My ambitions as usual getting ahead of my capabilities, on the morning after we arrived here I'd paid £2.99 for a pocket guide to walks on Skye. By yesterday morning I'd already used it a couple of times but still hadn't felt that I'd got my money's worth from its pages. To rectify matters, especially as Wednesday 01 June was a glorious sunny day, albeit with a stiff northerly, and thus chilly, breeze I went looking for a suitable walk from the booklet. Mary was keen to undertake an arduous solo shopping expedition in Portree so here was my chance to go solo also.
Now our good friend and iPad user Jim Thompson will be keen to jump in here and say "Haha, a printed booklet, eh! How come you're not relying on your iPad or iPhone?" Well in many situations of course I would do just that. Trouble is, heavy driving rain is always a possibility here, especially in the mountains, and I'd rather get the cheap guidebook ruined by moisture than my electronic devices. The clincher, though, is that throughout Skye there are no reliable cellular communications. That's right, you can't rely on your mobile phone to make even an emergency call, never mind connect to the Internet. This I find puzzling as I have personally used my iPad to establish an Internet connection from Deal Island (albeit at a high point with a clear shot) in Bass Strait to a cell tower on the mainland over 100nm distant. As most of you will already know, there are still ways you can use your iPhone and iPad to navigate without a cellular connection but my judgement was that I'd leave the iPad behind when hiking in the mountains, especially as my planned walks are all quick, not too arduous and attempted only when the weather forecast (provided by iPad using WiFi at the cottage) is favourable. In fact hiking can be very dangerous here unless you're well equipped with special Scottish clothing (not talking kilts, here) and a knowledge of how to navigate using the sun (when visible) and/or a compass.
Speaking of clothing, I must give a special mention to four items I included in my baggage for this trip when I packed at home. Firstly, my old black beanie, then my venerable old hiking boots, then my old blue ex-RAAF jumper (see these three in the movie), then, possibly surprising to some, my black leggings (tights) which I wear on my kayak in Noosa in summer to protect against the sun. The jumper I'd bought at an Op Shop in Straughan, Tasmania as part of a $10 job lot of clothes while sailing in those waters in 2007 with my old mate and bro-in-law, Pete. The tights (I brought two pairs) I've worn every day since arriving in the UK but never in bed (spouse ban on that possibility). The tights keep my sagging muscles in place and add that extra warmth needed much of the time in these climes. Best of all, says Mary, no-one can see them as they're worn under my trews (Scottish for long pants).
And so I settled on the Old Man of Storr walk. This plan involved dropping Mary off at the village square with an agreed rendezvous at a nearby café some three hours later for lunch, and an agreed back-up plan should the RV not take place. Then a 10km drive by me northward from Portree to the parking area for the start point. Then a steep climb up a winding path of two kilometres length (300m ascent) to the saddle adjacent to the spectacular pillars distinguishing the feature known as The Storr. (As a reference for those who know it, Mount Coolum on the Sunshine Coast is a 200m ascent). Then maybe a climb a little further up, then down again.
Having been past the "parking" area before, I knew that I would not be alone in this quest. This is one of the "must do" things on the Isle of Skye, and well within the abilities of reasonably fit, determined and willing visitors. It's also attempted by others well outside that category, as you'd imagine; hence the need for the mountain rescue team's existence.
I relished the climb and was very glad I'd worn the boots, beanie, jumper and tights and kept my aerobic fitness up through kayaking and regular walks through the Noosa NP. At the highest part of my ascent, at their request, I took a picture of three younger Spanish people with their camera and nearby I was approached by a Scot from Glasgow now living in Germany asking me whether I was a Skye local as he'd noticed I had a strange accent! Crikey, maybe it's the beer! One other thing, the wind, as you'd anticipate, was much stronger up on the mountain (nearly blew my paper guide book away) and cloud was forming and unforming with changes in the speed and humidity of the air being forced across the saddles and peaks (see the movie which shows this effect).
Now for some pictorial evidence.
Movie. Experience the ascent in one minute, as opposed to the one hour it took me. Tap/click to start or finish the movie. If watching in the Instagram App, tap to turn on the sound.
If you watched the movie you may be interested to know that it was shot using my GoPro attached to my home made selfie stick, a new broom handle bought for £1 at the Bakewell market. I have a similar broom handle at home but reckoned I probably would be able to buy a disposable equivalent here in the UK. The broom handle doubles as a walking stick and you may have seen it in previous movies in this series. The movie was edited down to one minute, the maximum length presently allowed on Instagram, using the iMovie App on my iPad.
The pillars below The Storr, which is the name of the whole feature. The Old Man of Storr is the pillar on the left in this image. Taken from the saddle which is the turn around point for most visitors, but still a decent, steep climb.
View toward the ESE from the highest point I attained, given the time available. From foreground to background: Old Man of Storr (right) and a tarn (small lake, left); Loch Leath; Sound of Raasay; Raasay (nearby island); the Highlands, in the distance.
Cigarette butt, one of only four I saw on the climb, but on the best viewpoint, where the previous pic was taken. Mary and I have gained the impression that there are fewer cigarette and pipe smokers in the UK now than on previous visits. There are some e-smokers, however, and even a chain of shops to satisfy their specific needs. Surely the ban on smoking inside pubs, restaurants and public buildings is having an effect on numbers, given the winter climate especially.
Your guess is as good as mine. The apparently unsupervised canine cop was attempting to commandeer the sandwich. The human's not me, by the way, but an imposter similarly dressed.
When descending I stopped at the saddle to take a photo, looking NW, of the highest point I attained, the top of the knoll in the centre right of the image.
I'd started at 10:30am, and by noon I was half way back down. I was struck by the length of my shadow, at noon, with less than a month to go to the northern summer solstice.
By 1245 I was back at our cottage from which after a quick shower and change of clothes I strolled down to the village to successfully RV with Mary who'd already ordered her hot soup and roll, sitting in the bright sunshine out of the wind, at the café. Mission accomplished!
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Kev Long
Author iPad Traveller for iPad and Mac.
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The technical stuff:
Our main iPad is connecting to the Internet mainly through a cellular connection provided (prepaid, 3gb for three months for £16) by the UK "Three" network. On high ground and in town environments this connection has so far proven quite good but, as in Australia, some places lack good coverage so no or poor connection. There are quite a few WiFi options available too although not always advertised. Just ask if you're unsure if available. All except two of our accommodation reservations include free WiFi which is of course the preferred method of transferring large amounts of data but I have been posting these blogs and their images sometimes using only a cellular connection either from inside our accommodation or on the roadside.
Mary's iPhone is operating using an Australian SIM card (Optus prepaid) which is roaming while in the UK and gives us the ability to make phone calls (not cheap) and send and receive SMS. It also uses WiFi, can connect directly to the Internet through the local cellular system (expensive), and use a Personal Hot Spot provided by the iPad (essentially free as the iPad connection is prepaid).
Jim is not the only champion of paper! Great movie and story-telling Kev. I for one remember the sweater and the acquisition process. Cheers, Bob C
ReplyDeleteGreat story Kev. Wow, look at that weather. You are one lucky walker. We are having the annual weather event here in SB. Suspect you are having less rain on Skye. Hope Mary had fun shopping. Sue D xx
ReplyDelete