I recorded a few videos on the challenge, none very exciting. I really wish I had done more but was unsure how the camera battery would last. All veyr boring but they’re embeded below anyway. I’d recommend you check out Phils videos a few have me in (oh no), like this.

View from tent at dawn

The last few weeks I don’t seem to of had any time to sit and relax, read and enjoy life other than when out walking. Once I’ve got back home I’ve either been working or planning the next trip. I need to write a post about how the gear performed on the WHW and the other walks I’ve done recently, but that may take a while to write.

No fish today

Last weekend I went to Newton Stewart and the Galloway hills to meet up with Phil while he did some walks for Walk Highlands. To find out more about that you should read Phils blog. The area is a relatively ignored gem with most walkers heading north to the bigger hills, the place appeared deserted other than a large mountain biking event. We tried our Tenkara fishing rods on the Sunday, unfortunately you cant fish rivers in Scotland on Sunday. So we made do with a loch, which is not what the Tenkara is designed for. The picture at the top is from our (un)wild camp, not far from Castle Douglas. The second is returning to the cars with no fish.

The Cobbler & Beinn Narnain from WHW

This weekend I am off on my own to walk the Arrochar Munros, along with the Cobbler on Saturday possibly with a wildcamp near Ben Vane. Then Sunday a drive around Loch Lomond to walk Ben Lomond, which is unfinished business from my West Highland Way trip (didn’t take Ice axe & crampons).

Easter weekend I am intending to return again to Scotland for the third week in a row, but this time head further north to Sutherland. The aim is to walk Suilven, nothing is planned yet for this trip so unsure of any details or other hills.

Looking even further ahead there’s the trip to Finland with Phil again for a pre TGO challenge warmup. Hendrik very kindly invited us over and is being our guide to the amazing place, I can’t wait. Then of course there’s the TGO Challenge from mid May. Another weekend walking will be fitted in somewhere before Finland, but I really do need to spend at least one weekend at home doing some work around the house and garden. If only I didn’t have to go to work, hmm..

There are 2 other things being planned so far, in September I have taken 2 weeks off to walk the Wainwright Coast to Coast with my dad. This is an amazing walk through 3 national parks, initially I wasn’t sure and was intending to do the Cape Wrath Trail but the more I look at the Wainwright route, the more I wish I was going tomorrow.

The final thing I’m trying to decide upon is what to do for my birthday in June, I only have the weekend. The Welsh 3000′s is a possibility, although not sure I want to do it in 24 hours. For some reason I’ve never walked in Wales and there are several hills I chomping at the bit to walk there. Any suggestions though on something I could walk/do in a weekend (19th & 20th) would be welcome.

This really is the last paragraph, I made a list a couple of weeks ago with several hills/places I want to try to walk this year. I wont post the entire list, most would appear on the majority of UK to do lists…Buachaille Etive Mor, Suilven, St Sunday Crag, Snowdon, Cadair Idris, Aonach Eagach, etc…

Just in time for my walk up the West Highland Way, Mother nature has decided she would like to make it a bit harder for me. The West Highland area of Scotland has seen whiteouts and blizzards for the last 36 hours. Contrary to popular belief I’m not entirely stupid (generally anyway) and will scale back some of my plans if need be.

My plans include walking up Ben Lomond and further North, Beinn an Dothaidh. The current conditions will make walking hard enough at valley level and I would be stupid to even attempt to head in either Munros direction.

The chart above displays the Avalanche risk on the mountains in the Glencoe area from the Scotland Avalanche Information Service, their site explains the colours but basically Red isn’t good.

Checking the Met Office & MWIS for Sunday onwards, it shows the weather is improving and by Tuesday when I will be making my decision on going up Ben Lomond or not it says:

“Northeasterly 25 to 30mph, but risk of 40mph gusts 55mph, most likely within and near Loch Lomond NP.
Will impede walking on higher areas – with risk of considerable buffeting, particularly toward the south, with severe wind chill.”

This is too far ahead to make any decision, long range weather forecasts aren’t always reliable. At the moment I wouldn’t be walking any Munros. I want to complete the West Highland Way on foot, not by mountain rescue.

Met Office Glencoe (Friday)

Over the last day I’ve been glued to the Kingshouse Hotels live webcam watching the snow go from about an inch to what the picture below now shows:

I do nearly all of these!

I’ve just watched Alex: A Passion For Life after reading about it on Peewiglets blog. Its about a young man with Cystic Fibrosis who’s ambition is to conduct the St Matthew Passion. There was a program a couple of years ago about him, which I never saw. This is defintely worth watching to see someone with serious health problems but determined to not let them get in his way. He puts most of us to shame.

I’ve always loved maps, when I was 10 I can remember getting my geography booklet out of the cupboard at school and completing it because I couldn’t wait until the following week to answer the questions on maps. I’m not quite sure why I like them but I do.

I mentioned in a previous post that I had a mini project to create something to mount  maps to the wall. I haven’t done this yet, because I ordered another 2 maps. I already listed the Munro & Corbett chart but I also ordered the Long Distance Path Chart, unfortunately there’s a 1-3 week wait on it.

Maybe I need a bigger wall to put this lot on:

Anyway I spent an hour or so leaning over another map on my dining table today, the Ben Nevis OS 41. This covers Fort William, Glen Nevis & Glen Coe. If the weather isn’t too bad (don’t mind some rain) then I should be heading that direction next week. I have an idea of where I would like to walk, but don’t want to say and not do it again. I cancelled the idea of the Bob Graham round, because this will be the only full weeks holiday I will have for a few months and I can get to the Lake District any weekend.

I’m on holiday for 2 weeks, so far I’ve just spent the weekend sleeping and doing very little. I’ve been thinking of doing a longish distance walk but can’t decide what to do, especially with the weather looking a bit iffy.

So that I get out and not sit on my arse I decided Monday and Tuesday I’d go for some day walks with my dad. Tomorrow I’m off for a fairly short 7.5 mile walk from Eggleston, which was in Country Walking a couple of years ago.

I will decide tomorrow where I’m going on Tuesday.

I’m still toying with the idea of doing the West Highland Way but really I have left it a bit late to sort stuff out for it (maybe an excuse). My dad said he would do it next spring with me, but not sure I will have the holiday time with other things I have planned for the year.

I have loads of little jobs to do and various computer projects I should be getting on with. My mind has has been working overtime recently thinking about Zippymap ideas (needs a rename).

My first small project will be to create some frames/backs for my hill bagging charts. I’ve got a Wainwright, Mountains of England & Wales and soon Munro & Corbett charts. Which I want to put a wooden back on each and hang like a picture rather than blue tacking to the wall (just painted the walls). I also want some sort of pin board that I can add pictures or things that give me ideas, but don’t really like those cork or green/blue fabric things.

The picture above shows lava from Anak Krakatau taken by Marco Fulle. Please check out more pictures at full size either in the daily mail article or on Swisseduc.  There only appears to be a couple of articles about the eruption, so people can’t be very concerned at the moment. As a coincidence I just watched the BBCs Supervolcano , a 2 part factual based drama for the second time. If you can find it, watch it.

Who knows maybe were are going to have a Supervolcano eruption in 2012, when the Mayan calendar ends?

Sometimes pictures are better than words!