Cary’s Final Munro, or two – plus a Corbett

Friday 21 September 2018

Claire from SWOG arrived on time at 1 pm for her lift up to Callander with me and Sue. Luckily the Skoda’s coolant remained where it should be. We refuelled at Tesco in Carlisle, where two pots of tea and a slice of Victoria sponge cost about the same as a Swiss cup of coffee.

Arriving at the Trossachs Tryst bunkhouse at 6 pm, we dumped our bags and set out for dinner at the nearby Lode Inn at Kilmahog. Luckily Sue and I were the only people stupid enough to walk to the pub, where an immediate choice of food was needed as they were expecting a group of 30 a bit later and they couldn’t accommodate a further nine at the same time. So Nigel kindly zoomed back down the road and picked us up. But not before we had savoured the delightful evening light in the direction of Ben Ledi.

The fish and chips were great, and others enjoyed their haggis. (Haggi!)

Meanwhile, back at base, a selection of folk were arriving to celebrate Cary’s final Munro, to be tackled the following day.

Saturday 22 September 2018

It soon became apparent that this was not to be a ‘normal’ (in my experience) final Munro outing. For a start, Cary was starting with another hill, the Corbett – Beinn Each (813 metres) – by way of a warm up for climbing Stuc a’Chroin, a Munro. That was to be Cary’s penultimate Munro. His final Munro was to be Ben Vorlich, a hill that towers above Lochearnhead.

‘Normal’ would comprise everyone accompanying Cary on a fairly easy walk to the top of the final Munro, whence a party involving champagne and cake and lots more would take place. Today just 13 of Cary’s guests saw fit to set out with him, a further 8 taking their own easy route up Ben Vorlich. Others seemed unaware of the etiquette and failed to take part in very much at all, though Sue and Jeff did find a parkrun.

It was a lovely day spiced with occasional rainbow illuminated showers. Had we not been driving in convoy to start the walk at NN 582 136 at around 8.50, we would have been tempted to pause at the head of Loch Lubnaig to admire some magical reflections in the loch.

Eyebright and Tormentil were hanging on with Buttercups and Lady’s Mantle to provide a bit of colour to supplement the various shades of brown adopted by the season’s fungi.

Mark chose a fine position on the summit of Beinn Each from which to savour his customary snooze.

After the easy path up Beinn Each, the route got rougher. Had Phil continued, the planned rendezvous on Ben Vorlich would have been delayed. So he headed down with Shirley, leaving their boys in Cary’s tender care.

So just 12 of us made our way to the summit of Stuc a’Chroin (975 metres), where Mark enjoyed another brief snooze. Others present were Sue, Helen and Harvey, Graham B, the boys – Jonathan and Michael, and Cary’s friends Andrew, Arthur and Pete. We lazed here for some time as we were ahead of schedule. A large herd of red deer was observed far below, but no ptarmigan were seen today, although a hare or two may have been glimpsed, and there were plenty of crows/ravens in attendance.

With Ben Vorlich lurking in the distance beyond a precipitous drop, there was still some way to go.

In view of the potentially tricky descent from this summit towards Ben Vorlich, Cary dutifully looked after the boys by following me around an alternative and much less exposed route to the north. Six of the party took the exposed path, which would be easy in ascent, and the six of us who took the alternative longer but quicker path arrived back at the ridge just as the others reached the same point.

The final ascent to Ben Vorlich was straightforward. Nigel, a Munroist himself, had successfully guided his team of eight to the summit well in advance of the 2.45 rendezvous, and everyone was in position with their walking poles raised in honour of Cary as he lumbered into view at around 2.30.

There was a fine view back to Stuc a’Chroin, from which the precipitous descent is shown just to the left of Sue’s head in the next picture.

We spent some time in a sheltered spot below the subsidiary summit, but eventually the sound of clinking wine glasses in Callander drew us towards the easy stroll back down to Loch Earn.

Sue and I had provided shortbread and cake, but apart from that this was a bizarrely teetotal and scantly catered party despite conditions being more suited to a summit party than on many of the ‘final Munro’ bashes I’ve had the honour of attending.

Pleasant woodland accompanied us at the end of the day.

