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Looking towards Snowdon from above Beddgelert between the heavy showers
Grand.
Anyone got any weekend walking plans?
We're in the Cairngorms for a week from sunday, but I'm actually considering not taking the hill stuff, and just chilling on some lower level stuff, playing with paddle boards etc....
<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">Ben Lui and Beinn a'Chlèibh on a roasting day today.</span>
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Took the kids up Ben Cleuch (721m) today. It was my first time up the hills for many years. The up was fine but my god the down was burning the thighs. Reminded me how much I love it in the hills though.
Even in this weather Matt, stilla boggy bastard that!.
Ochils are steep andy4d!
Had a cracking wee midweek high level camp up between Shelter stone crag and Carn Eatchachan. Was fantastic, didn't start til after 6pm, to avoid the days heat, perfect time to be in the hills tbh, only met one other person on Macdui path, unheard of.
Was top hot the rest of the week to drag the bairn up mountains tbh.
Nowt this weekend, wife working.
Cracking pics, looks like a lovely night out.
@andy4d - Ochils are surprisingly steep and often 'punch above thier height'. Lovely hills.
Matt, you need to just open pic on phone, share symbol, copy link, and paste that directly.
Used to be bbcode, not now mate.
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Beinn a Bheither with the wean on Monday, great pair of hills.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/hJCHxqfebD8Umquy6
Another idiot attempt at posting a pic.
Dunno how to post google pics, wish I did, could cut out flickr altogether!
Ochils are surprisingly steep and often ‘punch above thier height’. Lovely hills
I've done the Ochils 2000 race a few times and it's a great route.
@chickenman - great photo. It's a really good day out on that horseshoe. I've done it a couple of times and the descent is quite tricky in bad weather
Had a boomer day out last Sunday from Braemar, biked in towards Corrour then did Bienn Brohtain, Monadh Mor, Braeriach, Angels Peak, Cairn Toul, Devils Pt then back to bikes. It was quite hot and thankfully there were a number of streams to lie down in between running sections ! Beautiful day, gotta strike while the weather is good !
Ooft, thats a cracking day, that's the Munro's we had to miss doing our 18 last month, due to the weather, need to get back up and get them done. How long do you reckon you were all in Col?.
From getting on bike to getting off the bike it was 8h 30m inc a 30 min lunch stop (52km/1890m), that's from LoD, another 35 mins each way if you bike in from Braemar. You can ride quite a long way up the track on the opp bank to the main Corrour track, there's an obvs path heading up the water course to Bienn Brohtain. The Cleggs were mighty though so Smidge up even under your bike shorts !
Some awesome looking stuff above. Eventful July in the hills for me, continuing my ticking of the Wainwrights.
Bagged 2 at the start of July.....Hartson Dodd.....memorable as it was the first one that I ever ticked (on my first hiking trip to the Lakes with my gf, didn't know what Wainwrights were then!) The reason for the return trip was so that I could propose! Rather foolishly she said yes....genuinely 5 minutes later we were sat in our storm shelter with our glasses of champagne, got hit by the worst storm I've ever had in the mountains!!!
They day after we had a lovely evening Stroll ticking Hartsop Above How.
This weekend just gone I did a solo 7 Wainwright tick around Buttermere, wildcamping just below High Crag. 21 miles in 26 degree heat, gruelling but absolutely awesome. Let me see if I can sort some pics. Now sat laid up with Covid planning my next adventures.
I definitely think that I need a better multi day rucksack. I can't quite fit all of my gear into my Talon 33, so am using a 60l Vango that I used for general 'backpacking' in Asia. I'm keen on an Osprey Stratos 50....any suggestions?
I have a few Lowe Alpines (Crag Attack 45, Appalachian (?) 55 and an unknown retro bag). All have been faultless and comfy - the two bigger ones are older and heavier.
Youngest son has a Vaude Assymetric 55+8 - it is slightly smaller than the numbers suggest . But, uber comfy, really nicely made, seems to be the 'slightly smaller than my hoofing old 60lt+ bags.
Eldest has a Deuter Air contact 55+10 - again a really comfy thing, a but more 'industrial' in design than the Vaude, more like the older Lowe Alpine's.
