Maragowan campsite, Killin.
10th of September. With the van back on the road we went off to Braemar for the weekend. Wet weekend walk with a couple more later on in the month, bagging a Munro and a Corbett.
Mid October break and we went off to Killin, Stirling and it rained, it rain almost none stop for 3 days. It was just nice to be away in the van with somewhere new to look out the window at.
Killin is at one end of Loch Tay and there is a great big trail of geocaches along its southern shore, one of the reasons we chose to go there, one was even at the site where they shot the famous Killer Rabbit scene in Monty Pythons Holy Grail, but we did one in the rain and gave up, just wasn't fun.
As it rained at ground level it turned to snow about 1000 feet above us, not the first snow of this autumn/winter, there had been a fall a week or so earlier in the Cairngorms, I witnessed the remains it when I tried for Cairn Gorm itself, never quite made it but I am planning a get away to there in the Christmas holidays. That was a good chilled out couple of days.
Moved south on the way to visiting the kids on Teesside, stopped off for a couple of night in Troutbeck, Lake district, one and only reason, to climb Helvellyn.
Mid October break and we went off to Killin, Stirling and it rained, it rain almost none stop for 3 days. It was just nice to be away in the van with somewhere new to look out the window at.
Killin is at one end of Loch Tay and there is a great big trail of geocaches along its southern shore, one of the reasons we chose to go there, one was even at the site where they shot the famous Killer Rabbit scene in Monty Pythons Holy Grail, but we did one in the rain and gave up, just wasn't fun.
As it rained at ground level it turned to snow about 1000 feet above us, not the first snow of this autumn/winter, there had been a fall a week or so earlier in the Cairngorms, I witnessed the remains it when I tried for Cairn Gorm itself, never quite made it but I am planning a get away to there in the Christmas holidays. That was a good chilled out couple of days.
Moved south on the way to visiting the kids on Teesside, stopped off for a couple of night in Troutbeck, Lake district, one and only reason, to climb Helvellyn.
Red Tarn from Swirral edge.
Really enjoyed my walk up onto Helvellyn, again started of badly, not paying attention to the micro navigation in order to get a good start, think I have now learned my lesson but not been in a situation to test that yet.
Took a longer approach than I really wanted however think it was for the better in the end. A nice smooth approach to Red Tarn then onto the top via Swirral edge, a bit of a scramble but then all of a sudden there I was at the top, took me a bit by surprise.
I had a very nice chat with a couple of guys at the top before returning across striding edge, set off a little later so the decent was in the twilight, got to the van and it was dark. The wife was there, coat, hat and gloves on and armed with torch, notebook and phone, "I was just coming to look for you".
Went off to see the kids for the weekend, they were just breaking up for the holls, we had to go back too work on the monday.
Planning for the Christmas break and a few adventures between now and then.