In the winter, when it is frozen, this section of the walk (below) is no trouble – however things are very different in the summer this short section by the railway bridge can be flooded.
When I do the complete walk in the summer this wet muddy section will be one of the first obstacles to pass.
The route at this point also does not follow the path shown on the OS map.
A bright frozen day today – the plan is to walk some of the Speyside Way.
The first part of the walk is straight out of Scandinavian Village and onto the Aviemore Village Orbital Path, so no road walking.
I am trying out the new boots today – Berghaus Trek Extreme GTX – below is a photo of them new and mud free.
Since writing this article I now follow the same process but keep the files in my Microsoft OneDrive.
Read more about Backpacking Geek – click here.
One big difference between the versions of Memory-Map on my old Windows 6.5 phone and my current iPhone is the way they handle imported routes from the PC version of the software. The Windows version simply connected to the complete route library in the PC application, then on the phone you could choose which routes from that list to show, turning them on and off as required. On the iPhone you have to load the routes individually and once you have finished with that route unload it and then load another (keeping too many routes loaded at one time impacts the performance of the app). The “Save as” gpx file in Memory-Map PC version solves the problem.
But the issue is getting the routes into the app from Memory-Map on the PC. The first thing you have to do is save the individual routes as gpx files on your PC. In my Memory-Map I have a category for Lincolnshire – which has over sixty entries, both routes and location markers – if I save the whole of this category as a gpx file when I open it on the iPhone it is too confusing on the screen to be useful – another reason to limit the open routes/markers on the iPhone.
In the knowledge base on the Memory-Map website it describes how to email gpx files to your iPhone for use in the Memory-Map app. However I use my Dropbox account to transfer (and store) my gpx routes and markers.
It is easy to save gpx files on my PC with descriptive names, into a Dropbox folder, these then synchronise to my Dropbox online. Using the Dropbox app on my iPhone I can access the files.
gpx files in a Dropbox folders
These files are opened in Dropbox, by tapping on them – they open as text files. By then tapping on the “open in” icon I can choose to open the file in Memory-Map.
showing the “open in” option
The gpx file is loded into the Marks and Routes section of the Memory-Map app.
the gpx file available for use in Memory Map
From there it can be opened and used on a map.
I have a number of gpx files available for free download here – more are always being added.
This article is sponsored by Octagon Technology.
Loading gpx Files into Memory Map on the iPhone Read More »
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 »
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 »
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
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 »
