At least once a year I go to stay with my friend in Gairloch in the Western Highlands where I am able to recharge my batteries. I haven’t had a holiday for a year and like a London bus, two come along in under two months!
However, this year, although I have been looking forward to returning to this beautiful part of the UK, I have half a mind on my trip to Galapagos. I try not to because I want to make the most of my time here without being distracted.
Other than taking me to places I’ve not already seen up here, my friend has plans for me; she has been working as an amateur archaeologist since she retired two years ago, mapping out the croft ruins situated in the vicinity of her house. As a result of her work, she has been communicating with another archaeologist who is keen to map previously un-recorded hut-circles, or to give them the correct term: roundhouses. A group of these have been discovered a few miles down the road.
I am very happy to go along for the ride and watch them work, but before we set out I am faced with a dilemma many people face when planning to spend the day in the great outdoors. I am relieved that this condition has recently been given a name by Simon Butterworth, a prize-winning photographer: the Faff Factor.
Simon has written albeit tongue-in-cheek about this annoying ailment: Do I take waterproofs? Will I need a hat? Are these trousers too hot? And so on…
I would like to concur that taffing about can be very serious as it can be quite debilitating. It can ruin relationships and upset well-planned expeditions. I protest that I am a Faffer for very good reason (aren't we all?); I was a Girl Guide and the Guide/Scout motto is Be Prepared. Faffing, like the principles of Guiding has become a way of life for me: I have to cover all eventualities in everything I do.
In relation to going in the great outdoors, my main problem used to be whether to take wet weather gear, and if so should I take the whole shebang? Nowadays, I just take it all – jacket and trousers, both made by the same company as mentioned in an earlier post.
Footwear is never a problem either: I just take hiking boots.
The majority of my faffing focuses on personal needs such as sufficient water, how much first aid kit to pack, sunscreen, insect repellent, sun glasses, notebook & pen, tissues, camera, spare batteries, binoculars…actually scrap that as I don’t have binoculars…yet!
You get the general idea? Maybe you’re a faffer too?
My friend is used to my faffing. She is an ex-ambulance technician so is used to be ready to quickly get out on the road with all eventualities covered. I sense she is now losing patience with me as she needs to leave the house before next week. So today, as I want to get an invitation back to Gairloch next year, I am ready to go but only because I packed last night…except this morning it’s very windy and sunny but I resist the temptation to put my sunscreen on before we leave the house and shove an extra fleece in my daysack.
Faffing tires me out. I wish I had my friend’s confidence to one day just go out for the day with nothing but a tenner in my pocket. It would be so liberating. But then what if it rained, so I’d have to take my raincoat, and what about my mobile, and I always need a packet of tissues, oh, and headache pills and my penknife with the spikey thing to take stones out of horses hooves…(I’m joking about the penknife!!)
As we are loading up the car, she is impressed that I am actually ready to go but my new-found karma is threatened when she produces two pairs of wellies, one for her and one for me. I scoff that we’re in Scotland and I’ve got hiking boots thank you, which of course are best for walking in the hills, aren’t they?
Instinct (her raised eyebrows) tells me she knows more about Scotland than I do, so I reluctantly agree to borrow her spare pair but put my own hikers in the boot just in case.
We spend a lovely day in the hills and I learn the basics of how to map out an Iron or Bronze Age or even Viking roundhouse. We have a picnic sitting on an ancient tumbled-down wall with a view of Skye across the water. It’s amazing to think that the last time someone sat here it may well have been around 3000 years ago.
Of course, my friend was quite right; Wellingtons were by far the best footwear to take. The ground was very wet and muddy and we had to cross several "burns" with no stepping stones, and if I had not listened to her my hardy hiking boots would certainly not have kept my feet dry!
I recall that wellies are on my kit list for Galapagos. I now know why!
BRING IT ON!
Friday 24 April 2009
Sunday 19 April 2009
Day 69: 20 per cent off more gear?
Surely I don’t need more clothes or gear? It seems like I’ve barely started.
I need a second pair of cargo pants. I go to London’s Covent Garden where Paramo has a relatively new store. There is a large concentration of Outdoor shops in the space of a few streets, so competition must be fierce.
