'' Hey, Chris, do you want to hitch hike to the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland to celebrate the New Year this year? ''
Chris lived in Minehead and I lived in Dunster. They are small sleepy villages a stone throw away from each other in the depths of Somerset, England.
Each year we set out to travel to different parts of England, with our thumbs as our guide, to celebrate a New Year's Eve with the locals. The previous New Year we were in London ... and had a ball!!
This year would be Scotland!!
It was 5am when we met each other by the side of the road just outside Dunster. Dressed in our winter gear ready for the snow and our rucksacks on our backs. The Cairngorm Mountains are quite rugged. Chris had packed his tent for this adventure. This one would be a bit of a challenge. Somerset is down in the South of England. The Cairngorm Mountains are right up in Scotland. From where we lived, we had about 500 miles to hitch hike, or maybe more. That's roughly 900 Kilometers. We wanted to be there that night so we could set up our camp site and get a few beers in at a local pub before we slept. ... could we do it ??
Thumbs out, our smiles set to max, and the route had been set. Though it was still dark at that time of the morning I'm sure drivers would have just seen two guys stood there freezing their balls off! ;))
We are fairly familiar with the South West of England for hitch hiking so getting to Bristol wasn't too much of a problem. Bristol has a couple of Motorways criss crossing through the outskirts of the city so getting a hitch on the right one sometimes requires a new sign. Our signs are just pieces of cardboard with either a destination or a motorway number written on in black marker pen. But because we were heading straight up we didn't need to change our sign just yet. The M5 runs quite a way from North to the South of England. Although the driver that had picked us up was heading to London, he had to turn off on to the M4 at Bristol, we were still facing the right slip road that was running onto the M5. That was the motorway that we needed.
The day was going really well and by late lunch time we were up near the Scottish border. From here we had to cross through the middle area of Scotland and head over towards the East side. From there we would go straight up and finally hit the mountainous area of the Cairngorm Mountains.
But, the hitch hiking hit a snag!!
Because of the minor road we had to travel on in order to cut across country we were finding it difficult to get picked up for long distance rides. It took us a good few hours to get to the East side. Just doing short journeys from village to village with the occasional longish ride.
Finally we were on the major road that heads up to the North of Scotland but we had lost some valuable time. It was now nearing the end of the day and we still had quite a few miles to get to our destination.
Our hitch hiking sign was changed for the destination of Aviemore which is in the Cairngorm range.
This seemed to give us some luck. A car stopped and picked us up and was heading through that area. Not long after it started to snow. And it was really heavy. The area was filled with snow already and the New Year period was looking good. Snow filled adventures awaited us in the mountain range.
16 hours later we arrived!! We were ecstatic!! We covered a massive distance in one day!!
We needed a beer or two!! Time to hit the pub before we set up our camp site. There was a pub right in front of us. We went in to the warmth of a large roaring fire place and the great taste of a well earned beer!! During our time in the pub we heard that the snow gates had been closed. ( The road that leads up to the Cairngorm Mountains can be quite slippery and treacherous when there is a lot of snow on the road. There are gates, and they are quite large. When there is too much snow they are closed so that there can't be any traffic accidents on the road. The area is in the wilderness and I guess the emergency services would have a hard time getting to an accident if there was one. ... we had made it through the gates by about an hour!! WOW, that was lucky. We could have been stranded in the middle of nowhere!!e
After warming by the fire place and shooting a few games of pool we headed over to the camp site.
It was going to be a bit of a challenge. The camp site was covered in heaps of snow! We had to dig to find solid ground so we could set up the tent. With the snow we dug out, we built it up to form a kind of wall to help stop the wind blowing our tent around.
With everything set up we were ready to sleep. Sleeping bags rolled out, clothes stuffed into our sleeping bag bags to make a pillow and the rest of the night to have a good sleep.
I slept like a log!! In the morning Chris told me he woke up a few times shivering from the cold. I must have been too tired to feel it. I'd had a great sleep!! ;))
Outside we went to look at the new world we had entered during the night.
Everything, and I mean everything was white!! It was fantastic!!
Our plan was to climb Cairngorm Mountain, head back to our tent for a rest, then have a shower and get ready for the New Year celebrations in town. The camp site is quite close to the base so it was just a stroll away for the start of our climb.
The temperature was freezing so we had to keep a good pace to keep our bodies warm. The sky was heavy with cloud and the possibility of snow looked high.
We were well through the half way point when the heavens opened up and it snowed big time! We couldn't see a thing!! The wind had picked up also and the whole situation was turning into a blizzard. A very heavy one!! It's amazing being stuck in the middle of nowhere with just white swirling around you at high speed!!
We plodded on. But disorientation had set in and we found ourselves off the course that we had started on. We had a shouted discussion on what we should do. Go up to the top or head back down?? ( We had to shout because of the noise of the wind )
We decided to try to make it to the top. Cairngorm Mountain isn't so high. Around 1245 meters.
In the distance we could hear a noise which was different from the wind. It was coming closer!!
What the hell was it!?
OH SHIT!! It was snow machine. One of those big ones that shifts snow around on the slopes. It was heading right for us. We had to raise our hands in the air and try to distract the driver so he wouldn't run over us!!
He stopped, got out and started to lecture us for being on the mountain in such crazy conditions.
We agreed!! ;))
We accepted the rescue from him and he took us the rest of the way to the top of the mountain where there is a building for skiers that has a restaurant and facilities. We had been rescued and we were grateful for it!!
Some time later the blizzard subsided and we ventured out into the snow. It was deep. We found the road used by cars that led up the mountain. We took the easy route down and followed the road back to the bottom and then made our way to our tent.
We had another adventure to accomplish still.
New Years Eve!! ;))
But first we needed a little rest!!
The night was starting well. Lots of hot tasty food had been eaten. Now it was time to go to the first of as many pubs we could find on our quest to have a great New Years Eve in a small country town in the middle of this snow filled countryside.
One of the great advantages of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland is the amount of pubs in each village. In the village of Dunster where I use to live, the population is 400 people. There are 4 pubs in Dunster!! ;)) That's a fantastic ratio ;)
We found our pub in the snow. Entered, and ordered 2 pints each. It was necessary to order 2 at a time because it was quite busy so it saves waiting around at the bar for long periods and basically gives you more time to enjoy the beer and play pool.
Midnight was approaching. The pubs were emptying. Where was everyone going we thought? They were all heading to the village square. Time to get out on the street and join the locals.
Pint glasses in our hands and ready to see the New Year in another location somewhere we had never been before ... the square and side streets were suddenly filled with the roar of everyone shouting the countdown!!
"HAPPY NEW YEAR"
We stayed another day and night then made our way back down to Somerset with our thumbs as our guide.
Scotland is cool!! The people are so friendly. They really make anybody feel a part of the community. Even a couple of crazy campers such as Chris and I.
Cheers to you Scotland
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