water and earth

#32 argh computers

2012-02-01T21:39:00.000Z

New system coming online in the next couple of weeks. Messing with my head today.

In 6 months time we'll wonder what the fuss was about. That's what I keep telling myself.

#31 deadlines

2012-01-31T21:09:00.000Z

Deadlines are everywhere. Work - do this by then. We need that done today. These prices need updating. We need to have the new store open by Easter. We have to see them on that day. That boat needs to be here by then. Work needs done by then etc. Personal - Credit Card bills paid by then. Need to get the kids in bed by then. Need to see these guys by then. Need to get that done before we can do that.

All that doesn't matter when you have this little face to look at when you get home.

#30 for sale

2012-01-30T20:16:00.000Z

Because 3 pairs of ski boots is probably too many! UK11 £200 ono if anyone is interested.

#29 easy day

2012-01-29T17:59:00.001Z

With nothing particular to do today and still feeling a bit under the weather it was a trip to nana's for lunch.
Feeding the birds in the morning before we went was a nice time spent in the garden. Back to work tomorrow. Soon I'll get a couple of days off in a row.

#28 no work

2012-01-28T21:44:00.001Z

So after a mixture of reasons I've just finished 11 days at work in a row. Day off tomorrow. OK it's not a week off but I'll take it. Thankfully feeling much better than Thursday and Friday. What will tomorrow bring?

#27 sick

2012-01-27T13:01:00.001Z

24 hrs of sickness. Hate it, hopefully through the worst of it. No idea where it came from. Thankfully kids are currently ok. No pictures today you'll be glad to hear.

#26 ski art

2012-01-26T14:27:00.000Z

Old skis mounted to the garage door today. 1990's Ski Art. These two pairs of skis were a lot of fun. I wonder how many miles they have transported me on the snow over the years.

#25 Burns Night

2012-01-25T09:05:00.000Z

Happy Burn's Night.

Taken from Robert Burns.org

To a Mouse, On Turning Her Up In Her Nest With The Plough

Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie,
O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi' bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murd'ring pattle!

I'm truly sorry man's dominion,
Has broken nature's social union,
An' justifies that ill opinion,
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor, earth-born companion,
An' fellow-mortal!

I doubt na, whiles, but thou may thieve;
What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
A daimen icker in a thrave
'S a sma' request;
I'll get a blessin wi' the lave,
An' never miss't!

Thy wee bit housie, too, in ruin!
It's silly wa's the win's are strewin!
An' naething, now, to big a new ane,
O' foggage green!
An' bleak December's winds ensuin,
Baith snell an' keen!

Thou saw the fields laid bare an' waste,
An' weary winter comin fast,
An' cozie here, beneath the blast,
Thou thought to dwell-
Till crash! the cruel coulter past
Out thro' thy cell.

That wee bit heap o' leaves an' stibble,
Has cost thee mony a weary nibble!
Now thou's turn'd out, for a' thy trouble,
But house or hald,
To thole the winter's sleety dribble,
An' cranreuch cauld!

But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain;
The best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men
Gang aft agley,
An'lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!

Still thou art blest, compar'd wi' me
The present only toucheth thee:
But, Och! I backward cast my e'e.
On prospects drear!
An' forward, tho' I canna see,
I guess an' fear!

#24 northern lights

2012-01-24T21:55:00.001Z

Scotland and the rest of the UK has been getting a rare chance to see the Northern Lights or the Aurora Borealis over the last couple of nights. It was clear at home last night but I saw nothing. Tonight it is thick fog. I guess I'll have to wait till next time.

#23 about the cold

2012-01-23T15:20:00.000Z

It is good to stay warm. Wool is best! Mostly except for synthetic filling covered in Goretex..... I am enjoying my woolpower 200grm top today.

#22 light night

2012-01-22T20:36:00.000Z

I finish work at 4.30 on a Sunday and almost got home before it was dark. Nights are stretching.!!!

#21 ipad apps

2012-01-21T21:29:00.001Z

There are loads of them. How do you pick the good ones? Just been lost in top gear "where's stig" for about an hour.
Magnetic compass is cool too.

#20 WRC 2012

2012-01-20T20:35:00.001Z

WRC 2012 has started. Well it started 3 days ago but hey. Go Fast got a team in late after Stobart dropped out. Good to see Solberg back with a factory team too. 2012 season is going to be a good one.

#19 hand made

2012-01-19T21:02:00.000Z

Came home after late night at shop to some lovely hand made tartan stars and pillows. Why do we buy things when we can have just as much pleasure out of making things. We should all make more stuff.

#18 news

2012-01-18T20:30:00.000Z

Some exciting news at work today. Early stages and lots of work to go to pull it off. But......fingers crossed it'll be good!!!!

#17 tired.com

2012-01-17T20:21:00.001Z

Nuff said. Two days off with the girls. It's less tiring going to work. Good fun though.

#16 out to lunch

2012-01-16T17:28:00.000Z

Day off today. Nice lunch out with the girls and then home for some baking! Mmm

#15 happy birthday

2012-01-15T12:56:00.000Z

It's my brother's birthday today so happy birthday Dave! He is on the other side of the world right now in China so has probably finished his birthday day by the time I post this. Have a good one and I hope I see you soon.

#14 cold

2012-01-14T17:39:00.000Z

It was cold this morning. But think about this, this time last year it was around -20 and piles of snow everywhere. So really it is quite warm.

#13 can a plan come together

2012-01-13T15:56:00.001Z

Camping next to the River Pattack.

Glenshee looking towards Braemar.

Having a bit of a plan thinkning day today. Should be working but I can multi task. Inspired by my night out to see Charley Boorman and the fact we are having a warmish winter here in Scotland my thoughts have turned to motorbikes.

I want to get out on my bike more this year and have garaged the 90 for a year or so to enable me the time and money to do so. It got me thinking, what would be a good big trip? Yeh there are lots of mini adventures you can have but I mean a big trip, almost once in a lifetime? USA! They speak our language but more importantly my brother and his family live there so we could have an easy base to work from and my family could join in.....

So then the question comes when and where. Well I'm going to have to save a bit of money so why not make it my 40th year so that makes it 2017! Like I said I'll have to save up for it..

