Buachaille News: 05/01/2006

Suilven & Sandwood Bay trip - Wednesday, May 31, 2006


Sandwood Bay from the cliffs


	Am Buachaille sea stack


Am Buachaille (portrait)


	Looking south-west from below Bealach Mor (Suilven)


Looking back to Suilven from Lochinver


	Ardvreck Castle sunset


Meall Meadhonach

Photos by I. Martin

The Cobbler - Arrochar -


Tree carvings on the path between Tarbert train station and Arrochar


	Wooden man close-up


The Cobbler from Loch Long


	View from the summit


Pay & display in Arrochar! Also, wouldn't it be more concise to replace the date/day ranges with "all the bloody time!"?

Photos by I. Martin

Midge Forecast launched -

Launched last week, the Midge Forecast for Scotland predicts the abundance of midges for 5 areas within Scotland. From the site:

The midge forcast for Scotland is based on live data collected from specific sites. Midge data collection points have been set up throughout Scotland.

Collection data is linked to the general forecast using data from the nearest Met Office station to predict the occurence of midges.

Digging a little deeper, it appears the site's main function is to promote the Midgeater insect trap manufactured by Calor:

Developed by a team of University of Edinburgh based scientists, led by leading midge expert Dr Alison Blackwell, the forecast uses actual midge catch data recorded using Scottish made Midgeater insect traps and weather data from the Met Office. Part funding for the development was provided by Calor Gas and Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothians.

In extensive trials conducted in 2004 and 2005 the forecasting system has proven to be as accurate as other established forecasts such sun and pollen indexes. The forecast accuracy is dependent on weather forecast accuracy.

As the forecast uses historical midge catch data - which is continuously verified with catch data from a Scotland wide network of collection traps - we can forecast midge activity for any part of Scotland as far ahead as weather forecast data is available.

Nevertheless, it could prove to be a useful site for walkers and climbers.

Craig McMaster - Monday, May 22, 2006

Following on from a previous post regarding Craig McMaster's photography, we got sent a link to his website. If you get a spare minute, it's worth checking out - the photos are top quality.

Rohan products added -

Just a quick note to say we've added a bunch of Rohan products to the site. Although not as "technical" as other brands, the consistent build quality goes someway towards justifying the fairly hefty price tags. Also, in terms of popularity their range of walking trousers are on a par with Craghoppers.

One bargain we did notice is the Rohan Far Horizons jacket (ladies version also available) reduced from £275 to £99.

Interesting ME auction on eBay - Saturday, May 20, 2006

Mountain Equipment Jacket & Salopettes used on Everest

From the description...

This is an extremely rare and unique opportunity a acquire a piece of Everest history that can also still be used for many years to come by a mountain climbing enthusiast.

The 1986 US Everest North Ridge Expedition took place to try and unravel the mystery as to whether Mallory and Irvine had reached the summit almost 30 years before Ed Hillary and Tenzing Norgay did in 1953.

This expedition was filmed for a documentary that subsequently won awards on both sides of the Atlantic. In the UK the finished documentary was shown on BBC 2.

The outfit that is for sale here was the one actually worn by one of the producers of the documentary, Alistair MacDonald. He wore it up to his high point on the expedition of 23,000 feet and the jacket was only subsequently ever worn once more for some hill climbing but never again on another expedition. The salopettes were never worn again.

Check out the auction

Why I hate eBay today - Monday, May 15, 2006

Everyone's done it at least once. You discover the perfect item on eBay. You've been waiting for this tent/jacket/sleeping bag to come up for the last 3 months. It's brand new, the photographs are perfect, the seller has great feedback and the auction finishes in a couple of hours. You then somehow convince yourself to hold off until the last minute in order to limit the chances of a bidding war. What a clever idea - you smile smugly. Approximately 1 hour before the auction ends, something or someone (typically work-related) distracts your attention away from the job at hand (i.e. securing your dream tent/jacket/sleeping) and for some reason your mind drifts off. Approximately 80 minutes later, you suddenly sit bolt upright. Sh*t! That bl**dy auction! You hit refresh hoping that eBay's clocks have stopped or at least slowed down a little only to be greeted by the dreaded "THIS AUCTION HAS ENDED" message. To make matters worse, the final price is always £30 less than the amount you were prepared to pay.

So if anyone won a Rab Quantum 400 sleeping bag (pictured above) on Tuesday, please get in touch - i'm sure we can agree a fair price!

You can't beat Arran - Tuesday, May 02, 2006


Tourist's shot of Goatfell


	North Glen Sannox


Lunchtime on The Saddle


	Camped on The Saddle


Cir Mhor from Glen Rosa


	Cir Mhor from Caisteal Abhail


Witches Step from The Saddle


	Witches Step from Coire nan Ceum


Cir Mhor from the North


	Cloud appreciation


"The Castle"


	Beinn Tarsuinn smoking


Sunset from Cir Mhor

Photos by I. Martin

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