Scotland Tour – October/November 2010

Leaving Chester on 22^nd October and returning on 12^th November was a round trip of 2,000 miles by car but saw me attend a 60^th birthday party, visit and stay with relatives, visit friends, mountain bike in the Cairngorms, get to the top of some twelve mountains and do part of the Sandwood Trail from Blairmore to Cape Wrath and back again.

Weather on the whole was good to me but due to severe winds I had to crawl to the top of two mountains and was in a snow blizzard for an hour or so on another mountain top.

Hotels, Lodges, Inns and Bunkhouses I stayed in all turned out to be good but at this time of year not many visitors are about and in the North I found a lot of hotels/restaurants closed up for the winter.

Highlights

I spent two days in the Cairngorms staying at Braemar Lodge Hotel where the hosts are just excellent. I cycled as far as White Bridge on Tuesday 26^th Oct and then walked into the mountains. On Wednesday 27^th I cycled to Derry Lodge and then walked. Alas the tops of the mountains I wanted to do, Monadh Mor 1,113m and A’Choinneach 1,017m, were too far away to be able to return to Braemar in daylight.

Thursday 28^th October saw me spending a day in The Highland Wildlife Park in Kingussie to see the Deer Rut, the Amur Tigers, the Polar Bear, the Wolves and other wild animals. If you have not been to the park I would recommend it as it is a great day out.

The mountains of Sutherland were my main challenge and here I managed to do the following over six continuous days of walking:

1. Ben Klibreck 961m

2. Cnoc nan Cuilean 557m

3. Ben Loyal 764m

4. Conival 988m

5. Ben More Assynt 998m

6. Conival (you do it again on the way back!)

7. Beinnan Fhurain 806m

8. Cul Beag 769m

9. Meall Dearg 657m

10. Breabag 815m

11. Glas Bheinn 776m.

My accommodation was at The Crask Inn and Inchnadamph Lodge both being excellent. On the day I got to the top of Breabag I visited the Inchnadamph Bone Caves. Nearly 1,000 fragments of reindeer antler have been found and some of these have been aged at 47,000 years old.

Perhaps the biggest challenge of my holiday was to walk from Blairmore to Cape Wrath Lighthouse and back again on the same day. On Friday 5^th November I was wakened at 6am by my cousin Rhoda and after a sumptuous breakfast and flask of soup in my rucksack and other goodies I left Blairmore at 8am and was walking on Sandwood Beach (4.5miles distance) at 9.20am but no mermaids were to be seen!! Crossing the river from Sandwood Loch at the north side of the beach was tricky as this was in spate. A further five rivers had to be crossed and under foot conditions was extremely wet. At 1am I did reach the Lighthouse and it was an immediate turnaround as it had taken me five hours to get there, so it would take another five hours (at least) to get back. By 4.15pm I was back on Sandwood Beach in the darkness. I had again safely crossed all rivers and now there was a recognised rough track back to my car.

Sandwood is a very lonely and eerie place at the best of times and with the ruins of a house said to be haunted I was on my guard for ghosts roaming about in the high reeds. At 4.45pm I was on the hill above the beach and in the distance the Lighthouse was dispatching its strong rays of light. I said goodbye to both and thought to myself perhaps I will never be back again? It was around forty four years since I was last at Sandwood Bay. “Time or tide waits for no man.”

At Loch Mhuilinn at 5.15pm I switched on my head torch and at 6am I was back at my car. What a sense of achievement, I was buzzing. Around twenty four miles was the total distance without a stop!!

On Saturday I was travelling to Shiel Bridge and staying at Kintail Lodge Hotel which was excellent in every way. On Sunday 7^th November I visited Eilean Donan Castle at Dornie and went across the bridge from Kyle of Lochalsh to Skye and visited Kyleakin and Broadford. On my way back I went to see the lovely village of Plockton. The challenge on Monday was to do The Saddle 1,010m and perhaps the finest of the Kintail peaks and one of the most magnificent in the Highlands, on the south side of Glen Shiel. It was a windy morning when I left my car at 10am. This got much stronger as I hit the snowline at 11.20am and at 12.20pm on reaching the top of Sgurr na Sgine 946m in very high winds coming in severe gusts, deep snow in places and poor visibility I took the decision to turn back. By 2.15pm I was safely back at my car.

