Accommodation – Page 10

Isle of Jura 21st to 29th May 2011

WET, WET, WET and BOG

Friday 20 May

A good sleep and up before 7. Left home but without a jacket I meant to take. Picked up Chris who had woken v early and has a sore mouth. Managed to get off in good time with a fully loaded up car. Chris takes the wheel and receives instruction on speed and gears and revs! Once I lent Chris my car and told her it wouldn’t go faster than 60 so she didn’t but she is wise to my tricks these days!

We stop at Lancaster services and spend about an hour on coffee and M&S. I drive as C has sore mouth and is a bit run down as well as to change over. Stop just into Scotland for lunch at services sit outside by lake, only just warm enough and 3 ducks arrive so I give them each a bean but then swan turns up and hisses at us. I carry on driving up to Glasgow, weather sunny and showery. Traffic terrible on Glasgow inner motorway so we come off and go through Dumbarton. Reach Loch Lomond, switch over and C gets us to Loch Fyne. Stop at shop but not loads of stock.

Inveraray just the same. Sleepy town. We go to coop and find youth hostel which is long low old barracks of a shed. We have ground floor bunks room for 2. My turn for the top. All v clean with slight underlying damp smell in the washroom. Beds are already made up. Chris cooks up pasta, veg and sauce with cheese on top. We have tuna nicoise on the side. Our dinner is by far the nicest and accompanied by lovely bottle of Sauvignon. Fellow hostellers include cheeky chappie Martin looks like David Jason short and v broad on top, his pal Richard looks like John Laurie – tall thin Scot wearing shorts and raggedy jumper both well into 70s. And 2 Americans from Georgia. We help with oven lighting. Then off to the George for a 60 shilling beer which cost about that. First bar loud and not nice. Lounge bar better and listen to Peter Jagger trying to make himself heard singing and guitaring. But terrible songs for his nice voice. Raining heavily as we leave but still light at 10.30. Climb with difficulty into bunk as hard to grip with feet on the round rungs.

Bridge at Inveraray

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Saturday 21 May

Woke early and breakfasted early. Out before 9 hoping for coffee at Inveraray woollen mill but no show. We looked at the pier and wandered onto sad closed old boat which was no longer trading as a museum. At £5 a head no surprise. The deli was open for coffee and although nice food in the deli the coffee was not. Got some more supplies. Then off to Lochgilphead for big well stocked Coop and even more supplies. Also things for Chris’ sore mouth. Good coffee drunk in car in rain. On a bit more but in good time so stopped for a bit of diesel in Tarbet plus 20p wee. Chris got some more gloves. Then to Kennacraig quickly got tickets and loaded onto RORO (Roll On Roll Off, not one we had to row, row) boat. 2 hour easy trip only a bit of rolling. Bar full of hard drinkers. Chris shared her lunch of leftovers and bread and cheese with me cos for some mysterious reason she had taken my lunch out of the lunch bag! As we Rolled Off we asked for the ferry to Jura and there it was adjacent to the CalMac. Us and 4 other cars whizzed over to Feolin in 5 minutes. We drove around the south east tip to Craighouse saying I don’t remember this, in fact still saying this the next day. The cottage is near the centre of the village, it’s a left paw semi. Little garden behind big hedge. It overlooks Small Isles Bay. Summer house. Cottage nice and well equipped although some oddities. We find we have left a bag with garlic carrots red pepper rhubarb and weirdly both our boxes of eggs and 2 packets of energy bars at the youth hostel. Chris tackles the kitchen and I make the beds up. There are 2 bedrooms but 1 is bunks. After a while we set out for the village in the rain. Walk down pier and jetty. Look at Antlers resto and go to hotel for rubbishy beer. Back home I make courgette and broccoli risotto with spring onions which we eat with greens with lemon. Chris bakes bread. We drink gin beer and whisky, not all at once and not even all for both. Bath very hot and cold water only available via the shower! Then sleep like a baby.

From Craighouse

Inveraray

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Sunday 22 May
Leisurely start with breakfast of muesli yoghurt toast. I may soon stop saying this as there is very little variation in what I eat for breakfast. This is the point at which we realise all the food that is missing that we’ve left at the hostel. Each thinking the other has got it but still can’t quite work out how our veg and eggs have all got together. Make sandwiches and drive up to Knockrome. Drive down to the School House which now has nice new track. House looks very nicely done up now and not the derelict old ruin we stayed in for a fortnight 21 years ago. Then there was no track and we just had to walk across the bog with our suitcases. We park up and head to the sea and lots of seals are basking on rocks and splashing in sea. Difficult walk on bog rocks with seaweed all stinky. Come to swan on nest and skirt round her then big black bull and cows with babies so more avoidance. I cower behind C! Oyster catchers. Get away from waterside as going too hard. Onto track past farm and across to houses where old man and dog Pilot gave us tea before. His huge Victorian pile sadly unoccupied and starting to rot. Lunch behind barn out of wind. C then charges up the rocks towards the split in the cliffs of which there is some half baked tale of leaping across. Then we head back. There is a 4×4 on the track ahead and a small white dog is ejected from the driver side just as we walk up, Juran dog exercising method. C talks to dog and I tell it to get down. Its lady owner surprised to see us. We return to car collecting firewood. Look in at Corran Sands which C has marked up for a swim in her wet suit. Back at house C makes good fire and very good lamb sausages coriander mash carrots and broccoli followed by creme caramel. I make first batch of flapjack to actually stick together firmly but oven too hot fierce and high so need chisel to get at it. Sit in summer house and watch sea at 10.30. Bordeaux then bed.

