious …another epic day was exactly what was on the cards. We picked up the first two controls before I stated the obvious …we were going to seriously struggle to finish the course never mind be in any way competitive. We discussed the options and the reasons behind them and decided to pull out of the race. The main factors were:

• We were hideously slow and the reality of another 10 hour day was not going to be enjoyable.

• We were both suffering a fair bit of sunburn from Day 1 – further exposure was only going to make it worse.

• It was not reasonable to expect the race organisers / marshalls to stay out on the course when we were in such bad shape.

The third control lay to the east …we turned to the west and headed for the road. Nice bit …walking away from the race was the right decision on the day and it felt good to be making the right decision for the right reasons even though in directly conflicted with why we were at the event …that was to finish.

A few folks have expressed surprise that I did not simply push Joe harder (which I have done in a number of previous events). The answer is fairly simple, we have done enough in the hills over the years for me to know where our limits as a team sit.

Next year …NEXT year ….

High Peak Marathon

2010-03-08T21:15:00.000Z

Is it better to write about an event whilst the legs and body are still in pain and things are fresh or wait a bit and reflect? Not sure but I do know the legs and body are still suffering a bit from Friday night / Saturday morning running the High Peak Marathon along with Dave Rogers, John Donnelly and Gordon Pryde. For those not familiar with the event, the term "marathon" is a bit vague. It is actually a 42 miles night time race for teams of four. The route traverses the Derwent Watershed, starting and finishing at Edale Village Hall.

I got an email last November from Dave asking if I wanted to take the place of Manny who had run in previous years - jumped at the chance since it was an event I had wanted to do for a number of years but had been unable to recruit like minded folks (Manny later sent a message of "support" during the extreme weather ...or was a message of amusement ...not sure). A couple more team changes and a last minute panic over Dave's well being finally saw us heading south on the Friday afternoon.

Jennie Triger kindly came across from Sheffield to lend some support and it was fantastic to get some time to chat before the start.

We started some time just after 23:30 from Edale and had a prompt blast down the road and up towards the first control at Hollins Cross. Wee clusters of four headtorch beams highlighted the teams above and below which was an usual sight for sure. As I waited for the SI card to register the first control, Dave informed us that this was also the last control before the finish ...I wondered how long it would be until we got back to it again.

The ridge towards the second control at Lose Hill made for great running. Control visited we dropped quickly down onto the road and into the small village ironically called Hope. With Dave at the front of the team, we didn't need to check the map since he appeared to be on first name terms with every path and turning. Short but steep climb up Win Hill and the third control was rewarded by an equally steep (but slippy) descent onto another road section. We took the opportunity to eat and drink at bit mixing in an effective run / walk / run thing. Back off the road and it was up to High Neb where the going was fairly level and all above the 400m contour. Dropping down towards the Moscar control was very exciting since we knew there was tea, coffee and food !

Refuelled, we wobbled down the road for a couple of km before breaking off and up onto the Derwent Moor. I found myself at the front and managed to pick a rather horrible line through the heather. Noticed one of the all girl teams making good progress and figured they either had a better line or were simply just faster.

The big loop from Lost Lad over Margery Hill, Outer Edge and Swain Hill is really the crux of the race. Thankfully, the snow was pretty firm ...especially where folks had compressed an icy furrow and we made reasonable time. Dave appeared happy and assured us it is normally far worse underfoot. The ascent of Bleaklow had been in my mind ever since Dave put out an email asking if anyone had a 1:25,000km map (a sure sign tight navigation is a requirement) but as daylight allowed the headtorch to be put away, it was fine (even if the control was not exactly where it should have been). For some reason, I got it in my head that from the control at Bleaklow, all we had to do was drop down to Snake Pass (a wonderful name eh ?) but failed to take in account we actually had a 2km trog to another control at Wain Stones to visit first !?!?! In theory, you follow the Pennine Way down to the road but it was buried deep in snow. A few teams headed in one direction and we followed Dave in a slightly different direction. Not sure which was quicker but we were soon at Snakes enjoying more hot drinks and food. JD had been dropping off the pace a bit and took full advantage of the facilities on offer - so much so that within about 5 minutes of leaving the control, he took off at an incredible pace towards Mill Hill. It never fails to impress me how quickly the body can recover given a bit of a chance.

By this time it really felt like we were on the home straight and with the climb up onto Kinder the sun came out. Without a doubt my favourite memory of the race will be the kms that we ran along the edge of Kinder - we were all feeling pretty good, the weather / views were spectacular and we only had three controls to go ! Dave highlighted exactly where the last two controls were and it was time for one last effort. Over Lord's Seat ...down onto the road ...back up to Hollins Cross where we had started the whole thing the night before ...and down towards Edale as fast as we could. Briefly stopped to regroup at the gate to ensure we finished as a complete group of four ...into the hall and we were done.

Lovely thing about finishing "in" the hall was that previous finishers were there to applaud - it felt good to have the effort of the last 11 hours and 43 minutes recognised.

Huge thanks to Dave, JD and Gordon for the company and support - it was one of the best Friday nights out I've had for years :-)

Some race photographs from JD

Twelve Trig Sunday Multisport Challenge

2010-03-02T22:28:00.000Z

Maps fascinate me …

I have been looking for some new local run and bike route over the last few months. The other weekend, hill pal Graham had an old 1:25,000 pathfinder map which covered the area around Milngavie and down to the Kilpatricks. His plan was to have wee day walks to visit all the trig points on that sheet (we found seventeen). He got me to thinking about home many trig points I could link together into a run (for ones close to the flat) and bike (for outlying points) in a day. Quick scan of the map showed a reasonable number of 12 which made for a challenging but achievable Sunday training jaunt.

Ended up with a bit more of a run (21.4km) than planned but a bit less of a cycle (36.6km) than was in my head but the route was a nice starter. Transition was at the flat and a key element of the bike section was actually taking the bike to each trig point (not as easy as it sounds).

The run was great …a mix of trails, roads and a few farmers fields. It amazed me that I had previously run so close to some of the trigs and yet past them. As a few were less than obvious, they have thankfully avoided vandalism …others not so lucky.

Got back to the flat and chugged a bottle of juice and grabbed some food before heading back out on the singlespeed. Shot over to Mearns Castle for the first of the planned trigs – maybe due to me thinking I knew the exact location of the trig and maybe due to travelling quicker than on foot but I overshot the exact point …twice ! Took a picture to record the moment and headed off to the next point just beside the Mal Inn. Access proved to be interesting due to a jaggy hedge – keen not to have to speak to the farmer, I found a wee section of fence and got me and the bike over intact. The snow was silly deep and even pushing the bike was difficult. Got the photo and retraced my route back down onto the road. Next point was simple down at Patterton Station then spun through Barrhead to collect the last picturesque trig before the last two which had more Buckfast bottles than I would have thought possible. Between times I did however contemplate how good Bucky would be as an official energy drink (high sugar and caffeine content) …it helped the last few miles roll by.

It took about 5 hours combined to visit 12 ….wonder how long it would take for 24 trigs ?

The Run

The Cycle

The Ben weekend ...

2010-02-28T21:58:00.002Z

Every now and then …it all comes together!

Long term hill pal Graham Pascall had taken early retirement and along with Joe Coll, we reckoned it should be marked with a weekend in the mountains. Graham supported me in compleating (yes …that is the correct spelling) the Munros and it was correct that we added a couple to his ever decreasing list of 3000ft summits to do.

Amazingly, he had avoided two big ones – Ben Nevis and Carn Mor Dearg. As such, a weekend in the Fort was chosen. The usual weather watching showed promise with great conditions forecast despite a low pressure sitting over Scotland. It seemed appropriate for a weekend in the Fort!

Joe and myself jumped the train north whilst Graham took an easy drive to meet us there. We settled down with coffee and cake before getting to chatting with a lass from Liverpool. Views heading north were seriously impressive. Up past Arrochar and the Cobbler before Tyndrum and Ben Lui etc ... I made a noise about a night ascent ...Joe ignored me. We arrived just about on time and met up with Graham who seemed much happier not working any more. Stocked up on food before heading to the bunkhouse. Opted for evening meal in the pub since that was where they served the beer :-)

Early rise next morning since it was going to be a fairly long day. With snow at all levels, we were on the path just before 8am - late if you are climbing and early if you are walking. We made reasonable time up the icy path until just after the half way lochan where the snow got deeper and deeper. Reaching the summit was incredible - it is easy when you get a good day to say it is the best ever ....but this was the best ever winter day on the Ben! Took loads of photographs ...then took some more. It seemed wrong not to try and record everything. We spent some time enjoying the summit which was nice before heading down to the "interesting" part of the day ...the Carn Mor Dearg arete! With the amount of snow and folks already along it, the majority of the technical sections were very simple indeed. Chatted to some of the LSCC girls who were on a club meet before reaching the summit of Carn Mor Dearg itself and a fast descent down into Coire Leis. I went for the van whilst Graham & Joe made their way down the track to the North Face car park. A top day indeed.

Next day was a far more leisurely day out Corbetting on Garbh Bheinn above Kinlochleven.

Huge congrats to Graham and all the best fir yir retirement !

Me, Joe and Graham on the summit of the Ben

Blogging / Twitter / Viewranger and integrating them !

2010-02-17T21:53:00.000Z

A few folks have asked how I integrated a OSGB grid reference from my Nokia Mobile loaded with Viewranger into Twitter and the sidebar of this blog.

It was a kind of natural addition rather than something I set out to do - I first had this blog, then added a twitter feed before figuring out the last bit but anyway ...

I assume you already have a blogspot account and a twitter account as well as being a Viewranger user ...if not well you need all three !
Working back ...from the dashboard of blogspot choose "layout" and then click "add a gadget" to the area of the layout you want the twitter feed to appear. Search for "twitter updates" and a series of gadgets will be available - I recommend the ones from Blogger Buster. Once you have this as part of your blog you should be able to tweet updates into the sidebar !
You need to set up your mobile phone to be able to post tweets via text message. Log into your twitter account and under settings, there is a "mobile" tab - follow the instructions and you should be able to update twitter via text message from your mobile.
My account is with Orange and being a Dolphin contract, I have an unlimited text message package (hence I do not pay for texts to update twitter). Basically I send a text to 86444.
From Viewranger, I have set up the "0" key as a shortcut to sending a text message - so out on the hill (or wherever) you can send a OSGB grid along with any message to twitter and the gadget updates your blog.

Viewranger already have a fantastic beacon and facebook plugin - but for my purposes, the text message thing in the blog works well as a way of letting folks know where I am.

