I am a republican, but it’s important not to exaggerate how bad things are in the UK, or how much a republic alone would improve things. That’s just Brexit/Scot Nat thinking

I’m a “Scot Nat” and also a republican. I’m also well aware that there are many nationalists who would like to keep the monarchy. I speak to them on the doors regularly and respect their wishes. Nowt like a sweeping “Scot Nat” statement.

Done.

Poppy the Cairn Terrier enjoying the hills yesterday.

I’ve had most of the brands mentioned on this thread. Lee 101z are my all time favourite. 13 3/4 oz left hand twill denim made by Kaihara. They take a while to break in but fade beautifully.

Getting them dirty adds to the character. Instead of washing them, stick them in the freezer.

I’ve found Salewa Mountain Trainer Lite to be exceptionally comfy even straight out the box.

I find Salewa fit my feet really well as I wear their B2 boots in winter too.

For that kind of money, I’d be looking at the Lanshan Pro 2 or the Cloud Up 2.

Both get consistent good reviews.

@shermer75 tinned chick peas part cooked and dried prunes/apricots.

Any recipes to share?

No recipe as such, but usually based on 1/3 to 1/2 a cup of cous cous, a dried stock cube, a couple of tea spoons of ras el hanout spice mix, seasoning and a dash of tomato powder. Supplemented with whatever i have to hand…chickpeas, apricots, prunes, mushrooms, almonds, dried chilli flakes etc.

Agree with mattoutandabout regarding Speedster stoves. I haven’t used gas since I got one.

For pillows, I use a reversible Thermarest stuff sack (used for storing sleeping pad) which has a nice fleecy lining and stuff it with my down jacket at bed time.

Gram Counter Gear do a very light sleeping pad for summer use which is around £60 and quite comfy.

I have a few tents, but bought a very cheap Rab Element 2 single skinned thing. I’ve used it a few times in good weather and found it to be really good. 600 odd grammes, but requires walking poles.

Not weight saving, but cash saving. I’ve started making my own meals mainly using cous cous and freeze dried fruit/veg/spices stored in eBay Mylar pouches. Saves a fortune over shop bought camping meals and taste better (IMO).

If he’s broad, the Thermarest Questar range have a good shape. They are cut a bit wider than the norm. I have the long 20F/-6 version and am very happy with it at 6’2″.

They could argue the employer hadn’t given enough thought to alternative control measures that would be effective in the risk assessment before mandating the use of PPE as PPE is the last step in the hierarchy of control.

You could argue the same about stab vests and steel toecap boots to be fair.

Same as TINAS. I generally have a beard but have had to shave it to work on sites where I may have to wear a mask/get a face fit test.

Interested to hear about the service intervals on Seikos/SPORK etc.

Seiko recommend 2-3 years. Personally, I would just replace the movement once it stopped working.

“Periodic inspection and adjustment by disassembly and cleaning (overhaul) is recommended approximately once every 2 to 3 years in order to maintain optimal performance of the watch for a longtime.” -Seiko

@ross980 nice one bud.

@ross980 maybe give Paul at Tempus Watch Mods a shout. He’s very reasonable and would clean the face as part of the movement swap. Ball park price for a sapphire crystal is £30-£40 and about £55 for a NH35 movement.

@Ktyton57 if you want a true dive watch and aren’t concerned about retail/resale value, Squale made the case for the original Blancpain FF, Certina were chosen over Rolex for the Tektite missions on the basis of legibility. All available for less £. It’s a watch which tells the time. You are over thinking it.

IMO, I wouldn’t pay RRP for either watch. I wonder whether the Brands are making shortcuts to convince the upper working class they have a cool watch, whereas the coolness is probably in a well made £1k with some history behind it, or a properly expensive and exclusive watch like a fifty fathoms.