Across Lowlandman’s Bay

The Paps, actually just 2 as the one on the right is not

Across the gap in the cliff

The Paps of Jura

Across Lowlandman’s Bay

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Monday 23 May
Woke at 7. Read in bed and then roused ourselves to get up and out. First stop was the shop to stock up on some of our lost supplies. Bread arrives in the afternoon but not today as no ferries are running because of the stormy weather. We get some eggs, frozen peas, soup and garlic and some postcards. Then over the road to the Antlers Bistro, disappointed that despite the advert, it seems not to be run by 2 poofs. Coffee and cake but not that nice, not horrid just not lovely. I ask about the School House and we find that Victoria (not Vic anymore) has married a much older Juran man and had 2 kids, sold up and gone to live in Limousin. Also that the old man has just had a heart attack. At least now we can stop imagining that every passing car is driven by Vic who in my head has totally changed her appearance and become unrecognisable. Return to the cottage and pack up lunch of rye bread and flapjack and crisps. Head out in car maybe to walk across to Loch Tarbert at the narrowest part of the island depending on what it/we feel/s like. Drive past Lagg and great sea vistas up towards Tarbert and come to tree across the road. There is car behind it so I check no-one hurt and no-one is in car so that’s ok but see another fallen tree is sandwiching the car. C turns our car round and first we pick up Richard who has appeared out of the woods and is very wet and has lost Martin. Then I run down to approaching Land Rover and explain what has happened and he says he will chainsaw the tree. Next we leave a note on Martin’s car to say we have picked up Richard and back we go to Craighouse, shoving him out to return to their caravan at Keils. We get in to find a power cut at 2pm which is still in place as I write at 10pm. Back to the shop to buy coal and fire lighters but no bread as they are keeping the freezers tight shut. We read a bit and then go out for air to walk up to Keils and the cemetery, passing the caravan so we know that madman Martin has got back ok as the 2 old fools had parted company in terrible weather on hills. We meet Annie who directs us twice to the cemetery and tells us she has put her long drawers back on! Despite the informality she fusses over us and tells us not to fall in the burn. She is a nice old lady and I like her. We manage not to fall in and look round the cemetery which is very old and has some really old stones including what I think is a Templar one. It is on a raised section of land tucked away at the base of the hill with a fine sea view. We wander back and see the man from the shop who is standing in his doorway reading, so we know the light is not back on. He says his son has left us some kindling but he must be really dopey as he has left the bag next to the money we left out for him! On return I keep trying to find my new gloves but they have run away. I am annoyed at the recent run of lost things as never normally lose anything. Thankfully we have the gas burner so dinner is meze of hummus olives and stuffed vine leaves and oatcakes for starters followed by leftovers soup with extra onion and cannelini beans herbs and spring onions which is very delicious and with cheese on top. Carol very clever has rung Scottish Hydro but all they are saying is that it’s too windy to climb the pole to fix it. Must be a big pole as the whole of Jura and Islay are without electricity. We are fine as have the coal fire, candles and head lamps and the gas burner. It won’t be so much fun if it continues tomorrow.

Fallen tree

On a mission

Oldy headstone

Another one

From ye ancient cemetery

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Tuesday 24 May
I woke at 7 to find the electric had returned during the night. So I celebrated by getting all the washing up done, then a thorough Hoover and a nice long shower. Chris was still sleeping through all this, sort of. We had bacon for breakfast and made up sandwiches. Then a walk to the shop for a few more supplies, a spot of recycling although why they can’t put the glass with all the other types I don’t know. I logged on at the Antlers. We set off and passed Mrs Cameron’s funeral and parked up at the misnamed Evan’s Walk, misnamed because Evans only had one leg and travelled on horseback. Martin and Richard were doing the same hill as us and after we had taken photos of an American couple and they of us, I found I had left the map at the cottage so we went back and saw the piper for Mrs Cameron. Also saw some baby swans. Set off again with map for the long bog trudge. Went up to Loch na Cloiche and then headed west up the mountain of Corra Bheinn. Fairly straightforward climb but a lot of wind and squalls. I got to the top thinking Chris was right behind me only to find she wasn’t. Just as I started to worry her head appeared. The view is fantastic you can see all round the island with the sea on both sides and Loch Tarbert and lochans high up, but terribly windy so we ate our sandwiches, I put on a Compeed and off we went back down taking a more direct route to meet a path that would take us to the car. We reached a fast flowing river and it took a while to get us both across safely as the rocks were slippery. Chris had already excelled herself by sitting in the bog and now her feet got a bit more wet. Soon we were back at the car and Martin and Richard’s car was still parked up so hope they got back too. We’d been out for 6 hours. Drove back past a load of Shelduck ducklets. Back to cottage, Chris cooked up tuna casserole and I had a shower, I did bread while she had a bath. We ate all the casserole and drank all the Chablis. I then made flapjack and while it cooked we went to the pub for coffee and Jura whisky on the fiver we had found. We also got details of the RSPB reserve on Islay for tomorrow from the Antlers’ free wifi. More whisky – Caol Ila and bed.

Ready for Corra Bheinn

Towards Loch Tarbert

Lochans

Bog woman

Is it raining?

Big bugger we did not attempt

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Wednesday 25 May
After breakfast of boiled egg and home made bread we packed our lunches and set off to Feolin to the ferry to Port Askaig. A quick hop over and we were on Islay. It’s mainly quite flat with big expanses of flat with nothing in them but wet and bog. We stopped at a RSPB reserve and drank machine hot chocolate. Went on a bit further and parked by the sea and had a look at some horses in a shed who had lots of lovely hay. There were remains of several concrete bunkers and gun emplacements. By the shore the waves were huge. Back in the car for our sandwiches and my first truly successful flapjack. We went on a bit more to the Kilchoman distillery and its visitor centre. This was lovely, a new distillery on a farm selling nice things. We had good coffee and I tasted 2 whiskies. Then to Bowmore which seemed almost exactly the same apart from a new square and tourist info. centre. We heard some folk music (Islay whisky festival) and watched a handful of bearded old men get pissed in the cold wind. Had a great shopping spree. The lady in the soap shop said the storm was the worst in the 10 years she’d been there. She said it made her plants black and our windows are now very dirty with volcanic dust. There was talk in the town of the switch to digital TV and the new ferry arriving today! After buying up the town and draining it of whisky we got some more diesel at an eye watering 1.55p per litre, nearly as bad as the 30 year old Laphraoig at a mere £750 per bottle. Then back onto the little boat to return to Feolin. The water was very rocky on the Sound and we saw dolphins playing and swooping. The little boat rocked about a lot and I worried we would not be able to get off it but the rolling off platform was still so didn’t need to fret. Dinner of Thai green chicken curry and trifle. Now very full.

