tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:43:23 +0000national parkMelbournePaul TherouxerraidGlencoeloch mareeHillwalkingprehistoryweddingdevelopmental hip dysplasiashandyFranceBernese OberlandDelhiBeertoilet humorfossil huntingStrathfarrarWildlifeHarrisHighland ClearancesAustraliatravelStaffinSkyeDDHrock climbingnorthwestKnapdaleSonglinesButeTorridontrail runninghanda islandAlladalerenewable energytrainingFisherfieldTrotternish RidgeWalkingNew YorkKintyreHebridesGolspieLoch Monarcanadian canoeingPhotographycampingNordic skiingclimate changeGlen RoyWest HighlandsRoad bikingdrinkingDreadzonetoilethog roastFlowersland ownershiptinderpuffinsCairngormTravel writingJurafireBushbuddyIcelandUtahfestivalBothyingLord's Day ObservanceBroraalone in the wildLandscape interpretationLewisGeomorphologyskitouringEnglandToilet humourtechnologyhill runningscotlandIsolation ShepherdgrouseCelebritiesbeachCairngormslitterwickermanotterMonadhliathMark Owen WeddingNorwaysouthwestIain ThomsonArisaigIslandsRay MearsboatsMountain bikingGairlochUSAPoliticswind farmEiger railwaywindfarmsJonathan MeadesLochcarronWinter Climbingbealach na baInvernesscyclingaccessSpringIndiaGeologyCanoeingstag doobackpackingAppinapplecrossCaliforniamobile bloggingBush TuckerbearClimateUigScienceSkiingBadrallachGrand CanyonLa GraveSwitzerlandBivvyingLochaberMaol BhuidheNatural selectionCandi StatonBirminghambiodiversityBen NevissnowholingQuiraingYosemiteRantrescueKnoydartThe connections between landscape and identity are explored in this outdoor and travel writing blog from the Highlands of Scotland.http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)Blogger127125GavinMacfiehttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-5622487804882689758Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:28:00 +00002012-01-10T21:28:01.446ZscotlandClimateGeomorphologyprehistory  Ice age Earth at glacial maximum. Based on: "Ice age terrestrial carbon changes revisited" by Thomas J. Crowley (Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Vol. 9, 1995, pp. 377-389 I spent part of the Christmas break reading 'The Scots: A Genetic Journey' by Alistair Moffat and James F. Wilson. In this excellent book Moffat and Wilson review the recent work of population geneticists in light of the http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/JUlv_iVsnpg/brief-history-of-scotland-up-to-1000-bc.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)4<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/JUlv_iVsnpg" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2012/01/brief-history-of-scotland-up-to-1000-bc.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-9021989377983438080Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:50:00 +00002011-12-27T18:49:33.399ZLandscape interpretationSonglinesJura Wildflower meadows at the base of Uluru (Ayers Rock). The photos that accompany this post were taken when I traveled in Australia in 1998 My plan when I started this blog back in 2009 was to use it to as a platform on which to explore the connections that exist between landscape and identity. Such connections are abstract and intangible; consequently I have touched on the topic infrequently andhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/NUeBxS_-Er8/landscape-and-identity-bruce-chatwins.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)5<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/NUeBxS_-Er8" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/12/landscape-and-identity-bruce-chatwins.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-8725443700937465446Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:33:00 +00002011-12-06T21:33:21.126ZMaol BhuidhescotlandBothying Maol Bhuidhe and a snow-dusted Lurg Mhor Maol Bhuidhe bothy lies in the heart of the great roadless quarter between the Road to the Isles to the South and the Lochcarron road to the North. It is a strong contender for the title of Scotland's Most Remote Bothy, and this inaccessibility, coupled with the many references to it in Ian R Thomson's 'Isolation Shepherd' gives it a tremendous sense of http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/1NrMTjI5510/another-night-march-to-maol-bhuidhe.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)5<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/1NrMTjI5510" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/12/another-night-march-to-maol-bhuidhe.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-6813701629145911014Fri, 18 Nov 2011 22:48:00 +00002011-11-20T08:52:55.176ZscotlandHebridesboatsBothyingJuraThe northern tip of Jura has eluded me on two recent visits to the island. This inaccessibility has only deepened my urge to visit, and over time a specific plan developed, to time the trip to take advantage of the large tides that accompany a full moon, to camp on the headland and to observe the Corryvreckan whirlpool below.  It is a remote objective by any standards, requiring two ferries; one http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/Vc3mNhzQJ9w/isle-of-jura-corryvreckan-whirlpool.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)8<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/Vc3mNhzQJ9w" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/11/isle-of-jura-corryvreckan-whirlpool.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-8028649396464335834Mon, 07 Nov 2011 20:01:00 +00002011-11-07T20:01:16.192Ztoilet humorToilet humour View down the Allt Coire a'Ghrandaich towards the Moray Firth and Ben Wyvis It is amazing how once an idea - however outlandish - permeates our consciousness, related events seem to follow as if from nowhere. Such information must always be there, yet it normally it passes us by, flowing past in the deluge of information that we struggle to swim through every day. I give you an example from http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/ybJry4G_FuM/dirty-deeds.