Aviemore

Hiking Food

/ Outdoor Gear, Walking / , , , ,

Whilst Christmas shopping in Aldi, I picked up a few things for my walking trip to Aviemore in mid-January.

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The microwave rice (just heat it in a pot with a couple of spoons of water – you do not need a microwave) looked more interesting than the last varieties I bought and the same for the flavours of the instant noodles.

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The Racer bar is like a Snickers bar but with more peanuts and a better size for snacking on when walking.

I also bought some coffee creamer powder and made up a creamer/freeze-dried coffee mix in a small nalgene bottle (2 spoons of creamer to 1 spoon of coffee) as the only pre-mixed sachets I could find in the shop were the sweetened variety.

Hiking Food Read More »

Dingwall Camping and Caravan Site

/ Camping, Travel / , , ,

We moved on from the time share in Aviemore this morning and set our tent up at the Camping and Caravan Site in Dingwall.

As a family we like this site and it is a regular place for us to camp. It is located within a short walk of the town of Dingwall with all it’s facilities including a huge Tesco with a cafe only 5 minutes away. In the other direction is a park on the shores of the Cromarty Firth both can be reached using the riverside (canal) path.

The view from the site is good. The sky is dramatically dark in some directions but it is sunny here and I am sitting outside for a change!

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The site is adjacent to Ross County Football Ground – there is home game going on there right now as I write this, and judging by the noise Ross County has just scored.

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Jeremy making me a coffee.

Part of the kit I have for back packing is a small sheet of heavy duty plastic which I use as a sit mat and as a dry area for when I am cooking. It can be. bit small and I cannot us it to stand rucksack or other gear on whilst packing it is too small. In the pound store I here in Dingwall I have just bought a 1m x 1m tarpaulin which I hope will be more versatile – and it is lighter.

Dingwall Camping and Caravan Site Read More »

Speyside Way Equipment

/ Backpacking, Camping, Outdoor Gear, Travel, Walking / , , , , , , , , , , ,

I am keeping a careful track of the equipment I am using on these lightweight walks, so afterwards I can assess what worked, what didn’t and what I did not need to carry next time.

My rucksack – it was called retro at the campsite last night, and that’s true it is. Using it on these walks is at the limits of its capabilities. It is not comfortable. I added the hip belt (about 25 years ago), it is not padded nor does it put this heavier load load onto my hips. So a new pack is – I really want a GoLite Jam – there was one in a shop in Aviemore but I think I can get one much cheaper online.

The cooking gear is very light and performs well – although if it is very windy it needs a bit more shelter than the wind shield provides.

The tent cost me less than £20 in the end of season sales last year – it performs well, gives lots of space and once I had changed the heavy steel pegs for titanium ones it is not overly heavy. But looking at Emily’s tent last night I can see the advantages of a specialist one man tent. The extra space I get in my tent is because it can sleep two – so I am now looking for a one man tent, that will save weight straight away. Her tent packed away very easily this morning – mine I have to fold exactly right to fit in my backpack. I also want a tent with a much better porch than on the Bedrock 2, in really bad weather it gives no space to use, even, my small meths stove let alone a backpackers gas stove! (I know it can be dangerous to use a stove in the tent, but we all do it – so just take extra care!)

The food was enough for me – but the weather was not cold, I think if it was colder I’d add more.

I did not use the monocular, didn’t use it last walk either so I will not bother to pack that again.

Other than the repair kit, FAK and other medicines, I used all the items in sundries bag.

Replace the steel pegs with Ti ones.

Did I miss anything – not that I can think of.

Update

Yes there were a couple of things that have now come to mind

I must put a couple of my business cards in the iPhone wallet.

Take 50ml less meths

Update – 23/8/2011

I have been using the mug/stove today on the beach near Dornoch – the windshield worked to allow me use the stove in a medium wind, however the stove consumed about twice the fuel for one mug of tea and two instant noodles as it does when used in a sheltered location. I will have to take that into account for “windy” trips.

I think I will look around for a lightweight pot lifter to use with my Ti mug when using it as a pot – the handles can get hot, and using the cloth bag protect my fingers can be difficult. It could also be used to lift the mug lid when it is hot.

