Across the sea to Tiree

It was a 05:45 rise to catch the ferry from Oban to Tiree.
Bit of a surprise for the night porter at the Rowantree Hotel.  

That Colosseum type structure on the hill is McCaig's Tower and not the failed Oban Hydro as I first thought

The start of a spectacular journey - the best photos are here

I think this might be Ben Cruachan 

Looking back toward Mull and Bienn Talaidh

When the Captain leaves the wheelhouse to take photos you know it is an exceptional trip

The rainbow arced round in an almost complete circle - to port it seemed to be miles away but on starboard just a few inches - like it was possible to reach out at touch it *Sun low on the horizon, photo taken from 6 decks up from the sea surface.

Poodle/Golden Retriever cross - like a big floppy cuddly toy.  Owner driven up from Kent in a giant motor home seeking an AWOL husband (seems everyone on the island knew the back-story and was prepared for the visit)

Jura is somewhere over on the horizon

Photography over (it was -3 when I got on the ferry - and it was just getting too cold) - time for breakfast.  That square thing is a Lorne sausage and next to it - potato cake

Sometimes the crossings can be rough - the purser described a force 10 transfer between routes that was abandoned  at the turn round the Mull of Kintyre.  The ship is capable of running in almost all weathers - the problem is coming alongside the jetty safely (I learned all about the clever device that is the "linkspan").  In the winter the service can be delayed several days.

My first sight of the Paps of Jura

Any Quesmings?

Any Quesmings?

A load of Polloks

Up early and away from the Premier Inn, Cambuslang - £29 a night and absolutely no hidden extras - Travelodge or Premier Inn? - Premier Inn every time. 

Glasgow - capital on Traffic Lights.  So many, so slow and so insensitive of time, day and traffic patterns.  That is the Celtic ground ahead - on the East of the City.

To Pollok Park in good time for Parkrun:Glasgow.

A really beautiful morning - I park down by Pollok House and jog back to the start.  Lots of fit and healthy looking folks walking, jogging, cycling - what a contrast with Hamilton last night.  The course passes through North Wood - there are several climbs - I finish 24th place - a minute slower than in Cannon Hill - too far back at the start and no way could I sprint downhill at the finish

Pollock House

And this is Glasgow Rangers - sadly going through a sticky patch financially - why does anyone think that lending money to a football club is every going to end happily - oh yes - I  know - the bankers never lend their money - they lend our money

Decided not to drive up the shore of Loch Lomond - much quieter via Helensborough - and here is Faslane - home to a small peace camp and a very large navy base.

Does Alex Salmond realise that once Scotland becomes the Peoples Republic of Alba - all we have to do is push the button - our Nukes are already stored at the target.

Beyond the base the loch side road is great fun to drive but not quite as good as...

Up the A83 to the "Rest and be Thankful"

A83 - just short of Inveraray, Loch Fyne on the left

Child labour at Collie Nathais

They don't make them like this in the West Midlands

OBAN: I remember this from 25 years ago - a Blake's Seven reference - but I thought it was on the other side of the road

This is my special room at the Rowantree.  Tomorrow I am off to Jura - where George Orwell wrote 1984 - spooky coincidence!

"The Best Fish & Chips I've ever tasted" - Rick Stein.  I can't disagree

Even though the restaurant was shut up for the evening they let me stay and eat my box of Haddock & Chips.  There is a very full menu - when next in Oban I will be back

Of Grouse and Of Mars

22898 and only 11 minutes early leaving

I am off to Glasgow - but via Skipton - two reasons - to visit N054 W002 and to buy a pair of boots -UltimateOutdoors being my nearest stockist of the Inov8 Roclite 400 GTX Boot

Morrisons in Skipton - certainly a very mature demographic at 10:30 on a Friday

Skipton Highstreet on Market Day - if you are travelling from the M65 - ignore signs to the A56 and take the un-numbered road that passes over Elslack Moor - less traffic, quicker and much more fun.

N054 W002 is up there somewhere

Time to christen the new boots

what is this - not salt and not food in the normal sense - being hard little rocks (quartz?)

But I know what sort of animal makes this

And here is more evidence - this contained food for young birds

Conclusive proof - a Grouse Butt - in good condition with a freshly painted "Number 3"

Barden Moor - on which the confluence was located has been (reasonably) open access land for many years now - a pre-emptive strike by the Duke of Devonshire to prevent the land becoming another mass-trepass flashpoint - but it is still an actively managed grouse moorland and therefore may be closed during the shooting season. There certainly are a LOT of Red Grouse on the moorland this year.

GPS - never ceases to be a wonder - I am only 0.79m out

The verdict?  To early to tell - light and comfortable - grip is unbelievable - combination of roclite sole with sticky rubber - but the forefoot is very high and wide - my foot feels loose and how long will the leather+Goretex remain un-punctured?  Ideal boot however for this sort of soft and wet bramble/gorse free moorland.

