Wild Camp Expedition

The time for the DofE Diamond Challenge finally arrived. I had watched the long range weather forecast turn into this weeks forecast and change on a regular basis. The forecast changed from damp to wet to very soggy and occasionally dry and sunny. As it turned out it was dry and mostly sunny.

Wednesday

The rucksacks were packed and loaded into the car so Hilda and I got in too and set off North. It was a 250 mile trip and it felt like most of it was roadworks. But we finally landed in the car park by Loch Trool and Bruces Stone at about 18:30 to see the last of the rain cast a gorgeous rainbow over the hills in the direction we were going to go. I was amazed to see 3 other vehicles in the car park but not a soul was in sight.

Boots were donned and last minute adjustments to straps for rucksacks were made before we set off in search of Loch Dee and the White Laggan Bothy. Several of the trails around the north end of Loch Trool were temporarily closed but fortunately ours was still open so no detours were required. The further we walked from the car the more I started to wonder why we were doing this and if it was a good idea.

First Stream & Waterfall of the Walk

The first sighting of wildlife was made, something brown and slinky with a pale undercarriage undulated across the path ahead of us. It was moving fast so identification was not made but I suspect it was a Stoat or a Weasel, the other two options being Pine Marten or Ferret but those are highly unlikely. It was also about this time that I realised that the tub of midge repellent was still sitting on the kitchen worktop waiting for me to pick it up rather than being in the rucksack and easily accessible for application. Drat!

Hilda finds a Stick

Loch Dee is somewhere over thataway

Look Mum a Puddle!

Lovely Woods to walk through

Lots of water in the streams today

I hope there is a path through rather than over those hills

The walk along was pleasant and we saw the only two other people we would see out and about that day. They were walking back towards the cars and we exchanged good evening's as we passed.

Lots of open spaces and Trees, sometimes at the same time

A Half Moon was just peeping over the top of one of the hills

Looking back, the clouds are following us - but not bringing any rain

First glimpse of Loch Dee

Shortly after our first glimpse of Loch Dee we discovered some Scottish Style Graffiti, I think the translation will have to wait for a rainy evening.

Graffiti - Scottish Style

Even more on the end of the stone

Getting closer to Loch Dee

From google earth and photos of the area I had come up with three or four potential places to pitch a tent, in the end none of them were suitable. It had rained quite heavily in the days before so the ground was quite soggy and the first few places we checked out we started to sink into the ground when we stood still so rejected them. We checked out the other places and a couple more potential spots but discovered that there is very little flat and level ground or if it was then it was full of sharp rocks.

I was starting to think we would be using the backup plan of staying in the Bothy but this didn't appeal to me as there was smoke coming from the chimney and a car on the track close to the footpath up to it and for once I didn't really feel like sharing a space with anyone other than Hilda. But with boots full of water after sinking rather rapidly in one place (note for future, send the dog in first) I was about to give in and head up to the bothy when I spotted what looked like a lovely flat spot next to a stream. We checked it out and it did appear to be mostly flat, mostly level and lacking in rocks. We stood around for a bit but no sinking or squeltching underfoot occurred so we decided to pitch the tent there.

White Laggan Bothy

Tent up it was time to feed Hilda and then myself before turning in for the night. A late night for us, 22:30 according to my watch when I turn off my headtorch and we listen to the stream and the owls calling to one another ahead of their evening hunting.

Thursday

Usually when I go camping I wake in the middle of the night so I did not set an alarm assuming I would wake naturally and could look out to see if there were any dark skies and stars to be seen. When I did wake up it was 5am and sunny so I have no idea if the sky was clear or not. We will have to return after the clocks have gone back and we won't have to stay up too late to see the stars. We both turned over and went back to sleep for a few more hours.

View out of the tent at about 07:00

It was a very good nights sleep (the gadget that monitors steps and sleep reported higher than average deep sleep that night). The plan had been for a leisurly cup of tea whilst admiring the view and waiting for the dew on the tent to dry. On the Wednesday evening there had been a few midges around but nothing too irritating. Thursday morning however and they were out in force. As soon as I stepped out of the tent I was attacked from all sides by swarms of them. I really regretted not having the repellant with me.

A quick decamp was called for and we were back on the trail heading back to the car shortly after 8am. The car from the night before had gone but we didn't call up to the bothy just in case there were people still sleeping there.

Our little tent ready to be taken down

Early Morning View of Loch Dee

Signpost

Looking down on Loch Dee from the post

Which way shall we go?

It was a beautifull and peacefull morning, you could hear the birds wings moving through the air for those first few frantic flaps to get them airborne. There is the usual assortment of small brown birds flitting about and twittering but not staying still long enough for identification. There were also dragonflies, great big yellow ones a good 6 to 8 inches in length zooming up and down the streams that ran alongside the path.

Watching something while waiting for the gate to be opened

A Random Little Brown Bird

Paddling in the Puddles

Hilda Woz Ere and so was a bird!

We got back to the car at about 11am and this time there were quite a few other cars there. We dropped the rucksacks off at the car and had a short stroll down to look at Bruces Stone and Loch Trool before setting off back to negotiate our way through far too many miles of roadworks.

Hilda at Bruce's Stone

The Stone

Attempted Panorama of Loch Trool

It was a fun expedition and I am glad we did it. Would I do it again? Probably. But it would have to be a coastal location or out of the hayfeaver season - and I will not be forgetting the repellent in the future!

