Weather forecasting

Ann and myself went to a great lecture up at the Clachaig  Innlast night, the last in their winter series. It was presented by Andy Nelson, deputy leader of Glencoe Mountain Rescue, and top end guide and climber. For all you outdoor folk, checking the weather conditions is imperative to safe days out, and Andy passed on details of a couple of weather sites that I hadn't been aware of before.

The first was http://www.wetterzentrale.de/ a German site that gives great charts on weather systems across Europe including temperature charts. This type of information is essential to getting an idea about past and future weather patterns.

The other site is the good old met office site that in the past I've always dismissed a little as I thought it was too broad brush. But delve a little deeper into the site, and within the leisure section, it is sub split into separate categories including mountains, beaches, national parks etc. So from there you can zoom into exactly where you are heading, pick out for example a peak you want to climb and it will give you detailed information for that specific peak.

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/leisure/#?tab=map

In additiona to these sites, then theres a few more that are always on the list to check, so I thought I would list them here which you can add to your own weather forecasting arsenal.

 

http://www.mwis.org.uk/

http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/forecast/europe/with-controls/europe-infrared-sat-loop.php

And whilst I'm at it - if you're heading out in winter - don't forget to check the avalanche reporting and forecasts on the sports scotland site.

http://www.sais.gov.uk/

Winter Sun

Everyone loves a bit of sun on their faces in the winter months - it's a sign that longer days will soon be the norm, and spring is just around the corner.  We had checked out the weather for today and it was set to be a glorious day.  However, when running a B&B, the ability to get up at the crack of dawn and head off to do a route is dependant on whether you have guests in and are cooking breakfast.  That doesn't necessarily mean you can't get a sneaky day out up on the closer hills, but it can become a bit of a rush and you're always watching the clock.

So after breakfast this morning, an early decision was made that we wouldn't be rushing out with the crampons, ice axe and suncream as we had 'things to do'. By 9:00 it was a decision we were deeply regretting. The day was however pulled back from one of regret to a wonderful day. We had a cycle down to the Ballachulish slate quarry - only a quick cycle, but then we walked up around the rim of the quarry. You really get great views of Ballachulish and Beinn a Bheithir from this vantage point and can gain a real sense of the size of the Quarry.

 

 

From here, Loch leven was looking very tempting for a paddle out, so we rushed home, loaded the canadian canoe and hit the water. It really couldn't be calmer and for and hour or so we leisurely paddled around the islands. One of the islands, Eilean Munde is in fact an old graveyard where an old chapel lies in ruin, and the clan chief of the Macdonalds, killed in the Glencoe massacre, is buried. The Easternmost island, Eilean a Chomhraidh, had a gently sloping shingle beach, where we landed and strolled around. This is definitely a place to head back to in the summer for a picnic.  The only interuption was a seal making a huge splash as he popped his head out of the water a few times to see what was going on. Just before we landed, there had been about 7 or 8 herons all standing on the rocks - I'd never seen so many together in one place before.  What with the oystercatchers, and the geese low level flying over the water with their wings occasionally clipping the surface, it really was a great wildlife experience.

 So today just goes to prove that Glencoe in winter is not just about the mountains and bashing up winter routes, there's just so much more on offer. Although looking at the conditions - a mountain day would have been nice !!!

Segway fun

 



There are some things in life that you see on the TV, or read an article about, and it'll immediateley be one of those things that you must get around to doing one day.  And quite often it just never happens.

Segways for me was one of those things.  I'd seen them many years ago on the TV, was intrigued about how they work, how can a simple gyroscope stop you from falling off what appears to be an unbalanced lump of metal on two wheels with a handle.

So when we moved to Glencoe and realised that new off road versions of the segways were available for hire down at the Dragons tooth golf course, it was just something that had to be done.

Ann's parents, sister and brother in law were all visiting, so we all went on mass, to have a go.  Filled with a little intrepidation, we all received some instruction on how to get on board, dismount and go forward and steer.  And I really couldn't believe how easy they were to master.  Within a couple of minutes, I was hurtling up and down the tracks as the others got thier instruction.

We had about an hour of off road riding all around the golf course, up hill, down hill through the trees and across the course - it really was fantastic fun and I'd thoroughly recommend it.  The video of me above turning the segway around on the spot and playing around, really it just about 10 minutes after having my first go.  If you're in the area, have a go.  And remember - it's not just for the young - Ann's dad Norman is in his 70's and found it just as easy to master.