Archive for Bothying
A Blank Canvas in Bothy Culture.
November 22nd, 2010 • Bothying
This last weekend we opened up a project on one of Scotland’s remote bothies. As a regular visitor to bothies, it’s always on the back of my mind how a contribution can be made to keep the bothy culture alive and functioning for the future.
This particular building, perched spectacularly on the edge of a loch in one of Scotland’s most fantastic landscapes, has been in need of face-lift for some time having been abused by a very small number of the travellers passing through – a handful of people who decided to leave rubbish rather than carry it out. So a small team of us set out to tidy the space for anyone that might want to stay. The plot thickened however – as we tidied an [almost] blank canvas appeared where the rubbish had been. Maybe there will be more pictures maybe not, but at least it’s tidier now!
Halloween Bothy Mice Strike Terror into Female Residents
November 1st, 2010 • 1 comment Bothying
There were eight nationalities all happily packed into Pean Meannach bothy this last weekend. Happily at-least, until the mice were mentioned. With Ghosts and Ghouls forgotten about ‘they can’t get upstairs can they ??’ was the question on the lips of all but the crazy Belgians, who were too drunk to care. It did seem that mice had penetrated the defences, and made it into some peoples’ sleeping bags though.
We did little the way of anything productive, instead, we incinerated some Bananas, didn’t find the buried whisky, and had Spad giving us one off his new album of cover songs ‘Rustic Charm’. We also noted that the washing-up liquid situation is getting out of control. If you happen to be going to Pean Meannach in the next few years, I wouldn’t say there’s any need to take washing-up liquid.
Lobster Bothy (but no lobsters)
April 12th, 2010 • 1 comment Bothying
Ahead of the bothying season we made it out for a warm up:
Bog, Bothy n Swim
October 12th, 2009 • Bothying
Tags: ardnish, curved ridge, glencoe, Grit, hi-8, high-8, martyn bennett, Misha somerville, peanmeanach
With the forecast saying rain and low cloud, we skipped Glencoe’s curved ridge on the way up to the Ardnish Peninsula. Somehow we all managed to leave the path on the way out to the bothy. With my mind on my recently departed pal, one of the best on them, the path was doing no justice to my mind state; and so it was straight up the hill for me, until my legs burned with acid and lungs were bursting out my ribcage; it was up, over the top and down to the loch to drop a hook. Not like earlier in the year, there were no fish, but the others walked through after their own adventure off the beaten track. In the woods I found Nik holding a bright red mushroom alongside his picture book – we agreed it looked dangerous.
The bothy at Peanmeanach must be one of Scotland’s most popular, and it’s easy to see why – pottering about here somehow reminds you of the greater things in life. The two other bothy dwellers – Jonathon and Brett – were there for the same reason as us, and joined us for a dram after the duck and vegetable stews both courtesy of Lorraine.
Jen led a morning swim and Andy took it one stage further, while Nicky, never to miss an opportunity, jumped in both salt and freshwater. Thomas and Etta went airport-ward, too soon really, but hopefully not before wetting the appetite.
Two rainbows appeared at once on the way out, we all agreed the widest we had ever seen, and from there on in the West coast hit us with it’s majestic best. Without the extra hour in bed we might have made curved ridge on the grandest of Sunday evenings, but as we cruised down the road to Martyn Bennett’s ‘Grit’, it was far from our minds.
Life does exist in the bog lands of Scotland (although the fish are keeping a low profile at this time of year).
Misha for Andy/Jen/Thomas/Nicky/Etta/Lorraine + Jonathon/Brett
Cairngorm Cluster – pt. 3
September 14th, 2009 • 1 comment Bothying, Mountainbiking
After the terminal attrition that was our trip to Cairngorms I was left with flash backs of stumbling over boulders, sinking in bogs and looking mournfully at the trail below dreaming of the hard but smooth floor of the bothy. After 12 hours of slog and in the dark your mind plays tricks on you, every pointy boulder seemed like a pitched roof and every glimmer of light a window. Below, is a sketch which expresses my view of the trip, in particular the dark, trudge to corrour bothy, when my mind began to unravel.
Bothy X
September 11th, 2009 • Bothying, Uncategorized
There’s nothing like finding a secret bothy from time to time. I could tell you where it is but then I’d have to to then kill you!!
Cairngorm Cluster
September 11th, 2009 • Bothying, Mountainbiking
Tags: bynack stable, Cairngorms, derry lodge, glen derry, Mountainbiking, rain, ryvoan bothy, strath nethy, wet, white bridge
Sometimes things go to plan, and sometimes they don’t. After a couple of days of pushing bikes through the wind and rain in the Cairngorms I think it’s fair to say that this one didn’t go quite as planned! The remote tracks in at the back of the Cairngorms didn’t make for easy mountain biking after several weeks of rain, but these are the sort of weekends that you learn the most, and the team pulls together to finish what was started, in whatever style (hopefully we’ll be able to post a video of kathryn nose planting into a bog).
Tim/ Kathryn / Spad / Somhairle / Robin / Misha
ROUTE:-
Friday:
Glasgow > Aviemore by Train (with bikes)
Aviemore > Ryvoan Bothy for sleep (night cycle with a stop off at glenmore lodge for a pint).
Saturday:
Ryvoan > fords of Avon (carrying bikes through Strath Nethy on all but short sections)
Fords of Avon > Derry Lodge (pushing bikes before descent through Glen Derry).
Derry Lodge > Corrour bothy for sleep (pushing bikes through night and arriving at 11pm).
Sunday:
Corrour bothy > White bridge
White Bridge to Braemar (planned route through Glen Tilt to Blair Athole train station changed because of time limitation).
Braemar > Pitochry by taxi!!
Pitlochry > Glasgow train (back at 10 ish)
all looking like serious mo fo’s in those pics so if you’ve any to add (or video) give me a shout misha @ high-8.com
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