No worries though. Cary had organised a party at the bunkhouse later, so once we got back we could imbibe to our heart’s content in the warmth of our home for the weekend. Tea, beer, wine, and lots of tasty food and desserts. The cake, sadly not captured on film by me, was a luxurious affair courtesy of Cary’s daughter, Clara, who wasn’t present to receive the accolades attributed to said monstrosity magnificent construction.

The evening concluded with bizarre party ‘games?’ suited to infantile children. This bemused a minority who looked on in puzzlement.

Today’s walk turned out to be about 16 km in length, with around 1300 metres ascent, taking about 8 hours. A fine route. Well done, Cary.

Sunday 23 September 2018

Ground mist soon cleared. There would have been great early morning inversions from higher up. It was a lovely day for a walk, so something of a puzzle that so far as I’m aware only nine of the thirty of us actually went for a proper walk. Graham and Anne headed up a Corbett, and seven of us, me, Sue, Helen, Claire, Harvey, Arthur and Pete parked up at Lochearnhead and headed up Glen Kendrum towards the two Corbetts – Meall an t-Seallaidh and Creag MacRanaich. The plan had been to go up both of them, but I’d underestimated the time that would take. By the time we reached the col between the two hills, all on a good track, we had already covered 8 km.

Another 2 km took us over rough ground with a vague path, to the summit of Meall an t-Seallaidh (852 metres). The summit is at the far end of a broad ridge.

A leisurely stop for lunch in the lee of the cool breeze, with fine views towards the previous day’s route, was savoured by all of us. Had Mark been there he might even have admired the view from his position of slumber.

The trig point formed a good ‘tripod’ from which to record everyone in today’s team.

Cloud formations enhanced the view to Loch Earn, where sailing boats were enjoying the breeze.

By the time we got going again and regained the col between the two hills, after meeting the only two people we encountered all day, a lone greybeard and a young lady in yellow, it was 2 pm. Arthur and Pete had to be down by 5 pm in order to get their lift to Glasgow Airport. Going up Creag MacRanaich and getting back to Lochearnhead by 5 was possible, but may be excessively energetic, and Sue, Claire and I would get home late. So we all took the sensible decision to leave the second hill for another time and descend at a leisurely pace. The views would have been similar, and our approach meant that we could enjoy a half hour break a couple of kilometres down the track, which we retraced all the way back to the car park.

There were superb views across the Glen to yesterday’s three hills, seen here lined up on the horizon.

Harvey, Claire and Helen also stopped to collect fruit from a tree laden with sloes.

We were back in Lochearnhead, absorbing the aroma of freshly cut grass on a fine late summer’s day, at about 4.30, where Arthur and Pete’s lift was waiting for them. We had walked over 19 km, with 800 metres ascent, in about 6.5 hours, rather further than the previous day. There were no recriminations about missing out the second hill.

Helen and Harvey were reunited with their bicycles at the bunkhouse, from where they were to move to a B&B before cycling back to Glasgow the following day to get the train home. Then Sue, Claire and I admired the harvest moon as it rose whilst we travelled south in the gathering gloom, stopping at Annandale services for a McDonalds supper whilst watching the local swans, ducks and heron prepare for a cool night outside.

We were home soon after 10 pm after taking the Warburton Bridge (no toll at this time of night) route as the M60 was shut.

Altogether, a thoroughly enjoyable weekend. Thanks go to Cary, and his able assistants – Penny and Rowena – for organising it so efficiently.

There’s a slideshow, 85 images, here. It’s the first time I’ve used Flickr for this purpose and I can’t work out how to display captions. Maybe I will have done so by the time you read this…(I can’t currently get this to work at all.)
[Some guidance on how to display a full screen, with captions, would be appreciated. Or even how to produce a slideshow of any sort now Picasa is defunct.]

16 to 20 September 2018 – Around Timperley

It’s nearly a week since we returned from ‘Summer in the Alps’.

The time has flown past. There were many emails to consider, and a bit of catching up with people – still not completed. Gibson was having trouble with image sizing for mobile postings to his blog. I think he has sorted it out now, but here’s the screen I find useful for attaching images at 10% of their original size.

On Sunday, whilst I entertained John Clark (see previous posting), Sue shot off to the Manifold Valley for a walk with old friends. It rained. She took two pictures. Both of them were of her friends.