It’s a bit like in prior years buying that Hyundai that looked like a Ferrari from certain angles or a diesel Alfa 159; a moment of oh look! Followed by oh right 🙁

The upper working class 🤣
Everyone is being ripped off with premium brand watches. An ETA 2824 or equivalent movement costs pennies. A sapphire crystal costs pennies. A 316L case costs pennies. It’s all a law of diminishing returns.

I can’t help thinking there’s be buyers remorse, and you’d spend all time hoping someone comments on the watch having seen the logo but isn’t expert enough to know you haven’t reallllly bought anything remarkable

I have no idea why you’d care what someone else thought about your watch. It’s for you to tell the time with. “isn’t expert enough”? WTF?

The heritage is a much nicer looking watch in my book.

The 2824 and SW200 are solid movements that any watchmaker can service, so there are positives. I have both and a Powermatic which are running to COSC. Would I spend £4k on a watch with that movement? 🤔

Happy with this one 😁

I’ve liked the Certina Heritage DS re-issue since it was unveiled at Baselworld a few years ago. I’ve just took a punt on this one for a very fair price.

It will be my first watch with the Powermatic 80 movement, so interested to see how it performs.

Would have expected better from Drac to be fair.

Probs too late, but i find Molicell followed by Sony as the best 18650’s.

Well my Sub has just gone off to the nice man at Calibre for its regular 15 year service… The last one was at the official service centre in Mayfair. £600 of your British poonds but it needed a couple of minor bits. This one, Roly wanted £900, Calibre £450 so we’ll see in a couple of weeks…

I don’t foresee any problems. I’ve used Calibre a few times and they are good with communication, so no nasty surprises.

@Futureboy77 – I’m 69 this year, I’ve had my Rallygraf for around 51 of those years! It’s still keeping good time, but it has had a new mainspring and a service.

That’s a good effort from your Rallygraf, but it (and it’s movement) entirely predates the period when Yema was owned by Seiko and it’s current ownership.

The article below, and the amount of stories reqarding poor quality and customer service was enough to make me walk away. Shame, as they are nice looking watches.

Yema Navygraf Heritage (Review) – In-house caliber or bunch of c**p?

Phil_H
Full Member
I asked for the accident book a few years ago and was told we don’t have one.

Is that legal?

If there is no method of recording accidents e.g. an accident book the the company will find it very difficult to demonstrate compliance with regulation 12 of RIDDOR.
3 day absences resulting from a work related accident must be recorded.
7 day absences resulting from a work related accident must be reported.
Broken bones (other than fingers and toes) must be reported.

It requires confirmation from a Doctor that bones are broken for RIDDOR reportables.

@derek@derek_starship sure are. Mine is heading in for a service in the next week or so. I’ll miss it!

Mad to think I’m 46 this year and I’ve had this watch for half of that. It can tell a few stories.
Erika’s Original straps are a bit spendy but much better than any generic NATO or similar.

Never considered a Yema watch before but since GMT was mentioned, spotted this updated Superman GMT 500 and really like the red and white bezel…
YEMA Superman 500 GMT

I was about to buy a Navygraf Heritage until I read an article by a watchmaker which was quite scathing about the in house movements.

Sorry my man. Send me pics and I may be convinced otherwise 😉

Finding my love for Seiko again, which is no bad thing.

I have the Erika’s Original version of the Marine Nationale strap and it’s brilliant. Really comfy and secure.

I sold all my Seiko divers during lockdown and decided there was a Seiko sized hole to be filled. Bought this new to me SPB053J1. Came on a Strapcode Super O with an unused original rubber strap and an unused seatbelt NATO. Well happy with it. The finishing is great and the colour really pops.

kraftyslices
Full Member

@futureboy77 yes it was pretty benign conditions and a hill that I’ve done many times.

Conditions on the valley floor do not always give a good indication of what’s happening 1000m higher up, and conditions can change dramatically and quickly.

I’m all for people walking in the hills throughout the year. But knowing the risks helps us to make the right decisions at the right time.

Enjoy your trip @shermer75 !

