walking

Walking to Glenmore

The weather was fine today so Jeremy and I set off to the “Squirrel Cafe”, following the Old Logging Trail.

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When we got to the Squirrel Cafe – it would have been rude not to have gone in.

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Squirrel Cafe = Glenmore Shop and Cafe.

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The shop is built on a steep slope so the cafe, at the back of the shop overlooks the forest. The owners put out bird and squirrel food so there are always lots off birds to see and most times red squirrels, but not today.

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Loch Morlich

We found somewhere right by the Loch for lunch.

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Aviemore

With today being the last day of the Olympics Jeremy and I want to watch some of the last events on the BBC – including Mountain Biking in Essex! The event is being held near Canvey Island, a place not know for high ground – however the Olympic organisers have built a spectacular course with rock imported from Derbyshire. (I know South Essex very well as I come from there.)

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(The race has just finished and it was really exciting.)

So today, having watched the fencing in the Women’s Modern Pentathlon we went for a walk through the woods that surround Aviemore.

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Lunch

We found some suitable rocks to sit on for lunch.

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Jeremy had packed a new solid fuel stove, his Mother had bought for him – when I was at school I had a similar army surplus stove. We set the stove up on a board, to protect the grass and to give it a stable base. The pot stands were locked at an angle because we were going to use a Crusader mug on it.

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Lunch was instant chicken noodles and it took two fuel tablets to boil the 600ml of water. I had a hot drink so that was another tablet. Some care has to be taken when lighting the tablets as you have to hold the gas lighter on them for several seconds and the angle of the lighter has to be just so or you can burn your fingers – I did!

The burning tablets give off some fumes (which Jeremy did not expect that) but they are OK to use in the open air. They also soot up the bottom of the pot – so some care has to be taken when the pot is put down – rubbing the pot bottom on the grass can clean most of this off.

Jeremy is very pleased with this stove – he still has a sealed pack of twelve fuel tablets as he used some of mine – and he is packing this as a lunch/second stove for when he is walking.

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Insh Marshes Nature Reserve

We needed to find somewhere for lunch – so we went a bit further down the road from the Barracks to a car park we saw on the OS Map – this was Insh Marshes Nature Reserve. There were some picnic tables where we were able to set up the stove, for some tea. After lunch we went for a short walk around the reserve.

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I have reposted this entry as it was not recorded in the database correctly – I will need to get someone in the office to fix the issue.

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Walk to Potterhanworth Wood

I went for a short walk across the fields to Potterhanworth Woods – taking a short break there for some coffee before heading home and beating the thunder storm.

It was a chance to photograph the last of the poppies as they fade away and the fields before they are harvested.

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St Andrew’s Church Potterhanworth

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No backpack or stove today – I took a flask and instant coffee in a Molle water bottle case on a shoulder strap and carried the essential waterproof jacket in the back pocket on my Rohan vest. I had plastic sheet to sit on, which when rolled up slipped into the Molle loops.

Brew Kit

I tried some Kenco Millicano coffee today – in individual sachets – and it was OK, even Richard who is “particular” about his coffee thought it was alright.

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