Great Spotted Woodpeckers

Great Spotted Woodpeckers are regular year round visitors to the bird feeders in our garden. Every summer these delightful birds bring their young with them to feed. Whilst they can fly the youngsters usually can't work out how to get at the food, pecking desultorily at dropped bits of peanut but not yet realising the power they have. Instead they cling to the wire peanut holder or sit in the seed tray waiting for the parent to stuff food in their mouth. I have photographed these birds feeding their young before and posted one of the pictures four years ago in a piece headed Young Birds. That year the date was August 8. This year we saw the first youngster today, June 20.

New TGO: Sandals, Stream Fords, Innov-Ex & Petzl NAO

Hiking in Sandals in the High Sierra

The July issue of TGO is out. My contributions are a review of my favourite hiking footwear - sandals, a report on the 2012 Innovation for Extremes conference, a first look at the innovative Petzl NAO headlamp and, in my backpacking column, some thoughts on river crossings.

This issue also has Carey Davies undertaking a five day circular  tour of the Lake District; Cameron McNeish describing his rather longer Kirk Yetholm to Cape Wrath Gore-Tex Scottish National Trail; Andrew Mazibrada tackling the Nantlle Ridge and Andrew Terrill pausing for 24 hours high in the Pyrenees. Away from trip descriptions Jim Perrin praises one of my favourite outdoor books, Hamish Brown's wonderful Hamish's Mountain Walk while in the Hill Skills section Kevin Walker looks at the pros and cons of GPS; David Coles gives advice for glasses wearers; Chris Highcock looks at how to get the most from minimum exercise and there's advice on dealing with midges and navigating by the stars.

As well as my test of eleven pairs of hiking sandals the gear section has an entertaining look at backpacking meals by John Manning, aided by a panel of experts of all ages, plus reviews of a Columbia wicking t-shirt and some Paramo shorts by Daniel Neilson (hopefully there will be weather for such garments soon - last time I was out on the hills I was wearing a fleece!).

Book Launch: Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams

Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams, my book on my Pacific Northwest Trail hike, will be published on June 21st by Sandstone Press. There will be a book launch at The Grant Arms in Grantown-on-Spey that evening - 7 for 7.30.  Everybody welcome! I'll be showing some images of the walk and there'll be a discussion afterwards.

Review: Eden Quality XP 8x42 Binoculars

The first item of outdoor gear I really wanted wasn’t a tent or a sleeping bag or hiking boots. It was a pair of binoculars. I was around ten years old and very keen on wandering round the countryside and coast of west Lancashire watching birds and animals. I didn’t have conscious feelings about landscape or wild places. I just liked being in the outdoors. Clothing and footwear was whatever my parents provided. I had no interest in them. If my clothes got wet because it rained or I fell in a pond or investigated a ditch that was just something that happened. My first piece of outdoor equipment was probably a fishing net so I could catch pond life. These were cheap though and easily purchased with pocket money. Binoculars were expensive and unobtainable and thus lusted after. Eventually, when they accepted that my passion for nature appeared to be more than passing phase, my parents bought me a pair of 8x25 binoculars. With them I felt like a real naturalist, a real explorer.

Those binoculars are long gone but I’ve owned a pair ever since and taken some on every walk, however long. I like watching wildlife, examining possible routes or campsites, studying cliffs and other features and looking at the stars and planets through binoculars. I can observe animals and birds without disturbing them – or endangering myself when it’s a bear – and look for details in the landscape. I wouldn’t be without binoculars.

For well over a decade – long enough that I can’t remember when I bought either of them – I’ve had two pairs. A tiny 8x21 pair that aren’t very bright but which weigh only 149 grams are the ones I take on backpacking trips and long day walks. For shorter walks and around home I have a pair of 8x42s that are much brighter but which weigh 822 grams. They’re also very bulky and I’m always aware of their presence hanging round my neck. I wouldn’t want to walk a long distance with them. Both pairs look pretty battered and have been repaired. Neither is waterproof so in rain they have to go in the pack.

Given my love of binoculars I was delighted recently when I was offered a pair of Eden 8x42 XP Binoculars to test. I was even more delighted to discover that they are waterproof and quite compact for 8x42s – far more compact than my old pair in fact. They weigh noticeably less at 660 grams too (712 grams with padded neck strap). Even better is the performance as they are brighter and sharper than my old pair whilst having the same magnification and wide field of view. The reduction in weight and bulk is enough that they don’t feel that noticeable after several hours slung round my neck. And they take up less room in the pack when I need to store them – for scrambling say but not, as with my other binoculars, for rain. I will certainly be taking these hillwalking and on short backpacking trips. Indeed, I can see that it will be difficult to leave them behind even on long trips.