If you are keen to bag a Munro or three you couldn’t find a better area to be in with some thirty Munros being situated within reachable distance from the hotel which has a bunkhouse as well as a trekkers lodge. I will be back to this very special part of Scotland. Knoydart to the south is another area I would love to visit.

I had a wonderful time and I would like to thank all the nice people I met on my travels.

12^th November 2010

Cleveland Way

The Cleveland Way is a designated National Trail starting at the historic market town of Helmsley. The 110 mile/176 kilometre walk skirts the upland ridge on the edge of the North York Moors National Park before reaching the coast at Saltburn-by-the-Sea and ends at Filey. It is often described as two walks in one with the first section being beautiful heather moorland and the second part being of outstanding coastland. The trail was opened in 1969 being the second official National Trail to be opened. The trail is waymarked along its length using the standard National Trail acorn symbol.

We arrived in Whitby on the afternoon of Saturday 13^th November and once registered at our accommodation, Larpool Hall Hotel, we were away to discover the quaint streets, alleys and ghauts of this historic fishing port and to sample some of the fish caught by the active fishing fleet out of the harbour.

At 10.30am on Sunday 14^th November we left Skinningrove on a lovely sunny morning, stopping for lunch in the unique fishing village of Staithes. Soon after we were up high again on the cliff tops looking out to the ocean and down onto deserted beaches where big waves were constantly breaking, just breath-taking. Other nice small villages were passed and as it was getting dark we arrived in Sandsend. It was time to put on gloves, a hat and a head torch. At 5pm we arrived back in Whitby and after a welcomed shower we opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate my birthday. Alas another year older, but the question asked – any wiser? We ate in Cosa Nostra Ristorante were we enjoyed a lovely meal with good food and service.

After a most enjoyable breakfast on Monday morning we started our walk at 10.15am from Ravenscar. Again a warm sunny morning with excellent visibility permitting us once again to enjoy the many delights of this Heritage coastline. We stopped for lunch at Robin Hood’s Bay, which is as picturesque a village as you could ask for with fabulous views across the bay back to Ravenscar. It is a very steep climb out of the village onto the cliff tops again. By 3.30pm we were back at the magnificent ruins of Whitby Abbey. Today alas we were going home and leaving behind this lovely part of the world.

15^th November 2010

Sierra Nevada/High Alpujarras, Andalucía, Spain

Introduction

Since reading Driving Over Lemons by author Chris Stewart many years ago I always wanted to visit and stay in one of the High Alpujarras’ whitewashed villages, on the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada Range (75km from west to east), and soak in the very special atmosphere that was outlined in the book.

With flights, hotel, village house and car hire all booked over the internet we left Manchester on Friday 23^rd April 2010 and arrived 10 minutes early with Ryanair at Malaga.

Malaga

We were staying at the Hotel Guadalmiar for two nights and this turned out to be an excellent hotel. The ambiance of the City was enjoyable during the day and at night time. Malaga is one of the most atmospheric and historic cities of Spain.

On Saturday morning we did a leisurely four hour bike tour around the City with Malaga Bike Tours – www.malagabiketours.eu – and this was ever so enjoyable, hearing about the City’s history and culture as well as lively local anecdotes. On a bench in the Plaza de la Merced we sat beside a metal sculpture of Pablo Picasso, the world’s most famous artist.

On Saturday evening we enjoyed a lovely meal at the restaurant – Comepizza

On Sunday morning we were away to the airport to pick up our hired car for our journey to the Las Alpujarras and our village House in Capilerilla, a hamlet Nr. Pitres, a whitewashed village at 4,450ft above sea level.

High Alpujarras

Jane Garbutt the owner of the house had given us excellent directions and we arrived at 2pm, unpacked and then went for a walk up the mountainside to the rear of the cottage. In the evening after some beers and tapas we ate at La Oveja Verde. We wisely took our head torches to light up our way home. The house is 500+ years old and is delightful and well equipped inside and outside on the flower-filled terrace you can saver the beauty of this lovely part of the world. Particulars can be found on -

www.ownersdirect.co.uk

Our main holiday activity was walking with the target being to get to the top of Mulhacén at 3,478 metres (11,411 ft) the highest point of continental Spain and in the Iberian Peninsula. The mountain has two tops with Mulhacen 11 being 3,362 metres. While not of exceptional height by European standards, Mulhacén is the highest peak in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains and the Alps. It is also the third most topographically prominent peak in Western Europe, after Mont Blanc and Mount Etna, and is ranked 64^th in the world by prominence. The south flank of the mountain is gentle, and presents no technical challenge, as is the case for the long west ridge. The shorter, somewhat steeper north east ridge is slightly more technical. The north face of the mountain, however, is much steeper, and offers several routes involving moderately steep climbing on snow and ice (up to French grade AD) in the winter.

