eBothy Blog

Time was, I’d have my rucsac permanently packed including a ten year old Kendal mint cake bar squashed in the bottom and a rank orange survival bag which only saw the light of day once on a bivvy trip in the Cairngorms and was therefore never as flat as when it came out of the clear plastic bag it came in. Occasionaly I’d take it out to make sure it was dry and it always stank, curiously, of cat wee. I didn’t have a cat back then. But it did double as an emergency toilet once in the Pyrenees. In the camp site. Next to my tent. Being the victim of severely galloping trots and having failed to make it across the fields to the toilet block I just squatted inside with my head poking out and a very glazed expression on my face. If an alien had landed next to me he’d have legged it back to Andromeda A with tales of a smelly stupid looking, limbless triangular orange species inhabiting that extrasolar planet they’d just discovered. The bag ended up in the skip which was no mean feat considering what it was full of and how high the edge of the skip was. I replaced it. But I digress. The point is that to head for the hills all I had to do was grab the ‘sac, shove a flask and sannies in, pick a paper map from the pile on the shelf and offsky. (more…)

So the Alt Duine windfarm has been rejected. The two folk who can best describe the state of affairs are Alan and Chris. I’ve spent a month in total walking through the heart of the Monadhliath as a student and they really are a fantastic place. Chris also mentioned the dud who said there’s nothing to see from Coire Cas. That’s the whole point, stupid. On the way back from the tops one day, we stopped on the old path across to Glenmore and remarked on that view. The glacial hole filled with trees and a skyline of wild mountains. We saw lots in that view. Lots, that apparently some councilors are incapable of seeing.

The next step is taking on the Scottish government who are hell bent on environmental destruction on their relentless march to become the Abu Dhabi of the north. If there was a way to reign in the destruction by staying in the union then my vote would be decided.

This from Michelle and Brian, a couple of friends, in Gaelic with subtitles. It includes Beinn na Cro and the hills out the back. Lovely!

Back to the usual west coast winters then. No snow just lots of cold rain. Just before Christmas the hills were looking alpine with not a lot of rock showing through the thick layer of snow that stretched from sea level to summit but in contrast to the last two winters, all the snow has now gone and the Atlantic has delivered a succession of cold rain from its mid ocean cupboard. But the high rocks are iced up although there’s no snow and not being in the mood for carrying axe or crampons I headed past Torrin intending to go up An Stac next to Blaven, which had its head in the clouds. Just as I drove past the head of Loch Slapin the sun came out and lit up the gabbro boulders high on the ridge of Beinn na Cro just above me so on the other side of the bridge I did a u-turn and before I knew it I was booted up and making for those irresistible heights.

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Yes, that was too much politics for one outdoors blog! Light relief is now provided by the Prank Mirror app. Go get it. It’s free and it’s very very funny!

Prank Mirror

Roll up, roll up. There’s a new tap been installed round the back of the Houses of Parliament and it’s dispensing a steady stream of unionist urine. In fact its reservoir seems to be limitless with no way to turn it off. A passing nationalist must have bumped into it and now no-one can stem its noxious flow. So let’s call in the plumbers to see what’s causing this torrent and make our way into the House, where a monstrous lake of political urea is positively overflowing. (more…)

I too was taught to do CPR to the beat of Stayin Alive!

We were meant to spend Christmas in Egypt last year but due to a nasty bout of the Dreaded Lurgi I had to postpone and instead stay put during one of the coldest winters in decades. Not nice I must say. So it was with feet-itching anticipation that I took Mr. Vic to his holiday home, tied everything down and cadged a lift from the neebs to the bus. When I’d gone to the Lakes last month I’d had to walk the 5 miles to the bus but as this one was later I could get a lift. A dreich drive then took me to Fort William for the Caledonian Sleeper to meet up with Dawn in London as she’d driven down to her mum’s earlier in the week. We’d then hit the sights and make our way to Heathrow to take up our delayed appointment with the Middle East’s sun, sand and winter warmth.

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Superb

Quite a storm today. Power’s been off most of the day. Not quite the 165mph recorded on Cairngorm but it was around 80 here. Got blown away getting the post! A couple of vids from down at the shore. Between 2 and 3pm all hell broke loose. Very violent wind indeed. Great stuff! (more…)