Bacon rolls and coffee at the Welly were used for re-planning purposes. Glencoe would be like Sauchiehall street, so a new plan was needed. Actually Sauchiehall street is pretty quiet these days, I need to make my similes more 2020.

Plan B wasn’t far away, as we turned down into Glen Etive I could see that Altnafeadh was packed with cars.

Despite the trash camping arseholes, Glen Etive is a lovely place. It never fails to impress. I suspect that’s why so many people go there to drink buckfast. Or maybe that’s the Lomond park camping restrictions, I digress. The main thing is that it’s truly beautiful down there, go and see it. Just take your tent and rubbish home with you.

Anyway, it was early and tents were strewn all the way up the river and camper vans abandoned in every layby. Hopes were not high for a peaceful day.

The sun was splitting the sky when we set off, a precedent for the rest of the day. It was going to be dry, which is more than can be said for the approach. There’s a wee sign that asks you to divert past Coileitir apparently via the Somme. Nothing like a sucking bog to set you up for the day. We ploutered and I cursed and swore and said I didn’t remember it being like that. Then I remembered I tend to go up Starav in the winter.

Soon the river was crossed. I hopped over the boulders and paused to remove my rucksack to refill my water bottle. I stepped back down to the point that I’d crossed to discover it was actually super slimy. I’d been lucky on the way over, but not so much on the second visit and promptly and spectacularly did the full feet up in the air comedy banana skin moment and whacked down hard on my arse. Ow. That’ll bruise in the morning. Jeff wisely chose a different crossing point.

We carried on up the usual route, in unusual conditions. It was proper hot and we had overnight bags on. Pech. Isn’t it normally raining by now?

As we sweated our way up, I kept an eye out for water sources. It’s not on the map but I was pretty sure I remembered there was a wee lochan just down from the back of the summit, but it would be nice to be stocked up in case it had dried up.

As it turned out there were none, the potential options were bone dry. My water bottle become disturbingly empty, I was concerned that I’d have a repeat of the Stuc a’Chroin event. All faith was put in the lochan. As it turned out, when we panted our way to the top it was still there and fully stocked with water. Not running water, but at that point I was so dried out I would have sucked the moisture from a damp sock and not necessarily one of mine.

Tents were pitched, brews were put on. It’s a bloody great spot for a high camp. Jeff and Chris were sporting their Aliexpress tents, which looked an awful lot like Big Agnes jobs. We should talk about that on here at some point.

The odd punter chatted on the way past, and soon it settled down. It’s my favourite time on a summit camp, just at the bit when the day walkers are all heading off, the atmosphere changes. The sun was heading off for Ben More on Mull so we wandered back towards the summit and discovered a lassie bivvying there. She had the best seat in the house for the show, so naturally we gatecrashed.

Once the sun had done it’s thing we settled back into camp. It was pretty cold, down around zero but with not a breath of wind. We could see the odd fire down in the Glen, it would be a bit noisier down there. A couple of hours after sunset the next show began as the stars started to show through. Chris and Jeff had crashed out but I stumbled around with a tripod for several hours doing daft things with plastic lenses and manual settings. Jeff eventually came out and managed to see the milky way for the first time.

I was stoked, the sky was a brilliant display. Shooting stars were abundant and Mars was glowing red above Meall nan Eun A proper planetarium.

When morning came the sunrise was that muted affair that you get when there are basically no clouds. We were were off sharpish to avoid the heat. The wee scrambly bit was fun and within no time we were over on Glas Bheinn Mhor.

We debated the possibility of heading on over to Albannaich but choices were made, mainly involving lunch. We headed on off down the glen.

We bumped in to a few people on their way up, one poor soul was wishing unfortunate events on the neds who had kept him up all night singing football songs. In the interminable hours of darkness he had decided he would buy a lighter tent and start camping higher up. Now that’s an approach I can really get behind.

It was cold, but snow coverage was limited. I was in need of a cheeky wee overnighter but it was fairly windy so camping would have to be low down. As usual, I hummed, hawed and generally fannied about before making a choice. I do this in the hope that the weather in a particular region is more favourable, it rarely is. Decision made, I went North East, aiming for the familiar hills of my youth.

