Hi Boris, I was desperate to get out and about again. The weather could have been better but the rain on day two probably saved me from taking on too much whilst injured. Hopefully I'll manage another wee trip sometime soon. Hope all is well with you. ATB, Dave
HI Dave. Good to see you back and hope the ribs get better soon. Just a quick note to say thanks so much to you (and Mo) for a great channel. Been subscribed for a few years now and watch the videos with huge interest and envy! I visit the highlands as often as I can (usually a couple of times a year) and your channel really helps to fill in the gaps between the pilgrimages! You capture the landscapes and atmosphere superbly and your love and skill of the outdoors really comes across. So a thousand thanks and best wishes. ATB
Hi Richard, thanks for the lovely comments, very much appreciated. I'm glad you are enjoying the channel, and the great outdoors in Scotland. It's always encouraging to hear from viewers and subscribers. My ribs are still a bit tender, but I'm definitely on the mend. Mo and I are hoping to get out with the cameras again soon and have thoughts on a mini tour on the bikes. Glad you are enjoying the footage that we capture of the Scottish scenery and landscapes and hope you can visit the highlands again soon. Stay safe, ATB, Dave and Mo
So good to see Loch Arkaig ! spent many a summer holiday camping and fishing there with family a million years ago ! Once rowed an 18ft heavy wooden boat the whole length of the loch myself , Dad always liked to camp at the top best sea trout along the far side , happy memories 😊
Ah, so happy to hear that the wee vid brought back happy memories for you. Rowing the length of the loch is a grand adventure and impressive feat of endurance. It's a tough stretch of water. I've canoe camped on the far side and love the feeling of remoteness, especially on a winter's night after the cars have left the glen. ATB, Dave
I remember my first visit to A’Chuil Bothy back in the eighties and walking in down the same track you cycled in on. It was November and pitch black. We found the Bothy and the three of us settled in, got the fire going and fed and watered ourselves. By 8:30 we were sat in front of the hypnotic fire and commented that it was unlikely anyone else would turn up. A couple of hours later 26 or so individuals from one of the University mountaineering clubs arrived! It was chaos! A’ Chuil remains my favourite (and first) Bothy. Thanks for sharing.
Good morning Graham, glad the wee vid brought back happy memories. I think I'm right when I say that A'Chuil is Scotland's most frequented bothy. It is certainly the most accessible of the four bothies in that area, and the access to wood from the plantation makes it an attractive place to spend a winter's night. Getting gate crashed by a big group can be bitter sweet; once I was dossing in Corrour Bothy, waiting out the weather during a multi-day traverse of the 'gorms. I was enjoying a good rest in the peacefulness of an empty bothy but getting very low on food. Late in the evening, a group of RMC trundled up after traversing the Braeriach ridge in appalling weather. They settled in and we got to chatting. It was a fun night and, in the morn, they dug deep into their compo rations to resupply my depleted foodstocks, allowing me to continue my adventure for several more days. Happy days. ATB, Dave
Hi Sandy, glad you enjoyed the vid. The bad weather worked out well for me, making for a short trip, which was easy on the ribs. I’m pretty much back to normal now, so hope to get out again soon. ATB, Dave
Hi Andrew, good to hear from you. We lugged in 10 kg of coal (which was fairly easy on the bikes) and had a fair few logs to throw on top. It was a grand fire, throwing out lots of heat and cheer. Trust all is well with you. ATB, Dave
Thank you so much. It was good to be back on the bike. I tried cycling a circuit of the village a few days before setting off and struggled a bit. Thankfully, seem to be on the mend now though. Hope all is well with you and you're able to enjoy some autumn time on the bike. ATB, Dave
As I lie in my bedroom trying to recover from severe Covid, I tuned into RU-vid to be pleasantly surprised by your new video. Sorry for the rib injury. I know it’s painful. I so enjoyed this vid because your filming and editing always seem to make Scotland look beautiful despite the weather. Thanks Dave. I hope you feel better. Best to Mo and keep the blue side up
Hi Gary, great to hear from you. I really hope you make a speedy recovery from Covid. Take care and get plenty of rest. I've seen reports of some pretty wild weather in NY recently and hope you guys are ok. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Mo and I hope to get out again soon with the cameras. I'm very much on the mend and should be 'outdoor fit' again soon. Give our best to your wonderful family and keep the blue side up. Dave and Mo
Good to see you out and about Dave , great part of the world , I remember staying at the bothy on the way to Inverie, tough 16 miles driving up Arkaig though ..