Nothing beats my PURPLE Karrimor Alpinist 65 of 1993 vintage though. Sadly lost a couple of years ago 🙁
What size do you reckon? Lowe do a handy 45/55, my Osprey Exos 48/58 is a good size and pretty light at under the kilo in 48 guise. I can get 5 days kit and food in that, not really tried it at 58 yet.
Congrats on proposal mate, 20 year anniversary here this Wednesday, bloody flown in!.
I reckon about 50 litres. I like the look of Exos 48, was hoping that the Stratos 50 would just be a less spendy option really. Realistically I get chance for 2/3 multi day trips per year, so it's not something that will get huge amounts of use.
Congratulations on 20 years....I managed 3.5 first time around!
I might still have some 40% off osprey codes, I'll let you know tomorrow, on my work laptop. If not, join mountaineering Scotland, get 40% off 👍🏻
I reckon about 50 litres
I would think similar.
25 years ago I did 3 - 5 days with 60lt, lid 'extended' for extra food early in the week.
Now, with lighter and more compact tent/stove/sleeping bag/waterproofs, I think I could fit in 50lts, with occasional lid extended in cold or extra food.
One I want to try out is a front bag and bigger hip pockets, so 40lt + front .
A few weeks back went with the OH up Bla Bheinn, it stopped raining half way up and turned into a gorgeous evening, On the spur of the moment going back down I decided to traverse Clach Glas. I've done it 40 years ago in the other direction but going down Bla Bheinn to the putting is a challenging route find. The traverse itself surprised me in its sustained difficulty with some very long steep scrambley descents off the summit. Stunning experience.
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Matt, you ever watch RS outdoors on YouTube? He wears a similar looking bag set up, mibbe a bit lower, I'd imagine it can balance weight about quite well, and have good access.
My multi day gear is only suitable for 2/3 season really, so is all fairly small. I've done and overnight with my Talon 33 once, but it was a really squeeze, and I found that it was quite uncomfortable when that overloaded.
@nobeerinthefridge that'd be awesome!
Whilst I've got you.....any recommendations for walking routes in Scotland (very broad question I know!)
GF turns 30 in September and we're doing a 9 day Scotland road trip in the motorhome. There's a chance we'll have our Gumotex Inflatable kayak by then too, so potential to combine a VERY easy paddle and hike. Or just an epic day route? Not got a set itinerary yet....she's mentioned that she'd like to go to Aviemore area at some point though.
Tbh Tom, Matt is a lot more experienced than me!.
If you're going to Aviemore, take advantage of the 600m start and get onto Cairngorm plateau. Lovely wee circuit up onto 1141, stob Coire an-t-sneachda, cairn lochan, Macdui, Carn Etchachan, then over cairngorm and back to ski centre.
Magic.
Then go play on loch an Eilein with the kayak.
Matt is it you that's a fairly experienced peddler actually?
Any recommendations for a couple of new paddlers heading north? I seem to recall you posting some epic pictures involving Seals (not the singer) That'd be just the ticket if it's accessible by new paddlers?
Where are you staying?
How much paddling have you done? Any rivers?
We'll just be checking the weather forecast and driving to Scotland on September 19th.....no firm plans, so are looking for suggestions for hiking/kayaking to influence our itinerary....we'll mix campsites/forestry commission stays with maybe 1 or 2 nights somewhere posh to treat the better half.
We have hired a kayak and paddled it around Coniston a few times. Certainly no rivers! I kayaked a bit in Scouts....we're what I would describe as 'enthusiastic, yet incredibly cautious' with regards to water! The delay in Gumotex shipping is hampering the paddling practice that I'd planned on getting before the trip unfortunately.
Even in september, I'd book your campsites mate.
Ah right 😭
+1 on booking this year.
This list is not extensive or complete, @beamers may know a few more places properly North East too.
On the way up: Loch Ard is a lovely explore, pretty sheltered, paths all round if needed.
Killin, Loch Tay - launch next to hotel (small fee to outdoor shop) and potter down the (flat) river to the islands and sandy beaches. Visit the castle with the hanging mound and tree...
Aviemore with a packable boat - Loch an Eilein should be lovely. I've not paddled there, only swum. Loch Morlich would be busier, but is a nice place. No islands though. @scotroutes must have paddled there.