Chris told me about the Rapture people on the trip up and this barmy story has continued to amuse. I expect the storm was part of it all and we have been punished for being gay.

Dobbin

Cows on the beach

[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Bowmore,+Isle+of+Islay,+United+Kingdom&aq=0&oq=bowmore,+Isle+,+United+Kingdom&sll=55.908944,-5.959444&sspn=0.060617,0.209255&t=p&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Bowmore,+Argyll+and+Bute,+United+Kingdom&ll=55.756776,-6.288042&spn=0.014489,0.025749&z=14&iwloc=A&output=embed&w=300&h=300]

Thursday 26 May

We had decided last night that we would change plans and leave the island a day early. We were just fed up with all the rain and bog. Despite this we woke early and set out early having packed lunches and breakfasted. We drove up the road as far as you can go which is just past the turn to Inverlussa at Lealt. We saw Martin and Richard getting out of their car at the point where the road ceases to be an A road at Ardlussa. This is a fab big house and one of the 4 or 5 estates for stalking that divide Jura. The road continues for another couple of miles although its condition is fairly poor for quite a long time even when it’s A status. We parked up and then set off on foot. Arrived at Barnhill after an hour and a half. We didn’t bother to go and poke around this time. It would appear to be occupied now. Next stop was Kinuachdrach which is the most northerly house on the island and definitely occupied. Their generator was whirring away. There is no electricity after Ardlussa although one house had made the most of wind and sun with an array of solar panels in the garden. Kinuachdrach had 3 Land Rovers but were not keen for anyone else to use the track which is fair enough. At the house which the map says is a bunkhouse we turned off left to do the last 2 miles to Corryvreckan, on a small path through a lot of bog. I worried about this as Chris says she hates bog and there was a lot of it. We eventually got to the whirlpool but it was quite calm compared with previous visit. The sign where we parked the car said to allow 3 hours each way but we had already taken 4 hours by the time we’d eaten lunch in a slightly more sheltered bit of bog. As we started back the rain came on for the rest of the day. Chris’ waterproofs yesterday had made me giggle uncontrollably as her legs were foaming with soap bubbles in great profusion! We made fast progress back to Kinuachdrach in 45 minutes and saw the only 2 people for the day, 2 lads who looked very fit. They were on very expensive bicycles with very expensive locks. Another short hop and we were back at Eric Blair’s house. Got back to the car at 5.20 so our return trip took under 3 hours. Feet sore after 14 miles on hard surfaces. Headed back with a call in to Inverlussa but the lady who brings out tea and cakes seemed not to be open today. Got back to Craighouse at 6.30, raced in, C made hot chocolate in the microwave and jumped in the bath, she had got cold with being so wet. I showered and then we were in the Antlers on time having glugged back a big glass of bubbly as they don’t have a licence and charge corkage. I had samosas and C had haddock chowder, then both had steak and we shared a creme brûlée made with Baileys which I would have liked more made without. Graham said the other named man at the Antlers was leaving so we didn’t press him. Nice meal, back at cottage struggling to get fire blazing. Caol Ila is lovely. We have decided to stick with original plan and pootle around tomorrow. We saw several deer, some in groups and one very fine chap on his own. Also heard a cuckoo which C thinks may be a hoopoe and saw a siskin or it could have been a greenfinch but we think it was a siskin.

Deer through windscreen

House where Eric wrote 1984 (Barnhill)

Ships that pass in the day

My feet hurt

Mine too

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Friday 27 May

Walked to the village all 100m away. Recycled. Shop for stamps. Distillery for cards oh and some more whisky. Village hall for craft fair – nicer cards. Chris had made bread so we made up lunches and drove off to Knockrome and parked up nearly at Ardfenal. Wandered about the bay in at An Dunan looking for otters. None of them today but a party of seals came to see us and some dolphins although I barely saw them thanks to my drizzle coated specs. Sandwiches on the point then up to see cormorants. Also a very old cairn on the area where the old fort is. Walked back and it really rained on us so glad to return to delicious hot chocolate and hot buttered toasted malt loaf. Spent the evening packing up, eating lovely pasta bake of mixed vegetables and cheese, drinking wine and whisky. Did some crosswords and went to bed late. Chris died her hair during this too. Wrote a letter to the caretaker suggesting that they do what the job title says. Will also make suggestions to the cottage company.