I set off with the full overnighter packed. The trail was quiet and the wind was at my back as I headed up the glen. The plan was to pitch up on the moine, but there was a small risk of the tent ending up in Norway. If I turned into the gale, I could see what little snow there was left being whipped off the top of Ben Avon.

I had to step aside about half way there to be passed by a transit van, which I later found parked at Callater stable. A work party. You know the sort, they do work, then they party. Things were in progress which involved the bunks being turfed outside, so I left them to it and headed on up and round the loch.

I picked my way through the river bends up Jock’s road. Someone once told me that Coire Kander is a brilliant camp spot. It’s been on the mental list for decades, so I did a full survey as I wandered past on the off chance that I’d be camping there. There was a pause in the lee of a wee lump for a hot choc and the most splendid of winter hill food, several slabs of Christmas cake.

By the time I got going again, the tops were clagged in and the wind was fierce. I ploutered on and soon reached Tolmount, which is without a doubt a dull hill, not helped by the fact I was being thrashed with small ice particles at 50mph. I didn’t linger, or indeed take any photos. I have albums full of cairns in the mist and cloud and spindrift, I don’t need any more. Turning back into the wind, I stumbled across to Fafernie, then up and onto Carn an t-sagiart Mor, by now facing full into the wind and the continuous barrage of wee daggers. By this point it was full-on Buff+goggles+sense of blind optimism territory. Any exposed skin was promptly reduced by a few layers.

The plan had been to head over to Lochnagar, but in the great tradition of Scottish mountaineering and I said ‘bugger this for a laugh’ and switched to exit planning. Within 5 minutes I was on the track heading back down to Callater. As I descended down to the loch side I could see the work party were heading off. A bothy night would ideal in such conditions. The plan promptly changed.

I settled into the bothy and got set up. I’d remembered that it was a bit of a cold hole the last time I was there. A stove or a fire is fairly essential for a bothy and Callater lacks both. What it did have was a Jeremy Clarkson book. All those firelighters and no fire, the irony. After dinner I made some feeble candle lit attempts to bring a sense of warmth to the atmosphere, but the flames were feeble and guttered out. It was still early-ish and I was cold and bored. The prospect of 14 hours with only Jeremy Clarkson for company was too much. I’d have been warmer in the tent. Now there’s an idea. It was time to revisit my youth.

I packed up and promptly buggered off back down the trail to the car, where I jumped in and drove round to Linn of Dee. I swapped out some down filled things for things filled with even more down and battered off up the trail.

My first proper mountain expedition was up Glen Derry, camping at Derry lodge. A squad of us 18 year olds lugged 20+kg packs up the trail which seemed to take forever. One of us had a slab of 24 cans of Tennents taking up the majority of his pack space, although mine was filled with the Eurohike tent. We were young and stupid. At least one of these things has changed now. The walk in to Derry seemed to take forever and it was like an oasis when we got there. It may have been that feeling of reaching some kind of hidden nirvana that the rest of the world was unaware of that really got me started all of this nonsense. I spent that night with chattering teeth, brushing frost off my Woolworths £7 sleeping bag. I really enjoyed it.

The next day was an attempt at Macdui, which was a complete failure. We got as far as the Hutchison hut and then bailed and went back to camp with our tails between our legs. Much has changed since then, for a start the Hutchy isn’t just a concrete box any more. I’ve been up Macdui more times than I can count and travelled across all of the Cairngorms this way and that, but one thing has stayed with me: I still know when it’s a good time to bail out.

Thirty-odd years after that first attempt I was back on the trail to Derry. The lodge arrived really quickly, to the point that I was surprised, having been lost in my reminiscing. My benchmark for what constitutes a long walk-in has changed somewhat since those first forays. That said, my pack was a wee bit lighter this time. I found a spot to pitch as close as I could remember to that first time. The tent went up and the stove went on. This was more like it. The wind was still brutal but by some lucky event of landscape I could hear it whoomphing away over the hill and battering into the trees up the glen a bit, but in my little corner of the woods it was relatively quiet and sheltered. The drizzle came on but could do little to dampen the mood. I was bouyant, I’d made the right call. The sheer joy of the place, being at one with the elements somewhere that felt truly wild was really what it was all about for me back then and now even more so. I fetched some water from the burn, casting my mind back to the first time I’d crossed that bridge and then been attacked by a capercaillie while trying to pitch a tent. I’m a bit more in tune with the wildlife now. I sat out for hours with multiple brews watching shooting stars over the big hills. Big sky is a thing when you’re away from the lights of the city, there’s wonder above you, there’s nothing quite like it.