On Monday a bike ride took me to Stretford, then past my old house in Chorltonville (looking very smart), and around Chorlton Water Park. The south bank of the Mersey saw me pausing to watch the swans and mallards whilst hoping for a fleeting glimpse of the Kingfishers that live near here. What I really wanted was a picture of a Metrolink tram on the bridge in the intermittent sunlight. I gave up after being momentarily distracted and missing not one but two trams on the bridge. Next time perhaps.

A plan to return home via the Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) was foiled by a path closure sign, with no help regarding a diversion route, so I did a there and back along the good trail to Urmston, and returned home via the canal towpath. A good 28 km ride, keeping me out of Sue’s way – she wasn’t working today, and followed by a visit to Eagley Jazz Club where John Hallam accompanied the Tom Kincaid Trio. Excellent.

Tuesday saw me taking the Skoda to Stockport to see to its water leak. I took the opportunity to continue into Manchester. My Rohan trousers had a faulty pocket zip; they are obviously not the first as the young lady who served me magically had the zip working before I’d managed to hand the garment over properly. Amazing!

A trip to Castlefield failed to source a ‘Source’ bottle for Sue, but did serve as a reminder of Manchester’s long history. I wonder what it was like when the Romans were here. (Timperley didn’t exist in those days – it was first recorded as a settlement in around the 6th or 7th centuries.)

Wednesday had me picking up the car, duly repaired FOC, and fresh with a software upgrade. “There must have been a problem in order for them to do an upgrade” I was told. They agreed that a loose hose that was the source of the leak may have been caused by the efforts made by the engine to escape to freedom rather than endure the ‘Stop/Start’ feature.

I tried a bike ride in the opposite direction in an effort to get to the bottom of the closed TPT. That involves cycling along the towpath through Altrincham, leaving the towpath for the TPT at Seamons Moss Bridge. I was pleased to see the work on the restoration of the bridge complete, and appropriate traffic calming bollards installed.

Further on, the sweet smell of Himalayan Balsam mingled with the less attractive aroma of horse droppings, and whilst the leaves are only just starting to turn, the jay infested woodland by Carrington Moss has a distinctly autumn feel (though not temperature wise). Elsewhere, the blackberries that were so prolific in August have all but gone, and the nettles have started to die back. It’s still pretty dry though.

From this west to east direction, the TPT closure was signed, and there was work going on that clearly was blocking the path. There was an easy diversion that I hadn’t spotted on Monday. It’s a shame that this sign hadn’t also been placed at the eastern end of the closure. The route I take is normally 18 km; the path closure added 2 km to that today. I got a good soaking on the 5 km back along the towpath from Stretford (see top picture). Perhaps it won’t seem so dry next time I go out.

In between times the garden has needed attention, having apparently risen from the dead whilst we were away, and I finished Raymond Chandler’s ‘The Long Good-bye’ – a thoroughly enjoyable read despite a predictable ending.

That leads me to my next ‘book’ – my father’s diary that he kept from his retirement in May 1983, at the age of 60, to the end of his days in 1990. It’s a fascinating read that starts with all the effort needed to sort out the new house when he and Dot retired from Lincoln to live nearer most of their family in Staffordshire. I know that later it will become a difficult read as dad had to deal with a terminal illness, but in that relatively short period he did achieve a lot, including family biographies and even a novel, for which sadly he couldn’t find a publisher.

Dad’s diary is a lot different to this one, being a daily record of his activities and thoughts. It would be interesting to have his thoughts on Brexit. I wonder whether it would have depressed him as much as it depresses us.

An Unexpected Reunion with John Clark

It was a pleasure last week to be contacted by a UMIST contemporary who I hadn't seen for many years. John Clark studied Chemical Engineering between 1968 and 1971, which perhaps overqualifies him for his current occupation.

Those who remember the shy young lad from days past may be surprised to learn that he now runs a massage parlour in Glasgow.

He was in Manchester for a reunion of Chem Eng students. A sort of 50th anniversary party. Time flies.

He called round to see me in Timperley and we enjoyed a good natter, recalling old times when, having left university in 1971, he and Roger Freeman and I arranged regular meet up activities that were the precursor to the programme that I produced every year before transferring it to a rolling programme on topwalks.com nearly twenty years ago.

That programme continues to this day. I'll shortly be organising some short mid week walks.

