14 Miles. . .

It was meant to be a leisurely stroll to Laurieston that turned into a, unintentional 14 mile (that's 23 km to you Canadians) hike to almost Gatehouse of Fleet. It was not cool. The scenery may have been stunning but when you're walking in red high tops with only what energy can be taken from a single roll with ham and cucumber and you've been walking since 10:30 and it's about 5:30, you are in much pain (in both feet and hip flexors) and you are exhausted.

So yeah...that was my day...Here are some pictures because I am too tired to write anything much...

Yay for sunshine! Starting out all fresh and excited for the day ahead

You may remember me speaking about this hill ages ago in March when I went on a horrendously long walk with Apphia..it was brilliant fun..exhausting but brilliant

Self-explanatory

Bottom sign states: Foot path to Martyr's Monument. Hannah's mind: ah it'll just be a wee short walk....
Reality: I was walking at least 20 minutes and still hadn't reached it...I turned around...for I still had to make it to Laurieston where I was going to go and sit in a nice cafe and drink a cup of coffee and then walk back.

The start of the walk to the monument

Snazzy tree

I want to collect all the fluff from the thistles (so much better than dandelions) and make a pillow... I think it would be wonderful

The path just kept going and going and going....which would have been fine if that was my only destination for the day...

Heather (not my sister...the plant...it would be really weird if that's what my sister looked like...just sayin'...)

On the road again...ate my roll before taking this picture I believe, and had no other food with me (bare in mind that I was going to stop at a cafe and get some food/drink)

And not a single approval was given to Laurieston that day! There were zero, nada, nil, and zilch cafes. . .

On the road towards Gatehouse of Fleet. It was 9 miles away but I was counting on there being a turn off to a road that runs behind Barcaple...little did I know what awaited me. . .

Do I take the Public Path and see where it goes? Nope...I decide to continue down the road and find the turn off..shouldn't be too far...

I rested my weary feet for a few moments

And by road we end up at the same place as the end of the public path. . .

And we cross over the burn and have a wee lie down on one of the benches

Back on the old road to Gatehouse

I had trouble admiring the views since by this time my feet and hip flexors did protest muchly

I have no idea why I took a picture of this sign...boredom perhaps?

See? Lovely scenery. And while I enjoyed staring at it, I didn't have much signal for my phone and Apphia wasn't picking up her phone so I couldn't ask her to pick me up (it was about 3:30/4 and I had been walking in high tops since 10:30. . .) and Bradie was still working so she couldn't come and get me so I struggled onward...

And this was the moment I started freaking out a wee bit...You see that blue line...yes that is the seaside...I was not meaning to walk to the sea but apparently I did...and if you enlarge the picture can you sort of see the outline of some mountain-y bits? That's the Isle of Man. . .I did start sending texts to people saying things like "yay...the seaside..." and "yes, yes I did walk to the bloody seaside..."

I know it's really blurry but you can imagine how pretty it would be if it was clear...

And exhaustion is really setting in now....

I believe Gatehouse is in those tree down there...somewhere...this is the last picture i took...

So I walked 14 miles (plus about 2 or so up towards the martyr's monument and back...so call it 16) from around 10:30-5:40. It was right when I was about to just give up and sit down and wait for Bradie to arrive when she finally did! She was such a God-send, it was wonderful :) And then we went to Tescos because she needed dinner and I needed to reward myself...so I bought myself ice cream and pringles and a small bag of jelly tots so I could have some to eat before I fell over...so yeah..that was my day....

Then we had staff fellowship this evening which was nice. And when we were done I was informed by Annie (our brilliant French House/Office person) that she had a parcel for me from Amazon. Needless to say I was extremely curious since I hadn't ordered anything. It was....dundundundundun
A BRILLIANT GERSHWIN SONGBOOK FROM MY AMAZING ELDEST BROTHER  JOHN! :D I am well excited to go the church Friday afternoon and play and play and play! GAAHHHH 50 Gershwin pieces :D

And now it is time for me to finish this eclair and bring my laptop and music back upstairs and take a nice hot shower and crawl into my bed....and then work...so goodnight all!