So next question is where?Lots of States to choose from so I'll have to make a list of must see locations.

Lastly on what? My current bike is too small and under powered for a trip like that so maybe my dream bike BMW 1200 GSA. It might even make sense to buy one here and ship it out for the trip as a long period hire could work out the same as shipping.

Better save some more!!!!!!!!!!!!

#12 family

2012-01-12T21:33:00.001Z

It is nice to have family. Sometimes they feel too far away and I always look forward to times with them. It is great to do things for them too and not expect anything in return.

#11 good customers

2012-01-11T17:43:00.000Z

Mmmmm

#10 swimming

2012-01-10T19:23:00.000Z

It is good to go swimming. Took Lizzie to the pool today and had a ball!

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#9 fresh start

2012-01-09T20:54:00.000Z

Everyone deserves a fresh start.

#8 favourite

2012-01-08T22:28:00.000Z

Thought I would post one of my favourite camera phone shots from 2011. Love it, Little Explorer. April 6th 2011 by the River Garry.

#7 good parking?

2012-01-07T16:26:00.000Z

A car reported as stolen from an Australian car park has been reunited with its owner, after parking itself in a closed garage.

Adelaide police say they think the car rolled down an incline in the car park, across a street and into a garage forcing itself under the roller doors.

The door closed behind it and the car remained undetected for 17 days until the home-owners returned from holiday.

On their return the homeowers, fearing a burglary called police, who deduced the curious turn of events.

"Although the roller door was closed, it had been damaged slightly and pushed out of its tracks," a police spokesman said.

Police believe that the car had not been left in the parking gear and so rolled though the car park and eventually "forced itself under the roller door, parking perfectly inside the garage where it remained safely under cover for 17 days".

The owner reported the car stolen after he parked it outside a shop in a suburb of Adelaide. Reports say that he had only bought the car two days earlier and only left it for a few minutes.

He told the police that he now recalls hearing a "bang", which may have been the car hitting the garage door.

Brilliant. Happy driving everyone!

#6 don't forget

2012-01-06T23:39:00.000Z

I knew when trying to do this blog a day through 2012 I would forget one day. I didn't think it would be so soon. Hopefully this uploads in time.

Don't put off things you need to or want to do.

#5 on the road

2012-01-05T17:03:00.000Z

Gets you thinking when you are on the road. Clear roads and sunny days it is nice to be out the shop for a few hours. Quick trip to Carlisle and back to pick up more stock and orders.

#4 Lost

2012-01-04T22:00:00.000Z

It is not always a bad thing to be lost.

#3 Dig

2012-01-03T19:01:00.000Z

#3
Blustery winter's day today! Scotland stopped. All major bridges shut to ALL traffic.
What did I do? Dig a hole. Engineers coming on Friday to check our house foundations for our new extension.

#2 DAKAR

2012-01-02T22:01:00.000Z

#2
First real day of the Dakar. Sad day for one family's rider. One poor bike rider died of a heart attack after a fall.
Things people do can risk everything but makes them feel so alive.

#1 Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-01T18:30:00.000Z

Whatever happened in 2011 I hope 2012 is happier and more fun!
I'm planning to eat healthier and look forward to more news like I got this morning. Congrates Craig and Dani.
My big year of blogging challenge for 2012 is to try and blog something everyday. Be it a picture a word or a book worth of words. Could be interesting.
Cool thing with New Years Day is the start of 16 days worth of the DAKAR!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T20:43:00.000Z

Merry Christmas Everyone.

Open Canoe Outfitting

2011-12-21T12:37:00.000Z

Nice to spend some time working with your hands. Taylor made outfitting an Open Canoe. Thinking of the enjoyment you are going to get from it.

Open Canoe Christmas

2011-12-20T12:24:00.000Z

I've decided to buy an Open Canoe. A Novacraft Prospector 15 RX Lite will be the new toy for 2012. Looking forward to it.

Hill Rally

2011-11-21T10:26:00.001Z

I was at the borders hill rally this weekend working as service crew. Pics I got in service park was slim. The two cars I was helping looking after. And a space framed thing with a pretend Freelander body on it driven by Dan Lofthouse. Think it won. We had bust wheel bearings to deal with on the red car Niall Mehan on Saturday. And on Sunday we had rear radius arm mount break on the sand coloured Tomcat driven by Ian Lawrie, in first service then a bent steering bar on the same car in service 2. He was trying harder on Sunday!

Good weekend but very tired this morning to go to work.

Charley Boorman

2011-11-11T18:09:00.001Z

I met Charley Boorman last night! He was doing his Live tour and I got tickets for his Perth Show. Was a great night out and he along with Ewan McGregor was my inspiration to get a motorbike.

Tulliemet

2011-10-28T12:32:00.002Z

Took a walk up to Tulliemet Crags yesterday. Just north of Dunkeld. Looks like a great wee crag. Looking forward to getting out on it when it's drier.... Spring then.

Freelanders Can Off Road Too

2011-10-13T13:56:00.002Z

Was out setting up a Tyro for SORC on Sunday and had fun while I was there!
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Coast to Coast

2011-09-21T10:10:00.001Z

I was Support Crew for Phil doing the Coast to Coast this weekend. 105miles Run-Bike-Kayak-Run-Bike-Trail Run-Kayak-Run.
Phil completed the course in 13hrs 24mins.
Well done Phil.

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Storms :)

2011-09-13T15:45:00.001Z

The sun was out today but it had been raining. Cheeky morning paddle on the Middle Braan. Solo again as everyone else working. Levels had dropped a bit but still good. I'm making a habit of this paddling lark again. Good is what I say.

Shots of put in on the water and take out.

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Raptor

2011-09-11T09:26:00.001Z

Got out boating on the Braan again last night with Sherman. No photos on the river but I was out in the Zet Raptor and new boat this season from Italy.

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Pyranha is Back

2011-09-09T13:46:00.001Z

After a break of over 3 years when we were unable to sell Pyranha products due to business decisions out of my hands, we are now able to sell Pyranha Kayaks at Brookbank again! Very happy days.
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Tyro Day

2011-09-05T10:27:00.001Z

Had a great day yesterday with SORC. I was setting up a Tyro for the club at a new site near Auchterarder. Great turn out and some very shiny cars. We got a good drive out through the forest to end the day.