We agreed that we should make the effort to see Roger in Yorkshire, sooner rather than later.

I’ve dragged a few photos from the archives. The top picture shows John in the Lake District during a trip that he and I had to Wasdale in July 1972. Is that Kirk Fell in the background?

Below, he and Roger look out from a vantage point on the island of Mull, in May 1972.

As some readers may know, I walked the University Rag Walk – Bogle Stroll – a 55 mile saunter, on numerous occasions.

By 1973 I had joined Thornton Baker. I named our team the ‘TB&Co Mad Ones’ and enlisted various ultra fit colleagues who mostly dropped out. To make up the numbers, Anna and Jacqui, my flatmates, were coerced into joining up. In those days I finished around breakfast time (we started at midnight, in February) and went out to walk in with others and generally help out with the Tech Domski Hiking Club’s many participants. Here, my two flatmates, who finished in 18 hours 40 minutes (Anna, Jacqui was ten minutes behind) are pictured together with John, who doesn’t appear on the list of finishers. Perhaps he got arm strain from carrying that bag? A and J would never have lived it down had they failed to finish. They feature quite regularly on these pages, and it’s good that John has now joined them.

Finally, for the time being, here’s a photo that I’m having trouble dating – perhaps the mid 1970s. From L to R: Beryl, Roger, John, Roger’s friend who drove a Morris 1000 Traveller with a corrugated iron roof, Gary (who I’ll be seeing next week) and me. I still have that anorak! It did many Bogle Strolls and many Lyke Wake Walks.

Happy Days…

'Summer in the Alps' - Day 52 - Montreuil-sur-Mer to Timperley (The End)

Saturday 15 September 2018

The Tannery was a good place to stay, if a little run down. It certainly provided good facilities for last night's al fresco meal. Not all B&B rooms sport a kitchen and a dining table, albeit this kitchen was hidden in a wardrobe! Like most rooms we've stayed in, it had a TV. Quite unnecessary, as we haven't switched any of them on since watching the 'Adrian Chiles - Alcoholic' programme with Jill and James three weeks ago. Only three weeks? It feels longer!

Breakfast was in an outhouse in the garden. Then we paid our tourist tax (€1 each), topped the car up with coolant (aka water), and headed off to refuel for the last time. €1.46 a litre - about £1.30 - prices at home are £1.34, so not much difference.

The toll free drive to Calais, during which the white cliffs of Dover shone in the distance, took about an hour and we were placed on the 11.20 train that we'd booked. It was running 20 minutes late so we had time for coffee and we bought some cooking wine - €30 for 12 bottles of J P Cheney plonk. We'll need that when we receive the speeding fines!

Incidentally, I don't mention costs very often here as we don't work to a budget and they aren't of any great interest to me, but I do keep a track of them and anyone wanting more information regarding such sordid details is welcome to ask.

Back in the UK on a sunny day, I have noted that I omitted to record yesterday's incident with some police. We thought we were being stopped so that they could check that we had all the paraphernalia required in France - high visibility jackets, breathalyser, warning triangle, GB sticker, etc, but we were quickly waved on before a huge peleton of cyclists whizzed past just behind us.

The police could usefully have been deployed on the ramparts of Montreuil, where sadly many of the viewing benches have been vandalised.

The drive TO Calais was rather easier than the drive FROM Folkestone. We planned to travel on Saturday rather than Friday because we thought the traffic would be easier. We failed to factor in the closure of the M20 motorway this weekend. That cost us an hour and a half.

Never mind, we got home before dark. Just!

Today's pictures:
The Tannery B&B - our quarters are the first floor rooms with the four shuttered windows
Inside the B&B
View from the ramparts
Evening by the ramparts
The Tannery from our breakfast room in the garden

So that's it. 'Summer in the Alps' is at an end. Almost time to move on, but there are a few photos to process, etc.

Thanks to Mike for looking after the house, and thanks for the comments, those of you, my dear readers, who had not only the stamina to follow our journey, but also had the tenacity to interact... And to the silent majority:
"Hello, I hope you enjoyed it."

'Summer in the Alps' - Day 51 - Barbizon to Montreuil-sur-Mer

Friday 14 September 2018

Presented with yet another sunny day we tucked in to the lavish breakfast provided by Chambre d'Hôte Petit Angelus. No more food was needed until supper time.

