Peebles-Moffat Second Full day

Camp Sheepgrapes was a miserable place at 6:30 am on Monday morning. The wind was a bit windy and the drizzle was a bit drizzly. Nothing dramatic, except for the fact that there was no visibility.
We left at about 8:30, I think and we crossed the beck (burn) and slogged the enormous slog up onto Molls Cleuch Dodd. We were handrailing again, which is extremely effective and quick in this kind of clag.

After Molls Cleuch Dodd, the walking is incredibly easy for a long way and so we easily took in Firthybrig Head and Firthhope Rig and then down to Rotten Bottom for a bit of shelter. It was here, I’m afraid to say, that the very last of Humphrey’s pies was furtively scoffed whilst the others tended to their brews and chatted about the relative weights of various rucksack designs.
Rotten Bottom was interesting in a Pennine kind of way, but it’s reputation is exaggerated when compared with most North Pennine mosses.  Its a bit boggy for a few yards.

We contoured out most of Cape Law and fought bravely to get the team up on to Hart Fell where it was even foggier.
Falcon Craig and Swatte fell were quickly swatted, disappointingly without any view at all, for this is a very fine place in the hills.

We descended tiredly over Blue cairn and on to Greygill  Head where there was a decision to be made. two alternatives were available – the first consisting of a very steep plunge through deep bracken to the track – a route taken by me, the other Mike and Piglet, or a crossing of a barbed wire fence for an easier descent in a sheep pasture. It was this fence that did for Alan’s hand.

It was, apparently, very nasty indeed and I’m really quite pleased that I was sitting beside the track scoffing an energy bar  and playing with Piglet when it happened.
Shirley (Peewiglet) did a particularly fine job in bandaging up the gory mess and Martin, John and Tony rushed off to organise some transport, Martin jogging/running into Moffat to  bring back John’s car.

And so, Alan, Shirley and Andrew were whisked off to Carlisle for urgent treatment to Alan’s poorly digits whilst the remainder finished the walk.
Ian Shiel met us in Moffat and we had a brief and ever so slightly boozy session in the Black Bull.
Tony and Christine left for a lay by in Ribblesdale and Ian took me, Mike and Martin back to Peebles in his campervan after breakfast the next morning, having postponed the Moffat-Peebles leg due to a duff weather forecast and general battle weariness.
Today was about 14 miles and another 3000 feet of up.


But what of Peebles-Moffat. this is a really cracking 35 (or so) mile walk. Its not a pushover by any means, though and deserves a bit of respect. You really have to keep plugging away. But its fab, no mistake.
And what of the team?
I think we had fun (Others may confirm or deny this) but I thought it was a jolly jape. And this was a great team. At some points there was real concern for the progress and welfare of each other. Several people had low points and the team was patient and supportive. 
Alan’s unfortunate accident brought out the best in people and its heartening to know that if my stent had failed or something, that, before scoffing my precious pies, they would have all Done Their Best. (Note the capitals, Alan)
At the moment Alan is festering in the RVI in Newcastle with his poorly fingers. We all hope that there will be a full recovery and that once again, Sloman will recapture the well-deserved position of  Cambridgeshire’s nose-picking champion.
Fuller and more gory details of Alan’s specially nasty injury appear on Peewiglet’s Plog, with links on this very blog.

Peebles-Moffat First Full Day

After a cold and frosty but beautiful moonlit night, Camp Alpha awoke slowly, brewed and cooked and all that kinda stuff and stumbled off up through the heather to a little col just South of Dun Rig.
The party waited whilst Martin and Jungle bagged Dun Rig. There was, for a while, bog and heather and tussocky stuff, but gradually the underfootings improved.

After bagging Black law, we lunched in slightly brightening weather at Foulbrig Head. Some trail riders, expecting me to open the gate for them were disappointed and had to dismount. I expect there was bad language and sulking inside those helmets and face disguises.
At this point, John J decided to establish The Jocys Alternative – specially for those with dodgy knees. This consists of the track South to Megget Reservoir and a hop up the road to the Megget Stone. John would establish the site of Camp Sheepgrapes.

The remainder had a bit more tussock bashing to do before a track took us more easily up on to the main Manor Hills ridge. Martin dashed off to bag Dollar Law whilst the less energised took a shortcut onto the ridge and headed off for Cramalt Craig.

Broad Law, which is very broad and has a radio station thingy and an alien spaceship on the top, was our first Corbett and the high point of the walk. It was apparent at this point that many members of the team were getting a bit fragged, so it was heartening to spot John J’s akto pitched beside the beck in the valley bottom. A short and steep descent was enjoyed by some. Piglet enjoyed searching for a mountain hare that had rushed off in another direction.

