Walking the Fife Coastal Path - Pittenweem to Shell Bay
June 29, 2009 on 11:27 am | In Walking | No Comments
I spent a delightful weekend walking a section of the Fife Coastal Path. The first day was Pittenweem to Shell Bay which shouldn’t take that long to walk but took us ages as we stopped off along the way to take in the sights and flavours of this part.
We were walking with Tony Wilson from the Fife Coast and Countryside Trust and he was incredibly knowledgeable about the area - he pointed out edible herbs that are available form nature’s larder including scurvy weed which was eaten by sailors.
It is a nature lovers paradise and we spotted buzzards, kites, wildflowers and teaming rockpools. Offshore we could see Bass Rock with its famous gannet and puffin colonies and the Isle of Mey which was once the base of early Christian missionaries.
Our lunch stop was at Sangsters in Elie which has recently obtained a Michelin star and is honestly one of the best places I have ever eaten at.
The walk after lunch saw us heading towards Shell Bay which takes in the Chain Walk - it saw us clinging to a series of eight steel chains, climbing over rocky points and cliffs.
What a perfect day!
Gillian Thompson
http://www.visitscotland.com/adventure
Works with adventure sports in Scotland and has a keen interest in keeping fit and walking and a new passion for surfing.
South Harris Stroll
February 19, 2009 on 4:26 pm | In Hillwalking | No Comments
Saturdays when the wind is howling and the tops of the hills are shrouded in mist are not normally the type of day I would be looking forwards to going out hillwalking. But if you are wanting to train people to navigate in difficult conditions on difficult ground the hills of South Harris and a low cloud base are perfect.
Don and I were taking out Duke of Edinburgh Award leaders for some navigation training. Our mission was to look at how micro-navigation and macro-navigation can be used. We wanted to look at how pacing, bearings and timings could be use however more important is where their limitations lay.
Leaving from the parking place on the West end of the ‘coffin road’ just above Luskyntyre we followed the track for a short while before I started picking small features to navigate too. During the navigation there were successes and several failures but how is it the old saying goes ‘you don’t learn from success’.
Lunch was taken under the shelter of a small overhanging cliff and then the weather gave us a good blast and mixed in drizzle to test the waterproofs.
I enjoyed the day and it just reinforced to me the need for the basic navigation skills of map and compass ready for the day the batteries are flat on your GPS and mobile phone and it would be quite nice to get home, safely.
Tim Pickering
http://www.canoehebrides.com
Living in the world's biggest adventure playground - The Outer Hebrides
CanoeHebrides.com - Sea kayaking Expeditions
BikeHebrides.com -Quality Mountain Bike Hire
Benbecula - the Dark Isle
February 8, 2009 on 7:47 am | In Uncategorized | No Comments
Known as the Dark Isle, Benbecula is often over looked as you journey through the islands. I have just strolled back from the Dark Island Hotel to my diggs, the sky was clear, the moon almost full and air frost chilled. With a light dusting of snow the island had the feel of the alps, mountains fringed with snow, stars glistening, footsteps crunching, a magical walk back from the pub.
Walking ‘home’ doesn’t get much better.
Tim Pickering
http://www.canoehebrides.com
Living in the world's biggest adventure playground - The Outer Hebrides
CanoeHebrides.com - Sea kayaking Expeditions
BikeHebrides.com -Quality Mountain Bike Hire
More Exploring Uist
February 5, 2009 on 11:00 pm | In Hillwalking | 1 Comment
I am co-authoring a Guide Book to Sea Kayaking in the Outer Hebrides for Pesda Press and one of the areas I have to cover in the East coast of Uist. I am down working but the weather is a little wild so the kayak has stayed ashore. I have paddled the coast but I needed to visit Loch Coradail between Thecla and Beinn Corradail. There are some examples of hut circles and a wheel house there which I needed to photograph.
So my Sunday morning dawned with wall to wall blue sky and a bitter cold easterly wind. I parked at Loch Sgiopoirt and walked over the shoulder of Maol Martaig. Visiting the souterains on Thecla’s eastern shoulder on my way. The heather was deep, the ground difficult but the views breathtaking over the Minch. I was treated to a herd of deer who for quite while seemed little bothered by my presence until gently trotting south.
The hut circles didn’t disapoint me and as I sat drinking some stream water and stuffing a chocolate bar, it was the realisation I was the only person for miles which was most profound.
