Callanish

It stopped raining, so I jumped in the car and went to the standing stones at Callanish for the evening.

Situated at the head of a sea loch.

The main cluster of stones have been re-erected after lying in peat for many a year.

Unlike Stonehenge, you can get in amongst the stones, and tonight a shower drove off the only other people present.

The tourist photo done (darkened the clouds).

The hills are supposed to look like a woman lying down. The moon is supposed to pass along her body at certain times (link). Would the ancients have bothered with this? Who knows. It's not as if they had Freeview to keep themselves entertained.

The rest are as is. The only Photoshopping has been to crop and resize. In some, I've removed the colour from the land to accentuate the sky.

tvwalks.com

Read the guidebook? Now see the movie at tvwalks.com.

Is this the future? With the ability to download movies to your portable player, you can see the next day's trail on your iPod and read about it in the guidebook.

I note that Anthony Burton wrote and co-wrote guide books on the West Highland Way and the Southern Upland Way.

Of much lower quality, and minor interest to serious outdoors folk: my video can be freely viewed (heck, download it if you wish) on YouTube.

Many rivers to cross

I caught some of Radio 4's "Women's Hour" today. They talked about an author's book of her struggle to survive being put into "a category that is sometimes described as “inspirational memoirs” ". Is there a comparison here with blogs? The woman in question had had a horrific upbringing, and I wouldn't want anyone's hiking experience to be as traumatic.

I wondered if blogs fit into the category of inspirational memoirs. Do people want to read the mundane? Probably not, as it already happens in their life daily. They want the sensational. Rock slides, fighting against evil empires (or at least businesses that won't complete a contract), wild animal attacks (maybe something a bit bigger bigger), overcoming hardships, etc etc.

Strange - when I look at outdoors media, I look for the empathy. Not the extravagant.

So, while Andy starts a new ultra-lightweight mission, I see Mike "GoBlueHiker"'s pack and read that he's away for 15 days unsupported in Alaska (thanks, Sarah). His pack includes an inflatable raft and lifejacket. It reminds me that the word "river" is like the word "mountain". Recently I was asked about some mountains I had climbed - "none" said I. For me a "mountain" is something big, something dangerous, something that needs special equipment and skills. So, I ask myself today, "how many rivers have I crossed"? None.

Many rivers to cross
And it's only my will that keeps me alive
I've been licked, washed up for years
And I merely survive because of my pride

Background music

Trail Price Improver

I saw this on the Trail Gear Blog:

Every month we scour the internet to find the best prices on the gear featured in the new issue of the magazine. Where we find savings over the rrp, we let you know here.

(link)
Sounds great, and a lot of work done by Trail...err, Foundem.com?

Hey, BG, fancy a bivi/bivvy from GearZone? 70 quid cheaper than Field & Trek are selling it.

Me? I'm saying nothing, nor shall you infer anything from my comments or silence.

--
Settling on spelling: bivouac ; bivvy .

Trail Forum

The Trail forum seems to be going well. A lot of active banter across there. 9,770 posts since February this year.

A way to go yet to beat Ninja Pussy Cat's 24,600 posts on OutdoorsMagic.

Letters Page

Martin asked:

I'm quite interested in how you're doing your blogging on the go. Are you still using your K800? I was wondering what s/w you used with it to update your blog. Ran a couple of searches through the blog and couldn't find many details, that's all.

I'm on the Sony Ericsson k800i mobile phone, and can email in directly to Blogger. You can tend to spot emailed blog entries, as they have lower case "i" instead of "I", lack paragraphs and have no photographs. I'll often return to the article and add in photographs.

I used to be able to email photographs to my blog, but the k800 has an annoying feature that allows you to "send photograph to blog". It is annoying in that Blogger then removed the facility to email photographs. When I can be bothered, I'll find a work-around (e.g. emailing Zooomr or Flickr), but I'm tired of finding work-arounds for problems that weren't there before. The "send to blog" feature doesn't allow queuing of posts, so is useless when out on the hills and you can't get a phone signal.

Normally, I'll post from a PC via Windows Live Writer, which I think is ace. Or Blogger's Posting Creator, which I think is old hat (except the automatic "save now" feature).

