I have an intense dislike for the so called making of these ‘resolutions’, resolutions, that as far as I can judge, most folk don’t keep to for very long.  But I do admit that I do have a maintain a particular habit at this time of year to tackle three specific tasks.  So lets start…..

We have a saying

‘That you cannot see the wood……..

                                                                      ……………For the trees’

So the first task is to clear all those small  (and not so small) piles of papers and books that you tend to acquire on and around the desk, papers that were not important enough to action when received but important enough to save for another day…a day, a week, a month then a year…..until you forgot they were there.  For the most part you I tend to find the trash can the most useful piece of equipment.

The second task takes a little longer and is perhaps more vital.  I do try to keep my hard drives and back up drives in order, images, features, letters, invoices all in neat files.  None the less I still have, for want of a better phrase, some loose ends on the hard drives that need proper homes.  So I always spend time between Christmas and New Year doing just that.  Yep, sometimes there is the odd surprise but mostly it helps to start my third task.

At this point I should say that the the third task is not really a task at all but the rather enjoyable task of planning the coming years trip locations and digging through the hard drives jogs the brain cells into overdrive. 

But looking again at these images has ensured that Scotland will be top of the list for at least two trips this year…

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EILEAN DONAN CASTLE, LOCH ALSH, WEST HIGHLANDS

DUNCANSBY HEAD, CAITHNESS

THE TORRIDONS, NORTH WEST HIGHLANDS

ACROSS THE MINCH TO ASSYNT FROM BADCALL BAY

CROMARTY HARBOUR, THE BLACK ISLE

UATH LOCHANS, GLEN FESHIE, CAIRNGORMS

The Mountains, Sea, Castles and Lochs of the Highlands and their coastline have a magical draw and no doubt we will see a few trees and no doubt some wood! 

In the meantime its back to the clear up….I might be some time.

30th DECEMBER

Barrie and Baird were students at Glasgow University at the time, which I learned from the book, but I was not aware that Hugh A Barrie was educated in Airdrie (at the former Airdrie Academy/Albert Primary) and his mother was Headmistress of the school in the neighbouring village of Longriggend. This I discovered while waiting to look at some maps in the local history department of Airdrie Library. As I waited I picked up a book called if I remember correctly, Airdrie Bards, and flicked it open at random to see a poem which I immediately recognised, entitled When I Am Dead, which was written a few months before his death. Take care on the hills and have a happy and safe 2013.

When I am dead
And this strange spark of life that in me lies
Is fled to join the great white core of life
That surely flames beyond eternities,
And all I ever thought of as myself
Is mouldering to dust and cold death ash,
This pride of nerve and muscle – merest dross,
This joy of brain and eye and touch but trash,
Bury me not, I pray thee
In the dark earth where there comes not any ray
Of light or warmth or aught that make life dear;
But take my whitened bones far, far away
Out of the hum and turmoil of the town,
Find me a wind – swept boulder for a bier
And on it lay me down
Where far beneath drops sheer the rocky ridge
Down to the gloomy valley, and the streams
Fall foaming white against black beetling rocks:
Where the suns kindly radiance seldom gleams:
Where some tall peak, defiant, steadfast mocks
The passing gods: and all the ways of men
Forgotten.

So I may know
Even in that death which comes to everything
The swiftly silent swish of hurrying snow;
The lash of rain; the savage bellowing
Of stags; the bitter keen – knife – edge embrace of the rushing
wind: and the still tremulous dawn
Will touch the eyeless sockets of my face;
And I shall see the sunset and anon
Shall know the velvet kindness of the night
And see the stars.

The Black Cloud by IDS Thomson is published by the Ernest Press.

Today I headed into Coire na Ciste, Cairngorm for the first of three days with David and Lianna.  Despite very strong winds, spindrift and generally ‘challenging’ conditions we managed to cover some useful winter mountaineering skills.  Choice of slope aspect was somewhat restricted due to avalanche conditions and by the time we got off the hill the corrie had visibly filled in with fresh, wind blown snow.  Thanks again to Keela for providing nineonesix-guiding with some of their belays jackets to try out.

blog by Jim Sutherland

nineonesix-guiding

My long-awaited multi-summit day in the Cairngorms turned into a different lesson….in weather forecasting. Bracketed by two lovely high pressure days, Thursday, my only window, turned out to be a howler.