As I sat back at the car I had the wonderful warmth of knowing I had stolen one of winters best days.
Tim Pickering
http://www.canoehebrides.com
Living in the world's biggest adventure playground - The Outer Hebrides
CanoeHebrides.com - Sea kayaking Expeditions
BikeHebrides.com -Quality Mountain Bike Hire
Exploring Uist
January 31, 2009 on 1:50 pm | In Hillwalking | No Comments
I find it is only when you spend time to get under the skin of a place do you start to discover all its querks and fobals. I have spent time here in Uist but usually I am working and squash the exploring round the work. This time I am down working but I have some time for me.
I went to a great lecture this week from Tracey Begg from Scottish Natural Heritage about the insects of the Outer Hebrides. It was facinating and I was interested in the Great Yellow Bumble Bee (bombus distinuendus). It lives in adapted mouse nests in colinies of 20 - 50 bee. It only has a small foothold left and amazingly I realised they visit our back garden.
I have been exploring the machair near Borve Guest House by just walking out of the front door. The slow undulations bring unexpected corners, where you discover small flocks of birds sheltering from the wind. On the beach there are huge piles of seaweed and I was suprised to see flies even in the middle of the winter. I would be doing you a dis-service if I didn’t mention the smell but won’t linger on it.
I am off to walk the coast of Eriskay when the rain stops and tommorrow I am hoping to walk into the back of Hecla to the lighthouse.
Tim Pickering
http://www.canoehebrides.com
Living in the world's biggest adventure playground - The Outer Hebrides
CanoeHebrides.com - Sea kayaking Expeditions
BikeHebrides.com -Quality Mountain Bike Hire
A Winter Drive Through the Highlands
January 17, 2009 on 10:13 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments
We drove off the ferry in Uig on to Skye just as the sun was coming up. The purr of the Jaguar’s engine pulling the car quickly and effortlessly over the island. The light dusting of snow on the Black Cullin as we hurled passed.
Over the beautiful curve of the Skye Bridge and on past Eilean Donan Castle. Etched from the battle scene in Highlander. Prompting poor Sean Connery impersonations.
Up Glen Sheil the outside temperature falling fast; minus 6, minus 8 and the turn to head over to Glen Garry, here minus 11.
As we crested the hill the vista burst upon us and we were forced to stop to marvel in the view.
As the journey headed down into Glen Garry we fell into the Scotch Mist and the world became white with haw frost on all the trees. Almost a the dam we were drawn to a halt as the sun burned through and it was like a scene from an Autherial painting.
Glen Coe was amazing, and the White Corries majestic but it willhas to be hard to beat the descent through the mist to see the ‘Lady of the Lake’.
Tim Pickering
http://www.canoehebrides.com
Living in the world's biggest adventure playground - The Outer Hebrides
CanoeHebrides.com - Sea kayaking Expeditions
BikeHebrides.com -Quality Mountain Bike Hire
Winter Climbing in Scotland
December 5, 2008 on 1:43 pm | In Outdoor Climbing | 1 Comment
So far the autumn has been cold and snowy, a brilliant start to the winter and lots of winter climbing has been done even though we are still only in early December.
It’s been persistently cold again this week with some more snowfall. Yesterday was perfectly clear and sunny for much of the day before a front brought snowfall overnight down to a couple of hundred metres above sea level. In Glencoe today it was very heavy going digging a trail up to Stob Coire nan Lochan but Kenny, Guy and I were rewarded with a very wintry buttress with no-one else around. We climbed Tilt, a VI,7 route that is very sustained and has some fantastic positions. The turf was well frozen and, although not rimed up, there was snow stuck to even the steepest rocks.
Unfortunately there wasn’t quite enough snowfall on Aonach Mor for Nevis Range to open up for skiing at the weekend but there is a very good coverage everywhere now. The snow has been gently blown over N and E facing slopes and there are some cornices over the crags. Temperatures will rise over the weekend, consolidating the snow but not melting very much above 500m before colder conditions return again next week. It’s a fantastic start to the winter!
Mike Pescod
http://www.abacusmountaineering.com
Mountain Guide and Instructor with a passion for the hills. Scottish winter climbing is my favourite but scrambling, rock climbing, walking and ice climbing here and in the Alps are pretty good too!