Saturday 28 May

Got up at 6.30 after not enough sleep. Finished off packing up and left the house cleaner than we got it except we didn’t do the floors again. Chris restrained herself from burning the dried grasses which were part of the decoration! Set off for Feolin and saw some of the fell runners getting ready to attempt the 7 fells including the three Paps in just over 3 hours. They must not actually see the view in that time, just the bog beneath their feet and I don’t know how you can run very fast in bog. There were no otters at Feolin, both sad not to see otters or wild goats who now live on the west side of the island. Smooth crossings both to Port Askaig and to Kennacraig. We only had a small muesli breakfast at the cottage so had decided to treat ourselves to a second breakfast on the boat, both hoping for croissant, but we ended up with “hot” rolls with 2 fillings. C had bacon and sausage and I had sausage and beans. I don’t know what possessed me to opt for sausage as I normally won’t eat them if don’t know where they’ve come from. Anyway it was a poor choice and we were squashed at a table with some old gits we didn’t like so we ate up and got good coffee and went on deck. Took lots of photos of the elusive Paps as we left them behind. It was a really lovely day and warm in the sun, a right bugger after all the bloody rain. It’s just a shower, meaning a thorough cloudburst drenching. I managed to get drenched in 30 seconds while packing the car first thing, as that’s how long it took to get my anorak on. After arrival at Kennacraig we next stopped at Inveraray to look in the Christmas shop but it was a bit mad in there and pricey, both put me off. Then stopped at Loch Fyne to get supplies for lunch and saw some friendly people from the boat, whose cousins we had photoed and who we had photoed before the walk to up Corra Bheinn. Then we went all the way to New Lanark only getting a tiny bit lost in Glasgow because the navigator wasn’t concentrating. The driver was very calm about this and luckily we saw a sign which put us right. The road from the motorway to New Lanark is notable for a vast quantity of garden centres and nurseries, we must have passed 6. Got to Lanark, GPS said one thing and we didn’t do it so went to Morrisons, got some more beer and then found youth hostel in New Lanark which is fab preservation place where Robert Owen was manager. Hostel is old millworkers’ dwellings and run by New Zealander. Very clean and we get big room with tiny window about a foot square next to the floor. But room has its own loo and shower so is most luxurious. Mad time making dinner with lots of people. I chat to man who has had terrible time with his eye and it sounded like they had taken it out, given it a scrub round and shoved it back in. I told him I had to eat my dinner. We had sweet corn for starter and then cauli and broccoli in carbonara sauce with extra cheese and bacon. It was a bit on the heavy side but the manager seemed to like the smell so we let him lick the spoon. I washed up but must admit to struggling with communal kitchen use as some people don’t rinse and some (us included) don’t use the right chopping boards and some don’t use the right sinks for things. I have decided to take my own crocks and pots next time, well so long as am in a car. Drank some beer and then wandered round the mills all to ourselves and up nature walk along the Clyde, lots wild flowers, and chances of creatures but all quiet tonight. Fab view of falls and 1929 hydroelectric power station. Back for more beer.

Craighouse

View from the cottage

Seaview cottage

Impersonating an otter

Paps, what Paps?

Water wheel at New Lanark

The Falls of the Clyde

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Sunday 30 May

Muesli yoghurt toast boiled egg. Got YH card stamped. Out to see 2 baby peregrine falcons and their mother on perilous rocky ledge through a powerful telescope. Nice man told us all about them. Went up to top of falls and watched machine clear out leaves and debris from the water being diverted to the turbine below. Back to New Lanark for coffee and cake before going into the various bits of heritage experience. Some of this was really naff and some of it was very interesting. If you go, don’t bother with Annie McLeod’s ride but do go to the roof garden, the mill workers’ houses and Robert Owen’s house. The overall place is lovely and wasn’t madly full of people, it’s clean and is in fab setting on the steep banks of the Clyde. The falls are spectacklier. We eventually set off stopping on the way for an M&S snack and then at Tebay for more yummy things to take home and eat.

We were both fed up it was such a wet week. So here’s to a future dry trip.

Door to Falls walk

1929 hydro electric power station, still in use today

Smaller volume of water in Falls

Do not walk across this bridge

In the roof garden

Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map with me and my navigation partner, Cath.

Bath 7th May 2011

We’ve just got back from Bath where we went to a family wedding which was really lovely. Part of the fun was an old London bus which transported us from the Guildhall where the ceremony took place to Oldfield Park for the reception and included a proper tour of the city. These are my photos from the bus. We also went for a walk in the rain in the evening and looked at St. Mary Magdalen chapel on Holloway, which is very ancient and then up to Beechen Cliff where we would have had a great view if it hadn’t been for the rain.

The Circus

Entrance to Victoria Park

Fares please!

St. Mary Magdalen Chapel, Holloway

Dingly dell up to Beechen Cliff

From Beechen Cliff

We stayed in the Hollies, a rival establishment to Athole House, it was fine, bed comfortable, quiet despite being on the main road and run by a couple of ageing queens who are just a tad pernickety (this is how you operate the curtain, this is where the light switch is….) and not a patch on Athole. They didn’t supply fruit tea or provide me with a croissant when asked, however Josephine and Wolfgang from Athole House did give me a fruit tea or 3 which were very nice!!

We ate in the Hop Pole on the Friday evening and had just as nice a meal and customer service as before, the staff are noticeably friendly and obliging. Also had a small salady meal on the Saturday evening at Ritchers Bistro which had similarly friendly staff, in fact even passers by in Bath are friendly!

Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map with me and my navigation partner, Cath.

Floutern Tarn 18-19 September

It really was this WET

Stir crazy

Carol and I set off early and arrived in Ennerdale after stopping for M&S treats and then to eat them. We both had sandwiches we’d made at home as well.
We parked the car and set off up the path to Floutern Tarn which we reached without event at 4.00 p.m. This time we found a flatter spot a bit higher up than previously. I quickly erected the tent and got the beds made up and then it started to rain. And then it continued to do so for the next 18 hours without cease.
At first it was ok because we had things to do, latrines to dig, organising our little space for maximum comfort and ease. We had a cup of tea and a little rest. We took some clothes off and then put a whole load more on as it went a bit nippy in the wind and the rain. It did not remind me of this song at the time: Drive All Night. Then it was time to cook the dinner. The tent has a good sized porch so we could cook without getting drenched. Starter of chick pea curry, followed by basmati rice and chilli con carne. C provided buttered brown bread. We finished it off with some chocolate. Then more hot drinks, whisky and sherry. We did a quiz, played some games, did the crossword. Hot food and drink make all the difference, whatever the weather.
We did of course have to leave the tent for the loo, yes in the dark and the rain, so misty I could barely see the walking pole marker post but mainly staying in a very confined space for such a long time is quite hard work. We did sleep but not brilliantly. The tent kept us warm and dry but you can’t really sit up in it very easily, it’s a good job we seemed to be not too bad at tentiquette. By morning I was going mad just to move my legs further than the tent door.
We woke at about 8.00 a.m. Some tea and coffee, and a rain check! Oh what a surprise still bloody raining and no sign of the tarn a mere 30m away.
We packed up everything possible from within. Then stepped out in all our gear and stowed away the tent. Soon got warm by walking back up the hill. The path is pretty distinct which is a good thing as there was very limited visibility. It was really a great relief to be walking about.
At the first gate you come to, we met a man and dog. We chatted and he told us that the farmer who owns the land including the tarn, has a penchant for waving his shotgun at “trespassers” – in inverted commas because the tarn is on Access Land i.e. we have a right to use it. This is the 3rd time I’ve camped there now, and I feel reluctant to go back. This farmer is known for his negative attitudes and the Ramblers have done Mass Trespasses on his land but to no avail.
We got back to the car and then guess what, it stopped raining! After a bit of pfaffing about, we got into the warm and dry and drove off to our next meal stop.
I felt I needed to get some pampering after 18 hours of rain, so we went to the hotel which said we could check in from 2.00 p.m. We arrived at half past and our room wasn’t ready so we had to wait for another half hour. After this annoying start, we got into the room which felt very hot. Turned all the radiators off, but this made no difference at all. So from one extreme to another. We opened all the windows but it just stayed hot. I even ended up sleeping outside the covers for most of the night, that’s how blooming tropical it was!
After all the rain we needed more water so had a shower/bath to clean up, went for a swim which was nice as the water was cool and then another shower/bath after the swim.
We pootled about a bit, read the paper etc. Got some ice in a bucket and dunked the wine in it.
Time for dinner, I had smoked salmon blinis and mushroom stroganoff. C had fillet of salmon and sticky toffee pudding. All very nicely done.
We returned to the sauna bedroom, drank all the wine and fell asleep.

