A repair job with an unfortunate twist.

Last Summer I took a trip to Scotland to walk some of the Loch Quoich Munro’s (see here and here). The weather forecast was looking good so I decided to fulfil a long held ambition to camp near the loch side. My brother Tony was also making the trip so it seemed like a good idea to give my Terra Nova Voyager an airing. The Voyager is a great little tent, but has only had two nights use since I bought by mistake, but more of that another time.

On the last night of our trip we made a stealth camp on the shores of Loch Eil, where the midges were particularly bad. Having zipped up the tent we started to murder the little blighters that had managed to follow us in, but it seemed to be taking longer than usual!

It was then that we noticed that one of the seams above the door had split, and the midges were pouring through the hole. A piece of gaffer tape solved the immediate problem, but I’d have to contact Terra Nova to find out how to get it fixed.

On returning home I phoned Terra Nova in Derbyshire and explained the problem of the split seam. I was really unsure what their response would be, because although my Voyager had only been used for a total of five nights, I'd originally bought it in 2007.

Sharron Brogdale in Customer Services at Terra Nova was very helpful, and said if I returned the inner tent to them, they would assess the damage and if they thought it was due to a manufacturing or material fault they would effect a repair free of charge, providing I provided proof of purchase.

Family illness and other responsibilities meant that the return of the Voyager kept slipping down my jobs to do list, until finally I decided to combine a day out in the Peak District with a visit to the Terra Nova factory.

Unfortunately Sharron was involved warehouse reorganisation and wasn’t available when I called at the Terra Nova offices. So I left my Voyager inner complete with my customer return form and proof of purchase with the receptionist, who agreed to hand it to Sharron later in the day. Happy that my Voyager was in good hands, I spent an enjoyable day in Derbyshire and returned home.

A few weeks passed with no word from Terra Nova so I decided to give them a call, it transpired that Sharron was on holiday, but one of her colleagues (also called Sharron) said the repairs department had a backlog of repairs due to the reorganisation, and the Voyager was in still the queue We agreed the best course of action was for me to telephone Sharron if I hadn’t heard any news in the next couple of weeks.

On the 7^th December I received an email from Sharron Brogdale agreeing to repair the Voyager free of charge if I provided proof of purchase, otherwise I would cost £21.00. I rang Sharron with mixed emotions, pleased that I was at last going have the tent repaired and for free, but slightly vexed that in spite of providing proof of purchase when I delivered the voyager, they seemed to have either lost it or forgotten they’d received it. Grrr!

After a quick chat, Sharron agreed to repair the Voyager FOC and said she would try to have it back to me before Christmas.
It was Christmas Eve when I heard a knock on the front door, it was our friendly postman bearing a parcel, it didn’t look like the present I’d ordered online for the wife what could it be? I eagerly tore off the wrapping to find my repaired Voyager, yippee! After a quick examination, the repair looked quite good, so I email Sharron to advise her that my tent has arrived home safely.

Christmas came and went in a blur, in the lull that is the couple of days between Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve, I decided to pitch the Voyager inner in the lounge, to check how the repair looked under tension. Well it looked ok, but the middle strap that connects the front pole sleeve to the inner tent wasn’t central, and at first glance I couldn’t see what was wrong!
After some head scratching, I spotted the problem,one of the straps attaching the inner tent to the pole sleeve had been twisted during in the repair, this was causing the inner tent to pull to one side.

I left it a few days to allow my irritation to subside, before emailing Sharron with a couple of photographs of the botched repair, and asking for her advice on the quickest way to sort out the problem. She promptly replied apologising for the mistake, and asked me to return the inner tent to Terra Nova, so she could arrange to have it repaired (haven't I been here before)?
I posted the tent immediately and the following day (4^th January); the Royal Mail tracking system advised me that the Voyager had arrived safely at Terra Nova HQ. All I could do now was sit back and wait.

A week later I recieved an email from Sharron saying my tent was repaired, and would be dispatched the following day, she also apologised again for the inconvenience I had experienced.
On the 13^th January the Voyager (quite aptly named) returned home again, this time the repair looked ok, also included in the package was a can of zip lubrication, to cover the costs of posting the tent for a second time.

