A hike across Scotland to 'a really nice bakery'
Hiking the long way for some baked goods.
Hiking the long way across Scotland for some baked goods
“Going for a walk next Friday to a really nice bakery on the west coast.”
That’s the message Dan sent me last week. He and his partner Di live on the east coast of Scotland, so you can see what a mission a trip to a bakery on the west coast is going to be. This bakery had better be good. Actually, it had better be incredible.
The pair of them have now set off from their home in Montrose and are a few days in to their walk to the - presumably legendary - The Bakehouse & Crannog, in Mallaig (4.8 rating on Google). Dan says the journey is going to take them two weeks, but it’s going to be six days until they hit their first town.
I am eagerly following their journey, keen to see what terrain they enter into, how this British ‘summer’ treats them and what other challenges they have to face and overcome on their quest for the best [insert Scottish baked item name here].
Good luck Dan and Di! Oh… (click to watch)
Adventure outing - UK edition: return to our sandy bobsled past
I once lived in Guildford for six years, while I completed a three year uni degree. During that time, I also learnt to surf. The president of the Surf Club was a proponent of ‘river surfing’. Basically, you’d tie a line to a bridge near a weir, hold on to it and stand up on the board. The flow of the river pouring down the weir would push on the board, giving it lift and you could practice balancing and steering. The concept really works and is a great way to practice the basics without a wave crashing on your head every fifteen seconds. First time out on the ocean, I stood up on a board, no problem.
Anyway, our adventures on the River Wey weren’t confined to surfing the weir. The same president guy also once happened to find a small plastic tender on the river, which he brought home. Our adventures expanded beyond the weir and we discovered an awesome ‘sand slide’ running straight down a steep bank into the river. ‘Boat sliding’ was born. See here this clip from VHS or Betamax or something :
Anyway, I went back to the same spot last weekend. I was in town to catch up with a couple of true besties and we tapped on a walk down to the infamous ‘boat sliding’ slope. This is it now:
Exposed tree roots all the way down the run and a giant bramble-nettle crossbreed right before you hit the water. Keen?
Nod to the Gear Gods: purify water anywhere
Some years ago, I was on a hike with one other pal and we both ran out of water. It was that hike from Whatipū, in west Auckland, where you walk up the beach to Pararaha Valley and then return along the track. Or vice versa.
The sun was beating down, it was early summer and the black sand was hot, hot, hot. Thirst was setting in and both of us were getting desperate.
As we walked up to the camp at Pararaha, we agreed one would drink the water from the stream and the other would drink the tank water from the cooking shelter. I recall I got the stream in this little pact. Not that it mattered, we both got the squits.
The next Christmas rolled around and I treated myself to a water purifier to take on my adventures. It was the Grayl Ultralight. Other water filters and purifiers are available, but my 2017 foresight was telling me “buy the one that also filters out viruses”. If only I’d become a professional gambler.
We’ve had our bumps in the road over the years - mainly that one time where I had to get my Grayl replaced on its 10-year warranty - but I’m pleased to tell you we’re still going strong and I have no tummy bugs to report. I once used it to make porridge from a swamp.
I even recently used it in China on the tap water supply and survived to write this. Amazing, when you think about how they only drink water from plastic bottles there.
The Ultralight has long been superseded by other models, but the technology remains the same and their cartridges are backwards compatible, just like Nintendo’s Gameboys. I love my Grayl and I take it almost everywhere.
On the subject of Scotland (and unusual boating methods)
I’ll leave you with this, sent to me this week by Roy. It’s a reel, take a watch…
So many questions about practicality, viability and all the sensible stuff.
Also: keen?
Glad Roy actually sent you what I saw and thought about sending you