P.S. Steve and Jessie left this past week...it was/is super sad...I do not approve...but more on that later...

Last Night's Shenanigans

You: Shenanigans?!

(I know only a select few of you read that in the appropriate tones of Ben Van-Meppelen Sheppink, but such is life...)

(Apologies that this isn't the blogspost about Ardgour like promised last time...it's more important. More Ardgour blogposts later...)

Last night we threw something of a Good-bye party our dear friend and colleague, Gareth, who left this morning not quite an hour ago (at least at the time of writing this sentence...).

We decided last minute on Monday evening that we should probably do something for him on Tuesday since it was his last night, so we speedily organized a BBQ Tuesday morning (thanks a million, Sheila, for being on board with this!). Thus, staff dinner was postponed till 7 so that the K4s could attend.

While we were eating breakfast, Molly, Katrina (one of our new gap years), and myself were discussing the BBQ and our wish at some point to play a major game of Capture the Flag on the Barcaple grounds. Since we had groups in, we knew that we wouldn't be able to use the whole area, however, we did decide to use the area around Low Barcaple, where we were going to be having the BBQ anyways. We easily chose who the Team Captains were going to be (and, yes, they had no choice in the matter...). And so Gareth and Steve (formerly, Bob...but I've decided to scrap the aliases...to much to remember...) were chosen, the obvious choices. Steve was thrilled, to say the least, when he found out and was, to my knowledge, planning strategies and assessing staff members on the capabilities for the rest of the day...

Molly and I spent much of our time planning these endeavors. At Lunch we went and checked out the area, setting, in our minds, tentative boundaries and the halfway point. And, as Molly was on a split shift and I had to get back to work, I left and Molly very kindly made two maps of the sides.

Dinner was absolutely lovely, thanks to Sheila's excellent cooking skills! We had homemade burgers (which were massive), sausages, potato salad, regular salad, shishkebabs, and crisps, with Banoffee Pie for dessert (and for you poor people who have not yet been enlightened to the wonders of Banoffee Pie, it is basically a delicious heartattack on a plate-- a digestive biscuit base, covered in caramel and banana and topped with whipped cream).

Because who doesn't love a good selfie by a lovely ginger Glaswegian :)

At approximately 8:20 the Duke of Edinburgh Service to Others (a group of young people who came in to help out...it something having to do with school in this country...it's hard to explain..or I'm just lazy...one of the two..) came down to join in the fun. It was a bit chaotic at first but we managed to explain the rules and get everyone organized into teams. Now, there was one rule about being captured and going to prison that might not have been the smartest, but was definitely entertaining, and it was that you were allowed to fight your captor every step of the way. The following photos are from such an event. If you don't know Steve, you may be a little confused as to why it took about five of us to get him to prison, but he is basically a ninja and, despite his extremely deceiving appearance, he is incredibly strong, and so things like this happen:

I came to help Alistair, and became more of a further dead weight, since Steve got me by the wrist..

Attempting to De-shoe him

So Gareth and on of the DofE's came to help (sorry, DofE who's name I don't know...)

It's really difficult to walk when your hand is in that position..just sayin'...

Hog-tying his legs so that he'd stop kicking...

Picking him up again after the leg tying

In prison at last

Joined by his faithful followers

This is what I was excepting to happen with the "fighting every step of the way":

This is Rebecca, T-J's (one of our instructors) financee, who I forcibly walked to our prison

And we arrive..

Unfortunately those are all the photos that were able to be taken, due to losing light.

It was a brilliant evening, involving prison escapes, getting dirty, some people maybe, possibly getting slightly hurt, and others getting sting nettle and caught in briars. But we all had fun. The game ended in a draw, both teams having hidden their flags too well. Next time it will be played with bigger, more visible flags! But it was fun, nonetheless!

