Conclusions and lessons learnt

Oh, there were lots.

With regards to kit. I was mostly happy with it, but have decided on a few changes.

My sleeping bag has always been good for me, but I’ve never used it when I’ve been so bushed before and I suspect this is why I felt the cold more than usual. I had ways to deal with this, but would probably fair better if I could hit the sack and go to sleep, rather than scrabbling around in the dark for solutions.

So a new bag is on it’s way (how did that happen?) a Marmot Arete down bag from Webtogs. It has more down fill than my current bag and same pack size but is 200g lighter, so I’ll see how that feels when it arrives.

It’s RED!

I got on fine with my Campingaz Twister stove and although that, together with my Snowpeak pots (courtesy of Martin Rye) aren’t too heavy, it is all quite bulky as they don’t stow away together. So, having caught a glimpse of Laura’s Jetboil, I had a quick peek at them online. Eventually, David took control and has ordered a Jetboil Flash in Violet for me. It looks beautiful and has the advantages I was looking for, lightweight and low bulk aswell as a tripod base for stability.

It’s beautiful too, did I mention that?

The only problem I had was the Travel Tap. It’s a great piece of kit for it’s ease of use and convenience.

So long as you’re called Popeye.

This trip, I was distinctly lacking in my consumption of spinach and I had difficulty squeezing the bottle to extract the filtered water. I also felt there was a potential problem with my hands having to be in contact with the bottle containing freezing cold water, as this is exactly the sort of trigger for my Reynaud's that gives me the most concerns and if I’m tired and cold, could be crucial.  Alan found my eventual solution to these problems very amusing as he was the only one with full view of me squeezing the bottle between my knees whilst aiming the water flow into the tin between my feet.

What a sight!

The solution is, so far, a 1ltr Platypus Platy Soft Bottle. So far, because I now have to options. I can either go for the Super Delios filter which Alan demonstrated (several times) and looks like a really useful bit of kit, or drops, which Laura demonstrated (with my help for timing) both of which will utilise the Soft Bottle. I’ll have to make a decision sometime. Soon…

(The Soft Bottle is violet too)

As to the weekend, it was fabulous. Mike planned us a superb route, the views were stunning and the toil to reach them was certainly more than worthwhile. Many thanks for your planning and hard work.

The company was brilliant, we all seemed to have very similar humour and my ribs were certainly sore from all the laughing. At least, I think it was from the laughing and not the heavy breathing uphill… Thanks for all the support, encouragement and ideas, these will be invaluable in a few weeks time (three weeks, two days…).

I had an absolute blast, even the hard bits were worth every minute and I’ve learnt so much, about myself and my expectations and tips for successful routines. I was delighted to find I hadn’t packed anything that didn’t get used, with the exception of those few items you have to routinely take on a trip. So with the few kit adjustments I’m making, I should be able to take another 1lb 8oz off the overall weight, but it’s all going to be far less bulky which will make the most difference.

Onwards and upwards! (A little…)

Moffat to Peebles Day 3

Sunday night had been much better warmth wise, although it had got chilly at one point. I still drifted in and out of sleep, listening to curlew, oyster catchers, tawny owls and lots of sheep and lambs. There was a cockerel in the distance, he started a shade early even if we did need to get up. Laura and I kindly added time pressures at this point, we really needed to be in Peebles to catch the bus back to Edinburgh by 4 pm or we would be in difficulty.

I was up in good time and much more organised. The tents were decidedly wet this morning, but as they were being packed to go home, it didn’t matter too much. Apart from the added weight. We got off to a really good start, leaving camp at around 7.27 am and set off at a good pace, but then there was up for a short while. We headed along a nice, easy track for a while and had a snack stop before heading into the forest where Mike warned us the track might be tricky and so it turned out to be.

Snacking and faffing

It was a little elusive and we may have taken a slightly alternative route, but it was certainly tricky, much up and grassy bogginess ensued. When we burst out into the open the bogginess continued, with heathery tussocks getting in on the act now and there was more up and along, before finally, there was down.

All behind us now

The drop off the end of the world before Peebles

Straight down! Over much heatheryness to join a path, “All will become clear!” Mike promised us.

Hmm.

We dropped out of the heather and after mincing along a few sheep tracks, we crossed a ford (I did it, with dry feet!) we met a good track and decided it was time for lunch. We were making good time now and the hard work was behind us. There were good tracks and roads for the last four miles before we happily found Mike’s car waiting for us in the car park and after retrieving a few belongings we’d decided not to carry at the last minute and a comfort stop, we were off to the bus stop.

The sign to the left was wholly appropriate for some

We were early for the planned bus, but as we arrived so did another bus, so we caught it! This meant I could catch an earlier train back to Inverness and quickly made arrangements for the taxi to collect me there, yey!

12.4 miles and 2000ft total ascent (ish...)