Loch Maree - a bigger undertaking, but stick to the shore along from launching at the hotel and you can 'hop' between islands, rather than doing a big crossing. By then the birds should have finished nesting and you could land.
Loch Oich - there is a lovely day trip from Laggan Lock on Ceann Loch, down the canal, down Loch Oich (stick to the shoreline for shelter/short swim if it goes wrong), down the Canal again to Fort Augustus. Cycle back the way you came - we locked our boat up to a fence at the top basin.
For sheltered sea paddle - I was taken by Sheildaig bay last week. Just don't get to close to the sea eagle nest...
After that there is a multitude of smaller places, a few sea paddling places (need more tide awareness, but Loch Sween in Argyll is lovely) etc.
Also, if you wanna eat out, book that in advance too, we managed one meal out in a week in Cairngorms last week, everywhere is booked out.
Wow some awesome stuff here! Much appreciated!
Slightly perturbed at the thought of booking anything ahead, let alone to eat out.....maybe we'll just came the pizza oven that week then!
Just got back from checking out some rucksacks at Outside in Hathersage. I really liked the Exos 48, they'd only got the Large in stock, which seemed to fit fine (hard to say 100% when it's basically unweighted) The Osprey sizing app says Medium though....they didn't have that size in stock to compare unfortunately. My head is saying large as it definitely felt a good fit.
I then nipped over to Alpkit and picked up a 650 ti mug thing. My aeropress fits inside it, and inside the netting from my old cheapo pot set the mug, aeropress and mar pocket rocket clone all fit nice and tidy. I've decided that cook in the bag dehydrated meals are the way to go for me. Easiest way of getting enough veggie friendly calories, the Go Outdoor ones aren't too expensive and I quite like the taste tbf! Can carry 4 days worth very easily. The single use plastic element does grind my eco friendly conscience though.
Still trying to recover from Covid so I might have to plan some single hill/very easy walks to get some more summer camping in I think. It's absolutely wiped next out so far!
I could eat the summit to eat Mac cheese every day, give it a bash Tom, it's awesome!. Blacks have them for 7.50 for 2 ATM.
Heading down to walk the bob graham in 2 weeks, over 3 days. Looking forward to it, and keen to recce it for a wee attaimpt at some point in the future. Welcome to join us for a hill or 2 Tom.
When's that? Ordinarily I'd jump at the chance, but really struggling with anything more strenuous than walking a 100m at the minute......worked 6 days most weeks since October looking forward to some me time over summer, and boom taken out by Covid 1 week into my summer off 😔
Edit, just seen that you said I 2 weeks....what dates?
Starting on Skiddaw around 9am on Fri 20th mate.
That might just work you know! Got a fairly mental weekend at home that weekend (we're hosting a hen do, dont ask!!) so I'm fairly keen to make myself scarce! Skiddaw should be nice and quiet that day too 😂
Cool, see how you feel nearer the time, and gimme a shout mate.
Not proper hill walking but a photo from near home walking up a small hill
🙌
Getting out is ace...
@ Tom-B if you want an exos 48/58, I'm gonna sell mine, used it for 4 days in Cairngorms, 3 days in Lakes, still in great nick, otherwise it's going on the bay.
Started off on friday morning laer than usual, as my wifes a nurse and had to do a short notice nightshift on thursday night, meaning we didn't set off up skiddaw til gone 11am. Skiddaw, Great Calva and then over Blencathra in the smog, Halls fell ridge is interesting with zero visibility!. We knew after the late start and shit weather we'd be cutting it short tbh, so just camped in the site east of Threlkeld (bloody noisy btw!).
Then off over clough head etc and up onto Raise, seen the blackness approaching and made the decision to shoot back down sticks pass to the west. Lovely coffee and cake in st johns in the vale, then round by legburthwaite and a lovely wee camp up on walla crag, for half an hour, then it pissed all night, and no views in the morning. 🙂
Still had a cracking couple of days, 35 miles, 11,500' - good times. My mate is a YT vlogger, I'll post up his vid when he fires it up.
Great photo! It sounds like you had a good trip despite the weather.
Halls Fell ridge is a great way up Blencathra. It often gets forgotten about as a lot of people want to go up Sharp Edge (which is a horrible greasy weasel of a ridge).