Brookes

www.microlodge.net

Ever racked your brains wondering where you've seen someone before, then you get that 'Eureka' moment.

Crystal Tips

Rebekah 

Elie Chainwalk Cliffhanger

www.microlodge.co.uk

It's been a wonderful sunny day, and as it was too late to head further afield, I took my nephew along the road to Elie for a few hours.

The task for the afternoon was to do the Chainwalk....minus the chains.

The reasoning behind this was a realisation, that after my tumble off Buachaille Etive Mor, I was to all intents and purposes, a rotten and 'scaredy-cat' climber. 

 

In my mind, confirming this self-diagnosis when I needed it most, ie stuck on a mountain, miles from help was the major decision in taking the bull by the horns and going off to get my hands on some rock. 

Therefore, the only way to tackle my fears was to 'get back on the horse'.

I had tried climbing when I was younger, in NorthWales, and have vivid memories of the instructor having to abseil down and prize me from the face of the cliff, as terror had glued me, limpet-like to the rock...  

Very embarrassing I may add, plus the ribbing I took from my mates.

As in a previous visit to the chain walk, we arrived and the tide was on its way in, but this time I was determined that this would not be a problem.  Two things were going through my mind though.

1   If I fall, will the water soften the impact allowing me to survive wet but unharmed? or....

2   If I fall, how many hidden rocks are a foot below the surface to maximise the impact?  Hmm....

At the start...wind not too bad. (looks like I could only afford half a haircut).

Gaining some height now with no water below to fall in to.

Hey!! Now we're cooking..

Danny above the eye. (note swimmer below...nutter)

Danny looking down into the 'wee cave'

So, what have I learned.     

Well, it's better not to climb solo when you're as rubbish as me and having back-up is comforting.  

Cliche...the main fear was the fear itself.  

It was fun.  

It's also a whole new muscle group used compared to hill walking as I'm aching. 

Most importantly, if I keep doing this, come the day I really need to get myself out of bother, I may have the confidence to do so.

Blackwater Hostel

http://microlodge.blogspot.com/

Well, 4 days on from my tent peg back-popping incident and I'm still needing sticks to navigate around the house despite a diet of painkillers.  Thanks to Dionne and David who sent some pics from their West Highland Way adventure, once again reminding me of my unplanned vertical descent of the Buachaille.

Outside the Kingshouse Hotel (Buachaille in background)

On the plus side of things, my nephew who is staying with me has at last realised we do not have a 'dish fairy' or indeed a 'laundry fairy' wot does these daily mundane tasks, and even as I write, he is up to his elbows in dishwater.  See, clouds and silver linings.....

Deepest Devon

www.microlodge.net

It's a long, long drive to Devon.
I'm down at Fossfell installing a Hobbit Cascade and a Wee Hobbit.  That's all done now, but due to a bit of bad luck, one door never arrived from Ireland so I'm kicking my heels down here until Thursday when Gary arrives with the door.
Therefore, I decided to explore and found myself at Hartland Quay which has some wonderful rock formations and great beaches.
I also took the chance to get re-aquainted with Cornish Pasties...the real ones...

Ben Nevis

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So...myself and Gary headed North, yet again, but this time to visit Andy at the Glencoe Mountain Resort for a wee blether.  Buachaille Etive Mor, was looking stunning in the sunshine and reminded me again why this mountain has got to be on my 'to do' list this year.


Later that afternoon, we headed to Kinlochleven to the Blackwater hostel for a catch up with Callum and soon after, Gary headed back home.


Sad for me, good for Callum, all the Hobbit houses were booked solid, so I borrowed a tent, pegs and a couple of Rizla paper thin foam sheets to lie on and pitched up.


A good thing then happened as a wonderful group of 4 in the end Hobbit invited me to share their BBQ which they had excelled at, including some wild garlic picked in the woods at the site.


A good few tinnies then rounded off a wonderful evening.

Getting BBQ ready. Beinn na Caillaich in background

Next morning, I headed to Fort William with the intention of doing the Ring of Steall, but as I was so early and it was a lovely warm day, I thought I would take things a bit easier and so parked up and set off for Ben Nevis instead hoping to miss the 'coach parties'.

Whilst booting up and having to spend 5 minutes searching for my car keys (which were on the parcel shelf all the time), I set off and the only other person at the car park was a chap called Martin who was hoping to 'bag' his first Munro, so we chummed up for the ascent.

If you read this mate...I really hope your legs and blisters have healed and I was glad of your company.  You did really well getting up and down in the time we did it.  It really is a long hard slog of a walk.

On bridge 2

Martin at the summit of Nevis (not Rio)

Me 

We only stayed on summit for 10 minutes and had to get the jackets and wooly hats out as it had chilled a bit and headed back down through the remaining snow patches, then back to t-shirts at the 3,000ft level.  There were by now quite a few people struggling up the mountain, many who were never going to make it by the looks of things, but we still gave encouragement as we passed.   Then I donated my last bag of jelly babies to a woman who had her 2 young kids halfway up and they were suffering pretty badly, but we saw them arrive at the bottom as we were enjoying a beer at the bar by the car park.

The next days intention was to go for Ben Vorlich, but as the heavens had opened through the night which resulted in a rotten night in the tent, I chickened out and went home to have a wee afternoon nap instead.