Petestack Blog

26 August 2014

Rest of Glen Shee

Filed under: Running — admin @ 10:12 pm

Exactly a month after blitzing the hills west of Glen Shee with Marie Meldrum, Sunday saw me back alone to mop up the ‘rest of Glen Shee’. And, having already described the previous batch as ‘easy-going Eastern puddings, not numbered among the country’s greatest peaks’, there’s little faint-praise-wriggle-room left for the frankly-not-very-exciting Glen Shee hills proper (no doubt somebody’s favourites!), with neither the obvious brutally-developed eyesores of the Cairnwell (which I’m afraid I’d previously done in passing many, many years ago) and Carn Aosda (which I hadn’t) nor the likes of the not-significantly-more-awesome Glas Maol comparing even to the Glen Ey round. But they had to be done and, being pretty runnable, were dispatched in decent time after the unwanted detour to Braemar and wait for the filling station to open (nominally 10:00am on Sundays, though I got through a few minutes earlier) without which I might not have got home again. So (to keep the day’s work to a single paragraph) decent running hills but glad I don’t have to do them all again soon, stunning views to the North Sea, Lomonds and beyond, thanks to the friendly walker (not Prince Charles, who was apparently out on the noble peak of Glas Maol!) I met on Carn a’ Gheoidh for replenishing one of my bottles, and dare I start talking ‘endgame’ with just 28 Munros, 18 Tops and 9 Deletions still to do of the 600-odd summits that have ever been listed in Munro’s Tables?

2014-08-24map

2014-08-24glenshee1 2014-08-24glenshee2

2014-08-24glenshee3 2014-08-24glenshee4

Now, having just admitted yet again to the daftest quest to collect complete (properly complete!) lists of hills irrespective of ‘quality’, perhaps it’s not the most sensible time to tell you how much higher I’d rate the ‘Loch Leven’ Garbh Bheinn (which I can see from my window) than any of the sub-puddings I just drove three hours each way to do. But, having just traversed it yet again the previous afternoon with Matt Watts, it was very much on my mind with no escaping the obvious truth that this Corbett (a damn fine hill though not even the finest ‘Corbett’ Garbh Bheinn) is quite simply more shapely, more interesting and (dare I say it?) just ‘better’! ;-)

2014-08-23garbhbheinn1 2014-08-23garbhbheinn2

2014-08-23garbhbheinn3 2014-08-23garbhbheinn4

2014-08-23garbhbheinn5

12 August 2014

Squares, stars, wheels and kelpies

Filed under: Music,Running,Uncategorized — admin @ 11:27 pm

Some tidying up of ‘Munro’ odds and ends last week, with Thursday as ‘deleted Top (square) day’ seeing the missing bumps (which quite frankly probably all deserved to be deleted!) on Meall Garbh and Meall Corranaich efficiently dispatched…

2014-08-07map

And Friday providing a good opportunity to bag long-demoted, but in no way diminished, ex-Munro Beinn an Lochain (still fully deserving that Corbett star!) en route to my mum’s for the weekend…

2014-08-08map

Which brought us two good trips together, with Saturday spent in Edinburgh at the Hebrides Ensemble lunchtime concert and Scottish Parliament to see the Great Tapestry, and Monday at the 12-year-old Falkirk Wheel (which I’ve been meaning to visit since it was built) and newly-completed Kelpies. And the Wheel/Kelpies combination is a great double act with obvious common ground in their stunning blend of art, engineering and watery purpose, and the Kelpies in particular suddenly making huge sense (as portal to the new canal extension rather than ‘just’ monumental sculpture) in growing logically from their environment in a way you just don’t appreciate from the motorway. So, with Wheel and Kelpies alike set in thoughtful, attractively landscaped parks where you could spend considerable time happily wandering on a fine day, what else can I say but ‘thoroughly recommended’? Except just watch the time-lapse (construction) and aerial videos on the Kelpies site! :-)