The binoculars look and feel high quality and should last a long time (they come with a 25 year guarantee). There are many details I like apart from the optical quality and the reasonable weight and bulk. In particular the dioptre control is very firm and stays in position – it slips easily on both my old pairs so I constantly have to adjust it. The extendable eye cups for use with and without glasses are good too. Being fairly narrow the XPs are easier and more comfortable to hold for long periods than my wide 8x42s. There are indentations to stop the fingers slipping too.

The cost is £245, which for good binoculars isn’t that expensive. On my usage so far I can certainly recommend them. More details here.

Book Review: Norway The Outdoor Paradise by James Baxter

Subtitled A Ski And Kayak Odyssey In Europe’s Great Wilderness this book tells the story of an amazing outdoor adventure. The author spent four months skiing 2,700 kilometres south to north through Norway and Sweden and then turned round and spent another four months kayaking back some 3,100 kilometres round the coast. That is an extraordinary achievement, especially given Scandinavia’s winter weather. Having done a great deal of skiing there I know what conditions are like and that a journey starting on January 1, as James Baxter did, means dealing with short daylight hours, bitter cold, blizzards and deep snow plus the weight of a pack loaded down with winter equipment. I wasn’t surprised to read that he set off with a 120 litre pack that weighed 28 kilos.

This is a big book, 450 pages in total, and I have to admit that I have not yet read the kayak section, this not being something I am very interested in. I enjoyed the skiing section though, as I think anyone interested in mountain journeys, ski touring or Scandinavia would. Detailing his experiences day by day the book is an exhaustive account of the trip and through the author's account you learn about skiing in difficult conditions, camping in the snow, snow shelters and more. There is much about the author’s physical state but surprisingly little about his mental one, given what he had to cope with. Whilst the landscape lies at the centre of the book he also describes the places he passes through and gives many interesting snippets of Norwegian nature, geology, culture and history. There are also a series of meetings with people along the way, including some who ski with him and the many who helped him. Each chapter has a map with each days stage marked on it, a great help in following the journey. There are hundreds of photographs too, showing everything from details of camps to vast landscapes. These pictures are all fairly small. It would have been nice to see some of the more spectacular ones in a larger size.

Baxter says that the book is intended to be an account of his adventure and also a guidebook. There is certainly enough information in the ski chapters to use these for planning a tour with details of the route, huts and other essential information.

The author also wants to promote Norway, hence the phrase ‘The Outdoor Paradise’ in the title, and I think he does this well. Having spent many months there myself, including undertaking a south to north walk roughly along the same route as Baxter’s ski tour, I’ve always felt that both Norway and Sweden are under-rated in Britain, especially by walkers. The landscape is dramatic, beautiful and challenging and on a vast scale. Reading this book made me want to go back. I recommend it.

Road Trip

Ben Stack rising beyond Loch More as I headed NW from Ben Hee

I don’t really like driving. I avoided learning to drive for as long as I could but eventually it became a necessity. Mostly I regard driving as a chore and my interest in cars is limited to having one that works properly most of the time and doesn’t cost too much to run. They’re just tin boxes to take you from A to B. My ideal car would be one where I can tap in my destination then sit back and let the machine take me there while I look out of the window, read, write, sleep or otherwise use my time more usefully than by driving. Unsurprisingly my favourite form of mechanical transport is the train, which I use for every journey I can.

Arkle rising above Loch Stack

Given this, I surprised myself when I decided to drive back from the walk in the NW Highlands described in the last post by a longer than necessary route. Why did I do this? Well, from the top of Ben Hee I could see sunshine out to the west along the coast and an overcast sky to the south and east. Also along the coast was one of the most spectacular and dramatic landscapes in Britain. I knew the shorter drive south east would soon become routine, especially under a blanket of cloud. The coast could be anything but mundane. I had plenty of time and so could drive slowly and stop frequently. The decision was made.

The great buttresses of Quinag

The drive, along the single track A838 to Laxford Bridge and then the slightly wider A894 and A838 to Ullapool, was splendid. These must be two of the most scenic roads anywhere. Most of the route is also on one of my favourite Ordnance Survey maps, Loch Assynt, which mainly shows hills, water and open space. The roads run through the heart of this special land rarely fenced and with mostly wild land to either side. Over every rise and round every bend there are more glories to be seen as mountain succeeds mountain and loch follows loch. And always there is the sea, the end of the land, the margin between the heights and the depths.