When asked, I tell the nice man in the Paramo shop I am going to Galapagos. He’s been there too, much to the annoyance of his colleagues. I take the opportunity to ask him lots of useless questions:
Q: What’s it like?
A: Amazing.
Q: How hot does it get?
A: Can be quite hot but it can be quite cold.
…that kind of thing.
He asks me:
Q: What kind of camera have you got?
A: An old compact digital and a film SLR.
He says:
“Take the compact digital and binoculars.”
I have actually been thinking of acquiring a second-hand digital SLR as my compact is very slow and clunky and pretty useless taking wildlife photos.
He says he wouldn’t bother but take a waterproof camera for those special underwater shots.
By now I realise we’re on different wavelengths with only Galapagos in common. But I hear what he says.
I buy my cargo pants which fit like a dream and he tells me if there’s anything else I need to buy in the other shops across the road I should tell them I’m going on a volunteer trip.
He says:
“They’ll probably give you a 20% discount as long as they have VentureCo on their database.”
Now he tells me! So where was my 20% discount from the Paramo shop??
Despite this, he is still definately a nice man as he chases me down the street to give me back my credit card that I left in the machine.
By the time I’ve finished checking my list and comparing prices in just a few of these other shops I just want to go home – I am suffering from shoppers-shuffle legs and feet. If I can’t do Covent Garden, how on earth will I cope with trekking in Galapagos??
Once home, I start researching second-hand cameras and binoculars and planning an exercise regime.
I need a second pair of cargo pants. I go to London’s Covent Garden where Paramo has a relatively new store. There is a large concentration of Outdoor shops in the space of a few streets, so competition must be fierce.
When asked, I tell the nice man in the Paramo shop I am going to Galapagos. He’s been there too, much to the annoyance of his colleagues. I take the opportunity to ask him lots of useless questions:
Q: What’s it like?
A: Amazing.
Q: How hot does it get?
A: Can be quite hot but it can be quite cold.
…that kind of thing.
He asks me:
Q: What kind of camera have you got?
A: An old compact digital and a film SLR.
He says:
“Take the compact digital and binoculars.”
I have actually been thinking of acquiring a second-hand digital SLR as my compact is very slow and clunky and pretty useless taking wildlife photos.
He says he wouldn’t bother but take a waterproof camera for those special underwater shots.
By now I realise we’re on different wavelengths with only Galapagos in common. But I hear what he says.
I buy my cargo pants which fit like a dream and he tells me if there’s anything else I need to buy in the other shops across the road I should tell them I’m going on a volunteer trip.
He says:
“They’ll probably give you a 20% discount as long as they have VentureCo on their database.”
Now he tells me! So where was my 20% discount from the Paramo shop??
Despite this, he is still definately a nice man as he chases me down the street to give me back my credit card that I left in the machine.
By the time I’ve finished checking my list and comparing prices in just a few of these other shops I just want to go home – I am suffering from shoppers-shuffle legs and feet. If I can’t do Covent Garden, how on earth will I cope with trekking in Galapagos??
Once home, I start researching second-hand cameras and binoculars and planning an exercise regime.
Saturday 4 April 2009
Day 63: Clothes shopping!
For some days now, I have been making a list of all the clothes I’ll need. I have a kit list from VentureCo and as a result of my previous years of travelling I already have most of what is required.
However, I have never been to an equatorial region before, so I don’t possess anything that is good for sweaty and hot conditions or for keeping me cool.
I have a couple of friends who are outdoor fanatics and over the years I realise that everyone has their favourite brand of gear. I am no different. I discovered Paramo almost by accident when walking in the Lake District four years ago. I splashed out on their Cascada jacket and added the trousers, and reversible shirt to my outdoor wardrobe when I went to Patagonia a year later. I make no bones about providing a link – I love the Cascada gear and wear it every day and highly recommend it to anyone. I hasten to say I don’t have shares in the company and I am not receiving payment for this endorsement.
I therefore scoured their website for relevant gear and discovered they had a sale on of discontinued stock. So today was in my diary as a “Not to be missed” event.
I am in heaven!