Camp  was established on short sheep shit and piles of grass. A small cache of medicinal supplies was produced and this was used to wash down Peewiglet’s cheese and sausage. I am afraid that at least two of the pies intended for this party had been used to counteract a couple of episodes of Handrailers Lassitude. As I pointed out, it is important that the navigator retains full access to all of his intellectual faculties and one good way of ensuring this is a constant supply of finely slaughtered pigs in pastry.
Handrailing was used as a navigational strategy all day. For those puzzled by the expression, it means following something. In this case, there seems to be a fence pretty much all the way from Peebles to Moffat.
There was a short but well focussed boozing and chatting session before it got too cold and the beer and wine supplies dried up.
Another moonlit night followed before a mid night arrival of some cloud and drizzle.
We’d done about 14 miles with 3100 feet of uphill – so, a good, beefy kind of hillwalking day. And it was becoming apparent that this little group was quite good at supporting and encouraging it’s members in their various periods of despondency and that spirits were high – a very good sign indeed.

day two part one showing variations

day two part two. Loops at the top by Martin Banfield, Southern Loop is the Jocys variation. Squiggly line is what the rest of us did (Piglet did a lot more…)

Peebles-Moffat Round Two Day 0.5

After a brief foregathering in the drinking dens and pizza bars of Moffat the night before a bunch of nine Moffateers gathered once again on Saturday morning in Moffat high Street. Two cars were sufficient to take the hopefuls to Peebles where a short rest was called in the Bridge Inn.
Revd Albon and Big Jugs Monthly Bossman and Pie provider Humphrey Weightman joined the mildly excited throng for a pint. Humphrey donated some quality pies to the team’s resources. I regret to admit that I did, in fact, eat all the pies……   I am, of course, distraught and so is my cardiac nurse.

And then, after a brief press call in the car park during which Mr Sloman tempted fate by miming his fence climbing skills, nine of us plus Dave Albon invaded Glen Sax. Dave had to leave us after a mile or two as he had work to do. 

We’d taken the lower route this time to ensure that we actually got somewhere before it went dark.
This seemed to work and ultimately, as the walls of Upper Glen sax closed in, we spotted the ideal site for Camp Alpha, on a little  possibly natural grassy shelf amongst all the heather.

The night was moonlit (to such an extent that I thought it was dawn at about half one) and frosty.
Spirits were vaguely optimistic if a bit nervous. There were  early nights and snoring.

Today’s walkers were me, Alan Sloman and Shirley (Peewiglet) Worral plus Piglet the Doglet, Mike (no not that Mike, the other Mike) Pope and his dad Martin (Phreerunner) Banfield, Tony (Pennine Ranger) Bennet and  his handler Christine, Andrew (I can’t decide which decision to decide on) Walker and his miraculous underpants and and John (I wish I had Mike Harding’s Money) Jocys. I think that was it.
Anyway, I think we did six and a half miles and 1400 feet of uphill.
We were still OK.  But much more excitements later…..

Peebles to Moffat the Counter-Attack

We may well have been sent homewards tae think again from our ill-fated expedition up the Moffat and Manor hills last April.
And having been home for a while, and having thought again, and remembering that we vowed to have another crack at this, I am confirming the dates for Round 2.
This will begin on Saturday 25 September 2010 in the Bridge Inn in Peebles and continue to Moffat, or at least towards Moffat.
A return journey from Moffat to Peebles will be made beginning on Tuesday 28 September 2010 and this will veer sharply towards Tibbie Shiels Inn, not because they treated us so well last time (which they did) but purely because it is there.

Invites by email went out some time ago and many replies received. One or two people’s intentions still remain mysterious, but there has been a certain amount of fresh email chatter and some snatched car park conversations which confirm that there’s likely to be a bunch at least.
Note that if your old man is a dustman, we’re still not sure if you’re coming.
I will be sending a soothing confirmation email out shortly with meeting times and places and a proposed timetable.
If this doesn’t turn into a farce, I might well organise it again in September 2011.

Peebles – Moffat plan A, Plan B, Plan C

Well, what can I say? We started out well enough – met up in the bonny Borders Walker-Friendly Town of Moffat, dumped Al’s car and Tony’s campervan and went off to Peebles where we met Humphrey Weightman for a couple of sniftah’s in the Bridge Inn and some essential fuel (including sausages and chips in a Peebles cafe) and orf we jolly well went through the outer suburbs of Peebles and up through the gentle woodlands to the drove road and then into snow.

It weren’t just snow, though, no. No, it were soft and white and with an odd blue tinge after you’d put your foot in it.

We ascended. It got deeper. We floundered sometimes and other times, on snowless burned heather, we floated up the hill. but mainly we floundered. Tony broke trail quite often. I came last, where the footsteps had been tried and tested and rarely failed after that. Us, by the way, were me, Al Sloman, Phil Lambert and Tony Bennet, all sometime TGO challengers and missing a few key walkers who for various reasons couldn’t be here.