So what do I think of Terra Nova’s customer service?

Well, if you ignore the botched repair and the irritation of being asked for proof of purchase when I’d already supplied it, I think it’s great! The people are friendly and helpful, they answer emails promptly and they do things when they say they will. Maybe I was just unfortunate that my repair coincided with their warehouse reorganisation, but whatever the cause, it was very annoying and frustrating

Fortunately the quality of their products probably means I won’t have to use their repair service again, but if I do I will certainly check there are no reorganisations taking place first!

Cairngorm Konkordiaplatz

I took a trip to the Cairngorms last week, it was probably the most driving I've ever done for short stay in the hills, but it turned out to be memorable, in more ways than one!

I was rather late starting off, as I decided to visit Mum who is not too well, before heading northwards. Even after a reasonable drive up, it was still mid evening when I pulled on to the vast car park at the Glenshee Ski Station (the last place I can get a mobile signal).

I rang home and the news wasn’t particularly good, so instead of my planned camp by White Bridge, I decided to stealth camp near the entrance to Baddenock, enabling me to call home again the following morning before setting off into the hills.

It was quite a cloudy and overcast evening, and in my in my rush to set up I managed to put the Laser Comp bang on top of a rock, which didn’t bode well for a good nights rest. I was particularly grumpy, as I’d done my usual lie on the tent footptint to check the ground, but obviously not thoroughly enough.

I actually slept better than expected, having found a way of levelling out the rock with my Paramo top and two pairs of socks. It was quite cool as I packed up before driving to the Ski Centre to phone home. Things were looking slightly better on the parental front, so I carried on to the Linn of Dee where I parked in the National Trust Car Park.

As I set off, I met a couple with a dog who were going to climb Ben Macdui. Intrigued by their large rucksacks which must have been at least 70 and 120 litres respectively, I asked where they were intending to camp. They replied “oh were not camping, were just out for a day walk, but like to be equipped for any situation”. The mind boggles as what situation they could meet, which would necessitate such large rucksacks.

Unusually I had no fixed plan of what I might do, in truth, I was still trying to convince myself I should be here at all rather than back at home. Anyway I digress, my first objective today was the White Bridge, and then I would either continue along the west bank of the river Dee towards the Lairig Ghru, or take the track towards Glen Tilt and maybe visit the Tarf Hotel.

The Land Rover track to White Bridge passes through some lovely countryside with views of the river and hints of the mountains to come.

When I arrived at the White Bridge I found it occupied by three Scots mountain bikers who were doing a circular trip, starting at Blair Athol, with overnights at Tomintoul and Braemar SYHA’s. They were in excellent spirits and after a few minutes friendly banter, they set of towards their car at Blair Athol, and I took the Glen Dee track. The landscape was now changing quite quickly, the river which had been wide and shallow was becoming narrower and deeper, and the hills were closing in.

Beinn Bhrotain had been in view for sometime, but as the path followed the river round to the right, Devils Point, Cairn Toul and the peaks beyond started to show themselves.

By now the sky was becoming increasingly cloudy, giving the hills an austere look in the flat light. What a wonderful place this is!

Today I was making hard work of the walk, my thoughts kept drifting home, and my rucksack, at 9.8 Kg including 2 days food and 1 litre of water, was heavier than normal. If I’d been more careful packing, I’m sure I could have reduced the weight by a couple of kilo’s, but hadn’t and now I was suffering for it!

Plan A, was to climb Beinn Bhrotain and Monadh Mor then descend to Loch nan Stuirteag to camp for the night, but as I reached the cairn which marks start of the ascent path, my heart wasn’t in it and I’m not sure my legs were up to it either.

So I ambled onwards up Glen Dee, whilst thinking about Plan B, which was to follow the Geusachan Burn to Loc nan Stuiteag, wild camp tonight, and worry about what to do tomorrow, tomorrow.

I wondered on lost in private thought, drinking in the wild grandeur of the place, if ever I needed proof that the long drive north was worth the effort, this was it!

