Bloggers in this picture: Martin Banfield, Mike Knipe, Shirley Worrall, Tony Bennett, Alan Sloman
This rather nice shot is from Humph Weightman.
There is quite a clutch of bloggers on the TGO Challenge for 2011. I have put this as a blog-post to help newcomers to the Challenge read about other Challengers’ trials and tribulations in planning for next year’s walk. Here is a list of the ones I know about. If you know of any that I have missed could you drop me a comment please? Many thanks.
So, in no particular order, here they are:
(12th December: Edited to add Gordon Green 2nd Edit to add Andrew Walker)
Phil Lambert James Boulter Helen Fisher Laura Liddell Geoff Gafford
Louise Evans Martin Rye Mike Knipe Andy Howell Shirley Worrall
Glad to see that we made the list, even though we don't have a place on TGOC 2011 yet. I share your optimism: we will be there!
ReplyDeleteHi Gayle - I did recall you saying that your place on the standby list was such that you were planning your route as it looked likely you would get a place.
ReplyDeleteHow's the standby list doing? Any progress on it yet?
Now that reminds me that I need to get on with a bit of planning! I have got as far as booking Thursday night in the Kintail lodge, thought that I should treat myself to a proper bed in a room all to myself that night!
ReplyDeleteLucky I wasn't able to go. Too much competition! :)
ReplyDeleteCan't wait! See you there!
ReplyDeleteJames: A room all to yourself? That's decadence!
ReplyDeleteA word of advice... Don't take the room with the round window... No Sir - I wouldn't be taking the room with the round window... just to be safe, you understand, it being your first Challenge an' all, and you wanting a good night's sleep. But there again, nothing may happen after all and it might all be alright for the young gentleman...
Robin! Surprised at you sir! It being a non competitive event an' all....
Kimberlie: "There ain't nothing like a Dame!" Only five months to go now... and with Christmas in the way too - you will just have to control that youthful exuberance!
An excellent place to start, James. You should meet Markus, the Austrian Challenger, and his sister Silke. Will you be following them over The Saddle, though?
ReplyDeleteA timely post Alan. Christine and I spent a couple of hours in the pub last night with the laptop and memorymap fine tuning the legs (the walk's, not ours). It was a stressful job and I woke up with a bad headache this morning though that could have been the Guinness.
ReplyDeleteIt's jealousy, really. :)
ReplyDeleteMartinB: You won't be dragging poor Michael over any of those nasty lumpy things will you? Give the poor lad a chance...
ReplyDeleteTony: "Christine and I spent a couple of hours in the pub last night.." spoken like a hardened Challenger.
Robin: Things should be okay for you in 2012 though I hope. Good man.
Ah, Poor Michael! I shall incentivise him. Cheese and wine at Water of Aven....
ReplyDelete....via many lumps.
A plot is maturing.
Kintail Lodge is looking popular, I have a single room booked in their Trekkers Lodge, but I'll be dodging the lumpy bits when I set off!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the mention and I've got some more blogs to have a look at now.
Louise: Hopefully you will avoid the ghouls and ghosties of the Kintail Lodge Hotel' Round Window bedroom and will get a good night's sleep. You may need to help the shattered James on the Friday morning...
ReplyDeleteAnd quite right - avoid the lumpy bits on the first day or so. They are far easier when you get to the middle, when the valley bottoms are already halfway up the hill.
I beg to differ, Alan. (Thanks for the mention BTW.) Some of the lumpy bits from Kintail Lodge provide a fantastic start to the Challenge. The Mad Austrian will discover this on 13/5/2011. The south Kintail ridge provides an excellent and relatively easy start to the Challenge, with the option of the luxury of the Cluanie Inn (and a fresh food parcel) at the end of the second day....
ReplyDeleteEach to his/her own, though.
Louise, you'll be fine in the Trekkers Lodge - it's a good option, but you may have to counsel James after his night of horror...
I am scared now, I will be spending the next 5 months thinking, "what is it with the room with the round window, will I end up in the room with the round window?".
ReplyDeleteMuch Like Robin I'm a bit jealous that I didn't get a place, not much chance from 60 something. That reminds me I must send that email to pull out of the standby list.
ReplyDeleteThere should be plenty of coverage to read though next year.
I though Mike wasn't on the challenge next year and was taking a year off, maybe I'm wrong?
Welcome Steve: You are of course absolutely correct in that the Pieman has not entered the lists fo 2011. However, I included the Pieman of Pie Towers as he will be serving refreshments on the Challenge on the way up to Bealach Dubh (beneath Ben Alder) then nipping in for day surgery to be one of the Ladies of Tarfide.
ReplyDeleteBeing such an all round good egg he will doubtless see more Challengers than the Challengers will themselves and I cannot imagine he will pass up this opportunity to titillate and humiliate on "Northern Pies."
The Pie man is only helping folks get drunk when I talked with him and not on the event. I am sure you'll help out in that department as well Alan. Still a fair amount of bloggers are on it next year. I need to do a route. Oban start for me. Lots hills I have not seen down south.
ReplyDeleteHello MartinR: What terrible nasturtiums are being cast about here? The Pieman is (mostly) an upstanding citizen. He looks after footpaths you know and does Good Deeds.
ReplyDeleteYou should never, ever help other people get drunk. You should be too busy becoming more witty and more handsome. That's what Lord Elpus does. It must be true: He told me in the Fife Arms.
Oi, Sloman - I heard that!
ReplyDeleteLord E;pus may well have "heard that" but the jury is out on whether or not he can remember it...
ReplyDeleteAs an example of this, at the completions of one particular Challenge in Montrose, Lord E was regaling a couple with a tale of derring-do (the scaling of a waterfall in windy wet conditions). One half of the couple chipped in with "Phil - I have to stop you here - you told us this story twice in the Fife Arms at Braemar!"
Lord Elpus toddled over to our table in the bar and muttered "Never seen her before in my life!"
Tht's a nice photo - I wonder who took that!?
ReplyDeleteHis Holiness, the Incredibly Irreverend Dave: You are correct; it is a magnificent photograph. I believe you had about nine attempts at getting it so right. Well done, me ol' beauty!
ReplyDeleteIt's fair to say that large parts of my challenges are complete blanks, but I put that down to the post traumatic shock.
ReplyDelete