Eventually, as we struggled uphill, it became camping time, so we investigated some softer heather and a bit of flattened grass here and there and set up a kind of campsite.

The sunset was, apparently, quite good. people having a pee after dark remarked opn how pretty were the lights of Peebles. there was thinking thought. The thinkings wot were thought centered around the deep and soft snow and how hard it had been getting all of four and a half miles up the hill out of Peebles. The Megget Stone was an impossible distance away. Tibbie Shiels Inn would be nearer and firmer and easier.

So in the morning, we continued with our uphill struggle through the nightmare snow and achieved an almost snowless summit of Birkscairn Hill.

We followed the path/drovers route towards St Mary’s Loch, but eschewing this at the forest edge for a more direct descent to forestry roads. Phil, in particular made close contact with very deep snow at one point. But we plunged downhill and eventualy joined the Southern Upland Way to St mary’s Loch, the shores of which gave a pleasant snow-free and sunny ramble as far as Tibbie Shiels Inn where we were met by Ian Shiel and David Albon. We collected in the Inn for bevvies..

Ian’s family is local to these parts and he knows the place intimately. Ian had transported David for the walking and distributed some fine bottles of beer amongst the team as we put the tents up.

A jolly night in the pub was spoiled only by the knowledge that we had more than twenty miles to walk to Moffat and that the weather forecast was a bit iffy. We resolved to leave at 7:0 am, despite rebellious protests from certain quarters.

At around the middle of the night, I became aware that the tent was thrashing around and that the rain as lashing down.

At 5:00 am it was still doing the lashing and thrashing and the penny dropped that getting to Moffat in these conditions, including the thawing of the snow, would be a bit more than challenging. I visited each if the participants tents and they all agreed that the game was, in fact, up.

Plan C, therefore, was to transport the entire group to Peebles and then go home.

The Inn offered breakfast and Al booked a taxi.

The breakfast was substantial and delicious and they’d hung up our wet stuff to dry as we ate.

We abandoned. There were floods on the road and the rain continued to thrash down. In Peebles, David went off to find public transport home and we drove off towards Moffat.

It was declared to be all over during the tea and buns and soup in the Rumble Tum cafe in Moffat.

Not the end, though. There will be another go at this. When there’s not so much snow and people who couldn’t be here can be here.

Its not the taking part that matters , its knowing when to give up…..

Altogether we did about 16 miles and 2400 feet of uphill.

I’m not showing a map…..

Late edit: Other bloggered versions of this very same event are at http://pennineranger.blogspot.com/2010/04/peebles-to-moffat-by-any-means.html(Tony's blog) and http://alansloman.blogspot.com/2010/04/peebles-to-moffat-day-1-lunchtime.html just the first of a series of live blogposts wot were done live at the time and everything by alan sloman and http://www.doodlecat.com/ for Phil's account

And this - just brought to my attention by Tony http://backpackingbongos.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/backpacking-the-ettrick-hills-from-moffat-dale/ is substantially great lumps of the originally planned return route - which just nicely illustrates how good these hills are.

Happy surfing!

Peebles to Moffat to Peebles

I thought it might be useful for those taking part in this walk, and those possibly taking part, including anybody who hasn’t answered recent emails who may or may not becoming - (gasp!) – to sum up the arrangements for the walk.

Anybody who isn’t included in the above who may want to give it a bash is welcome to send me an email and let me know… but you might want to consider the details before committing yourself. It may well be, in fact, that many of the participants will wish they’d been committed instead.

In any event, there's a few definates and a bunch of possibles, and a partly probable, so there'll be a small party at least.

The details:

Saturday 3 April – Meet in the main P&D car park in Moffat between 10:30 and 11:00 am.

Leaving a car or two in Moffat – proceed by car to Peebles and abandon the cars. The police have been asked to advise on safe parking in Moffat.

Have some drinkies in Peebles

Walk from mid to late afternoon

Sunday 4 April – Walk to Megget Stone area

Monday 5 April – Walk to Moffat – evening in Moffat

Note that due to the uncertain nature of who is definately attending, its not been possible to arrange a dinner. We can either play this by ear (ears will be disinfected for this purpose) – or we can try to arrange something before leaving Moffat on the 3rd.

Tuesday 6 April – Walk half a day towards Ettrick

Wednesday 7 April – Possibly camp at Tibbie Shiels Inn

Thursday 8 April – Stagger back to Peebles.

It will be seen from this plan that it will be possible for people to do either Peebles to Moffat or Moffat to Peebles or Peebles to Moffat to Peebles – and, even Tibbie Shiels to Peebles if only one day can be spared (8 April). So its very flexible and leaving cars at both ends of the walk will mean that return transport ought not to be a problem.

