h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I decided to go for a short break this weekend just passed. As i'm using up the rest of my holidays in Ireland next month i decided i would have to get my Highlands fix in the form of a weekend. So i went to explore the Arnamurchan peninsula in the far west coast. On Saturday i was quite content going for the car-owners idea of a walking holiday trying to cover as much area as possible by car, and hopping out every time a nice view appeared, to take a photo or two. From time to time, like when i found beaches, i would go for longer explorations on foot.. (holidays up north were so much more fun before i had a car- cars induce laziness!)

Anyway, on Sunday, looking to stretch my legs a bit, i spotted a nice circular walk in the map. The first 8 or so miles would be minor road, with a final 6 mile section back to within a couple of miles of my starting point, via path. So i reached the point where the road ended and the path began, ignoring a sign warning of the sparcety of population, roughness of land, lack of phone coverage, and the general foolishness of continuing any further...

Now, i was not planning on going hill-walking. In general i don't do that stuff without someone with me who a)has a better sense of direction and danger than me, and b) Is big enough to hawl my body home if i fall off a cliff.

So with this in mind i was heartened to note that the path was OK really. Partly through forest and uphill, but OK. Then things went Pete Tong. The surroundings stopped bearing any resemblance to the map. There were plantations and streams and ruins, that just weren't on the map! Also the path fizzled out and dissapeared entirely in the heather, mud, and vegetation. The OS map, on the other hand, showed nothing but open ground with one single path in a straight line from the exit of the initial forest, to the entry to the final stretch of road. So basically i got horribly lost, with nightfall not too far away...

I spent over 4 hours clambering up gullies, walking through streams, climbing barbed wire topped fences, falling in mud, and skirting with the idea of cutting through woodland that wasn't on the map. Eventually i reasoned that regardless of where i was, i wanted to head south, as there was a long road running east/west that i couldn't miss if i kept on going. With the briefly visible sun, i found South (I didn't bring a compass- i wasn't planning on hillwalking- I thought this was a shortish straight path, from one road to another!) and finally saw the road. Even then, it took me another 2 hours to get to it, and a further hour back to the car once on the road. As in all the best suspense movies, just whenever i thought i was home and dry, another hurdle would appear. Usually in the form of fences, or shear cliffs...

Even when i got onto the road i underestimated how long i had to walk back to the car. I was truly and utterly knackered when i reached the car park. I was, however very, very grateful to not be sleeping on the hillside, which i thought a distinct possibilty. I didn't leave Strontian till 8ish, so it was nearly 1am before i got home. Today i am stiff, sore and tired, but nothing was broken or damaged so i'm not complaining.

Well, i've learnt what mild dispair and fear feel like, and also not to walk on anything that isn't road-like if i'm alone.

I'm rather annoyed that i missed out seeing areas i planned on visiting after my 'short walk', but apart from that, and the above, the weekend went well. Lots of photos, and some pretty good (after enhancement) long exposures of the starry sky. I was lucky enough to pick 2 nights with clear skies. The Milky way was clearly visible, and very, very spectacular. October never lets me down!

Sounds like an interesting weekend!

I'm jealous that you got starry nights. I had a week in Ardnamurchan in August, and it was either raining or completely overcast the whole time! I was up there last year though, and spent most late evenings laying on my back watching the stars, and counting the satellites.
I live in Hull, not the biggest city, but big enough to leave a huge orange tint to the sky - star gazing for anything other than The Plough is almost impossible.

It's a 12 hour drive to get up there (I could do it quicker, but like to take breaks to keep myself alert), but it's well worth it!
You're actually the first person I've encountered who has heard of the place!
I like your photos, by the way - the "I love this type of road" one brings back memories - though there is no sightseeing coach doing 25 mph holding up a line of about 20 cars!

Regards,
Moonhogg.

Yeah, it's funny about the starry nights thing- i'm totally unlucky in other ways. As the old jokes go "I'm so unlucky that if Dolly Parton had twins, i'd be the one on bottle feed" "I was making love to a beautiful woman in a haystack, and guess what- i got stabbed by a needle..." etc, etc

But almost every time i go up north, even when there are storms during the day, I always get clear nights, and have even seen the Aurora Borealis in it's strongest showing for ages *both* holidays in a row a few years back. 1st time in Achiltibuie, and second time on Orkney.

In fact, totally by chance, if i hadn't been knackered and looking for an early night, the weekend i was in Ardnamurchan there was a meteor shower due. Everyone else i know was clouded out, but i daresay if i'd stayed up i would've seen a good show (peak was 1-4am apparentaly). I did see a few shooting stars, but nothing more than normal for such a dark area.

