Hillwalking Thread

[Tony Ferrino]

36 minutes ago, invergowrie arab said:

My last two pairs of 3 season boots were Scarpa ZG s they are fucking excellent boots.

Unfortunately it looks like you don't get them any more but the scarpa mistrals look like they are very similar.

Usually about 120 but you could shop around.

I wouldn't bother with leather unless I was buying winter boots.

Just watched back to back episodes of Corrie.

[Unleash The Nade]

10 hours ago, invergowrie arab said:

My last two pairs of 3 season boots were Scarpa ZG s they are fucking excellent boots.

Unfortunately it looks like you don't get them any more but the scarpa mistrals look like they are very similar.

Usually about 120 but you could shop around.

I wouldn't bother with leather unless I was buying winter boots.

Cheers thanks

I’ll have a look at these too 

[Swello]

After years of different boots, there is no magic solution but my best advice is to find a boot maker with a last that fits you and stick with them. I used to use Salomon boots which all fitted me perfectly, then they changed their last at some point and I ended up with the least comfortable pair of boots ever that I ended up literally binning in a layby after a walk.

I won't make any recommendations as everyones feet are different bur for relatively narrow feet like mine,  my current choices are  Scarpa  (SL Activ for (most) winter stuff and R-Evo Pro GTX for Spring&Autumn), Innov-8 (trail runners for summer mountains & long distance walks) and, weirdly, Ecco for lightweight boots when the trail shoes won't do for whatever reason. They all have a very similar foot shape that work for me where most other brands don't. 

Edited March 6, 2018 by Swello

[sugna]

13 hours ago, Unleash The Nade said:

Looking to buy a pair of walking boots around £100 and don’t know whether to go for leather or lighter weight Goretex type .

Any recommendations  greatly appreciated 

Just replaced my boots after 4 and a half years, and am delighted that my new ones are so much better to walk in as well as not actually leaking.

I tried on a few styles in that sort of price range, as I don't need anything more capable. I narrowed it down to Hi-Tec  Caha and Anatom V2 Vorlich. Eventually went for the Caha, because I have the wide feets and they were more comfortable with the extra pair of thick socks I wear for walking.

If I hadn't been considering some very slightly rougher terrain, I would have been fairly happy with the Hi-Tec Bandera. These also have Hi-Tec's wide fitting, but don't have the stiffer Vibram sole or the deepish tread.

You probably know this, but it's really important to wear the socks that you walk in when you go to try on boots. It's also worth taking out the insoles and standing on them without the boots, to see the toe room. Tiso's will generally steer you towards both of those anyway and are a good place to try boots, at least. They have in-shop terrain to walk on, and inclined planes to try for slippage within the boots. You can sometimes get really good reductions online, but as with other sports shoes the availability of sizes varies greatly over time. I could have had a great deal on my Cahas at any size other than 9.

A final word on the Vorlichs. They "size European", then convert to UK (I think), so their size 9 is really around an 8 1/2 and other sizes will tend to be "off" the exact UK sizes. That may suit you and they're just a bit narrower than the Cahas.

(Edited to contain my range at Cahas being auto-corrected to Caha's. Twice.)

 

Edited March 6, 2018 by sugna

[Unleash The Nade]

1 hour ago, sugna said:

Just replaced my boots after 4 and a half years, and am delighted that my new ones are so much better to walk in as well as not actually leaking.

I tried on a few styles in that sort of price range, as I don't need anything more capable. I narrowed it down to Hi-Tec  Caha and Anatom V2 Vorlich. Eventually went for the Caha, because I have the wide feets and they were more comfortable with the extra pair of thick socks I wear for walking.

If I hadn't been considering some very slightly rougher terrain, I would have been fairly happy with the Hi-Tec Bandera. These also have Hi-Tec's wide fitting, but don't have the stiffer Vibram sole or the deepish tread.

