^^^^^^

You do realise the “collapse” comment was a joke don’t you?

Personally I’d like to have seen them written the game off as a draw and go for 1000 runs. But from a winning point of view then declaring looks like it was a smart move.

Like many above it had a traumatic effect on my as a 20 year old. Put less subtlety it scared the crap out of me!!

I suspect it will have dated somewhat in the intervening years. However that could work both ways. Could make it even more chilling.

Definitely one of the most important scary iconic memorable frightening upsetting (I could go on) bits of TV I’ve ever seen.

Off to see Half Man Half Biscuit tonight. I’ve seen them loads of times before but every gig is different. And brilliant.

well, I’m trying to stimulate your mind to consider the possibility that your immediate reaction (which will also be the immediate reaction of many others) may not necessarily be seeing the full picture.  Ecconomic development does not need to mean fast food, ski resorts etc.

My (genuine) last words on the matter as I’m away for the weekend, and hopefully ending on a friendly and conciliatory note. I do get what you are saying and in a lot of cases I’d be in agreement. However hopefully you will in turn agree that it’s a good thing for everyone in the country to have views on how the landscape is managed, that having a number of relatively “wild” (quotation marks definitely deliberate) spaces can have benefit for both locals and tourists and that objecting to the placing of one phone mast is not going to lead to s second Highland clearances.

Have a great weekend and enjoy Scotland’s beautiful cities, towns, lochs, glens and mountains.

See, when comments try to exaggerate other folks responses 

I’ve complained millions of times on here about people exaggerating things.

@poly you are deliberatley hugely misrepresenting, and wildly exaggerating, what I am saying, for whatever reason I don’t know. So in the interests of balance two can play at that game……

You seem to be arguing that Liathach should be flattened to improve the phone signal, and that Torridon be filled with McDonalds, theme parks, bingo halls and shopping centres, and that a four lane motorway be built through the middle of the glen to connect the peat fired power station at Kinlochewe (lots of jobs for the locals) with the dry ski slope at Annat (well if a huge track is to be bulldozed up the hill let’s make the most of it).

And don’t get me started on your ideas that we people in Edinburgh should have to throw our toilet waste out the top windows of our disease ridden tenement flats while shouting “Gardy loo” because the wealthy Torridonian tourists (having made millions from their chains of mobile phone shops)  coming down from the Highlands think life in the city should be like it was 300 years ago.

I would type more but I have to go off to help defend the city against the Jacobite army that’s outside the city walls. I hope my rickets won’t stop me doing my bit.

If you are genuinely interested in land management how are you not aware that the west coast of Scotland should be awash with trees in a temperate rainforest.

I am, and yes quite aware of that thank you. And all the other stuff. However to get back to that we would need to clear the Highlands entirely of people and all signs of human habitation, reintroduce various species and let Mother Nature do her thing. Would be an interesting experiment but it’s never going to happen. What I’m suggesting is that small areas of land (a tiny proportion of the country) be managed in a minimalist way to let some sort of recovery happen.

so Kenny to get this clear – you think people who want economic security/prosperity (at even a moderate level) should leave the highlands and move to the cities so that city dwellers can go to the highlands to digitally detox?

Absolutely not. You are, for whatever reason, taking my views on (part of) the Torridon area and extrapolating them to suggest they are my views on the entire Highlands area. I’m quite happy for people to be able to make a living in the vast majority of the Highlands. What I am suggesting is that some parts of it (covering a very small amount of the total area) should be left largely untouched. That would benefit local people, people who live in cities and people who come from abroad to visit Scotland.

At no point have I tried to suggest that the Highlands should be “cleared”. I am talking about the preservation of fairly small parts of land. Look at what the Canadians and Americans do with their wilderness areas and national parks. I’m not even suggesting we go that far.

I get that you think torridon is the last wilderness

Again that is totally not what I said. I admit there is no genuine wilderness left in the UK. But Torridon and the like are the closest we have. I am aware that it’s an estate. I’ve been there often enough. I also know that a certain amount of land management does go on.

There’s a risk that all the Highlands and Islands have a second highland clearances because there’s no employment for young people, no schools for their children, nobody who can afford to live there to provide services to an aging population and a tourist economy that disappears in summer.

Wanting a tiny amount of the land space to be kept undeveloped doesn’t not mean I want the whole Highlands to become some sort of empty wasteland. I think it’s great that people live, and make a living there. Why shouldn’t they, it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. I just think this modern attitude of demanding absolutely everywhere has to have mobile phone coverage, at whatever cost to the landscape, is a sad one. I love my mobile phone but when I’m somewhere like Torridon I’m happy for it to live in my rucksack for a few hours. I’d rather look at the scenery than a screen.

