sorry guys, after seeing the other threads under this topic, i think this might have been better under walking and climbing, maybe one of the mods could move it if they wanted? but anyways...
I have a problem (but you might have guessed that, right? ):
As i live in essex (and i use the word live instead of 'exist' to make it sound not so bad ), therefore the advantages and disadvantages to the different modes of transport, when getting to hills, are quite important.
I really want to bulk up my QMD's this year, and want to get some nice weather while i am away, as my last two QMD bagging trips were cold wet and windy and at the end of january i did a winter mountaineering and climbing course in fort william, soooo...
i want to go away for up to three weeks to get as much in as i can, so i am thinking either Cairngorms, Lakes, or Snowdonia to give me enough variety. my last two QMD trips were for a week in the Lakes, and a week in Snowdonia, so i am thinking Cairngorms as first choice.
The problem is; what's the best way to get there?
if i get the train/plane, i would have the freedom of movement in that i do not need to return to the car all the time, but it would limit what i could take with me and mean i have to hike from place to place all the time and lose time i could be spending on the QMD's (i spent half my lakes trip walking about on the roads getting to and from the different routes i had planned - even with good planning, you can't avoid some road and path walking). You also need to book long in advance to ensure cheap prices, meaning you cannot be as well informed about the whether you can expect.
if i drive (from essex) it really adds the miles onto your car (i racked up 1400 miles getting to fort william and back with some getting about while i was there for the week - i don't know if my car, or me for that matter, can handle another trip so like that so soon), it means you have the responsibility of parking your car in suitable places and always need to return to it, but you are able to carry as much equipment (and three weeks worth of food if i want) and can get from route to route much easier. You can also leave it to almost the last minute to travel and can be mmore certain as to what whether you can expect.
where i go and how i get there are kind of dependant upon one and other, so now i have told you lots of info you all know , anyone have any suggestions or ides for things i haven't thought of?
would there be any mileage in getting a cheap motor up there bringing it back down south n selling it....um he he I'll leave it up to your imagination as to wether u pay for it or not(only joking of course). Of course theres always the coach....or cycle with the train....wouldn't try motorbiking it tho
i like the idea of the hire car; whack the milage and abuse on that rather than my car
my mate just said to me, if i don't know where to go, why not work my round a few destinations, like go to north wales, then to scotland, and the lakes on the way back, that way it's not as hard on the car, as it isn't covering 600 miles straight away in getting to scotland and another 600 getting home. maybe a hire car for this would still be a good idea, then the only draw backs are finding somewhere to park all the time, but i could pay for a cheap camp site for the week and just park it there and go off wild camping at each of the three places.
i dont know, i'm sure i'll think of something, it's really pants living here.
cant the mountain come to ryan?
johnny, steal a car ? ha ha! coach is something i never thought of, but it leaves even less scope for what i can take and probably limits what places i can get to.
the other thing i didn't think of is transport from the airport/station to the hills, not to bad for the train station, but from the airport it could be 100miles or something.
Go by public transport to the area you want to be, and hitch between walks?? That's what I did (admittedly 20 years ago). Worked out very well. Other than that I reckon you could walk around the Cairngorms/Scotland for many days doing plenty of interesting stuff, without ever going near a road. Depends on how many days food you can carry.
Not sure about restrictions on what you can take on a coach weight wise or any public transport (over here) other than the iron-birds but it may be worth checking. The down side to car hire is damage to the said......After a weeks camping I know what one in my possesion would look like. - oh btw I only infered that one might think of borrowing a car but I do know people who used to buy cars there, bring them down south and turn a small profit.
Cathy's suggestion has some legs - I used to hitch everywhere.....all you need is a truckers passport ie a box of tachographs (or empty one) and although a mite slower than the car theres still loads of haulage between south n north but of course time is the factor, even though you'd see lots more of the countryside and meet some interesting peeps in the process. Nowdays (I stay seven miles from the nearest um loosely described as civilised town) I can walk there and back, with my thumb out and even see people from the same place drive past me without the offer a lift - Its quite strange to think that hitchhikers are seen as villainous as surely its the car drivers who have the means of the doing of no good....
Hitching still works. Or put it another way... worked for me on a few occasions in the past few weeks on Gran Canaria... reaching the parts the buses don't reach.