After thousands of miles of trail, I was back where I’d started and it was bloody marvellous.

One of the drier walks I’d had earlier in the year was through the woods from Loch an Eilein while the girls were making pottery. It was a wee walk, but had good views into Glen Einich and I made a mental bookmark to come back this way, I’d only ever been up Braeriach from the other side and mostly in winter. A summer jaunt up there went on the hit list.

I was sat at home on the sofa, propped up by my ‘reserved for dad, king of the sofa’ cushion, resigned to my fate of drizzly outings when Christopher Blanchett on the telly uttered the seldom heard phrase “high pressure coming in over the weekend” The game was afoot.

A day later I swung to a halt at Whitewell and kitted up. The tops were still cloudy but it was warm and most importantly, dry.

The walk through Rothiemurchus is always a joy, a reminder of the Caledonian forest of old which used to cover so much of the country. There were birds tweeting, squirrels squirreling and at this time of year, an abundance of mahoosive fungi. I met a couple who were carrying mushrooms the size of rugby balls, who assured me they were edible. I wished them good luck.

The path joined into the more familiar bit, the upper reaches of the Lairig, without the herd of accompanying black flies I had the last time I walked it. Lurcher’s crag was looking particularly inviting in the sun.

It was positively hot as I peched and panted my way up the Sron na Lairig, being passed by merry hordes on their way down. The talk was of it being cold up top but I was overheating, the clouds were thinning and the breeze was light.

When I popped out over the top of the Sron, the view was immense. The Cairngorms really are giant country. The last time I’d been up Braeriach I had nearly succumbed to exhaustion trying to get back to Auchlean through waist deep snow. This time I was in a baselayer and watching for water sources.

I skirted round the coire edge, I’d only ever been here when it was heavily corniced and had gone nowhere near it, now I could take my time and explore, which is exactly what I did. The one great joy of overnighters is not being in a hurry to get anywhere.

I got the summit to myself, which was nice given the throngs I’d passed earlier. Such a contrast to the blizzard of the last time. I followed the top of Coire Bhrochain around, checking out the ridges and buttresses for climbing options for a coire-based visit next time, until the rumbling of my stomach an my empty water bottle got the better of me and I headed over to the Wells of Dee to find a home for the night.

There was already a group camped in the prime spot, so I headed over to the Einich side to give them some room and to get a better view to the west. I’m always amazed by the springs here, it’s like a lovely summer meadow with water bubbling apparently from nowhere, at 1200m. I popped the tent up, got the stove on and sat down to watch the sunset while scoffing chicken fried rice. Marvellous.

I was abed quite early due to being grossly unfit and hence utterly knackered by my earlier efforts. That and the earlier promised cold breeze was starting to bite. I was awake at 0430 and lay with the tent door open looking at the stars, the moon had dipped and so it was a real deep sky view, which I enjoyed so much I couldn’t be arsed messing about with astro-photography.

Come sunrise, there were pockets of cloud in the glens, but the sky was clear and blue.

Too good a day to waste, I left the bulk of my kit in the tent and headed off towards Garbh Coire. It was only after about 40 minutes when things started to warm up I reached into my pack sidepocket to discover it empty. I run a tight ship normally, gloves in the left pocket, hat in the right. In my rush to get moving, I’d left my sun hat in the tent. Speaking as a baldy, this was a big deal. It was a long way back and I’d left the suntan lotion too. I did have a my wooly hat, so i had a choice, burn or climb hills in the searing sun with a beanie on. Happy days.

Sgor an Lochain Uaine was a splendid perch to start a Sunday morning. The opposing bulk of Macdui was a draw like a magnet, and the cliffs of the Garbh Coire we just a constant source of interest. The two wee snow patches were still hanging on in there.

I hummed and hawed a bit at the top, considering whether to abandon the plan to head over to Cairn Toul in light of the headgear problem. The last time I’d been up Cairn Toul I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. It didn’t take me long to make the choice. Onwards, scarlet scalp and lugs be damned. The boulder skipping was as much fun as always, for some reason I much prefer it to plodding up a track. The top came quickly and the views were knockout. Corrour was a wee green box below and I wondered who was lying there in the grips of a belting hangover while I was on the sunny tops. I looked down on the Devil’s Point with amusement, it looked tiny and insignificant and not at all Munro-like, which along with embarrassing Satan, just showed how big these hills are.

