Wednesday 4 October 2017

Mennock Pass camp

To tick an item off my 'bucket list' I had to make some gear first
Drove up 19th September in blue sky and sunshine picked a spot and got the tent up
Had an explore about then cooked tea had a brew and retired to the tent with a bottle of Grants. It started to Rain ! it was still raining in the morning. Rigged a tarp up over the truck as somewhere to cook brew and get dressed and undressed, 


as I get older and can't sit cross legged anymore the tent seems to get smaller. Met another 'panner' at dinner time who put a tent up by mine, spent the day sucking gravel up and panning it and got my first few 'tiny' pieces of gold Wahoo! wasn't bothered about the rain ! That night we had a few Grants under my tarp then into the tents as the wind got up and the rain was going sideways, they both got heavier in the night. The next morning the Burn was a raging torrent so spent a few hours on the old mine tips above Leadhills scratting for crystals and minerals and back to the camp late afternoon where the Burn had gone down enough to scrat about at the edges another couple of tiny specks. Friday morning wasn't too bad and as the other panner was leaving at dinner time I set off into the hills up one of the side Burns by 2 o'clock I'd only had a couple of tiny specks and it started to rain Heavy ! back to the camp packed up and drove home a real bed was Luxury !
I've given up to the Vango Force 10, I need to be able to stand up in a tent and even have an air or camp bed I just wish I'd taken a couple of 2" x 8' wood poles I have and could have made the tarp off the truck roof rack more substantial. I'm hoping to get another trip up Scotland before winter sets in just got to get the tarp/tent/sleeping sorted
camera didn't want to focus into a small bottle of water
 


5 comments:

  1. I've considered Mennock for a camp, but I've heard stories about chavs... and the local pub is reported to be occupied by hillbillies. Not sure if any of this is true. They don't make tents like that any more, though... or do they...?

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    1. there were a few big fire scars up the pass where there's more parking (either side of road) and quite a few beer cans in the burn which I picked out and brought back with my rubbish, but I must have been out of 'chav' season as it was very quite,the odd car and gamekeeper that passed either waved or stopped for a friendly chat :-)

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    1. I didn't try the Pub, too far to walk and wasn't shure about the 'Banjo' players

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    2. the tents fine and stood the gale and sideways rain no problems I've had it 30 years it just seems 1/2 the size it used to be, not that I'm getting older !

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