Hope this helps but any queries, please feel free to ask !

Cheers for now ...

Graham K

Lyon in a Berlingo

2010-02-15T21:11:00.000Z

Sometimes it is just nice to waken up somewhere new …

The Glen Lyon hills are well with a day trip from Glasgow but I decided to bin Glasgow and head north late on a Saturday evening. Up past Stirling and a turn west, through Callander and Loch Earnhead before passing through a very quiet Killin. The hill plan included an “easy single” from the high road which runs past the Ben Lawyers visitors centre. Snow low down on the road was not a good sign at all – managed to squeeze through the first two drifts but got the van a bit stuck in the third. Dug it out and returned down to Loch Tay with my tail between my legs. Took the long route into Glen Lyon and arrived at my chosen spot a bit later than planned.

The van was so comfy that I slept in a bit but crawled out the sleeping bag and got the stove primed. Fed and pack ready …I started up the track towards the first hill of the day Cam Creag. Due to the amount of work going on lower down the glen, it felt like accessing a construction site rather than a mountain wilderness (and the landowners shout about the damage done by walkers / bikers). Was glad to gain some height and back into the snow again. Decided to take a slightly more direct line onto the summit ridge than initially planned but the snow was good and there were very obvious routes through the crags. Arrived on the summit ridge in very flat light …and carefully made my way up. Found the summit and checked my position with the GPS (better to be sure). My footsteps from the ascent made for a worry free descent back into the glen. Did the walk / jog / run / jog / walk thing back down towards the car before turning back north and up the forestry track towards the next of the hills – Beinn Dearg. Stopped on the edge of the forest for some food and noted that once again, I had the hill to myself (doubt the surrounding Munros were the same). With the mountain covered in cloud, the view was by and large dominated by map and compass. Located the summit (and checked it again with the GPS) before making the return journey back down to the van.

Got back to the van in plenty time for another attempt at the Lawyers road but reckoned it would not be any better from the north with steeper slopes leading onto the road …one for a summers day perhaps.

Day gig in Lochearnhead

2010-02-09T19:17:00.000Z

At some point in the 1990s, I ran out of new Munros that were achievable on a day trip …I am enjoying the current spate of day raids on the Corbetts !

Through the road works on the A80 (there always seems to be something happening here), off towards Callander and over to Lochearnhead. Dumped the Berlingo in the town car park and headed back towards Glen Kendrum. Briefly chatted with some guys who had parked in the small church car park …we reckoned nobody would be inconvenienced since it was a Sunday !!!

Found the track heading north over the old railway which I had previously passed along whilst cycling from Inverness to Glasgow back in 2003 with John Queen and Gerry Henderson. Started up the track with some music ...had a wee sing to myself but got all self aware and stopped ! Climbing higher and the snow got harder - perfect. Picked a line up through the crags on Creag Mac Ranaich stopping only to fit my shiny new Kahtoola microspikes ...a very lightweight "kinda" crampon. Whilst being far from proper mountain crampons, the easy of fitting makes them perfect for use on that marginal ground that would ususally mean not bothering. With careful route choice and sensible application they are ideal for a fast and light winter trip.

The summit gave seriously great views over towards the Ben Lawyers group which were plastered in snow - looked like ideal ski mountaineering conditions !

I made my way down to the bealach where I had a bit of food and a hot drink before starting up the second summit of the day Meall an Seallaidh. Again the microspikes gave enough traction to pick a nice line. I decided to test exactly what ground they could cope with and can confirm that Grade 1 snow ice is beyond the limit ....opps ! Not a huge issue but back to cutting steps (something I have not "had" to do for a long time). Topped out onto the ridge and headed to the summit before a cracking run back down to the glen.

If only ma wee legs were this long ...hills would be easy !

A return to south

2010-02-09T18:59:00.000Z

Seasick Steve made the comment “never go west when you should be headin south”. Different land but sometimes, I have to agree. The forecast for the west highlands was bad and the southern uplands...marginal but better!

For the second time this month it was back down to Moffat for a ramble up White Coomb which still had its winter jacket on. The snow conditions had improved thanks to a bit of a thaw / freeze cycle so going was pretty good (none of this wading through drifts rubbish). Thanks to a tip from Alan Anderson (who had been up the day before) navigating was simply …follow the wall then break off to the actual summit. Opted for an extended trip by heading over Firthope Rig and Donald Cleuch’s Head …mainly due to both names being fantastic. Sadly the track along Loch Skeen was buried in snow and despite the loch still being frozen …walking on water did not appeal !

Mark Twain ...

2010-01-19T21:47:00.003Z

Was reading today ...and read this ...

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

A very good point raised by Mark Twain I beleive !

Festive snow sports ...

2010-01-12T21:51:00.004Z

Had a pile of wee trips over the festive ...mainly on the nordic skis around East Renfrewshire and the Lomondside but squeezed in four new Corbetts.

Headed north on Boxing Day with the plan of an "easy single" above Loch Leven in the shape of Mam na Gualainn at 796m above sea level. Like so many of the Corbetts, I had driven past it many times without actually thinking about wandering up the hill. Left the car and started up the hard snow looking forward to the prospect of crampons further up .... The SMC guide book had warned that the path was indistinct and under snow it wasn't wrong. Sadly, the hard snow gave way to deep powder just above the radio mast and progress slowed up. I arrived at the belach tired but with only 1.5km to the summit reckoned it wouldn't take long - in fact, it took the best part of an hour to wade through the snow. At the trig point however, the effort was well worth it - cracking views back to the Coe and over the Mamores. Thankfully, the descent was easy with a jump / run thing working well.

Drove round to the Fort and killed a couple of hours in the shops and MacDonalds. Treated myself to a wee Black Diamond snow shovel (which came in very useful over the next few days). Met up with Stuart "Shamir" Ferguson before heading round to Roybridge for the night. Late that evening I was considering options for the next day - had a ramble down the start of the Glen Roy road ...it looked dodgy with hard packed snow / ice tracks and snow at the sides !

Next morning I was at a bit of a loss what to do. Was thinking that an easy option of a Corbett with a main road start was in order when I heard about the death of Knut Haugland on the radio. Knut was not only the radio operator on the Kon Tiki expedition but also one of the members Norwegian Resistnace in the 2nd World War. During the initial Operation Grouse and the subsequent operations he helped end the development of an atomic bomb by Hilter and the Nazi regime. In short, without the bravery of Knut and his fellow Norwegians, the world today might have been a very different place. In his memory, I opted for a more challenging day and dumped the car in a layby / deep snowdrift got the nordic skis on and headed down Glen Roy - the revised target for the day was Ben Iaruinn at 896m. Not long after leaving the road, the slope became too steep for my skis (I currently do not own a set of skins for them) so got them on the side of the pack and continued up past the parallel roads and onto the summit ridge where the skis were back on. The last 1km was a case of carefully handrailing Coire nan Eun before reaching the trig point. Had a brief stop for a bite and reflected on the world today a bit before skiing back across to the steep slopes and a swift drop back to the road. Back at the car, I had to do a bit of digging before tyres met road and I was able to get back out to the A82. Heading south, I was glad of my choice of day.

Next trip was a night ascent ! Made some plans with Alan Kelly to take advantage of the full moon and low temparture to head south to the Greenwell of Scotland and an ascent of Cairnsmore of Carsphrain at 797m. We left the car around 7pm ...in a bit of a snow shower. Not a bad one, but snowing none the less. The track was intially well packed but as we continued under Willieanna and Dunpol, we were back into deep powder. Over the last couple of winters, I have come to note that maybe snowshoes would get more use than crampons ! Eventually, we reached the boundary wall and turned to the north east and into a very cold wind. With sprindrift everywhere, I stopped to get my ski googles on - unfortunately, Alan didn't have any with him. We found a half buried trig point gave it a nod then turned back down the slope. We took some shelter and grabbed a quick drink / bite to eat before continuing down. With the build up of snow, going downhill was not much easier than going up. After fighting through tussocks hidden under snow we finally reached the track and in time the car. Both of us were fairly tired but happy to have been out on the hill. I dropped Alan back at the house and got home to Busby just after 00:30.

No better way to start the year than with a wee hill trip - continuing the theme of turning the world upside down I headed south (mountains alway feel as though they should be north of Glasgow) with Alan Anderson and his nephew Matthew. With dodgy road conditions continuing, we chosen venue was Hart Fell just outside Moffat. The M74 was down to a single lane ...and we were probably the 2nd car to venture along the A708 ! We made for the broad shoulder which leads up above Cappelgill past the 724m top and to Swatte Fell. Once again the snow condtions made things heavy going ...especially for Matthew who was on his first winter trip. The biting easterly wind had scoured some of the snow which was sitting in pockets. We made slow progress towards Hart Fell itself but above Falcon Craig, Alan and Matthew made the sensible decision to bail out and start heading back down. I continued on against the wind and stopped only to get a trig point photograph before catching the boys up.

A nice end to the year ...and a nice start to 2010

December Bothy Culture ...

2009-12-22T16:10:00.000Z

The big team bothy trip had been reduced to just me and Joe so taking the Berlingo north gave more scope in terms of Sunday hills and also allowed an excellent bothy fire scene to be planned.

We finished our Christmas works lunch (interesting experience staying sober whilst folks around take advantage of a free bar) and headed north. Stopped off at the Green Welly for fuel, food and fire material. We opted for 10kg of coal, 10kg of peat brick things and a big bag of kindling.

Just north of the Fort the fog started and heading along the side of Loch Eil was plain eerie. Finding the car park was going to be a challenge – thankfully the catch feature of the railway bridge was not required and we had the car parked up and I started loading the bike trailer with provisions …it felt very heavy indeed. The forestry tracks did not “appear” to match the map but after taking a bearing we headed off up the hill (our first mistake) – we noted that the river should be on our right hand side (and was not) but hoped the track would swing back round again (which is kind of did). Very soon we were on a steep climb …so steep I had to get off the bike and push (which did not seem right at all). The gradient got worse and soon Joe was pushing back of the trailer whilst I wrestled with the front of the bike. Sweat dripping off, I commented that I would not like to be trying to ride down the track with the weight at the back (I was to prove myself right). Out of the darkness came a radio mast …which was not on the map …or was it. The long and short of it was we took the wrong track and an hour after leaving arrived back at the car (seems to be a habit these days)

Try again ….

Correct track identified, we scooted into the bothy in no time at all. We had the place to ourselves and by the time I had gone down to get water, Joe had the fire on ...