Thanks John. Yes, it's a wild and rugged area and a great place for adventures. The road along the lochside does indeed seem a long way. You put in a good effort getting to Inverie, through some of the wildest terrain in Scotland. Hope all is well with you. ATB, Dave
Hi Martin, good to hear from you. I've picked up a few sports injuries over the years but none more painful than this, at least for the first couple of days. Certainly on the mend now though and looking forward to some longer and more challenging trips. Trust all is well with you. Stay safe, ATB, Dave
Missing Scotland already been back 3 weeks from the west coast adventure . Back up again March time. As the boss won't let me go with her to Skye and Raasay in November. ATB Martin
@@smoggiewalks578 It's a long time until March, Martin. I thoroughly recommend a winter trip. Locations such as Braemar, Inverness or Fort William could provide a good base for some winter walks. There are often good deals on winter accommodation and although the days are short, the light can be fantastic and the glens empty. Food for thought.....or just stowaway on the Raasay trip; it is a truly magical island. ATB, Dave
Good to see you back again.... You definitely made the right decision to turn around.... The weather is always going to determine what you can & cannot do. No point in risking yourself, especially if you're recovering from an injury... It has taken over 5 months for me to recover from a shoulder injury after falling off my mountain bike & I'm still not 100%, but I'm getting there,so I know how you feel...
Hi Big Casey, good to hear from you. I hope you make a full recovery from the shoulder injury. My biggest worry is ending up with a permanent weakness. I was taking it pretty easy on the bike as taking a tumble would not have been good. The wild weather continued throughout the day, so it was a good call to run for home. Stay safe, ATB, Dave
Thanks Owen. I'm on the mend now and really hoping there won't be any lasting weakness. I'm on my best behaviour, just in case she gives me a dig in the ribs :) ATB, Dave
Great to see you back out again Dave... fantastic wee adventure and exactly the type of weather I strive to avoid!! - but what we really want to know though is how much Mo beat you by.... 🙂- ATB Tom
Good morning, Tom. I think the wild weather really contributed to the trip and the video. We got into the bothy at around half four and didn't really leave the shelter of the fire until around half nine the following morning. Normally, I'd have been pretty restless to be holed up inside for such an extended period. However, the howling wind and hammering rain (and aching ribs) combined to settle my restlessness and allow for a pretty relaxed wee adventure. Hah, as to the running times, well I'm going to venture that Mo is 'nippin' at my heels' and it's only my foolish pride keeping me a few seconds in front. I'm pretty sure she is soon going to 'out in front', especially over the shorter distances. Hope you guys are well. ATB, Dave Oh, as an aside, Ian, who was with me on this trip, also drives a 15 plate white Duster; we should start a club!
Another beezer Dave. Thinking of doing a similar route round the two glens, Dessary and Peann with my ebike. Hoping to have a go in the spring or late Autumn. On a separate note, have you ever seen or crossed the Telford bridges crossing Loch Loyne? They are submerged normally but like the Phoenix arise every so often. Can be crossed with steely determination and a reckless disregard for self.
