Once upon a time a plucky young man decided to go on a journey. It would take him far away from home to a place of Wonder and Excitement. Amazing things he would see and Fantastic Experiences he would have on his journey. This place he travelled to was called…
And while it would bring the most entertaining tales to tell, it has a tragic and costly ending….
Continue reading The Tale Of The Ducati – Pt.1We woke with a triangular view out into the fields beyond our quirky AirBnb. The bed was on a raised sleeping platform in the eves. This allowed us a view directly out the window opposite where some huge horses were starting the days graze. From here we could look over the edge, past the beams, and down into the minimal living space.
Today we were solid tourists, with a bit of nerdy-ness thrown in.
After scoffing some chocolate croissants (the most suitable of all breakfast foods for an impending exertion of effort) I set off on the mountain bike. My goal was firmly set in my mind, despite the sat-nav saying it was going to be a 29 mile round trip…. I wasn’t committing myself to the whole loop, just one peak and the subsequent descent that looked to be good (read: steep)
I’ve been up here several times before…
I must have got some weird looks today, as I struggled with the mattress. Its not every day you are asked to put “Something Impressive” on your head without using your hands. So as the cars zoomed past the layby, I was headbutting and shoulder barging the crap out of my mattress trying to accomplish the task.
I was recommended to visit Applecross by someone before coming to Scotland one of the first times. I now make it a point to visit every time I come because it’s just an amazing view from the top.
Today is the day for a challenge. We are going up Ben Nevis. We decided to rise really early and set off walking just as it became light enough to say “Good Morning” to strangers. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake I had when doing this walk with Angus. We were sticking to the paths and the direct route. No off piste wandering this time. I even parked in the official visitor carpark to avoid the ridiculously steep first/last section of an alternative path that had practically killed my knees last time.
During 2020, the Covid-19 virus has slowly but steadily eroded a mark into every facet of life. Wake up and watch TV, the presenters are sitting 2m apart from each other. Go to work, now means just walking from your bedroom to your spare room. Informal team meetings that used to be held in the foye are now typed out over messenger. Picking up dinner from the shops used to attract police attention if you wore a hood and bandanna around your face, now, its Wednesday.
After Aimi had been reminding me for days, leading up to the trip, I still hadn’t gotten any new waterproof walking trousers. We had made a special trip to Hathersage, and been to GoOutdoors twice, but still not found any I liked or fit properly. I wasn’t in a mad rush, I sort of remembered owning a cheap pair of plastic over trousers that may or may not have been stored in the overhead locker in the van. Well this afternoon it was due to rain, and we had just walked 3.5 miles into Oban to take a look around
