hilltrek

With the second half of the summer being particularly unsettled weather wise then the chances are you will have been walking a lot in the rain recently?  Especially on longer distance walks, I head in to Glen Tanar from Aboyne the other weekend and it rained for 3 of the 4 hours I was out walking.  It was a muggy and humid day and the Fungle, felt more jungle like but my CragHoppers and t-shirt were keeping me cool enough, but on leaving the tree line behind the open heather moorland brought steady and heavy rain, and a bit of wind, nothing to strong but enough to dramatically lower the temperature.  A few years back I got a pair of made to measure water proof over trousers.  With no lining they are light to carry and easy to roll up into a pocket, zipped at the bottom to save you taking off your boots, but you still need to have good balance to get them on quickly.  I also had a shell outer jacket.  I was wrapped up from both the wet and the cold wind.  I had not been for a long-ish walk in the rain for ages, no views to take in or Buzzards soaring in the sky to watch but it was enjoyable enough, especially guessing when the could might break.   Then it came time to descend and the valley bottom was a lot warmer, the rain became more showery and I could remove the over trousers.  The day became warm before a big shower ensured I finished my walk in the rain as I returned to Aboyne.

If  you spend any length of time hill walking at this time of year in Scotland, then you know how easy it is to pick up ticks.  When the bracken stands tall and invades the paths it is all too easy to brush past it allowing the small insects their opportunity to latch on.  Here is some tips on hill walking at this time of year to avoid picking up ticks.

• if possible avoid single track paths, especially on lower hills where the bracken and other plants have bushed out
• Wear long socks – helps prevent abrasions from brittle heather too
• Regularly check for ticks during your walk
• Full tick screen, probably in the shower after being out in the hills.

Ticks carry some nasty infections so it is well worth the effort.

The calendar said 15th June but high on Ben Avon and in its gullies winter was still hiding.

The walk to the summit of Ben Avon is best characterised as three long plateau walks, the valley floor walk-in, then the moderate climbed through Fairy Glen to the moorland plateau before things get a lot steeper as the gully climbs the side of Ben Avon to the long flat top of Ben Avon.  I found it a gentle and less threatening walk compared to those around Ben Macdhui however, there was a still a lot of risk around.  Mainly, whether to trust the snow bridges that were clearly being used by other hill walkers?  There were three occasions where the path took a snowy turn.  The first couple looked safe enough as the main stream was some distance way, but I did get a ‘post hole’ on the way down.  However, the last snow bridge was a straight burn crossing.  Plenty of foot prints and boot dirt stretched over the snow but I opted to follow the stream up a side gully and to cross on some expose bare granite, no fear of that collapsing.  Safety first. The weather on the summit was OK but it started to rain and add in the wind, it was not a day for hanging around in the great outdoors.  I could have opted to put on my rain jacket on but I decided for a quick descent to the mid plateau.  I wore my Hilltrek made to measure venture trousers that were ideal for the walk up and half the way down but the lower valleys had heated up a lot.  A quick change into the CraigHopper shorts made for a more comfort.  A 20 mile, 7 hour summers day when winter thinking was still required.

Looking ahead to the summer months, this years Active Aboyne will be held from Saturday 11th September to Sunday 26th September.  The full programme is yet to be published but watch the site for the mix of walks, bushcraft, other outdoor pursuits and not forgetting the social activities put on.  The special guest this year is Karen Drake.  A true adventurer and sought after speaker.