In battering winds and frustration I abandoned the bike early on the upward trail to Loch Einich under a stand of Caledonian pine. Common sense should have prevailed to turn my tail but after a quick change I hoped a forced march into the squall would warm me up.

Head down from the beating lines of rain, I mentally worked my way through my gear for about 6k giving it marks out of 10 in terms of its performance under pressure. For a while my merino wool socks from Trespass were leading the field but by the end of the day the trusty Low Alpine ear-flapped hat came in a winner.

What failed most were gloves: both a pair of £50 North Face mitts and my inner liners were wring- outable by the time I started to ascend and my hands began to really feel it. The cold worked its way in until I couldn’t press the camera shutter!

 The mosses underfoot began to fascinate as I made my first sensible decision of the day not to attempt to summit Cairn Toul (1285m) and turned at 1000m to circumnavigate Loch Einich- I suspect that I was damp through at this stage despite having quite good gear on- but that a navigational error in the low cloud and prevailing weather would be not good.

The positives were that there wasn’t a being on the hill and I managed to trail some wary deer for a period. I also discovered what appeared to be an eagle nest from a respectful distance, and saw how weather can completely transform a landscape, and very quickly.

Water bouncing off the hillside, I knew river crossings would be necessary on descent and the merino socks lost some points there. But the bike came into its own and made a 2-3 hour walk out into 30 mins of pleasure swooping downhill- hands like ice but hat and climbing helmet keeping me cozy on top.

The wilds had spoken and in future I will let them dictate the time and the pace.

blog by Jim nineonesix-guiding

 High pressure weather in Aviemore today- the hills look brill but I’m confined to barracks til tomorrow. I have a meeting lined up with Jeremy Roberts, Senior Site Manager at RSPB Scotland‘s Abernethy reserve near Aviemore. RSPB is one of the biggest and most respected landowners in the National Park.

Jermey meets me outside his stone-work home in Carrbridge and we speak the same language immediately. He is easy-going but with an relaxed confidence and knowledge of the developments in the Cairngorms over the past 10 years at least.

I always thought Capercaillie were a band but after 10 mins with Jeremy I realise there’s a lot more to nature than I appreciate around here- 4,500 species in the Park alone, of which 800 are rare or scarce.

 With a big hill day tomorrow, this evening is another end-of-day burst on the bike around Abernethy Reserve itself and the ‘other’ Loch Gartan (not the Donegal version). Two pairs of gloves are no use against the plummeting temperatures but I succeed in getting the sense of what Jeremy rightly calls ‘a spectacular refuge for wildlife’..it is alpine in feel, a place of calm and quiet.

Tomorrow I’ll attempt my first bi-hike- up Gleann Einich valley for 14km to get into the mountains proper, ditch the wheels and then try and knock off a couple of the big ones.

The trip is on the wind down and so am I, lots of mindful walking time to assimilate the wisdoms…

Every now and then I decide on the spur of the moment to go off on some mad photographic adventure like driving through the night to catch gannets at Sunrise then driving back home again, a 450 mile round trip.

But on this particular occasion I would really push my limits.

I have always been fascinated by birds of prey, wether it’s the Buzzards circling high up on the thermals, the Kestrel hovering by the road side, or even the Sparrow-hawk taking smaller birds from the garden.

Most UK birds of prey rely on either roadkill or smaller birds and small mammals for their food – but their is one bird of prey that stands out from the rest, notably because it’s diet consists solely of fish – the Osprey.

Whilst not indigenous to the UK, since the 1950′s some birds have been migrating to parts of Scotland to breed, in fact, almost every year since 1959 a pair have bred successfully at a site in the Scottish Highlands. Only recently have Ospreys started to nest in England, most notably at Rutland Water.