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Freelander. Should I?

2011-08-13T14:58:00.001Z

I just got a new car. But it is a car. I should have a Landrover. So the question is should I?
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Boating Summer Rain

2011-08-12T12:02:00.001Z

Two days of rain put my local River Braan up nice and high. Noone about so solo run was a must.
Picture taken after the trip. A bit wide eyed still!
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Hard Work

2011-08-04T10:38:00.001Z

Was up to Torridon yesterday with an order delivery. Amazing scenery and weather. Pity I was in the van and not on my bike!
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Gardening!

2011-07-19T17:09:00.001Z

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It Was Summer Time.....

2011-05-05T20:18:00.001Z

But now it's raining. The sun will be out again soon.
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New Garden, More Work

2011-04-09T13:25:00.002Z

Manual labour yesterday in the garden to remove the old chicken run!
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March Snow. Corduroy Piste

2011-03-16T16:43:00.002Z

So Lizzie was at Granny's, Jax was at work. About a foot of fresh has falling since the weekend and forcast was clear... Rude not too.

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Long Day Ahead

2011-03-08T09:21:00.002Z

Better get some blogging and Facebooking in. Going to be a long day. Full day at the shop then drive to Stockport!!! Coffee fuel needed!

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March Skiing

2011-03-05T14:35:00.002Z

So it's March and I have missed most of the Scottish Ski season. One of the best for snow in a long time although they have been plagued with high winds and too much snow blocking roads.

However......Cairngorm still has good snow and they have been working hard to keep the runs complete. I had a great day on the hill yesterday. Sunshine and great snow.

oh and some shiny new skis and boots too.

Bike

2011-01-13T19:09:00.002Z

Givi Rear Rack for Throw over Luggage

Ortlieb Magnetic Tank Bag

January 2011

2011-01-07T13:42:00.006Z

Happy New Year.

Down Sides.
Moving out the house and still trying to find a new house to live in.
Moving stuff into storage in -5 degrees and sheet ice.
Recovering, still, from back injury.

Up Sides.
Dakar Rally is on the TV and Mini are in it.
Mini will be in the 2011 WRC

Dakar 2011 Mini Countryman.

Prodrive Mini WRC

Snow

2010-12-02T15:31:00.002Z

The country is gripped with snow. Satellite photo taken at 11.45am Thursday 2nd Dec 2010

Ouch

2010-11-16T16:08:00.004Z

Icy roads and pavements this morning meant a wee trip in an Ambulance this morning.....

I feel like an idiot but at least I know there are nice people out there willing to help a stranger.

Friday You Tube

2010-11-12T16:34:00.003Z

Saw this today and think it's amazing.

Daddy Day Care

2010-11-11T12:53:00.001Z

Lizzie at just shy of 15 Months.

Another New Toy. Sorry Jax

2010-10-30T15:01:00.005Z

Went up to Escape Route yesterday in Pitlochry with the intention of just getting my bottom bracket fixed on my NRS and going for a ride in the afternoon. Anyway cut a long story short I came home with one of these......

A cyclo cross bike ideal for winter commuting and maybe some Adventure Race Style events for 2011 with Bobinson. My NRS was taking a bit of time as the back brake has been dodgey lately too. The nice boys at Escape Route let me go for a couple of hour blast on a 2011 Giant Trance demo bike. Just as well I didn't come home with one of them too.

On the recommendations of the Escape Route boys I took a great ride out west of Pitlochry. Superb route. Superb coffee. If you are in the area make sure you pop in and say Cam sent you.

Days Off

2010-10-15T08:19:00.008Z

Got a couple of days off so, yesterday got out in the truck. As a SORC Committee member I am always on the hunt for new site to run events from.

Good friend Adie suggested he might have a site suitable so it was off for a recce. The entrance drive through the forest was stunning, a track Adie had grown up on testing rally cars. There were sections in the forest that could well be used for Challenge events although a small site.

Two fords on the drive up were very nice but could be a different story after heavy rain.

Once through the forest we headed up to the open hill top. This would be great for Tyro events which is what I was looking for. The site has stunning views across Perthshire and beyond. We headed of the site for lunch via and interesting clear forest section. Big tree stumps, a real reminder of the TFC. Highest point on the site is 306m.

Look out for this site on the 2011 SORC Calender.

After an excellent morning on the hill it was time for an afternoon of Fishing at Adie's Loch. It was my first attempt at fly fishing and I was looking forward too it.

A great afternoon out on the loch learning some of the finer details of Fly Fishing. Unfortunately nothing was caught but that didn't matter. One of the reasons we were there was to check out the feasibility of running Kayak Fishing here. Should not be a problem. It would be a great spot for a bit of kayaking with fishing thrown in. Fishing, I'm hooked..... sorry.

Kanu Messe 2010

2010-10-11T12:20:00.006Z

I got the pleasure to attend the annual Canoe and Kayak Trade show Kanu Messe held in Nuremberg Germany last week. It is a show our company has attended for the last 5 years at least. It is a great opportunity to see alot of our suppliers in a few days. We get the chance to talk sales for last year, look at new products and try and take a stab in the dark for sales for next year.
We left on Monday and were in Nuremberg for Monday evening. I had had a bit of a cold and was still suffering a little from my ear op. The first full day of meetings was Tuesday.

These shows are great, we get a chance to speak to the owners and designers of the gear we sell in store. Above, here we are speaking to Robert Somer owner of Robson. They produce paddles as well as canoes and kayaks. Here we are discussing his new 16ft sea kayak due out early next year. This was the first one out the mould and was only produced on the Monday.

A new brand to pop up at the show was Totuga. They are producers for a company already so we know their quality. They will be producing a range of Touring and Fishing Sit On Tops to start with. Above, Steve is going through the range of Fishing SOTs for us.

Shred Ready were there on the SystemX booth and showing off there all Carbon Super Scrappy. They also had a great new range of the odds and sods you are always looking for from Select Designs. Look out for these in store very soon.

