camlet wild camp

Camlet is an abandoned farm-toun in Glen Girnock and was my destination for a wild camping extravaganza! I left my car at Littlemill mid afternoon and set off with my weighty pack - not much point in buying light gear when you add a muckle great tripod. It took just under an hour in perfect, sunny conditions to arrive at Camlet. En route I nearly stepped on an adder - Britain's only poisonous snake. I don't know who was more startled - me or the snake!


It took me a while to find the perfect pitch because the site is on the side of a hill and also the grass was long and tufty. I eventually found a spot just below the house by some old trees. Perfect. The tent was up in no time.


I had taken in some water but this was the first outing for my travel tap. A jaunt down to the stream at the bottom of the hill and it was filled with lovely, cool water. The tap works well but the flow is quite slow. Tea was another Fuizion dry meal - vegetable kung po with noodles. Superb! Expensive but saves a lot of hassle - just add boiling water to the bag and leave for 8 minutes.


I was glad to have taken the tripod in order to catch some dusk shots that were fairly successful. I watched a couple of bats buzzing around the tent and as the sun went down it became a bit chilly so I was in bed before 10 pm.


Funny how you hear lots of strange noises when camping - the night really dragged as I tossed and turned. Starting to get the hang of what amount of clothing to wear in bed - this time I had no liner and slept in boxers and merino t-shirt (temperature overnight was probably about 5 degrees). The local birds were doing their best to keep me awake.


Next morning I was up about 5.30 am to catch the sunrise and it was very still and peaceful. Breakfast was hot chocolate, meusli bar and peanuts. A few more photos, tent packed and walking back to the car before 7 am.


Really enjoyed the location - I managed to see all sorts of wildlife including deer, an adder, woodpecker, bats and loads of thrushes singing their hearts out.


It's always quite sad visiting these deserted farm-touns when you think about the hard life the farmers had and how the way of life has disappeared. Shortly the buildings will have vanished too.

Camlet History

Farmed from before the 1600s, Camlet once supported 20 thatched roof crofts. Once a glen that survived because of cattle and cattle-droving it declined in the 18th century because of poor, wet land that was better suited to sheep. Crops often failed because of the bad weather.

The glen was notorious for illicit whisky stills and at Camlet lived Camlet John, self-styled Minister of the Camlet. He farmed Camlet for over 50 years, was married twice and had 12 children before dying in 1834. One grandson, James Gordon, left the glen aged 6 and ended up on Campbell Island in the sub-Antarctic.

Information courtesy of Dr Peter Gordon (http://www.leopardmag.co.uk/feats/142/girnocks-lost-cotter-touns).

Update

J Gordon farmed Campbell Island from 1895 on a 21-year farming lease. In 1991 an expedition to the island found a tin in the rafters with his diaries and history.