Next morning dawned with a good heavy frost …the kind of frost that makes you appreciate warm gear. Not long after first light, we headed north along the track towards the first hill of the day Streap. Stopped briefly for some photographs before ascending onto the ridge which leads to the summit. Not much snow but what was there, was solid – thankfully we were able to pick a line which joined up grassy sections ! The views from the summit of Streap were impressive – over Rhum, Eigg and over to the Cullin on Skye …and back down towards Ben Nevis. Happy, we began the long descent to Lochan a’ Chomhlain and another lunch stop. We noted a rather strange wall on the slopes opposite as we made our way down.

The re-ascent to Braigh nan Uamhacan was around 400m and of a gradient which can only be described as “sair oan the heid” …not steep enough to be interesting but steep enough to get under the skin a bit. I went at my chosen pace …and Joe at his. Once on the ridge we took a ramble to the most northerly point to get a look up towards Knoydart and Loch Arkaig. With the light starting to fade, it was time to start the return journey to the bothy. We did stop however to look at the wall – kinda sad that we could probably find out who owned the estate at the time it was built …but not the names of the men who actually built it. We followed it for a while before dropping back down into the glen and back to the bothy.

Dinner was noodles for starters, curry and rice for a main and jaffa cakes / tea to finish with. The size of the fire appeared to be directly proportional to the amount of beer, cider and whisky consumed ..and in hindsight was a good one.

Sunday morning plan was to get up fairly early, head back to the car and do a hill on the Ardgour peninsula. I was able to more of less freewheel down the side of the river whilst Joe did a walk / run / wobble thing. I got back to the car frozen solid …Joe warm.

Berlingo loaded up, we drove round to Stronchreggan and started up the glen to the chosen hill for the day – Stob Coire a Chearaill. One of the things I loved about doing the Munros was the fact it took me to bits of Scotland that I might not of otherwise visited – it was now obvious the Corbetts were doing the same. The route we took was via the Braigh Bhlaich ridge (which actually took longer than it felt it should have). Again, the view were impressive as we looked back towards the previous days hill and across to Ben Nevis. On the descent we met a man and his dog …stopped to chat for a bit on the merits of outdoor gear before continuing back to the car and towards Strontian and the Corran Ferry. Was pleased to find that despite the fog, it was running.

A grand trip indeed !

Sandbaggers and a Corbett ...

2009-12-09T16:28:00.000Z

A top evening in the Drovers – met up with some old pals and met up with some new. Possibly, the most surreal moment of the night was hearing Guns n Roses being played live in the Drovers …go figure eh ?

I had been meaning to have a ramble up Meall an Fhudair since last May when after the Arrochar hills, I headed back to Glasgow to a Counting Crows gig …and Manny + crew headed to Fhudair on his Corbett Run.

Left the van a little later than I thought I would have …but these things happen sometimes. The route up was very straightforward – follow the road to where it splits then continue up onto the ridge and to the summit (so I had the map tucked away out of use). The wind was seriously Baltic …very cold indeed but clear skies gave superb views over towards the Ben Lui hills. There was an almost perfect line across the group where brown hill met snow covered hill – winter is good. Reached the wee cairn and checked my watch …I had made good time. Took some pics and started down the ridge and back towards the car.

After about five minutes, I got a bad feeling about things. Stopped, took out the map and swore at myself – I had not been to the summit of Meall an Fhudair...only to the 721m top! Continuing to swear, I turned around and headed back up the hill (obviously, my head was somewhere else). Got back to the cairn and laughed since I was actually 1.5km off the correct summit. Checked my watch and broke into a run / walk thing to regain the lost time. On the correct summit, I was much happier.

Cheers to the Gobi Sandbagger folks for making me very welcome indeed – a great evening and a nice wee hill day to follow …a perfect combination.

The route including the faff about !

Multisport Sunday ...

2009-11-23T23:22:00.000Z

I gave it until around 11am ...then gave it up and headed towards the horizon. Having rebuilt the road bike after the Spanish trip, it made sense to cycle across Glasgow, out past Milngavie and the reservoirs, through Strathblane (where I punctured) then to the Dumgonyne distillery (well it made sense to me anyway).

I locked the bike up, changed into the fell shoes and set off up Dumgoyne itself. Unfortunately, due to the late start, the light was against me and after a summit pic and ramble back down over the wee bump to the east, I had to return to the bike and belt back south if I was to make it home before dark.

Heading out the traffic had been fine, heading back was murder – a nasty mix of Sunday drivers and shoppers. A bit of NYC style courier riding saw me through the city centre and one last push back to Busby.

Mibbee not what I had planned out but multisport Sundays always make a good second best :-)

The bike (around 65km round trip)

The wee hill run !

Spanish Biking ...

2009-11-23T23:18:00.000Z

Wee Joe turned 40 this year - a team heading to the south of Spain with bikes seemed a good way to celebrate and it was indeed

My total stats for the trip was 384km with 9653m of climbing over the 6 days on the bike (and a wee trail run out from Ronda). Below is the routes we rode ...

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 5 - wee trail run out of Ronda

Day 6 - some tasty climbs !

The boys oan the bikes - aka Team Scotia

OMM 2009

2009-11-04T12:09:00.000Z

The other weekend saw my 10th time at the KIMM / OMM:

2008 – Borrowdale (“C” class)
2007 – Lowther Hills (“A” class)
2006 – Galloway Forest Park (Short Score)
2005 – Eastern Lake District (Medium Score)
2004 – Brecon Beacons (Long Score)
2003 – Langholme (Medium Score)
2002 – Cheviot (“B” class)
2001 – Clyde Muirshiel (Medium Score)
2000 – Lake District (Medium Score)

The whole thing started when myself, Alan Kelly & Lee(roy) Gilbertson were out for a long Sunday run back in July 2000. We were doing a tour of the parks on the southside of Glasgow when I mentioned that I had read about the KIMM …next day saw an entry form being posted. It has kinda become a habit every since. Another habit has been a mad journey from getting an accepted entry to actually getting to the start line – most years involves a change of partner …and sometime class of entry …sometime both !

This year was no different but with an added twist …and I mean that literally. On the Monday evening before the event, I decided a little nigh orienteering event was in order to brush up on the nav. The first 4 controls went ok but as I ran along “easy” ground I put my foot in a hole and fell down a banking (but leaving my foot at the top). The result was a badly swollen and bruised ankle. Thankfully two days of rest / ice / compression and a good Bioskin Brace got it well enough to wobble towards the start line.

This year saw a return to Wales – the Elan valley this time and for the first time in the “mixed” category due to racing with my wee sister (who should have been racing with Joe Coll). The drive south was ok and we were soon fed and watered. Felt rather smug kipping in the van whilst some folks tried to find a bit of ground to camp on.

Next morning we grabbed some breakfast before heading to the bus for transfer to the start. Map issue we planned the first couple of controls and headed up the hill only for a gust of wind to whip the map from Irene ensuring a monty python style sprint across the hillside – not the best start to the day. Pacing was adjusted to a point where we could breathe …well once Irene had reduced her heart rate to something sustainable anyway. We broke left and off towards the first control. Previously on the OMM, Irene had gone badly over time and we chose a very conservative route but with a couple of options towards the end. We dropped down towards the southern stream control before noticing that we had gone a bit far west and had to traverse round to the correct stream GRRRRRR. The next few controls were fairly straightforward and we ended up about 3km from the midcamp with around 90 minutes to go. The question was to either drop down onto an easy track and pick up a single control or go onto some unknown ground and try for two. We discussed the choice and played it safe whilst two girls who we had been chatting to took the risky option. With no time pressure we jogged down the road before climbing up to the last control of the day …in pouring rain (we had hoped to get to the camp dry) before the last ramble down to the finish of Day 1.

Mid-camp was great – nice level ground beside (but sufficiently above) the river. Did the usual eat / sleep / eat / sleep thing before the bar was opened (a rather nice Jura whisky) and another eat / sleep cycle. Enjoyed a great view of the stars and pleased to report not a single balloon failure during the night 

Walking up to the start of Day 2 we wondered how much route choice there was going to be with only 4 hours to get to the finish. As we waited, we got talking to the two girls that had taken the risky option at the end of Day 1 …they confirmed that the underfoot conditions were brutal but that they had made it in on time.

The horn indicated the clock was ticking again and we chose our first control but took a line which would have meant a significant loss in height to pick up the track – oops. Re-planned a slightly longer route to a re-entrant control and continued to climb. Along with a number of other teams, we lost a fair bit of time locating the exact re-entrant. A quick estimate on distance / remaining time indicated that if we stuck to the initial plan, we would be over time at the finish. Not the best but as always, there was another option – once again, we dropped down onto a track to make up quick progress towards the finish. Thankfully, it gave an opportunity to pick up a nice 30 point control on the way back up to the high ground. It was about this time we entered some of the most horrible tussocks I have ever encountered. Sadly for Irene, she missed me disappearing head first over one and into a rather damp bog. With the next control punched, we had another significant choice – descent over the tussocks and away from the ridge leading to the finish for another 20 point control or head up to the ridge line where the running would be good. Fairly happy with progress to date and not looking for an epic, we missed the 20 point control and headed up. Once on the ridge the last long descent was very easy indeed and we rolled across the line with loads of time to spare …and again in hindsight could have got the “optional” control.

One thing about the score events is you can always do better with hindsight …either better route choice between controls, less controls (if you have gone over time) or more controls (if you are under time) …but I am 100% happy with the choices we made (although I reckon I should have looked at the map more during the first 20 minutes of Day 2 …see what I mean about hindsight).

HUGE thanks to Irene for having the guts and endurance to race with me ..and to Joe Coll for giving me his place !

Now what to do next year …

Stag Night Orienteering - Link Park

2009-10-20T16:38:00.003+01:00

That time of year again ...away with the big maps and time for micro navigation. Alan Anderson and myself went along for the first in the STAG series of night events.

Despite not being very good, I love orienteering - it never fails to amaze me how costly a mistake is.

The course was 3.5km loop with sixteen controls with a mix of natural and manmade features. It started well with the first 4 controls going exactly as planned. Heading along to the fifth I started to plan ahead and promptly ended up down a banking and nearly in the river Cart opps ! The ankle I left at the top of the bank was sore ...but not too bad as I clipped the control and headed up the hill. The next couple of controls went ok but after number 37 I went completely wrong ! So badly wrong that I had to retrace my route back to the control and start again. With the confidence dented (and the ankle getting a little bit sorer) I slowed down so as not to make any more errors. Three of the controls were on the golf course and I made yet another mistake (took the white areas on the map as being fairways when they were actually lines of trees !?!?!) but found the controls after a bit of faff. The ditch control (which a few folks missed) was located and all that was left to do was find the right track to the next control (which was easier said than done) thankfully I slowed again to get the remaining controls and finished complete.

