Easter Sunday ... and a slither of a weather window opened between a Saturday of heavy rain and a Monday with more yellow snow warnings.
I made the most of the sunny..calm ..but bitter cold day by taking my small F-Rib and 6HP outboard to Loch Leven.
These two videos tell my tale ..and what a stunning day it was ...
This is a rough route Map
And this is the data from my on board black box
I used 6 litres of fuel and 1 litre of hot coffee from a flask .. to travel the 33 miles
This is the third and final part of my Grey Man adventure reminiscing my younger days wandering the Galloway Hills. It was a beautiful couple of days in one of my favourite wildernesses in Scotland ... and its in Southern Scotland..not the distant North.
Here are a few photos from my walk round The Merrick. Its always a tough hike in that area as paths are few..the ground is boggy.. and grass grows into tough tufts nicknamed "Dougals" (after the hairy dog Dougal from the" Magic Roundabout" TV series for kids of my generation)
The Merrick from the summit of Benyellery
The summit cairn of The Merrick
Last of the winter's snow for this year ... on The Merrick (I hope?)
The islands of Loch Enoch..with its "Loch within a Loch" (The small loch on the island)
And the star of my story "The Grey Man" of the Merrick himself
Finally .. here is the video .. hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed getting the footage and telling the tale.
Below is part two of my weekend visit to Glen Trool. It give a brief introduction why I enjoy living out my car when I can during the summer.
There are clips of a large raptor included in the video..and I'm not sure if it was an eagle or big buzzard ?
The tail looks too fan shaped for a Golden Eagle ..and the wings not wide enough for a Sea Eagle ..but I'm also reasonably certain it was too big for a buzzard but size can be deceptive at height.
It had something in its beak and I notice it drops a part of whatever its scoffing (You can perhaps see it in HD too) Anyhoo..if anyone more familiar with birds with bent beaks could ID it for me ..it would be appreciated
As well as starting my boating season early this year ... I also intend following my "gypsy life" of living out my car ..early this year too.
This is part one of my first foray way in the car. I always forget stuff so it was only a short break ..to the Galloway Hills .. a place that is very close to my heart ..having visited it many times as a younger man.
I was looking forward to seeing sights from my past.. and I was not disappointed .. but some recent changes were hard to accept. The clearing of the forests I played in as a youngster inspired the story to this part of my adventure.
Hope you enjoy the video ..it illustrates things better than I can with words alone
I had another great day on the water in my little F-Rib. This time I visited Loch Fyne ..and ..boy ..was it cold first thing in the morning.. as you will see from the video.. but as time wore on.. temperatures rose to freezing point and it felt a bit warmer. In fact ..when stopped and sitting in the sun.. it was positively balmy :-D
Here is a small map of my route
And this is the data from the box of tricks I carry on my boating adventures
But this is the best part .. my movie of the day "Breaking Ice on Loch Fyne"
My thanks to Kaman and Sea pup Fang for their company on the day.
Those who know me from old will know its been an early start for my boating season. Its because my health has improved this year after my liver treatment.
So ... I'm also starting my gypsy life of roaming the country and living out my car early too.. well..at least for this weekend.
I'm heading for the hills to visit an old man I know ..who lives alone ..miles from anywhere. I like to visit him around this time of year. You will have to wait for my return and the movie to find out where I'm going though.
Poor weather was giving me "cabin fever" and keeping me indoors.
Eventually the snow and rain stopped for a few hours so I went for a short walk to see "The Spout of Craighorn" ..sometimes called Glenwhinnel Falls as its on the Glenwhinnel Burn in the Ochil Hills.
Its the highest fall that I have found in the Ochoils and I have seen almost every square yard of the hills as they are only a mile or so from my house.
This is a photo I took of the falls in a summer visit ..it is worth the walk..but its a steep slope to access them so care is required
It was not a summers day in this video..it was a bitter cold March day ..but it was still worth the visit
I have also include a walk along the "Miners Path" to access Ben Cleuch. I posted it on my You tube channel a couple of weeks ago but I forgot to add it to my blog..so here is that video for those that missed it.
Following on from my Loch Goil adventure in part one.. here is part two of my cold day afloat. I slept like a log when I got home too. Its put me in the notion for more boat trips..but I will have to wait until the winds drop again.
More subtle signs that spring is not so far away now ...is the lighter mornings and longer evenings. Some days almost feel warm when the sun shines. Perhaps that is what lured me to get my small F-Rib boat out on the water ..or perhaps it was my brother Douglas asking if I wanted to meet up for a day on the Firth of Clyde.
