The wettest May for years.

The last two weeks have been really frustrating, I’d planned a visit to Bridge of Orchy and Rannoch Moor for a few days wild camping and Munro bagging, but the weather has been absolutely dreadful. Constant high winds and rain across Scotland, meanwhile my NeoAir and Golite Jam remain unused. In desperation I’ve even had the maps out for Wales and the Lakes in the hope of grabbing a quick overnight, but the weather has been just as bad there.

So I’ve been spending my spare time following some of the TGO mobile bloggers, see here, here and here. They seem to have been experiencing the weather I’ve been trying to avoid; even Ron Bloomquist in the USA has had to call a halt to his 70^th Adventure until the weather improves.

Wake for the Wild update.

Unfortunately due to family circumstances, I was unable to make the 800 mile round trip to attend the Wake for the Wild protest. Click here to read Chris Townsend report on the event.

He refers to the "Wake for the Wild" notices posted by the Dumnglass Estate, which asked protesters "not to disturb nesting birds and to avoid damage to the ground".  

What breathtaking arrogance!

Wake for the Wild.

To day is the day of the “Wake for the Wild “ walk. Alan Sloman and a group of people will carry a coffin from Errogie, via Dunmaglass Lodge to the site of the Dunmaglass Windfarm.
To find out more via Alan’s Blog.

TGO Challenge 2011

All those lucky enough to have  an entry for the 2011 TGO Challenge, will be setting off during the next couple of days. You can follow the daily progress of nine challengers via Spot Tracker. Phil of Lightweight Outdoors fame is also being tracked real time; see the Live Tracking link on his website..

Have a safe trip guys, here’s hoping the weather improves.

Wind farms love them or hate them?

Wind farms you either love them or hate them, but do you know the facts about their cost, generating output and efficiency? I don’t, but I’ve come across a guy who does. Whilst not immune to colourful rhetoric, Alan Sloman the well known walker and blogger, is doing a brilliant job collecting together the real facts about wind farms. Click here, to find out all you ever wanted to know about the subject. If you weren't worried about the loss of our wild places, you will be after seeing the the map entitled  The Monadhliath Ring of Steel. Its a real eye opener.

Hill tracks destruction.

During my recent trip to Scotland I was shocked by the resurfacing and widening of some hill tracks, on Monday I had the dubious pleasure of climbing Geal - charn Mor, the destruction taking place on along the Burma Road is a complete disgrace!

Tomorrow we have the opportunity to make our voice heard, before you put a cross on your ballot paper, be sure you know where your favoured candidate stands on the destruction of our wild places by wind farms, power lines and hill tracks.

You can also make your voice heard at the hill tracks campaign.

Great weekend.

 

I’ve just returned from a great weekend, walking in the Monadhliath. We climbed the two Munro’s Geal Charn, and Carn Dearg, and two Corbett’s, Carn an Fhreiceadain, Carn an Fhreiceadain. Brilliant sunshine, good company and excellent food made it a weekend to remember.