Cloud carrying 18 hours of rain

[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Floutern+Tarn,+Loweswater,+Allerdale+District,+United+Kingdom&aq=0&oq=floutern+&sll=54.640267,-3.132133&sspn=0.062585,0.209255&t=p&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Floutern+Tarn&ll=54.541003,-3.354177&spn=0.014938,0.025749&z=14&iwloc=A&output=embed&w=300&h=300]

Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map with me and my navigation partner, Cath.

Italy 10th and 11th July (Novara and Stresa)

Saturday 10th July
We said our good byes to all the hotel staff, lots of kisses all round. Mel got all the many huge bags into the car and we set off about 9.30 and went into Aosta for a wander round. It’s a very interesting old town with loads of Roman history, we walked through the Praetorian gate and had a look at the arch of Augustus. All with a backdrop of big mountains. We had lunch outside of pizza and a bready things with herbs whose name I’ve forgotten.

[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Aosta,+Valle+D’aosta,+Italy&aq=1&oq=aosta&sll=54.160972,-1.998444&sspn=0.035982,0.120678&t=p&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Aosta,+Valle+D’aosta,+Aosta+Valley,+Italy&ll=45.734943,7.313118&spn=0.035945,0.051498&z=13&iwloc=A&output=embed&w=300&h=300]

Mel and Liz took us all to Turin airport and dropped us off around 2.30. So farewell to them and farewell to Annie and Caroline who went off to get their plane.
Having spent a good while at Turin airport before, I knew where to go to pick up my hire car. I got a nice little Fiesta with air con. A helpful Hertz man told me how to get out of the airport and onto the autostrada to get towards Vercelli.
No problems with the motorway driving although I didn’t understand that I had to press a big red button at the toll booth but a very bored voice told me what to do, and as it was disembodied I told him what to do once I had pressed the beeg red burton!
I reached Vercelli around 4.00 after driving past a huge field of solar panels, lots of fields of corn and for my disbelievers, endless endless fields of rice!
Vercelli was not that lovely, it was really hot, about 34C so I parked up in a big sleepy square (Piazza Pietro Paietta) with a huge statue of some old chap in it and set off to try and find the tourist information office. I saw a carabinieri officer and asked him where it was. He was very helpful so I set off according to his instructions. I didn’t quite follow them to the letter, which was pure luck, as I looked up to check the street I was on, what should I see but Vicolo Evasio Radice! (StreetView shows the street) Fantastic! Even though my great great grandfather was a key figure in the Risorgimento, his street is a bit blooming dreary and very small, with not a lot happening in it. I had been warned about this. Took a quick photo and got back to the air con in the Fiesta. I left Vercelli at 4.30, perhaps not giving it its full due but finding the intense heat of the plains a bit wearing.

[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=vicolo+evasio+radice,+vercelli&aq=&sll=45.734955,7.313076&sspn=0.075484,0.209255&g=Aosta,+Valle+D’aosta,+Italy&ie=UTF8&hq=vicolo+evasio+radice,&hnear=Vercelli,+Province+of+Vercelli,+Piedmont,+Italy&t=m&ll=45.324423,8.418875&spn=0.009052,0.012875&z=15&iwloc=A&output=embed&w=300&h=300]

I arrived in Novara some time after 5.00 and it turned out to be much bigger than I had imagined. I stopped at Carrefour and bought some water very cheaply, drove round a bit more but my homing instinct wasn’t working any more. Stopped outside the carabinieri, at this point still wondering whether this was the police or an army barracks, no matter, a very helpful woman officer took me to her office, whipped out a map, showed me where to go, did a reduced size photocopy for me, and drew arrows on it. She was great and it worked like a dream and 5 minutes later I was parking outside the Hotel Cavour. The man on reception opened up the electronic gates and I did a quick reverse and was safely parked up. The hotel and the room were fine, so I had a shower and rang home.
Went out about 7.15 for a wander around the old town, but having to pass disreputable youths lounging around the bus stops. The hotel is very near the station. I found a nice looking resto and sat outside as it was very steamy and humid (because of the conditions being so good for rice, the drawback being the vast quantities of mosquitoes).
I had gnochetta in gorgonzola sauce and yes it was yummy. I should have stopped at this point but of course you have to order the first 2 courses at the same time. This was followed by an enormous steak which was enough for 2 people, and salad which was enough for 4. I ate about half of it and washed it down with beer and water. It was far too much food and made me feel even hotter.
Back at the hotel, I had another shower to try and cool down as was yet again, drenched in sweat. Put the air con on full, but my stomach felt a bit overloaded. I was better when I got cooler.
I have never yet been to Italy and not been way too hot. Memo: must try in winter!