Good morning Mr J, the two bothies would make for a perfect adventure by e-bike. I know Loch Loyne quite well and have looked down on it many times from the summits of the surrounding hills. I once discussed a plan with a friend, to cycle the track from Cluanie to the loch then attempt the bridges and continue onwards to Tomdoun. We never got round to it, which is probably a good thing. Its a number of years since I visited the actual lochside and, on that occasion, the water levels were high. I passed by Blackwater earlier this year and noticed it was almost empty. Conditions like that on the Loyne would allow a crossing. Hmm, have you rekindled a fire? ATB, Dave
Sorry to hear about your injury-sounds something like I had once ‘chest wall pain’.. caused by me heaving myself up an awkward climb once. That was a rough rainy day! I also noted the others didn’t wait for your filming.. not proper friends then 😂
Hi John, good to hear from you. Thankfully, I'm on the mend now and can detect a slight improvement day by day. Hah, apart from Mo and your good self, I've yet to meet anyone with the patience to hang around whilst I set up and retrieve cameras. I took so long to get to the bothy that a search party was organised. Sam and Ian hiked a good distance back, searching the ditches and undergrowth for my body. When they discovered me, I was still very much in the land of the living, happily chuntering away to the camera :) Hope all is well with you, give my best to Lara. ATB, Dave
Sorry to hear about the ribs Dave, I know from personal experience how painful they can be. I instructed everyone not to make be laugh when I first did mine, you can guess what they did 🤣 I'm impressed that you did the 10K and this trip. please congratulate Mo for her PB. It was good to see Sam out with you, so I could put a person to the Art, he seems like a grand lad and obvously very talented. The bothy looked like a good one, certainly cosy with that fire going. I bet you hauled the lumber on your bike as per usual and probably left a few logs for the next visitor. I'm wondering if you have decided what is to replace the van, I'm sure you will let us know when you decide, I saw today there is a 2012 long wheel base landy on market place in Edinburgh for £4100, but I'm sure it must be a scam as it's worth 3 to 4 times that value. I see you with a late on 90 with heavy duty roof rack and ladder for your future forays into the wild with Mo. Good to see you out and about again and thanks for taking us along. Best Big Dave
Hi Big Dave, good to hear from you. The old ribs are still a bit tender but I'm certainly going in the right direction. I was worried about developing a permanent weakness, which wouldn't be good for cycling, paddling or hefting big rucksacks around. I've picked up a few injuries over the years but this one really stopped me in my tracks. Looking good for a full recovery though. Sam's artwork is indeed really impressive. He has a good eye and skilled hands. Ah, an old Landy would be a dream come true. They are changing hands at such high prices though; makes me wonder if I retired too early! I definitely need a 4x4 for the winter adventures, so the immediate priority is to purchase a replacement for the ageing Duster. My inclination is replace like for like (and to hang onto the old one as long as possible). Once the old one retires, I can think about a dedicated vehicle for my adventures. Trust all is well with you. ATB, Dave
Certainly was a bit wild. Hope your ribs are soon fully recovered. My husband and I have both had rib injuries over the years, me once he severely times. It usually takes about six weeks.
Hi Jennifer, great to hear from you.I'm feeling much better but the ribs are still a bit tender. I guess I'm about 3 weeks in now, so it seems I've got a bit to go. It was great to get out and about again though, despite the weather. Mo and I have a few ideas for trips and I'm taking it easy to help the recovery along. Hope all is well with you guys. ATB, Dave
Good morning, Robert. Glad you enjoyed the vid. It doesn't take long to drop down from the track to the bothy; probably about 5 to 10 minutes. There is a muddy path from the end of the trees, which leads down to the bothy, with a wee burn to cross just by the bothy. The alternative is to seek out a wee path through the trees. The end of the trees is marked by a broken down deer fence. Both the wee paths I mentioned can be located close to this fence. The 'normal' path is just beyond the trees and is clearly visible as a muddy scar going directly downhill. The path through the trees is a wee bit more difficult to locate but can be found immediately to the right of the wee burn which flows under the track. The bothy is not visible from the forest track so some care would be required if you arrive after dark, but otherwise, it is very easy to find and, as I said, only a few minutes downhill from the forest track. Both these paths feature in the video; I went down to the bothy on the path beyond the trees and climbed back up to the forestry track on the path in the trees. ATB, Dave
