Reflections of TGO22

Gear

Tarptent Notch

The major bit of new or largely untested gear is my tent, Netty Notch. I had only spent about 3 nights in her before this Challenge, and the main test had been whether the midges could get in last June/July. Which they didn't.

This year, midgies weren't going to be the biggest issue.

The inner of this tent is half solid, half mesh, so it was possible that I could be cold, but I never felt that there was a cold draught coming through the mesh, so that was good. We had plenty of rain overnight, but Netty was completely water tight, which was also reassuring. The main problem faced this year was high winds, so pitching the tent and remaining upright was the concern. Because of some of the decisions I made, based on the forecast, meant I was mostly pitched safely with shelter, unlike some other unfortunate Challengers who had to endure several difficult nights. The worst conditions I faced were on the Invernahavon Campsite, so I was at least in a safe place, but I was still pretty worried by the huge gusts of wind over a two or three hour period, the torrential rain at the time meant that if Netty had failed my gear would all be soaked, so when the rain had first woken me, I had packed everything away in my rucksack and had a plan to rescue my sleeping bag and mat to keep them as dry as possible. As it was, Netty was awesome, my walking poles, Black Diamond Carbon FLZ, also new, were absolutely solid and we survived in tact.

As well as being pitched with my walking poles, the other main difference with this tent is having two porches. I find this incredibly useful. When Netty is pitched, she is pointy end into the wind. because of the way the doors open, one will open into the wind, the other will be sheltered, so when emptied I keep my rucksack in the windy porch as I won't be opening that one again till I drop the tent. The other porch is where I will keep my boots and water and use my stove, with the door open. Unless it is raining, this works well. If it is raining, it really depends on how the rain is falling as to whether I use my stove or not, I usually have enough food with me that I can cope without having to light my stove if necessary.

I need more practice to pitch her nicely every time, but overall, I think I like Netty, and trust her.

MSR 9" Core Pegs

Yup, four teamed with four mini-ground hog pegs, did a great job.

MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe

I had a new stove this year, an MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe, and I had an Alpkit MyTi mug to go with it. I had debated what size gas canister to take as obviously I expected to use more gas than with my Jetboil Flash, but had no idea how much. I settled on taking a 230g cannister, and if needed I could collect a small can from Laura's front porch or buy one in Braemar or Ballater. I also knew I wouldn't be on my own in the second week, so if I badly miscalculated, there would be someone who had spare.

I found that I was comfortable with the stove after a few uses, it burned well and usually brought a half litre of water to the boil relatively quickly, unless it was catching a bit of wind. I did not use it in the porch without the door open, which I have done with my Flash in my Laser, but I don't think I would use the Flash in Netty's porch either.

I almost got across Scotland with the one canister, I just needed to borrow a small canister from Barry on the last morning for my coffee, so that gives me an idea of how much gas I might use in future, I did not have a hot meal and drink every night and sometimes no coffee in the morning, mainly due to mood, not weather.

The Alpit MyTi mug is also great, no issues with that except I am stupid and kept burning my fingers. I have made myself a pot grab to resolve this.

Buff Trek Bucket Hat

I love my Tilley hat, I have taken it on all but one of my Challenges thus far, but the brim catches on the top of my pack and gets irritating. So this year after a little bit of searching I found the Buff Trek Bucket Hat and I have loved it. It fits nicely, has a handy little bit of adjustable elastic cord at the back of the had, a big enough brim to give protection but not catch on my pack, it is light and comfortable to wear and takes up no space in the pack. A good buy.

The Crocs

Croc Literide. These are not a lightweight option, but they are a really comfortable shoe to wear when I take my boots off, which after suffering Plantar Fasciitis for nearly two years and recently resolving the issue, I wanted something with support and comfort, so this was my choice. I decided to pack them in the parcel I would collect at Newtonmore, this was an illogical decision given the river crossings I was due to make on days One and Seven, but in the event, I made no river crossings that required a change of footwear and got away with the decision. I would also say that, once I had my Crocs, I was glad of them when I took my boots off at the end of the day. They may be heavy, but are likely to be high on the list next time.

Rab Borealis Jacket and Montane Primino Hoody

I wore the Borealis every day, either under my waterproofs, or as my top layer. I also wore it as a thin layer in bed over my Montane Primino Hoody. I love it. It is light and comfortable, very effective as a windproof and doesn't make me hot underneath my waterproofs. Love it. The Primino Hoody is super comfortable, surprisingly cosy for such a thin layer and the hood was fantastic instead a hat in my sleeping bag. I also wore this as my social top, as it is largely merino, it stays odour free for days, brilliant top.