You probably know this, but it's really important to wear the socks that you walk in when you go to try on boots. It's also worth taking out the insoles and standing on them without the boots, to see the toe room. Tiso's will generally steer you towards both of those anyway and are a good place to try boots, at least. They have in-shop terrain to walk on, and inclined planes to try for slippage within the boots. You can sometimes get really good reductions online, but as with other sports shoes the availability of sizes varies greatly over time. I could have had a great deal on my Cahas at any size other than 9.

A final word on the Vorlichs. They "size European", then convert to UK (I think), so their size 9 is really around an 8 1/2 and other sizes will tend to be "off" the exact UK sizes. That may suit you and they're just a bit narrower than the Cahas.

(Edited to contain my range at Cahas being auto-corrected to Caha's. Twice.)

 

Cheers for this I’m hoping to go through to Tiso in Glasgow and Go Outdoors in Coatbridge some time this week 

[Unleash The Nade]

Just bought a pair of these 

http://m.gooutdoors.co.uk/berghaus-hillwalker-ii-gtx-mens-walking-boots-p326215

The Scarpa and Mammot ones tried weren’t as comfy and liked the Berghaus cut away at the achilles 

Found them online at £89.99 so GO price matched plus gave a further 10% discount

Happy days 

[sugna]

Nicely done! Looks like a lot of bang for your buck.

[Chapelhall chap]

Just discovered this hill walking site. I had begun Munros and other hills about 20 years ago, but a combination of aging and an Achilles tendon injury, has seen me reduce to the local central belt hills. it was great to see all these tales and photos over the last few years and I might be bold enough to stick in some of my planned Pentlands/Ochils/Campsies etc in the next few months. 

[Chapelhall chap]

Had a 7 mile cycle path walk from
The Bathgate abbatoir to the Blackridge shale/coal bings as we get fit for Italian hills in summer. Spotted three young deer in bings who clearly avoided the abbatoir. Slight blister but worth it

[MONKMAN]

Going to head up Loch Lomond way, for a Munro or two tomorrow. Still undecided as to where though. Can’t see the weather being too favourable.

[Swello]

An Caisteal/Beinn a Chroin  is a decent walk in that area (and pretty much all on paths) if you've not done that one. I did it in windy, winter conditions and don't remember any real difficulties. Watch out for the false summit on Caisteal - lots of people miss the true summit (although I guess most people aren't sad enough to worry about it )

[Swello]

I've done a coast-to-coast (and a Cape Wrath which covered some of the ground you mention).  If you want to go into more detail on your route, I'm happy to give my opinion as I know most of it to some extent. If you are heading for Mallaig, I would highly recommend to walk through Knoydart to Inverie instead - which is a really nice place to finish with a large pint in the Old Forge (and you can get the boat round to Mallaig).

[MONKMAN]

Made it up Ben Vorlich today in pretty poor conditions. The fog came in at the top reducing visibility to pretty much nothing.

 

On the plus side, I managed to get most of the way back down in about 10 minutes sliding down the snow on my arse.

 

 

 

 

[invergowrie arab]

On 3/21/2018 at 15:10, Emil Borkhausen said:

Has anybody here ever walked across Scotland from coast to coast?  I see that TGO Challenge do an organised event but I'd rather just do it on my own independently.  It won't be this summer as I've allocated most of my annual leave for the year to an ascent of Lobuche East in Nepal this November but summer 2019 would be doable. 

I'd be looking to walk from Stonehaven to Mallaig over about two weeks.  Ideally staying as far away from roads as possible.  Bothies, hostels and a one-man-tent.

Rough route would be Stonehaven to Braemar via Glen Esk.  Braemar to Dalwhinnie via Geldie Lodge and intersecting Glen Tolmie.  Then follow the Thieves Road from Dalwhinnie to Fort William and continuing on to Mallaig.

I walked Knoydart to Montrose- living on the east coast I preferred the idea of walking home.