Sweet Prophecy Cag

It was great to catch up with Danny from Werner. Arguably the best Tech Rep in the business right now. He was going through some great ways to help us sell what is already an easy brand to sell. With his techniques we will sell even more Werner's.

Alex from Avoncraft who sell us Prijon kayaks amongst other things was there and proud of the new Prijon Pure range of whitewater Kayaks. Above he is telling Craig our Lancaster Store Manager the finer points of the Footrest System

Mad River had on display there new Journey 158. Maybe not an ideal boat for the UK Market. But I may have to eat my words.

One of the highlights of the show was the changes Palm have made to their range. Almost a complete revamp of all their cags. New colour ways and some unique new designs. Look out for these to hit the store in 2011

On the plus side all the features have stayed with all the cags and they have been replacements not additions. So this will make things a little easier to work out.

Lorna here trying on one of the 9 new woman's specific garments added to the 2011 range.

Ben the technical rep for Palm and Dagger Europe here going through the new products with us.

Yak were also on the case with some new colour ways and some new PFD's Pete Ford here showing off the new colourway on the Force Jacket.

Tahe Marine were there showing off a new entry level brand. Marine Fit. They also had there new Zegul Range of sea kayaks including this Bairdarka with Teak deck Fittings. The Zegal range comes in Carbon Kevlar and is truly stunning.

Gatz Canoes based in Germany were there and Olaf Gatz was there showing us just how string their Carbon Kevlar construction is by happily standing on this £2000.00 boat.

So that is my brief outline of KanuMesse 2010. We look forward to getting in the products and selling them over the next 12 months.

SCA Touring Photo Comp 2010

2010-09-12T12:52:00.007Z

So I have decided to enter the 2010 SCA Touring Photo Comp. Here are my potential entries. Just got to send them in before the deadline.

Morning Reflection - Loch Oich - May 2010

Lake View - Ullswater Lake District - Nov 2009

Woodland Launch - Loch Tay - Nov 2009

Flat Calm - Loch Ness - May 2010

Long Way Up - Loch Ness - May 2010

Drummond Hill View - Loch Tay - Nov 2009

Winter?

2010-09-02T10:09:00.004Z

I know, I know it is still sunny outside and technically still summer, but I watched The Eiger: Wall of Death on bbc Four last night and got a real need to get out on the snow and up a mountian.

Anyway with that in mind here are a couple of shots on Cairngorm taken last winter to get you thinking.....

East Wall Ciste Gully

Traversing to East Wall.

New Boots

2010-08-21T21:07:00.003Z

The new look Soft Top has been getting used a bit on the road lately and I didn't fancy wearing down my Simex's. Soooooooo I have fitted a set of second hand 35in/ 12.5in - 15inch Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ's....

Kinclaven Bridge

2010-08-13T13:37:00.004Z

I got a chance, on my day off, to get out on the Tay yesterday. I went out with Craig, Dani and Less the Dog. They took a Wenonah Prospector 16 RX and I took a Native Kayak Manta Ray 12 Angler.

We paddled from Kinclaven Bridge down to Burnmouth Ferry at Stanley. The weather was very mixed. Sunshine and showers I think they call it.

Going down through the Fishing pools there were alot of fishermen out obviously. They were all very accomodatiing and happy for us to pass by.

Pictured above is Campsie Linn. An easy paddle at this level. Alot harder in high water.

As we were running the last rapid to the finish it dumped it down with rain. I was still fairly warm but it was like tropical rain pounding down.
A great afternoon out on the water.

SORC Tyro Drumglog

2010-08-07T08:59:00.002Z

SORC Drumglog RTV/ Tyro was held last weekend and I was course setting for the Tyro. It was a great chance to get the new look toy out for a run. I got down on the Saturday lunch time to see the afternoon's RTV action. Pictures here.

Winner Jimmy Arthur getting another clear.
RTV Results Here.

Marcus getting recovered out of an RTV section.

I never got my camera out on the Sunday for the Tyro. But a great day was had by all with 10 competitors and 10 sections. Tyro results Here.

Front and Back shots of the new look soft top.

Soft Top

2010-07-26T09:37:00.001Z

Bike not Offroad

2010-07-17T20:50:00.003Z

My Brother was over from the States. We were supposed to be competing in the Scottish Hill Rally. Unfortunately it was cancelled due to lack of entries.

So a plan was hatched. We managed to hire Dave a bike from Perth Motorcycles. I had planned a rough route we could take. Out of Perth we headed to Blairgowrie and onto the Glenshee were we had our first stop. The weather was changeable and we had to put up with riding through a couple of rain showers.

A quick stop at Glenshee ski centre then onto Ballater for a spot of lunch.

From Balater we had some great roads up towards Huntly and then across to Dufftown. Through Granton we eventuallt got to Aviemore where we filled up before a blast down the A9 and back to Perth.

We only stopped for a couple of photos and Dave took some video but I havn't seen it yet. A great day out. 250miles covered.

Lizzie 10 Months

2010-06-21T10:44:00.001Z

Lizzie was 10 months old yesterday and I finally got her in a Kayak. We didn't go far only about 100 metres or so but she seemed happy enough.

Happy Father's Day!

Great Glen Canoe Trail

2010-05-27T18:51:00.009Z

The trip was on. GairLochy to Dargarroch. We arrive to Gairlochy Lockgates around 8pm and found the British Waterways asigned campsite. It would of had a nice view of Ben Nevis if it was not for the mist.

We got up in the morning and were duley told we had get a License from Corpach. 12km back down the road. Mark went off to get them and I set about packing my boat. Terra Nova Laser Comp Tent, Mountain Hardwear Sleeping Bag, Thermarest, Crux Lite Stove as well as my MSR some of the kit list. I was travelling light but we were going to be comfortable for the next three days. I was paddling a North Shore Polar.

Loch Oich Camp Site.

Loch Lochy was first on the list. 17km of it. With now a late start we managed to get to the end by lunch time. Cuppa soups and a couple of sausage rolls and we were reday for the first portage. We carried rather than trolleyed. I wanted to weigh my boat but I reckon it was 35kg.ish. After Laggan Locks you go through the Laggan Avenue to get to Loch Oich. Our first overnight stop was the far end of Loch Oich.

