foolfillment: the blog

Well that’s the Easter weekend gone, now back to work. Right now I’m busy not putting the finishing touches to the first draft of my final year project.
Over the weekend we managed to get in some walking up on the southern Cairngorms. We had a quick stroll up Morven/Morrone just south of Braemar to see what we thought about the weather and work out where we’d be going the next day if it was nice. Deciding to risk it we walked in to Loch Callater and stayed the night there then got an early start (up with the sun) and were on top of Carn an tSaigart Mor by 8.

It was fantastic weather and great views all around. By 11 we were just about ready to start making our way down from Lochnagar, around the same time as it started to get busy. We were pretty shattered and fed up with eating food that’s been crushed in our bags so we made our way back to Dunbar instead of staying another night.

On Sunday we had a nice walk around John Muir Country Park (without paying for parking) with the dog then a fantastic meal at The Rocks - a nice change from working there!

Now I’m back in Glasgow and it’s windy and threatening rain. Oh well, only a few weeks before I move somewhere else.
And, I’ve just realised that I’ve already been up Carn an tSaigart Mor and Carn a’Coire Bhoideach but I can’t remember it at all, although it was 11 years ago.

19/11/2006 from Stuart Hunter’s photostream.

What’s your favourite thing to do in snow?*
I like walking, although you can’t tell it from this photo.
I went up The Cobbler yesterday (incredibly my 5th attempt - all others having been thwarted by various things from weather to unfit companions) in thick mist, over deep snow, with a strong desire to get up and down before the rain/snow started to fall. Lovely!
*As Jonsie has been asking recently

Free OS maps for 11 year olds

This is an excellent sceme where every 11 year old in the UK is entitled to a free map, as long as their school signs up, I wonder how many schools don’t bother.

from today’s Scotsman

Don’t worry, this was pre-posted, I’ve got better things to do today!

I’ve just got back from a weekend near Ingleton with GUPA for the freshers’ weekend. As seems to be the developing theme for me caving, I went out yesterday but couldn’t bring myself to put on wet clothes today, so went for a walk instead. It was a really good weekend, lots of fun and games - climbing between the spokes of a cartwheel in a pub, balancing as many people as possible on an upturned pot then passing a sling around them, and the dining table bouldering challenge. There was even time for a trip down to Dolly Tubs after a traditional Bernie’s Breakfast

“The John Muir Trust takes the view that where major new pylon developments impinge on important and protected landscapes, they should always, without question, be contained underground.”

Nigel Hawkins, Director of the John Muir Trust

If you want to lodge your displeasure about the proposal to construct massive pylons through the Cairngorm National Park then go to the Cairngorms Revolt Against Pylons website.

One of the first articles on a new magazine written by Cameron McNeish is a walk around Dunbar.

Walkwise, Dunbar

Last Sunday (20th February) I ventured out in the freezing cold with a friend and went up where it was even colder, it was a very tough day’s walking over hard snow.
We parked just past Inversloy power station and headed down the road and under the railway bridge then up the track to the dam. Just past a farm we left the track and headed up the shoulder(s) of Ben Vane. Two hours after leaving the car we were at the top, another two hours later we had dropped off the other side of Ben Vane and, via Lag Uaine and Glas Bhealach, made our way up to the summit of Ben Ime, a hill I was beginning to think I might never be able to tock off after two previous attempts were scuppered. We then walkied down to Bhealach a’Mhaim and out along the side of the forest back to where we started. Overall we took just under 7 hours.

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A really good site with a database of all the Munros, you can select the ones you’ve done, customise your walking speed, search for routes by time/assent etc. I might be spending a lot of time here getting my details right.
MunroMagic.com

Taken at the end of last month, this was the last good view we got of The Cobbler before it became completely covered in cloud.

We didn’t actually top out because when we got to the first shoulder we suddenly lost sight of everything above us and decided to call it a day. What’s the point in working hard to get to the top when ther’s no view after all? A little disapponting but we had a very good day otherwise weatherwise.