Bowled over!

The reason I originally planned to post today was just a catch up for the last two weeks, the healthy 'plop' on the doormat threw me completely until I realised the date... And I should have been merrily wending my way around the shelves at Tesco, if only number three child, Ciara, hadn't been off school with Laryngitis today. My children are never ill, what's happening!

Anyway, it's been a case of ups and downs over the last fortnight. Haven't had a lot of success on the walking front. Last week my foot was sore. It was the large joint on the ball of my foot below my big toe. I remembered having trouble in this area a couple of years ago and at that time I was convinced I had the beginnings of a bunion or gout! (I can be a little, er dramatic?) It took me about two weeks to decide it was an impact injury, not caused by a trip or bump, just through walking over particularly stoney ground. Soft feet or what!

This time, it took me a few hours to work it out. I'd been in Elgin, walking over the cobbled area in the High Street and I hadn't had my walking shoes on. I usually live in them, but I'd worn my thin canvas trainers because we were only strolling around the town centre. Shan't do that again. I decided to stay off my foot as much as possible because I was due to walk along the Isla Way on Sunday with the girls.

In the mean time, I won a competition over on Martin's blog! I never win prizes, I was a little over-excited, but the prize of a drink in the Park Hotel, Montrose the day after my birthday gives a good incentive to make it across Scotland. If my name comes out of the hat. That's the biggest hurdle at the moment. Thanks again Martin, made my day!

On Friday I walked the three miles home from town to test my progress and it was fine. Number two child, Aedan, started secondary school on 18th August and has really settled well. Considering the misery he suffered at primary, I'm relieved. That morning, he'd forgotten his gym kit, through no fault of his own. It was there ready, but he'd put it down to help Rhiannon look for her umbrella. He didn't pick it up again and I didn't notice in time. I had expected him to come home with a logging, but it turned out Rhiannon had volunteered her own gym kit, (which is blue, not pink, luckily...) so he hadn't been punished. Wow! If only you knew, that was stunning and I actually cried.

Another quiet day Saturday and I was ready on Sunday to put my best foot forward. This turned out to be an interesting day.

Usually someone knows the chosen route, although like all good walkers, there is always at least one map amongst us. Turns out, that doesn't always help. The Isla Way travels by the side of and along part of the old railway between Dufftown and Keith. We were planning to start the walk in Keith and catch the train back from Dufftown, but this section of the walk is, to say the very least, unclear. We faffed about for about an hour before we admitted defeat, returned to the cars and drove to Drummuir. After a minor detour, we found the station , parked, kitted up and had lunch. Everything stops for food and pee stops.

We set off and about 25 yards later, Alison's dog, Alfie, literally bowled me over! I found myself taking an unexpected lie down in a muddy puddle. Me, being me, I was laughing too much to speak or move. There was a horrified silence before Sally offered me a hand a heaved me to my feet. I still couldn't speak as my fellow walkers looked on, thinking I was crying with pain.

I am a giggler.

Good job I have a sense of humour. I had to do the rest of the walk with a muddy bum and wet pants! It was a lovely day, including drinks of cold traditional lemonade and ginger beer at a dinky little coffee shop in Dufftown, but I didn't fully dry out until we caught the train back from Dufftown. What should have been about thirteen miles was whittled down to nearer seven and a half, with the extra three miles faffing in Keith on top. We spoke to a lady at the station who told us the part of the walk we couldn't find is along the main road and she felt too dangerous to recommend, especially as we had two doggy companions, so I suppose it was a good job we never found it.

Yesterday, David and I had planned to do the sixteen mile circular route at Dunphail that I'd done in April with the girls. We set off, fully kitted with waterproofs and gaitors, after a supply stop at Tesco. Ofcourse, in England it was bank holiday, so Tesco opened late (in Scotland!?) and we were late getting started. And it started to rain as soon as we left the car park, but it wasn't heavy.

Not far down the road, I was beginning to think my heel wasn't going to loosen off after all. I must have twisted my lower leg slightly when Alfie swept me off my feet, but it hadn't hurt at the time. Now, it was sore. As I perservered, I obviously walked awkwardly and started a hotspot on my other heel. So after 3 miles, we decided on an escape route and shortened the walk to about six and three quarter miles. This was really disappointing although the most sensible option. We don't get to walk together often and I was gutted, but we have at least proved to me that we can make these decisions and my map reading is good enough to get me out of situations. As long as it's never anything more serious than a tight tendon and blister!

Another quiet couple of days and I'll venture forth. Again.

This new term hasn't got off to the flying start I'd imagined...

Onwards, ever onwards.

OMG!

It's 1st September.

Guess what just landed on my doormat....

Approximately another two months and I'll know.

Oh my.

Therapy

After our little wild camp, the main thing we agreed on was that we should get new waterproof trousers. Our current ones are Peter Storm and have served well over quite a few years now, but I wanted something lighter. And waterproof. (I am a little dubious about mine in extremely wet conditions.) So when I spotted Berghaus Paclite trousers for less than £70 at Gaynors, I caved.

That's not quite fair, it took me at least four days to cave. My excuse being the £60 saved (on two pairs) will go towards new walking poles. Mine keep coming apart and David's were my dad's and since mum's have now fallen to pieces, he's given them back. So we both need new ones. That was bad planning. Although I've spied some at backpackinglight that will fit the bill, along with one or two other useful items I've got my little beadies on. I'm being patient...

