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Scotland Week in the Highlands - Feb 2018 (Pictures and write ups)

Good Morning Troops ! :)

Time for Part Three: AVIEMORE OR BUST !

We had only driven for about 10 minutes when the snow began to fall rather heavily & it just kept coming :cool:. A little further ahead it became apparent that the traffic had come to a standstill as there had been an accident. This unfortunate incident meant that our little convoy was in for a long wait until the emergency services got their act together. In the end we were there for around 6 hrs 45 mins (ish) :rolleyes: during which time Matt & I had a rather enthralling game of I Spy where we both kept saying " I spy with my little eye something beginning with S " & yes the answer was always " SNOW DAVE " :D ! We also resorted to people watching & were amazed at the amount of folk who were not dressed for the conditions that they might encounter in Scotland in February (You know , WINTER TIME ! :whistle:) Quite a few of them had no decent coat, no hat, no gloves & some of them were wearing canvas pumps ! There was one character who must have got dressed in the dark as he had left his trousers behind & was sporting a thick woolen skirt instead ! :D Due to his stature & his flame red hair I decided it was a wise move not to comment on his cross-dressing antics though ;) !

After witnessing several mishaps like the snow plough getting stuck & the tractor being called in to pull him out we were then made to wait whilst 30 plus articulated lorries were sent through from the opposite side of the road :mad:. I had been given the impression through watching a Scottish comedy show called Burnistoun that the police north of the border were " QUALITY POLIS " but due to the lack of updates I no longer think that is the case ! :D Finally we got the green light to go & we entered the Glencoe mountain Range & WOW just WOW ! :thumbsup: Just like my write-ups & the ARISTON washing machine it goes on & on & on ! :)

We entered Fort William & headed straight for Morrisons in order to get a half decent meal & to top up on supplies. By this stage Aviemore was no longer on the agenda & we set sail for Loch Arkaig !

Tune in later today for Part Four of our Highland Jolly: NO NEED TO RUN A BATH DEAR IF YOU PITCH YOUR DUTCH ARMY TENT IN THE RAIN ! :whistle:
 
:rofl::rofl::rofl:.......very good Kneef great read:thumbsup:

It was certainly an interesting and eventful trip you guys had.
Suprised to hear people were not prepared for the weather though.
If the emergency services had more problems it could have become more serious.
All was well though:thumbsup:

Look forward to the next chapter :thumbsup:

Will you take a bigger tent next year??


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1 shot willie said:
:rofl::rofl::rofl:.......very good Kneef great read:thumbsup:

It was certainly an interesting and eventful trip you guys had.
Suprised to hear people were not prepared for the weather though.
If the emergency services had more problems it could have become more serious.
All was well though:thumbsup:

Look forward to the next chapter :thumbsup:

Will you take a bigger tent next year??


View attachment 12630
Click to expand...

Not bothering with a bigger tent next year mate.

I am so hardcore that I sleep standing up ! ;)
 
Part Four: NO NEED TO RUN A BATH DEAR IF YOU PITCH YOUR DUTCH ARMY TENT IN THE RAIN ! :whistle:

Now then before I get stuck in to this part of the trip I would like to speak a little about the Dutch Army Canvas Tent. I was fully aware whilst planning to use it on this trip that a lot of people had given up on these due to water ingress issues (See You-tube for further info). Matt, Gav & myself have used the tent before at the Summer Meet incorporating a 4 x 4 metre tarp over the top to deal with the rain & to afford us a decent porch area. This set-up works really well ! :thumbsup: Arriving at Loch Arkaig we were tired & it was getting dark so we decided to leave the tarps in the bergen. If nothing else it would give the tents a good test should the heavens open up (Which they did) :(. I only slept in it for one night as I awoke with wet hair & had water dripping down my neck. Further examinations showed that my sleeping bag & carp-bed were also wet. Unfortunately it rained non-stop on day two & obviously things got much worse hence the title of Part Four :thumbsup:. I did not proof the tent before the trip & some would say that I got what I deserved but I had read that the weave on canvas tents constricts when it has been rained on a few times so I took a chance. Needless to say I have not yet given up on it & when the weather improves I intend to set it up in the garden to treat it ! :)

We pulled up at a cut-out near the loch which Matt & Gav had used before part of which was hidden from the wind by a small hill & this is where Matt & I set up camp. Paul, John & Elliot went a bit further up the road & found a suitable spot for themselves that was less exposed to the elements. Meanwhile Ryan's Clan decided that a nearby B & B had considerably more appeal ! :sneaky: I set up my tent with the minimum of help & settled down for the evening until 5 in the morning when I declared to everyone within earshot that my tent had sprung a leak ! :rolleyes:

The following morning Ryan's Clan arrived & Matt & I gave them a hand to set up their loch side mansion & we had great fun putting it together as it was blowing a hoolie & we had a large birds-nest of paracord hindering proceedings. Once that was done Matt & I retired to our pitch & due to the incessant rain we were on lock-down all day. John & Elliot paid us a visit in Paul's car to tell us that they had discovered a wild-boar scat near their camp. Paul came by in the afternoon on route to find a signal (Four miles up the road) so that he could let his family know that he was o.k ! :thumbsup: We also had a visit from a local game-hunter as he was going after the boar when we left. Matt mentioned the incident with the water in my tent getting deeper in his write-up & I did indeed end up in the Landy overnight I said ! ;)

We awoke to a dry morning which is always a bonus to pack up in & as if to kick us in the pants on departure morning the sun came out in all it's glory but as the saying goes " It is what it is " ! ;) Paul dropped John & Elliot off as he was set on staying a bit longer & once the trailer was loaded up we set off to have a well deserved breakfast at Matt's favourite cafe in Fort William ! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

I'm not sure if I will get around to posting the final part of the trip today but bear with me boys & girls !