So this morning we bid good-bye to Gareth. It was a sad occasion because nobody likes good-byes. And so, being the person I am, I am totally going to connect this to Doctor Who...obviously...At the end of the latest episode the Doctor is bidding adieu to River Song (and if you don't know who she is..well..spoilers...) and this is their basic conversation:


River: "It's hard to leave when you haven't said goodbye."

Doctor: "Then tell me, because I don't know... how do I say it?"

River: "There's only one way I would accept...  say it like you're going to come back..."

Doctor: "Well then ... See you around, Professor River Song..."

River: "'Till the next time, Doctor."



And so (on the off chance that you read this),

See you around, Gareth Taggart.Till next time. *mentally salutes you with an equally imaginary glass of champagne

Mountain Scrambling Tips

A blogpost from Ardgour at last, you say? Well, who'da thought it, eh?

Yes, I did finally make it to Ardgour after approximately a five hour drive. The countryside is stunning to say the least. But then I might just let you make your own opinion:  

So ya know....not too shabby...

Thankfully, our first days (Saturday and Sunday) are both off. So Saturday, I decided I needed some introvert time and went and climbed Creach Bheinn (the name of which I found out later thanks to Wikipedia), one of the mountains behind the center.

Tips for Climbing a Trail-less (it is now a word) Mountain (Disclaimer: I am not a professional Mountain Scrambler, therefore, this is merely advice and not a set of laws that must be adhered to. If you have anything you think I should add, please comment. If you disagree with anything or think this is a complete load of nonsense, write your bloody own list.)