Montane Dart LS top

A great t-shirt, worn every day to walk and only washed twice I think during the trip, just wish it was slightly longer.

Knickers

Back to the drawing board with these, I took two pairs of Sloggi knickers, Wow Comfort and Sensual Fresh, neither of which were comfortable to walk in, one was better than the other thankfully. Merino is definitely better for freshness, just need to find a comfortable pair that don't have an awkwardly placed seam that rubs on my hips. I had sore, rubbed hips again this year, I like the rucksack, it carries well, but there is conflict between my rucksack belt and knickers that causes the rubbing which I need to resolve. I put clear film waterproof dressings on this year, the kind used on a canular or new tattoo, they definitely helped, but it was still sore enough that I had to take painkillers towards the end of the longer days, so I need to sort this.

Hoka One One Sky Kaha boots

I love these boots, no rubs, no blisters, no sore toes, all day comfort. I will buy them again.

Kula Cloth

Hmm. Saved my carrying much toilet paper, needs much more sunlight to work at its best. Enough said.

Panda Bamboo Dry Wipes

Yup, work fine, will take again.

Salt of the Earth Deodourant Crystal

Brilliant, I felt much better than I usually do, I had a wipe down at night using the Panda wipes and then applied the crystal. I use the bigger version every day at home and for me, it is amazing. Love it.

Aluminium mat cut off

Next time, don't forget it. I could definitely feel the cold coming up through my mat from the ground, just enough to notice it, if the weather had been colder, I would have been miserable. Take the mat!

At this moment in time, I think that was all my major new kit.

Struggles

Clearly, I had a bit of a crisis before the start of the Challenge this year. There was a combination of issues which ganged up on me, but Ciara's advice of step by step, go to the start, was crucial. Once there, I was able to focus on each decision, one at a time, and once walking, I relaxed and had no further issues.

I did not eat brilliantly for a few days before setting off which did not help, and the first few days on the Challenge I wasn't brilliant either. The evening meal I had at the Prince's House Hotel definitely helped, once I got to Newtonmore, my food problems resolved.

I felt as though I didn't sleep well, but I think in reality, I was often asleep much earlier than normal, and even if I was awake several times in the night, it was mainly for very short periods of time, and on the whole I got a good amount of sleep. This probably helped with my mood and with my decision making.

The most important thing was meeting friends in the second week. It gives an enormous boost to be able to discus your adventures and to have them put into perspective by hearing theirs. Don't underestimate the power of your friends!

Adventures with Ellie - Cairngorms 11th November '20

We had an opportunity for a couple of days away with Ellie, and although I had badly sprained (or broken) my ankle out on my long run on Sunday, we decided to go anyway. We drove south to Newtonmore and parked at the end of the road near Allt a' Chaorainn. We had a lovely quiet night alone before heading to Garva Bridge, the plan was for David to bag himself a Munro, Geal Charn, in the mist and murk, and I would stay with Ellie.

I had a lovely quiet time, I pottered about and did some crochet and went for a little stroll over the bridge to take photos, had lunch and pottered some more. Just before David returned, some men in green appeared from the hills with a big radio, and disappeared along the road.

David returned, a little damp around the edges, and we headed off for our second night, this time at Uath Lochan. Here, we were not alone, but we still had a quiet enough evening and night before heading home the next day.

Adventures with Ellie - NW Highlands (November 2019)

The end of November and our last weekend away with Ellie before the end of the year. We set off later than hoped and decided to stop for a takeaway pizza on our way to the NW Highlands. This meant we could drive until we were ready to stop for the night and not to have to cook. We found ourselves parked at the Knockan Crag car park, again, for convenience (pun intended) and we had one other van for company. It was a cold night, but we were prepared with extra layers and sleeping bags, so we weren't cold.