To combine public transport with hill walks, the obvious thing to do is to head for a 'base' where you know there will be lots of buses to and from the hills. In the Lake District, that means staying in places like Ambleside and Keswick... but definitely NOT Wasdale or Ennerdale. Stands to reason, when you think it through. On the flip side, if you know there's no public transport as far as the eye can see... then take the car.
Yes Paddy I do agree in foreign climes it still works....but in the uk imho it doesn't for me.....Almost interestingly a few years back stuck in a town on the pelopenese with a 45km walk back to 'camp' in front of me after missing the last bus back, a taxi driver drove along side me for about ten minutes trying to talk me into letting him give me a lift - I was highly suspicious until I realised he didn't want payment of any sort as infact he was from exactly where I was heading and was on his way back from a fare rather than touting for business. There are more recent anecdotes but sadly none of them are about hitching in the uk....
I give lifts when appropriate. I live in a rural area with limited/no public transport. Usually I hardly ever see anyone asking. OTH in the summer in the highlands there are quite a few, mostly young, people hitching. Good on them, for getting about without adding more cars and carbon footprint to the country.
i was walking from beddgelert to penrhynduedraeth (or something like that, you know where i mean) when a ford ka pulled over to offer a lift, i was in full army DPM's and boots with a massive 135l bergen on my back, we could hardly get my bag in the boot, it was very funny; his wife was going bananas at him but he loved it and was telling me of all the hitching he had done as a youngster. to be honest i enjoyed chatting to some new people and it was a memorable part of the trip.
cathy, i carry a weeks worth of food, plus a days emergency, when i'm away, so with a good bit of planning, perhaps i could find a route that would be about six days, then finish somewhere near civilisation and maybe find a campsite or BnB for a nice warm shower and to resupply, then repeat this process twice. hopefully i can find a couple of train stations at the start and end of the three weeks.
the only thing holding me back would be the fact i cannot plan for the weather as well, as i need to book my tickets really early to get a discount. and i really want some nice weather for a change; as i say my last three trips now have been in winter conditions and it would be a nice change. plus i will only need to carry me poncho instead of a tent.
Get on a bus? Traveline is a good resource for planning local journeys. I plan start and end points and copy the bus info that I will need onto rizla papers
http://www.traveline.info/
I've hitched on Skye with success but with complete failure in the Peaks.
3 weeks would allow you to train to Fort William and walk the Grey Corries and Grey Mamores ridges (18 Munro's I think) then walk to Knoydart via whatever you want before catching the ferry and then train back home. Overnight train to Glasgow means one less night accomodation as well.
I have 3 days spare while visiting the Inlaws so will hopefully be catching the bus to Spean Bridge and doing the Grey Corries, wild camping high-ish on the ridge before finishing in Ft Bill and catching the bus back to Morayshire.
All depends on the weather and snow line at the moment but that should get me another 3 QMD's with any luck.
watch them busses at spean bridge, steve, one of them almost crashed into me last month when i was going to the commando memorial from fort william!
i think i am going to spread the weeks out, maybe one week in wales during easter, then two weeks in scotland when the weather warms up.
i'm going to drive to wales, but get the train to scotland i think.- though the ferry sounds a cool option, i just need a beautiful girl on my arm (actually i'd take an ugly one ) rather than being a solo traveller, and it would be quite romantic. ha ha
i'll check out the grey corries and grey mamores and see what i can come up with, steve. i never thought of walking from west to east kind of thing. though i still don't trust you in that pirates hat mate , cheers.
johnny, the midges and that are a bit of a pain aren't they. i have a puncho that i wild camp under too so it is open ended. i have to give the hood of my bivvy bag a coating with my 95% deet and wrap myself up nice and snug in my bag; like having a force field around me head - bit of a worry breathing all that in though
belgium? thats in france isn't it?
i guess i should count myself lucky then shouldn't i.
sorry guys, after seeing the other threads under this topic, i think this might have been better under walking and climbing, maybe one of the mods could move it if they wanted? but anyways...
):
), therefore the advantages and disadvantages to the different modes of transport, when getting to hills, are quite important.
, anyone have any suggestions or ides for things i haven't thought of?
? ha ha! coach is something i never thought of, but it leaves even less scope for what i can take and probably limits what places i can get to.
but I do know people who used to buy cars there, bring them down south and turn a small profit.
