tap o' noth wild camp

Wasn't sure about this one! I had been psyching myself up for this one all week because it was to be my first bivy camp and although the weather promised to be rain-free it was also going to be pretty windy. I told myself that the bonus would be midge-free conditions - this had been worrying me because there is no escape from midgies when using a bivy!

The beauty of a bivy is that you can pack a slightly lighter bag and therefore I was packed and ready to go in no time. No need to take lots of food because I had already had my tea so I only took salted peanuts and a hot chocolate.

I headed for Rhynie and parked the car at the foot of Tap o' Noth - an iron-age hillfort that is the second highest in Scotland at 563 m. More than 100 house platforms have been recorded between the rampart and a wall that further protects the hill's summit. This stone and timber wall, more than 6m in width and 3m high, is vitrified in places - the stones have fused together through intense, prolonged heat. The wall proved to be a useful shelter from the worst of the wind. On the summit there is a rock cut well or cistern.

It was very windy on the way up as I passed what remained of my wild rasp source - they have all been ripped up to make way for some forestry work. I'll need to look elsewhere this summer for my jam ingredients. Last time I was up this path it was covered in at least 12" of snow so my progress was a bit quicker this time. It took me 36 minutes to walk 1.46 miles and climb 1,285 feet, an average of 2.42 mph.

Once on top I just managed to get some sunset photos before unpacking the bivy and sleeping bag. I had an anxious moment as the sleeping mat took off in the high winds - I had to anchor them down with my tripod and rucksack. About 10.15 pm I was ready for bed and I was a bit apprehensive about what was ahead. Would I feel claustrophobic or exposed? As I lay down it was a strange feeling to be on top of a hill staring at a vast expanse of nothingness above my head. Strangely, it felt like being in a deep ocean (and no, I hadn't been drinking)!

The stars slowly came out as the sun went down and I had a great feeling of freedom. The wind was strong enough to make my eyes water even thought they were shut which was a bit strange. I managed to pull the bag up far enough to get out of most of the wind and was soon nice and toasty. Little wonder, because I was wearing my track pants, 2 merino tops, wool hat and my Rab primaloft jacket. Turned out the temperature was about 6 degrees overnight but if anything I was too warm. Why do I always need the toilet when camping? One of life's mysteries.

It never really got dark because of the time of year and also a lovely big moon that was low in the sky. By about 4 am I was ready to get up and the bag was packed by 4.30 am. I didn't have a cup of tea because it was so windy and I decided to head home for a few hours of decent sleep. On the way down the sun appeared on the horizon - a stunning sight in a deep red colour.

So that was my first bivy - in many ways I think I prefer it to being in a very small tent. It's lovely to have open space around you. The only drawbacks would be rain and midgies!

slaggan wild camp

So a holiday weekend and could I be bothered packing my gear and driving to the west coast? Yes I could! The weather forecast was perfect and I knew I would regret not going - sunny and warm and no midges yet. The added benefit of missing the royal wedding also played a part ...

Had a good run up in about 4 hours and strapped on my rucksack (complete with tripod - more later) and left the car in a small quarry/layby. The track was through a gate stating the road was only suitable for all-terrain vehicles but it was easy walking. There was plenty of evidence of cows having been in the area but none to be seen. I think they are moved at this time of the year because the mothers are protective of their young and don't take kindly to walkers (one website talked about this).

The walk in took me past 2 small lochs with lilies just breaking the surface. After about 40 minutes the deserted croft at Slaggan came into view and to my horror an old Subaru estate was parked there. I would have company for the night! The croft at one time had a school and teacher but only 6 people lived there by 1939. The Mackenzies from Achgarve built the house in 1936 but it burned down in 1942 leaving the gable ends. One theory is that it was caused by Royal Navy personnel.

Once the sea was visible I couldn't help but smile - what a location for a wild camp. The car occupants had pitched a 4-person tent at the south side of the bay leaving the north side for me. How they got their car over the potholes I have no idea! There was only a small patch of grass that was flat enough and the odd sheep sharn was quickly kicked into touch. The Wild Country tent is so easy to pitch in about 10 minutes - proving to be a good buy.

Another Fuizion tea of Chicken Tikka proved to be very tasty so I'll stick with this brand in future. I was amazed to find that I had at least 4 bars on my Orange mobile but uploading proved to be a bit of a hit or miss affair - quite often an error message occurred and this fairly ate up my battery. The occupants of the other tent rarely left their tent so I was able to roam the beach and stones in perfect peace. Ringed Plovers were darting around the beach and I managed to get some good sunset photos but wished that I had packed an extra jacket as the cold wind was quite strong. The tripod was a waste of time because I forgot to pack the quick-release plate - 4 lbs I could have done without carrying!

My sleeping bag was yet again perfectly warm as I hit the sack at about 9.30 pm. Plenty of noise from the waves kept me awake on and off all night but I've come to expect little sleep on a wild camp. You soon recover after a good sleep in a real bed back home. To some people's amusement my World Tides app was informative and low tide occurred around midnight and the tide was fully in when I awoke so I didn't manage to walk the beach at low tide nor get photos.

I got up about 7 am just as the sun was hitting the bay and it was truly stunning. The tent was packed while the stove boiled water for my hot chocolate and I scoffed a cereal bar and peanuts for breakfast. A few more photos and it was back up the dunes to take photos of the ruins on my way out. If you are interested you can currently buy the land at the ruin with planning permission for a house. The only problem is that the site is 3 miles up a rough track and architects/builders are apparently reluctant to get involved in a project that is so remote. Builders on the west coast are booked 2 years in advance!

For some reason I managed to get a blister on one foot despite having walked the West Highland Way and not get any blisters. It was a beautiful drive up to Ullapool and the campsite was virtually full - never seen it so busy. A combination of a holiday weekend, the feis and the royal wedding all played their part. A full Scottish breakfast in the cafe above the climbing shop and all was well with the world ...

How ironic that writing this blog using Google Chrome and Blogger was a nightmare - both the same company?? Firefox and Blogger still works fine ...