[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=novara&aq=&sll=45.324423,8.418875&sspn=0.001188,0.00327&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Novara,+Province+of+Novara,+Piedmont,+Italy&t=m&ll=45.446945,8.622122&spn=0.018065,0.025749&z=14&iwloc=A&output=embed&w=300&h=300]

Aosta Pretorian gate

Aosta Augustan gate

Vicolo Evasio Radice – great great grandfather

Vicolo Evasio Radice – hmm

Cavour, Novara

Novara

Aosta

Sunday 11th July

The last day of the holiday. I had a nice breakfast in the basement and made up a sandwich for my lunch. I spent at least an hour repacking my bags. Got off about 10.00 with more helpful driving instructions from the nice man on reception who said he had been very hot last night too! I just imagined the Italians were used to living in hot humidity but he clearly didn’t like it either.

I drove north again passing lots of paddy fields and took a photo as evidence for the naysayers! There were lots of cyclists in a race (great for Caroline), lots of motorcyclists not in a race but nearly all totally inadequately dressed. Onto Lago Maggiore which was not too far and stopped to take a photo when this huge lake came into view.

Arriving in Stresa which has giant and very over the top, in fact can only be described as “gay” hotels, in the best sense of the word. Hotel Iles de Borromees, Hotel Bristol.

I drove down a cobbled street to park next to the shore for the cable car. The car park was a coin machine i.e. self service plus you twirl your own supplied parking disc to the start time. It was also a very small car park, maybe 40 cars at most. In order to make the car park work, there were at least 7 car park attendants. I could not help but think this was overdoing it as they had in fact, no work whatsoever to do!

I bought a ticket for the quite old cable car which goes up to the peak of Matterone with stop offs for the Alpine Gardens, included in the ticket price. The car goes over the lake which was fun and I got out half way up to see the gardens, mainly because I wanted to go to the loo! The loo was a hole in the floor, which was a bit tricky with my knee at that point. The gardens had been set up so as to show the full wealth of Alpine flora although it’s not an Alpine setting as such and frankly I’d seen more when we out during the week!

I returned to the cable car, just in the nick of time as they were about to knock off for a few hours for lunch. Went up to the top cable car station, and then picked up the chair lift which took me very gently up the last 200m or so to the top. At this point it was still very misty and so no views, the summit had its ubiquitous cross, and what looked like a mobile phone mast. I ate my sandwich on the grass and then walked back to the cable car as the chair lift was stopped for lunch.

I had a look in a resto but it was full up so then I stopped at a cafe instead and bought a bottle of ice cold water to take away and drank an espresso.

I hopped back on the cable car and reached the bottom about 3.00. I was still very hot so put my feet in the Lago – the water was warm and very clean.

I drove to the airport managing to take a wrong turn but it was OK as I had plenty of time, but very poor sign posting is all I can say. I then had a mad moment when I was looking for Terminal 3 of Milan airport but there isn’t one and what I wanted was Terminal 1. I was flying from T1 Milan to T3 Manchester and had got muddled up in the heat. The garages appeared to all be shut so I returned the car to Hertz and had to pay them to fill it up which cost me more, perhaps I should have tried harder but I was tired and very hot by this time.

The airport was very busy but I checked in with a very pleasant Flybe woman, big contrast to evil Flybe woman at Manchester. I told her she was not to lose my bags!

I wanted the loo but it was closed for cleaning and so I ended up walking the entire length of the terminal building in my search for one. My knee was hurting as I was weighted with my cabin bag, also had hurt it moving my big bags from the car to the trolley.

I ate another aubergine, mozzarella and courgette sandwich, it’s called a something or other campagnolo and is very nice. Then I drank all the rest of my water so as not to have to lose it and so as to be fully hydrated.

I went to the departure lounge and then to the gate. The plane left about 40 minutes late but caught up well.

I gave up my seat so that a mother and daughter could sit together which meant I ended up with a very lovely Italian astro physicist on his way to an international conference at Manchester uni. His second baby was due on the 17th so he was having a last trip before all that fun. I helped him with £ i.e. which coins were which and with how to get to Oxford Road from the airport via Piccadilly.

The bags all turned up very quickly. I found my car and saw I’d left the window open. It was only 17C in Manchester so I took off my shorts and put my jeans on in the car park. The M62 was shut so I took the slow way home across the moors arriving about 11.00 where it was only 13C and a bit of shock after the big heat. It’s now a week later when I’m writing this and I’m still cold!!

Not reaching the summit has really dented my confidence about mountains and I’ve been pretty down all week. It’s not that I didn’t have a lovely holiday, I did and the Gran Paradiso National Park is absolutely stunning – I should like to go there again and walk some more but I’m reassessing what it’s all about for me. Maybe I don’t need to do summits. That said, I’m still thinking about some smaller summits over here…

Garibaldi, Aosta, Hotel Cavour in background

Paddy fields

Stresa old cable car

Stresa chair lift

From cable car

Island in Lago Maggiore

Lago Maggiore

Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map with me and my navigation partner, Cath.