Ardvreck Castle, Loch Assynt and Quinag

Suilven

The drive to Ullapool took half a day. I stopped frequently to stare at the hills and lochs and take photographs. There was a brisk NW wind that kept the air sharp and clear with no haze. There were clouds speeding across the sky but the sun shone often and the colours of land and water were amazingly bright. Picture postcard perfect in fact. And that’s what the photos show. All taken during the afternoon with the sun high in the sky there are no dramatic magic hour low sun shots or moody side lighting. But on a day like this that overhead light was fine, showing the landscape in all its finery and detail. All the photos were taken either from the roadside or no more than ten minutes stroll away.

Ben More Coigach and Ardmair Bay

Ten minutes after leaving Ullapool heading east I left the sun behind and the world turned grey. Soon drizzle was falling. Colour had left the land. I still had 100 miles to go. I didn’t mind. For once a road trip had been worthwhile in itself.

Ullapool - time for ice cream

A Few Days In the NW Highlands

View west from Beinn Leiod with Ben More Assynt on the left and Quinag on the right

Just back from a few days in the NW Highlands, climbing some of the less frequented hills. While the car parks for hills like Quinag and Ben More Assynt were full I saw no-one on Beinn Leiod and Meallan a’Chuail and only one party on Ben Hee. In other areas these hills would probably be more popular. Here in the North-West Highlands they are overwhelmed by their glorious neighbours. Yet they have rewards of their own, especially in the views from the summits but also in the rugged landscape, the solitude and the feeling of wildness.

Before sunset; the tip of Ben Stack (left), Loch More and Arkle

 Beinn Leoid and Meallan a’Chuail are a linked pair of hills on the north-eastern side of the vast area of extremely rugged land lying between the A894 and A838 roads. This is rough country, full of bogs, boulders, ravines, lochans and streams. Ben More Assynt and Conival, are the centrepiece of the area for hillwalkers, the only two Munros in the area. Beinn Leiod and Meallan a’Chuail don’t rise to such heights but are fine hills nonetheless. Approaches from the west are long and complex but from the north old stalking paths lead to the foot of the hills. It was one of these I took, as it climbed steeply in tight zigzags between two plantations before fading away when easier ground was reached. Using the long nights of summer I didn’t set off until late in the evening and had the pleasure of watching the sun setting over the western hills with the land glowing gold in its last rays. The full moon was rising by the time I was setting up camp on a knoll above little Loch Cul a’Mhill.

Full moon rising above camp at Loch Cul a'Mhill

I woke to a chill north wind and a temperature of just +1°C. Midsummer may be only a few weeks away but the weather felt more appropriate to March than June. Leaving most of my gear in camp I cut across to another stalking path that led right up to the col between Beinn Leiod and Meallan a’Chuail. As I climbed the long eastern ridge of the latter the views opened up, a spreading array of fine peaks. The view from the summit in the sharp, clear air was breathtaking. Just mountains and water stretching out west to the ocean and east to the flatlands. This has to be one of the wildest and most spectacular landscapes in Britain.

From the summit I turned east to Meallan a’Chuail, the lower of the two hills but also the steepest and rockiest. From its top there is a view down broken crags to a chain of ragged lochans with the long silver line of huge Loch Shin stretching out into the distance beyond them.

Meallan a'Chuail

 The sharp cold wind kept me moving and I was back in camp sooner than expected. I had intended spending two nights here and climbing Ben Hee the following day. With six hours daylight still remaining I changed my plans, packed up and descended back to the car. A few kilometres along the road I set off again and was soon climbing the narrow glen of the Allt Coir a’Chruteir looking for a flat spot to camp. Again an old stalking path led up into the hills, frequently broken by landslips. Eventually a patch of rough grass on a bank above the stream made for a good camp.

Camp in Coir a'Chruiteir

 I was over half way up Ben Hee when I stopped and it took less than an hour to complete the ascent the next day. Ben Hee is a big rounded hill with crags and corries on its eastern flanks. I was climbing the more featureless western side and the climb was straightforward. The view from the summit was extensive but the light had changed and the sky was mostly overcast. Some hills were cloud-capped and I could see squalls passing across the land. Hints of a rainbow appeared as one little storm raced in front of Arkle and Ben Stack. There was little wind on the summit though, a change from the hills of the previous day. The views stretched from coast to coast, with the Dornoch Firth visible away to the south-east. I watched the hills and the water for a little while, marvelling again at the wildness, then turned and began my descent.

Camp beside the Allt Coir a'Chruteir