At the confluence of the Geusachan Burn and the River Dee I stopped for a break. The views here are superb, and as I sat alone, there was an atmosphere that reminded me of the Konkordiaplatz in the Swiss Alps. It must be magical here on a starry winter’s night when the snow is deep on the ground.

Whilst eating lunch I began to review Plan B, did I really feel able to go for two days without checking things back home or should I do something else? Well I know from recent visits to Ben Macdui phone signals are hard to come by around here, so I decided on Plan C. Which was to camp on the east side of the River Dee hopefully with similar views to what I had now, and experience a night in this wonderful location, then make for Glenshee and a good phone signal tomorrow.

As it was only mid afternoon I thought it would be nice to a look at the refurbishments carried out to Corrour Bothy, before looking for a camping spot.

Unfortunately the Geusachan Burn barred my route. After sometime spent prowling along the river bank looking for a suitable crossing place, I came to the conclusion it was going to be a boots off job. Now endless hours of enjoyment can be gained from boulder hopping across a river, but wading, through cold water is not my idea of fun. So chin up, boots and socks off, boots back on again, undo rucksack straps, take a deep breath and off we go. Yippee! What seemed like seconds later, I’m sat on the far bank thinking, that wasn’t too bad, water quite warm, current steady and not too deep, what was the fuss all about.

There is an absence of footpaths on this side of the river so I worked my way around the base of Devils Point, before dropping down to the bridge over River Dee to pick up the track across the peat bog to Corrour Bothy. The Bothy refurbishments have really made a difference, when I was last here fifteen years ago the place was very uninviting. It now seems much larger, there is a sleeping platform, internal timber cladding, and even an environmentally friendly loo. The MBA have done a great job.

After a poke around the bothy I walked back to the bridge across River Dee, then began to make my way along the track towards Derry Lodge, whilst keeping an eye open for somewhere to pitch the tent. The ground is not camper friendly here; it’s either, too boggy, too steep, too tussocky or covered in heather. I did find one reasonable pitch on top of an exposed on hummock, but I wasn’t sure the Laser Comp would cope if the wind picked up during the night.  

It was beginning to look as if I would have to abandon my plans to camp in my Cairngorm Konkordiaplate and either return along Glen Dee albeit on the other river bank or make for Derry Lodge. In the end I foolishly decided on Derry Lodge.

When the path reaches the Luibeg Burn you have a choice, either straight ahead and cross via the stepping stones or cross the Luibeg Bridge about three hundred metres upstream. I chose the latter because I’d crossed via the stepping stones last year after descending from Cairn a’ Mhaim, and fancied a change this time. The bridge is ok, but I found the track very boggy, so I would only chose the bridge in future if the river was in spate.

It was about now the day started to go downhill, having escaped the bog fest which is the path to Luibeg Bridge, I noticed that the breeze had disappeared completely and there seemed to be the odd midge about. Paying the little blighters no attention I wondered on through the trees enjoying the early evening until I arrived at Derry Lodge.

I was just congratulating myself that I had the place to myself, when the little biters struck, there were millions of them before I could put my rucksack down my hands and shirt were black with the raging hoards. Fortunately (or so I thought) I’d put my head net in my pocket. So it was head net on, tent up, water bottles filled boots off, and inside the tent for the night.

The tent was infested with the midges that had followed me in before I could zip up the door, so I spent the next ten minutes squashing the little blighters, before putting on a brew.

Normally I wouldn’t dream of having the gas stove inside the tent, but tonight the porch was swarming with midges so I wasn’t opening the inner tent door for anything, or any body.

By the time I got the tent organised and had my tea it was getting dark so with nothing to read and no possibility of looking at the view I decided on an early night.

I had an excellent nights sleep, but when I woke there was not a breath of wind and the hoards were still occupying the porch. As I was eating breakfast I realised just how much I missed the not being able to use the porch. Normally in addition to my boots and walking poles, I cook in the porch and store rubbish bag, water bottles, stove and billie, but with the raging hoards of midges this was not possible, so today the tent felt cramped.

The lack of space however was not excuse for the extra clutter, I’m usually very tidy when camping, but this morning I was in a real mess!