Italy 5th – 9th July (Valsavarenche)

Monday 5th July
This day’s breakfast was excluding flies and seemed a bit better, croissant with jam inside, not sure about this, I like them plain.
The shoes/luggage superstore was shut until 3.00 in the afternoon so this was no good but Bennets was open and had a household section with very cheap luggage in it, so I bought a holdall on wheels for €19. I then had a coffee in the shopping centre which was nice but decided not to linger as the customers weren’t so delightful. I got a taxi to Stazione Dora. The queer ticket girl told me to go to platform 1 but actually the train went from platform 2, this meant a rush to get onto the train. Very nice train, new and air conditioned and quick to get to the airport. Annie and Caroline were sunning themselves next to the taxi park! I got under a shady tree and we just waited a couple of hours for Mel and Liz. We all got food – I had a huge aubergine, courgette and mozzarella sandwich as well as my own home made sandwich.
Lovely to see Mel and Liz, Liz is now the 7th person with an arm in a sling! We drove up to the mountains which takes about an hour and a half and stop in the village of Villeneuve where we stopped to get a map for Mel and then had a beer in a cafe. I rang home in case this was the end of my mobile signal.
After another half hour we were at the Hotel Genzianella which is a lovely old hotel in the hamlet of Pont near the head of the Valsavarenche valley which is in the Valle d’Aosta. Now that we were in the countryside everything was all clean and lovely.
We got settled in and I have the bed near the window. We devised some rules like a rota for showering, and no hairs in the plughole! The room was lovely – all wood panelled but the bathroom, complete with bath, is very dark. A and C wrinkle up their noses at the idea that someone might use the bidet!
We had dinner, the first course was pasta with ham and cheese, the second was slices of pork braised in wine, mashed spuds and mixed veg. Finished off with creme caramel.
We went to bed early. Not exactly a peaceful night but quite long (9.5 hours) so we must have had some sleep! Annie sleep talking at first which gave me a jump as had forgotten she did this.

View from hotel

Airport reflection!

[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Valsavarenche,+Valle+D’aosta,+Italy&aq=0&oq=valsa&sll=45.062852,7.678413&sspn=0.076387,0.209255&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Valsavarenche,+Valle+D’aosta,+Aosta+Valley,+Italy&t=m&ll=45.590618,7.209864&spn=0.018019,0.025749&z=14&iwloc=A&output=embed&w=300&h=300]

Tuesday 6th July

Breakfast of muesli and yoghurt, sweet croissant, ham and cheese and an espresso. We, as in A, C, M and I set off just after 9.00, leaving Liz with the Italian phrase book and various supplies rejected from our picnics.

We went up the road through the remains of Pont, sad old timber houses left to rot, and past the other big hotel and the campsite. Beautiful walk going up and up – lots of Alpine flowers, a marmot, a chamois, big birds of prey and some wolf poo! In general, we walked in the order Mel, Annie, Caroline and me taking up the rear. I was a puffing Billy all the way up. It gradually cooled as we rose in height which was lovely. At Grand Collet (nearly 3000m) we stowed the bags and walked up the boulders a bit more. This gave us fab views across to France. We had our first lunch up here.

We slid down some steep scree to a big wide U shaped valley. On the plateau we had our second lunch. We met a couple of gay girls and A got very excited! It was flat for a good long stretch, following the river. Lovely clear rushing water and falls. We reached a cross with a plastic pink crucifix on it looking over to Gran Paradiso. It seemed quite a way down from here but my knee was being a bit rubbish. Whilst having a short rest I took my hat off and forgot to put it back on.

Soon back at the hotel for beer with Liz. I had a shower in M and L’s room as A and C managed to dismember the rota system causing themselves great confusion! A and I went to the campsite shop and I bought a new hat, a better one, baseball style with a flap at the back to keep my neck shaded like a French Foreign Legion hat. Seeing as how both hats made me look stupid there wasn’t much in it! Whilst I was busy buying the hat, A was busy chatting up the girls from earlier, so this was a bit of luck for her, and I still hadn’t really noticed them! I also bought a lip salve as mine had disappeared.

Dinner was pasta and ham, pork and polenta and salad followed by an eggy pudding – bit heavy. Lots of wine.

We went into the lounge where a fire was burning because the bloody football was on the telly with a great crowd of Dutch people watching it. We sort of supported Uruguay to annoy them. I had a sip of L’s genepi – nice! but I had a headache so went to bed, I had thought I’d be able to escape football in the mountains. Our beds here have 2 blankets and a big cover on them.

Camp site at Pont

Let’s all play with our cameras

Head of the Valsavarenche

Genzianella

GP in the background

[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=+Valsavarenche,+Valle+D’aosta,+Italy&aq=&sll=45.699106,7.005795&sspn=2.417075,6.696167&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Valsavarenche,+Valle+D’aosta,+Aosta+Valley,+Italy&t=m&ll=45.590618,7.209778&spn=0.036038,0.051498&z=13&iwloc=A&output=embed&w=300&h=300]

Wednesday 7th July
We left the hotel at 8.50, a slow, steady climb through the forest all along the side of the river. Very lush and green. We went all the way to the head of the river and the first snow/glacier ice. At this point we had our first lunch.
After lunch it was straight into the ice axe arrest, we did this in the following ways, getting it right and then moving onto the next, more challenging way of falling.

Feet first, on back – left and right sides.
Face first, on front – both sides
Head first, on back – both sides

This was tiring as each time we had to go back up our slides to start again, thus requiring a second lunch!

We moved further on up the glacier to 2550m and then practised walking in crampons. Up a slope, down a slope, across and up, across and down. This was harder this year than it had been last year, partly because of my knee not being as good as it could be (M and I worked out that my knee goes “back a long way”!)

After all this, we went back to the hotel, we only saw 2 people on our whole way up and down. We went through the campsite, there was a hat very similar to mine that someone had put on top of a big pole but it wasn’t mine. C and I asked in the shop, which was plunged in darkness, making shopping even more fun, for snow baskets for our poles. Both C and I were using our poles a lot to take pressure off our respective ankle and knee. We had to explain that we had no money on us and would return later. Back at the hotel for a beer and then C went off and got our baskets which cost €3 for a pair. I had another shower in M and L’s room and then rang home from the big rock across from the hotel.
Liz had found a hat, which was very similar to mine but not mine, however I gratefully accepted it as it was better than mine! I also found my lip salve which had somehow got under the bed.
M came and told me and C what to pack which was fun just flinging stuff out, got our packs nice and light, but he could not be persuaded to go for soft shell at all!! L had given me a couple of stamps which I then promptly lost during the flinging.