The course proved to be challenging but fun and a great way to spend a Monday evening. Thanks to Terry and Gerry for organising !

31 mountain days ...

2009-10-20T16:11:00.002+01:00

Well then, I celebrated my 31st Scottish mountain day this year with a wee trip to Glen Etive with my cousin Alan (just moved back to Scotland from Malaysia (via Cardiff).

The weather had been seriously impressive all week ...that was until Sunday morning. Plan was to take in a new Munro for Alan and a new Corbett for myself. We left the car in full waterproofs. Passed without incident over the previously locked bridge towards Alltchaorunn (I like the new access legislation) and headed up the glen. I probably say this in ever Corbett related post but these hills take you to areas you know ...but from a different viewpoint. Been down Glen Etive countless times, but got to see the place from yet another perspective. Awesome colours and the Allt Coire Ghuibhasan equally impressive.

The cloud rose ...then lowered again and sadly by the time we were at the bealach just under 700m, it was certainly clagged in (which made the red deer roaring sound very close by indeed). Up to the summit then back down for a bit to eat. Alan suggested we gave Creise a miss (we both had stuff to do back in Glasgow) and we scooted back down the way we had come up.

On the descent some ideas for adventure next year were discussed ...more to be confirmed :-) Watched some paddlers on the Chasm on the Allt a' Chaorainn. Had a laugh when one commented we were "aff oor heids" to be running around the hills - check youtube to see what he was doing !

Really enjoyed the day and was great to be back out on the hill with Alan.

TNF 100 - Blue Mountains

2009-10-14T23:48:00.000+01:00

TNF100 2009 from Top Notch Video on Vimeo.

I hear the Blue Mountains are nice in May ;-)

Pentlands Skyline ....

2009-10-14T23:18:00.006+01:00

Last year I did the Skyline race after only two hours sleep (I was working nightshift at the time). Wobbled across the line in around 3:15, so was keen to try a little harder this year.

I find the Skyline a bit strange. It was the first real hill race I did and I nearly didn't start due to being really intimidated by the folks warming up. That was back in 2003 (where it took me 3:40 to complete the course).

Despite being very windy, the tops were clear and it looked like being a great day to be out on the hill. Being a long wan, there is plenty of time to make places if the legs allow so I started fairly steady (also knowing I haven't done much in terms of miles recently) but got up a little and was soon blowing big style. Up over Caerketton, Hare and onto Castlelaw then down to the road - I was sweating and took off a layer before taking on some water! Had a reasonable climb up Turnhouse before struggling to breathe ...not due to effort but due to the silly high wind that was hitting square in the face. Along with Jamie Thin from HBT, had a brief stop to get a runner who took a bad fall upright again (was a little shocked at a couple of guys who never even asked if they could help and simply ran past) before the ascent of Carnethy. Over the Kips and time for food and drink. Had a bit of a sigh knowing the tough underfoot conditions were still to come !

Settled down to the return leg over Hare and Black hills ...jist keep running knowing the legs were sore but walking would not help. Had breif delusions of being under the three hours but by the time I was back on Caerketton ...a sense of reality kicked in and I was grateful for another PB.

Was over the moon to find my sister Irene, brother in law Jim, Heather and Mirsia at the finish.

Sitting on the grass, my thoughts went back to 2003 - cheers for the encouragement Billy ...wherever the hell you are now brother.

Trials and troubles ...and pushups !

2009-10-08T22:08:00.004+01:00

Mentioned a few weeks ago that I was back training towards being able to complete 100"good form" pushups.

Last time I got to Week 3 and failed ...this time I got through Week 3 and stuttered on Day 1 of Week 4. At the end of the third week you do a test - I managed to get a clean 40 (10 push ups more than I started with) but in hindsight, it took a lot out me !

The target sets consisted of 21,25,21,21 with a end set of at least 32. I was able to do the 20s but could not manage the last set. Decided the solution was simple, try and then have a rest day until I cracked the last set. Pleased to report that following stuttering four times I squeezed out a final set of 32 this evening. The graph below shows progress to date.

Rest day tomorrow then progression onto 25,29,25,25 and at least 36 (eeeeekkkkk !!!!)

South to North to South etc ...

2009-09-30T12:48:00.005+01:00

Phew …what a busy couple of weeks!

A larvae of a plan had hatched to meet up with Pyro and Lesley Taylor in Tarbert for music and beer. Headed north to Tyndrum late on the Friday in the Berlingo with a view to an early morning hill on the Saturday. The chosen overnight spot was at Dalrigh. Arrived just before midnight to find another few folks with the same idea!

Got up and headed along the track to Connonish and up past the gold mine installation and onto Beinn Chuirn. The weather had been fine up until we reached the top of the gully leading up from the mine at which point it turned a bit nasty – rain and strong winds. Huddled behind a rock and had a quick bit to eat before retracing the route back down to the farm. Very close to the car the weather improved and blue skies returned!

Drove down to Tarbert and found Pyro and Lesley sitting outside a tea shop (a sight not uncommon during races either). It was good to catch up …had it really been two years since Lesley moved out to the Middle East?!?!? Post food, beer and music, Pyro did what Pyro does …a nice wee fire show! A couple of weeks later and I almost have gotten rid of the smell of paraffin from my top now. Next morning was back to the café for a bit of breakfast before heading south.

Quick unpack / wash / repack and I headed north to meet up with my Dad and some of his pals for more hill sport. Was going to get the bus to Kintail but it was silly expensive so opted for the longer (but free) train up to Kyle of Lochalsh instead. The plan was to have three days on the Munros but the weather was very much like the bus fare …silly. High winds and heavy rain met me at the station. Next morning was no better and my Dad opted for a day at low level whilst my former boss Ian and I headed up to Ciste Dubh. Since I was also planning on taking in the wee Corbett of Am Bathach on the return, I nipped ahead on the summit ridge to gain some time. Whilst the visibility was actually really good
(cracking views over towards Glen Affric) the wind made progress to the summit challenging). On a couple of occasions, I was nearly blown off my feet. Heading back down, I met up with Ian and warned him but he was already aware having had to kneel down for a bit to avoid getting blown over! Had a brief chat with a couple who had turned back just above the col before starting up Am Bathach. Was surprised to find a path (not common on the Corbetts) and was soon over the summit and starting back towards the road and the car.

Next day the weather had not really improved but at least the wind was down a bit. The bigger hill team of my Dad, Dave, Jenny and Ian left the cars at Dorusduain in search of Beinn Fhada and A Glas Bheinn. The great stalkers path was very welcome as we headed up towards Coire an Sgairaine. We had a brief lunch stop before climbing out the coire and onto the plateau leading towards the summit of Beinn Fhada itself. I noted the subsidiary top to the west but discounted heading across (later established I had not been up it as thought …grrrrrrrr). Quick summit pic at the trig point and it was decision time. Dave and Jenny decided to head back down to the lower ground and my Dad and Ian decided to continue over to A Glas Bheinn! We took the direct route down to the bealach which turned out to be “interesting” in a very steep way. Managed to pick a route down through the crags successfully though. There were other options but it is good to keep the skills up. The route up the ridge of A Glas Bheinn seemed to go on for a while …a very long while to be exact. We had a real sense of achievement reaching the summit but were equally pleased to be on the last descent of the day. The route down gave fantastic view up Loch Duich at least until we got snarled up in the last bit down through the forestry and a final sting in the tail of a deer fence (which I got to cross twice to retrieve my Dad’s hat). Ian seemed happy having got another two of his Munros giving only 26 still to do.

The Thursday dawned worse in terms of weather and a wee single Corbett was in order. I took the opportunity of getting dropped off on the Glen Elg road to traverse over Sgurr Bhraonain before ascending Sgurr Mhic Bharraich – not sure it was a good idea but the route finding was tasty in thick mist. With part two of the trip over …it was back to Glasgow for another unpack / wash / repack cycle !

Sunday afternoon and it was time to return north on the A82 – this time to meet up with Alan Anderson (who was up in Fort William with his wife Gillian and wee boy Fraser) and Stuart “Shamir” Ferguson and his pal Ian Park. Plan was for a bite to eat in the Fort, a pint and another Munro on the Monday. Turned out the Atlantic low and strong Westerly wind that had been sitting over the Western Highlands was still there. Monday morning dawned and the reduced hill team of my Dad and myself set out towards Glen Finnan. The rain let up a bit …long enough to start the cycle into the mountain but within minutes being heavy enough to warrant waterproof trousers again. The rivers were up on my previous trip to Gulvain back in May but with good bridges, nothing to worry about. We left the bikes and headed up the main ridge leading to the 855 top. We had good visibility up until around 600m where it became intermittent. At 855m, it was mainly solid mist but occasionally a brief glimpse of the surrounding area was enjoyed. Over the trig we continued in worsening conditions to the main summit – another featureless photograph (to many misty cairns this year) and we returned to the bikes by the same route. By this time the wind had increased to the point going downhill was actually hard work and the rain was solid.

Back at the car my Dad made the point he was finished with spending time high up in bad weather …he has a point!

A busy few weeks but as always, good ones.

100 push ups ...

2009-09-09T16:21:00.002+01:00

Last week I was catching up on Al Humphrey’s blog - in particular, I noted his reference to the 100 push up challenge.

Earlier this year there was a bit of a buzz in work when one of the boys mentioned doing a clean 100. In terms of a fairly outrageous target, it kinda captured my imagination. I printed off the training programme from the website, did the initial test (seem to remember I managed around 30 before collapsing face down on the floor) and started on week one. Cruised the first 3 days and continued onto week two …struggled a bit but was still on target. The problem came on week three – I simply could not achieve the target reps without significant rests. I repeated week three …a couple of times then gave up.

Reading Al’s blog, I realised I was seriously disappointed in myself for chucking it. I have started it again …from day one of week one. Eventually, week three will be achieved, and then I can move onto week four and keep going until a clean 100 is achieved!

Will post some progress here to make sure I do not give up this time.

Ben Nevis Race ...

