Scotland

<p>I'd look for someplace named Scotland that had palm trees, a beach and warm water.</p>

<p>I discovered the socks quite some time ago and will never be without them. They are absolutely brilliant albeit expensive, but worth it......thought I would pass this on http://perilla.co.uk/</p>

Perhaps a Land Rover too if you are going to carry all that gear. In the depth of my naive inexperience many years ago,

with some friends of a similar disposition, we became embroiled In a white out which came upon us in seconds. Luckily

we had left a track about 100 meters before and could find our way back. All this to say that a personal Gps and a good

Ordnance Survey map could be useful.

<p>I have a Terrano 4 x 4 2.7 diesel which is very good plus I have chains for the tyres which are BF Goodridge so that department is taken care of. I have a gps and have ordered an ordnance survey map, plus I have an app called MotionX-GPS which has had great reviews and it will record my trip in quite good detail for later use.</p>

<p>I would love to take books with me, but I do not really want to be weighed down with too much weight hence the reason I bought a kindle. So it is a pity that Philip's books are not available on kindle.</p>

<p>Scotland is extremely wet so I would plan on taking time to spend a few days in hotels to dry out. As others have said the weather in winter is often very overcast or cloudy so there will be lots of days when photography will be limited. I post this image just for fun (it was taken with a film camera in the mid 1980s)</p><div></div>

Ah, I see you had a nylon tent! I have a Soul pad tent with wood burner for heat and cooking. I do understand the

elemens can be harsh up in Scotland, but my venture is to stay outdoors and no creature comforts allowed, apart from

pancakes!!!!

Besides all the equipment experience is important - it seems that you have that. After that planning as to how you are going to achieve

your objectives is also important and then personal characteristics; fortitude, determination, patience and ability to cope with solitude will

also help. It seems you have many, if not all of these. So start that motor and get on up there and send some pictures when you can.

Good luck and have a good time.

Thanks Robert, I intend to leave by the end of the week.

Alessandro I have spent a lot of time in Canvas tents as well but in the wet nylon can work better. That tent was daily old

in 1985 when the shot was taken! The big problem will not be the cold but the damp. I live in the Canadian Rockies

where it gets very cold in winter (-40C) but I find Scotland can feel colder if you are not used to the damp climate (as I am

not because it is very dry in the Canadian Rockies). I would be careful with your cameras as condensation is a big

problem so never go cold to warm - put the camera in something that insulates it when you enter a warm room or car

(e.g. Wrap it in a dry towel and put it in a bag) so that condensation does not form inside. I would also suggest that you

are careful about the wind as it can get very strong (especially on the tops) and bell tents are not the best in high winds.

If you plan to buy wood from gas stations or forage for it you may need some gasoline or firefighters as a lot of it can be

extremely wet. I have had to use gas from a stove to get coal alight in a Scottish bothy as the gas station left it is the

snow and rain for weeks before we bought the (plastic sack) so the coal was completely sodden! You may want to take a

gasoline or propane stove as backup.

<p>Here's a shot from the Scottish island of Mull taken this summer. It was raining when I took the shot and the rain lasted for about 8 days continuously. Top tip - keep as dry as you can! <br>

Note also in some remote areas the petrol (gas) stations are unattended and need a credit card to work them</p><div></div>

<p>Thanks for the tips and having lived all over Britain in the last 25 years, DAMP CONDITIONS seem to be something of a norm now, ;-)<br>

All advice is noted and will be put to use, I am not one of those that disregards it and thinks he knows better because that is when you are looking for trouble.<br>

Just received my 50mm f1.4 lens and I am just waiting for a couple of other items to arrive on Thursday and then Friday at around 2-30am, the trip north starts.</p>

<p>Apologies, lens info incorrect, it is the</p>

<h1 >Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G Lens</h1>

<p>Has anyone used a broadband dongle in the "wilds" of Scotland and if so, which is the best coverage?</p>

<p>We use 3 Mobile but I don't have enough experience of the other networks to say which is best. Maybe other can help here. Coverage is usually OK in main population centres and along major roads but gets weaker and patchy elsewhere. Here is a link to the Ofcom (gov regulater) website giving links showing coverage for all the networks :<br /> http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/2009/08/mobile-broadband-coverage-checker/</p>

<p>Thanks Colin, I might just go with Orange which seems to have the best coverage.</p>

 

<p>What a warm welcome I have received up here in Cannich.<br>

Stopped off in Cannich caravan and camping facility and one of my dogs knocked over a little girl by accident, next thing the father is standing nose to nose with me threatening me with all kinds of violence and also threatening to kill the dog.<br>

I did apologise for the accident but this guy was adamant he was going to do me some harm, so I put him in hospital for the next 2 weeks to think over how his reaction was over the top and that I do not take threats very lightly. The police were involved but no further action will be taken against me as there were witnesses to the fracas.<br>

Apart from that the people are ever so friendly and lots of warm welcomes. </p>

<p>Have had to abandon the trip, got absolutely battered by the storm last Thursday with the tent being shredded, clothes and bedding completely soaked and ruined, lost all kinds of paper work and someone stole my wood burning stove!!!!</p>

<p>Sorry to hear about that. Hope things will get better. </p>

<p>Good to hear you personally survived, I did wonder when I saw the forecast on TV which looked quite severe!<br /> Just so no one thinks this was a trivial strom, wind speeds of 142 mph were recorded at the Nevis Ski centre and most transport throughout Scotland came to a halt. Several injuries were reported and one fatality. That is near the top end of what Scotland usually gets but it probably happens every few years.<br /> <br /> This is the Scottish storm I remember best :<br /> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Scotland_storm<br /> /> I was in my teens at the time, living in Glasgow, and the sight next morning of the many roofless houses and flattened forests remain with me to this day. Max recorded gust speed for that event was 173 mph (Cairngorms) and the Met Office started issuing Severe Weather Warnings as a result.<br /> <br /> You were probably a bit unlucky with that storm and in many other Scottish winters things would not have been so extreme. Best of luck!</p>

<p>Hi Colin, thanks for your kind words.<br>

Apparently in the Kishorn area where I was, the wind speed reached a max gust speed of 120mph with regular winds in excess of 90mph that night. <br>

I was on the side of a hill at the bottom of the funnel of the glenns, quite exposed on the SW to NW direction which I thought would be ok due to the winds coming from the S to SSW but during the night the winds turned to SW and slowly to NW. This is what did all the damaged and spread some of my clothes of a mile away. About 15 trees came down where I was camped and some were pretty close to me, unfortunately I did not take any photos as I was still absolutely shattered from the experience for about 3 days after it happened.<br>

On the Thursday I went into Loch Carron to get a coffee and something to eat, came back to the tent and somebody had stolen my wood burning stove!!!! </p>