Rails and boxes fill up the venue and these are full of outdoor gear. There is a sale mentality the like of which I have never seen: slow rummaging as opposed to frantic digging. When you find something in your size at the same time as someone else, there are no fights breaking out. It is almost a pleasant experience.
The queue for the makeshift changing cubicles is full of jovial people: whole families right down to single trekkers like me have come for a bargain or two or getting competely kitted out.
I am searching for lightweight, fast drying cargo pants / trekking trousers with UV protection. This being a sale and me not being an Extra Small, I find only one suitable pair in my size but I am very happy with the price. I care not that this is old stock.
After wandering around for three whole hours, did I leave with just this purchase?
Of course not!
I treat myself to a couple of long sleeved shirts and 4 pairs of “Briefs” – as the words from the catalogue state: “underwear that provides outstanding wicking and therefore comfort where you need it most!”
Moving on…
The piece de resistance: a red Tiempo fleece that apart from being very warm without bulk is light, water repellant and wind resistant. I’ve had my eye on this fleece for a couple of years but resisted due to its hefty price tag. Yes, I did treat myself on this occasion.
I know some people might think I’m mad spending so much on outdoor clothing but I know from bitter experience you get what you pay for. There’s nothing more miserable than a soggy wet trekker with no hope of drying out quickly. Being wet makes you cold and can lead to hypothermia (extreme of course but not as uncommon as you might think).
I realise there is a whole heap of other types of outdoor clothing and is becoming big business; most good makes are reviewed extensively on the internet and in outdoor magazines. I just happen to like Paramo the best.
I am taking clothes that serve the following purpose to Galapagos: wicking, cooling, warmth, waterproof, base layer, rapid drying, UV protection and insect deterring.
However, I have never been to an equatorial region before, so I don’t possess anything that is good for sweaty and hot conditions or for keeping me cool.
I have a couple of friends who are outdoor fanatics and over the years I realise that everyone has their favourite brand of gear. I am no different. I discovered Paramo almost by accident when walking in the Lake District four years ago. I splashed out on their Cascada jacket and added the trousers, and reversible shirt to my outdoor wardrobe when I went to Patagonia a year later. I make no bones about providing a link – I love the Cascada gear and wear it every day and highly recommend it to anyone. I hasten to say I don’t have shares in the company and I am not receiving payment for this endorsement.
I therefore scoured their website for relevant gear and discovered they had a sale on of discontinued stock. So today was in my diary as a “Not to be missed” event.
I am in heaven!
Rails and boxes fill up the venue and these are full of outdoor gear. There is a sale mentality the like of which I have never seen: slow rummaging as opposed to frantic digging. When you find something in your size at the same time as someone else, there are no fights breaking out. It is almost a pleasant experience.
The queue for the makeshift changing cubicles is full of jovial people: whole families right down to single trekkers like me have come for a bargain or two or getting competely kitted out.
I am searching for lightweight, fast drying cargo pants / trekking trousers with UV protection. This being a sale and me not being an Extra Small, I find only one suitable pair in my size but I am very happy with the price. I care not that this is old stock.
After wandering around for three whole hours, did I leave with just this purchase?
Of course not!
I treat myself to a couple of long sleeved shirts and 4 pairs of “Briefs” – as the words from the catalogue state: “underwear that provides outstanding wicking and therefore comfort where you need it most!”
Moving on…
The piece de resistance: a red Tiempo fleece that apart from being very warm without bulk is light, water repellant and wind resistant. I’ve had my eye on this fleece for a couple of years but resisted due to its hefty price tag. Yes, I did treat myself on this occasion.
I know some people might think I’m mad spending so much on outdoor clothing but I know from bitter experience you get what you pay for. There’s nothing more miserable than a soggy wet trekker with no hope of drying out quickly. Being wet makes you cold and can lead to hypothermia (extreme of course but not as uncommon as you might think).
I realise there is a whole heap of other types of outdoor clothing and is becoming big business; most good makes are reviewed extensively on the internet and in outdoor magazines. I just happen to like Paramo the best.
I am taking clothes that serve the following purpose to Galapagos: wicking, cooling, warmth, waterproof, base layer, rapid drying, UV protection and insect deterring.
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