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Thursday 3 June 2010

TGO - Its Just Another Day

Continuing with our theme of using old pop song titles to illustrate the first half of my TGO journey (Did I mention it was my tenth crossing by the way?)…

ben alder cottage

I rose bright and early, had a wee and went back to bed for a couple of hours.

Later, I set off towards Loch Ossian, encountering various non-TGO schoolkid- type campers and Dutch TGO-ers Peter and George on the way.

west highland railway

Several “Young People” were seen to be jogging around Loch Ossian. Some were in a bit of a state. Some were ambling. Several appeared to be on the point of collapse. A few said “hello”; most didn’t appear to notice me at all.

loch ossian

Loch Ossian came and went and I wandered along by the Uisge Labhair, pausing only for a hurried half hour snooze and a paddle in the screachingly cold water, resolving never to do that sort of thing ever again.

challengers start on uisge labhair

retrospect towards loch ossian

The steep little transfer from the beck…er…burn to the path to Ben Alder Cottage was just like back home in the North Pennines and the well engineered and maintained path down to the cottage was a pedestrian’s delight.

bealach dubh owards corrour

Ben Alder cottage was occupied by TGO-ers Alan, Tom and Chris and I camped on a nice flat bit just over the burn..er..beck. A lovely spot and no chance of ghosties.

A bit later, four canoes full of mowhawks came around the headland and I had to form my akto into a circle and use the spitoon.

Actually, they turned out to be a load of kids from North Cumbria University (Penrith) – aka Penrith technical college on an “expedition”

Eventually they sorted themselves out camping spots and arranged themselves around a campfire. I was very pleased to hear one of the young ladies say “Lets have a game of strip poker”. I settled down in the shelter of the akto to watch.

Nothing happened so I went to sleep where I was walking down this street, see and came across Kylie lounging on a pile of people in their undies. What’s the chance of that, eh?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

There was a PATH to Ben Alder cottage? Where the devil was it, then? I had to fight my way in around the headland. Possibly the ghost moved the path as I approached.

Funny the way Kylie was stalking you, btw. I was stalked by Robert Sean Leonard, but I've grown used to that. It's part of the reason I spent so much time asleep.

Mike Knipe said...

Yes PW, there's a lovely path running down from bealach dubh all the way to the cottage.
Another goes around the headland to the North(ish), but that one gets quite scary.
You'd be coming from Rannoch, I guess, so you'd have missed the path I'm on about which can be accessed from the Loch Ossian - Culra bothy route.
Snoozy dreamy cozy times can be so entertaining, I find...
Robert Sean Leonard eh?
Ooooer....

AlanR said...

Lovely pictures Mike. Have you any of Kylie though?

Mike Knipe said...

Kylie, or Charlene as I sometimes call her only visits at night for security reasons and to keep out of the way of that stalker Jason.
I do have pictures, I keep them in the Kylie gallery at Knipe Towers.
Nobody else is allowed to see them, obviously.

Martin Rye said...

I like Ben Alder cottage. Nice bay and views. Had no ghostly encounters in that bothy. That Marcus from Austria claimed to me over a pint he had. Why do people always bring up haunted bothy's over a pint?

Anyway nice photos.

Mike Knipe said...

It is quite a nice place isn't it, Martin.

All tales, get taller by the pint.

Phreerunner said...

Bbbbut...there's a perfectly good path from Rannoch Lodge to this bothy, which was dark, dingy and the most miserable place for miles around when I last visited it. Good camping by Alder Burn though.

Mike, your route keeps bumping into mine, but I didn't see you (or anyone else!)

Mike Knipe said...

..and we both went to Kilbo, but more of that later....