After some shopping on Monday morning for groceries we were walking on the GR-7 and reaching the snow line and were able to look down on the villages of Pampaneira, Bubion and Capileira (Poqueira Villages). The European long distant footpath E-4 begins in Athens and ends in Algeciras. The GR-7 long distance runs the length of Spain from Andorra in the north to Tarifa in the south and is part of the E-4. Way marking is not the best we found. However being at the 2,000 metres line was good acclimation preparation for the higher reaches of Mulhacen.

On Tuesday we launched our first attempt on Mulhacén parking our car at Capileira but with rivers in flood from melting snow, this did prevent us from crossing above the Hydro Station so we had to turn back and take a higher route with another difficult river crossing before reaching Las Thomas (2,100 metres) at 3pm. Even though a lovely sunny and hot day it was too late in the afternoon to tackle the steep and snow covered slopes that took you firstly to mountain refuge at Refugio Poqueira (which is open all year round but book in advance tel: 958 24 33 49) and then up to the top of the mountain. After eight hours of hard walking we were back at our car. We had made the right decision.

Wednesday was another lovely hot morning so we firstly went to Pampaneira to do some gift shopping and we also called in at the Information Centre for the National Park of the Sierra Nevada and we took advice as to the best route to get to the top of Mulhacén. It was then back home as we were to undertake “The Seven Villages” circular walk of 8km which was ever so enjoyable and relaxing in hot sunshine. We discovered “Alhambra Reserva 1925” beer at the Café Bar Aljibe in Mecina. At 7.30pm we took Jane out for dinner in Mecina.

Thursday we were up early to discover a duller day and by 9.30am we had parked the car high up at Hoya del Portillo on the snow line. At 1.50pm we reached the top of Mulhacen 11 in deep snow and at 2.18pm we reached the top. It was a wonderful vista with snow covered mountains as far as the eye could see. On the way back we did a further two mountains:

· Alto del Chorrillo – 2,727 metres

· Prado Llanc – 2,578 metres.

At 6.30pm we were back to the car after nine hours of hard walking much of it in deep snow. We saw some six people all day but singing sky larks accompanied us all day.

I dedicated the walk to Kathleen sister of Caroline Macdonald (a friend of mine) who had died after a long battle against cancer.

In the evening we enjoyed drinks and tapas at Jane’s home having our meal out in the garden.

Alas on Friday 30^th April it was a road journey back to the airport and then a pleasant flight back to Liverpool.

We had a great week in this spectacular part of Spain.

Completing the Hadrian Wall (Coast to Coast) walk

At 6pm on Friday 16th July 2010 we reached Segedunum Fort and the end of the walk! A little tired and sore but a wonderful experience.
We left Bowness-on-Solway at 9am on Monday 17th July 2010 and enjoyed five days of beautiful scenery and good weather conditions.
Day 3 (Gilsland to Chollerford) some 20 miles was the hardest section with many ups and downs, but the finest views and the most complete sections of the Wall.

Fraser Mackay 16th July 2010

Hadrian’s Wall Walk Monday 12th – Friday 16th July 2010

Introduction

My research into this walk on two previous occasions splits the walk into five sections and while most people seem to walk from Wallsend to Bowness on Solway my view was that with prevailing winds in the UK tending to blow in from “The West”, thus the wind will be at your back if walking from west to east. Another factor influencing this decision was a Friday night out in the City of Newcastle to sample Newcastle Brown Ale!!

Walk Details

84miles/135kms say 35/45kms per day
• Bowness on Solway – Carlisle 14.5miles
• Carlisle – Gilsland 19miles
• Gilsland – Chollerford 19.5miles (hardest section)
• Chollerford – Heddon On The Wall 16miles
• Heddon On The Wall – Wallsend 15miles.
Hadrian’s Wall Path is an unbroken 135km (84 mile) signposted footpath stretching from coast-to-coast across England. The 2003 opening of the National Trail made the full length of the Wall accessible to the public for possibly the first time since the end of the Roman occupation of Britain in the early fifth century.