It is a large raptor, reaching more than 60 cm (24 in) in length and 180 cm (71 in) across the wings and can weight up to 4.6 lbs (2.1kg) – to see this size of bird plummet into a freshwater lake and rise up carrying a Salmon is pretty spectacular!

I just knew I had to go on a journey

The only site within the UK that you can reliably see these magnificent birds of prey is at a location in the Cairngorms in the Scottish Highlands. So I planned my journey. Because of filming and shooting other commitments I could only be away two days, so, I decided to drive up the night before my shoot, from Wiltshire to the Cairngorms and stay in a local B&B. Ospreys are very wary of humans (as with most wild birds/animals) and at this location you have to be in a hide long before the birds come fishing.

It was June and the birds start fishing at first light, so I had to be at the location and ready to shoot by 4.30am at the latest.

I was totally unprepared for the site of these large birds plummeting from the sky vertically and descending below the water line – they did it time and time again, not every time catching a fish. It was breathtaking.

The birds only fish until they have caught enough food – and so this spectacular sight was over within the hour.

Reviewing the images on the back of my SLR screen I see I had captured a lot of water, but few actual Osprey – I was too disappointed though when I saw these images.

It was a long drive back down South and more than once I am sure I dozed off, but thankfully I made it back.

A split second before this shot the Osprey was totally submerged under water.

Osprey emerging from the lake with Salmon

The same bird flying back to the nest to feed its young

This is the hide I was shooting from. Small lightweight and packs up real nicely

Best – Colin

 For those of you who have never been (like me), arriving in Aviemore is like stepping onto the set of an alpine ski resort- only with Scottish accents. I’m just glad that the snow hasn’t arrived proper- or we would definitely be doing ‘a take’. 

The must-have outdoor clothes stores are all here, with bells on, and it takes some interrogation of a local to find the Ski-Doo, a ‘dive’ bar out of plain view where climbers and locals might mix over wi-fi and good food.

It’s apparent already to me that competition and sheer numbers of visitors are greater here- even compared to Nevis- as the National Park of the Cairngorms attracts a ski-set as well as the hikers, bikers, and boaters- 30% of whom come from London and the South East up the A9.

 I meet Fran Pothecary of the National Park appropriately enough in the Mountain Café. Fran’s a mine of information on New Zealand as well as the Cairngorms, as most of her family live there. Managing the high demand here in the Cairngorms can’t be easy and it is apparent tensions exist around overuse of the more obvious trails and the atmosphere of commercial competition.

Again it is rare to find any mention of the environment on the detritus of adventure leaflets adorning the stairway- but one company that stands out is Mountain Innovations. I end up lodging with Andy and Rebecca in their Green Tourism Gold Awarded Fraoch House B&B. From composting to climbing, Andy takes his role seriously- working with landowners and environmental groups to monitor wild-life and make a % contribution to specific schemes.

One we haven’t quite thought about yet is the high impact of Mountain bike routes, and I come across this on my afternoon’s recce of the forests skirting the hills. My day ends making a sweeping descent in the twilight of forest bike trails, feeling really quite daring until a man tootles past with his baby sitting squarely on his bike carrier, not at all bothered by the hour. 

I’m conscious its my last day round Lochabur but meeting the Friends of Nevis seems like a good way to round off the visit. It’s Sunday morning and walky folk are gearing up to head up the Ben- the snow-line has dropped a hundred metres or so from yesterday. Meanwhile the FoN meet over tea and hi-vis vests in the Nevis tea rooms to organise the day’s clean-up.

I’m interested in seeing what kind of folk turn up- and not surprisingly its mostly retired gentlefolk. Anna, who has a P/T role organising the network paid by Nevis Partnership, does the welcomes and diviies up the tasks. The main attention will be given to the curling park at the bottom of the glen, as it attracts a lot of passing take-aways.

Did you know curling started in Scotland in the 1750′s as a commoner’s game- not surprising they are winning Olympic medals then?

