A Last Minute Meal Idea For Challengers
Shopping with Nan today I came across the following, which I thought might make a great meal choice for anyone still trying to work out what to eat on their TGO Challenge.
First up this Blue Cheese & Broccoli Rissotto costs 99p, and I got this one from Tesco. But I’m sure other supermarkets should stock it as well.
The cooking instructions are simply enough. Into a saucepan add 400ml of cold water and 15g of butter. Bring to boil and simmer uncovered for 10-12 minutes. They also suggest stirring occasionally during that time.
Now the clever out there are probably thinking they have spotted a flaw in this suggestion, “but Darren it calls for the use of butter, aaah got you there haven’t we?”
But I thought of that as well. Do you remember one of my previous trips to visit Alan Sloman? Well cast your mind back to the post about the butter buds from Lakeland. Aah catching on. I think they would be ideal to use with this.
There isn’t enough time for me to try the freezer bag/pot cozy method for replacing the simmering. I’m between homes, but first chance I will, and let you know the results.
So there you have it a last minute meal suggestion for the Challenge.
– Could be remote blogging or just too lazy to fire up laptop/Macbook/netbook. But still this has been posted from my iPhone 3G.
PHD Winter ’10 Sale Coming Soon
During the night the “preview” email from PHD arrived announcing the 2010 Winter Sale. The sale itself starts on the 13th March. I announce the sales here because they are a chance for Challengers looking to replace or buy a new piece of kit to get a bargain.
Here using the magic of cut and paste once more I present in PHD’s own words what you can look forward to getting your hands on this time around:
“WHAT’LL BE ON OFFER?
* MINIMUS DOWN JACKETS AND VESTS. Our most popular products, either in ultralight M1 or with the extra protection of a waterproof, breathable Drishell. Colours: Grey & Sage. Jackets £116 & £129; vests £79 & £89.
* MINIM 300 DOWN SLEEPING BAGS – a product only available during the sale. With a Min Temp rating of 0C (32F) and a total weight of 590gm (21oz) this bag is a great choice for Mountain / Desert Marathons or ultralight backpacking. On sale for £139 (our ‘DYO’ price is £216). Also available in Drishell, at £160.
* MINIM 500 DOWN SLEEPING BAGS – also only available during the sale. With a total weight of 810gms (29oz) and a min temp rating of -10C (14F) this bag gives another ultralight option for anyone extending their camping into the milder parts of winter. On sale for £169 (our ‘DYO’ price is £271). Also available in Drishell, at £190.
* BALTORO DOWN SLEEPING BAGS – a special range of these high performance sleeping bags. The 800 for low peaks and high-level treks; and the 1000 for serious expeditions. All are 1/3rd off standard pricing.
* ZETA BELAY JACKET GORETEX – Andy Kirkpatrick says our Zeta Belay jacket is “perhaps the best belay jacket on the market”. During the sale it is available in GoreTex with a fully taped shell. All this at a £92 reduction off the normal price.
* YUKON DOWN JACKET – Developed for the Yukon Ultra Race this lightweight, box-wall, hooded down jacket with zipped handwarmer pockets is on sale in red GoreTex. £94 below full price.
* ARCTIC DOWN JACKET GORETEX – With the full waterproof and breathable qualities of GoreTex over the thick box-walled down inner, this jacket is capable of withstanding extremely cold and inhospitable conditions. On sale at just £299 (standard price £455).
* KHUMBU WATERPROOF JACKET & TROUSERS – Fully waterproof in highly breathable Tempest fabric. Jacket £128, trousers £76.
* TUNDRA FLEECE MITTS – Fleece-membrane mitts which shut out the wind. £13.50.
Preview the sale now:
http://www.phdesigns.co.uk/special-offers.php?cat=79
As with all our gear, these sale items are designed, cut, sewn and filled in the UK.”
So how much discount are PHD offering on all these goodies? Well according to the email it’s up to 35%, which implies some will be less than that. I’m not going to go and work out the discount on each item, despite popular opinion I do have a life.
You also have to remember this caveat as well from PHD (once again their words):
“Please note: you cannot use your customer discount on sale items BUT purchases of sale items DO count towards your qualifying balance (customers spending £185 or more qualify for a 10% discount for the year they qualify and the whole of the next year).”
But still the gear is good I have one of their sleeping bags I use during the Summer that I got from one of these sales a few years back now.
Late Planning
Even techies have problems with computers from time to time. The last week has been one of those times for me with a netbook I have. It’s the main machine I use for blogging because I can sit there with it on my lap and type away while watching something on the goggle box (that ages me). Sorting it out has taken up way to much of my time over the last week.
Which has meant I have spent less time blogging than I normally do. Now I can see that for some out there that can only be seen as a good thing.
But with this diversion coming to an end, it is going back for yet another repair, I can concentrate on more important things. Like the impending cut off date for route submissions for the TGO Challenge. So I am spending some belated time on getting my route worked out and written up.
The first three and a half days are worked out. I need to plot a path across the Monadhliath Mountains from Inverfarigaig to the start of the Lairig Ghru. Which I have about four days to it in. Then a leisurely two days to go over the Lairig Ghru and walk into Braemar.
In fact one of the hardest decisions I had to make was for my planned first day. I love waterfalls and one of the options when leaving Shiel Bridge is to see the falls at Allt Grannda. But North are the Falls of Glomach, which apparently are the highest unsupported falls in Britain. You can see the dilemma I had. Anyway after a quick chat with Alan I’m saving the Falls of Glomach for another crossing as they make sense to take in from another starting point. It’s great being able to call a friend and get some feedback on plans that are floating around, get an opinion and talk things through.