In the morning, we got ready to tackle Cul Mor once more, or at least to try, but as we packed our bags we realised neither of us had picked up a map. Whoops. We had a little discussion, both feeling a little uneasy to proceed without being fully equipped, but decided we both had Viewranger and that we would turn back if we started to lose visibility. Boots, jackets and hats on, we left Ellie and made our way to the footpath we had taken before. It was a nice day if cold, the going was good underfoot and we made good progress to the lochan, where we sheltered behind the rocks with another couple whilst they had lunch and we put on another layer. Soon we were on our way, the couple gave words of encouragement and we made our way back to the main path to make our way up the spur to Cul Mor. We met a photographer on his way down, he said the conditions were good and he'd had a good day. Onwards and upwards. As we reached the point I'd had to turn around last time, I put my head down and focused where I was putting my hands and feet (yes, I was more or less on all fours at this point) as I made my way up the little scramble. I paused every so often, but refused to look down, refused to think I couldn't go on, just took a breath and continued. There was the odd flurry of snow, but nothing more than that. I told David not to tell me he was nearing or at the top, not to tell me how far I had to go, just to let me get there, and I did just that. I eventually reached a point at which I realised I could stand up properly, so I did, and walked the short distance that remained to reach the trig. I was so chuffed with myself, I'd overcome my fears and powered to the top. The views were outstanding, this is an extraordinary part of the world.

We had a quick bite to eat, but were soon off again as it was quite cold and we were going to be short of light if we hung around too long. We made our way over frozen but not icy ground to the bealach, headed off SE and picked up a vague path, then lost it and made our own way across the coire, contoured around Meallan Diomhain, then reached the path that would take us back to Ellie.

 Just before we started the climb

 Made it!

 Crossing interesting ground as we contoured

 We were back just before the rain came

It was quite a wonderful day.

Back at Ellie, we packed up and headed back towards Ullapool before turning off towards Stac Pollaidh. We continued along the road to Polbain and then on to Altandhu and the campsite. This is the first winter this campsite has stayed open and we had it to ourselves for the first night. The showers were not the warmest place to be, but the facilities are nice and at least I had hot water, the mens' were cold, apparently. We had a lovely quiet evening and a good meal, afterwards using the sinks at the pot wash to do our dishes (we have no waster water tank and draining on to the pitch would be frowned upon) and visiting the facilities before turning in for what was going to be a freezing night.

Roughly 12 km and 727 m total ascent

I was woken in the early hours with a dreadful headache. I lay for about an hour, turning restlessly from time to time trying to get comfortable and relieve the pain, worried about disturbing David. I really should have taken painkillers straight away, but I doubt it would have helped. May have speeded up the inevitable though. I fidgeted trying to find relief, but even the slightest movement began to make me feel nauseous until suddenly I knew I was going to be sick. I had to move, fast, not easy in a campervan I might tell you! How I got to the end of the bed and the toilet in the dark I don’t know, managed to unplug the charger David had plugged in, so I could lift the lid, considering how fuddled my brain was. I was so ill and felt dreadful, I crawled back to bed. I was hot from being ill, I didn’t want covers on, but it was freezing and I needed to fight my way back into my sleeping bag. It hurt to cry, but silent tears wet my face and I tried again to get comfortable. Not for long, however, as I had to make another dive off the bed to be violently sick again. Unsurprisingly, David was awake now, and he did his best to comfort and look after me in my quite distressed state. We both tried to get comfortable again and get some rest before morning.

We had a slow start to the day. We had intended to spend time exploring locally and to stay at the campsite for a second night, so once I felt well enough, we ventured to the little shop on site and had a chat with the lady at the counter. This is a small family run site on what was originally a croft and they’d had to diversify. The shop and the pub are owned and run by the family and the lady offered to book us a table at the pub for dinner when we enquired about eating there. We made our purchases for lunch and breakfast, took them back to put away in Ellie then put on our boots and coats to go for a little stroll. There was a small hill with a mast at the back of the site that happened to have a trig at the top, so we decided to head up there, the track most of the way would mean it wasn’t a strenuous walk.

It was cold, but dry and we had a lovely walk. The track took us to the mast then there was a well used path all the way to the little knobble with the trig on top. The path actually continued beyond the knobble, but we didn’t want to venture that far. For some reason I found it really pleasing that this trig is obviously visited regularly by somebody quite local and I daydreamed and romanticised about their reasons for doing so. We stayed for quite some time, enjoying the views, marvelling at the landscape, naming hills and practicing my scrambling skills. Then we made our way back to the track and to Ellie.

We had a nice meal at the pub, even if the barman “Andrew” seemed a little uncomfortable and unsure as to how to serve meals to the only two occupied tables. The food was basic pub grub but was very nice and reasonably priced, we enjoyed it.