A safe(ish) and free parking spot in Peebles has been identified.

The total distance is around 73 miles and the route is fairly high level. The pace will not be blistering.

Peebles to Moffat

Many years ago, somebody bought me “The Big Walks” edited by Richard Gilbert and Ken Wilson, a coffee-table glossy pics type of thing which was very popular at the time and came in a series – including Classic Walks, Classic Climbs, The Big Climbs and so on.

Any road up, in this “Big Walks” book, there are some ridiculously long routes such as all the Fannichs in one go , The Ben Nevis and Lochaber Traverse and Marsden to Edale. Typically, many of the Scottish walks start and/or end in the middle of nowhere so you have to walk to the start and/or finish as well. They were tuff in them days, so they were….

And so, I’ve had one of these walks slowly braising in the back of my mind for many years and it is – The classic Big Walk from Peebles to Moffat. Or from Moffat to Peebles.

So I asked a few people who I thought might be interested and we have a kind of provisional arrangement to have a go at this at Easter this year. We won’t be doing this in a day, though, not on your muddy-booted nelly. No, we’ll take two and a half days. And then, some people wanted to walk back again – another two and a half days.

Final arrangements still have to be arranged finally but watch this space for further developments.

Here are the two routes: (apols for the poor quality of the maps, but I had to get the whole route on and not much space. Have a look at it in conjunction with a road map and you’ll get the idea)

Maps not to be used for navigation!

The total distance is around 73 Miles and the first part includes 3 Corbetts and a multitude of Donalds (‘Course, I’ve done all of these hills before ‘cos I’m a Donaldist intye?)

The walk, describes as starting at Peebles just for descriptive purposes goes from Peebles via Kirkhope Law 537metres – Dun Rig 742m – Black Law 698m - Fifescar Knowe 811m – Cramalt Craig 831m Broad Law 840m Hart Fell 808m – Moffat (with some interveining hills between the above) – Southern Upland Way to Ettrick Head – The Western part of the Ettrick Hills including 13 tops from 557m to 677m, Tibbie Shiels Inn, SUW again to Blackhouse, Dun Rig (again) 742m and Glenrath heights 732m – Glen sax to Peebles.

Phew.

TGO Challenge Food and other things

Just taken delivery of a box of scoff from http://www.outdoorsgrub.co.uk/ mainly for the TGO challenge. My food plan says that I need to start with 3 days food and send a parcel to Dalwhinnie with 2 days food – more of that later.

There’s also the little question of a pre-TGO Challenge walkabout. My original idea of walking up the middle of the Isle of man seems to have been replaced by a wander over a classic Borders Oldie walk which goes from Peebles to Moffat – and, probably back again. various other bloggers and walky types have expressed an interest in joining in – so, hopefully, more of that later, too. Should be a jolly jape, I would have thought.

Wot I bought from outdoors grub:

1 Adventure Food rice satay

1 Mountain House Pasta with lasagna sauce

2 Mountain House custard with apple

1 Be Well Chicken vegetable pasta

1 Be Well Thai Chicken with rice

2 Be well Hot cereal start with sultanas

1 Real Turmat Pasta Provence

1 Real Turmat wolfish casserole

1 Backpackers pantry Katmandu Curry

1 Backpackers pantry Spaghetti with sauce

1 MX3 Aventure (?sic) from TITOK (oddly strange name!) Red Curry Noodles and shrimp

I’ll be supplementing this with various packet soups, which I’ll also fortify with instant spuds.

I need more breakfasts – I also usually eat cereal bars at brekkies – eg Jordans, but I could do with more variety. Meusli won’t do. I hate the stuff. I’d rather eat Bruno’s tail just after an incident with a dead sheep. Those instant, flavoured porridges are also off the menu since, whilst they taste quite nice, their energy only lasts me about half an hour – which is rubbish. Any suggestions gratefully received – although I expect that a visit to Asda might solve the problem.

I also need more sweets – same applies, Asda beckons, but any suggestions…. I’ll probably take an MRE chocolate sponge as a treat.

I tend also to stuff in squirty cheese and oatcakes and, of course, the always reliable cheapo whisky.

As for other planning – I’m probably a bit late with it, but I have to ring the bunkhouse in Mallaig to see if they have any beds and I did try to book the hotel at Dalwhinnie, but they’re not taking on-line bookings. I’ll give them a buzz later. I hope there isn’t a problem.

If there is, I’ll solve it by simply carrying another 2 days food!

Incidentally, I ordered the food by phone from Outdoors Grub on Monday morning and it's arrived just now on Wednesday afternoon, which is quite good innit?