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/ybJry4G_FuM" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/11/dirty-deeds.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-2969618126183148045Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:27:00 +00002011-10-31T21:27:13.285Z  Once again I became briefly agitated about the changing of the clocks at the end of British Summer Time. This year, however, it seems that the views represented in the media are more in favour of your-round British Summer Time than is usually the case. It seems that the English are waking up to the fact that the current arrangements squander their evening light and deprive them of http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/0pIaqRVVybY/changing-clocks.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/0pIaqRVVybY" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/10/changing-clocks.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-4324788714209005003Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:12:00 +00002011-10-19T08:28:11.950+01:00Landscape interpretationGlen RoyscotlandGeologyGeomorphologyLochaber View up Glen Roy from the viewpoint. The famous Parallel Roads are discernible if you look hard enough. The Scottish landscape as we know it  - the shape of the hills, the contours of the land, the courses of the rivers - has existed for around 10,000 years, since the ice melted at the end of the last ice age. The urge to interpret the landscape is a core part of the human condition, so we http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/R_AX1FdKJqc/glen-roy-landscape-interpretation.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/R_AX1FdKJqc" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/10/glen-roy-landscape-interpretation.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-6251290082538675416Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:30:00 +00002011-10-07T22:20:49.810+01:00New YorkUSATravel writing When this guy realised I was from Scotland he started singing the praises of George Galloway, who is now something of a celebrity in the US  Last week I had the opportunity to travel to the US with work.  My itinerary took me to New Jersey, just outside the great city of New York. This was my first trip to the east coast.  While off duty I sought opportunities to interview the Americans whose http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/NGIu92z57Ds/urban-exploration-in-new-york.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)6<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/NGIu92z57Ds" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/10/urban-exploration-in-new-york.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-5988565656666255416Wed, 21 Sep 2011 03:22:00 +00002011-09-21T04:23:23.638+01:00The topic of land ownership in Scotland is one that I have tackled on a number of previous occasions on this blog, for it is an important issue and one that affects all hill goers whether they notice it or not. I'm going to revisit these issues this week, armed with some hard numbers about the contribution of various types of outdoor-related tourism to the Scottish economy. Currently almost all http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/H2tWfc556qY/scottish-tourism-revenues-how-much-does.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/H2tWfc556qY" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/09/scottish-tourism-revenues-how-much-does.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-339254072103364413Tue, 06 Sep 2011 20:54:00 +00002011-09-06T21:54:07.007+01:00scotlandbackpackingHillwalkingcamping Mullach na Dheiragain from near the summit of  Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan I panted my way to the summit of Mullach na Dheiragain at 2030 hrs.  After fueling up on trail mix I rummaged in my pack for my head torch. The prospect of benightment didn't concern me in the slightest. After the short, light nights of summer, I was looking forward to renewing my acquaintance with the constellations as I http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/Omh_ICqw0Jc/benighted-on-sgurr-nan-ceathreamhnan.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)10<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/Omh_ICqw0Jc" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/09/benighted-on-sgurr-nan-ceathreamhnan.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-5028639898492992842Mon, 29 Aug 2011 21:16:00 +00002011-08-29T22:16:32.657+01:00Iceland This is the 5th and final instalment of my recent trip to Iceland. After traversing the interior using the Kjolur route and then taking a side trip into Askja it was a pleasure to be on mostly tarmac roads when we popped out of the highlands near the town of Egilsstadir. We were on the opposite side of the island from Keflavik airport and had around 750 km of driving to do to get there. With http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/BJfyvQjJZ6Q/iceland-part-5.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)4<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/BJfyvQjJZ6Q" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/08/iceland-part-5.