Grantown on Spey to Aberlour 17-18 August 2011
Day 1 – 14.5 miles
Day 2 – 12.5 miles

Karrimor Hotlite 30l sack
2x 3l side pocket
Karrimor 1100 sleeping bag
Silk liner
Air mat in black plastic sack + 2x elastic and 2x mini bungees
3x dry sacks
Belt lens case for brewkit – ease of access on the trail

Coleman Bedrock 2 Tent
12 Ti pegs
4 steel
white bin liner – to pack the tent in if wet on the second day (it was)
Plastic sheet/sit mat 60cm x 30cm

Cooking
Ti stove inc copper mug support
2 fuel tablets -emergency fuel
100 ml meths
100 ml meths
50ml meths

Half aluminium wind shield
Stove board/stand
Ti mug and lid
Beaker with lid
Small brewkit in neoprene case – 4 teabags, 1 Indian tea, 15mls dried milk and 2x brown sugar
2x lighters
High absorbent cloth – drying up
Pot sponge
5ml washing up liquid
Small LMF spork
Folding spoon/knife
Wide mug
Cutting board – plastic 5cms x 12cms

Headlamp
iTorch – led wind up
FAK includes hotel sewing kit
Safety pins, gaffer tape, needle and thread, cable ties and paracord
Two clothes pegs

Light weight North Face jumper
Spare walking socks
Spare underwear
Hat, headover and gloves

Small wash kit and high absorbent cloth

Camper SAK
Leatherman P4 Squirt
whistle
LMF fire steel
Compass

2l Camelbak
75ml SIS bottle in belt case
1l Platypus roll up bottle

Nano iPod and headphones in neoprene case

iPhone 4 with extended battery
Booster battery for iPod/iPhone
Aquapak
Monocular
Headphones for iPhone
Swisscard
Money £10
Pencil and notepaper
Personal medicine
Sunglasses
Cricket hat
Compeed stick
Lip balm
Sun stick – factor 50

Trail food for two days
Glucose tablets
1x spice oat cakes
Nutella and Italian crackers
Salted cashew nuts
Banana chips
2x 2in1 coffee for brew stop

Lunch
Can of tuna and sachets of BBQ sauce

Evening meal/Supper
Noodles
Tomato cup a soup
Salami
Instant custard
Tea and coffee
Italian crackers and jam
Hot chocolate

Breakfast
Instant Porridge with dried milk and jam
Cereal Bar
Tea and coffee

Lunch
Salami
Italian crackers
Indian tea with 100mls Rice Drink

SIS Rego – 50g
2x Boots orange energy tablets
SIS PSP Energy- 50g
1oz whiskey

Spare food
2x cereal bars

Wearing
Rohan vest
Lightweight long sleeved polartec shirt
3way Crag Hoppers
Northface Boots
Walking socks
Underwear

High Tech Notes

iPhone 4 – 32GB

Protected from the weather in an older version Aquapac – I was able to use the phone in the rain but unable to use the camera as the reverse of the case is not transparent.

I had two extra power options.

An extended power pack jacket which I kept fitted to the phone and a spare booster recharger which I did not need to use. If I need to use this booster I have to remove the power jacket first.

Things I used my iPhone for;

* Making and taking phone calls, texting and emails – built in apps
* Browsed the web – built in app
* Camera – both the built in camera app and Camera+, and reviewed the photos with the built in app
* Navigation – MemoryMap both 25k and 50k maps with the Speyside Way marked (I downloaded the gpx files from here http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk)
* Writing this blog – using the WordPress app, to which I wish they would add basic text formatting
* eBook reader – Stanza app
* I watched a movie – I have the no longer available VLC app
* Checked the weather – built in app
* Taking notes – built in Notes app
* Reviewed a quote one of our engineers sent me – Documents To Go (PDF, doc and xls files)
* Remoted into a server to discuss an issue with one of our engineers – Mocha RDP app

I used an iPod Nano, third generation, to listen to music, podcasts and a full screenplay version of Isaac Asimov’s Fantastic Voyage whilst walking. I keep it in a neoprene case, in an inside pocket of my Rohan Vest to protect it from the weather. It can be recharged using the same booster pack I use with the iPhone.

Speyside Way Equipment Read More »

The Speyside Way – day two

/ Camping, Outdoor Gear, Photography, Technology, Travel, Walking / , , , , ,

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.

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Crossing the Spey

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Unlike yesterday the route today keeps reasonably close to the Spey.

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The door was open at the distillery

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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.

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The Speyside Way – day two Read More »

Do you use a PC?

/ Business, Technology / , , , , , , ,

I read an interesting article on the BBC news site last night – referring to Dr Mark Dean, who was part of the IBM team who worked on the first PC.

Read it here

I have been away on holiday now for over a week and have been able to keep up with my work from my iPhone:

* it is a phone – holding all my contacts database and client info (securely – you cannot take the SD card out of an iPhone)
* I keep up with my email on it

To the basic out of the box software I have added:

* Documents To Go (to deal with MS documents – opening and creating them)
* GoodReader for PDFs
* the files are kept online in my DropBox

Battery life can be an issue when camping. I have a cradle in the car which keeps the battery topped up when driving – and it plays the iPod in the phone through the car stereo. I have two extra batteries – a pocket sized, booster/recharge battery and an extended jacket battery.

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I also have a power inverter for use in the car so I can use the Apple plug to charge both of these batteries when camping – and at the house in Aviemore.

A complete office in my pocket – a small pocket today. In 1996 when we came away on holiday I needed a bigger pocket!