2014-08-11wheel1 2014-08-11wheel2

2014-08-11wheel3 2014-08-11wheel4

2014-08-11kelpies1 2014-08-11kelpies2
2014-08-11kelpies3 2014-08-11kelpies4

5 August 2014

Norway 2014

Filed under: Running,Uncategorized,Walking — admin @ 2:06 pm

Quick summary of my week in Norway with Marie and Donnie Meldrum… part recce for Marie’s 2015 Norseman Xtreme Triathlon entry and part, well, just regular holiday! Noted in pseudo-diary form (= even fewer sentences than usual!) with photos ruthlessly (?) pruned from the 500+ I took to give a more-or-less representative taste of the whole, so not even necessarily all the ‘best’ shots…

Monday 28 July

Flew Edinburgh to Bergen, picked up hire car (automatic BMW estate with just about enough space for Marie’s bike box, some modest luggage and the three of us) and drove via a late lunch stop at the Norseman start point of Eidfjord to Geilo, which I might introduce as the convenient, centrally-placed ski resort (somewhat reminiscent of Aviemore, but perhaps they all are?) where we were lucky enough to find suitable accommodation when planning the trip just weeks before. Initial discomfort (or maybe terror!) at driving on the right for first time since America 2006 presently allayed by getting the seat (too many levers here!) and mirrors properly adjusted for accurate road positioning.

2014-07-28eidfjord1 2014-07-28eidfjord2

Tuesday 29 July

Up Prestholtskarvet (1,853m?) on the Hallingskarvet ridge/plateau. Pleasant walk reminiscent of high Cairngorms tops with substantial summer snow patch some bonus fun. Then to Torpo for a quick look at the 12th century stave church, but too late for a proper look inside. Donnie driving.

2014-07-29prestholtskarvet1 2014-07-29prestholtskarvet2

2014-07-29prestholtskarvet3 2014-07-29prestholtskarvet4

2014-07-29prestholtskarvet5 2014-07-29prestholtskarvet6

2014-07-29prestholtskarvet7 2014-07-29prestholtskarvet8

2014-07-29torpo1 2014-07-29torpo2

Wednesday 30 July

‘Norway in a Nutshell’ trip by train to Myrdal, train again to Flåm, ferry to Gudvangen, bus to Voss and train back to Geilo. Flåmsbana (famous steep branch line) quite sensational but tricky to photograph from packed train with everyone else trying to do same, so photos barely adequate but, yes, the track and buildings you see in both (second row down) are part of the same line! Ferry trip down Aurlandsfjorden and up Nærøyfjorden (allegedly the narrowest in Norway) equally stunning, then an unexpected bonus on the bus trip (just when we thought it was all over!) with an ever-so-steady descent of the hair-raising Stalheimskleiva (just Google it!) bringing applause from the passengers.

2014-07-30geilo1 2014-07-30geilo2

2014-07-30flamsbana1 2014-07-30flamsbana2

2014-07-30ferry1 2014-07-30ferry2

2014-07-30ferry3 2014-07-30ferry4

2014-07-30ferry5 2014-07-30ferry6

2014-07-30ferry7 2014-07-30ferry8

2014-07-30bus1 2014-07-30bus2

Thursday 31 July

To Gaustatoppen (1,883m peak above Rjukan) to check out rest of Norseman cycle and run course, with Donnie driving. Marie and me taking one east-side trail up the hill and the other (which turns out to be the race route) down to cover all bases. Quick run along the ridge (Marie staying at radio tower) for me to tick true summit, with south (near) end easy going and north (far) straightforward, blocky scrambling (think ‘Carn Mor Dearg Arete’). Subsequent short diversion into Rjukan valley (famous ice-climbing centre) by car at my request.

2014-07-31gaustatoppen1 2014-07-31gaustatoppen2

2014-07-31gaustatoppen3 2014-07-31gaustatoppen4

2014-07-31gaustatoppen5 2014-07-31gaustatoppen6

2014-07-31gaustatoppen7 2014-07-31gaustatoppen8

2014-07-31gaustatoppen9 2014-07-31gaustatoppen10

2014-07-31gaustatoppen11 2014-07-31gaustatoppen12

2014-07-31gaustatoppen13 2014-07-31gaustatoppen14

Friday 1 August

Return to Eidfjord via Vøring(s)fossen waterfalls (me driving) to catch the gathering Norseman vibe and let the birthday girl compete in Eidfjord ‘Mini’ (1/10 Norseman distance) Triathlon. And she was doing just fine (possible ladies’ podium) till knocked off her bike (quote ‘can’t wait to show off my war wounds and torn shorts’) by angry, overtaking Frenchman, after which she did well to get going again and still finish well up.