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-8342483790568602593Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:01:00 +00002011-08-24T22:01:20.713+01:00Iceland Modified 4WD vehicles normally look completely over the top, but in Iceland it was our SUV (right) that looked out of place, as if it should have been on the school run rather than fording rivers in the interior. Coincidently, the night before we departed for Iceland, a BBC4 programme was broadcast in which TV walking woman Julia Bradbury undertook a hut to hut walk in the company of an http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/CMHetFgi9N8/iceland-part-4.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/CMHetFgi9N8" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/08/iceland-part-4.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-8873567624861455857Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:23:00 +00002011-08-17T21:23:01.040+01:00Iceland This is the third instalment of my Iceland trip report. Have a read of the first and second if you haven't already. Columnar basalt, the rock found in Fingal's Cave, the south end of the Isle of Bute and the Giant's Causeway among other places,  is a common rock in Iceland. It is at its most impressive when seen side on, an array of perfectly, uncannily, parallel columns, as if they have been http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/tes9Oouymu4/iceland-part-3.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/tes9Oouymu4" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/08/iceland-part-3.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-147449182217526912Wed, 10 Aug 2011 18:15:00 +00002011-08-10T19:15:22.431+01:00IcelandThis is the second instalment of of my recent holiday in Iceland. Read the first here. We camped near the top of the Hlid campsite. Below us lay a wooden church, around a previous version of which lava flows had miraculously parted during a volcanic eruption in 1729. To the south lake Myvatn with its myriad islands. We were surrounded by volcanic feature, the Hverfell crater. The small peak of http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/71ZJFMtF7wQ/iceland-continued.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/71ZJFMtF7wQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/08/iceland-continued.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-1912973364851613838Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:49:00 +00002011-08-02T22:49:53.419+01:00IcelandIf you live in Scotland and like wild places with no people it can be tricky to select a suitable holiday destination, for a holiday should supply something completely different - and preferably better than -normal weekend activity. This year we chose a camping trip to Iceland, it turned out to be a fabulous trip to a country full of highly varied and distinctive landscapes. If you mention http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/l3nzdDE6B0I/iceland.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)5<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/l3nzdDE6B0I" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/08/iceland.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-4026112984568290185Wed, 13 Jul 2011 22:24:00 +00002011-07-13T23:24:51.822+01:00HebridesbackpackingBothyingJuracampingThe wild, uninhabited west coast of Jura captured my imagination when I glimpsed it between fleeting clouds from the summit of Beinn Shanntaidh two years ago. We returned at the weekend and made two traverses from the road on the east coast to the west. The first skirted the northern flanks of the Paps to Glanbatrick with its fabulous raised beaches, the second to the Glengarrisdale bothy near http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/7pR1-fsLWWc/isle-of-jura-backpacking-and-snake.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)6<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/7pR1-fsLWWc" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/07/isle-of-jura-backpacking-and-snake.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-6816492747946673825Tue, 05 Jul 2011 21:21:00 +00002011-07-05T22:21:56.181+01:00Isolation ShepherdscotlandIain ThomsonbackpackingHillwalking Maoile Lunndaidh summit cairn, 0300 hrs There's been plenty outdoor action this summer but no lightweight overnight dogwalks since April, when I tested my one man tent in Glen Affric. Ever since writing about the solstice a couple of weeks ago I've been like a coiled spring, possessed by a burning urge to take full advantage of the light nights. What motivated me in particular was a high camp, http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/xP47PedqmhM/hilltop-camp-on-maoile-lunndaidh.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)4<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/xP47PedqmhM" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/07/hilltop-camp-on-maoile-lunndaidh.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-7066153173838230823Mon, 04 Jul 2011 19:22:00 +00002011-07-04T20:24:14.759+01:00hill runningscotlandland ownershipInverness Recently added fence on the summit of Carn nan tri-Tighearnan, a very visible symbol of land ownership  I can vividly remember the first time I became fully conscious of the concept of land ownership. It was 1998 and I was sitting in a cafe cum bookshop in Antigua Guatemala, relaxing with a litre bottle of Cervesa Gallo after a Spanish lesson. In my guidebook I read the following. 'The greatesthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/f6FZ8DmS5OM/some-thoughts-on-land-ownership.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/f6FZ8DmS5OM" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/07/some-thoughts-on-land-ownership.