2pints-mate 0 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 There has just been an interesting documentary on the tv here (in the UK) called Mountain. They are going to be covering some of the mountains of the UK. This week it was north west Scotland. I have been to Scotland a few times and always liked it, but I didn't know about the places they went and I didn't know that there was such remote and impressive looking mountains up there. Incredible scenery - and some really good looking snow as well. One of the places they went as the Cuillin mountains on the Isle of Sky. Fantastic it looked. I might just have to take another trip up there. Anyone been up some of the very remote peaks up there? Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 No not really. I've been to the Ski places though. Glencoe is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. When you go up in the access lift and look around, its absolutely awe inspiring. Of course Ben Nevis is great as well, in fact the whole area around Fort William is gorgeous. Never been to Skye, but I have heard that its beautiful, you can't ski there though...well at least there are no resorts there. If you are into ice climbing etc, the cairngorms has some good places apparently, but this is also dependent on the weather and as I said in the Oz snow thread, recently winters are becoming milder. If you are into hiking, there is a trail called the west highland way, from Milngavie in the north of Glasgow to Fort William. Passing through Ben lomond, passing Loch Lomond all the way through the various Glens including Glencoe until you get to Fort William where Ben Nevis is. Its about 90-95 miles long so its a fair walk!!! Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 here are some pics of scotland with and without snow Glencoe Glencoe aerial view Glenshee Glencoe Cairngorms Glenshee Cairngorms after snowstorm, 2006 BC at the Nevis Range Link to post Share on other sites
me jane 0 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 Did you take those pics TB? Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 no, I wish.....I had a quick look online and pinched them. Thought it would be better to give people an actual view of scotland. i paint a pretty bleak picture of the ski industry, but like I've said before if the weather is right, you can have some cracking days. You have to stay peeled to the weather and be ready to go at a moments notice....not very good for tourists but good for us locals! Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 nice pics. Fort William is one of those places on my list. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 a nice view of Fort William with Ben Nevis in the background If you ever make it over Thursday, you should start off up in Inverness, drive round the north west side of Loch Ness and follow it down to Fort Augustus all the way to Fort William, absolutely beatuiful. Continue on through Glencoe and into Loch Lomond and then Glasgow if you wanted a bit of city life. Like I say that area of Scotland is really stunning Link to post Share on other sites
Rag-Doll 0 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 I did a drive through Scotland a few (quite a few!) years ago. I agree with all of the above - although I had the worst Chinese food I've ever eaten at Fort William. Skye is pretty amazing – two of my sisters lived and worked on Raasay for a couple of years. The whole region is incredibly beautiful. If you get a chance, try to get up to the Orkneys as well, Skara Brae and Maeshowe (including its viking graffiti) and all the other really really old stuff is wonderful. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 When I'm in a foreign land, I eat the food of the land. Haggis, yummy. I drove London to Edinburgh a few years back. Absolutely knackered after that and didn't go any further up north. Next time will be the itin from Tubby. Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites
spook 0 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 Quote: I had the worst Chinese food I've ever eaten at Fort William. did it come with chips? Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 Next time Thursday, just fly from London to edinburgh then hire a car from there, much quicker and not so tiresome!! Quite a few decent pubs in Fort William I remember working up there about 6 years ago, me and this older guy were replacing flooded out floors, so the company put us up for 4 nights and gave us an allowance for dinner etc. We used to go out for a pint every night, always saying that it'd be only 1 this time, but still crawling back to our hotel at closing time!!! Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 I watched that last night too, complete with Griff Rhys Jones gurning. Agree there was some beautiful places he visited sure didn't look like the UK. Next week he is in the Lake District so that should be worth a watch as well. Link to post Share on other sites
spook 0 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 the scottish higlands are supposed to be one of the most remote places in all of europe. they look pretty epic. i was on a trip there once, but it had to be aborted... am looking forward to heading there in the next few years though. and why has no one mentioned the scotch? Link to post Share on other sites
soubriquet 0 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 Scotch As a geology undergrad, we did our fieldwork in NW Scotland. Brilliant. Starting at one end of the line of single malts we worked our way to the other end. I have many happy memories of Scotland Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 Double Glenlivet straight please. And have one for your good self. Link to post Share on other sites
spook 0 Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 i can see this thread turning into something similar to the beer one... i'm not particularly in the ways of scotch, but i like drinking it. i got a bottle of ballantines at the moment. i like it, for what it's worth. what's the theory behind single malts vs blends? Link to post Share on other sites
SerreChe 2 Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 Superb pictures and it is steep ! Link to post Share on other sites
Weegeoff 0 Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 I am haveing a long weekend up there this week. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 up in Scotlnad in general? or up in FOrt William in particular? Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 Malts are the original, unchanged whisky. The distiller hasn't mixed it with any other type of whisky. The Blends as the name suggests is a mixture of many whiskies, first started mainly as a profit making venture. The idea being that the overall taste of the blend is better than the individual flavour of each whisky. Many people think that poorer whisky is used in blends but this isn't always the case. By law each ingredient whisky must've been aged for at least 3 years, but in many regular blends there can be whisky that is up 25 years old. I guess it all comes down to taste, and as with the beer thread, I'm sure there will be a lot of whisky snobbery going on. Me, I don7t touch the stuff Link to post Share on other sites
farquah 0 Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 LOVE the Cairngorms, did my silver Dof E up there when I was at high school, top memories of hiking the range and nearly getting caught in a wicked storm. Anyone on here done their gold D of E? Always wanted to get it but never got around to taking it. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 Silver. Sca Fell, Lakes. Getting gold would mean walking around the lawn trying to avoid shaking hands with the DofE. Link to post Share on other sites
SnowJapan Admin SnowJapan#Andrew 6 Posted July 31, 2007 SnowJapan Admin Share Posted July 31, 2007 I will be up in the Lakes on Thursday and Friday (unfortunately with lots of meetings). Really love that area. Fine weather these last few days as well. That north west part of Scotland is amazing, definitely worth a trip. If you can get the weather it's hard to beat. Link to post Share on other sites
zdlfskdladealijfsxdfk 0 Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 Fort William in itself isn't a particularly nice town - wonderful surroundings though. Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 In the programme it said that the Cuillin mountains are up for sale (no joke). Link to post Share on other sites
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