Don't go changing channels because after the break I will let you in on Part Five: PAYING OUR RESPECTS TO THE WARRIORS IN BRONZE, INVERARDRAN HOUSE & THE JOURNEY HOME ! :)
 
Good results from unfortunate circumstances:D that’s what it’s all about:thumbsup: looking forward to the rest kneef. Worth the wait mate:whistle:;)
 
O.K folks apologies for the delay but here is the final installment of my thoughts on our trip north of the border ! :)

Part Five: PAYING OUR RESPECTS TO THE WARRIORS IN BRONZE, INVERARDRAN HOUSE & THE JOURNEY HOME !

After a well earned breakfast in Fort William we made the short 8 mile trip to Spean Bridge which is the home in my humble opinion to perhaps the most iconic bronze statue ever made ! It is the centre-piece of the Spean Bridge Commando Memorial & after hearing about it a couple of years ago I just had to go there to witness it for myself. As well as being an extremely fitting tribute to the fallen this piece of art is just magnificent ! :thumbsup: Although I have no military connections I decided that I wanted to pay tribute to these brave chaps by placing a small wooden cross adorned with the symbolic red poppy on the outside of the remembrance circle (See photo on page one). As part of my preparations for the trip I wrote Bushcraft Forum Feb 2018 on the reverse of the cross & varnished it front & back 3 times as I thought that coating it 14 times was a little over the top ! :D

Respects paid & visit over & it was once again time to board the trusty steed in order to head to the B&B via a whistle-stop at The Green Welly for souvenirs, caaaake & tea but not necessarily in that order ! ;) To get there we once again had to travel through the Glencoe mountain range but this time the road was clear as I gazed out of the window open-mouthed at the sheer scale & awesomeness of it all ! Afternoon-tea devoured & gifts bought & paid for & we were back on the road with thoughts of a warm bath/shower & a proper bed to sleep in being tinged with the sadness that our epic journey was coming to an end ! :(

Once checked in at Inverardran House there was a mad scramble for showers & baths as we had to wait around 30 mins for the water to heat back up again. This led to various jedi mind-games & tactical shenanigans among the more alert members in the group who insisted that they were going to have 40 winks before getting cleaned up. YEAH RIGHT ! :sneaky: LAST ONE INTO THE SHOWER/BATH REALLY IS THE LAST ONE INTO THE SHOWER/BATH, OH & THE WATER MIGHT BE FREEZING ! :whistle:

Ablutions done & it was time for us to nip over the road for our evening meal at Ben More Lodge where I sampled quite possibly the best home-made steak & ale pie I have ever tasted (No shortage of meat here folks) ! We were really well looked after by the staff & as well as the food being great the service was top-notch ! :thumbsup::thumbsup: We called an early halt to proceedings as we were all knackered & we had a relatively early start in the morning so it was off to the land of nod with our blankeys & our bot-bots ! :D

The morning of our departure swiftly arrived & after feng-shuing my room to within an inch of it's life I joined the rest of our motley looking crew for breakfast & WOW what a breakfast it was. Cooked to perfection & served with a warm dose of good old Scottish hospitality by an owner who is understandably proud of the business he is running & who will no doubt be praised to the hilt by future weary travellers like us ! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Landy loaded & we said our goodbyes to Ryan's Clan & off we went with thoughts of home grappling with the memories of a great trip that none of us wanted to end ! The journey back was pretty quiet really & we stopped off a handful of times to top up the radiator & for refreshments etc. The two most notable events were being undertaken by an idiot on the hard shoulder who must have been doing 70 mph :mad: & being overtaken by a black Porsche with the reg number HE55 KEY which may or may not have been driven by ex Liverpool & England footballer Emile Heskey. My thoughts on this may be entirely wide of the mark but the car moved far quicker than the player in question ever did ! ;)

Emily met us at Taunton where we dropped off John & Elliot & said our farewells before departing on the final leg of the trip back to Plymouth. Matt pulled up outside my house at around 21:30 where we promptly unloaded my gear before embracing in the manliest of man-hugs (As you do after such an epic adventure) ! :)

In the days that followed I have looked back at the trip as a whole & have concluded that it is was probably the most educational experience I have ever had & at the age of 52 it will take some beating. Harsh lessons have been learnt from several school-boy errors that I made in & around camp mainly due to tiredness or lack of concentration & I thank my lucky stars that nothing came of them.

I would like to thank each & every person who came on the trip as well as Mr Mark Wilson for making the effort to visit us at Orchy ! :thumbsup:

I would also like to thank Matt for putting up with me & for pointing out the many errors of my ways without resorting to physical violence ! :thumbsup:

This concludes my rather long-winded write-up for this trip & all that remains to be said is:

KIT PACKED ! :D
 
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