...and golf

Machrihanish Dunes was offering a two night three day all you care to golf package for a stupidly low price of 80 pounds. Impossible to pass up as one round of golf on this course is 95 pounds! The Dunes is an SSPC protected site so there was very little done to the landscape. Very natural links course. They call it "the way golf was". We played 3 rounds on it and one round on the Old Course at Machrihanish. I still prefer the old course but the new course was extreme. With a 30 mph wind all three days it was difficult but enjoyable. The greens were long and had not yet been seeded with bent, so it will be a couple of years for this course to come into its own but the layout is spectacular.


Straight down the middle.


I was disappointed not to be in a bunker until the 15th hole, then I found out just how deep they are.


None of the bunkers were dug. They are all 100% natural!


Our cottage. Livin' large!


View of town from the beach off the Old Course.


Where's my longboard when I need it!


Bathrobes and whiskey in the evenings. Oh, yeah.


1st tee at the Old Course. Hit over the Atlantic ocean.


Nice form. Aoum made par on this par three.


Someone was watching over us. The sun shone on the course and town and nowhere else in the country!

October Break - Ben Nevis and Machrihanish

We had a nice week holiday in October. We went to the west coast and had nice (relatively) weather. It rained and even flooded in Aberdeen so we made the right call. We left on Monday and drove across to Fort William. Driving across Scotland is always a treat. Long roads wind around lakes and mountains. We had plans to climb Ben Nevis up a ridge route, but the winds were up to 70 mph and we thought better of it. The clouds were above the top though and we enjoyed great views all around from the highest peak in the UK.




Monday evening. Not bad views for just showing up.


Tuesday morning.


One stone by one stone these cairns get bigger.

Frozen on the top.

Ring of Steale.

On the way back down.

Looks more like the Cairngorms down low.

Nice Day Up Clochnaben

We took our bikes and rode to the woods to get the boring walk in out of the way. It was hot
(25c), yes Scotland gets like this occasionally.




Aoum took the "short cut" through the jungle. ;)


Oh, Yeah.


Climbing in short sleeves in October no less.


Note the midges in the sunlight = no wind


Onwards and upwards

Glenshee (The Cairnwell and Carn Aosda)

Just a quick Sunday walk. After hurricane force winds (100 mph) on Saturday and the first snows of the season, we thought we'd go up and have a look. Here is what we found.


Top of the Cairnwell Chair


Cute single seaters


Hard to walk without swinging your legs


Cairn Aosda and snowy Cairngorns behind


View down into the parking area.


Top of Cairn Aosda with snowy Cairngorms behind



Steep but short climb


Beautiful day. (Can't see the wind in photos)

09.08.29 Ben Avon (Beinn A' Bhuird and Leabaidh an Daimh Bhuide)

Ben Avon is a large complex of peaks. We did two munros, Beinn A' Bhuird and Leabaidh an Daimh Bhuide. It was 15km on the bike and 25 on foot. A long day but spectacular views. My bike broke on the way bake. Good thing it was down hill. ;)


Coming down from Ben Avon


Windy pass


Up to Ben Avon in the clouds


Big Views


Come on slow pokes! ;)


Fun day out


The Cairngorns

09.08.22 Beinn Bhrotain & Monadh Mor

Aoum and I went up early and Jim and Dan followed. They caught us as we were having lunch on the top of Beinn Bhrotain. The weather was warm and sunny in the valley and windy and FREEZING on the tops. It is amazing how much the temperature can be different. I borrowed gloves from Dan (IN AUGUST) to get feelings back in my hands. We had great view across to Devil's Point, Cairn Toul and Angel's Peak. The walk back down Glen Geusachan was easier than we expected with a good trail the entire distance.


Devil's Point from the River Dee side

Glen Geusachan with Devil's Point in the background

Biking in from White Bridge

09.08.11 Lochnagar loop 2 - (Cairn Bannoch and Broad Cairn)

We took our bikes this time and rode to the end of the lake. We walked up the "lightning path" Broad Cairn and then on to Cairn Bannoch. As we got to the top of the valley, the path vanished and we made our way down into the Dubh Loch valley. Aoum did a great job picking our way through the bog (mine) field. There was an old fence post line down the middle of the bog that helped a bit but for the most part it was WILD! ;)


Top of Broad Cairn


Gin Kow


View into Glen Clova (3.5 hours by car!)


View back into Loch Muick

Loch Muick

09.08.07 Lochnagar loop (Cac Carn Beag)

Back from summer and feeling fit, we went up to Lochnagar and did this loop. We walked to the end of Loch Muick, up the waterfall route to Cac Carn Beag. We returned by way of Meikle Pap and "the Ladder", a stone pathway built for the queen to have an easy way up. The weather was amazing and beside a little wind and cloud on the top it was warm and beautiful.

Aoum on top of Cac Carn Beag


Lochnager down below.


Pathway up to Cac Cairn Beag