Angus #Microadventure

 

 

With summer fast rolling forward and Alastair Humphreys trying to get a microadventure in every county of Britain during the month of June I was shocked to see my new home county of Angus bereft of any #MicroAdventures. So with Angus pride (not sure if that's a thing) at steak Stuart and I decided to explore our home county, not the home counties of course. Angus is a county full of options. It has stunning beaches and beautiful glens but with ease of access a key, this was a midweek adventure after all we settled upon a costal walk from Ferryden near Montrose. The walkhighland route can be found here. Starting at Ferryden it gently rolls around the coast taking in a light houses and some cool coastal rock formations.


The lighthouse is actually the traditional finish point of the TGO coast to coast challenge which makes you want to set out on an even bigger adventure than we had time for. Another idea for another time.

I find a walk like this interesting because of the variety of landscape you find. Beaches to farmland in a matter of meters. If you ever decide to do this walk just bear in mind  past Usan the path deteriorates slightly getting a bit overgrown and you'll find yourself wishing you wore trousers instead of shorts.

 

 Just before you get to Elephant rock there is a great area for camping but with us having to get back to work tomorrow  and my dislike for early mornings we decided to head on past it a little further to make our walk home a little shorter (it's a circular route)

 

 We finally settled on a small patch of beach land next to some salmon bothies. Next comes the bit on every microadventure I love. The cooking and eating. It seems odd to say it but there is something magical about cooking and eating outdoors, it calms you down and makes you look around. A watched pot never boils and all that.

Given that next month we are heading into the cairngorms for two nights we had decided to use this as a tasting test for our future trip and used the ration pack foods, which I'm happy to report have really improved. I can wholeheartedly recommend the chickpea curry.  As the evening light began to settle behind us we reviewed the route that Stuart had prepped for next month we turned in for the night. I am getting better at this bivvy lark and with my now practiced routine I slept really well, only waking up a couple of times through the night because of the wind (real wind not chickpea wind). I woke with the sun, I always set an alarm but this far north in summer it really isn't needed. We packed up in record time for us even with Stuart making a coffee and me enjoying an extra doze in the morning light.

We headed back along the road completing the circular route quicker than we thought, getting us back in Dundee easily before work, though for me that meant painting the house. I might have snuck in a wee nap at lunch but that's what holidays are for...

If you want to do your own #Microadventure you'll find lots of inspiration on twitter  using the hashtag or on the website here.

If somehow this has inspired you to try your own let me know how you get on, or if you have done others near Dundee let me know where and how it went.

Woop Woop.

Fire, Ice and Pitta?!

The magic and mystery of the unknown. Walking along the track, my boots crunching down against the frost, the sound of water lapping the shore with the black empty hills next to them. A group of eyes flickering in the distance against my head torch. Trying to rationalise what I see in my head, not wanting to admit that the fear of a dark night was creeping slowly forward.

By this time it's 8pm (20:00 to my dad)  and I have embarked on the first #Microadventure of the year. Having played about with the concept last year and done a little camping before, I decided that I wanted to do one #microadventure for each month for a year. If you want to know more about the concept of a #microadventure click the link and dive deep into a growing world of taking time out from the 9-5 and stealing an escape from the norm in the 5-9.

some #microadventure ideas from Alistair Humphreys

Since it's January in Scotland We didn't think a bivvy and  the stars would leave us eager for more, so we decided a night in a bothy with a little night navigation would be a good start. One of the benefits of living in Scotland is that there were a few options open to us. The thing that settled it was that S had already created a PDF and a plan for us to stay at Loch Lee Bothy (Grid ref NO 392817). You have to love the organisers of the world. If I'm honest I'd never heard of the area, the bothy or the route. It turns out its at Glen Esk just past Edzell.

We left work in Fundee at 5pm (17:00 if you're still reading dad) and got some fish and chips from the Tuck inn at Edzill, I'd recommend it to anyone. Then we drove onwards to the car Park. Layering up for what was now a very chilly night. I'd got a new torch that kicked ass (1600 lumen for less the £20) but the night sky looked great and it was really strange to hear a river but nor see it. You actually saw more water by turning the torch off and letting the moon light reflect the light. The torch just threw it into blackness.