Moffat to Peebles Day 2

Didn’t feel to good on Sunday morning and got off to a slow start. The others all have their own, good routines for getting away from camp, I was winging it a little and was last ready for the off. I was frustrated with leaden legs, (not sore, just uncooperative) and fretted my way up the hill that started straight from our camp. Mike was a star and told me (what I knew, but was stubbornly ignoring) “Small and slow, you can walk all day that way!” and I did exactly that. I soon settled into a really good pace for me and although I was always bringing up the rear (I know my place, but I could have done without the hole in Mike’s Ron Hills…) and everyone was always waiting somewhere for me, I made my way steadily over lump after lump. There was much upness, with downs and some alongs with the promise of the pub in the distance.

There will be lots of nameless views for a while

The pub is down there!

When we got to the pub (after a downwards traverse of an awkward slope that made my feet sore) and we found a picnic bench to rest our weary limbs on as we consumed beer/orange squash/juice and lemonade and sandwiches. There’s a lovely campsite here, but sadly not for us. After using the facilities and filling water receptacles (bladder just doesn’t fit here) we set off at a rate of knots (flattish land!) along the shores of the loch three miles to the next camp Mike had spied for us.

Perfect spot!

Company, behind a fence

I was more organised now and decided to leave the water in my Platty from the pub for the next day to save morning faff time, so used local water for dinner and a hot drink. I really enjoyed my meal this time and felt so much better than I had the previous night. Still struggled to get to sleep but was not cold this time. We were hoping for an early start.

13.8 miles and 1800 ft total ascent (ish…)

 

Moffat to Peebles Day 1

So, we set off to Moffat in a couple of cars to meet outside the Rumbling Tums for breakfast. Nerves and travel sickness almost got the better of me, but a bacon butty and cup of tea was duly consumed and we made the first tentative steps towards Peebles.

Lovely ram in Moffat

After making our way out of Moffat, we eventually took the Southern Upland Way and things became fairly steadily and persistently uphill. There was various scenery, fields, woodland and hills in the distance.

Alpaca with solid little  friends

We climbed up along forestry tracks and found a nice lunch spot before heading onto the hills.

Comfy seat, anyone?

We were soon at the spot originally planned as our first camp, but it was too early in the day at around 2pm, so we decided to carry on to the second possible pitch. The landscape was beginning to change now, becoming more lumpy with the odd drop down to tumbling water and glimpses of the views to come.

Female Emporer Moth
We found this striking moth before we eventually reached Mike’s proposed camp and then the boys bravely struck out in opposite directions to find the water that should have been there.

Water was found (eventually closer to camp than at first thought…) and we all pitched, boiled, consumed, washed up and snuggled down at tremendous speed. Especially Mike, who provided us with background music of snoring and singing as we worked.

I was very cold and had a slight headache when I got into my sleeping bag. I’d had to force my dinner down because I knew it was a necessity, but didn’t enjoy eating it and I knew I was cold because I was shattered, so I was glad to hit the sack, but I couldn’t sleep and I couldn’t get warm. Paracetamol, some crisps and three layers later and I was still cold and shivering, so my emergency bivvy was deployed (just laid over the top of me as it rustled too much!) I didn’t want to show my inexperience and become hypothermic before we’d even really got started. I knew this wasn’t ideal because of the risk of condensation on my sleeping bag, but it worked and I drifted in and out of sleep through the night, listening to rhythmic snoring, visiting sheep snuffling and snipes drumming.

By my rough calculations, 11.3 miles and a total of 3100 ft. (There will be variations!)

The beginning

I’d signed up for the Moffat to Peebles Pre-Challenge event, so Thursday night saw some last minute packing and re-packing so that I could catch the Inverness train at 9.07am. We were at the station in plenty of time, just as well as, when I tried to collect my ticket from the machine, I hadn’t got the collection reference number with me, doh! The nice little man in the ticket office was able to retrieve my tickets, so my journey began.

On arrival at Inverness, I trotted off to M & S for lunch provisions and a comfort stop before on to Blacks to find a suitable container for my sunglasses.

The queue for the Edinburgh train was truly ridiculous and by the time we were all aboard (quote marks?) the train was running late.

Leaving sunny Inverness behind

The journey was unremarkable, the elderly couple that shared my table were, different, so I gazed out of my window and was rewarded with views of the Cairngorms.

Passing through Aviemore station

I also saw a roe deer having a paddle in a flooded field near Loch Insh, a large flock of swans nearby, buzzards, a seal and eider ducks. All quite lovely.

I managed to get lost trying to get out of Edinburgh station, I don’t visit very often and there’s a lot of work going on with barriers and strange directions, but eventually I found myself on Princes Street and set off for the bus station. Funnily enough, I got lost again, (I don’t know Edinburgh well) but after asking a nice chap the way, found that I was actually going in the right direction, even though I’d taken a slightly circuitous route. Heaven help me on my own, on a hill, with a map and compass…

Laura’s bus was late, but we were soon climbing aboard the number 62 to Peebles. There was much chatting, comparing the contents of our packs and the prospects of the weekend. On arrival at Peebles, we made a quick visit to the sweetie shop and then went off to find the camp site.

It was flatter than it looks

When we had all arrived (Mike, Alan, Laura, Judith and Me) we went off to find a pub (I think the location was already known and earmarked…) had beer, popped next door for pizza/pasta and back to the pub for more beer before going back to the tents to sleep it all off.

From this point onwards, someone else was in control, so things were going to run a lot more smoothly.