25km done it was time to stop. We scouted the south bank and found a nice flat spot next to the Great Glen Way. A bike trip for another day. The morning saw some amazing early views. Before 7am the Loch was flat calm with mirrored views of the surrounding mountains.

The big push was on for day two. We decided we wanted to get as far up Loch Ness as possible to make for an easy last day. Loch Oich to Fort Augustus was a gentle Canal paddle with a couple of Lock portages. Trolleys worked well. We went for alight weight trolley instead of one of the heavier weight models on the market.

After the longest portage around Fort Augustus locks we were onto Loch Ness. 35km looks a long way away from a 16ft sea kayak. We were blessed with flat calm condidtions and we managed 30km that day. Including the 9km of the canal we had made a fair dent into Loch Ness. Finding a camp spot was hard. The south shore was rocky and steep. We found what was the closest we could find to a camp spot and stopped for the night. That day we had seen Tornados flying low over our heads. A Channock Choppers flew low over the loch when we we having dinner and an RNLI Lifeboat went belting up the Loch before we went to bed. Remote wilderness trip this is not.....

The last day and we had decided we would get up early and make the final 20km ish push and get back to Perth at a reasonable time. We left camp at 7.40am and headed for Urquhart Castle. We had woken to a Southerly wind so with the wind behind us the last leg was going to be easy so long as the wind held......

Urquhart Castle was 3km from the camp spot. Now on the north side of the Loch we skirted Drumnadrochhit and carried on. The kms breezed passed with the wind behind us, until we got near the head of the loch. The winds started to blow round in circles. We had the wind on the back of our necks and we could see a rain shower blowing directly towards us.

We had reached then end!! Just a short couple of kms to get to the take out. Through Loch Dochfourand along the Canal. A great trip. Not wilderness but very nice to get back in a sea kayak after a long break out of a boat. Total distance 75kms Average Speed 5.3kph. Total Hrs paddling 14hrs.

Great Glen Canoe Trail

2010-05-19T09:21:00.004Z

Well after a bit of a gap in the Blog I thought I had better get back to it. I have been planning on doing the Rannoch Moor to Perth trip by Open Canoe this weekend but due to my back being bad Open Canoeing is not really good for me just now. With a trial bit of Sea Kayaking last weekend I decided that I felt good with that. So a plan has been hatched.

Myself Mark (my boss) and Pete (manager of Carlisle Store) are going to tackle the Great Glen Canoe Trail. See on Facebook too.

I am going to take a North Shore Polar as a bit of a long term test over the next few months so I may as well start with this trip.

The plan is to get to Fort William on Sunday afternoon/evening after dropping a vehicle at the Inverness end and set off finishing on Wednesday at some point.

Kit list is next. I have a couple of days to get gear together. I want to travel light obviously. My new Terra Nova Laser Comp arrived last week and I have practice pitched it in the garden with no major hassles after Bobinson told me it can be fiddly. Gear list will follow.

The weather is set to be good at the moment but who knows it's Scotland. May is a good time as we'll get in before the Midges.

Cairngorm Feb 2010

2010-02-12T13:56:00.002Z

Got a week off went Skiing!!!! Cairngorm was the best I had seen it in a very long time. Fresh Tracks on the East Wall and Skiers Right of the White Lady.

White Lady T Bar will probably never run again. The bottom pylons have all gone but the top ones are still there and look amazing with all the winddrift snow on them.

East Wall and Ciste Gully with mid morning Sun.

Self Portrait.

Carn Liath

2010-01-18T21:34:00.001Z

Took a ski tour trip with Phil Robinson up behind Blair Atholl. we got up there not quite at the crack of dawn.....

Long winter shadows.

The cloud was coming in and out all day. We did get some nice clear spells through the day and were plaqued with helicopters flying up and down the valley. obviously checking powerlines after the heavy snow we have been having.

A great day out on the telemark skis. Good few miles covered.

January Snow

2010-01-10T20:29:00.011Z

There is still snow about and I finally got out to enjoy it again. I only had a couple of hours so I didn't and couldn't head up to Cairngorm or Glenshhee. They would have been mobbed today as well anyway. I thought I should go and try and ski somewhere you never get the chance too during a normal winter.

So it was up to Kinnoul Hill of all places. I do a bit of moutain biking up there in the summer months so why not ski in the winter. I took My Telemark Skis up and not my full on ski touring kit. The advantage is it is lighter but the downside is I'm not as good going downhill with them....

I stopped for a brew about half way round. I set up my Optimus Crux and boiled up a bit of snow for a quick coffee.

My Tua Skis worked well today. I had to use the skins for the first mile to get up the top of the first hill and then was able to keep them off for the rest of the trip. The tracks were used and off to the side of the tracks there was a couple of inches of fresh snow on a firm base.

Click on the image above with the location.

My Garmin GPS 60 told me I had done 4 miles. I had stopped for about 30mins for the brew. Included in that time I set up my True North Tarp just for practise but also to stop falling snow from the tress landing in my coffee and on my head. All in all a fun couple of hours out.

Snow and Stuff

2010-01-06T13:39:00.002Z

Happy New Year!! Snowfall everywhere. I have had a couple of oportunities to get out in the snow. My bro and his family were over at Christmas for just over a week and we got the chance to head up to Cairngorm.

Skiing through Glenmore Forest on the 30th of December.

Powder snow in Coire Cas.

My Bro.

End of the day run with the moon up behind me. In the Cas Bowl.

RTV Cowdenbeth

2009-11-23T10:45:00.002Z

I was out yesterday competing in the SORC RTV at Cowdenbeth. I was rubbish. I forgot to hand my card in at the end of wone of the sections and scored a maximum. I also smashed a rear light and managed to dent my roll cage. All I can say is that I was happy to here my brother had stuffed his rally car in a Canadian Rally this weekend. I don't have the full story on that one yet.

No pictures but there was some video.

Video Clip.

Video Clip 2.

It's a Tough Job

2009-11-16T09:47:00.008Z

The plan was simple. I was going to drive down to Ullswater in the Lakes and we would spend a day Open Canoeing using other methods of propulsion as well as paddles of course.

