ABBA - Slipping Through my Fingers (video)

Stormy weather

Strictly speaking, I don’t suppose my Guiding stuff is of interest, but I did find our last little adventure quite amusing, perhaps for all the wrong reasons.

We had a Guide Camp at the weekend, organised by two of our Guides doing their Camp Permit, so the Leaders took a back seat in the organisation of it other than a bit of guidance through the relevant clauses that they had to complete.

In preparation for the event, I perused the weather forecast for the weekend so that I could pack relevant kit. This takes a bit more planning than the average camping trip as I don’t just need to take clothes to keep me warm and dry, but that I don’t mind getting smoky as we obviously have to spend an amount of time around a campfire, being Guides and all that. I have an old down coat for this purpose, it’s nice and cosy and I don’t need it for standing in a windswept playground with small children anymore. It would be no use in wet weather, but then, we wouldn’t be sitting around a campfire then, would we? The weather forecast was not too bad for Friday night and Saturday, but from the early hours of Sunday they were predicting heavy rain and gale force winds. Deep joy.

When we arrived at camp the forecast was mentioned and it was suggested that certain areas in the camp field were maybe a little exposed, but we’ll come back to that…

Anyway, we had no campfire Friday night as it rained and the two Guides couldn’t light the fire. That meant that when us Leaders were up earlier than is decent for a weekend (and at least two hours before any of the Guides!) we had to prove that we could do it and between us (and a couple of firelighters…) we managed to persuade some damp leaves and twigs to burn a bit and slowly, gradually, we built it up to a bit of a fire. I was then appointed Fire Master, utterly hilarious as I was always the kiss of death to the stove we had in the last house. I took my position very seriously and despite only having damp wood available, I managed to keep it going and ended up with a beautiful blaze, woo hoo!!

I am the Fire Master! (or Mistress?!)

We had quite a bit of fun during the day on Saturday, completing tasks and challenges with our teams (patrols) all within the theme of Fairy Tales. They had based the challenges on various tales with a twist, including Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs. We laughed a lot. We knew we were going to suffer for our exertions… We had a great time around the roaring camp fire before retiring to our tents.

I didn’t sleep well on Saturday night, although I’m not sure why. I wasn’t worried about my tent, I’d pitched in a nice sheltered spot, and I wasn’t really worried about the Guides’ tents and utilities. They were not pitched well or sensibly (I’m not warranted, I don’t know anything) but they were in no danger, what was the worst that could happen? There was rain in the night and I heard the pots and pans go at some point, but no screaming. I stayed snug in my bag.

The Leaders were again up nice and early and I soon realised there was more talking and less laughing than normal, so I got out of my nice cosy bag and started to pull my waterproofs on over my baselayer and Ronhills. Sure enough, a rather stressed sounding Leader called from outside my tent to say they had “an emergency situation” and could I come and help…

So when I got there, the gear from inside the utility tent had been moved to a sheltered spot and the girls told to dress, grab their kit and move into the Leaders’ tent. We took the utility down (with no problems) and I was told “it’s wrecked”. I think the webbing that helps keep the form at the bottom of the tent may have come adrift from the pegging points. Disaster, obviously. The Guides tent looked a little misshapen, but I think on close inspection, there may have been one or two bent pole sections, but nothing disastrous. I don’t think that at anytime the girls were in any danger, we had shelter by way of other tents and the toilet block, the worst that could have happened would have been gear wet and blown around, but no one as in danger of injury.

Windswept and interesting…

There was no one sleeping in that pod, luckily

Er, that’s not right

And nor is that

Mountains out of molehills were made, but then I know nothing. I’ve hardly done any camping with Guides and they have years of experience. I haven’t survived high winds and torrential rain in a tiny tent in the middle of nowhere….

The ‘expert’ arrived. One of the husbands, a Mountain Leader and D of E Supervisor/Assessor. I do agree with him that repairs won’t be too difficult, maybe replacing a couple of pole sections, but I’m not sure that replacing all the poles with fibreglass ones would be the way to go. Speaking from experience, they do break and when they do, they shatter and fibreglass splinters are not fun! The worst these girls could have had was a clonk on the noggin with a hollow aluminium tube. I also happen to think threading a new aluminium section is far easier than the fibreglass ones. They are a nightmare. Anyway, what do I know? I’m not a Warranted Leader or a Mountain Leader with years of experience.

Maybe it was just the lack of sleep made me grumpy.

I kept quiet and came home after camp tired, damp, cold, bruised and aching. Such fun! I suspect we’ll do it all again sometime…

I should have known better…

I had a surprise telephone call from the Lovely Laura on Monday and the suggestion was made that we got together for another attempt on Carn Mor, just east of Tomintoul.

I should have known when the travel news mentioned a closed road on the journey to drop David off at work so I could pinch the car.

I should have known when the little car pulled out in front of me at Aberlour, making me brake a little more sharply than is comfortable.

I should have known when there were unexpected road works.

I should have known when there were cows in the road.