2009-09-08T16:31:00.002+01:00

Another year and another Ben race …

I did my usual faff on what to wear. Instead of was it just a vest of vest and t-shirt, it was which waterproof to take and whether to actually start with it! Had a brief exchange of pleasantries with Murdo, Jaques and Manny before lining up in the waterlogged field. The MRT on the summit advised on the conditions – minus three (windchill) degrees, 25 mph wind and around 50 feet of visibility. As per last year, I got a good start and did not need to fight for position heading up the road. Dave Rodgers nipped past which gave enough incentive to regain a few places prior to leaving the road and starting up the track. A fair few of the walkers (all of whom had multiple layer and hoods up) appeared surprised to see runners scrambling up into the mist and some seemed a bit annoyed for some reason. I passed and was passed by one of the Spanish girls over for the race – couldn’t help but wonder what she made of it all. Over the red burn and onto the steeper stuff. The soaking that the ground had been subjected to along with the numerous pairs of Walshes and Inov8s took its toll on the hill and there were a few very minor landslips and “stuff” slid off the hill. As always, it was nice to see Robb Jebb coming down …not too far to the summit then. I started to get too cold for comfort and stopped briefly to stick my jacket and hat on. Lost a few places but regained them when the folks ahead decided a bit more protection was in order as well. Manny passed by (dressed in yellow and not pink as stated), round the summit and it was my turn for the downhill. The wee Spanish lass disappeared at an incredible rate and I held on for as long as I could …I managed all of about 30 seconds before realising it was going to end in tears. Managed a bit of a tumble / bounce / tumble combination just above the green wall to which one of the MRT suggested that my arse was better designed for such behaviour rather than my head. I picked myself up …thanked him and promptly went my length again! I did however take his advice on the wall itself as my shorts (and arse) can testify to. Back on the tourist track I was pleased to find I was either matching last years time …or possibly even just ahead. Nearly missed the wee muddy track which was fast becoming liquid slurry which gives a bit of a short cut but once on it, realised I had no control whatsoever. Resigning myself to another tumble I tried to slow down a bit, caught a toe and rolled forward coming to an undignified stop on the path below. Unfortunately, it was head on rock which actually brought me to a halt – a bit dazed, a couple of spectators helped me to my feet and a tad dizzy I continued down the track slower than before. Stopped to duck my head in a stream (not sure why I though that would help but it did). Feeling much better I stepped thing up again but I had lost a pile of time and even more places. Hit the road and looked at my watch 1:51 …not long to go. Managed to catch Stuart Simpson of the Ochils and we had a wee game of attack and defend positions as we continued towards the finish. Last turn and into an even more waterlogged field!

Was over the moon to keep under the two hours given the conditions but couldn’t help wonder what the finish time would have been without that last fall …grrrrrrrrr. Roll on next year!

Congrats to all Westies who took part !

Arrochar Corbetts ...and the death of an inov8 !

2009-08-25T16:57:00.003+01:00

Driving out of Glasgow late on a Saturday evening felt strangely normal. Maybe because for far too long, I spent so many Saturday nights working on some obscure part of the rail network but packing the van and leaving the house just after 10pm didn’t seem at all strange.

Onto the motorway and out past the airport, past the part of the M8 where Joe Coll and myself could have been killed by a drunk driver had we been about 20 seconds further up the road, over the Erskine Bridge, past Dumbarton and the Balloch roundabout …I wondered how many times I had passed all these places on journeys north?

The plan was to kip in the newly converted Berlingo somewhere around Arrochar then run The Brack and Ben Donich just after dawn.

Parked up in a suitably hidden location (ironically beside a “no overnight parking” sign …who was actually going to check?!?!) rolled out the sleeping bag and settled down with a mix of Son Volt, Wilco and Uncle Tupelo on the ipod before drifting off to sleep. Was woken up numerous times with the rain pelting off the roof …kinda like drunks passing under the window back in Busby …but different. The alarm went off just after 6am – I looked out the window and promptly rolled over and went back to sleep since the rain had not eased in the slightest! Another 30 minutes later, things had eased sufficiently to justify getting the stove lit and some fresh coffee on the brew. I got ready, packed a very small rucksack (I was wearing most of my wet weather gear) and headed off up the track.

Surprised a red deer a few kms up the track …although I am not sure who got a bigger surprise before heading up the hill and towards the Brack. Sadly the mist took away any prospect of a view and any hill detail was provided solely by the 1:50k OSGB map. Hit the trig point before heading off on a bearing towards the coll. Had a great wee run on the descent but noted the Inov8 Flyrocs were not gripping very well.

Dropping out the cloud briefly, it was good to pick a line up the start of Ben Donich which included a nice wee overhang which provided limited shelter for lunch. Continued back up into the cloud before hitting the main track and ridge which led to the summit of Ben Donich. Fairly confidently, I touched the summit trig point (and chuckled because I know such behaviour make fellow Westie Johnston a bit uncomfortable) and headed back in the direction I had come from …only to lose the path within minutes. After a brief shout (at myself), I took a bearing and found the path again.

The descent down towards the Rest was fine but again, I noted the Inov8 Flyrocs were not gripping very well! Took a stupid line down through the trees and for a while kept expecting to emerge in a land resembling Narnia. Finally hit the track back towards Ardgarten where I had left the Berlingo. Got arrived soaked, muddy with cut shins from the forest section but happy with the day’s efforts. Was getting changed when I discovered the source of the Inov8 problems …the sole had departed company with the body.

Glenshee 9 ...

2009-08-10T16:11:00.004+01:00

Last year, the Devil of the Highlands clashed (well one was on the Saturday and the other on the Sunday) so I missed the first running of the Glenshee 9. This year I was really keen not to miss out on the fun!

For number of reasons, I have not done nearly as many of the AL races as I had planned to so I was a bit nervous driving north. Registration done, I grabbed a quick bit to eat and got ready. Had the usual flap about vest / long sleeve top but since the temperature appeared ok, opted for the vest with a pile of sunscreen. Loaded the bumbag with some food and a 500ml bottle then pinned the control card onto the outside pocket (and through my mapcase which was inside the pocket …grrrrrrr).

The start appeared controlled – even Captain Chris did not sprint into the distance. Over Meall Odhar folks were taking a contour line out towards Creag Leacach – personally, I hate contouring …and this route confirmed it. In no time at all, I could feel a burning sensation in my right foot as it rolled out with every step …I could picture the blister forming! Finally I got off the traverse and onto the ridge properly – much better. Got in with a great wee bunch of runners with leads rotating in an unplanned but strangely efficient Tour de France manner. Could see Chris in the distance but failed to close the gap in any way. Round the summit and we started to retrace the route back and out towards Glas Maol. It was about here I started to hold a steady position at the back of the bunch …another few folks joined us but I was really starting to blow a bit and with a long way to go fell back a bit – not a huge amount but enough. Starting the descent from Glas Maol itself the morale took a bit of a doing and I dropped well off the pace (and the now blistered right foot was used as justification to me anyway). Cairn of Claise came and went as did Tom Bhuide. I made a brief effort to rejoin the bunch heading over towards Tolmount thanks to what I thought was a cunning route choice but got snarled up a bit in bogs and tussocks. The section over to Carn an Tuirc took forever but I was really glad of the good visibility (loads of room for major error had the mist been down here). Following some information from JD, I steered clear of the boulders leaving the summit of Carn an Tuirc and was soon on the path heading down towards the river and out to the road (which still seem awful far away). Briefly thought about jacking the race at the road and heading home but realised that no matter how sore I was feeling …doing that would not help the head!

Used the long climb up Carn Aosda to eat and drink – both were overdue. Topped out and took the decision to follow a Carnethy runner on another contour traverse line heading over towards Carn a Gheoidh – not sure how sensible that was since some runners who looked to be a bit behind appeared right behind me when I finally got onto the main ridge again. Huge thanks to the marshal on the summit for a slug of tea and some Jelly Babies – both helped to raise spirits for the last hard push back along the ridge to the Cairnwell. With the last summit done, all that was left was to bounce downwards to the finish. Back in my ski days, I used to think the Tiger run was steep …and it certainly still felt that way on tired legs. Unusually for me, I even regained a place before crossing the line. Was happy to finish 5 seconds under my target in 04:29:55.

Other results included:

David Riach - 03:45:44
Chris Upson - 04:05:21
Ellie Holmwood (2nd lass home) - 04:40:08
John Donnelly- 04:45:47

Many thanks to everyone involved in the planning and marshalling – it is a big area to cover. Congrats to all Westies who ran - even if they were seen hanging about with Shettleston runners most of the day :-)

Creag Dubh and a Corbett Celebration ...

2009-08-10T12:29:00.002+01:00

Brenda had kept it quiet …very quiet.

Manny seemed a little suspicious that so many Westies had made the journey up to Newtonmore and the Creag Dubh hill race (part of the Highland Games). I reminded him that every year he usually emailed folks to encourage a visit and maybe that was the reason. The real reason was that Brenda had organised a celebration BBQ to mark his awesome Corbetts run.

Due to the ridiculous roadworks at Bankfoot, I made the start of the race with only a few minutes to spare (only one guy was behind me at the race registration) and the warm up had been across a couple of fields from where I abandoned the car. The early part of the race was a hoot – jumping fences, wading a river and another fence or two before actually getting to the hill! Heading up the narrow track was interesting – if you wanted to overtake someone, it took a huge effort in the heather. Any time I did this, it took so much out me that whoever I got past …did the same to me. After a while I figured it was easier just to sit in position and save the legs for the way down. The problem with this was that fellow Westie Dave Rodgers was very close behind so a huge effort on the descent would be required to stay ahead since Dave is normally a far better descender than me. Round the cairn and time for the fun to begin. Managed only to lose one place on the way down but only just – on the farm track I squeezed past a guy who looked to be in a bit of pain only for him to recover and we had a bit of a sprint for the line.

Race over, a few of us headed to the Glen Hotel for a wee refreshment. Manny definitely looked surprise to find Charlie Campbell sitting in the pub but to give a veneer of respectability, I made an excuse about being nightshift and said cheerio.

An hour later the Suie Hotel at Kincraig was full of Manny’s pals – a fact that took a bit to sink in once the bold chap arrived himself! The rest of the evening is history but was a fantastic way to celebrate. We had some food …some speeches and maybe even a wee toast or two.

Next morning, I got up early and headed back down towards Laggan – I had a date with a couple of Corbetts !

The Strathfarrar 4 ...

2009-08-07T23:57:00.004+01:00

Back in the days of “North of Balloch Rules Apply”, big team trips were the norm. It was not uncommon to have 5 or 6 folks away for the weekends. More recently it has tended to be two man day raids …so it was nice to have a wee overnight with the “Gnome” Pascall, “Shamir” Ferguson and my Dad. We drover north and stopped at the excellent Real Food Café for a bit of dinner where we bumped into Andy Mac who was starting a road trip on his GS1100.