Sorry for the loss of your colleague. Agree with you. Walking past the flowers was quite jarring as I’ve seen the conditions change so much recently. Hope the funeral goes as best as it can.

@thegeneralist I possibly speed read, but I think the risk of fall (as has happened recently) and a nav snafu are both for equal consideration (along with avalanche risk). It’s all just plain vanilla risk assessment. Apologies if I mis-quoted you.

I know you didn’t suggest anyone go out ill equipped, but I do genuinely believe in gaining experience before venturing out solo.

I’m very familiar with the Cairngorms tragedy. It occured in an area I frequent regularly. The Jocks Road tragedy too for different reasons.

I hope the OP has a great trip, and a safe one. I’m just concerned that he doesn’t have the experience of the Cairngorm plateau in winter, nor using crampons and an axe should the conditions not be favourable (unlike today, yet they were near zero vis where I was last week).

Peace.

But, but, but the OP specifically asked about hiking in the Cairngorms, not rock climbing, or indeed ice climbing.

I don’t want to cause offence to @kraftyslices (I assume the sad incident is the one I know about) but that was a death in a relatively benign area caused by a fall. In fact I was there today, but conditions have completely cleared. I was there a few weeks ago and my axe shaft was completely submerged in snow.

Standard advice from all agencies in winter is to carry an ice axe and crampons…and have the knowledge and experience to know how to use them. The OP doesn’t have that.
The weather may be fine for the OP’s trip, but it equally might not. March is usually a busy time for winter training due to expected conditions (although this year has been different). Personally I wouldn’t advise someone to head out solo in winter conditions in the Gorms with no previous winter experience. Maybe I’m risk averse despite being out in it lots myself (having gained experience…time in experienced company, practice and winter skills courses).

To put a bit of context as to how changeable it can be, there wasn’t any snow on Friday and this is how it was last Saturday (taken from lower slopes of Derry Cairngorm). No summit photo as it was thick cloud with very little vis.
I wouldn’t be heading anywhere without an axe and crampons. Even without snow, there is a lot of ice. My local hills are forecast -15C today with wind chill.

Assuming you don’t already have one, an insulated mat with a decent R rating is a must if you are planning cold season camps.

Tent wise, I’ve used a Rab Element 2 single skin tent/tarp with a custom groundsheet for bikepacking and fast/light backpacking. Weighs next to nothing and packs down tiny. It’s been discontinued and can be picked up for about £70. It’s palatial for 1 person and kit.

I’ve got a Suunto 9 Peak Pro, which is possibly a bit more refined especially in the looks department. But in terms of outdoor functionality, the Instinct 2 does everything I need and does it well. I went for the non solar as it’s no hassle to charge it when I’m at work and I get plenty enough battery life from it.

Pain is very dependent on where you get the tattoo. Fleshy parts are a mild scratch, my elbow was quite tender however.

Don’t go overboard with lotions, potions and bepanthen etc. Keeping it clean is the most important thing. Many advocate dry healing.

I’ve never taken music. There is normally good tunes on and we get a good chat.

Eat before you go and stay hydrated.

Monsoon Elite II

1/3 of the waterproofness rating of Gore Pro and a terrible breathability rating combined with a weight of +800g 🤔

The marmite option is Paramo. I wear a Velez Adventure Light Smock throughout the year in Scotland. If it’s going to be sheet rain all day, I pack a shell, but it’s only worn on the worst of weather.

Much comfier/quieter than Goretex.

Yep they want to pay for someone to do it locally. It’s an old stock watch not easily available, but they do have a couple more in stock. Quality wise, well the rest of the watch seems spot on, hands it the markers and bezel aligned and feels smooth etc. I’m undecided what’s for the best.

Given you’d have to ship your watch back then wait for a replacement, I’d be tempted to do just that. It’s a five minute job to open the case back, drop the movement out and give things a blast with air to remove the offending fluff. I would expect a pressure test afterwards though.