On our host's recommendation we drove a little way back down the road and parked near a visitor centre, from where a 5 km walk called the Promenade des Gorges de Franchard provided a typical example of walks in the Fontainebleau Forest. We followed some blue waymarks through the silent forest to a viewpoint. Sadly the Alps were just a little beyond the horizon.

Occasionally we misplaced the waymarks and had to backtrack. This was perhaps due to the distraction of other marks on some of the rocks. Fontainebleau Forest ranks highly on European climbing maps, being a first rate venue for bouldering. It has its own grading system. Sue whizzed up an 'orange' whilst I completely flunked a 'yellow'.
 
The place was deserted, or so we thought until we got mixed up briefly with a coach load of French pensioners.

After a while we found ourselves back on the sun scorched earth by a ruined hermitage near the visitor centre. Here there is a large plaque on the ground commemorating 'UICN 1948 to 1998', being 'Union International for the Conservation of Nature'.

Returning to Barbizon, we took a stroll down the high street before enjoying a coffee at one of the village's many hostelries. Barbizon seemed to us to be France's version of Broadway, for those familiar with that Cotswold village. There's a fête here on Sunday - the place will be bursting.

The afternoon was spent travelling about 200 miles to Montreuil-sur-Mer.  We've managed to get through France from Geneva without using any toll roads. That's made for a pleasantly scenic journey and in theory has saved us a few euros. But that doesn't take account of the speed cameras that have flashed us when doing 31 kph in a 30 kph speed limit zone. The penalty is €135. We might have a few of those! Luckily, I'm not having to pay for any root canal treatment this month.

Our 'road trips' to Europe often use Montreuil-sur-Mer as a springboard to the Channel Tunnel, less than 50 miles away. So it's easy to get home in a day from here. We passed through on days 30/31 of this very trip. Tonight we are staying in the old Tannery (La Tannerie de Montreuil). This is outside the city wall that was built in 1567, but is actually part of the earlier city wall built in the 13th century to protect the seaport, as it was then. The town has a colourful history, and we always enjoy the 3 km 'Promenade of the Ramparts' walk. Today that took place after dinner, which comprised a number of tasty, locally sourced, items. Except the smoked salmon - that was Scottish. Luckily our room comes fully equipped with kitchen (hidden in a wardrobe!) and dining facilities.

Stats:
We walked about 5 km in Fontainebleau Forest, and a further 5 km around Barbizon and Montreuil-sur-Mer

Today's pictures:
In Fontainebleau Forest
Viewpoint in Fontainebleau Forest
The UICN plaque in Fontainebleau Forest
House in Barbizon
The Town Hall in Montreuil-sur-Mer 

'Summer in the Alps' - Day 50 - Troyes to Barbizon via Fontainebleau

Thursday 13 September 2018

Overcast and 18°C! We can't remember the last time we had the temperature inside the car higher than it was outside.

We were breakfasted and away from the apartment by 9 am, bumping into Edwice on the way out.

An easy two hour journey saw us enjoying café au lait outside a bar in Fontainebleau, where we had found easy parking on the edge of town by the chateau. A few postcards were written and sent, then we wandered along to the chateau. There's renovation work going on, and the dull overcast day did nothing for the external attractiveness of the place. But once inside, the Napoleon Museum and a tour of the Great Apartments took about three hours to get round. Helpfully, the information boards were in English as well as French.

All good stuff. When I get home I'll have to get out the timeline of French history. The decorations and contents of the rooms, including many remarkable ceilings, was astounding. Frescoes and stucco work, huge tapestries, and lavish furnishings....

We'd had our fill by mid afternoon so we enjoyed a walk in the gardens and the ornamental woodland, returning to the car beside the ornamental canal that was well stocked with water lilies and coots.

A very short drive to the smart artisan village of Barbizon was punctuated by a stop in a lay-by where Sue spotted a man in need of help. He had Parkinson's disease and had entered an 'off' state whilst returning to his car. Sue helped him shuffle very slowly back to the car, and he managed to drive away.

We still had plenty of time after the short journey to settle in at Chambres d'Hôte Le Petit Angelus, before strolling to the centre of the village for a really excellent meal at l'Ermitage St Antoine.

Stats:
We walked about 7 km around Fontainebleau.

