Lochearnhead Newsletter Week 2 Issue 9

Station Times

20th August 2012 - Issue 9

It was OARSOME!!!

Weather The West Highlands

Showery, especially west.

Blustery western summits.

50 years of Lochearnhead Edition

Yesterday we went white water rafting and canyoning. In the rafting we went down 6 different rapids and learnt how to help people when they fall out of the raft. When we came along side another raft we all jumped on and tried to pull as many people off as possible.

How Windy?

South or southwesterly 15 increasing to 20mph, but on western hills strengthening to 25 to in evening perhaps 30mph.

How Wet? Showers, mainly western mountains, where near and west of Loch Linnhe once or twice over a couple of hours, rain may be almost constant.

Small risk thunder.

Cloud on the hills?

Cloud base highest northern Lochaber, where base 700 rising to 1050m, with breaks to higher summits. Elsewhere, cloud base at times below 450m, and only rare breaks above 750m well inland.

I think canyoning was more fun though, we climbed across rocks and went through rapids.

We even managed to climb a small waterfall. We got to jump of rocks into deep water and swim to the shore. I think today was really fun and I would like to do all the activities again someday!

Thomas Ronayne

Top Ropes!

When we arrived it wasn’t raining, the perfect conditions for climbing.

Sunshine - Air clarity?

Patchwork of bright sunshine, northern Lochaber.

Little sun elsewhere.

Visibility excellent, but extensively foggy on western and southern hills.

How Cold? o 10 C (at 900m) o 18 C (at Station)

We started by traversing in a small area. After that we started to climb two different courses, an easy and a harder on, and then we had to abseil down. After lunch, we tried two harder courses, one of which had very few hand and foot grips. Finally we finished by abseiling but to our bad luck it started to rain, overall it was a good say sitting with excitement.

Group E

Mug shot of the day.

The cooks had spent the day at the Lochearn-head Village fete, but they had still provided dinner!

The DC was a little dizzy after his trip in the minibus!

When mugsy said could he have a go on the tombola this wasn't exactly what he meant!

Page 2

The hills are alive with Haggis

Sailing on Loch Earn

The Haggis has a lovely life, upon mountain, loch and moor. The mountain haggis (most common known) has two left legs long and two right short, allowing for the lucky Hag, to meet the female of their clan.

Our sailing skills were ropey at first until Paul come along showed us how it was done (and what we were doing wrong). There was no wind at first so we used the tiller as an oar and paddled with our hands!

The haggis of the lower land lives among the rock by the deepest lochs. Using crow’s nests and old rabbit dens and feasts on fresh caught trout.

After lunch the wind picked up and we were sailing at speed but Matthews knowledge come to a stop when we was come to a stop when he was whacked in the face by the boom.

Bradley tried to steal matt’s plastic balls but instead ended up falling in! he was quickly pulled out but not before he got completely soaked!

Thomas, Nigel and Francesca had a boat that tipped a lot so when he went on a boat with Helen he was very wary he was going to topple off so was a bit shaky.

Over all we had a great day and got the hang of sailing!

Group C

But did you know that this is not always so. For every seven years there is a change of metamorphic proportion. They shed their fur and feather’s; and this is called the malt. Their skin it is so irritated it caused them to scratch and rub, to claw away their coat. And now you know where we get the saying: “The seven year itch!”

The local folk of glen and moor all work to bring it in; the malted fur and feathers are gathered in just one single large net, Ay a gathering of a single malt! To make some Scottish drink.

Brecon Bear didn’t quite take to sail as well as he hoped

Don’t forget not Hands in Pockets! You will get Taped!

Scout 1: Has Rose grown a few Inches?

Scout 2: No she is just sitting down on the job!

Once they have been through the malt and changed their sex as well, they move from moor to mountain and the other way as well, too find a nest and lay their eggs and build a sheltered home. You may have seen a pile of stones of three feet tall or more! To some it may be a cairn to other they cairn less, they know the secret hiding place of Haggi at their best.