 While many walkers choose to donate at the kindly cairn at the bottom of the pony track (another of Martin McGrory’s pieces of art), locals meet twice yearly to clean the Glen. The traditional curling ponds benefited with a face-life by Tassie Thompson, a local sculptor turned children’s play-park designer (her company actually installed the new wooden play parks in St Columb’s Park and Ballyliffen Beach!).

Tassie built a curling sculpture park adjacent to the ancient curling pools and tells me the pedigree of some of the litter-pickers present.

 Mary and Alex Gillespie are among the most respected walkers anywhere about. Moving to the area in 1965 from Edinburgh, they have been active since, helping establish Nevis Sport and Alex continuing to become a celebrated nature photographer. Others are retired teachers, council workers and mum’s with their wee kids in tow.

A morning spent clearing drainage then with this merry bunch, cutting down encroaching bracken and lifting litter is followed by lunch sponsored by Lidl! Lunch is aptly in the Braveheart car park- named since the making of the film in the Glen when all the outdoor catering and film trailers occupied it.

Everyone has an obvious and genuine pride in the Glen and still love getting out in the hills. It will be interesting to see if this type of genuine community also exists at my next port of call…..up the famous River Spey into the heart of the Cairngorms, a warm cup of soup in my belly.

So what’s the back story? Whilst crawling around photographing Ptarmigan in the Northern Corries I became aware of something sticking into my ribs. Not that unusual probably another rock I thought to myself. I was staggered when I looked down to see a metallic object and low and behold a camera. Partly covered in snow and with a few bumps I popped the camera in my pocket and when I got back to the car I put it under the blowers to try and dry it out.

On closer inspection the camera was an Olympus u Tough that they advertise as having a “Waterproof, shock-proof, freezeproof design”. So that filled me with hope that we could try and download the images and find the owner. I was easily able to downland the images. The camera still working after an age on the hill and not being rotted is testament to the manufacturer!

The image of the smiling woman in the blue jacket was put on Facebook. A good number of folks got behind the search – it is them I really need to thank as the image was tweeted and shared several hundred times. Even after the first 24 hours had passed there was some interest but by the 8th November I was starting to think about what to do with the camera as no-one came forward.

Then I received an email from someone called Mark C “The person in the photo is my wife”. No way, this is amazing!

“We were skinning up to the ridge to the 1141 spot height when the camera was fumbled and went sliding off at speed into the mist down the flank of Coire an t’Sneachda.”

“Someone posted a link to the facebook page concerning the found camera on UK Climbing today (I don’t do facebook myself), anyway as it was a public image I had a look and low and behold I know the person in the photo (not however the owner) we were all out on the hill ski-touring together the day the camera was lost.”

“I had given this up as long gone a long time ago.”

“I have let the owner know about your facebook page and hopefully he will be in touch. He will be chuffed to bits as he always held out hope it may turn up one day. Thanks a lot for sharing and hopefully reuniting a long lost camera with its owner.”

So we were close but not there yet – Mark recognised his wife but the picture had been taken by someone else!

A few hours later I receive an email from an Austrian called Volker D.

“I believe the camera you found on Cairngorm is mine – lost on an epic day of ski-touring. The photo shows my good friend Diane C.

So now all that remains is to reunite Volker with his camera – I have suggested we meet on Cairngorm. It seems appropriate!

Cloud at 800m, dropping in snow showers.

There was cloud hanging over Loch Morlich as I drove to the old Cairngorm car-park at Coire na Ciste but the car-park was just above the clouds and I had blue skies above me.

I crossed the Allt na Ciste and took the good path on it’s east, climbing the small ridge as I headed south, the going eased by the fact that any boggy sections were frozen solid.

As I got further into the Coire, the sun, which until then had been blinding, just above the horizon, dropped below it and sections of the path became icy. I decided to zigzag up the ridge on my left, quickly gaining height in the snow, emerging near the 1028m spot height at 016 060.

From there, I headed south-westwards, aiming above the Ptarmigan restaurant but doubled back to take in the Cnap Coire na Spreidhe.