 

Not a million miles from your route. From FW I think you would be best heading north and making for Loch Arkaig - Glen Dessary and Knoydart. South Morar is rough pathless wet walking if you want to keep off the main road

Not knowing how I would get on I kept it low level and stayed in a village every 2 or 3 nights but you could definitely be more ambitious on getting some height and longer stretches in the wild. There were a good few short days in there too as i wasn't rushing and sometimes a sub 10 mile day and pub lunch is what you need. Was also able to get clothes washed and dried on the short days in Fort Augustus and Kingussie.

Day 1 - Inverie - Barrisdale

Day2 - Barrisdale to Loch Quoich

Day 3 - Loch Quoich - Invergarry

4 - Invergarry - Fort Augustus

5 - Fort Augustus to Garva Bridge via Corrieyarick

6 - Garva - Newtonmore

7 - Newtonmore - Kingussie ( basically a rest day)

8 - Kingussie - Upper Glen Feshie

9- Glen Feshie - White Bridge Glen Dee

10 - Glen Dee - Braemar

11- Braemar - Sheilin of Mark

12- Sheilin of Mark -Tarfside  Glen Esk

13 - Tarfside - Marykirk

14- Marykirk - Montrose

Edited March 22, 2018 by invergowrie arab

[gannonball]

Anybody here done the great glen way? looking at doing it this month, if not at some point this year. Thinking of doing it in 4days.

[invergowrie arab]

11 hours ago, gannonball said:

Anybody here done the great glen way? looking at doing it this month, if not at some point this year. Thinking of doing it in 4days.

I haven't done  all in one go but have done most of it at one point or another. 

I wouldn't recommend it.

Might make a nice cycle or kayak.

You are either beside roads or on forest tracks with no views out of the woods for most of it.

The stretch between Invergarry and Fort Augustus along the canal is nice enough but not nice enough to make it worthwhile doing.

[gannonball]

10 hours ago, invergowrie arab said:

I haven't done  all in one go but have done most of it at one point or another. 

I wouldn't recommend it.

Might make a nice cycle or kayak.

You are either beside roads or on forest tracks with no views out of the woods for most of it.

The stretch between Invergarry and Fort Augustus along the canal is nice enough but not nice enough to make it worthwhile doing.

Ah I did the West highland way a couple of times so was looking to do a different one, it was the canal and loch walking that appealed to me the most but might reassess now.

[invergowrie arab]

If that's what you're into rather than a WHW kind of a walk then go for it.

Do you know which way you are going? I think I would prefer to walk towards FW but most people don't.

 I would just rather get that long Drumnadrochit to Inverness stretch out of the way. I also think the views and drama of the landscape improve going towards Fort William.

In Drumnadrochit itself if you want a drink go to the Loch Ness Inn. Unfortunately the Fiddlers, which was once one of the best whisky bars in Scotland, is all about catering for food now which is fair enough as I guess that's where the money is.

In Fort Augustus you have lots of choices to eat and drink. You get a great fish and chips at the Lock Inn but the Bothy is good too.

The hotel at Invergarry is again very food orientated now and quite pricey but couldn't fault the food.

At Laggan Locks you have the Eagle floating pub. Great wee place for a drink and the barman makes his own chilli sauce but if you still have a day or two walking ahead of you maybe just ask to buy a bottle and take home.

There are any number of walks you could do in the area over 4 days but I would say it's looking like anything over 2000ft is going to be snowed up for weeks and weeks yet go GGW as good a choice as any.

 

Edited April 2, 2018 by invergowrie arab

[microdave]

First outing of the year today. I went up Ben Venue which was alright. A wee bit difficult at places but not so difficult. The views weren't great until near the summit. But I do admit I was shattered by the time I got back to the car park.

[ark loyal]

I'm planning on doing Beinn Ghlas, Lawers, Meall Greigh, Garbh and An Stuc in one go once the days are a little longer and warmer.    I was planning starting from the forestry car park  as it's a higher point to start from and finishing at the Hotel but my old man reckons it would be better heading in the other direction so as to give an easier decent from An Stuc.  Anyone done either of those routes?

Edited April 15, 2018 by ark loyal