Sailing rigs were constructed.

We stopped for a spot of lunch and looked at ways of using Tarps to stay dry. The Lakes was a nice place to be.

Knots were tied for lining.

And of course we did use our paddles. It was a great day catching up with collegues from other stores, and the weather even held a little.

Product Testing

2009-11-05T21:19:00.004Z

For a while I have been wanting to get out in an Open Boat. The Mad River Reflection 15 to be exact.

Yesterday I took the chance to take the afternoon off and go for a paddle on Loch Tay. It was like the calm after the storm. We have had some crap weather with raging storms and heavy rains. Yesterday it was calm with only a drizzle in late afternoon.

The boat was great. It tracked well and was very easy to handle off the water. The Brookbank Canoes Demo boat is kitted up with a kneeling thwart which is alot better than sitting on the bow seat facing the rear. I headed out from the beach at Kenmore out to the small island and made a quick coffee with me new optimus crux stove and pots.

The Loch was mirror like and just a joy to paddle on. Having work here over ten years ago it was very nice to be back. The autumn colours were coming through and Drummond Hil was looking stunning. I'm looking forward to my next Open Canoe trip in a week or so down in the Lakes with the rest of the Brookbank Team.

Cairngorm

2009-10-12T19:07:00.001Z

We took a quick trip up to Cairngorm on my birthday the 12th of October.

We took Munch up.

It was her first journey on the Funicular. It was a coldish day with +0.5degrees up the top.

Loch Morlich was looking stunning and I took the chance to ride my push bike down from the Carpark at Cairngorm down to Aviemore. It was a great day out. Happy Birthday me.

Biking in October Sun

2009-10-08T12:34:00.004Z

Got a chance to get outdoors this morning. The sun was shinning and I wanted to go up to Deuchny woods and try and get a decent route sorted out I could do regularly.

From the Jubilee Carpark I headed up towards the Downhill track but stayed clear of that craziness. It lead up to great forest trails down parallel with the River Tay before bending back towards Scone.

There really is some great single track up there too.

It is all signposted and with a bit of imagination you can get an awesome figure of 8 route with enough uphill to keep you fit, enough single track to keep you on the ball, and enough downhill to keep you entertained.

It was a great Autumn morning. The colours are not quite changing yet but I'm sure it won't be long as the temperature has definately dropped. I also got to see a couple of red squirrels too.

Wheels in the Woods 2009

2009-09-28T14:02:00.007Z

Last weekend the 20th of September saw the return of Wheels in the Woods. A SORC run event which has become very popular over the last 4 years it has been running. As SORC members we are mostly on marshall duty with a bit of recovery thrown in every so often.
I turned up on the Saturday along with a few folks we finished setting up some of the section that Hugh and his team had been working on for most of the week.
The Sunday was a day with good weather and with the Toy I was sent up to one of the Red Routes to look after that in the morning in Cardrona Forest near Innerliethen. The highlight of the morning for me was with the help of Bob we had to extract a Disco 3 that had slipped a little bit too close to the trees. It was not in any major danger apart from maybe a bit of panel damage from the trees. With careful winching we got it back onto a safe route to a very happy owner.
In the afternoon we were in Elibank Forest and I was up on the Moor Run. A great Red Route that must be almost 2 miles long. Great views and driving all day. Well done Hugh and the team along with all the other SORC members making the day run smoothly.
As they say what goes up must come down. That is true to say about the sections. The following weekend was set to make sure all the sections had been cleared properly.. ; ) This time I took the family.
We were lucky again with the weather. Blue skies and warmish weather if a little windy. I got a chance to stretch the legs of the Discovery. Although on Road Tyres it performed well. We drove many of the green runs and even got up the moor route and lunched by the cairn at 1361ft on the summit of Middlebar Knowe.

Cheviot 4x4 Challenge Round 3

2009-09-11T11:09:00.005Z

With my new daughter only 3 days old it was time to get to the third round of the Cheviot 4x4 Challenge event. It was set in Morebattle down in the borders. This is a site previously used in events like the Muddy Truckers. It is mostly open moreland so we knew that ground anchors were what we needed.

We set off well until a little map reading let us down and we had to back track to find the first two punches we were heading for. Those in the bag we set off back down the hill into a gully with several punches. The third punch of the day was the first disaster of the day. I was lowered into the river and started to winch out the other side. The solenoid pack gave up the ghost and I could now longer winch in on the front. Not good in a Winch event.
We got through another couple of punches without the use of my front winch we even managed to drive one without the winches at all. The next stage was down into a ditch sharp left and then right up a hill. My truck fell onto its right side and manged to bend my D44 bumper and front right wing.

With loads of time wasted getting through that punch it was time to try and make up some time. We headed onto the next series of punches and disaster again. Dave's front winch brake had fried and then will trying to hold me on a hill the motor burnt out. Game over for the day. With 8 punches out of 20 in the bag it was not a great day for us but we still managed 3rd place.

Wet, but we managed third place. Thanks to the Cheviot 4x4 Team for another great event. Round 4 will be in Drumglog. A site I know quite well so lets hope for a better result.

Lizzie 2 weeks 3 days

2009-09-06T09:04:00.004Z

Lizzie had her first photo shoot this morning.

New Arrival

2009-08-27T19:33:00.003Z

Our new arrival arrived safely after a couple of slight hitches on the 20th of August at 5.30pm. She weighed only 7lbs 6oz. She had to stay in the hospital with mum for a couple of days but was home by Sunday. She is gorgeous and both Mum and Dad love her to bits. A week old and she is doing well. Right now she is sound alseep next to me.

With mum still in the hospital.

Elizabeth Skye Allan
20th August 2009

SORC Drumglog Challenge 2009

2009-07-28T18:24:00.004Z

Last weekend saw the annual SORC Drumglog Winch Challenge. I competed last year. Details can be found here. This year with a higher spec car and a bit more experience I was hoping to do better than the second place I managed last year. Unfortunately everyone else was the same. More experience and well prepared cars.

Entrance to the first section we attemted.

The event was a bit different to the previous events as Rab had set up specific sections we had to drive through and on a couple of sections there were two punches to be got.