I climbed around the top of the ski-lift and continued upwards, meeting the tourist path from the Ptarmigan to the summit.

At the summit, I enjoyed the extensive views and took in the weather station before heading steeply down to the west, the plateau above Coire Raibert being prominant.

There was a short climb to Fiacaill a Choire Chais (?) And then another to Stob Cire an t-Sneachda before a longer climb, away from the edge of the northern corries to Cairn Lochan.

It had taken 3 1/2 hours to reach this point but, rather than returning northwards, there was time to take in Ben Macdui.

I crossed the plateau of Cairn Lochan and then dropped to meet a well-used path between Lochan Buidhe and the March Burn. This path was distinct and after a flat section, climbed towards the summit of Ben Macdui, which I reached 70 minutes after leaving Cairn Lochan, first diverting to take in the 1295m subiduary top.

Ben Macdui has a triangulation pillar, set on top of a summit plinth and it commands extensive views south and west.

The return route was the same as far as Lochan Buidhe, then climbing over the west shoulder of Cairn Lochan to its northern ridge, the path being clear in spite of the snow. Progress was rapid with views west over the Lairig Ghru, northwards across Loch Morlich and back into Coire an Lochan.

Most of the path had been surfaced with sand, stepping stones crossing the rivers. It soon brought me to the Ski Centre, from where I took the road back to the Coire na Ciste car-park.

(Pictures to follow)

Having parked at Balsporran Cottages, at the north end of the Pass of Drumochter, I crossed the river and the railway line and followed the track south-westwards, intending to follow a “Walk Highlands” route.

I soon turned right onto a second track, gaining height north of the Allt Beul an Sporain. The track had an interesting range of surfaces, crushed stone giving way to wire mesh, wooden pickets, sleepers and wet peat.

Soon reaching the ridge linking Creagan Mor to Gael-charn, I turned right along the track which brought me to a point just below the summit, which I reached within 50 minutes of setting out.

I retraced my steps and crossed the bealach towards Gael-charn, seeing a number of mountain hares, already in their winter coats, and hearing a stag from across the hill.

As I climbed the eastern shoulder of the hill, it began to snow more heavily and I could see the herd of deer heading for the ridge in front of me. After a steep climb, I reached the ridge and it was then a gentle walk to the summit, albeit with limited visibility due to the low cloud, earlier views across Loch Ericht having disappeared.

As soon as I began to descend south-west and then south, the views reappeared. The herd of deer also crossed my path again.

After a short spell on the main Allt Coire Fhar path, I took the faint path towards the south-west end of A’Mharconaich. This brought me up to the ridge, in cloud and snow, at the point where a disused boundary fence had once stood.

From there, it was a gentle walk alng the summit plateau, the summit itself lying at the north-east end, the path being clear through the snow.

After that, I once again departed from the recommended route, returning to the fence posts and following them east downhill rather than heading north.

This brought me to the peat bogs in the bealach south-west of An Torc, The Boar. It was an easy walk up its slopes and there were good views back to A’Mharconaich which had now cleared.

There was a steep desent on heather down the northern nose, picking up a stalkers’ track near a telecommunications mast. This led me towards my start point, although a couple of fords were challenging to cross without getting wet. I was passed by a golf buggy, two hind carcases on the back. The last half mile was on the footpath next to the road.

(Pictures to come

Hokey Pokey, that is what I love to call this honeycomb candy. It’s a witchy, Halloween kind of name that honours the season. I guess it comes from the fact that it appears to be made up of poked out holes! It is perfect for Halloween and Bonfire Night too. I will be making a batch for a firework party this weekend as well.

It is so much fun to make, just three simple ingredients and a bit of scientific trickery! Sugar and golden syrup is melted together into a caramel then suddenly aerated with a whoosh of bicarbonate of soda, the bicarb creates hundreds of tiny air pockets in the liquid sugar which, once left to cool and set, leaves a honeycomb texture. The three ingredients, plus the fact that there is no baking involved, means that this is perfect camper van fare.