I think those of us living in “civilisation” need to be careful before deciding that other areas should be protected and essentially held back from economic development. 

Why does everywhere need to be developed economically? We have very few “wild” areas left in Scotland, why do we need to “develop” what ones we have left. Places like Torridon, Knoydart and the like are very special, we should be protecting them, not building on them. You would have a point if the vast bulk of the country was undeveloped. But why destroy the tiny amount of pristine land we still have left. Are people so attached to their phones that the thought of a few square miles where they can’t check Facebook horrifies them?

The locals opinions do matter but whether for or against shouldn’t necessarily be definitive.   I would however put relatively little weight on voices arguing this is an idea rural isolation for mountain bikers 

I totally agree. But my objections aren’t because I’m a mountain biker (I’m at the age where Torridon routes are just about beyond me anyway). They are based on giving people (whatever their reason) places where they can escape from modern life for a few hours or a few days and appreciate the sheer beauty of places like Torridon. There’s plenty of time to do their social media when they get home.

It’s not just a bit “not truly wild” it’s a ecological disaster area.

I’m genuinely interested in why you say that? What is it about Torridon that’s a disaster?

I’ve put my objection in. I’m not local but I do live in Scotland and feel strongly about how the landscape is managed. You will always get people trying to be “clever” saying that the land isn’t wild in any way. And technically this is true. If you want to be picky then nowhere in the UK is properly “wild”.

However Torridon is one of our few remaining fairly pristine environments. Bulldozing an unnecessary track that will be visible from all around is an act of environmental vandalism.

Not sure where you live but I had it done for free in Scotland a few months ago.  Painless and quick.

Ah yes, it’s the 4th Edition (Revised) that I have, from 2004.

 or is it a work of fiction?

You’re thinking of Kenny Wilson’s book Mountainbike Scotland  (-:

Sorry Kenny, if you’re still on here. I actually love the book. My pal Rick says it should be called Walks With My Mountain Bike.  (-:

Has much changed from the 4th edition? That’s the most recent one I have but is 20 years old now.

I was going to mention the Ralph Storer book too but I see several folk have beaten me to it. Of all my many hillwalking books his is probably my favourite. Well equal favourite with Muriel Gray’s book The First Fifty. And also Eric Langmuir’s Mountaincraft and Leadership.

I’ve been wearing Craghopper walking trousers for years. I’ve found them to be excellent. They are slightly heavy so not great on hot days but for British hillwalking that’s rarely a problem. Very hard wearing too, and not expensive.

Any thoughts as to which archery club in the Edinburgh area would be best for an almost total beginner? I’ve googled them but other people’s experiences always useful to hear.

Field archery is what appeals most but I suspect a good grounding in the basics is where to start. Cheers.

The climb from the south up to the Repsol fuel cafe mentioned above is beautiful. Probably my favourite climb on the island.

The bike transfer service works out cheap if there are a few of you. Pollenca and its port are both ideal locations. Plenty bike hire though book ahead at busy times. Can’t recall the name of the place that does Pinarello but it’ll come up when you google. As regards routes there are zillions online. But basically head up into the mountains. It’s a fantastic place for road cycling.

The vast bulk of Pentlands routes are fine for gravel bikes. There are a few short bits where a mountain bike is better but only if you go seeking them out. Some bits could be done on road bikes if you aren’t precious about rims or scratches. But basically gravel bikes are the optimum choice.

Henry’s Cat and Roobarb and Custard.

Geldie and Feshie is a nice ride if going from south to north. Have done it a few times as part of a bigger loop coming back via Tomintoul and Invercauld.

I don’t see a bias, but you go ahead and accuse people of anti-Semitism, and welcome to my virtual “ignore” button.

I very much doubt the people posting on here are in any way anti-semitic, mostly just people outraged at the loss of innocent lives in Israel, Gaza and possibly (but hopefully not) Lebanon. I do however find it interesting, and a bit depressing, that the civil war raging in Sudan gets so little mention. I don’t see any threads on here about it (apologies if I’m wrong), it gets little media coverage and there certainly aren’t loads of folk taking to streets in protest. Huge numbers of people are being killed, millions displaced and starvation is rife. But the rest of the world, including those outraged by what Israel is doing, seems to turn a blind eye?

I should add that I’m as guilty as many as regards this issue. However I have been at least a bit aware of what is going on. I suspect part of the problem is it’s not a s clear cut as Gaza, but there may well be other reasons.

More weird to buy them than to sell.

