Join me on my first Vlog as I walk Ben Nevis via the CMD Arete.
An enjoyable day on Scotland and the UK’s highest mountain, walking a route a little less trodden but a lot more exciting than the Pony Track, Or more often known as the Tourist Route, these days.
It seemed like a long time coming, I had identified the ‘Affric Kintail Way’ as my next Long Distance Trail, not that it’s long by any manner of means, it is however remote. Well remote for Scotland at least. Running from Drumnadrochit on the shores of Loch Ness to Morvich, a small settlement which sits in the shadows of the Western extremes of the Five Sisters of Kintail, in the Glen Shiel area, giving The Affric Kintail Way a total length 44 miles (71km).
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They say the unexpected is often some of the best, this wee dauner happened to be something of the sort.
I have a wee penchant for looking at maps, and previously whilst looking over a map at a walk I fancied trying, I stumbled across Standing Stones in an area that I often find myself. Standing Stones which I knew nothing of their existence.Well this sparked a wee interest to find out more, after a little research I would learn these Stones are to be known as ‘The Machar Stones’.
Continue readingSometimes you come across a wee gem from times long past.
Yesterday when going through a drawer looking for a random item I had been discussing with my father, I came across two old diaries that belonged to my Papa (Grandfather), Jimmy Dunn. I actually remember being given them, it was April 1984, a week or so after my Papa passed away. My cousin Gary and I were given a couple of diaries and we were told it would be nice if we sat and wrote something in our ‘wee books’ about our Papa.Continue reading
In terms of through hikes, the West Highland Way at 96 miles isn’t exactly a Goliath. However, it does stand shoulder to shoulder in what could be said to be ‘men amongst men’ of Trail walks.
This particular through hike which runs from Scotland’s largest city to one of it finest Outdoor Centres, Fort William, draws walking enthusiasts and novices alike from all over the world. Many people come and walk part of ‘The Way’, others come and fulfil the entirety of it. Some walk it, some run it and some bike it.
So how long does the West Highland Way take to complete? The truth is, and I know it’s not what everyone wants to hear. How long is a piece of string?
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A year ago, the start of 2020 there was the rumblings of what was happening on the far side of our planet…. China was going into Meltdown, sorry Lockdown, some crazy bird-flu type thing seemed to be hitting Wuhan City in the Hubei Province.
The rest of the world looked on with our usual, hmmmph, typical, what do you expect? Type arrogance, with the usual finger wagging, rather than any sort of compassion. Anyway, a year on and the the vast majority of the world seems to be in one form of Lockdown or the other. Here in mainland Scotland, we are classed currently at Level 4 Lockdown which is our highest, most stringent set of restrictions, with many sectors of industry and the general freedom of movement for the public under controls of one type or the other.
I’m Drew Johnstone, join me as I write, blog and post stories and pictures of more than likely general faff, that’s my life.
The how’s and what’s of the things I do, as I build memories in my home and land of my birth (mostly) as I enjoy some of the beauty it has to offer.