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-8614701491045590778Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:33:00 +00002011-06-22T22:33:15.933+01:00scotlandGairlochTorridon View north from Big Sand, near Gairloch The longest day is a very special time and one that always provokes mixed feelings. A mild euphoria that it is, to all intents and purposes, constantly light. A sense of disbelief, for these long days are ephemeral; by the time the lightness has been accepted it is already slipping away. A sense of trepidation, for soon enough it will be the shortest day http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/ED_3zcTsalg/celebrating-summer-solstice-in-gairloch.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/ED_3zcTsalg" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/06/celebrating-summer-solstice-in-gairloch.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-3616833752095001247Tue, 14 Jun 2011 06:03:00 +00002011-06-14T07:03:44.669+01:00scotlandMountain bikingCairngorms Former bridge at Carnachuin in Glen Feshie In 1971 the Italian alpinist Reinhold Messner wrote an essay entitled 'The Murder of the Impossible', in which he criticised the trend among some mountaineers of the time of drilling holes in the rock to allow the fixing of expansion bolts. His objection was that, by using such means, men were able to get up routes http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/9hrhOs3KQTg/another-mtb-traverse-of-cairngorms.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/9hrhOs3KQTg" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/06/another-mtb-traverse-of-cairngorms.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-5377281879341975928Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:50:00 +00002011-06-08T22:50:43.590+01:00hill runningscotlandMountain bikingwindfarmsHillwalking Look carefully and you will see an innocuous looking mast,  harbinger of a 19 turbine wind farm development on the Moy Estate. This week I feel inspired to write a celebration of my local hills, the high moors that rise to the southeast of Inverness. As far as I know the region as a whole has no name, though it could be regarded as an outlier of the Monadhliath, or as the foothills of the http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/DK1zFpHe-oQ/carn-nan-tri-tighearnan-enjoy-view.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/DK1zFpHe-oQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/06/carn-nan-tri-tighearnan-enjoy-view.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-8419824385416023798Mon, 30 May 2011 12:57:00 +00002011-05-30T13:57:36.703+01:00scotlandHebridescyclingcamping Traigh Feall at the western end of Col The Isle of Bute is, as the tourist board have long maintained, a beautiful island. But is not Hebridean. It lacks that Hebridean magic, the great luminosity which Murray attributed to light reflected from the surrounding sea. That Bute belongs to the B list of islands became clear to me as I walked in the hills of Jura a few yearshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/Egjvkrfh7RI/plan-col-and-tiree-by-bike-plan-b-col.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)5<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/Egjvkrfh7RI" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/05/plan-col-and-tiree-by-bike-plan-b-col.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-1384052594932197969Sun, 15 May 2011 20:58:00 +00002011-05-15T21:58:00.807+01:00scotlandButeIslands The Victorian Toilets on Rothesay Pier, Isle of Bute I spent last week 'doon the watter' on the Isle of Bute, celebrating my granny's 90th birthday with a host of relations, some drawn from the other side of the world for the occasion. I go to Bute at least twice a year, but my visits are usually of the smash and grab variety; utilitarian trips in which I visit all the necessary family membershttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/0USVnD7855I/great-toilets-of-world-part-3-victorian.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/0USVnD7855I" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/05/great-toilets-of-world-part-3-victorian.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-7559936587679205053Mon, 02 May 2011 22:04:00 +00002011-05-02T23:08:02.220+01:00Mountain bikingCairngorms Campsite by Loch an t-Seilich. The waves give an indication of the invigorating headwind that I enjoyed on the cycle out. When travelling between Blair Atholl and Kingussie I have never previously given much thought to hinterland that lies to the east, an area roughly the size of the Monadhliath that extends between the A9 and the ski centre at Glenshee. All that will change henceforth http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/u51YTU5nzNU/cairngorms-mtb-traverse-tromie-bridge.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)8<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/u51YTU5nzNU" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/05/cairngorms-mtb-traverse-tromie-bridge.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8733351196079563561.post-7003478040946716090Thu, 28 Apr 2011 21:01:00 +00002011-04-28T22:07:20.831+01:00scotlandCairngormscamping Camping amid the remnants of the Caledonian Forest in the Southern Cairngorms Of the many outdoor blogs that I read Will Gadd's is one of my favourites. He did a post of top tips last year that stuck in my mind. Not because I agreed with it most of them but because I agreed and disagreed in equal measure with one particular tip. 'Camping is vastly over-rated. Most local trips can be done http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~3/aMysNQ4wWFM/cairngorms-camping-in-glen-quoich.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Gavin Macfie)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GavinMacfie/~4/aMysNQ4wWFM" height="1" width="1"/>http://gavinmacfie.blogspot.com/2011/04/cairngorms-camping-in-glen-quoich.html