Didn't walk into town today as I'd planned. I took one look at the weather forecast/warning and the black clouds approaching and took the easy, and dry, option. Glad I did in the end, it would've take a month to dry out!! Mind you, even that might have been preferable to the mountain of ironing I persuaded myself into doing. Still, I'm going to have so much time on my hands from next week. Ciara and Conall are going to be walking to and from school without me, so I can leave earlier, go further and return later from any little walking adventures I have.

Back on track

Ah, what a relief. The little treasures went back to school today. I now have two at secondary school, leaving two at primary. I finally have enough hands per child when we walk to school, hoorah!

The other upside is I escaped for a walk with Angela and Lyn today. Around 7.5 miles of varied landscape, but nothing taxing, just Angela pace which is taxing enough for some of us! Now Angela's youngest is at school, we no longer have to rush back, although she's starting college in two weeks time, so I may be back to walking alone. Which I shall be doing on Thursday as I will stroll into town to fetch my prescription. Seems silly to take the car on a 6 mile round trip when I have no other shopping to do and all this time on my hands, especially now Conall finishes later with Ciara now.

David and I are planning a little jaunt on Bank Holiday Monday. Only a little jaunt, because we need to be back for the children coming out of school ofcourse. It's a walk I've done with the girls near Dunphail and he's making me write a route plan. With GRs to boot. Good practice I'm sure.

I think this will be the way of things, lots of short walks, interspersed with occasionally more challenging routes, when time allows.

Excellent stuff.

Here again!

Well, we've been home since Saturday lunch and the first thing I did Sunday morning was catch up on a few blogs. This left me thinking our few walks somewhat paled into insignificance as some people have been up to some terrific things! However, considering our handicaps, (four children between ages 8 and 13 years and my mother, whom I'd better not age!) we did okay.

Our first mini-adventure was a 4 mile walk we know at Flowerdale Falls. A lovely little walk with a tiny bit of a climb up to waterfalls and a view over Gairloch out to the isles. It was here three years ago we saw our first golden eagle. Half an hour into the walk, David said,
"Wouldn't it be good if we saw a golden eagle now."
And there it was! Wasn't quick enough to get the camera out, but it was mum's first, so that was a hit.

We did another 3 mile walk north of Ullapool, at Braebag. There are caves here. We saw a merlin and a few deer quite close across the river, so that was rather a treat.

The children.

Mum.

The way up.

A few days later, we had the opportunity to take the boys out on their own, so we did another little walk! This time, the lure was a plane crash site, at the Fairy Lochs at Badachro, above Gairloch, but it's only 3.5 miles, if a little uphill and boggy for the first half. There's a glorious sandy beach by one of the lochans over the top, about a mile and a half from the sea. Bizarre, but a nice picnic stop. T'was a little showery that day, but hey ho, the boys are good, they don't mind weather.

We got to have a little adventure on our own too. We just happened to have packed our rucksacks, two man tent and a little camping gear, just incase such an occasion arose. We set off on the Fairy Lochs walk in reverse. At the beach we'd previously lunched at, it started to rain in earnest, so we donned the waterproofs and had some relief from the blessed midges. Oh my, they were out in force this year! We left the Lochs path here and struck out on the path to Torridon, I suspect quite a picturesque route, had it not been so damp. Saw a lot of bright orange frogs, think they were enjoying the weather. At roughly NG 818 690, we peeled off this path or what was left of it, and struck off 'off piste', as David had put it in the planning stages.

"We'll climb this little slope up to a perfect pitch," he said.

"I don't like the look of that slope, it's too steep for me with a big pack."

"It'll be fine!"

He thinks I can't read a map.

I was right, I didn't like it much, he was well cursed and the air was a subtle shade of blue when we got up there. But then, I am a wimp. This is his idea of therapy to cure my vertigo. Didn't work.

However, his idea of a des res isn't the same as mine either. T'was a little boggy to say the least. When his best option was to pitch on a flat rock bed, I thought he was barking mad. As it turned out, it worked, didn't notice the hard surface at all through my prolite 3, but did notice the slope and that I was the only one sliding down it. Typical! Luckily, there was no wind that night, so the rocks on the guys held the tent down easily, but David got eaten alive by the midgies while he cooked dinner and made hot chocolate. I had added protein in mine, apparently...

Next morning, I decided on an escape route as I didn't fancy the route back down the slope and carrying on round the hill through the heather and bog. It worked quite well, as the trig point hove into view that we pass below at the site of the plane crash, so we knew exactly where we were and navigated to join the path down to Badachro steading.

It was a relatively short walk, about 8 miles in total and I haven't calculated the ascent, but it wasn't much. The idea was to navigate a route rather than using a known route, wild camp and navigate back. Added to that, we implemented an escape route, which we planned and navigated enroute. On the whole, I was pleased with the way it all went and have a few ideas of what I might change or leave out of my kit, so a success, if only a small one. Saw another merlin, which made three including the one we saw up the hill behind the house on an evening stroll with the boys.

The view from our des res.

We all survived the holiday, it wasn't what we'd normally do, but we did have a couple of boat trips with Ian and Sam French at the Gairloch Marine Life Centre, which is always a highlight.

View from the boat.

Bananaring common seal.

Porpoise.

Fishing on the pier.

We'll be back next year, because we love it!