Making the first punch of the day early is always a good feeling. It gives you loads of confidence.

After getting that I had to turn the car on the hill and drive out through a ditch following the red and white tape and get the punch on the steep climb out the other side.

Unfortunately still in the first section I managed to put my car on it's side. It then took us a while to get it sorted and up out of the ditch to the next punch.

My winchman Robert telling me what the options were as all I could see was dirt and sky!!!

Gavin and GRC who we teamed up with exiting the 3rd stage we did after I had just exited. Yes it was a steep descent to the river.........

The day was really enjoyable and thankyou very much to Marcus who took all the pictures you see here. More Picture from SORC events can be found here.
If you have a 4x4 and fancy trying some more gentle forest off road driving then you can come along to the SORC Wheels in the Woods event. Details can be found on the SORC Site here.

New Number!

2009-07-20T19:00:00.003Z

The Discovery has a new Number. Thanks to my lovely wife my anniversary present is now on the car.

Perthshire Hill Rally 2009

2009-07-10T18:49:00.001Z

This year I was helping Dave Mac out with service for 3 Tomcats. Driven by Alan Crow, Paul Ansley and Iain Lawrie.

Alan Crow at the finish.

Iain Lawrie at the finish.

Paul on the finish line

Three Tomcats still in one piece and ready for the last stage.

This shot taken at the last Service on the Saturday before one last stage.

All the cars did very well. We had 2 first in classes a 2nd in class and a 4th and 5th overall. All in all some good results. A good learning curve and a very sunny weekend. It was back to work on Sunday afternoon with a good bit of sun burn.....

The Road to Skye

2009-06-20T18:15:00.001Z

After 10 years of promising Jax we would go to Skye finally we got there. We had some great weather. I manged to get a hike in up the Cullins round the back of the inaccessable pinicale. We were away for 4 days. We had 25degree plus weather for at least 2 of the days and it was not until we got to Aberfeldy that it rained.

Rear view mirror art. Made from floatsome found on the Beach in GlenBrittle.

The Fairy Pools. No I'm not the Fairy!!!

554metres. Up the Cullins.

Jax with a bump on the beach in Glenbrittle.

Beach shot looking West.

The campsite at Glenbrittle. We had sunshine like this for 3 days!!!

The view from my hike.

My Car and the Cullins.

On the Road to Skye. Eliean Donan Castle

North Esk

2009-06-03T11:28:00.004Z

We got out onto the North Esk last Sunday. It was a very sunny day. We had a good crew out. Sun out and demo boats. All good day.

Fozz at the put in.

Gavin

It really is sunny and in Scotland.

I had the Dagger Green out on the river. An 11ft Race Boat. It was quite tight with the lower water and tight chutes.

Craig and Dani's Wedding

2009-05-11T11:09:00.000Z

After a long drive down to Falmouth from Perth I made it down for my Best Man Duties at Craig and Dani's Wedding. It was a great few days. We ran about for a bit during the week and I picked up Jax from the airport.

The day went very well and although a little nervous for my speech I think that went down well enough.

The official Mr. Bosher Wilson

Cheviot 4x4 Challenge Series

2009-04-27T12:02:00.003Z

On the 26th of April we had the first Cheviot Challenge of the season. We had the usual work to do the week before the event. But we were all mostly ready on the Thursday night. We trailered the cars back down to Herrington Woods on the Saturday afternoon. Chips and Beer and then off to sleep with the rain chucking it down.

We woke up the next morning with great sunshine and hopefully a dried out wood. Last year we did so well we were hoping for another win. My truck had had a heart transalp over the winter and we now sporting a 200tdi. The usual pre event nerves were aparant but when we the clock started we were off.

The first couple of stages went well. Similar tight wooded stages like last year. It suited us. There was a couple of very tight tree sections and the wings and right hand side of my car got some abuse. The snorkel top managed to get beaten up and knocked off. oops.

We had a from 10am till 4pm and we didn't stop for lunch. (there was no compulsory lunch stops). The new car set up went well. We need to add a new set of rear cones with hooks as I managed to over extend the rear spring a bit more and pop it out.

Thanks again to the guys at Strathearn Engineering with their help and team we were able to add another win to our trophy cabinet.
Results can be found here. As you can see we picked up a couple of penalties. We managed to knock a couple of small trees down by winching off them. A no go in Challenge Events.

Stag Do in Chamonix

2009-04-20T08:20:00.005Z

Just had a great few days in France with Craig, Tony and Al. The excuse was Craig's Stag do but it was a perfect excuse to get a couple of days Skiing in. I got there on Tuesday midday and we managed a ski in Craig's home resort of Morzine. The Wednesday we got up and headed to Chamonix to meet up with Tony And Al.

Climbing down into the Patollers Run off Le Grande Monte at around 4000m

Glacier Skiing

Al ripping

Tony with a Ski Flier overhead

Putting the whisky away.

Craig being a ski model.......before we broke him.....

Self Portrait

Loading skis onto our packs before the climb down to the top of the Patrollers Run.

The top of Le Grande Monte.

Thanks Al for guiding us around for the day.

New Addition.

2009-04-03T09:08:00.004Z

Well with our other new addition arriving in August it was a great excuse to get a `Family Car`

So here it is. A 2004 Discovery 2

Skiing

2009-02-17T21:34:00.004Z

We've had a bit of snow lately in case you havn't noticed. I got the chance to get out the last couple of Sundays. Last weekend was great. The snow was knee deep and the sun was out most of the day. Problem was we were late up to Cairngorm as I had been ill and the carparks were full and closed so Dave Girling and I decided to tour uphill instead. I was going to take it easy.

We were touring through the woods and following a set of tracks and not really paying attention. all of sudden we had ended up about 3km from where I thought we were. oops.

Bit of a mission through the trees we finally got a bit of height and eventually got to the carpark. After 4hrs....

The scenery was great and the company fun so I didn't really mind but with trying to beat off the tail end of a cold I was totally knackered at the end of the day. More than I ever have been for a long time. Thanks Dave for breaking trail almost all day. I wouldn't have missed one of the best days for snow cover I've seen in a long time.

This Sunday just past I had a day out up Glenshee using lifts this time.

