Before the Midges Come Out
Before the Midges Come Out Read More »
Photography
Highland Aviation Museum
On the recommendation of the owner of the Highflight bookshop in Dingwall we decided to visit this small museum run by enthusiasts.
It is excellent – plenty to see with many planes and cockpits you can get inside. There are a range of exhibits in the buildings including one about early Scottish island aviation.
If you choose to come be prepared; once you get to Inverness Airport there are no signs! We went into the airport and had to 3-point turn out of there, but then we found a sign to the industrial park and then the museum. (The local council had removed the signs as part of their preparations for the Open Golf Championships – this is what the staff told me.). So get details from their site below before setting out.
www.highlandaviationmuseum.org.uk
Nimrod MR2 – XV254
Valiant B (K) Mk. 1 – XD875
English Electric Lightning F.1A – XM169
Blackburn Buccaneer S.1 – XK532
Tornado GR1 – ZA362
Handley Page Herald – G-ASVO
Jet Provost T4 – XS176
Highland Aviation Museum Read More »
The Speyside Way – day two
Had a good night at the site, it rained overnight but stopped before I got up for breakfast. Tried out “instant porridge in a bag” – making it in a mug is OK but then cleaning out the gloopy porridge afterwards is a chore. So my solution was put the instant oat breakfast, dried milk and sugar in a poly bag, and then use that as the bowl – and it was a success. Dirty bag in the bin afterwards.
Crossing the Spey
Unlike yesterday the route today keeps reasonably close to the Spey.
The door was open at the distillery
Below the foot bridge over the Spey at Aberlour – for me the end of a real good overnight trip. Now off to the cafe to await Diana and a ride back to Aviemore.
The Speyside Way – day two Read More »
The Speyside Way – day one
A Curling Club in summer
Don’t miss this turning on the right (below) at NGR NJ 06982 28725 – I did – it is the path down to the disused railway track that makes up the path as it passes Cromdale. If you walk over the bridge over the old line you have gone to far. Watch out for the bridge sign on the right – the path markers are not very prominent,
Lunch, tuna with BBQ sauce and tea with some cashew nuts and banana chips. I found a convenient, and comfortable pile of logs, in a sunny clearing.
I was charged by a deer (above) – which leapt the fence on the right to avoid me.
I got caught in a shower during the afternoon but it had stopped by the time I reached the campsite at Cragganmore and I got the tent up in the dry – and got a chance to dry out my rain jacket. The site is free and has a toilet, a stand pipe for water, a bin and a couple of picnic tables which made unpacking (and packing) the rucksack very easy, as well as having somewhere to cook and eat in comfort.
One other thing the site had was midges – lots and lots of midges.
Having got my tent up, I was just sorting out the brewkit for a mug of tea when I was joined at the site by another lone backpacker, Emily. So whilst she put her tent up I made us both some tea. We then spent a very enjoyable couple of hours chatting, and sharing bits of our evening meal – her contribution was chilli flavoured olives and some milk sachets from the B&B she stayed in last night, mine was fruit and spice oat cakes and introducing Emily to whiskey in her tea! (She also let me use her midge spray – she borrowed my compeed stick.)
The Speyside Way – day one Read More »