Dinner was mushroom risotto, turkey and gravy plus chips and Swiss chard followed by choc mousse or ice cream, not sure which but I couldn’t quite manage it.

There was more ruddy football but less intrusive. M and I shared a whisky.
Each night I have a short read using my headlamp but don’t like to overdo this as A and C are trying to sleep and C sleeps very lightly.

Head of Valsavarenche

Most arresting!

Blimey!

When I was in the French Foreign Legion …

Pont

Thursday 8th July

A leisurely start but we were ready by 9.00. Farewell to L. A nice walk up to the Federico Chabod Rifugio which is at 2750m, we started just down the road from the hotel at 1861m.

The refuge is lovely, clean, welcoming and civilised, the total opposite of the Gouter Hut from last year. It has flush loos, loo paper and running water and electricity.

I had pasta and tomato sauce for lunch – huge portions. C and M had gnocchi with leek and Gorgonzola which they said was delicious and I developed a hankering for this.

We had a bit of a rest after making up our beds, also nice and clean – cleaner than a YHA at least. We had a room with 6 bunks in it. I was in the top one above M, and C and A are in the bottom ones. A had Stephano the guide above her, so to speak!

We then went off for what turned into quite a big walk along path 10a, going up to about 3200m. It was quite exposed in places and there was some scree so we said we didn’t want to go back that way. We got up to the snow field with M testing the snow very carefully. To get down we went down the boulder field, some of which were enormous. We had a scary moment when a big slab had moved a bit when M passed it, a bit more when A got to it and then when C was at it, it just shot off down the mountain. M and A moved out of the way really fast and we were all ok. I was well out of its trajectory. We got back to the refuge after about 4 hours out and met Stephano the guide – a nice, gentle but firm man!

Dinner was more pasta and tomato sauce, pork slices and greasy veg. Where do all the pigs live? No pigs to be seen anywhere. I was a bit anxious about the big walk but decided to do it.

We all went to bed early after looking at the sunset. We saw the guy who ran the hotel we’d stayed in in Chamonix last year. It was very hot in the refuge and even hotter in bed, I felt roasted alive and was drenched from head to foot in sweat, just in my thin sleeping bag.

Hotel Genzianella

Looking back to hotel

Rifugio Federico Chabod

Big un

I want this wood pile

[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Rifugio+Federico+Chabod,+Valsavarenche,+Italy&aq=1&oq=rifugio+&sll=45.586894,7.197418&sspn=0.075684,0.209255&ie=UTF8&hq=Rifugio+Federico+Chabod,&hnear=Valsavarenche,+Valle+D’aosta,+Aosta+Valley,+Italy&t=m&ll=45.591414,7.209198&spn=0.004505,0.006437&z=16&iwloc=A&output=embed&w=300&h=300]

Friday 9th July
Woke at 3.30 with swimming head, I knew immediately it was BPV (benign positional vertigo), I don’t get the paroxysmal bit. I firstly negotiated getting out of the top bunk and finding my specs, finished packing, wobbled drunkenly from side to side down the stairs to breakfast of grapefruit juice, cornflakes and milk, bread and jam and coffee. I mentioned I was feeling dizzy to Mel but didn’t go into the whole thing about BPV as usually people get completely misled by the word vertigo and don’t understand the condition.
We set off at 4.30 up the scree in the dark, headlamps aglow. I was struggling to stay upright and it was only my poles that kept me balanced. After about an hour Mel and Stephano asked if everyone was OK, I told Mel I was still dizzy and struggling, and explained about the BPV. Mel immediately understood as he has suffered from this himself. I’ve had this happen since I was a teenager and just to put the record straight it has nothing to do with altitude vertigo, for me it gets set off by stress and not enough sleep. It can go on for days or weeks but usually these days occurs quite briefly and passes off once I can get stable. I went for loads of tests about it years ago but only actually found out what it was from reading a book by Barbara Kingsolver called Prodigal Summer. In the book she actually describes a procedure which can help to clear the symptoms, the Epley manouvre, however it is not something you can do up a mountain as it involves basically twirling yourself over and over backwards and forth whilst horizontal!! I definitely hadn’t slept very well being so hot and was a bit anxious about the climb up.
Mel and I said farewell to the girls and Stephano and set off back down to the refuge. On the way we were very privileged to watch a group of 9 or so ibex doing their clashing horns ritual for a good long time. Mel held onto me so that I could safely tip my head back and watch them without falling back through dizziness. We got to the refuge about 6.30 and left at 6.45 as M didn’t want to hang around there waiting all morning. We went straight back down to the car park in 1 hour and 45 minutes. It was a lovely cool walk and we only met a park ranger, complete with his gun. They carry guns because when the park was set up, hunters still hunted in the park and the only way to stop them hunting was to meet fire with fire. Thankfully no park ranger has had to fire his weapon. On the way to the car park, I ate half a granola bar.
Back at the hotel, Liz was much surprised to see us. I had a 2nd breakfast of coffee and 2 pains au chocolat. Mel had a coffee and went straight off back to the refuge (he did it this time in 1.5 hours!)
I had a bath and then Liz and I left the hotel at 10.30 and walked up to the big green valley we had come down on Tuesday. We were out for quite a while and I had 1 and a half granola bars but did not give any of them to the hungry fox we met! It was a lovely walk, very hot. We got back at 4.00 and A, C and S had just got back with M and so we helped them to celebrate their successful ascent of Gran Paradiso at 4061m. They said I would have hated the exposure of the very top bit.
We drank lots of beer and ate lots of crisps.
I had another bath, did a bit of packing and found my stamps. All lost items now recovered.
A herd of bullocks went up the road, very sweet and on the menu later.
Dinner was pasta and tuna, veal which was yet another item that turned out to be pork and salad. Liz and I went for a short walk to the campsite and had a look at the bullocks in their new field. Everyone was early to bed.

Ibex clash

Liz and neat bit of path

Foxy

Scabby foxy

Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map with me and my navigation partner, Cath.

Lizard impersonation