Arrived fairly late up at Cannich and went to bed with one eye on the weather. The plan was to go over the four Munros in Glen Stathfarrar so only good weather would do (we did have a couple of contingency plans). The Gnome’s snoring is the stuff of legend but thankfully not only was the next morning sunny but the wee man had kept quiet overnight!

We grabbed a quick breakfast before heading down to the gate at the end of the glen in time for it opening at 9am. Shuttled cars about so we had a vehicle at either end (last time I was down here I was solo and on a Suzi 600 Bandit and as such had a fairly long walk back down the glen after coming off the hill). We opted for an anticlockwise round for no particular reason. Up the glen and onto the first summit of Sgurr na Ruaidhe – Shamir was all happy about being back out on the hill after his 8 month lay off due to back problems. The second summit of Carn nan Gobhar was an easy hop and rather strangely is only 1m different in height.
One huge difference that I have noticed between Corbetts and Munros is that days with multiple Corbetts are hard …since you have at least a 500ft descent / ascent between each summit. Heading over to the third and fourth tops the boys seemed happier and happier with each cairn! Briefly met up with a family who owned a cracking wee dog called Balou. Arriving at the car it was nice not to have to walk back to the start.

The return journey was punctuated with another stop at the Real Food Café for tea and cake.

The Berlingo ...

2009-08-03T19:38:00.008+01:00

To me, the Citroen Berlingo is almost the perfect vehicle for folks who like the outdoors ! You can get just about all the kit you could ever want into one but it is still practical as a day to day car.

I had been looking at the excellent Amdro Conversions since late Spring and an owner of a Berlingo who had carried out the conversion kindly let me get a look at the completed kit for real. One problem ...what it did to my insurance. Most mainstream companies I contacted wouldn't touch it. As soon as you mentioned the words "camper and conversion" they got confused. That left "specialist" campervan insurance folks - best offer I got doubled what I am currently paying. The costs of this cancelled the benefits. Amdro also do a boot bed which caused less confusion but I wanted the option of still being able to sit in the back on rainy days. As a result, I spent an age doodling until I came up with something that fitted the bill:

1 - was not permanently attached so could be lifted in and out as trips dictated (and solved the insurance issue).
2 - was normally a bench style seat (only for use when parked).
3 - did not significantly reduced the storage space.
4 - could be converted into a level sleeping space.

Got some nice 12mm birch plywood plus fittings and below is the almost finished result.

The chair will sit much further back to allow comfortable sitting but I had it pulled forward to make my breakfast on.

Not only does it fit very nicely (thanks to some laser measuring equipment I borrowed) but actually very comfortable ! Got some privacy shades custom made for the windows to block out a bit of light and fitted some LED lights to save the main battery.

A nice bonus was the fact that the bench seat is the exact size of my Thermarest (the 3/4 lite version). Currently considering if it is worth spending the cash on some custom upholstered cushions or not since the Thermarest option works well !

Next step will be to make a kitchen box to house some cooking gear which will also convert to a table. Cheer to Jim for the inspiration and plans for that part.

To be continued ...

Carn Dearg ...

2009-08-03T19:21:00.002+01:00

A trip with Alan Anderson had been in the planning for too long. Finally, we got it sorted out the other Sunday but it was to prove challenging. First hurdle was the ridiculous roadworks on the A9 at Bankfoot - Alan got caught big style on a local diversionary route heading up on the Saturday but thankfully early on the Sunday it was less of an issue (I was nearly to miss the Creag Dubh hill race a week later having spent the best part of an hour going nowhere in the same works) ...but the rain was to prove equally challenging. Saturday was great - just a shame it was Sunday the hill was planned for. Being honest, if we hadn't arranged to meet up close to Loch Pattack, I don't think I would have left the house but since plans had been made my Dad and myself headed north. By the time we were leaving Dalwhinnie, the rain had eased and by the time we met up with Alan and nephew Matthew it was "clearing" i.e not raining as hard.

Alan opted for a low level route and Matthew, my Dad and myself headed for the hill. As we started up I wondered what Matthew (a very fit 13 year old) made of us "older guys" - I thought back to when I was that age and starting out on my hill days and some of the folks who led me up hills. Not only was Matthew fit but great company and despite the rough conditions enjoyed the route to the summit. To add a little interest, we spent some time on the map reading (which was necessary in the clag). The summit reached ..time to record the moment.

One of the really nice things was seeing the passion for the hills - Matthew on his 6th Munro and my Dad on his 242nd !

We retraced the ascent route, picked up the bikes and headed back to Dalwhinnie. Met up with Alan close to the railway and headed to the hotel for tea and cakes.

Driving back to Glasgow it was nice to reflect on the day ...the weather had not been great but the viewpoint was fantastic all the same.

Skye weekend Gig ...

2009-07-21T20:30:00.005+01:00

Along with the Arrochar Alps and the Ben Nevis races, Glamaig was one of the few events I knew about as a non-hill runner.

I was also aware of the early history of the event and the initial time of 55 minutes set by a Ghurkha named Harkabir Tharpa way back in 1889. I had admired Glamaig many times …from the Sligachan Hotel anyway.

Skye will always be synonymous with Runrig and X-mass gigs at the Barrowlands in the mid 1980s to me. One of my first climbing trips to Skye was back in 1985 - a week in perfect weather which ended with a music festival in Broadford where Runrig played support to Nazareth ...and I had hair !

To make the long drive a little more worthwhile, I decided to grab some hills in addition to the race (The Gnome only had one Munro to do on the Island and we have both a growing Corbett habit). We arrived late on Friday and camped just off the road at the head of Loch Ainort and close to the start of Garbh Bheinn. With a late race start of 3pm, I opted for a Corbett to warm up for the main event (obviously based on recent Manny inspiration). Got back off the hill around 1pm – plenty time for the short drive round to Slig and a wee pre-race sleep.

Registration done and I realised my bumbag was in Glasgow – improvised with a wee dry bag and a belt …which worked. The Gnome headed off up the hill at his pace and I briefly met up with Kath Kirk and family who were along to watch the 115 runners race. A quick countdown and horn blast indicated the start followed by a mad dash along the road. The lower section of the hill was fairly muddy but very runnable. Once on the steep stuff things slowed dramatically as hands became useful in terms of moving uphill! Getting close to the final summit ridge I was a little shocked to see the lead runners appearing to jump off the side of the hill on the descent …round the summit and it was time to do exactly that - the route down the scree is silly steep. It was very much a fall / regain a bit of control only to continue downwards. Unusually for me, I only lost two places on the scree (I would expect to lose more) and even managed to regain a place heading back across the bog / moor to the road. Had a great wee battle with a local boy before he put down more speed just at the bridge to finish a few seconds ahead.

The race was won by Brian Marshall in 49: 27 and I rolled over the line in 23rd position in a time of 1:05:27.

Huge thanks to Nick MacDonald for organising and to marshals and all the people at the Sligachan Hotel for food beer and good music that evening!

We finished off the weekend with an ascent of Bla Bheinn on the Sunday before the drive south.

An experiment with gravity ...aka Maddy Moss Hill Race

2009-07-20T22:31:00.002+01:00

One of the best mid-week hill races in Scotland is the Maddy Moss Mash. I started doing it just before I joined Westies ...in fact it was at the Moss that I decided to join the club.

Every year I have reckoned to make up for being "nervous" on the descent (for nervous read sh!t scared) that a full on effort for the climb up the Law and Cleuch is required. This time I opted for holding back a bit at the start then wind things up a bit. Chose a position towards the back and really enjoyed the track leading to the wee bridge where the climb begins. Passed fellow Westie JD on the just above the bridge and tried to keep Iona Robertson in sight ...and failed ! Topping out onto the ridge leading to the summit of Ben Cleuch I had a great wee battle up to the cairn. With the legs feeling a bit fresher than usual I felt able to push things a bit on the run down to Andrew Gannel hill ...down the single track confidence was growing but I let a couple of guys who were at my heels run through. Dropping onto the wee technical rocky bit it all went ...well downhill. I reckon I stepped onto a bit of bracken which had nothing but fresh air under it. Managed at least one complete somersault before bouncing a couple of time. Picked myself up a bit winded, disorientated and with a bit of a sore shoulder. Heard a MRT member shout "are ye awright" ...I replied "aye" ...he responded "naw ...not you !". One of the runners who I had let through had come a cropper slightly lower down. I checked to see if he was ok (he was) before continuing towards the finish. Was chuffed to find that despite my wee experiment with gravity I was a bit quicker than last year.

Cheers to Johnston for the lift and banter !

Winterdance - a tale of the mighty Iditarod.

2009-07-16T18:20:00.002+01:00

I had the book Winterdance by Gary Paulsen sitting on the "to read" shelf for a while now.

I discovered the Alaskan Iditarod Dog Race by accident when looking for something cold and difficult to race in the aftermath of the Marathon des Sables. There are two races which have the word Iditarod in them ...one a foot race (which was what I was looking for)and the dog race one. I say "dog race" for a very specific reason ...it is the dogs who do the racing. The mushers are along mainly in a support role ! As I read about both, I kept on coming back to the dog race - the stats for the race are mind blowing - 1180 miles across the Alaskan wilderness from Anchorage to Nome continous (with a couple of mandatory rest periods to make sure the dogs are not run into the ground ...nothing to do with resting the mushers)- a true adventure race.

The Iditarod Trail was orginally used by the Native American peoples hundreds of years before the arrival of Russian fur traders in the 1800s, but the trail reached its peak between the late 1880s and the mid 1920s as miners arrived to dig coal and later gold, especially after the Alaska gold rushes at Nome. The race began in 1973.

The reason the book had sat on the shelf was mainly because I knew that the discovery channel was airing a 6 week series on the race and also I knew we would be using a dog team as support on the Norway trip - reckoned I would appreciate the book more after these - and I was right !

Gary's book describes everything from being a complete novice ...to starting and finishing the race. He is very open on his mistakes (of which there are plenty) and his relationship with his team. The book is hilarious at times and equally heartbreaking at times. From the realtively short time I spent with the dogs in Norway, I could start to identify with much of what Gary describes.

In short another fantastic book for any who loves combining adventure and exploration in wild places.

I will never race dogs but there is that foot race ...

2009-07-07T21:23:00.004+01:00

I was sitting on a train heading down the West Highland line on a perfect summers evening after a wee stolen midweek hill day with my Dad. I was reading a new book and I really did not want it to stop ...the book that is.

Bit of a background as to how I ended up reading this particular book ...

My cousin Alan was at a dinner where Ben Saunders was an after dinner speaker and told me to look up Ben's Blog. I did and liked it a lot but noted that it was not updated much. Alan commented "aye - but look up his pal Al Humphreys" ...I did this and was impressed. Even more so to discover that Al and myself were practically neighbors in the 2008 MdS (I was in tent 82 and Al was in tent 91). On his site there was a sample of the book - it looked very good indeed.

