Walking and Bothying

WillieGo · Site Admin Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 63

For those of you who know me, you will already know that I find getting out walking with friends, and sometimes by myself, really floats my boat.

With a belly like mine, I need all the help I can get Wink

the possibility of spending a night in a mountain bothy somewhere in the middle of nowhere really appeals to me as there are no computers, playstations or tv. Oh aye, and they are free Razz

Sitting on the top of a hill can be so envigorating and also can be quite spiritual too - there usually is a stop for a chip supper on the way home afterwards too. Rolling Eyes

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Why not eh!

thegman · Rank - Getting there Joined: 22 Feb 2008 Posts: 16

Still find room for a chip supper. Laughing

WillieGo · Site Admin Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 63

That's you of the Christmas card list for a starter Very Happy

Take it easy Laughing

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Why not eh!

Elginboxer · Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 3:00 pm Post subject:

The last bothy I visited was Glendhu and once there we had supplies boated in to do repairs on the roof notice in the pic the fresh cement on the left hand side and the fresh pointing on the chimney. and there are plentifull supplies of mussles and whelks on the foreshore Laughing

Just around the loch you also have the Glen coul bothy which we always walk round to following the old drovers trail just to visit and leave some wood whether we're staying or not. I have also been privilidged to see the same Golden Eagle 3 times up there, makes everything worthwhile.

And yes WillieGo we stop at Ullapool on the way home for the chippy Wink

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Grampian MCC

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WillieGo · Site Admin Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 63

Having had to rearrange the plans for our holiday week and braving the weather, all the ideas of what we were going to do have gone dwn the pan - I wonder whether the wood recycling plant in Elgin have enough wod to build an ark Question

ANyway, we were hoping to head from Tomintoul through to Glenmore, overnighting at Findouran, snow has scuppered that one!!!

So how about plan 2? I needed led in this as 'my head was mince by now'! Another bothy - this time Culra bothy at Ben Alder, about a nine mile walk in and back but at least an overnight away from electricity and computers. We are of on Friday so lets hope it stays pleasant for a change.
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Why not eh!

Elginboxer · Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 11:07 pm Post subject:

Hi WillieGo,
Sounds like not a bad second plan to me, I assume by a nine mile walk in you're heading in from Dalwhinnie? I have only been to Ben Alder bothy once around 15 years ago, we went in at Dalwhinnie and stayed overnight the Saturday and walked out to Corrour station if I remember rightly Confused

Which I may not as it was a while ago Rolling Eyes

Hope to hear how it goes and you'll maybe provide us with a couple of pics if the weathers nice perhaps Question

That may be something that would inspire me Wink

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Grampian MCC

The END

WillieGo · Site Admin Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 63

Well we made it! Of on Friday morning without too many problems other than forgetting my walking poles - I did collect them! we were on our way to Ben Alder - Culra bothy to be more precise - and on parking at Dalwhinnie, we had a nine mile walk in - jackets of as the sun was shining.

The walk itself is nine miles in, not a major problem but for the weight of coal we were each carrying - don't want a cold night - did that one before and shivered for it. Anyway, just before the bothy, the snow came on - not too hard but persistant enough. We missed the bridge across the river and decided to wade across anyway - me wanting dry boots decided boots and socks of - the water must have been just shy of freezing.

There were a couple of Irish lads who joned us a bit later, conversation was good - talked about the planned release of wild animals in Alladale - one of the boys mentioned about Turkey bears being released - well, needless to say, I was utterly confused - after a couple of questions, we realised the lad was saying thirty not turkey - ah well - no new breed of bears then I suppose Embarassed

Anyway, after a nice warm night and a good feed of porrige with lashings of syrup and mixed fruit and nut - try it it is worthy - and the obligitory cup of coffee, we were on our way. Dawdling is all you can call it - watching the wildlife, two perigrine falcons - should be per-a-blue-falcons apparently Laughing

as they are blue and an osrey catching fish on loch Pattack.

Lets not return by the original route but take another one - what a good idea we thought. Bog trotters annonnymous here we come Cool

There were plenty of opportunities to check the quality of the waterproof (sic) boots.

Nine miles becam 13 1/2 miles but what a couple of days. The weather was on the whole, very kind and I was worrying about whether we should have taken sun cream with us - then it rained and snowed. The last mile and a half was a reall scunner though.

Of course, we stopped at Aviemore for the supper stop - chips of course Smile

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WillieGo · Site Admin Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 63

Looks like we are heading of again next weekend.

We were planning going to the island of Rum at the middle of the month but things transpired against it Sad

On the brighter side, we are of this weekend coming and I cannot wait. There are a couple of nice bothies there and some amazing wildlife including sea eagles and the golden eagle - the one bird I want to see in the wild.

Thank goodness for long weekends eh! Very Happy

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WillieGo · Site Admin Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 63

Weh hey, I am away again - some may say I have been gone for a while - probably correct too. Since my last post, I have managed to get away to Faindouran, between Tomintoul and the Cairngorms, via Loch Avon (pronounced anne). Saw a real live adder - 2+2 - no, thats a calculator, anyway, I digress. Was so really pleased the weather on the second day was astounding - a wee bitty hot but I am o comlaining when you have lots of fresh running water on hand.

Anyway, 28 miles from start to finish and the obligitory fish and chips in Aviemore Laughing

Am heading to Achnasheen tomorrow - oldest sibling was suposed to e coming too but he is to tired - awww bless. A couple of days of walking and a couple of nights in a bothy - looking forward to it. On the way back we are stopping into Stratheffer - beautiful place and a fantastic bike shop - it has that lovely recumbant bike at about £1000 - wonder how much I will get for the eldest Twisted Evil

I am sure we will fnd a chip shop in Dingwall Laughing

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Why not eh!

thegman · Rank - Getting there Joined: 22 Feb 2008 Posts: 16

Aye Willie, chips wi" aw thing. Rolling Eyes

WillieGo · Site Admin Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 63