hike | camp | paint
Rain falls during the night, not unexpectedly given I'm in the Motherland of Rain, and does little to speed my leaping joyously out of bed. I lay and doze, listening to the geese overhead, the song birds somewhere near, and the patter of precipitation closer still. Even so, it's a relatively early start at 08:35, … Continue reading TGO Challenge 2017: Day 3 – Raincoat Hokey Cokey
A decent night's sleep is had, despite some snoring from the room's other occupant, and so much so that we're late to rise. We're also slow to breakfast and slow to set off. Basically we're slow in every way conceivable. Just as we seem to be making progress towards starting the day's walk, Howard and … Continue reading TGO Challenge 2017: Day 2 – Fluffy Slippers and Anchovies for Breakfast
As agreed last night, breakfast is taken at the first opportunity. Supplies are gathered from the local shop and we sign out. Early. Andy even admits it on the sign-out sheet, saying "it's only 15 minutes". I take a more cowardly approach, adding 5 minutes and annotating "Andy made me!". We're off, up the minor … Continue reading TGO Challenge 2017: Day 1 – “Releasing the Handbrake”
Three attempts at packing have been made. The first in my ULA Circuit, then I deliberately unpack everything and try it in the Mariposa. I think I prefer the Circuit on this occasion and restore the kit to the original bag. There's not much in it, but the carry in the Circuit feels a bit … Continue reading TGO Challenge 2017: Days -1 and 0 – Getting to the Start
The rucksack is packed, my resupply parcel is on its way to Aviemore, and some fresh pants are on their way to Montrose for that feeling of luxury after a fortnight of nether region "crop rotation". Those I'm leaving behind have been provisioned for the next 10 days and after that they'll no doubt turn to … Continue reading Up for the Challenge
Recently I unearthed a couple of sets of typed route instructions for sponsored walks I did at school in the late '80s. I remember these being in the region of 20 miles, which I polished off fairly easily, which was nice because I was at a sporty school and was crap at most of those … Continue reading Old Skool