The return leg was slow in the growing heat, my water bottle was dry again, my shiny pate had already combusted completely and my ears were two small smoking holes. A wee plane buzzed up the Lairig, dwarfed to midge size by Macdui. See if you can spot it in the photo.

I got back to base camp for a hat and a cuppa, in that order.

It was shame to pack up on such a glorious day, but the forecast was clear it wasn’t to last, so I decided to head down in Glen Einich, which is a place I hadn’t been in over 20 years. I dropped down the side of Coire an Lochan and even then delayed the inevitable messing about with the camera and scrambling on the pinnacles.

Once into the descent proper, it became world championship level heather bashing, with the occasional sphagnum covered landmine thrown in for an element of surprise. On a baking hot day, out of the wind, it was more than a little tedious, but after the highs of the morning, it was only natural that the descent would be, well, a bit of a comedown. The views up the Glen were a fine distraction.

When I reached the landrover track, I paused to look back up and give thanks to the hill for a good trip and thanks for having reached the end of that bastarding long heathery slope.

The landrover track did what all landrover tracks do, which is to allow you to move at a decent pace at the cost of all joy and foot comfort. I shifted up a gear and motored back to the forest. The section back through the wood was lovely, with the sun starting to dip behind the newly forming cloud and I only had to jump to the side to avoid speeding cyclists about 150 times.

By the time the car came into view I was a combination of deep-fried and knackered. If that’s not a sign of a decent trip I don’t know what is.

Ah Scotland, if you get the weather, you just cannae beat it.

Wigwam socks are a staple here at ScoMo and rightly so. These guys know their stuff and their material choices are second to none. Coming soon is a new crew version of the Hiking Outdoor Pro. These are my go-to for 3 season use, they shift moisture away from the sole very effectively. For hot weather they have the Ultra cool lite crew pro, with Coolmax. It’s hard to get excited by socks, but this is good stuff. Get your feet sorted and life out there is a joy, get them wrong and your trip becomes a sufferfest. I’ll be reviewing these later in the year.

Next is Viking, a Norwegian brand. They have some interesting footwear, what caught my eye most was insulated wellies for my winter log chopping activities and the Anaconda trail shoe for my gadding about activites. It seems very light and the Boa fastening system is smart. They remind me of Salomon in terms of build, if they can manage Salomon comfort without the slippery sole units of death then that could be a big win.

From OMM, the creators of many great things, we have the Phantom 25CL pack which weighs the better part of FA. Obviously tailored for the mountain marathoner, but lets be honest that’s pretty much what we do, just not against the clock. That’s a lot of features for the weight.

From Yeti we have a crazy light down vest, the Cavoc. Really warm and super packable. I like this a lot for layer on spring camps.

Away from lightweight for a second, Eno the makers of hammocks lured me in with the comfiest camp chair I’ve ever tried, the Lounger DL.

At 2kg, I wouldn’t carry it up a mountain, but for car camping with the kids it’s excellent.

Next up is a brand I haven’t seen before Oriocx. Their trail shoes are definitely worth getting a look at. The Malmo is targeted at swim/run so has an excellent channel drainage system. In summer I wear trail shoes all the time and drainage is a key factor, I’ve just never thought of wearing stuff targetted at triathlons. Most interesting. The Sparta looks like it could give my Inov8s a run for their money too.

Si from Lyon was there with some very familiar brands. GSI Outdoors is one of my favourites. They make stuff that you don’t need, but you really want and is just cool AF. They tend to be decent on price too. I’m sure I’ve mentioned their Infinity Mug before, I love it. It’s these little things that can make all the difference in the fun factor.

The Bugaboo cup comes in purple and orange and weighs 52g for 12 quid. Why wasn’t I told of this?

Check our this array of fun. Any outdoor company that has a ‘Partyware’ section gets my vote. There’s a cheeky wee flask called the Boulder which is square cut with a silicone bumper. Fits beautifully into a slide pocket on a pack and is very suitable for dram transport. In orange too. Sold!