When we headed back to Ellie, we noticed we were now sharing the campsite with a much larger motor home, turn out to be a couple and their two small children (they left in the morning) but we didn’t really see them, they were mainly using the waste and fresh water facilities, which was actually good to see.

We settled down, hoping for a more restful night. Bar from feeling a little bruised and groggy, I didn’t feel too bad after my early morning ordeal.

Roughly 5.61 km and 216 m total ascent

After a good nights sleep we had breakfast of frozen yogurt (it was cold overnight!) and we were up and away early in the morning, stopping at the *shop for lunch, dinner and breakfast supplies, before enjoying the drive to Inverkerkaig where we planned to stop and take a short walk. We didn’t rush our journey and arrived at the car park just before lunch. We parked Ellie and made up a picnic to take with us on our planned walk to Kerkaig Falls. There was a car parked already, we didn’t see the occupants, another van arrived before we left and they parked in a very territorial manner, after parking in front of us they moved to take the space directly adjacent to the picnic bench before opening their doors just to allow the dog out for a roam. They remained inside the van.

We left for our stroll, taking the path that follows the River Kirkaig towards the Falls of Kirkaig. There is a good path all the way, albeit it gets more rocky and boggy the further you go, but it was largely frozen so the bogginess wasn’t too much of an issue. It didn’t take us long and we were soon admiring the falls from a safe distance (some safer than others…) before choosing our rocks to sit on and enjoy our picnic.

We soon on our back to Ellie, returning the way we had arrived. We met a man with his dog off lead, oblivious of other walkers. We think he was the Territorial Van Man. We met two young men on an adventure, clad in city clothes, they asked if the falls were much further. It was going to be getting dark soon and they were not half way, so had about another two and a half kilometres before making the return walk. At least they would have torches on their mobile phones to find the path on their way back.

On our return to Ellie, we packed away and set off again, heading for Lochinver then further on to find somewhere to camp overnight. We eventually stopped at a car park and took a look around. We had parked at the Leitir Easaidh Walk Car Park and the signage was very welcoming. There were details of the easy access routes from the car park and there are two toilets within easy reach of the car park. It is a very busy car park, but we decided most visitors were actually local dogwalkers, so we knew there would be less activity once darkness fell, but that it could possibly be busy again in the morning (although, it would be Sunday and there is usually a strong church going community on the west coast, perhaps the dogs would have to wait until after Chapel! I was saddened to find some fly tipping at the opposite end of the car park, but we were happy with the views where we had parked Ellie, we even had a visit from the local wildlife and the traffic quietened down quite early.

We had a pleasant evening, a good signal allowed us to watch some evening entertainment on iPlayer.

Roughly 6.82 km and 289 m total ascent

Late in the previous afternoon, my good friend Vanessa had messaged to say she was home if we would like to visit and as we were so close, I couldn’t resist, she is lucky enough to live in such beautiful surroundings, I was only too pleased to have the excuse. We were up quite early and were keen to make use of the facilities, as we had left a donation in the box provided, so we went for an early morning walk. The first toilet is only about 500 m along the path, but these toilets were closed for maintenance, so we walked to the second toilet a little further along. These are composting toilets and were kept to a really high standard, plenty of toilet roll, hand sanitiser and a floor brush. We decided to follow the footpath, it is really well maintained, but we had no clue as to its route. I wasn’t tracking on Viewranger, but these paths are not marked on the maps anyway. I was expecting a simple circular route, but we walked on and on as day dawned and the drizzle set in. We were not dressed for this, both of us wearing warm but not waterproof jackets and jeans, so eventually I had to admit the best option was to turn around and return the way we had come. On our return to Ellie, I read the leaflet I had picked up the night before and realised we had missed the turning for the simple circuit and were in fact heading to a second car park. That could have complicated things! However, we know for next time…

It’s a very scenic drive to Vanessa’s house, and what a stunning setting! (I imagine, clouds!) We had coffee and cake and a really lovely chat, the dog adored me, and I adored the dog (but I did have to do a complete strip once we had driven away, as I am very allergic *) and the cat also seemed very fond of David (…who is not known for his fondness of cats *laughs like a drain*)

All too soon  we had to leave, with a promise to return, and we set off to find a quiet corner for my quick change and to have lunch before setting off to drive home.

Roughly no idea how long or what ascent, but it was a nice walk. Or at least, it would be if it’s dry and no low clouds to spoil the views.

* I often see the complaint that campervan and motorhome users don’t use local shops, businesses and facilities, but we deliberately try to do so.