With one day left until All Hallow’s Eve, we found ourselves half way up Cairn Gorm Mountain on a wet, cold October morning. After a busy couple of weeks hanging around Dundee, we decided to drive up to the Cairngorms for the week. And it is spectacular. The entire landscape has turned golden with the coming of autumn. The forests are a ablaze with colour, in contrast to the mountains above which have a chilly dusting of snow. We have never been up here at this time of year before, it usually looks so green, either that or covered in snow.

The day we arrived, we took a walk around Lock Morlich, which lies at the foot of Cairn Gorm. As the afternoon drew on, the sun got lower and the light was just beautiful, painting the forest on the edge of the loch with warm, golden colour. The air is so clean up here too, every breath feels healthy and reviving.

The clouds rolled in overnight however and we woke up to rain and white clouds. Donning waterproofs, we had a short walk around some small lochans after the Hokey Pokey was set and safely stored. But the rain continued so the rest of the day was mostly spent cosied up in the van, which is all decked out for Halloween. I’ve stretched ‘spider webs’ across the roof {which are driving Chris mad, as he is a bit taller than me and the webs keep attaching to his woolly hat!} and strung up some lights across one of the windows. It gets us in the mood! Not sure if we’ll get any Trick or Treaters but I’ll be prepared with some home-made Hokey Pokey!

Hokey Pokey {recipe by Nigella Lawson, How to be a Domestic Goddess}

a well greased baking sheet, or ideally a silicon mat

• 200 g caster sugar
• 4 tbsp golden syrup
• 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda

Put the sugar and golden syrup in a large saucepan {do not use a non-stick one however as this effects how the sugar crystallizes}. Give it a good stir to combine then remove your spoon. Place over a medium to low flame and gently melt the two together, bring it carefully to the boil, it will bubble rapidly for a bit then calm down as the caramel darkens. Keep your eye firmly on it.

It needs to get to a rich deep orange colour, it should take around 5 minutes or more from the boiling stage. As a guide, you don’t want it to go as dark as maple syrup.

As soon as it reaches this colour, take it off the heat and immediately add the bicarbonate of soda. Rapidly beat it into the caramel, before your eyes it will quadruple in size, quickly tip it out onto the baking sheet or silicon mat. That’s it!

Leave it to completely cool and set. It will harden and should feel dry to the touch.

I have rushed the caramel process before and it left the honeycomb feeling tacky, so take your time and let that caramel get dark enough before adding the bicarb.

Once hard, you can break the hokey pokey up into pieces which you can then cover in melted chocolate if you wish. I used Dairy Milk, for that homemade ‘Crunchie’ experience!

By the way, my silicon mat, as I have mentioned before in a previous post, is one of my absolute favourite kitchen items. It was given to me as a gift and I have found it so useful for so many baking jobs. It is particularly good for making chocolates on, rather than letting them drip set on a wire rack, they can set directly on the silicon and will simply peel off, and have a neat pattern on the bottom too!

Through the ancient pines of Rothiemurchus

Lying 997m above sea level in the Cairngorms National Park lies Loch Corie an Lochain, the highest Loch in Scotland and also the UK. Hearing some rumours about some clear water I planned a mission to go and find out for myself. The only trouble with the remote location is that everything including dive gear, cameras, mountain safety gear, clothes, food, etc had to carried in and out. Not the usual setup for scuba diving where most people flop off a boat or have a short walk from the shore!

Walking through the Rothiemurchus estate and ancient pine forest was a pleasure and the first few hours were enjoyable as the formed path followed the river. After a couple of hours, it was time to get off the track and head straight up the mountain side – the ‘easy’ part had finished! The shortest route followed a stream bed that flows from the corie and started off as heather, rising up to a steep boulder slope. This ascent was energy sapping and with the incline and weight of my pack knowing at me, I was almost at a stage of throwing in the towel.  Thankfully I pressed on the complete the mission!!!

4 hours after starting I reached the Coire bowl, which lies underneath the summit of Braeriach, Scotland’s (and UK’s) third highest mountain at 1296m. The landscape is amazing here as you can look down towards Aviemore through the Glen in one direction and in the other, jagged cliffs of the corie under the snowy peak. It certainly provided for a spectacular dive setting and one very unique in my diving career!