The book is a nice mix of the lessons (10 simple points that learned whilst spending four years cycling round the world), inspirational quotations and some really stunning photographs.

Why did I not want the book to stop ...

Fairly simple, I identified with every single word he wrote. It describes all the fears and excitement associated with a new adventure or project. It confirmed that people who take on huge challenges are "depressingly ordinary" who simply chose to do something a little "extraordinary". He correctly states that sometimes the hardest part of a journey or adventure is the decision to do it (in the case of the MdS, I found posting the entry harder and more stressful than even the long stage ...in fact I got Mirsia to post it for me). He notes that the only person who can make you fail or succeed is yourself. He suggests short term thinking is key to getting to the end. And very importantly (especially when our view of the outside world tends to be coloured by the media) that the world is a good place.

Over the years, I have come in for a bit of criticism of how I lead my life. At best, some folks have suggested that I am selfish and have a obsessive death wish ...others have simply asked why. A few have asked if that me finished ...more have asked whats next (they tend to be the ones who truly know me). At worst, some have shook their heads and commented that I would fail. Each and every person is fully entitled to their opinion and their own existence as well.

I love challenge and adventure especially in wild, high and sometimes remote places. For as long as I am able there will always be a "next".

Ten Lessons will remind me that it is worth it ...that big stuff is possible if you choose it. I don't think I learned much from the book that I haven't learned myself through my own experiences but it has confirmed my passion for what I try to do.

I would strongly recommend buying a copy from Al. He has been posting chapters on his web site but I feel it would be missing the point. Actually holding the book is far more rewarding than reading a screen. It is also the type of book that you will return and return to over the years (ok ...I will anyway). It is fantastic to pick it up, read a few pages and remind yourself it is all worth it.

It's a long way to the top ...

2009-07-07T21:09:00.002+01:00

As I was sitting in Hampden stadium last week, it struct me that I have been going to see AC/DC gigs for longer than I have not. First saw the band live back in 1984 at the Monsters of Rock festival where they headlined having shared the bill with Van Halen, Ozzy Osborne, Gary Moore, Y&T, Accept and Motley Crue. The first record I heard was "If you want Blood" and that was back in the punk days of 1978 ! It was also really pleased to be seeing the band in 2009 with my eleven year old daughter ! One thing that has changed over the years is Angus and I both have significantly less hair than we used to.

The set was great ...especially the addition of "fling thing" but the highlight was the intro to "you shook me all night long". This sound will forever more take me back to each morning in the Moroccan Sahara and the start of each stage of the 2008 Marathon des Sables. It had a magical power that enabled folks who could barely walk ready for another 20 odd miles in the sand and heat ...magic stuff indeed.

Team Hoyt ....

2009-06-29T19:19:00.002+01:00

Got sent this last night and went to bed feeling very small and very humble.

Maybe it is a Dad thing ...maybe because of the sport and adventure ...probably both.

A couple of shorties ...

2009-06-28T20:26:00.004+01:00

Short races "should" be easier than the long epics ...for me this tends not to be the case. Whilst the long stuff is sore for sure, the intensity of pain on the quick mad stuff is killer !

I had been meaning to attend midgefest for a number of years. This is not an extreme death metal gig but the yearly Ben Sheann race above Strathyre. It is only 4km long but ascends (and therefore descends) 426m of vertical height. The path is fairly narrow on the way up so making up places is difficult. With fellow westie Don Reid close behind I was keen to get as much ground as possible on the way up so started as fast as practicable. Found myself right behind Chris Upson (who was running with a gubbed back) and shortly before we left the cover of the trees made an effort and for the first time ever got past Chris. On the short summit ridge he responded and put me back in my box. I was feeling strong so responded back ...as did Chris. In the end he got over the cairn before me. At the start of the descent I reckoned he would be taking it easy. In an effort to keep up, I fell twice and decided a third time would be asking for trouble. The rest of the way down through the forest went without incident and I was chuffed to have a bit left for the road even if I crossed blowing like and old coo !

Ben Sheann Results
Ben Sheann Photographs

It would appear that there is a bit of a divide between hill and road runners. At one time I only ran on the road (suspect many folks started like that) before migrating to the hills and now very, very seldom race on the tarmac. One reason is that I find it a bit sore on the joints and another being the hills are fun ! A compromise is trail racing but there are not too many of these in bonny Scotia. The exception is the Calderglen 10k. I seem to have remembered about this race the morning after it is held each year but thanks to Johnston got wind of it a couple of days before. So I rambled up to race registration looking around to see if there was anyone I knew that I could pace myself from ...nope ...it was going to be interesting. I had talked Mirsia into spending her Friday evening doing a wee bit of race support. Met with Johnston who informed me a fast start was the order of play (again). We lined up ...quick countdown and we were off - 110% effort and a mad sprint to where the track narrowed (again). Surely this pace could not be sustained ...bugger it looked like I was the only one in the bunch who thought that. First hill on the first lap thankfully things slowed a bit ...onto the flat section on the second loop and they sped up (again). At this point, my dinner showed a serious want to get a trail side view of things and I had a choice ...slow up (again) or spew ! In the interests of other runners ...I slowed. Couple of very skinny guys nipped past and left me and a guy from Giffnock North to do battle for a bit. He seemed really strong but equally happy for me to set the pace for a bit. In the last Km, his strength paid off and he got past (rather annoyingly on a hill). Into the finish field and I even had time to grab a wee peck on the cheek from Mirsia (to the amusement of other spectators and the polis).

Another short race and more pain ... guid stuff !

Calderglen Results

A journey down the Spey ...

2009-06-23T16:18:00.011+01:00

Journey

Pronunciation [jur-nee] noun, plural -neys, verb, -neyed, -neying.
-noun
1. a traveling from one place to another, usually taking a rather long time; trip: a six-day journey across the desert.
2. a distance, course, or area traveled or suitable for traveling: a desert journey.
3. a period of travel: a week's journey.
4. passage or progress from one stage to another: the journey to success.
–verb (used without object)
5. to make a journey; travel.

-----------------------------------

This year more than most, I have been lucky enough to do a few point to point adventures. There is something very nice about starting in one place and finishing in another. Technically, the fact that I leave home and return home …all journeys are circular I suppose. By any definition, a descent of the river Spey over five days in a canoe counts as a journey in my book!

To mark Jim hitting the tender age of 50, a wee team consisting of Gordon B, Drew, Brian, myself and obviously Jim signed up for the Spey trip with Spey Descents whom Jim had previously used for a one day taster session.

Since we were to arrive on the Sunday evening, I took the opportunity to take a short detour to take in the wee Corbett above Dalwhinnie on the way north. It was nice that the train times suited. The hill was simple enough and I even had time to sit outside the Dalwhinnie Distillery to eat the remainder of my lunch before finishing the journey to Newtonmore.

With Spey Descent being based in the Beeches which is located on Station Road, I was confident of finding the place! I met up with my wee Sis, Jim and niece Heather before introductions to Dave (oor river guide and general fixer), his wife Jude followed by the Drew and Brian. We sorted boat & kit for the trip and got sorted for the first of the 3 course dinners that were to become the norm.

Next morning we transferred up Kincraig and got into the canoes for the first time. I had very limited experience of open boats so was extremely grateful for the teach in where Dave gave us the basic skills to allow a “safe and successful” descent. Full of confidence (not always a good thing), we left Loch Insh and practiced manoeuvres by circling the bridge supports. The Spey on the section between Kincraig and Aviemore in generally pretty flat but we found a few small white bits to practice ferry gliding as well as breaking in and out of eddy pools. The monuments to the Duke and Duchess of Gordon marked the start of the end of day 1 and soon we pulled up onto the shore opposite the Old Bridge Inn. Accommodation that evening was back at the Beeches which as well as another fantastic dinner gave a chance to rethink personal kit choices for the remainder of the journey.

Day two started where we left off the evening before but with one difference …the boats were fully loaded with everything we needed to be self supporting for the remainder of the trip. All the food and a fair majority of the group equipment was stashed in barrels with the remainder and personal kit in double dry bags. Dave suggested that this section was fairly tame and it was …but it would have been a terrible shame to have excluded it from the trip. Missing it would have been missing the point - not only would it have broken the complete journey but it showed a different character of the river. It was during this section I really became aware of the birdlife around the river …not only the osprey but also the buzzards, oyster catchers, dippers, lapwings, numerous ducks, megansers, wagtails and a rather haunting curlew.

This section also had me soloing for the first time – not as easy as I had hoped for! At one point it felt like I was covering double the distance I should have been …a straight line eluding me. Instead of concentrating on improving my “J” stroke, I opted for swapping sides – this got me a gentle comment asking me what I was doing (the actual words are better left off this description). Think some time on my own is required on flat water! We arrived at Balliefurth – the site of our first camp. Boats were unloaded and we started to get the tents up. For a goodly while, I have been looking at Tentipi Tents. Nice surprise was Dave having one along as a general living shelter – I was well impressed. We set off to collect some wood for the fire whilst dinner was prepared (I also managed a wee snooze). The high standard of cooking enjoyed at the Beeches was continued as was the dram in front of the ever growing fire.

Next morning was fairly relaxed as we packed up, loaded up the boats and continued on down the Spey. This section was where things got a bit “interesting”. The use of the term “interesting” is interchangeable with “splishy splashy” or “bouncy” etc … For the first time heart rates were raised and the center of gravity in the boats …lowered. Thankfully everyone was coping with the white stuff and the miles felt easier on the arms compared to the previous day. Sadly the weather was not all it could have been and by the time we arrived at the overnight camp beside Ballindalloch Station. Dry clothes sorted that out. If day 2 had brought about an added interest in the natural history along the river, day 3 brought about an added interest in the spirits surrounding the river …malt whisky to be exact. Look in any good pub and you will see the river Spey mapped out along the bar with bottles of Cragganmore, Knockando, Tamdhu, Aberlour, Glenfiddich, Balvenie, MacAllan all being waypoints of significance.

The rain seriously tipped down during the night but it was dry for breaking camp and the ramble back across the fields to the boats. By now life was simple, pack the canoe, paddle, stop for lunch, paddle, unload the boats, set up camp, eat, sleep etc … As was usual, the river started to change character again. One of the wonderful things about Scotland is how varied the landscape is over a relatively small number of miles. Once drove for days across a section of the northeast of the USA …and the land never changed …not once. We bounced over some more splishy splashy sections and passed some more folks fishing – some very friendly and interested in how far we were going and some well …less interested. In every case Dave made sure they at least acknowledged our presence. We also made a stop for coffee and scones in Aberlour – felt a bit self conscious wandering through the town very obviously being paddlers due to the wee trail of water dripping behind us !