The Passport scheme

The Passport scheme operates May-October. Prove that you have walked the Trail by collecting seven stamps in the Trail's own Passport. Stamping Stations:
• Segedunum Roman Fort (Wallsend)
• Robin Hood Inn, (B6318 Military Road)
• Chesters Roman Fort (Chollerford)
• Housesteads Fort * NEW in 2010 *
• Birdoswald Roman Fort (Gilsland)
• Sands Centre (Carlisle)
• The Banks Promenade or The Kings Arms Inn or Tide Boards at entrance to village (Bowness on Solway)

There's an exclusive Completion Badge & Certificate (£3.95) when you've collected all seven stamps. (Order your Passport on the internet.)
The Solway Coast - how to predict the tide times The sections of Trail between Dykesfield, west of Burgh-by-Sands, and Drumburgh, and between Port Carlisle and Bowness on Solway, are at sea level. For several days of the year it is prone to tidal flooding so it is vitally important that you understand, before you set out, whether or not you will need to allow for extra time while the route is impassable. Tide prediction notice boards These are sited at Bowness on Solway (at the eastern end of the village) and Dykesfield (cattle grid). The present and following month's tide times and heights are posted on the boards.

Using the Easytide website

This is an Admiralty website and gives a free seven-day prediction for a series of ports around the UK coastline.

1. Go to the Easytide website (Related Links)
2. Click on 'free predictions'
3. Click on the 'Search' tab on the 'Predict Select Port' page, then type in 'Silloth'; then click 'Predict'.
4. On the next page click 'Predict' which brings up a seven-day prediction for the net seven days only. You are interested in the high tides of nine metres and above because this is when the affected parts of the Trail may flood.
Now for the tricky bit The predicted tide times and heights are for the port of Silloth, so you need to convert them to the Solway section of the Trail.

If you are walking during British Summer Time (BST) add on TWO HOURS. If you are walking during Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) add on ONE HOUR.
Finally, allow for an hour either side of the adjusted high tide when the sections affected should be avoided. Do remember that the tide tables are predictions only and that many conditions, for example wind speed and atmospheric pressure, can influence the likelihood of the Solway marshes flooding. The estuary can look an entirely benign place, but the water can rise very quickly.
On the day - 12th July - my calculations reveal we should be okay but we need to be away early – say start walking by 9am or 9.30am at the latest.

Accommodation

In April 2010 Martin kindly provided an Itinerary to all of us received from Kath Henderson from Macs Adventure Ltd. The accommodation booked for Stuart and Martin mirrors the sections of the walk I previously detailed.
In having booked campsites, camp barns and bunkhouses (trying as best as I could to gain accommodation in the same locations) I have finally succeeded with a lot of difficulty:

• Monday 12th July – Bluebell Camping Barn £12 pppn. (Owner – Mark Harper) This is located in the village of Crosby on Eden, a couple of miles past Carlisle and is a new facility. There is a good pub in the village called the Stag Inn which does breakfasts and evening meals. There is a bus stop outside the pub so Steve and I can get the bus into Carlisle or Stuart and Martin can get the bus out! I wanted to get through Carlisle rather than do this the following morning.

• Tuesday 13th July – Holmhead Camping Barn. This is at Thirwall Castle Farm, Greenhead. £12.50pppn and I paid a £5 deposit. The owner Judy Clark was ever so helpful and can provide a carry out lunch with prior notice. The Greenhead Hotel (10 minutes walk) provides evening meals and breakfasts. There was no camping facilies in Gilsland but Greenhead is only 2 miles further on and like Bluebell is on the wall – essential for those carrying all their gear.

• Wednesday 14th July – Greencarts Campsite, Camp barn (£8pppn) and Bunkhouse (£10pppn), Humshaugh. Here we are booked in with a choice of camping (£5pppn), camp barn or bunkhouse. If the weather is good the lady owner was happy that we camped. The village of Humshaugh is beside Chollerford.