 

The walk itself was really interesting. We know that the path was landrover track the whole way. The river would meet the loch and then we would curve round toward the trees that would house our bothy for the night, but the darkness adds another dimension to the walk. The unknowing seems to heighten the walk. All I could think of was how much I wanted to walk back in the morning and make sense of what I'd heard and thought I'd seen. The darkness creates a potential that can't be fulfilled until morning.

After  a 7km walk we ended up where we thought he bothy should be and thanks to some sharp eyes by S we found it. From the outside it was great, although we did see a window was broken. Inside it was cold and dark. We had a quick look round, it was only one room after all. Importantly, it had a fire place and we had brought a shit ton of wood. Our last attempt at a fire was less than a success, hence bringing some dry fire wood with us.

After we got a fire started and I had basked in the glory that is making a fire. -As an aside I don't think there is a single thing that makes you feel more of a man than making a fire. It's just Manly. I'm not often Manly. But that night Schwarzenegger would have given me 'the nod'. Nothing crazy, just a small, manly mark of respect between men.

Not to detract too much from the whole I'm a manly man but once you have a fire surely the next thing to do is grab some pitta, put it on the fire and have some Hummus.

 

Say what you want but Pitta is the perfect camping food. Think about it. It stays fresh forever, it doesn't matter it gets squashed and it doesn't take up too much room. Plus it tastes great hot from a fire you made yourself.

After tending the fire for a while it was time for a kip. Having packed enough clothes to dress London fashion week I was easily warm enough and slept pretty well through until about 6am. It was still dark and really cold so I went straight back into the sleeping bag, waking up at a rather late 9am. After having a quick Naked Bar and a coffee to warm us up we were back off to see where we had walked last night.

The bothy was just below the snow line so the views were stunning and the Glen just kept unravelling before us until we got to the Falls of Unich which looked great with all the ice. The path was a little harder to walk on as there seemed to be more ice. That or maybe we were just more tentative because we saw what we were walking on.

 

As we got to the loch everything he had heard and glimpsed by torch was upon us. to our left has a huge herd of Deer. I'm always amazed at how well they camouflage into the hill side. We first noticed one, then the more you focused the more you saw. Up to 100 deer all grazing, walking up the hill. It was a truly wonderful sight. 

As the glen met the stream we were met by and old church and then an old garrison, or as I called it a bloody great castle.

 Getting back to the car was great but also a little disappointing because it meant it was back to reality, and the 9-5. That and we would have to wash our gear that now stank of smoke from the fire.

 

If you haven't done the walk or been up to the area I'd encourage everyone to explore the area. The bothy was also great to and I think a bit quieter than those on the west coast. If you want to try a #microadventure check out the links, ask a question on here and importantly be brave and give it a go. You won't regret it.

Have you ever been on a #microadventure?

Do you have any ideas for another one?

What would make you want to do one?

First Microadventure

 

My First 5-9 #microadventure

 

Our view. Photo courtesy of Sgt S

 

Escaping the 9-5 life is often a life's ambition but we reverse that. What if you become content with the 9-5, accept that it exists then look to add adventure elsewhere?

That I feel is the principle behind the #microadventure. A concept made famous by Alistair Humphries. The aim is to do adventures that fit into the 5-9. The 16 hours that we are free from work.

I found Alistair's book microadventure in a great wee shop in Dunkeld. Anna indulged me by buying it. The idea appeals hugely. Shift work means I often have gaps of time available that I have the potential to do more with. The idea of going on mini adventures that allow me be outdoors more is always going engage.

"Act child like, not childish"- Alistair Humphries

There seems to be a movement towards named outdoor fun such as 'Adventure running' and 'Wild swimming' probably even 'Microadventure'. Richard Askwith talks about it in his book Running Free and describes it as a way of adults giving them selves permission to so something that would have been taken for granted as a child. I think he hits the nail on the head. When I mentioned the plan for my first #microadventure Anna's reply was "Isn't that just camping?" She's right, but doing it on a school night makes it feel like your stealing some fun and freedom from the monotony of the work day. Getting a little dirt in your shoes and sand in the soul. Just like we did as kids.

Sold on the idea of the #microadventure all I needed now was the adventure and to decide if it should be done solo or with pals. I thought I'd try and sell some ideas to some friends and see if I could hook them. Luckily enough I managed to convince a few folk on the idea and then set about trying to think about where and when.