One last push and we arrived at Craigellachie and our last campsite. The previous process that had become habit was repeated for the last time. It was good to meet up with Irene, Heather, Karen and Eva for a bite to eat before the boys headed off in search of drams. We found the Uisge Beathe in the amazing Fiddochside Inn run for the last 44 years by Joe. Wandering back to the tents I thought about how much longer the Inn will remain as it is …I will not go into detail about what I mean …far better to visit and experience it yourself whilst you still can.

We loaded up for the last time next morning – it is that strange part of a trip where you know it is the beginning of the end …a mix of pleasure in knowing you will be achieving what you set out to achieve, the excitement on knowing you will be seeing folks you care about again, a little sadness at stopping …and thinking towards the next big thing! I cannot remember the exact stop but was over the moon to see my first river otter …very special indeed. At Fochabers, there was time for one last lunch stop before continuing on towards the sea. Not only did the smell start to change (definelty salt in the air) but the surrounding noise of seagulls indicated that we did not have far to go. We came round one last corner and there is was … the gap in the beach. All that was left to do was exchange congratulations and load up the canoe trailer … journey complete.

Huge thanks to Dave and Jude for all the organisation, coaching, cooking and general fixing. Equal thanks to Jim for suggesting the trip and to Gordon, Drew and Brian for the company.

Glen Rosa Horseshoe

2009-06-21T17:05:00.006+01:00

A day trip over to Arran is always a good thing. For one it is an amazing wee island and getting on a boat to anywhere makes it feel a whole lot further away than in reality.

Jumped the 08:33 train which meets up with the ferry at Adrossan. My usual beans on toast wi tattie scone was missed due to a silly long queue. On the sail across, Mirsia asked where the route took us but all I could do was point to the thick grey cloud sitting on the hills. By the time we were on the bus along to Brodick Castle it was also tipping down with rain!

Race brief over and it was time to run - the first few km are along the estate road then into Glen Rosa. I became aware of someone directly behind me and invited them to run through since I felt the world was passing a little quickly for the start of such a long event. Turned out to be Don Reid - we chatted a bit as we started to climb up the Glen. Over the bridge and up towards Croc Breac I heard a shout - turns out Mirsia and been invited into the back of the landrover by the Mountain Rescue who had come up to see us through !

Don and myself took a couple of slightly different routes to just below the summit of Beinn a Chiliabhain and the first of seven controls (none of these appeared any quicker than the other I might add). Over the summit and look for the start of the flagged section - JESUS ...the grassy gully was steep. I fell flat on my backside and got scared ...not a good place for a "tail over apex" experience. I spotted some nice grippy scree and decided that was exactly what I needed. No sooner had I started onto this and I heard a cry of "Graham ...up here". It was Don pointing out that I had completely missed the fact the flags traversed the hill and not down into the glen (where I was headed). A lesser gentleman would have used my mistake to competitive advantage. Rejoining Don, we continued the traverse toward the bealach below Cir Mhor - nasty deep heather indeed. I found a bit of a path and shouted to Don. Eventually, we crossed the river and took the main path - sheer bliss indeed!

Heading up Cir Mhor we got a chance to see the leading Carnethy runners with Chris and David R not that far behind. On the return to the bealach I was surprised not to see Don and simply thought he had taken a cunning route and catch me lower down (found out later that he retired at the bealach). Briefly exchanged a hello with Murdo and Ellie before dropping down onto the traverse towards the saddle. Met up with David R and we continued through the heather and past the slabs before reaching the saddle. At this point David opened up a bit of a gap and I had a good excuse to stop and empty my stone from my shoe which had been bugging me big style.

The climb up towards North Goatfell went well and included an "interesting" line over some steep and fairly lose ground. The section onto Goatfell itself was fantastic ...never before have I mixed scrambling and racing! Over the summit and only one control to go - the folks heading up the path were fantastic with both words of encouragement and kindly stepping clear to let runners through.

Thankfully I noticed the correct path leading off to the left just after the bridge and was soon bouncing down through the forest towards the finish. Crossed line a few minutes behind David R ...gubbed but happy.

Pleased to report that in addition to Ellie being first lass over the line that Westies also won the team prize. Congrats to all who ran !

Was good to meet up with Johnny Hall from Moorcroft after the race as well.

On a different note the race only had a turnout of 23 runners. It shows hill fickle hill running can be. Carnethy, Jura and the Ben sell out in jig time, Ben Lomond almost always gets over 100+ runners, Goatfell this year had 81 and Stuc had 317 finishers ! I reckon Glen Rosa rates as high as any of those and deserves better support in future years ...it would be a terrible shame if we were to lose such a quality race.

Many thanks to Paul Emsley and team for the organising ...it is appreciated.

Results

Broad Law ...

2009-06-03T16:35:00.003+01:00

Nice when inspiration appears isn’t it! In my case, a bit of involvement with Manny’s Corbett Run has got me interested in that particular hill list. I finished my Munros back in 2000 and been rambling round helping other along with theirs ever since but my own hill sport has lacked a bit of focus. This is now being provided by the 219 mountains whose summit sit between 2500ft and 2999ft.

One of the many really great things about the Corbetts, is getting to areas that you might not otherwise have visited. Sunday was spent on Broad Law to the north of Moffat with Mirsia in perfect weather. The road over from Tweedsmuir to the Meggat stone gave a little more inspiration for a road bike trip at some point.

The route was straight forward and went up between the twin cairns on Cairn Law before continuing on to Porridge Cairn (what a wonderful name) and the broad
shoulder of Broad Law itself.
Surprise of the day came as we reached the trig point and viewed what looks like an UFO landing pad (it is actually an air traffic control navigation aid). We took some photographs before sitting down by the wall and enjoying some lunch in the sun.

Stopped in Moffat for coffee and cake before heading back north again.

The air traffic navigation thing !

One Bourbon, One Scotch and One Beer ...

2009-06-03T16:05:00.002+01:00

A weekend of great live music …

A while ago I got a text from Pyro – “what are you doin on the 29th May – fancy George Thorogood and the Destroyers”. A Friday evening with bluesy rock and the possibility of beers in the Ben Nevis after sounded perfect. Picked up some tickets and in the end Mirsia, Pyro, Elise (Pyro’s sis) and Pyro’s Mum and Dad all headed along. Both the support band – the Dirty Strangers and George were fantastic. Many of the songs took me back to being seventeen years old and hanging about certain bars which in retrospect …were possibly not the healthiest of places to hang around …but they did provide everything a seventeen year old guy could ask for! As predicted, we did end up in the Nevis for a few after the gig.

In a similar vein, Saturday evening was spent in the company with Willy H from work and Steve Forbert. The Ferry was the venue this time. Again, the gig was great but suffered a bit from folks not having the manners to listen to the performance. Will never figure out people who buy tickets for a gig then talk through it. Steve did a nice mix of his own songs as well as a fantastic cover of the Townes track “Pancho & Lefty”.

The Simon Triger Memorial Race ...

2009-06-03T16:03:00.001+01:00

Last Wednesday evening was a bit special …

Last September fellow Westie and friend Simon Triger tragically died high on Mont Blanc. As a memorial, the club had organised a trophy and the Dumgoyne Handicap will now be held each year in Simon’s memory.

One of my favourite photographs of Simon was taken back in 2007 when he was coming along the last road section towards the finish. He spied Muffy Calder and saw an opportunity to gain a place in the results – the bold boy took off big style and bounced down the road in pursuit in true “tigger” style. The one thing he did not factor on was that Muffy had already finished and was just heading back after a short cool down run! The photograph captures Simon in mid area with a cheeky grin …and Muffy with an equally cheeky grin.

For the run I opted for a no watch approach …just run based on how it felt. Heading along the track, I swapped between opening the gates and jumping them – not sure what was quicker. Katy took some photos (at about the time most folks would be starting to blow a bit) and it was time to turn off the track and head up the hill. Nice thing about a handicap race where folks go off at timed intervals is trying to close down the gap in front whilst try to maintain or even better, open a gap with the runner behind. Round the summit and the steep descent began! With the bracken still being short, it provided a good bit of assistance to work against gravity and soon, it was back to the traverse and onto the track.

About this time, folks were starting to bunch up a bit and it seemed rude not to hold the gate open when going through.

Crossing the line, my thoughts were back to 2007 and that wonderful photograph …

Photo by Chris Upson

Home is where the land is ...

2009-05-31T21:43:00.004+01:00

In this case, home was actually the back of a landrover jeep ! Some folks struggled with why my cousin Alan and I chose to use the back of the landy as a base for a few days running in the Scottish mountains when we both have enough money to stay in a hostel or possibly even a hotel. If you fall into that category ...find me a seat and buy me a drink ...I will try to explain.

Anyroads ...the orginal plan was a good one - an attempt at a Tranters Round. But being realisitc, we didn't have the fitness so the plan was to get up around 4am and run the Mamores section (a good recee for a future attempt anyway). We woke as planned, looked out the window to the rain tipping down and went back to sleep ! This was repeated every hour until around 8am when the rain finally went off. We got ready and started back down the road to Polldubh where the route up onto the Mamores began. The tops were seriously clagged in and it didn't take long till we further shortened the plan and dropped back down in Glen Nevis. The rest of the afternoon was spent kicking around the Fort.

Thankfully, the weather finally cleared enough for a wee evening excursion and a new Corbett for me above Glen Finnan. We nipped in a supermarket to pick up some food which would serve as dinner on the way (£1.19 for a big bowl of pasta ...Alan commented on how we would spend double that on the first pint later).

The hill was made more interesting by the fact I didn't have a map ...well to be exact I did take a photograph on my mobile phone of one ...which when zoomed in gave enough detail to navigate from.

Post hill refreshments were in the Glen Finnan House hotel where the Big Yin managed to spill a glass of 25 year old Bunnahabhain!!!

The next day was a fast out and back to the summit of Gulvain.

An update on Munro progress ...

2009-05-21T22:04:00.005+01:00

Well hill list fever is the order of the day. My cousin Alan Kelly who accompanied me of a huge number of my Munros has thrown his hat into the ring ...

His initial list has gone under more recounts and cross reference than even the state of florida could manage. Below is what I believe to be an accurate picture. We are heading North of Balloch to do a bit of damage this Sunday. Should put him well over the 200 mark !