Loch Achray meet 23rd -26th June 2006

[JohnC]

Back home, tending to midge bites. What a great meet! Thanks to those organising..
Midge net tutorial should be considered

 

[Eric_Methven]

What a great weekend. Thanks to everyone who made it so. Also thanks to everyone who made Cameron feel so welcome. He's hooked on bushcraft, and hooked on hammocks. Here's just a couple of the hundred or so photos I took.

This 'Jam'session had nothing to do with making preserves.

Good Scottish music

Cameron and 'monkey' in his hammock

Cameron & Ross paddling their own canoe

Gone fishin'

Sausages and chips for tea

Sausages round the campfire
Eric

 

[Scuba Pete]

Hi,

I was hoping to attend, but I was off last week not well. Looked great. I am glad you enjoyed it.

Pete

 

[MagiKelly]

It was a great weekend and some lucky rats are still there. It is just not fair.

I will try and post a more detailed review and pictures once I get caught up.

 

[outdoorcode]

Had a great time, really enjoyed the canoe's and the fact they provided an escape from the midges was a great bonus

 

[gregorach]

Yeah, it may have been the seventh circle of midge hell, but it was well worth it! Big thanks to everyone for making it such a great weekend.

Josh - sorry me and John left without having a chance to say goodbye, and many thanks for the repeated use of your canoe. I think I spent more time in it than you did!

Once again, to everyone: :You_Rock_

 

[Doc]

Great fun.

The midgies certainly enjoyed it.

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

 

[gregorach]

This is about the best photo I got from the weekend:

I really need to get into the habit of actually using my camera...

 

[Grooveski]

That was brilliant .

Stole the Bob Special(it had the most airbags - hope you don't mind Doc

) and went for a starlit paddle with JohnC on saturday night . Watched the space station hurtle over and drank in the mirror surfaced view.

Monday turned out... erm... rather nice. There was semi-serious banter about just paddling the whole camp away from the scout site and sticking around for another night.

Josh

 

[Doc]

"....should you be lucky enough to be moving across a calm surface with mirrored clouds, you may have the sensation of suspension between heaven and earth, of paddling not on the water but through the skies themselves...."
Sigurd Olson

[/IMG]

And of course you are most welcome to take the Bob special out. Glad you enjoyed it.

 

[Graham_S]

another great meet for the scottish ranks of BCUK (with a few distinguished guests from south of the border, as always everyone is welcome)
i turned up around 1400 ish in the friday with Katy who was attending her first ever meet. the weather was glorious, sunny and calm (unfortunatly the lack of wind meant that the dreaded midgies had free reign) i can report however that the magikelly mozzie netting will keep out the little b******s.

for once at a meet people were fighting to get into the smoke from the fire

also headnets are a virtual must. they could have charged three times the price and it would have still be a bargain

i went for a paddle in grooveski's canoes and had a great time. now i've spent an hour looking wistfully at canoes on evil-bay. so far i've resisted but it's been close.
i did buy some more arrows though, i had a few casualties due to my bad shooting
sunday was fantastic. a breeze sprang up and the clouds (of midgies) dispersed.
suddenly Loch Achray was the most idyllic place on earth.

can't wait for the next one (although maybe out of midgie season this time)

and for the benifit of all those who left early, monday was the best day of all (except for the part where we had to leave.)

 

[stuart f]

Hi all, i thought you might like a squint at a few photos of the meet. A big thanks must go out to all who attended and for making it another enjoyable experience. Thanks to all who's generosity left me carrying out more than i took with me,all i have to say is that :You_Rock_ .

My lasting memory would be MIDGIES,MILLIONS OF MIDGIES i'm sure sombody tipped them off that we were free fodder

This was the view from my hammock and i'm sure you'll agree that waking up to this every morning was a privilage.


And heres Russ demonstrating blowing an ember from the bow drill to flame.

 

[CraigM9]

Hi All,

Just wanted to say a big thank you to all the great people I met at Achray and for the use of their canoes - ta, and to Stu & Russell for the plant identification and fire by friction help - very much appreciated!

Look forward to seeing you all at the next one!

Regards,

Craig.

 

[Doc]

....so, as Craig says, how about another meet? I notice quite a few folk, both old hands and new faces, wanted to go to this one but couldn't make it.

Last year we had a meet at Achray around September, if I recall correctly, and there were no midgies. Might be worth doing it again if the site is free?

 

[Graham_S]

as always, i'm in

 

[Eric_Methven]

Wonderful! Cameron and I are up for another meet in September.

Eric

 

[locum76]

count me in in september... i know gregorach well and he's reported back that it was good (and the pics are well bonny). i was a bit shy this time because im a newcomer to bushcraft and wasn't sure if turning up with a crap tent and under-equipped would be acceptable...

i didn't know loch achray was so close to loch venacher. i used to spend time around loch venacher as a kid and it'd be, at the very least, a good nostalgia trip for me.

 

[jamesoconnor]

i'd be up for another meet in sptember or october.

 

[warthog1981]

count me in id be well up for another meet

 

[Grooveski]

Last year we had a meet at Achray around September, if I recall correctly, and there were no midgies.

A week after the september meet I was eaten alive on loch fyne . Midgie forcasting is a black art of the highest proportions, good luck and see you there.