I should have known when we got caught behind some slow farm traffic, which I ended up overtaking twice.

I should have known when I parked at the car park at East Auchavaich and couldn’t see our intended hill for cloud and rain. And Laura wasn’t already parked there….

I really should have known when I checked my mobile (no signal) and found a text from Laura to meet in Tomintoul instead.

I should have known that the walk was just never going to happen!

Not only do Laura and I walk together well, we also share a lot of other things. Including our feelings about walking in the rain. It’s fine if you set off and it then rains during the walk, you deal with it, but it is utterly pointless setting off when it’s already raining and there is no hope of a view from the top. So we didn’t! We popped into the Old Fire Station Tearooms in Tomintoul for a nice cup of tea. And a chat. And a look at maps.

After a while, the rain was still falling and the clouds were still low, so we had a second cup of tea.

After a while longer, it was time for lunch, so we left the tea rooms and took ourselves off to a pleasant lay by where we sat in Laura’s van and had our packed lunches and more chat.

At least I was home early.

Mind you, I really could do with some more walking…

Happy Birthday!

This little blog is now five years old! I can’t believe it’s five years since I first heard about The Great Outdoors Challenge, via The Adventure Show, and decided it was ‘the thing for me’. I have loved the planning, the research, the walk, the people I’ve met and everything about it! And this blog has been mainly about the adventures I’ve had along the way. One day, I hope to be able to share the Big Adventure with TTS as that was the idea at the very beginning, but that’s not yet feasible. I’ll just keep plodding on with the best friends I’ve ever had until my Bestest Ever Walking Buddy can join in all the fun (but I still get to do all the planning…)

Yep, should be fun!!

Chocolate Cake

The day had an inauspicious start. As I walked into the lounge with my breakfast, one slice of toast slid gracefully off my plate and landed on the carpet, marmalade side down.

When we arrived in town where I was to drop David to collect a pool car, the offices were not open.

When we finally got on our separate ways (although initially in the same direction) we got behind every bit of slow traffic we could find and this was to be a theme during each of my journeys today.

As I brought up the rear behind two cars and a van going over The Lecht I became aware of that nasty burning clutch or brake smell. (Apparently there is a difference, one smells of rotten eggs. They both smell of burning to me!) I was praying very hard that the smell was not emanating from my car. I had to wait a while after the two cars passed the van before I could but I was pleased to find I left the smell behind me. Phew.

I collected Laura and we set off to leave the car at the beginning of our chosen walk, after having first persuaded each other that 10 miles was perhaps a little ambitious given the time constraints, so we headed for Thistledae. It was a clear day with a little high haze, but very warm and slight breeze. Things were looking up.

Near the start

We had a job to do on this walk. Laura had received a request for a photograph with a certain theme, so we duly complied with this request.

Happy Tree Hugger

We found a baby one too

By this time we were on a path that Laura was not entirely happy with. It wasn’t following the map, but the wayposts were most definitely sending us this way. We continued up hill through the trees, expecting something interesting to happen with regards the direction of the path.

Admiring the purple heather, there was a lot of it

There were views

And views

And more views

After a while, another waypost hove into view, this time directing us off the lovely track we were on through long grass and thistles to another post. Off we went, there was no path that we found, but plenty of tussocks and holes and I “Ooopsed” and giggled and squealed my way across the meadow. At the next post, we located the next against the boundary wall. At this point either the grass got longer or we were sinking deeper into the decidedly damp, tussocky, holey ground. I hoped we weren’t going to get out of our depth.

Looking awfully relaxed

Shorter grass, but the ground was still damp

We eventually made it to the remains of some buildings, something to do with corn and men designating a male only building in which to chat and drink whisky. I expect us wimmin had fun at that time too….

We followed the waymarkers and joined the track Laura had expected us to be on in the first place, it was obvious we’d been on a detour to visit the ruins that had not been adopted by most folk who probably did the short out and back from the track we were now on. I know, in my heart of hearts, that if Laura and I had ignored the waymarkers and stuck to the track as marked on the map, we would not have done that out and back (I’m too lazy) and would have missed that little bit of history. And all that fun…

A bit later, after we escaped the long damp, grass, at some different ruins

“The field of two goats” was obviously wholly inappropriate today

There were still views

We had our lunch seated at a handy picnic table near this beautiful building

As we lunched, there was some entertainment provided by the local birdlife, a very noisy buzzard and what looked and behaved suspiciously like a peregrine falcon, but I need to do some more research on that.

And the views continued on the way back

Once back at the car, we discovered we had time to find a local tea shop and partake of a little traditional afternoon refreshment. (I think that sounds all wrong) Anyway, in Ballater, we browsed the outdoor shop before retiring to the Bothy for tea and cake. Or scone. I had cake, chocolate cake as it happens. This finished the day off rather beautifully.

Roughly 5.68 miles with a total of 963 ft ascent in a bit of time.

Loved it, what a wonderful day, thanks Laura, Ls Belles’ Tea Shop Tours of Scotland!