This part would be easy, I'm lucky enough to live in the greatest place in Britain. I'll argue this to anyone that is willing to listen, I'm blinded by it's beauty. Dundee is blessed with a huge variety of outdoor spaces that can be reached quickly. So the choice was either beach, Hills or Forrest. I decided to go for Forrest and Beach with the joy that is Tentsmuir being so close to me. With the place and then the date set Sgt S from the Blair Atholl post was able and willing to join me. We were raring to go.

I had bought an Alpkit Hunka bivvy bag earlier in the year with the aim of doing some two day running which ended up being turned into the Blair Atholl to Aveimore walk so I ended up not using it. So with that and my Rab sleeping bag I was ready to go, some last minute rain meant we also took along a tarp incase the weather turned foul. I meet Sgt S after he finished work at 16:00. I had spent the day playing on the Tay in a squib so ended up being the one that was running late.

Having already experienced the Sgt's perception of minimal kit we decided that we would get some fish and chips in Tayport and use it as a way of making sure this was microadventure was enjoyed rather than endured by not taking any unnessecary extra kit.

From Tayport we headed out and followed the path between the Tay and the Forrest. Tentsmuir has so many paths in it that you could easily go a huge number of routes and experience a huge number of different things.

Walking along the dunes. Photo courtesy of Sgt S

After about an hour of walking we decided to try and find somewhere to set up our tarp as it had been raining fairly consistently most of the day. we initially settled on some trees at some moorland but after wondering along to the beach it was stunning and totally deserted. In fact we only saw one other person the whole trip.  Both of us felt it would be stupid not to take advantage of the views near the water. But, knowing that the tide is  a big issue in this area we decided to use one of the dunes that rose to about 6 feet up from the beach. I was fairly sure the tide was out on our arrival.

The Beach view. Photo courtesy of Sgt S

a relaxed life. Photo courtesy of Sgt S

We ended up getting the tarp set up pretty quickly using some drift wood and although not storm proof we were convinced it would stay up the night. Having already had dinner and set up the tarp we then just mucked about with the camera and had a couple of beers as the sun set. Once it was dark it was a little strange being so close to home, you could see the lights of Dundee from over the dunes. Without TV or the internet you sleep pretty quickly. The sand makes a great bed with my Alpkit Aero underneath to keep me warm.

The moon looking amazing. Photo courtesy of Sgt S 

Sleeping in a Bivvy is a weird thing if you've spent time in a tent in the wild. As new age as it sounds you do feel more connected and exposed to elements, probably because you are. I zipped up my bivvy so no draft got in and fell asleep easily waking up occasionally and then drifting back off to sleep.

Suddenly BOOM, the first asteroid hit. I was convinced we were living the first strike of independence day. After saving Dundee and trying to figure out why they would strike the Tay first I realised it was 4am and the noise was actually the waves crashing, and the water lapping the bottom of the dune we were camped on. It was still fairly dark and the waves were impressive, breaking 50 metres from where we were. After a couple of nervous checks every 10 minutes I managed to drift off to sleep for a while. At 05:20 we ended up deciding it was time to put everything away while Sgt took a few more photo's. Some biscuits for breakfast and a great walk out through the Forrest meant we were back at work for 07:30, in time for a shower to freshen up. That day I was doing a sponsored walk from Ninewells to St Andrews which I'm doing a separate blog post about.

The Gamma Head torch

Overall I felt great and strangely refreshed. I know it sounds a little weird and new age but being outdoors overnight refreshes the soul and invigorates you. It isn't something that's easily explained so please just go out and try it. You don't have anything to lose.

The View on the walk back. Photo courtesy of Sgt S

The barriers that stop you don't actually exist, and it's fun. How often do we do something low tech and genuinely fun? So please just go do it give it a try, it's an evening that you'd normally spend watching Eastenders or Corrie and you can get them on demand.

I'm sold on microadventure and can't wait to do another one despite the ribbing that you get when you tell people you spent the night with another bloke, in the woods, camping.

Beer and (a short lived) fire. What more do you need. Photo courtesy of Sgt S

Have you done a microadventure? Do you have any ideas? Is there anything stopping you?

Or if you're reading this and you have any ideas from more microadventures in this area please let me know. If you have any questions etc  just ask in the comments section and I'll do my best to get back to you.

Woop Woop