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Saturday 7 April 2012

TGO Challenge Food and Drink (hmmm, drink….) Planning

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It was bound to happen eventually – there comes a time when yer prospective TGO Challenger and Leg End Extraordinaire has to finally get around to doing a bit of proper planning. I did the route and ordered me TGO Challenge fleece, attended the English gathering at the Snake (very nice, all thanks to Alan Hardy for organising this) and I’m about to have a little trundle around various bumpy bits of Wales as a kind of shake-down - (pause for breath) – which might sound a fair bit of preparation, but, in reality, a lot more needs to be done. (Oh yes, I got the train tickets a s well…)

So, wot I done today was a Food Plan. I like to do a food plan as this often prevents me from running out of food, a circumstance fraught with fraughtivity and noisy bubbling noises from the belly area – so I did the plan and this is it:

It starts with Strathcarron. Shall I stay in the hotel, or will it already be fully booked by more enthusiastic and better organised challengers? Or, i found two B&Bs. Camping at the hotel seems to be a no-no, although some people say I could camp, whilst others point out that the hotel stopped letting people camp. There seems to be a fair number of wild campsites nearby, though. The reason for this, as yet, unresolved quandry (which I may sort out in the next day or two) is that if I stay in a proper bed, I get breakfast and if I don’t , I probably won’t, so I’ll have to carry it from home. I’ll sort that one out soon. To be honest, I want to save the money and camp…

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The first part of my route goes from Strathcarron over a couple of Corbetts and a Munro (this is a fine-weather alternative) – to Loch Monar and to Struy and from thence to Drumnadrochit. Drumnadrochit provides the first opportunity for retail therapy and the purchase of noodles, or pasta, or whatever. I should be able to eat and drink at Struy, and all of this means that I have to carry 2 or 3 breakfasts (prolly porridge) – 4 days trail snacks and 2 evening meals. I’ve enquired on a B&B in Drumnadrochit and had an email exchange with Mr Menzies, the skipper of the boat that will take me across Loch Ness.

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The next bit is across the Monadhliath Mountains to Aviemore and then to Glen More. I’m not staying overnight in Aviemore, but pressing on after lunch. So, at Drumnadrochit, I need to buy 2 breakfasts, 2 days trail snacks and 2 evening meals. I will eat lunch at Aviemore , dinner at Glen More and breakfast at the cafe with the squirrelarium at Glen More. I will shop at Aviemore and buy 1 breakfast, 3 days trail snacks and one evening meal. This will see me to Cockbridge where there’s a pub with a bunkhouse. I’ll probably try to book a bed in the bunkhouse. I should be able to get an evening meal and a breakfast there.

The next day is to Tarland, where I’ve booked a bed at the Commercial Hotel. Dinner and breakfast sorted.

I have one more wild camp – somewhere on Hill of Fare and then my route goes through Peterculter to Aberdeen, a civilised section well provided with opportunities to eat and drink.

And thats it. There’s a few I’s to underline and t’s to dot and apostrophies to misplace and, provided the old ticker stands up to it all, and I don’t set fire to myself or anything, I should be able to spend a couple of nights carousing in Montrose before time for home.

This is the plan. There is a strong possibility that it will only make sense to me.

Incidentally, I also carry 50cl of scotch which is classed as in-tent entertainment and not food. This can be topped up at Drumnadrochit, Aviemore and Tarland.

number of meals
Date From To accom breakfast trail dinner
11/05/2012 travel to strathcarron ?camp or b&B   home on train strathcarron
       
       
12/05/2012 strathcarron poll buidh camp   1 1 1
13/05/2012 poll buidh loch monar camp   1 1 1
14/05/2012 loch monar struy camp   1 1 struy
15/05/2012 struy drumnadrochit b&b   1 1 drumnadrochit
meals to bring from home 4 4 2
16/05/2012 drumnadrochit glen mazeran camp   drumnadrochit 1 1
17/05/2012 glen mazeran allt ghiuhais camp   1 1 1
meals to buy in drumnadrochit 1 2 2
18/05/2012 allt ghiuhais loch morlich camp   1 aviemore glenmore
19/05/2012 loch morlich glen avon camp   glenmore 1 1
20/05/2012 glen avon cock bridge b&b   1 1 cock bridge
21/05/2012 cock bridge Tarland b&b   cock bridge 1 tarland
meals to buy in aviemore 2 3 1
22/05/2012 Tarland hill of fare camp   tarland 1 1
23/05/2012 hill of fare peterculter b&b   1 banchory peterculter
meals to buy in tarland 1 1 1
24/05/2012 peterculter aberdeen camp montrose   peterculter    
25/05/2012 spare day        
       

 

12 comments:

Al said...

They say an army marches on it's stomach, looks like you've got it all sorted, indeed planned with military precision! I trust some of those "trail snacks" will include the odd pie or 2 or 3?

chrissiedixie said...

I do love a nice spreadsheet...

Mike Knipe said...

Al - Hmmm, pies.... I suspect that the odd pie might be involved, although the ones available in the Highlands aren't the same quality as, say, the ones from the Celebrated Pork Pie est. in Skipton. I quite like a bridie, though...
Spreadsheets, Chrissie - I used to do them for a living when counting nurses. they lose a bit in transfer to blogger...

Andrew W said...

I seem to remember a man wot did eat all the pies somewhere between Peebles and Moffat.
Ok, fair play he did provide the beers.

Mike Knipe said...

Well, I came over all hungry, Andrew. Nice pies they were too... from Berwick, I believe.
I quite enjoyed that trip, apart from the gory ending...

Alan Sloman said...

It is said that squirrels are quite tasty. Best lightly poached. They taste a bit like chicken...

The gory hand is still quite gruesome, and occasionally painful. Not that anyone notices, or anything....

Mike Knipe said...

Alan - Cute and fluffy are often tasty.... The thought of your hand makes me squeak ( not in a rude or naughty way, you'll be relieved to know...)

Never argue with a barbed wire fence... (just a tip)

Louise said...

So, I'll see you in the bar at Strathcarron and The Park and might even have company at Glen Mazeran. Excellent.
Glad to know I'm not the only one that precision plans food.

Dawn said...

You sound well organized Mike. The weight of next weeks food has me a wee bit worried. How do you lose nurses when transferring to blogger????

Mike Knipe said...

Louise - yes, see you in the pub... hoefully, I'll make it to Glen Mazeran, but if I don't, the next day's walk is shorter and easier, so I can use it as a buffer.
If you're at G. Mazeran, though - bring whisky.....
Dawn - Ah gwan, just eat the heaviest stuff first. Countuing nurses is like herding puppies...

David A said...

Just got home from eating PIES in the Stair Inn!

See you at Strathcarron - Sue, Heather and I will be arriving on the Thursday evening train!

Mike Knipe said...

Great, David - I'll be arriving Thursday evening too. We can have a party...