I'll post photos to my Zooomr account, and copy the HTML for the medium photograph in to the HTML view of the blog article. My Munro log is across at Flickr, so I'll do the same from there. Videos are on YouTube, and, again, they give you the HTML code to add to your article.

I try to remember to add tags (labels in Blogger-speak). Of course, I can't do that via the mobile phone.

Any editing of photographs will tend to be done on Photoshop Elements v2, and movie clips on Windows Movie Maker.

I hope that answers your questions, Martin.

Harris C2Cv2

Some of Colin's photos from the same coast-to-coast trek across Harris (3miles/5km in each direction).



My "hurry up an gerramoovon" stance.





Colin took his chunky Canon camera. I left my dSLR behind, too feart to risk it in the dodgy weather.

Harris C2C

Seilebost to Aird Mighe, Harris. Turned out to be an old "coffin road", just over 6 miles; 3 hours there and back including breaks.








The east side of Harris, feet wet.

Colin's thoughts on the matter:

Heron Hunting

Out a hunting heron which I'd seen on the walk in.


Twice I got close, but I think it heard the camera clicking. Shame, as it is a waste of energy for it to fly off from my innocuous camera.

Tourist shot - shame that the neds kept tooting their horns every time they saw another fellow ned. So loud was their mating call, that it drowned out the sounds of a pipe band practising. Who said the young give a hoot about their carbon footprint?

(Stray) Cat Strut

It may look sedentary, lazy even,

but can still move faster than the camera can refocus. (music link)

Playing around with failing sunlight over my parents' Gothic pile (without Photoshopping clouds).

Sunrise over Sy

Last year, I was able to get some sunrise shots when leaving Stornoway.




If you don't know the story of the Iolaire disaster, you can read about it here. The marker warns others to avoid those rocks.

Sunday in Sy

Overcast and showery in Stornoway.




Photo Notes:
1: Light levels changed on the clouds and then inversed. Old town hall has 25% black&white overlay. Even Stornoway is more colourful than this!
2: Cropped. A couple of blurred seagulls removed from the shot.

Excess Baggage

On Radio 4's travel programme, Sandi Toksvig (sp?) was speaking to a couple of folk about Britain's national trails.

Link, with listen again feature.

07070707

7 o'clock on the 7th of july 07. A series of perfect divine numbers, apparently. "out of doors" on the radio, chucking it down outside.

Quite a few deer were on the road, velvet obvious on antlers. Light was too poor for photographs.

Tescos self service

Just been forced through a Tescos self service til as no humans were on duty to accept my money. As a result, it took me at least twice as long to go through my meagre basket of essentials. As a result, i feel no customer loyalty, a mere bank account number. Where a statement that i can only buy 2 packs of aspirin is followed by "yes/no". I answer "no" as i'm only buying one pack and drop my stress cure into the bag. Alarm. Alarm. "you have placed an unscanned item in the bag". Actually, i had scanned it, but your programmer failed to ask the question correctly. They had failed to ask a question. Next time, i'll just cook some roadkill. Less painfull and more satisfaction.

Common as Muck

The sharp-eyed will have noticed that a Creative Commons logo has appeared in the sidebar. I went for the "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 UK: Scotland" option. The full details can be found here. I went for the Scots law option, as it is more brutal than the Roman law of our southern cousins. As Scots Law is derived from the old Norse, it allows me to reclaim what has been stolen from me in goods, chattels and thing-days. A thing was the old Germanic name for a slave.

So, you steal from me, I can take the doors to your car, your wife, or get you to work for me until the damage and hurt you have caused me has been worked off. This is why Scotland has less crime per capita than the rest of the UK.

We also have more lying toe-rags than the rest of the UK.

AktoSimpson

Hours of endless fun with the Simpsons Avatar Creator across at their movie site.


Hmm, just noticed there's a burning car on the splash screen, but no sign of John Smeaton running towards it.

Adult Hills

I do love seeing what the work's content filter blocks. Today it was Colin Prior's article on Suilven (link) , blocked for "under the category Adult\Sexually Explicit." I suppose someone out their might get their rocks off to it^^

Hydration Sack Refilling

I worked out this on the Southern Upland Way. Simple idea.

Take mouthpiece off carefully, insert tube into bottle, lift up bottle and squeeze bottle to start water flowing into the sack. Simple hydraulics. The bottle must be higher than the hydration sack for this to work.