Petesy took an interest in the Glacier Stainless nesting wine glasses. Tired of your Malbec tasting faintly of plastic when camping? Mountain middle-class here we come.

From Exped we have some excellent camp slippers with synthetic insulation. They do a bootee too. These will be coming out to play with me soon.

Petzl are always of interest.The Ride axe is a ski touring axe at 240g, which I’ve seen before but on the right is the Gully, a proper technical axe at 280g. Seems worth a look for low grade mountaineering outings.

What also caught my eye was the modular Dart crampon, which seems like something we should have had before now. Instead of having multiple pairs of crampons, why not have one where you can swap the points out as you need to. One set of crampons that does it all? Smart. How about a crampon pouch that is sturdy but very light at 50g? Maybe time to retire that bulky crampon wrap I’ve been using for years.

Petzl lighting has always been innovative. They’ve standardised the Core approach across the range, so you can switch batteries around willy nilly and have more USB charge cables to lose in your house. The wee Bindi seems like a solid choice for the weight (35g and 200lm)and the modular approach is working here too, with a nice wee bike mount so you can multipurpose at the drop of a hat. Nice.

All in all a decent event with some interesting stuff to talk about and interesting people to talk to. I’ve even got some site visits organised now, so there will be more detailed gear news to follow.

For starters, Haglöfs are focusing more on their Swedish heritage, with some design callbacks to traditional styles. Heritage means a lot and experience is where it’s at, so this is a step in the right direction for me. The whole Alpine market is crowded and what works there isn’t always the best choice for the Scottish mountains, whereas Nordic kit is closer to what works here. The other good news is that they’ve also had a look down the back of the sofa and found the missing colour palette. Proper colour is back, hoorah. A word of warning, the photies are a white balance nightmare, the camera struggled a bit with a mix of flourescent and daylight and I hadn’t thought to take any filters. It’s either that or maybe Petesy has jaundice and should seek medical attention.

So onto the goodies. First up the Spitz Jacket, which has had a few minor tweaks but it still the solid all year hard shell that is a firm favourite with me. 3 Layer Gore Pro 40D Polyamide, with 70D reinforcement, along with one of my favourite hoods ever. In orange too. Oof.

Coming up alongside we have the Roc Spire jacket, which is a a solid mountain design, 3 layer Gore Pro 30D Polyamide with 70D reinforcements. The hood is excellent, just like it’s stablemate the Spitz. There’s even built in RECCO for those who like to play in the snow. That is a damn fine idea. I like this for a winter shell. Those colours make me feel all 90s again.

Regulars round here will know I’m not a fan of the whole concept of DWR, specifically the D part of that. My nose started twitching at the sight of the new LIM Shakedry Hood. The concept of Gore Shake Dry is mighty tempting. No face fabric to wet out, no DWR to wear off. Apart from making me think of the tune from the old Shake’n’vac ad every time it’s mentioned (and put the freshness back) I think this could be a very interesting step forward. That tune is in your head now too. Sorry.

There’s a cheeky we Topo stretch panel built into the back to give mobility which is a nice touch. The hood seems decent too. Downside is the Henry Ford colour palette and the fact it resembles a bin bag on the hanger. It’s a nice fit and other colours are on the way apparently. I’ll be paying close attention to this when it hits the shelves, it could be a gamechanger.

Next up is the LIM Touring PROOF jacket. Aye that’s PROOF not GORE. Proof is the name for Haglöfs own membrane implementation, in a mixture of fabrics. It might give the Gore team a bit of a wake up. The punters are drawn to the Gore-Tex branding and like a Hoover it’s a term that’s become synonymous with the object itself, but with the Gore leviathan comes rules about material choices and pairings.
I get the impression that Haglöfs using their own material will allow some more freedom to do their own thing with design, which can only be good. PROOF seems to be sustainable and eco-friendly, and by design should be durable and stretchy. Breathability looks good by the numbers but we all know that’s only theoretical and thermal retention is a factor, but with a HH of 20,000mm the waterproofing should be there. Time will tell I guess. I like the feel of this and design features are good. The hood is magic. Petesy loves a napoleon pocket too.