Early Winter Climbing on Ben Nevis
November 3, 2008 on 11:05 am | In Outdoor Climbing, Hillwalking, Uncategorized | No Comments
The good, cold weather has been with us for a week now and ice is forming. It’s been a great early start to the winter and plenty of climbing has been done by those ready and able to jump on the crags.
Donald and I had a day out on Ben Nevis today and we were surprised at how much ice there is in the drainage lines. It was very wet before it went cold and it has been cold now for a week so gullies such as Point Five Gully and Green Gully, and drainage lines such as Waterfall Gully and The Curtain all have a reasonable amount of ice in them.
The highest crags were well rimed up as well so we went up North Gully on Creag Coire na Ciste to reach the very steep wall above. We climbed a groove / chimney between Place Your Bets and North Gully Left Branch which was quite hard at the start (VII,8) but eased off to give great chimney climbing and a through route to escape onto the plateau. There was a peg and some tat under the through route so it might have been climbed before - if anyone knows please get in touch.
Mike Pescod
http://www.abacusmountaineering.com
Mountain Guide and Instructor with a passion for the hills. Scottish winter climbing is my favourite but scrambling, rock climbing, walking and ice climbing here and in the Alps are pretty good too!
Perfect Winter Walking in the Mamores
November 3, 2008 on 10:42 am | In Scrambling, Hillwalking, Uncategorized | No Comments
Days like today are rare in November and should be made the most of. Warm sunshine, crisp air, pristine snow and amazing colours in the hills made it a brilliant day to be out in the hills. The snow is down to 600m and has been for a week now with sub-zero temperatures. Christine, Davie and I went for a walk up the North Ridge of Stob Ban in the Mamores. Where the snow was in the shade and had been walked on it was compacted and icy so we wore the crampons on the steep, scrambling section going up to the North Top of Stob Ban. This is beyond simple walking and a very good head for heights is required plus some ability in basic scrambling.
After a Forfar Bridie on top we carried on around to the Devil’s Ridge and up to Sgurr a’Mhaim. This is a very narrow and exposed section of ridge with a really tricky step at the narrowest bit. Again, great care is needed but in the perfect conditions we found with no wind we were able to take our time. We made it up Sgurr a’Mhaim to see the brilliant light on Ben Nevis from the afternoon sun before facing the unrelenting walk down back to the Lower Falls in Glen Nevis. Altogether, a fantastic day out.
Mike Pescod
http://www.abacusmountaineering.com
Mountain Guide and Instructor with a passion for the hills. Scottish winter climbing is my favourite but scrambling, rock climbing, walking and ice climbing here and in the Alps are pretty good too!
Five Best Discounted Activities in Edinburgh
September 23, 2008 on 4:24 pm | In Archery, Surfing, Paintball, Indoor Climbing | 1 Comment
Auld Reekie ToursAuld Reekie Tours runs ghost walks around underground vaults beneath Edinburgh’s South
Bridge. Buy 1 get 1 free on Auld Reekie Tours. Learn about the historical dark side of
Edinburgh, with tales about Mary Kings Close, Mercat Cross, Graverobbers, Cannibals, Plagues, The Great Fire, Witchcraft, Ghost and Ghouls, Myths and Legends.
Edinburgh Climbing ArenaThe Edinburgh International Climbing Arena is built around the stunning natural rock face of a disused quarry with 3 large walls, over 250 routes and somewhere around 15000 holds in the arena. Voucher offers 2 for 1 on the challenging Aerial Assault course, suspended 100ft above the arena floor at the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena.
A1 PaintballA visit to A1 Paintball is fun for all ages (12yrs+) and all occasions. But it is not just somewhere you can go to shoot your friends, family and colleagues - though this is one of the best bits! It is also a place where you can relax, have fun and make new friends. Voucher admits one player for free when accompanied by one full paying player. 
Coast to Coast Surf School
Coast to Coast offer friendly day and weekend surf lessons on Scotland’s east coast and wonderful surf tours throughout
Scotland. Buy one surfing lesson with C2C Surf School and get the second half price with voucher.
Scottish Archery CentreThe Scottish Archery Centre offers you the chance to try various shooting sports from Archery and Crossbow to Air-Rifle and Air-Pistol. Buy 1 get 2nd half price on archery, crossbow and air rifle with voucher.
Vouchers available to download at www.visitscotland.com/adventurepass
Gillian Thompson
http://www.visitscotland.com/adventure
Works with adventure sports in Scotland and has a keen interest in keeping fit and walking and a new passion for surfing.