I plan to see John Carter (Of Mars) this evening - and the nearest cinema showing it (heading north) is in Hamilton, near Glasgow.  Starts at 16:45 and my Garmin has predicted arrival 16:35 - and there is a lot of very slow traffic on the A65 (which refuses to pull over and let folks past - resulting in some maniacal overtaking and at least one offside-wing to offside-wing smash during the afternoon)

Hamilton Vue - it and the surrounding facilities occupied by characters from "Trainspotting: The Next Generation".  Really quite a shock and not a little intimidating.  Not a good advert for Glasgow (but see tomorrow's blog).  The cinema was good - top class seats and friendly staff, big screens and excellent sound.

My first £100+ fill up.  I remember my Dad pointing out 5 star petrol at 6/- a gallon (Liphook ~1969) and 37.5p (Chester ~1973).  I paid 680p per gallon today.

Premier Inn - Camberslang - so much nicer than a Travelodge, only £29.99 for the night and a very friendly and helpful receptionist/manager, a good nights sleep before tomorrow's racing

Big Black Ambulance + Alternate Use for SAP beach towel

Running at Foxley today - first off on my course - half an hour before the official starts - downside I had to make the first tracks through the bramble upside had the forest 100% to self until number 11 - apart from sundry pheasants (the sound of 50 taking off all at once), fallow deer, woodpeckers, buzzards and so on

Later on we had a report of an injured (head and ankle wound bleeding "A lot") competitor near control number 3 so I got to go off road with 'ECN in ambulance-mode. 

Frank is current Men 80+ age class champion for our region and he had taken a tumble down a small crag face - much blood on the leaf litter - and my car has "dune" colour upholstery - it also carries a huge tarpaulin - so no worries.

Thanks go to Charlie Nelson who gave up his run to use his recently refreshed first aid skills and my beach towel to staunch bleeding.

Frank seemed stable "Are you on any medication?" "it would be quicker to list what I am not currently on"  and we got him to first aid and everything seems to be OK.

Colin wins M75 - not bad for spending Xmas in the QE following a stroke

I had a long chat with the gentleman on the left - the current owner of the estate - it is a grade II listed "planned" landscape and there is lots of history - from 600BC up to a hospital during WWII.  Watch out for the Wye Trow, made with wood from the estate taking part in the Jubilee Celebrations

Tess wins W21E by seconds

Arthur has no trophy - yet!

March in the Marches

Today we ran in Malvern - lovely warm day and a real buzz at the event - I am not sure Urban is for me - I have got to get my navigational speed up...

and next time - wear some gaiters

Its strange but Urban O seems to have more "impact": like the (insert city name here) urban-O race is a real event (in the normal meaning of the word not the meaningless-slog-round-a-bit-of-bramble-infested-poorly-planned-mud sense).

Speaking with another (M50+) runner after the race he missed the point when I said "this is the future of orienteering" - I meant - this is where the youngsters are - and when all the current M/W50+ are M/W70+ there will be few folks doing classic orienteering. It was great to see so many juniors and M/W21 at the race today.

For example I ran a really excellent classic race last week down in Sussex - but out of 130 competitors on the top 4 courses there were 7 M21 and the course winners were M35, M45,M50, M50

I am not sure that Urban-O is really for me - but I had a most excellent time - thank you Hartmans.

No more photos because I was on "control guarding duty" - it was meant to be "Pond Patrol"

"Pond Patrol, I'm on Pond Patrol - do I need to bring my wetsuit? (I have only a silver standard lifesaving badge - and that is from 1975). Here is a photo of me on Pond Patrol at March in the Marshes "

or perhaps I will get lucky and it is this Pond that I will be patrolling...

In the end Barry found the stolen control hidden in a dumpster - just 10 metres from its original location - complete with SI unit, gripple, cable and attached bush

Knocks and Knockwurst

A mystery knock on my door - there is nobody there - but there is a strange present on my doorstep - and then giggles - it is Stacy and Noah with my birthday present...

I understand it is just a German Sausage - but perhaps it contains a hidden painting of The Fallen Madonna with the big...

Cake or Death (Mark two)

The tradition is that you bring cakes to work on your birthday

These went very quickly

Just one left for me

Cake or Death - that would be Mr Izzard:

Oh, I've got an app for that...

Walking home from the restaurant I was asked "what is that in the sky?"...

Some thought, considering relative and absolute brightness, position in the sky, known location of red stars, path of the ecliptic and so on... that is Venus, that is Jupiter and way over there in the East, that red one is Mars

Nephew selects appropriate app, waves Android phone about and says "yes, correct"

Should I feel smug or redundant?