* Psion Series 5 PDA, with a box of spare batteries and a mains psu
* 56k dial up modem for use at the timeshare
* Ericsson SH888 mobile phone with a built in data modem – car charger and charger for the mains
* data stored on memory cards – I think I had a couple of 1 MB and 2 MB CF cards
* no media player but I did read books on the Psion

Other things I have used the iPhone 4 for this holiday

* Stanza book reader app – I have about three hundred books on the phone so I have plenty of choice
* It is the only camera I have with me – I use the built in camera app and I have purchased Camera+, I really like the split focus and exposure points in this app
* I have watched videos and listened to podcasts and audiobooks on it
* I have used Google maps, MemoryMap and Navfree for navigation – we found Jimmy Chungs in Edinburgh with it
* browsed the web in full colour and with video and sound – although I did not keep up with the news as it was Thursday when I caught up with the fact that Britain had suffered days of rioting!
* and I post to the blog using the WordPress app

So do I use a PC – yes – but do I always need it, no. The screen is small on the iPhone but iOS is more than capable of supporting my business – the bigger screen on the iPad would be good for some jobs but it is not pocket sized.

Replace my PC with an iPad. No I cannot do that, there is just so much software available for Windows OS and that’s what I need – the Windows PC strength is it’s flexibility. I know a number of people who have Mac books – who will tell me how great they are, impressive hardware, no viruses, etc etc etc, and in the next breath they ask, can I help them to set the Mac up to run Windows as the need to run some Windows software on it!

One final comment – my company supports PCs, so selfishly I hope they don’t disappear, but as it says in the article they are no longer the single driving force for technological change. At Octagon we support a variety of tablets and smart phones, as clients now have these devices and find them very convenient and with the latest OS releases very easy to use – also they are fun!

Do you use a PC? Read More »

Next Overnight Backpacking Trip

/ Outdoor Gear, Travel, Walking / , , , , , , ,

I have another trip planned for a couple of weeks time in Scotland. I plan to walk from Grantown-on-Spey to Charlestown-of-Aberlour with an overnight stop at Cragganmore, following the Speyside Way. The family are staying in Aviemore at the Scandinavian Village for a week in August so I will desert them, get a bus to Grantown and then get picked up the following day. My son and I will be camping for the week before and week after the family week – so I will only need to take the backpack with me to enable me to overnight as I will have the other equipment with me.

When I started looking for a campsite somewhere between the two towns I discovered there was a free site at Cragganmore – just to be sure we are going to take a drive out to check what the site is like before I commit to stay there.

Food

Today we were stocking up on some camp supplies and so I also have stocked up on some backpacking supplies.

Following the trip the other weekend I needed to add to the food I am taking

  • “No fridge” salami snacks
  • Crackers – eight portion packs of Italian Crackers (I will probably carry four packs)
  • Nutella portion pack – a bit expensive but convenient and can be used with a pack of crackers.
  • Extra bag of cashew nuts

    Backpacking Food
    Backpacking Food

Tomorrow I am going to pick up some dried banana flakes, from the market in the Lincoln, for trail snacks.

Fuel

I will be carrying two 100ml bottles of meths, one bottle will cover the evening meal and breakfast, the other will be for hot drinks during the day – I’m on holiday so I expect to stop several times. I will also pack two solid fuel tablets for spare fuel.

Next Overnight Backpacking Trip Read More »

Sat Nav App for my iPhone

/ Outdoor Gear, Technology / , , , , ,

Darren from Absolute Electrical Group (http://www.absoluteelectricalgroup.co.uk) recommended to me a free satnav app for the iPhone. Free – it cannot be very good – can it?

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/navfree-uk-roi/id391334793?mt=8

Navfree for UK and ROI takes a while to download and install as it includes the maps so you can use it when offline. When you first run the program you need to go to the Navmii Store, (the shop icon is built into the app), to download the free postcode database. Also available is a safety camera database – this you have to purchase, but it is a bargain,

I tried the software out this morning on the drive from Aviemore to Carnforth and it did as good a job as my Toyota built in satnav – with some additions.

It’s portable so I can also use it in my wife’s car.
One of the navigation options is UK postcodes (something that the Toyota satnav lacks).
Another navigation option is that you can use Google to search for your destination – this needs a data connection.

Using the software is very intuitive and it only took moments to load my destination and set it to navigate. The verbal instructions were very accurate and there are a choice of voices. The map display was clear and easy to understand with only a glance. There is a choice of 2d or 3G and day or night illumination.

The tracking to roads of the car icon seemed accurate as far as I could tell, not being able to stare at screen whilst driving. The vehicle speed is displayed and this too was reasonably accurate – as was the ETA displayed on the navigation screen.

It was also very easy to add destinations to the Favourites list.

Even after such a short test of the software I would recommend anyone with an iPhone to give Navfree a try. It got mebto Carnforth!

Sat Nav App for my iPhone Read More »