Truck Progress and Updates

2009-01-29T18:05:00.003Z

The story is...........

My truck has been off the road. Not offroading but off the road since just before Christmas. The MOT has now run out and with skiing getting in the way I have not had a chance to sort it out. During the events I did last year there were a few little niggles that I wanted to get sorted. I have decided to keep it off the road for now and give it a bit of an overhaul and much needed TLC.

I want a bit more power and I wanted to sort out the problem of running SU Carbs on steep slopes. So it is going to get a heart transplant. I have got another V8 engine a bit bigger than before and this time with Efi (electronic fuel injection) lined up thanks to the guys at Strathearn Engineering and will hopefully be getting that fitted in the coming weeks. So if you want to get hold of my old engine it is up for sale. £250.00 click on the SORC or Devon 4x4 forums for details. I'm going to be putting in a new fuel tank and fuel system as well.

I will also be tidying up some areas including some of the wiring straightening some of the panels... But most importantly I'll be tidying up the interior to make it a nicer place to be and I think I'm also going to fit some Harness Seat Belts. This will save the trouble when getting back in on a steep slope and the seat belt won't move.

My new simex tyres should be arriving at Devon 4x4 any day now and will be getting sent up ASAP.

Finish of the TFC Aug 2008

So that's it for now. I'll keep you posted on how I get on.

Skiing

2009-01-28T16:46:00.003Z

I got back from Morzine a week ago now. It was a great week out seeing Craig and Dani. Lots of skiing and some planning for their wedding in May. Ate lots of food and drank a bit. Excellent week but now it is back to work......

Powder day on the last day.

We had a sunnier start to the week.

It was cold when the sun went down.

We did a bit of off piste but we were hit with high avalanche risks at the end of the week.

Some videos here.

Next Year

2008-11-13T11:58:00.004Z

Well the dates are out for some events next year and so it is time to work out what to do.

The Scotia Winch Challenge Club who organise the TFC have launched a Winch Challenge series based at Drumglog.

This looks as though it could be a good series of events but Drumglog can be a mud bath and it is not my idea of fun to winch through a bog all day long. To me that is a test of your winch and not your driving. It would be great if the Cheviot 4x4 team could organise a series of events like the one we did in Co. Durham as that was a great mix of technical driving and winching.

I've decided I'm going to enter the first SWCC event and see how it goes.

TFC 2008

Cheviot 4x4 Challenge 2008

There are still some upgrades to do before then. The new tyres have been ordered. a set of 35/10.50 16 Simex Extreme Trekkers. These are the same tyres I used this year but the sets I used were borrowed so I better buy my own for next year.
I'm also going to upgrade the shocks for next year. With relocation cones on the front to match the rear end. I ended up poping the front springs out a few times this year and in the process wrecking my front shocks. A product from Llama 4x4 should sort that. This is an 11" travel set up that will use my current springs. Going to get that ordered soon to try and fit it in December sometime.

Cheviot Autumn Challenge

2008-09-23T19:48:00.009Z

This Sunday I was competing in the Cheviot 4x4 Autumn Challenge. Its been a few weeks since the TFC and I have had a few jobs to do on the truck before competing again. I managed to distroy the steering box and a steering arms so they had to get replaced. I had to give the truck a service and sort out the exhaust. After a few evenings down at Strathearn Engineering I had things sorted with the help of Dave and Allan. Thankyou.

This event was another 2 car team event and Dave and I teamed up with Steve Burton as my winchman and Allan worked with Dave. We met up on the Saturday at Strathearn to start the 200mile trip to Co. Durham. We were trailer both cars down for me to save fuel and to allow us to go a little harder on the day. Oh and Dave had only had a couple of evening shakedown... We arraive at the campsite and got the trucks off the trailers. We changed my wheels (thanks Bob) and headed off to find a chippy. Well steering lock with the different tyres was not an option so we had the local police ask Dave if he was ok while I was struggling with a multi point turn in the middle of the road....oops.

We got to Drivers Briefing in the morning after scrutineering went smoothly and the format of the day seamed fairly simple. We were competing in the Modified class which means we have more than one traction aid per vehicle. ie 2 Winches and diff locks. There were 17 punches over 2 sites and 2 special stages. The punches were each worth 100 points per team and you lost 50 points every time you broke the tape marking the course. The 2 special stages were timed for both cars to get through and the fastest team got 500 points and 2nd got 490 and so on.

Our plan was to keep on the move as much as possible and also make sure we do both the special stages. This was the first time Dave and Allan had done a challenge event and the first time we had all worked together. We got on great and really understood each others vehicles and what we were capable of.

The stages were set out close enough together and were short enough that you could get through them quickly and move onto the next. The first Special we did was great. A short Trials section round a tree and back out again. I felt we did well but thought we could go quiker. The 2nd special we did was awesome. Driving over some very large tyes again timed for both of us to do it. Great. We got our time but we were the first to complete it so the marshall couldn't tell us if we were fast or not. I fealt we were quick and the results show we won that stage. 500 points in the bag.

The TFC was tough this was a fun event and although the stages were technical and a little tough at times they were fun and our whole team I think had a great time.

There were some really steep climbs and descents so front and rear winches were used. I think a rear winch is next on Dave's list of mods....

Haddington Woods was a great site and this was one of the best days off roading I have ever had. Thanks to the organisors Cheviot 4x4. They said there might be a few more events next year. Bring it on. Thanks to Dave for being keen prepping his truck and asking me to join him. Thanks to Steve and Allan for being winchmen. Thanks to Dave Alonzi for taking the pictures you see here.

Oh the results. Well WE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!

Having Fun. Told You.

Dave's 3 week build. Well worth the evenings working on it. Nice one.

Some more pictures of the event can be found here.

Results of the event are here.

Loch Tay Paddle

2008-09-07T18:39:00.002Z

I had a day out on Loch Tay last weekend. It was a good get away from the Landrover Prep. The Loch was like a Mill Pond. I did about 10km over 5hrs or so. I was not in a great rush and stopped a couple of times on the way. I was paddling the Dagger Exodus.

Looking down towards Kenmore with Drummond Hill on the left.

One of my stops near Acharn.