2014-08-01voringsfossen1 2014-08-01voringsfossen2

2014-08-01voringsfossen3 2014-08-01voringsfossen4

2014-08-01voringsfossen5

2014-08-01eidfjord1 2014-08-01eidfjord2

2014-08-01eidfjord3 2014-08-01eidfjord4

2014-08-01eidfjord5 2014-08-01eidfjord6

2014-08-01eidfjord7 2014-08-01eidfjord8

2014-08-01tornshorts 2014-08-01finish

Two more photos added 6 August, belatedly cropped from larger shots (as was the ‘torn shorts’ pic) to show Marie’s pre-race bike testing and ‘war wounds’ we never saw in real time…

2014-08-01bike 2014-08-01warwounds

Saturday 2 August

Pleasant couple of hours spent watching the Norseman come through Geilo before the rain hit. Then the first really wet stuff after hitherto (mostly) great sunny weather, so not too disappointed when enquiries about train times/costs to Finse (just three stops up the main Oslo to Bergen line) with thoughts of walking to the Hardangerjøkulen glacier snout resulted in discovery that 1. it couldn’t be done today, 2. it would have cost the earth for train standing room only (seats fully booked at weekends) and 3. times for tomorrow really wouldn’t sit well with the need for rest before subsequent overnight drive back to airport even if we’d wanted to pay 80% of our entire ‘Norway in a Nutshell’ train/ferry/bus fare for the privilege of retracing a fraction of that route. So off to the famous Borgund stave church instead (further than Marie thought when the 67km she quoted from the GPS turned out to be as the crow flies!), with Donnie driving there and me back. And what an interesting place that was (most original/characteristic/best-preserved surviving example?), with an excellent exhibition in the purpose-built visitor centre and the driest/brightest spell of the afternoon also adding much to the experience.

2014-08-02geilo1 2014-08-02geilo2

2014-08-02geilo3 2014-08-02geilo4

2014-08-02borgund1 2014-08-02borgund2

2014-08-02borgund3 2014-08-02borgund4

2014-08-02borgund5 2014-08-02borgund6

2014-08-02borgund7 2014-08-02borgund8

2014-08-02borgund9 2014-08-02borgund10

2014-08-02borgund11 2014-08-02borgund12

2014-08-02borgund13 2014-08-02borgund14

2014-08-02borgund15

Sunday 3 August

Speculative wee trip to Ål (on the Torpo/Borgund road, with me driving again), where we virtually stumbled across the fabulous Bygdamuseum with its fascinating insight into historic Norwegian buildings and interiors. And saw a horse/pony wearing a ‘zebra’ coat! Followed by a late afternoon/evening of attempted sleep before leaving for Bergen just before midnight.

2014-08-03al1 2014-08-03al2

2014-08-03al3 2014-08-03al4

2014-08-03al5 2014-08-03al6

2014-08-03al7 2014-08-03al8

2014-08-03al9 2014-08-03al10

2014-08-03al11 2014-08-03al12

2014-08-03al13 2014-08-03al14

2014-08-03al15 2014-08-03al16

2014-08-03al17 2014-08-03zebrahorse

‘Zebrahorse’ photo (100% crop from larger shot) added 6 August.

Monday 4 August

Flew Bergen to Edinburgh and home late morning, with head naturally still full of Norway and double-checking impressions of similarities/differences to Highland Scotland on the drive. So it’s bigger and typically steeper, but different/complementary (the colours being subtly different too) rather than just a supercharged version of the same thing. Somewhere I felt at home and look forward to seeing again with thoughts of more walking, running and possibly (on yet another trip?) climbing, but simultaneously (without doing down that Norwegian grandeur at all!) giving me renewed appreciation of our uniquely Scottish landscapes. And how surreal it felt to be out for an afternoon run above the head of the Leven(s)fjord (now don’t go looking for that one on the map!) thinking ‘this morning I was in Norway!’ :-)

Blog powered by WordPress. Feedback to webmaster@petestack.com.