20 minutes ...

... thats how long it took me to hitch a lift back to the car today.

Graham & Di are on standby for the Cuillin Ridge Traverse, so if someone can sort the weather out that would be great.

So instead of heading along the ridge and with a day's good forecast, I thought I would embark on another on Mr Wilson's Big Walks.  Lets be honest, nothing was going to be as bad as the last one, and with the going fast underfoot I was back in the car in about 4.5 hours.

I have often gone past Mad Meg's Cairn and wondered what the story was.  According to local legend the cairn marks the grave of an 18th Century suicide, who was denied burial in the local kirkyards.  Think about that next time you're in a snow hole.

More importantly, I have a new rucksack.

It is bright yellow.

It has go faster stripes.

It is only 10 litres.

As a result of this, all jelly babies were suitably squashed, before entering gob, having been squeezed into the side pocket.

Don't even ask what the malt loaf looked like.

a very cool journey

You can tell it is autumn when the first snow's have fallen on the hills and the mountain bike is getting used more than often.

Another little adventure with Heather yesterday - a mere 72km with 1342m ascent, through some of the most spectualar scenery Scotland has to offer.

I forgot my camera but remembered the jelly babies so all was not lost.

Not impressed with Citylink who, on the phone, told me that the buses could take 2 bikes, but on arrival at the depot in Ullapool the driver told us that they could not take bikes unless bubblewrapped or in a box.

The only saving grace was the little bike bus - a dedicated bus service with a bike trailer that runs along the North West coast from Inverness during the summer months.  For information on times, contact D&E Coaches, Inverness.

For once, I don't have a very sore arse but will be spending the afternoon with a scrubbing brush and a can of oil.

wet feet

Isi & Di both spent rather a lot of time checking the weather forecast before embarking on the drive North.

We were both convinced that the place to be was Caithness & Sutherland.

We were obviously right but the weather was most definitely wrong.

So, it mizzled yesterday, but we got away with it - just.


However, it rained today which meant that we never got away with it.

So, we done what any sensible person would do.  We drove south until the road looked dry and the shadows were cast.

We decided to head up to the bolts at Silver Rock, a small conglomerate crag near The Mound.

I forgot my harness, so we had to rotate the makeshift sling between climber and belayer, before the heavens finally opened up once more and we decided to throw the towels in for good.

Sometimes its just not meant to be ...

the cairngorm 4000ers

I couldn't find anyone to climb with yesterday and I have absolutely no intention of starting a second round of Munro's so...

It was a client, Peter Ellis who sowed the seed whilst on Tower Ridge one winter, so on Thursday evening I finally opened Ken Wilson's "The Big Walks".

There are only 2 rules I have self inflicted:

Rule #1 you must do the route as described.

Rule #2 you must do them sub 24 hours.

So yesteray, I set off on his Cairngorm Four Thousanders - what he describes as "an exceptionally long and arduous walk over a high and extensive plateau".

Some 50km later with 3000m ascent, I finally arrived back at the car in just under 11 hours.  Not bad for someone who hasn't done any running in the past 5 weeks and been walking at a very slow big-mountain-pace.

OK, it not quiet in the same league as Ramsay's Round  (its on the radar but not quite fit enough) but its a start.

Needless to say, I can hardly move today.

adjusting back to western life

I have now spent 3 days firmly planted in front of the computer.

I managed to escape for one day and opted to go for a 90km mountain bike.

Needless to say, I have a very sore arse.

The website has been updated with all the China antics and I am sure that the boss will let me get out and about tomorrow.

the 43rd highest mountain in the world

I have survived 4 weeks without facebook or blogging - I am making up for it now.  More importantly I have survived 4 weeks without red wine, white wine or fine chocolate - I tried to make up for it last night but failed miserably.

Wearing my Adventure Peaks bonnet, and joined by Jim, Chris, Duncan and Mairi our mini break can be summarised as follows:

Point number 1: despite the chinese authority stalling tactics, it is actually possible to gain access to a rather fine mountain deep inside the Xinjian Urghur Autonomous Region.

Point number 2: don't walk behind camels - although very pretty, they are rather windy.

Point number 3: never try and go to the toilet when the wind is blowing from the south east.  If you do, be fully prepared for anything heading 'south', to suddenly head 'north' without any warning.  With the added bonus of flying toilet roll, it all makes a very exciting and unpredictable experience.

Point number 4: real chinese food is nothing like the chinese take away you will encounter on the high street.  It will probably take a few weeks before any of the team can face a bowl of rice again.

Point number 5: if you are faced with bowl after bowl of rice, it is amazing what a bottle of tomato ketchup can do.

Point number 6: the definition of the effects of altitude should read something like this .... "you will feel lousy, have a thumping headache, have absolutely no appetite, will not be able to sleep and feel nausious at all times".

Point number 7: keep reminding ourselves that we have actually consciously chosen to spend 4 weeks in sufferland.

Point number 8: ensure that on return from the mountain, there is a vast amount of pepsi to rehydrate on.  Failing that, ensure that on return from the moutain, there is a vast amount of beer to rehydrate on.

Point number 9: snow shoes are just rather large flip flops.  Instead of the relaxing sound of 'flip flop' normally associated with sands and sea, the sound of our snow shoes were normally associated with numerous curses.

Point number 10: we probably all ate pigeon without knowing it *barf*.

So, 4 weeks later, probably more than 4 brain cells less, we are back in the United Kingdom.  Di & Jim did finally stand on the summit of Muztag Ata (although judging by the summit photo we could actually be on the cairngorm plateau) and life in the mountain suddenly seems a very long time ago...

More information on the Muztag Ata expedition can be found on the website.

welcome to kyrgystan

In 2008, Kyrsystan had a population of 5.2 million - there are probably a few more now.

Having sat on one's behind for the past 5.2 million hours we have finally arrived in Bishkek - the capital city - for one day as our journey to Muztag Ata continues.

We now have another 5.2 million hours ahead of us sitting on one's behind on a minibus as team Adventure Peaks pootle south.

For more information on the expedition click here.