Great to see you out again Ben, Hope the knee sorts itself out soon as. In the meantime i have been enjoying your blogs on Walk Highlands. Take care, peter.
First of all, great to see you back! I not only sympathise with your knee injury, I empathise also... I picked up loads of injuries playing football (soccer) at amateur level and now I'm in my 40s I walk with a "bounce" (some have called it a limp), and I wear down my left foot's hiking boots and even ordinary shoes on the outer side of the sole because my left leg is out of kilter. So your advice about getting posture / walking form resolved as early as possible is good! Anyway, lovely video, informative and makes me want to hop on the ferry over to Scotland for a look at that area, as I often drive past there en route to the north of the country, but have never ventured there. So... hope the knee gets ever better and you can do An Teallach soon!!!
+Privacy Matterson Thanks PM! Yeah once you start talking to folk about your injury & recovery it becomes clear just how widespread such problems are. I find it fascinating how podiatrists can take one look at the soles of your shoes and tell in an instant what's wrong with your gait. As for Knapdale, well it's somewhere I'd wanted to visit for a long time but always plumped for the mountains instead. Thats' the positive about the injury I guess, it's taken me to places I'd not otherwise have visited......such as the site of the next blog to edit, Islay! Knapdale is beautiful though, a genuine surprise.  As was Kilmartin Glen where I stayed. Take a look at this blog I wrote on that particular place: benvironment.org.uk/post/132530737412/kilmartin-glen-scotlands-prehistoric-theme-park
Great to see you back Ben...just wanted to thank you publicly for aspiring me to getting back on the hills after discovering your channel in Jan 2015. I would never have known about Glen Tilt route, pleased to say walked it and finally got up Ben Lawers through the mist - thanks and wish you a full recovery - rest is good too!
Yes Ben i among others wondered what had happened , i sometimes send people PM's if they disappear off you-tube but i know your a private person so didn't want to intrude. First thing great to see you back , its good to hear some sensible conversation for a change lol. More importantly your on the road to recovery , sometimes small is beautiful , a great area atb Eddie.
+HENRYHOBBS1 Cheers Henry. That was filmed 3 months ago and the knee is definitely better than it was....but still not up to the challenge of places like Torrid or Skye, sadly. For that reason I've booked a holiday in one of the flattest places I could find.....North Uist. Expect a blog!
Wonderful video Ben, and great to see you out knackered knee and all. Many of the injuries I received in my younger years have come back to haunt me in my old age. Arthritis has set in my left knee and the lumbar area of my spine that was fused over 25 years ago. Now I'm on the mend from Lyme's disease and a bacterial infection in my heart. If you are in an area with ticks be on high alert for Lyme's for it is a wicked disease! Years ago I read a book by Alfred Crosby titled "Ecological Imperialism" that was very interesting. Always a pleasure to watch your videos! Sincerely, Ossie
+Ossie Weiner Cheers Ossie. Good grief you've been through the wars! Hope you're on the mend from Lyme Disease. We have it here but it's never been much of a problem, not until the last few years what with the milder winters we're getting. More and more people are getting bitten by ticks but there still remains a great deal of ignorance about the diseases (Lyme and others) they carry. Personally, I rank ticks above midges and clegs for annoyance and risk in the outdoors. I hate them!
Hi Ben...wonderful pictures at the Beaver site and an interesting description of the habitat. Steep sides and temperate forests. I've always wanted to go to West Canada or the Pacific rain forests. Amazing! Wales also has them...very rich eco-systems. Your knees? have you been squatting and lunging? Got to keep them muscle groups strong. Any way, good new blog with plenty in it. All the best. Mark. P.S your right... just sitting on the mat and letting a video like this play whilst stretching is well worth while.
+Wye Explorer Squatting & lunging are what exacerbated my knee problems, so I cut those out and am doing other peripheral stuff for all kinds of muscles I'd never heard of ;-)
Benvironment Aaahhh sounds good. I can imagine the positions and unusual areas being exerted. I really do hope you get well with all that Ben. I mean i'm a swimmer and have recently suffered shoulder problems and it's a bugger when an injury stops you doing what you love.....all the best.
I'm having the same problem with knees as you apparently, due to wielding chainsaws and unwilling clutches in my case. I also found the solution in going to less alpine areas and more in wooded hills. like vosges and ardennes. funny to see you make one of the most entertaining blather in that particular benvironment. i find the lower forested hills very rewarding walking compared to high mountains with only stone and rock and less ecology going on. ok well, the views. yep the views are the big bonus. . and the snow.. and the geology, and the ... aw fuck it, busted old knees suck. no point denying it.. ..glad your back.. sometimes a favorite vlogger just disappears. like naturliebe.. jeff spate.. We are not real friends, not even aquainted.. still it's a miss when someone's not there all of a sudden. is that an odd thing to feel? ah well, that's a big enough comment, cheers!
+spijkerpoes That made me laugh, thanks :) Yep, I think I have to blether more when the scenery isn't quite as striking as it is farther north ;-) Hope your knees aren't too much of a hindrance now.
No real background until 2008 when I started doing more than simply walking the hills and decided to give something back. Volunteered as a ranger in the Pentlands for a few years then went to college part time to do Countryside Management......started this blog.....and then got a job as a ranger in West Lothian 🙂
