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A thousand shades of brown in the far north
There is a certain amount of relief in Reuben’s eyes as he lays in his bed this evening. Finally a day when he is not dragged up a wind-swept mountain or up to his belly in bog. The car is outside...
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Bothy vagabonds in the far north pt1 – Ben Armine
The word vagabond is derived from the Latin adjective vagabundus, “inclined to wander”, from the verb vagor, “wander”. It does not denote a member of a nomadic people, but rather an individual who...
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Bothy vagabonds in the far north pt2 – Flow Country
As we reached the car after the Ben Armine backpack a lone figure approached us from the cottage close to the Crask Inn. He introduced himself as John and told us that the woodburner was lit. I had...
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Bothy vagabonds in the far north pt3 – Assynt
It was a beautiful morning when we left the Crask Inn, the low sun lighting up the soft contours of the surrounding hills. We headed south to Lairg before heading north once more on the single track...
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Dessicated
Five days in the sun has left my face as dry as the West Highlands. After a long period without rain the ground that is not frozen solid has a crispy texture to it. The rivers have slowed to a...
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Backpacking Ardgour – the Cona Glen Corbetts pt1
I sneaked out of Nottingham before dawn on the Good Friday, heading north fuelled on pain au chocolat and strong coffee. Surprisingly traffic was light and seven hours later the Real food Cafe in...
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Backpacking Ardgour – the Cona Glen Corbetts pt2
Day 3 – 9 kilometres with 800 metres ascent After another very cold night I enjoyed festering in my sleeping bag for a couple of hours whilst the morning sun warmed the tent. There is something deeply...
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Backpacking the Merrick and the Range of the Awful Hand
The Range of the Awful Hand conjures up images of fire-breathing dragons, goblins and orcs. A land not out of place in the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings. The Galloway Forest park has plenty of other...
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Postcards from Arran part one – Mountains
The Isle of Arran has long been on my extensive list of places to visit. An invite from Geoff and Chrissie to celebrate his sixtieth birthday gave me the perfect opportunity. Nine humans and four...
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Postcards from Arran part two – Moorland
A large chunk of Arran is covered in moorland, this rising to high rocky mountains in the north. Rough, rugged and empty it provided a welcome alternative to climbing up high during a sustained period...
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Postcards from Arran part three – Coast, stones, caves and waterfalls
One of the pleasures of taking a campervan to Scotland is being able to park up in remote and secluded spots each night. This is exactly what I did for the eight nights on the Isle of Arran....
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A wet and windy winter week on Mull pt1
My New Year plan turned out to be far too ambitious. I was going to spend a few nights at my favourite spot on the West Coast of Jura. However the weather once again was not playing ball. After a...
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A wet and windy winter week on Mull pt2
Before setting off I had read of a special little campsite hidden away on the Ross of Mull. With its twisty single track roads Mull feels surprisingly large. It took a while to navigate the Bongo to...
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The Outer Hebrides – A Bongo on Harris and Lewis pt3
As I drove past the car park at Huisinis it was rather comical seeing all the campervans lined up with barely enough room for them to open their doors. It’s not exactly getting away from it all when...
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Video diary – wet and wild in the far north
I have just got back from a ten day trip to Sutherland in the far north of Scotland. To be honest the weather was rubbish and I did not get to climb many big hills. Thankfully I had my faithful Bongo...
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Sutherland – bongo and bothies in the far north part 1
It was dark and raining when I arrived in Aviemore. After nearly nine hours in the Bongo I was tired and hungry and needed a good long break from driving. Reuben did not look very impressed when I left...
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Sutherland – bongo and bothies in the far north part 2
I got up a couple of times in the night to add coal to the fire. It was snug in my sleeping bag, Reuben snoozing close by and the sound of wind and rain outside. The candles burned for hours giving the...
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Battered days and bothy nights in the Ettrick Hills – pt1
The hills that circle the lonely Ettrick water are some of my favourite in Southern Scotland. Rounded and grassy they remind me a little of the Howgills further south. However the Howgills are...
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Micro wild vanping in the Carsphairn hills (part one)
The headlights on the van pierced the darkness as I steered a course along the bumpy track in the depths of the Galloway Forest Park. A small gravel car park overlooks the deserted settlement of...
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Micro wild vanping in the Carsphairn hills (part two)
Downgrading from the Bongo to a Doblo sized campervan has taken a little bit of adjustment. During bad weather it’s not quite as simple as shutting the door and being protected from the elements....
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