Following a dive in Loch Corie an Lochain, It’s time to pack up and get down the mountain

In addition to the landscape, what is amazing here is the clarity of the water. Originating from snow melt and with no sediment or peat the water, it is amazingly clear. The blue coloration is unheard of in Scotland and is usually restricted to the Pacific or more tropical climes. Granite boulders line the edge and some of these have a bright orange colour, which provide a brilliant contrast against the blue water. There is a trade off however and it’s in the temperature.  The water was a cool 4degrees, which requires serious dive armour and in turn means weight and thankfully I was able to use rocks from the side of the loch to offset the positive buoyancy. The water did seem to be a little lifeless at first but on closer inspection revealed an algal community along with insects such as water boatmen, I would expect there would be a little more in full summer but I’m not so sure any fish would survive the harshness of this environment. Not having much time, I only had around 20min to look around, so I managed to capture some video and stills footage before exiting the water to face an icy wind in which to get changed.

Once packed up again, with the all laden water in the neoprene, the total weight must have increased a good 5-10kg. Initially the thought of being downhill from here on was an advantage (and gave me some much needed motivation). However the increased pressure from the weight pulling you off-balance was an added factor to deal with but I picked a better route for the descent and I was glad to reach the formed land rover track at the bottom. The return journey was a little quicker and I was accompanied by the setting sun and beauty of the national park, reaching the car on dark. 25km’s for 9hours total time….some folk say I’m mad but there are some amazing places to discover- you just have to make the effort to explore them!

I’ve never seen water this colour in Scotland before??! An orange granite boulder lies on the bottom of Loch Coire an Lochain

Basecamp in the Glenlivet Estate

From the village of Tomintoul itself you head North East up either the B9008 or the B9136 towards the village of Glenlivet. This is the upper Spey valley – a world of fertile valleys, upland heather moor and whisky distilleries, lots and lots of whisky distilleries (about 15 just within this small area).

Miles of estate tracks

There are also bike trails on the Glenlivet Estate. Apparently they are building some singletrack mountain bike trails there but for now it’s just waymarked loops on estate roads with small touches of singletrack path - the riding is not very exciting but it’s the best way of exploring the landscape (as the paths would be really dull to walk). We choose a 20km route which had a bit of climbing and the highest % of off-road.

Braes of Glenlivet distillery

Mid-way though the ride there was a ‘spur’ marked to the ‘Scalan Seminary’. We had no idea what that was but the weather was good and the riding easy so we went to explore.

Scalan Seminary

It was the strangest place. Totally off the road network, surrounded by grazing sheep, and not a person to be found, but a sign saying ‘Scalan College 1716-1799′ and ‘open’. We looked inside and found a whole little exhibition about the place with leaflets for sale… in the absolute middle of nowhere. You can read all about it here, it’s a fascinating place with an amazing history – what a hidden gem!

Catholic Church – Our Lady of Perpetual Succour

So I’ve finally got round to writing pieces about both, giving each a page.

I’ve also reorganised the site slightly, so that where the navigation bar along the top had a section for Corrour Bothy, it now says ‘Cairngorm bothies‘. Hover over that and you’ll see a drop-down menu with Corrour and Bob Scott’s both listed; hover over them and you’ll see each has a sub-page – in the case of Corrour it leads to a gallery of images, in the case of Bob Scott’s it leads to a page about Bob himself.

Eventually I plan to have pages about each of the Cairngorm bothies in this section, but that’s a long-term goal. In the meantime, click onto the Bob Scott’s pages and enjoy learning about a legendary bothy and the legendary man behind it.

The Bob Scott’s Bothy page is here – http://cairngormwanderer.wordpress.com/the-bothies/bob-scotts-bothy/

And a biog of Bob Scott himself is here – http://cairngormwanderer.wordpress.com/the-bothies/bob-scotts-bothy/bob-scott-the-man/