Munros and Other Walks

I would like to take this opportunity to give a big thank you to everyone who has supported myself and Pat on our challenge this summer. The aim was to walk the West Highland Way and the Great Glen Way. As we were doing this challenge, we thought it would be a good idea to raise money for a good cause and so we decided to support Cancer Research. Many thanks to this charity for supporting us along our way. We managed to raise £940, which far exceeded our set goal of £500.   The link to our Just Giving page is below, further donations are appreciated to keep up the fight against cancer.  West Highland Way and Great Glen Way Charity Walk

Product: Hydration Water Bladder Stockist: Amazon Price: £11.99 The hydration bladder is a inexpensive version of the camel back bladders that are on the market. This one holds 2 litres, and this was needed for the heat we experienced in the first few days of the West Highland Way. So does it do its job? Yes the bladder can hold almost 2 l of water without leaking. I say almost as the it is difficult to fill the bladder past the fill hole near the top of the bladder. Fill Hole The bladder will also fit snugly in a compartment in your bag. the tube is long enough to use when hiking. the tube itself is robust but the mechanism for releasing the water, by biting on the end and pulling the mouth piece doesn't quite work. Mouth Piece Closed Mouth Piece Open I sometimes either didn't bite hard enough to get any water or I pulled off the mouth piece from the tube. No harm was done and I could quickly re attach the piece as water spilled down my t shirt. I

Where is it? Bowie hill is situated just a couple of miles outside the town of Helensburgh, on the west coast of Scotland. It can be reached from Helensburgh by following the A818 to Daligan farm. If travelling by car, there is a layby opposite the start of the walk. If coming from Loch Lomond or Balloch then follow the A82 to the Arden roundabout then the A818 towards Helensbugh.  The start of the walk follows a forestry track and is also part of the John Muir trail. The hill itself is only 310m in height and is easily accessible. The Start  The track itself is wide and rises gradually.  There has been some deforestation and so it is possible to see Loch Lomond and some of its islands. In wet conditions it can be muddy and, so hiking boots or wellies are key here. We followed the track up for about an hour. Sign says it all Good walking track Deforestation Active Logging Area Can Be Muddy In the end, we walked up past the sign for the

Product: Tomshoo Poncho Stockist: Amazon Price: £12.99 This should be titled; The Stupidest Looking Thing I Ever Bought". The Tomshoo poncho is a lightweight rain cover which is useful when cycling, hiking or camping. I was looking for a product I could throw on quickly during a rain shower and wouldn't take up much room in my pack. This poncho delivers on weight and space saving, but boy, do you look stupid in it. On paper the poncho should be easy to put on, but rain is often accompanied by wind, and therefore you may find yourself fighting what people might think from a distance is a giant orange tarpaulin. There are Velcro straps to secure down the sides, but sometimes the wind can get under this and whip the poncho up into your face. It also can be quite difficult to get the back of the poncho to go over your rucksack, a second person is useful to help you. If you are carrying a larger rucksack, like a 65 l one, the poncho won't cover the entire surface of

View From Queens View Where is it? Queens view or The Whangie, is a small hill that is about 260 m in height and only takes a  couple of hours to get up and down. If travelling by car then take the A809 north from Glasgow through Bearsden. There is a number 8 bus that will take you there from Milngavie, also there are bus and train links from Glasgow. There is a small car park where the walk starts. The car park doesn't have toilets or shops and there are limited parking places. It's another one of those walks where it is best to turn up before 11am. The Walk The walk itself starts at the notice board in the car park. Follow the path along to the stile. Hop over this and continue on the wooden walkway over the marsh land. The Start - All Ready to Go Over the Fence We Go A Wee Bit Marshy This will take you into the start of the hillwalk. The path here is quite obvious, and can be muddy in certain sections so appropriate footwe

Product: Solar Charger Stockist: Amazon Price: £20.99 The Hiluckey power bank is a compact solar charger sold by Amazon. This charger comes with a 10000 mA battery, which is the one I bought but can buy the same charger with a 25,000mA capacity.  The Charger Unfolded The power bank itself weighs in at 338g and is small enough to put in a rucksack compartment or even your pocket. There is a fabric strap and a stud that keeps the solar panel folded in on the main unit, and at first glance this looks fine. The power bank can also be attached to the outside of a rucksack to charge on the move, it secures to the bag using the same fabric strap. Strap Which Can Attach to Your bag  I wasn't convinced that the fabric strap would stay attached to my bag during my summer hikes. I tended to thread another strap around the unit between the solar panels to make sure it was secure. The instructions state that the charger will work best in direct sunlight and th

Where is it? This is where it is Conic Hill is situated at Balmaha and is part of the West Highland Way. The hill itself is only 360m in height and can be easily walked in a few hours. From the top you get wonderful views of Loch Lomond and its islands. From Glasgow, travel north via the A81 towards Drymen. The journey takes about an hour. There is a bus service, the 309 from Balloch to Balmaha. Balloch can be reached by train from Glasgow Queen Street station. The journey by public transport can be as long as 2 hours.  The most convenient start for Conic Hill is at the main car park at Balmaha. The car park is large but fills up fast, especially in the warmer months. It is best to park here before 11am as you may struggle to find a space any later than this.  The car park also has a small tourist / ranger office with a toilet. There is a 30p cost for this, and it closes at 4.30pm. There is a local shop and the Beech Tree pub that serves good lunches and dinn

Product: Esbit Foodflask Stockist: Amazon Cost: £21.00 FoodFlask The Esbit foodflask comes in 3 different sizes, 450 ml, 750ml and the 1litre flask. the one I bought was the 750ml. Actually that is not quite true, this product was bought by my wife for my birthday. When I was researching these types of flask, I was looking for something that was lightweight and I can use on a hike or camping for a few days. The version I got was the black and orange one that matches one of my fleeces, yeah I know I'm a sucker for style! The flask is meant to keep hot for at least 6 hours, warm for 8 and warmish for 12 hours. This obviously works best if you fill the canister with hot water first for a few minutes before adding your hot food. I did this first with some homemade soup and it was still hot after 5 hours. The mouth of the flask is really wide and easy to get the foodstuff into the main chamber. The lid converts to a bowl and can hold a decent amount of food. There is no