Today's pictures were all taken at the chateau in Fontainebleau.

'Summer in the Alps' - Day 49 - Around Troyes

Wednesday 12 September 2018

Seemingly perfect weather again, but today's walk in temperatures of 30 to 35°C had us reflecting on how grateful we are to have spent much of the summer above 1500 metres, where it's a bit cooler. Today's walk, despite being on flat surfaces, was hard work under the burning sun. We were pleased to have some respite provided by woodland sections.

Since Edwice had paid for our parking* outside the apartment until 11 am, we could afford a slow start (thanks, Sue for popping out yet again to source some croissants) and a short wander before heading out to the Petit Orient.

The focus of this morning's wander was the Cathedral. Yes, Troyes is a city, not a town as I suggested yesterday. St-Pierre St-Paul Cathedral was constructed between the 13th and the 17th centuries. It's a magnificent building some 114 metres in length, 50 metres wide, and nearly 30 metres high. It contains a remarkable 1500 square metres of stained glass, and many treasures and artifacts. Well worth a visit.

Returning via the disused canal where artworks and sculptures are on display, we then set off into the nearby countryside. A walking guide in the apartment attracted us to a 15 km meander in the Parc naturel régional de la Forêt d'Orient, a half hour drive away.

Parking at Géraudot, we set off down a hot and dusty track that thankfully led into some cooler woodland. The paths were deserted apart from a lone mountain biker. Mud skippers dived into some puddles as we passed by. There must have been some rain here to have created those puddles, and the track may be a quagmire in winter.

Eventually we left the wood and joined a farm track where some pear trees were shedding their fruit. Nearby, some bright green frogs played hide and seek with us in a wet trench outside some farm buildings. Further on, a pile of windfall apples puzzled us. There was no apple tree on the vicinity.

We reached a tarmac track that ran beside Lac du Temple, a reservoir and bird reserve. Lunch was taken on dried up mud flats under one of many white willow trees that litter the shoreline beyond the stretch of dried mud that's proof of a hot summer.
There were lots of birds on view, including Great and Little Egrets, Swans, Lapwings, Gadwall, mewing Buzzards overhead, Cormorants, ordinary Herons, etc. Mating dragonflies surrounded us and it was
very peaceful with no discernable noise (except my tinitus!).
 
After lunch we returned to a stretch of tarmac beside the reservoir, picking our way past puddles of melted tar, and dodging the occasional cyclist that was speeding along in a bid to avoid getting bogged down.

Sue was navigating. She was distracted by a strange concrete artifact about 200 metres long, from which a mechanical sweeper was scattering stones onto the otherwise pristine cycle/walking track. Very puzzling, and not on the planned route. A compass bearing helped to re-locate the correct route, thankfully through more woodland with yummy looking mushrooms on a beech tree, and active red squirrels.

After the four hour walk, we drove a few metres down the road to a convenient hostelry to re-hydrate, having exhausted our flask of tea. Here we met Martin and Ken, road cyclists from Leeds. They were on an interesting trip and we enjoyed a banter with them for an hour or so. Curiously, there was a link between Martin and our 'Project 1949' in Zermatt. (He knows the individual who was the cause of the problem in relation to which the favour I gave was repaid by way of the Zermatt photo album.)

They headed off to their five star hotel for a jacuzzi, and Sue and I continued our exploration (or 're-exploration', we've been near here before) of the area by visiting the village of Montieramey. Pretty enough, but no stunningly distinguishing features.

Back via a supermarket for the ingredients of an excellent salad supper on our patio, then a stroll down to the canal to see 'The Heart of Troyes' beating at night.

Stats:
We walked about 15 km, with 50 metres of ascent on the Petit Orient walk, plus sundry bimbles of about 4 km.

Today's pictures:
A detail from the Cathedral
Resting in our apartment
Woodland in Le Petit Orient
Lunch by Lac du Temple
The Heart of Troyes

* Parking in Troyes is a thorny issue. It used to be FOC, and that's how it's advertised for this apartment. But in an effort to reduce the chaos, the city has introduced charges. It didn't look too chaotic to me, so perhaps the new system is working. Edwice said it shouldn't be a problem for us anyway due to 'Brexit sympathy' towards friendly visitors, whereby the wardens wouldn't dream of ticketing a car with a GB plate!