Onto the Edge Evo Parka, also in Proof. It had me at hello. It’s got the Where Eagles Dare vibe going on, in that you feel like Clint Eastwood the minute you put it on. Unfortunately you still look nothing like him. The offset zip is great. The colourful Kurbits version is just a work of cheery traditional-yet-modern Nordic wonderfulness. I learned about Dalecarlian horses that day and my life is better for it. The Parka isn’t massively technical, and the front pocket will probably fill with rain, but I still want one.

The LIM comp comes in Gore and Proof versions. Proper light at under 300g this has a go-to 3 season packable shell written all over it. A minimal but not entirely disappointing hood means it probably won’t make to winter but we’ll see.

Insulation now, and we’ve got down and synthetic to play with.
You’ll maybe remember that the LIM Essens is one of my favourite bits of kit ever. It’s got 70g of 800fp down, squishes down to baseball size and weighs FA. If you don’t have one of these in your gear store, you should ask yourself what you’re doing with your life.

In synthetic, the Essens Mimic has had a bit of a revision since I had one on test. The Quadfusion insulation is a decent material for warmth/weight and good at retaining warmth in wetter conditions. Sizing is good for layering, and the hood feels way better too. Eminently squashable so good for grab and go in uncertain shoulder season weather.

The Mojo is like a mobile sleeping bag. It’s a monster of an insulator, with 390g of 800fp DWR down inside a Pertex Quantum shell. I do genuinely have sleeping bags with less down than that. The hood is like a cosy cavern of joy. The second you put it on there’s instant thermal feedback, look carefully and you can see Petesy is mentally standing in a snowy camp looking at the stars.

The LIM Barrier shorts are clearly targeted at people who run up mountains, which isn’t me these days. That said, they’d be ideal for popping on over breeks on a cool night at camp in the autumn and it weighs hee haw. There’s a skirt too, which is really Petesy’s style.

Now onto breeks and we have the Roc Fusion and the Rando Flex. Both use the Flexable fabric which I am a fan of. The Rando on the right is targeted at ski, but other than being a bit flarey for boots, they are multipurpose in my view. Long leg versions not available, so that’s me oot, which is a shame, because I want orange trousers.

The lower pic shows the detail texture of the material of the Rugged Flex Pant which feels fantastic. These are like a slimmed down version of the classic Rugged Mountain which you can just see peeking in on the right of the photo. Lighter weight, less flappy, these look like solid mountain trousers. Long leg lengths please.

Gloves now, and I must admit with the onset of old age I really have started to feel the cold in my fingers when I’m out and about. I’m almost always wearing gloves so I can’t have too many pairs. Below are the Nengal gloves which feel like proper winter jobs. Flexable with Gore insert, Quadfusion insulation, goat leather palms. They feel remarkable dexterous for such a sturdy glove, I like these a lot.

The Niva glove is also new, described as an alpine ski glove, but to me that just means they’ll be warm and a bit dexterous. It’s Proof Eco with a leather palm and decent length. The mitt version below is warm and a good fit.

This next photo doesn’t help my case here but the Bow Glove looks like an absolute belter. It’s made with Gore Infinium with Windstopper, which is a wind and waterproof softshell basically. Super duper dexterous but warm, these could replace the powerstretch chaps I wear all year round. Very keen to take these for a test drive. Petesy has a good photo of the grippy palm too. Check it out.

Lastly it’s footwear and the Proof material makes for the standouts here. the Skuta Mid is a light and flexible boot with a decent sole unit and a Proof membrane. How that will work compared to a Gore liner is yet to be seen, but these seem solid with a very aggressive retail price point. There’s a Low version too. Tidy.

Gus is touting the Trail Fuse, which looks to be a very interesting trail shoe. The ASICS guys have brought their comfort midsole and there’s a mesh upper with a decent sole unit. The GT version has a Gore liner. At around 300g for a size 8, these are going on my wish list.

So there you have it, quite a lot of tasty toys for us to play with this time next year. It’s been good to have a wee break and come back to find things moving in the right direction. They were stagnant for a wee while but we’re off and running again. I like what Haglofs are doing, it’s like they’ve found their mojo again and instead of trying to be like every other gear company, they are being themselves. They are making a mix of proper technical kit along with more mainstream gear for people to just want to get outdoors and doing it in a sustainable way that means that there might continue to be an outdoors that people will want to get out to. Not a bad plan I reckon.