I started a list called 50 Things To Do In My Fifties. A decade on there are now around 200 things on it. To be honest though the majority are pretty small and achievable. It’s not a bucket list as such; I just add things to it in case I forget about them.

I have managed loads (mostly small) but including some biggish things, like doing an Ironman.

The main huge one I have left is the one I’ve had all my life. To go into space. Very unlikely to happen but in twenty or so years who knows. If nothing else it gives me a big incentive to stay physically and mentally fit and focused.

On the back of that story, has anyone here read the Iliad and/or Odyssey? And if so did you find them enjoyable? Or hard going? Any version that you’d recommend? I’ve heard the Emily Wilson translations are excellent but haven’t tried them yet.

They are up there with War and Peace on my list of things I probably should try and read. But haven’t.

Beans on Toast in Edinburgh on Thursday night in front of 60 people.

AC/DC in Dublin on Saturday night in front of 60,000 people.

Both brilliant gigs.

Did you know they’re not making shortbread any longer?

The final of the men’s archery was a few hours ago. No spoilers but well worth checking out the coverage on Eurosport. Very exciting. And ridiculously skilful.

About a decade ago I decided that instead of aiming for retirement I was aiming to have a quality of life now.

I’m not sure that early retirement is quite as fulfilling as many people think it is. There are only so many rounds of golf and cruises that you can go on.

Totally the opposite of my experience, and that of all the other retired people I know. We quit work in our early fifties (taking a fair old financial hit admittedly) however have never been busier and never been happier. There are a zillion things to do when you retire, all you need is some imagination. And we haven’t played a single round of golf or ever been on a cruise. Retirement has been totally fulfilling. Doesn’t require a lot of money either, once your mortgage is paid off.

We spent some time in Nelson, BC last summer.  Can’t comment on the mountain biking (though there are local trails) but we totally fell in love with the town.

If we had gone there on holiday about thirty years ago we may have ended up moving there.

@myti ta, I’ll go check them out.

Possibly a silly question, and most certainly an STW one, but can you use sourdough starters in breadmakers?

Topical one. The original “30 years of hurt” should really have been 26 years as England were world champions for four years after winning the World Cup.

I should add that I read this recently. It’s not something I thought of myself.

Reduce the population of the world by a big enough number and climate change becomes far less of a problem. The planet needs far fewer people, not more.

Are you unionists looking forward to the labour/ tory unionist coalition in Holyrood?.

I’d like to see a Holyrood with no party holding an overall majority, which is how it was designed to be in theory. Ideally with Labour holding most seats, but with the SNP, Liberals and Tories holding a good few seats too. Also the Greens if they ditch the odious Patrick Harvie and get back to core green issues rather than the nonsense he’s got them obsessed with.

Then we’d have a Holyrood that Starmer is keen to work with, and where Scotland sees the benefits of the country as a whole getting rid of that Tory government. Ideally a Holyrood where centrist policies dominate and where running the Scotland well is a bigger concern that anything else. Fingers crossed.

The postal votes fiasco is likely to have affected all parties equally. The other people who didn’t vote (apart from those who were ill etc) don’t deserve to have their opinions taken into account. No matter what their views.

The SNP put independence on page one of their manifesto in big bold type. They’ve also been going on for a few years now about this being a de facto referendum. The simple and straightforward fact is that the majority of Scottish voters (leaving the Lib Dems out of it) voted for parties opposed to a second referendum. As they have done in every (I think) election in the past decade. Yet the SNP keep saying that Westminster are ignoring the Scottish people. When they plainly aren’t.

That said there’s part of me would sort of love Starmer to call their bluff and give them a referendum this autumn. But that wouldn’t be democratic.

I’m no great fan of the SNP but I do find myself in complete agreement with what they’ve been saying about how Westminster needs to listen to what the Scottish people are saying. And last night the Scottish people made their feelings quite clear.

Any recommendations for a decent knee brace? I’m getting a lot of pain on steep descents and with something coming up in a few weeks time I’d like to play safe with some protection.  Ta.

The closing of Tchaikovsky’s sixth symphony is beautifully sad. Whether he was foretelling his own death I guess we will never know (he probably wasn’t) but it’s so unlike the dramatic ends to most of his other works.

And on a rather different note, the closing few lines of I Went to a Wedding… by Half Man Half Biscuit are just such a brilliant contrast to the rest of the song. You can’t put your foot up in Europe etc.

I’ve lived here 35 years and love it. Quality of life is fantastic. Yes there are lots of tourists in the centre in the summer but we still go in and have fun. Always quieter bits to go to if you want. I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue last week on Radio 4 described Edinburgh as the “England of Scotland”. Probably quite accurate.