• Thursday 15th July – Belvedere Campsite, Harlow Hill, Heddon On The Wall. £4.50pppn camping. Pub two miles away for evening meal/breakfast but many local take-away operators deliver food to the site. Pat Carr the owner - ever so helpful.

• Friday 16th & Saturday 17th July – The Jesmond Hotel, Jesmond, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.

• Sunday 18th July – 1.35pm National Express Coach leaves Newcastle for Chester (direct £10.80).

Hadrian’s Wall Bus

Bus AD122 runs along the length of the wall. Running through the summer between Newcastle and Carlisle and stopping at visitor attractions, towns and villages along the way, the Hadrian's Wall Bus is the best way to explore the wonders of Hadrian's Wall Country.

Conclusion

This is an adventure we are all looking forward to as Hadrian’s Wall Country is a walker’s paradise with stunning scenery and which is immensely varied. We will be following the footsteps of the Roman patrols that guarded this wall against attacks from the North. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1987) and this famous wall is the best preserved frontier of the entire Roman Empire. It is unique and is one of the wonders of the world and among the most important archaeological monuments of the last 2,000 years. The Wall was constructed over a period of six years by the order of the Emperor Hadrian who came to Britain in122AD. It was built “to separate the Romans from the Barbarians” – a feat it achieved for over 250 years.
Next week we too are “invaders” but with peaceful intentions to walk and take in a fistful of knowledge and scenery as we walk the length of this monumental structure.

I do hope you all enjoy yourselves.

Fraser Mackay 10th July 2010.

Hadrian's Wall "Coast to Coast" Walk - Kit Needed

Introduction
Kit is a very personal matter but some items are essential if you are to enjoy your “Coast to Coast” walk over five days. One thing you are unable to determine is the weather and after the good hot recent days we have been enjoying the weather forecasted for the week ahead is perhaps best described as “indifferent”.
A lot of tactics has gone into our route planning and timing thus it is important we also get our kit right. On the food front we are always passing through villages and small towns (we have identified stopping places each day) so other than small treats, water and energy drinks we should be okay.
The walking Group is split into two with two having their kit carried for them from B&B to B&B while the other two are to endeavour to carry the kit on their backs, stopping at campsites, camp barns and bunk houses. Essentially everyone will have their kit split in the following ways:
• Staying in B&Bs - 1) Daily rucksack 30lr and 2)kit bag
• Backpacking – 1) Large 80lr rucksack and overnight bag for stay in Newcastle.
Walking Equipment and Clothes etc.
Kit Bag/overnight bag
Ruck Sack
Walking Poles (optional)
Boots – (make sure these have been water proofed)
Approach Shoes for camping
Waterproofs (Jacket & Trousers) – (again essential these are good quality and recently water proofed)
Waterproof cover for rucksack
Walking Shorts (1)
Walking Trousers (1)
Walking Socks (3)
Lining Socks (3)
Gloves (2)
Hats (2)
Sweat Towels (3)
Wet wipes
Shower Towel (1)
First Layer (3) – wicking with one long sleeved and the other two short sleeved
2nd Layer (Light fleeces) (2)
(Have all clothes in stuff bags to compress)
Water Bottle
Head Torch + batteries.
Sun cream
Insect repellent
Toiletries (personal)
Mirror for shaving
Hand washing gel
First Aid Kit (personal)
Food (treats)
Camera
Looking Glasses (optional)
Sun Glasses
Clothes line + washing liquid
Stuff Bag for dirty washing
Waist bag for money other essential items
Map and route book
Ipod
Clothes for evening wear
Trousers (1)
Pants (2)
Socks (1)
Shirts (2)
Shorts (optional)
Tee shirts (optional)
Sandals (B&B)
Shoes (B&B)
Camping Gear
Light one/two man tent + ground sheet
Tharermarest – (self blow up)
Sleeping bag (2/3 season) with silk liner (If very warm weather you can sleep in silk liner
Pillow (The listing is a personal one and others may differ in what they would take). Fraser Mackay 10th July, 2010.

Parish Walk 2010 - Isle of Man

The Challenge this year attracted an all-time record entry of 1,710 but the hot day and evening took its toll. At 7.22am on Sunday 27th June I crossed the finishing line, it had taken me 23hrs 38mins of constant walking.

Only 133 people finished the grueling 85miles and I am so glad I was one of them.

Fraser.