I was packed and ready to go by eight o’clock, the only thing left to do was put on my boots, empty my water bottles and take down the tent. Smothered in Avon Skin So Soft and head net on, I was ready to do battle.!

I exited the tent at speed, the midges where everywhere, they covered my hands and windshirt they covered my socks and they even covered the inside of my boots before I could put them on. I empted and packed my water bottles dropped the tent and put it in my rucksack then ran for my life. What made it worse was my Sea to Summit head net, was no use at all. The mesh was too large and even with the net tucked in side my windshirt and the hood up, they were still getting in.

I must have made an very amusing site charging around in circles, trying to avoid the little blighters whilst stuffing the tent in its bag.

I always enjoy the walk back to the car  after a night spent at Derry Lodge, it gives me chance to review my trip, and start to think about the journey home.

There was smoke rising from the chimney of Bob Scots Bothy, so I called in and had a very interesting chat with a group from the Czech Republic, a couple of them had lived and worked in Edinburgh for three years, the rest were on holiday.

By now the fine rain had stopped and as I emerged from the trees the steady breeze was blowing banishing the midges from the walk back to the car.

I arrived back at the car just after 11am, had I really only left the car park 26 hours ago?
It seemed a far longer ago than that, time to find a phone signal then make my way home.

What's your most useless item of gear?

My most useless item of gear is my Sea to Summit Head Net.

I bought it from a shooting and fishing shop, I think it was in Blairgowrie; it cost less than a fiver, weighed 28g and seemed just the job for wild camping.

The guy said he’d sold loads of them to his regular customers who swore by them.

Well I’ve been swearing at it!

The first time I used it, I was suspicious that the odd midge was getting through the mesh, but I wasn’t really quite sure. Recently I camped at Derry Lodge where the midges were probably the worst I’ve ever experienced them, so on when the Sea to Summit Head Net. Now I’m really sure, it was useless; dozens of midges flew straight through it!!!!!

At first I thought they were getting in via the neck opening, but even after re-tightening the draw cord, tucking the net inside my windproof and putting the hood up, they still kept getting through the mesh in front of my face.

They drove me to distraction, and by the time I’d packed up the tent and started walking I was bitten dozens of times. Despite the fact I’d taken the precaution of packing everything except my tent, before I emerged into the mayhem outside.

So, my most is my most useless item of gear is my Sea to Summit Head Net, what’s yours?

Loch Quoich Part 2.

The evening was spent cooking supper, dodging midges, and searching for a decent pitch for the Voyager. We eventually settled for a spot on a small humpy piece of ground close to the bridge, not ideal but attracting a gentle breeze which kept the midges at bay whilst we set up camp. 

The next morning was warm and sunny, but unfortunately windless so the tent porch was filled with midges, as it was quite early we decided to give it an hour to see if an early morning breeze would drive the little blighters away. No such luck! An hour later there were clouds of midges everywhere so we dashed to the car and drove along the loch side searching for a windy spot that would enable us to breakfast in peace.

Today we had decided to climb Gleouraich and Spidean Mialach, another good stalkers path was promised by the guide book and we weren’t disappointed. It starts opposite the car park by a large estate sign, and is easily followed up the southwest ridge until it terminates at a very elaborate shooting butt. A less distinct path climbs the last few hundred metres to the top. The day was hot with very little wind and our legs were still carrying the fatigue from yesterdays outing, never the less we arrived at the summit in just few minutes over book time, which was very good considering the amount of time we’d spend looking at the view.

The walk along the ridge to our second Munro of the day Spidean Mialach was super with great views in all directions. The path is easy most of the way, although the drop down to the Fiar Bhealaich is steep enough to require all of your concentration.  

By this time our out of condition legs were feeling pretty tired and the last slopes up to Spidean Mialach proved a bit of a trial.

We spent almost an hour on the top, resting our tired legs and drinking in the views, before picking up the faint descent path which starts just a couple of metres to the east  of the summit. Although its hard to follow at times, the path continues all the way back to the road, which it joins just a short distance from the car park. Another spectacular day in the hills, this really is Scotland at its very best!