Friday 5 September 2008

Who do you trust?

Sorry for the delay in transmission, however I have been side tracked along the way!

Starting with 2 weeks in Scotland, which by most standards I would say was fine: OK it rained, except for one day when I briefly saw the sun: OK the midges came out..... you just cant win sometimes can you. Anyway, despite a rather damp feel to the air I managed to run Ben Nevis (twice) and then head over for a trot up into the Mamores. Now while running the descent I bumped into a group of German (I think) visitors:

"which way to the split in the track?" said a cheerful young man.

"Well I dont live here and I am just out for a run, but there is a kind of cross in the path up there on the saddle before you ascend the summit is that what you are looking for?"

"Oh yes, can you tell me is it the West Highland way?"

"I havent a clue mate I am just up here for a run"

"Oh well that will be it then, how long to the top?"

By now I was loosing patience as I was cooling down. "An hour at the rate you are walking" I replied. "But I dont know if that is the route you are looking for, havent you got a map?"

"Oh yes, a very bad one"

"Good luck" and off I ran back into Glen Nevis. On reaching the car I checked my map to find that they were indeed mistaken and that wasnt the path at all! Never mind, it's nice to be back...

7 comments:

Alan Sloman said...

You are a happy happy bar steward, Shamus!

Well, they did have a map.

And they were German.

The Germans do have a knack of finding their way around Europe every now and then, and then back home again.

I am sure they wil have been fine...

Walk Dartmoor said...

I do hope so Alan, I felt guilty for about 20 seconds you know!

I had the pleasure of staying in the Alexandra Hotel in Fort William for 5 nights before heading over to the East coast. It had a fair share of visitors in the Hotel, it felt very cosmopolitan, but no Germans.

Alan Sloman said...

"I had the pleasure of staying in the Alexandra Hotel in Fort William...... It had a fair share of visitors in the Hotel.... but no Germans."

No Shamus.

They were still lost up in the Mamores.

How can you live with yourself?

Walk Dartmoor said...

How can you live with yourself?

Well that night it was two pints of Guiness with chicken stuffed with haggis...

Anonymous said...

Hi Shamus, nice to see you back. The Mamores are lovely but honestly, without a map, yikes, dangerous. Having been up there several times, summer and winter in good weather and bad. Without a map though, no way. make a mistake on the tops and it could be the last mistake you make. Glad you had a good time. Dawn. By the by, I am heading off again.

Walk Dartmoor said...

Good luck with heading off again Dawn, I hope the train journey provides us with an entertaining post.

Just for the record, it was the Germans that didnt have a map: mine was in my running sack. I know what you mean though I was on one summit and stopped to say hi to a couple of lads, you could see the cloud cloaking the next summit only 1/2 a mile away and sweeping right toward us. 'Sorry boys I'm off, i dont mind running or navigating but I have come up here for fun' - I headed down and out of the cloud leaing them to walk back in naff all visibility.


Selfish arent I ;-))

Anonymous said...

ah, the alexandra and young rabert rabertson entertaining us with his songs. great summer for my hols, nice to have met you < :-) >