1. Be Careful. Now this may seem obvious but I cannot stress it enough. It may not seem that steep or that difficult a climb—beware..pride cometh before a fall and all that...  
2. Bring a Friend. Now though bringing a friend isn't strictly necessary, it is definitely safer, which goes hand-in-hand with point number one: Be Careful.
3. Go the Safest/Easiest Way Up. Maybe this seems the cheap cop out to "real" Mountain Scrambling, but you will not regret it. This is especially important if you are going up alone. Seriously. However, if you are experienced with this type of thing or you've climbed this mountain before, do whatever you want, I'm really not in control of your decisions. I only offer advice. 
4. Plan Your Route Before You Go.  I didn't follow this tip and paid for it. It was alright on the way up, however, the way back down was much trickier. As much as you think you should know where you've been since you're seeing it again, you really can't. Eventually it all becomes grass.
5. Wear Sensible Clothing. Now, basically, what I mean by this is where clothes that suit the weather. You can go ahead and wear shorts and a bikini top (my choice when I went up) if it's super hot and you don't mind the risk of ticks, but if it's raining definitely put some waterproofs on and a nice waterproof jacket. You don't have to wear hiking books (though it would probably be easier); trainers are always a go, but never, ever, ever, wear flip-flops or any other kind of sandal.  This is a horrible idea. The grass might look nice and short and it might seem like it's going to be a pleasant jaunt up the hill--DO NOT BE DECEIVED! The grass will be at least a foot high, if not higher, and there will be ticks, and there will be rocks to scramble over, and there will be wet bits due to mountain streams.
6. Check for Ticks Often. It is inevitable that you will get at least one tick. These Scottish devils are miniscule, a "smaller-than-a-millimeter" kind of miniscule. No joke. It is not acceptable. Therefore it is a definite must to check often, especially on your legs (if you have bare legs) and your hands (because you will eventually put your hands in the grass...we'll get to that point later). This is would be where a friend would definitely be handy because obviously you can't always see the very backs of your legs and since the ticks are so tiny they're easy to miss. It is also advisable to take your tick checking breaks on rocks. Do not stop in the middle of the long grass to check. Ticks love long grass and will be more likely to get on you if you don't keep moving. I, personally, like to stop on the random rocks/boulders that you will inevitably come across. It is, of course, possible to get ticks on you from the rocks, but it is much less likely. 
7. Take a Ton of water. This is especially important if it is a warm, sunny day. You may think that it's just pleasantly warm and you'll be alright, but once you start ascending you will want that water desperately. 
8. Take Breaks and Set Goal Points. The best way to both take a break and set a goal (and, coincidentally, drink plenty of water) is to set smaller goals. It's easiest to make your goals and break points coincide at certain rocks. Pick a boulder, set your eye on it, and make yourself get there by promising yourself a quick breather, with some water, and a speedy tick check. Also, if it makes you feel better, whip your camera out and snap a few shots of the view just so you can attempt to convince yourself your really just stopping to admire the view and not because you're out of shape (or maybe that's just something I do. . .)
9. Don't Be A Diva.  What I mean is this, man up (and I mean that in the best possible sense). You will get dirty, sweaty, and ticks. It's gonna happen. Accept the fact and move on. Also, be willing to put your hands in the grass and heather in order to stay safe and have a hand hold. Don't think about the fact that there might be bugs or any other sort of horrible thing. Just do it. It's safer that way. Man up, but don't be cocky (more on that later). 
10. Push Yourself, But Not Too Hard. Make yourself work, but don't exhaust yourself. Because once your up, you still have to make your way back down through the rocks and it will be just as difficult. So if you, like I did, reach a double bluff (this is where you get to what from all possible angles of your sight when you were going up, looked like the top, and then you find that there's still more to go. . .) and you don't have much energy left to spend (and you suddenly realized that you have to go back down and you didn't really plan a route and you really probably should have taken someone with you . . .) don't climb the second bluff. Admit your defeat, swallow your pride, eat a bag of crisps, drink some water, hike up your socks, and head back down.
11. It Really Is Easiest When You're Basically On Your Hands and Knees. You will have to go up steep bits, and rock bits, you will be bent over holding on to things, and basically horizontally climbing. Embrace this. Pretend you're a mountain goat or something, whatever makes you happy. Just accept the face that you probably are in a very unflattering, not at all photogenic position and carry on. Make goat noises if that makes it easier, whatever floats your goat--I mean, boat...
12. Take It Slow. Going down, in many senses is much more difficult then going up. Since the mountain will be quite steep, a hug part of your body will just want to run down. Suppress this. It will probably get you killed. You'll start out running and end by rolling very painfully (think The Princess Bride fall down into the ravine that leads to the Fire Swamp. Picturing that? Yeah..not cool...). Instead, take things slow. Keep near the tall rocks as they make great hand holds. When going down more rocks, go ahead and go down on your bottom. 
13.  Don't Get Cocky. So you made it to the top, and now you've made it back down the steep rocky section and you're back on the gentle slope, do.not.get.over.confident. You are probably more likely to twist your ankle on the grassy slope then you were on the rocky, steep section simply due to the fact that you are being much less careful. Make sure you keep watching your step. There are still odd changes to the hill, and there are probably many rabbit holes that you could easily step in. 
14. Don't Forget To Take In the Scenery. You can get so distracted by making sure you don't step in a hole, that you forget to take a look around you. Be careful, but not so careful that you forget to admire the stunning mountains that are the Western Highlands of Scotland. Because, as they say in the West Highlands, "West is Best." One look at the views, and you'll just have to agree.

 

 So now that you have read the Mountain Scrambling Tips, here are a few more photos to tide you over till tomorrow's (probably...) blogpost...

Thumbs up for the view, and the fabulous hair, obviously ;)

And after my hike, it was so warm I went to swim in the lake. The beach is not a beach, it is rocks, and more rocks. But the water was nice and cool so it was worth it. 

Bright green seaweed. It was lovely.

A wee snack of chocolate and tea at the beach

More tomorrow...probably...maybe...we'll see...