A quick check of the weather forecast predicted winds on 1 mph gusting to 5 mph and from the south. Temperatures around 8 degrees C at midday ..and tides to suit recovery. I contacted a friend with another inflatable boat and he was keen to get his pup used to going in boats .. so it was a perfect opportunity.
Some photos of our day out .. myself in the F-Rib powered by a 6HP Outboard .
My brother Douglas in his kayak powered by a 6FT long Greenland paddle .
And some other kayaking friends we rendez-vous'ed with at Garroch Head ..the tip of the Island of Bute
Here is the three part video I made of the full day on the water ..and what a great day it was
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Hope you enjoy the adventure.. and thanks for watching
Its been a great year for snow on the hills. It started for me in November last year and the hills are still getting fresh snow almost every other day. However its not good hill walking snow. Its soft and deep making it very difficult to walk through. It doesn’t stop me enjoying my hill walks but I have been sticking to my local Ochil Hills and keeping the walk length to six or seven miles.
Hopefully once the snow settles and consolidated I will get to the higher tops and longer walks. Im in no hurry to get there though.
Here is my latest video of a strenuous walk in the Ochils
And below is a previous video I posted when a warmer spell of weather hit the Ochils .. fooling me into thinking spring was in the air. Its not far off .. but there will be more cold fronts before the daffodils appear.
Hey..just a note to say I have not fallen into a deep sleep again.
I have been quietly hibernating as the recent bad weather hits our hills. On the occasional nice day between the blizzards ..the snow was too deep and soft for my liking .. so I headed into town instead.
Although I'm over sixty years of age ..Im not at state pension age yet. As such ..I live on savings and a small work pension. Money can be tight after Xmas ..just like most folks find out.
Also ..for me .. being happily retired is not a life of lazing .. and can be hard work.
I need to keep myself occupied and my brain working every day .. to enjoy a happy retirement. So look for ways to meet my needs which don't cost the earth. I try to use my over 60s bus pass at least once a week. Why drive the car when I get free travel ?
This post is about one of my favourite free days out walking. I think of it as a "Day of Culture in the City"
My day starts with catching the Citylink bus to Glasgow ..then walking around the city centre..along the Clyde and then visiting free admission places of Culture :-D
Its a short video so I didn't have enough space left to include some of the photos I took.
Example ..I sat on the steps outside the Glasgow Concert Hall ..eating my Gregg's lunch of pie and coffee ..while listening to a talented Glasgow Busker singing his heart out.
All enjoyable entertainment that doesn't cost the earth.
I was also a little disappointed to see some of my favourite Graffiti murals have gone. The five faces under the bridge on the Broomielaw are no longer there ..but that's the nature of Graffiti art. I have my photos to remember them by.
So without any more rambling from me..here is my video that tells this story ...
Although I love pounding hill paths ... I sometimes need a change and go walking elsewhere.
I always enjoy a walk in Stirling Castle .. which is at the top of the town where I live. I like to visit it at least once a year as there is always something new to be found.
Not much more to be said .. as I told my tale in the video.
As with most my videos .. it tells a slightly quirky story. Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed collecting the footage and assembling it in the U Tube video.
The day after my dull day on Dumyat ... the forecast promised a high pressure area over Scotland. Clear blue sky and no wind. It was Sunday .. so I suspected everyone would be in the countryside walking off holiday season blues.
From my viewpoint on Dumyat I had noticed a fresh fall of snow on the hills. I decided to keep away from the high tops as I knew walking would be tough in deep soft snow. It takes a few thaws and re freezes before the snow would consolidate enough for walking on without sinking up to my knees.
I still looked forward to a walk so chose a low top. Ben A'An is described as "The wee mountain with the big views". Its in the heart of the Trosssachs ..so only a 30 minute drive from my house.
I was up before dawn ..as I knew this hill would be busier than the high street the week before Xmas. It was ..people were like a trail of ants heading up the path to see the views. But none of them saw what I saw ?
The moon seen from my house just before driving to The Trosssachs. It was a freezing cold clear sky day.
The moment the sun started to appear just below the horizon
It cast a lovely pink alpenglow on the far horizon
Then touched the hills and trees with a golden glow
Poor Weather since the holidays was giving me Cabin Fever. I find I have to get out and about to stop life getting dull.
A walk up Dumyat .. (pronounced Dum-eye-it ) always brightens my day ..even on a busy Saturday Morning. Everyone was enjoying the morning out after the days of rain. Its my local hill ..five minutes from the house.
Dumyat is my local hill ..five minutes from the house...and I clamber it many times a month. It keeps me hill fit.