If anyone hasn't but fancies adding a bit of sponsorship you can find our fundraising page at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/HannahAndHildas-DOE-Adventure2016

A Wild Adventure

In a fit of madness, or something like that, I have signed Hilda and myself up for the DofE's Diamond Adventure.

I have been chatting with a school friend who is also signed up for this (her challenge is different to mine) and we don't remember Duke of Edinburgh being offered when we were at school. My younger sister did it so we think she must have been one of the first people to be offered it through the school we went to.

Hilda and I will be off on a Wild Camp in July 2016. It's a week that I have off work, it is before the schools break up for the summer so I am hoping that it will be quiet and that we might have some decent weather.

I have chosen the Galloway Forest Park as it's not too far to get to and there is plenty of space and quite a few bothies as backup in case the weather turns out to be truly dreadful.

Follow our planning, preparation and the adventure itself here:-
Hannah And Hildas DOE Adventure 2016

Bronze

Hilda and I passed the Kennel Club Good Citizens Bronze award last week. The trainers at the club had been convinced we would pass but I was not too sure. But on the night Hilda did as she was asked and, along with all the other dogs and people taking the Bronze level, passed.

Next up, Silver!

A Most Unusual Compliment

Hilda attends training classes for the Kennel Club Good Citizen award, currently she is doing the Bronze level. She enjoys the classes but recently has been playing up when it isn't her turn to have a go at an exercise.

My solution to this is to get her to do sit or down stays or other small localised non-disruptive tasks while we wait for her turn. After observing Hilda performing the exercises, playing up and my solution to keeping her quiet and occupied the trainer paid Hilda a most unusual compliment.

She told me that Hilda was bored! She is bored because she doesn't find the bronze level tasks a challenge any more and is ready to take her exam and move up to the Silver level class.

There is an exam coming up in October so hopefully the extra tasks while we are waiting will keep her going until we can take the exam and fingers crossed we both perform to a suitable level to pass.

Happy Birthday Hilda

One today!

Camping

Hilda and I had a long weekend away. We took the tent and enough clothing and supplies to survive anything the British Weather could throw at us and headed for the coast.

We arrived in sunshine and a gentle breeze on the Friday afternoon and as soon as we had pitched the tent and had a cup of tea the heavens opened and it poured with rain until the small hours of Saturday morning and then was showery through to lunchtime Saturday. Once the rain stopped it was lovely and sunny for the rest of the stay except for a small shower as I was in the middle of taking the tent down!

Hilda got to spend all day out and about, I walked a couple of miles on the Friday evening, 8 on Saturday and 6 on Sunday, Hilda spent most of it off the lead running up and down and round and round. The distances don't sound very far but for an 8 month old puppy it was far enough. She took herself to bed at about 8pm on Sunday evening and had to be forced into taking a last trip outside.

She was very well behaved right up until the Monday morning when she spotted me packing things away ready to come home, then she became a contender for naughtiest puppy in the world. She unpacked things I had put away, ran off with things and ended up being attached to the tie-out so that I could get on with packing in peace.

Because of the rain on the Monday morning the tent got re-pitched in the garden to dry out, Hilda got all excited when she saw it and as the door was zipped closed and she couldn't get in she laid on top of the half-pitched tent. I am guessing she enjoyed herself and wouldn't object to going again.

A Fantastic Bench along an old railway line

A Chaffinch sat on the Gorse and serenaded

us as we rested after climbing up the cliff path

A Hare (taken on 20x zoom)

Hilda behaving herself on the campsite

The view from the tent

Waiting (im)patiently for another walk

Zonked puppy!

Sulking because I wouldn't let her

help me pack

All was forgiven, we stopped off

for a paddle on our way home

Holidays with a Puppy

A couple of times a year I make the journey from Yorkshire down to Devon to help out at a Historic House open weekend.

This year at Easter I made the journey but this time I took Hilda with me (she was invited) too. Normally the 280ish mile journey takes me around 5 hours and I stop once, however with a 7 month old puppy I decided we needed to stop more than once. So we stopped four times on the way down and extended the total journey time up to 8.5 hours. By the time we arrived I was exhausted but as she had slept for most of the car ride Hilda was full of energy and ready to explore the gardens (6 acres), run around on the tennis court and fetch her ball to anyone willing to throw it.

I had been slightly worried that she would find a day of car travel stressful as the longest journey she had taken in the car to that point had been 2 hours. I need not have worried, the next day I had to move the car and she hopped in it and then looked most disappointed when the journey was over and done with in 2 minutes.

She had a fantastic time helping with the gardening, meeting visitors and soaking up all the attention. We also had a day out with an old friend of mine and her children at Torquay. We all went paddling and then while my friend and I sat and talked and let our feet dry in the sun her children threw Hilda's ball up and down the beach for her to chase after.

As she had travelled so well on the way down we just stopped twice on the journey back home and once again she slept for most of it. She did manage to find the only muddy puddle at the service station and step in it, quite an achievement given that the puddle was less than 6" in diameter!

She loved her trip away we are making plans for several long weekends camping plus a week in North Wales with my parents. I have spent all winter telling her about all the things we were going to do when she had grown and when the weather was slightly less inclement and now we are enjoying ourselves.

helping with the gardening

waiting for the visitors to arrive

On the beach at Torquay

one muddy paw