With little practice, you can cut down the amount of air entering the hydration sack. You'll end up with some air in the hydration sack, but not enough to cause problems if you bleed the sack at the end of the day.

I've not seen anyone else talk about this or haven't read anyone else doing this, so it might be a world exclusive - but I doubt it. If I've thought of it, someone else must have.

Oh, and just carry the holed bottle lid in a pocket, and have a normal bottle lid to use when you want the bottle to hold water too. Extra weight: one plastic bottle lid with a hole in it (go figure).

Kinfauns Update

Ramblers' Association have decided not to appeal

“We remain disappointed by the judgement of the sheriff, Michael Fletcher, in the Kinfauns case. We believe it is incompatible with the provisions of the land reform legislation and does not reflect the intentions of the Scottish Parliament when it passed this legislation. We are advised that a case could be made to challenge this judgement in a higher court. Nevertheless, following discussion by the Ramblers’ Scottish Executive Committee, we have concluded that the best way forward is not to appeal the judgement ..." (link)

Other comments from the RA in their full statement:

• This judgement from Perth Sheriff court is not binding on other courts so, if the Kinfauns case is concluded at this stage, no precedent is set for cases involving other courts where landowners seek declarators.
• however, there may be a need to modify section 10 of the Act to make it clear that the Code has the role of explaining not only the principles of responsible behaviour under the land reform legislation but also in
  helping to define the areas of land and water to which access rights do or do not apply.
• We also regret that Mrs Gloag erected the mile long security fence without first obtaining the necessary planning approval. The process by which she obtained retrospective planning approval was unusual...Neither do we understand how the development control section of Perth and Kinross Council could have considered it sensible to grant this planning approval without reference to elected members and knowing that their own access officials were making it clear that access rights applied inside the fence. The Council’s decision to give retrospective approval for this fence, while at the same time providing no arrangement whereby the statutory access rights could be exercised within the fence, provided the starting point for this conflict. Local Authorities in future must not grant planning permission without first ensuring that such permission is compatible with the land reform legislation.

Previous AktoArticles:

Privacy Zone; One, Two, Three.

I hope the owner enjoys her privacy in the green zone.

Bennachie 29.06

10k in 2007

Well done, whoever was the 2nd visitor on the 6 readers who visited between 1300-1400hrs (BST) today. You are visitor number 10,000 this year.

As your prize, you can join me in humming this catchy song from Saturday's Dr Who.



{we're in the sphere, blogging with your master}

r u u?

From the BBC : "I met somebody the other day who told me that online networking was so important, and he didn't have the time, he was paying somebody to be him online. To blog, network, post etc . £1,000 a month too." (full story)

78Man

Just found this on YouTube. Thought I'd share it. I like this use of new technology. It shows the human spirit in the raw. 78Man

Oooh, "Lazybones" (how appropriate). Classic. Ahh, there only one song to play after that.

Almost at 10K

Google Analytics reports that this blog has had 9925 visitors to date this year. Unlike some hosts, this doesn't count media loads separately. I feel that there should be a prize, but the privacy of visitors is protected in the service.

As I won't be able to give a prize, I thought I'd share this link to my favourite advert on Jock TV just now. No matter what people say, these are goths, not emos. More Undertones please? Good excuse to dig out the "True Confessions" album:

1. Teenage kicks
2. True confessions
3. Get over you
4. Jimmy Jimmy
5. Mars bars
6. You've got my number
7. My perfect cousin

Secret Chamber

Someone passed their spot hidden roll, and found a secret chamber in the Chinese imperial tomb. The one guarded by the terracotta army. I wonder if it is the remote control (c Terry Pratchett) or if it houses a pair of terracotta dice and a set of wargames rules.

Historical records describing the tomb of Qin Shihuang, China's first emperor, do not mention the room which is 30 metres (98 feet) deep. The unopened chamber was found at the site near the old imperial capital of Xian using remote sensing technology.

One expert says it may have been built for the soul of the emperor.

More than 2,000 years old, the chamber is buried inside a pyramidal earth mound 51m (170 feet) high on top of Qin's tomb. [BBC story]

There's only one piece of music that fits this sort of news.