I'll need to update the Yahoo pics- i'll stick a few Ardnamurchan ones on tonight. There's plenty more where thay came from as my poor long suffereing friends know

Arnamurchan is considered a pretty neglected part of the highlands- the blurb says it never gets very busy even in July. Long may it stay that way i say! I guess most folk don't go past Fort William or Oban when out in these parts. I only knew about it because a work colleugue told me about it a couple years back. And i was looking for somewhere i hadn't been in Scotland, that was close enough to me for a weekend break.

I'm probbaly most in love with the Western isles though

Pics up now

Very nice collection!
There's some familiar views there, which have brought back some lovely memories. I've been playing "Spot The Location" (the non-identified ones).

Photo 2 (4557) - the entrance to Resipole camp site?
Photo 6 (My Car) - Near Loch Mudle, about a mile before the road splits to go to either Kilmory or Kilchoan?
Photo 13 (Coos) - By a vicious little blind brow, shortly after the hairpin by the Sonachan hotel on the way towards Portuaik and the lighthouse?
Photos 18 and 19 - Tricky. Looks like one beach, but 18 looks like Portuairk (my favourite spot to stay) - it looks like the houses on Sanna in the background - while 19 looks like Sanna itself.

Go on, tell me the whole lot are wrong...

Photo 21 - The phone box. Absolutley no doubt - Kilmory. Used this phone box many times, both in recent years, and when I was a kid, when my parents used to phone my gran. You may not want to know this, but Kilmory is where I want my ashes to be spread.

Go on, tell me the whole lot are wrong...

You can obviously appreciate, as we do, the remoteness of the area, and the total lack of other people around. My favourite memory was of seeing a snippet on the news one day while we were up there a couple of years back. It was a shot of Brighton beach, absolutely heaving with people - you could reach your arm out and touch the family next to you. That same day we were on Sanna beach, and there were about 6 other people on the whole beach. Peace and quiet. And we're not worried about losing the kids in the crowd.

Plus which you don't get to go deer watching on the way home!

The whole lot are wrong...




Just kidding. Well, now you have me at an advantage seen as i've only been there once, so some of the places i wont know (i was often just stopping the car and taking shots whenever i saw a nice view, so i didn't always note where i was!)

4557, was an entrance to a campsite, yes (just along the road from where i was staying outside Strontian)

The beach ones could be any of the above, as i stopped at all the beaches i could find!

Have a look also at my astronomy folder- i put the star field photos in there.. Now, if you can identify where i took them i will be VERY impressed

Ermm...

Earth!

Perhaps i'm beginning to take the remoteness of parts of Scotland for granted a bit these days. I remember what a revelation it was when i first started holidaying there- walking along a single track road- cars passing once or twice and hour... hearing them coming for a couple minutes beforehand... smelling them for minutes afterwards ... and easily walking all day without meeting anyone at all!

I kind of expect these things now when i go to the islands or highlands, but yes it was a shock at first Also making eye contact and greeting complete strangers. Excellent.

I couldn't live in a country where such places didn't exist within a few hours travel. It would make claustrophobic. Even though i currently live right in the centre of a city, the knowledge that i can travel for a short time and be in these places, keeps me sane

Well, it sounds you had a great time but learnt a few lessons along the way!!. The photos are excellent really enjoyed looking through them

I was once backpacking with my family in the Twelve Pins. We ate with some friends in the area, then set off up the mountain in late afternoon. Camped down in the wilds. Walked all next day without meeting a soul, and camped down again. And returned to civilisation in the afternoon of the following day.

TRiG.

By the way, Winnoch2, I've just added you to my friends list.

TRiG.

It's magic isn't it? Was a tad surprised to see this thread revived though

Being social all the time is definitely over-rated That said, I suppose the whole concept of personal space and being alone is quite a modern construct. A few decades ago, right back to hundreds of years ago, the vast majority of people (town and country dwellers) would spend their days crammed into small rooms with family or rubbing shoulders with their work-mates all day.
Only the rich would get solitude in their mansions and castles.

Glad I live in present times

Likewise

Out of interest - where are the photos? I can't see a link, and seeing this thread has revived my interest again (I'm off back up there for a week this August).

Yahoo photos went caput so I then started using FlickR, which was all well and good until I discovered the rather mean upload limit. Paid about £20 for a 'pro' account so I could upload more. Then this expired after a year and they wanted another £20 to continue displaying all my uploaded photos I declined. I have better things to do with £20 every year, and an external drive to back them up.

For public sharing, I now use Facebook. I'll just find a link and post it here