One comment made to me at the end of last years Challenge from a good friend was that the next Challenge should be more er challenging. So who knows as I plot my way across the Monadhliath I may take up that gauntlet, or I may delay that and take Mount Keen in as a different way to reach Tarfside. The bit after Braemar is all up for discussion at the moment. Who knows I may miss Tarfside altogether.
But all this does seem to have that old feeling of being at school and leaving homework to the last minute. Yeah I was never one of those studious types that did the homework the night it was given. I was too busy taking part in the that whole 80′s home computing boom thing. Oh yeah the skills that would later be of use to me.
Anyway enough of my ramblings I have some maps to look at.
Walking A Mile In Our Shoes
I’m looking forward to next years Challenge. No let me correct that I’m looking forward to what happens after next years Challenge. Give me a chance to explain.
One of the Challengers attempting their first cross
ing is a well known US Lightweight Tarp/Tent manufacturer. Now one of the complaints about lightweight gear especially the shelters from the US is that they are not designed for the varied and often very wet weather we have here in the UK.
So with this guy coming over hopefully with one of his own creations, he will get to experience the UK weather in all it’s glory.
Once he has completed his crossing I’m hoping he will return home with plenty of notes. Notes that will translate into modifications or tweaks to existing products, and new designs that take into consideration the weather conditions that we get in the UK. Weather conditions that have been experienced first hand.
The great thing about the majority of these US companies is that they are small(ish), produce great products, listen to their customers and feed that back into the product design. However there is no substitute for first hand experience of the conditions that your customers use your product in. So it is great to see that one such company will be doing that, even if it is a by product of them enjoying themselves on the worlds premier backpacking event.
PS. It should be noted I am still looking forward to the Challenge itself as well.
Tears And Laughter
Earlier today it sneaked out (thanks Mike for the heads up) that prospective Challengers were today learning their fate.
This year 450 people liked the sound of walking across Scotland in varied weather conditions so much that they applied to do the TGO Challenge. However even with the total number of participants on the 2010 Challenge raised from 300 to 330 “in order to give as many as possible the chance to take part” there was still the need for a draw for places.
Having made that draw, and taking into account the current postal dispute, the organisers of the TGO Challenge are emailing prospective Challengers to let them know their fate.
So all those that sent in entry forms for the 2010 Challenge should be checking their inbox to find out their fate.
Don’t forget that if you don’t make the initial lucky 330, they put you on a standby list. So you should be given a number of where you are on the standby list. Believe it or not people drop out of the Challenge before it starts for whatever reason. So it is worth hanging in there. Some people as soon as they hear they didn’t make it even drop off the stand by list. Which is cool, as they prefer to go off and do something more interesting ( may I suggest that they consider the Backpackers Club Scottish get together which is usually around the same time as the Challenge). So the odds improve straight away.
So whatever your fate was in that email today remember it could be worse, you could be waking up with a leg missing (ask Bud).
You English B’Stard
With the application deadline for the TGO Challenge only a few days away, I thought for the International entries I’d post this clip so that they know what they are letting themselves in for when they visit Scotland.
It should be fine for the International entrants (well apart from the Americans the whole world hates them, it’s the whole illegal invasion of countries for oil thing. I don’t think Scotland has realised they could be next on the US invasion plans.) as it’s just the English that are hated in Scotland.
I bet we are even more hated now that is has been shown that the English invented the national dish of Scotland the Haggis.
Anyway please don’t take any of the above seriously it’s all tongue in cheek. The Scottish people are fantastic, and one of my best friends is Scottish. The extra warm welcome that Challengers get is something else, definitely not something that you would get in England that’s for sure.
The Perfect Social Network For The Challenge
I came across this story and instantly thought every Challenger will want to join this Social Network. I’m also sure it will be rather helpful in planning that pub crawl across Scotland next May. #Mashable! Connosr: A Social Network for Whisky http://tinyurl.com/ybv2naz
The Clogger
Forget all those that tell you that you need to get out and walk miles and miles to get ready for the Challenge (assuming you get on).
If you have planned your route correctly you will have (with the help of your route vetter) a path across Scotland that takes you by the maximum number of tea rooms that also provide the “full Scottish” (the Scottish take on the full English) and lots of lovely cake as well.
So your real training needs to prepare you for that grease feast on a plate. Luckily for me I have that side well catered for. Just round the corner from me is a sandwich shop that does something called the Belly Buster. The Belly Buster was a large bap (buttered if you wanted) containing bacon,sausage,fried egg, slice blackpudding, baked beans and fried mushrooms. All that for £2.50!
However the owner of the sandwich shop is not resting on his laurels and is pushing the limits of just how much can be crammed into one of these large baps.
In the last week he has introduced his latest creation The Clogger. This is the
Everest of the breakfast in a bap. I had my first attempt at summiting it today. When ordering I was asked if I wanted the bap buttered. To which I replied “does it really make any difference?” So what is in The Clogger? It starts off with a burger, on top of which is added some bacon, sausage, baked beans, a fried egg, then a slice of spam, then another fried egg, fried mushrooms, and then two slices of blackpudding. All of that for the princely sum of £3.50. My assault on this Everest of heart attack in a bun failed. I only managed to eat about half of it, the dogs got lucky and had the rest split amongst them with their tea.
Once he has got his licence changed he has plans for a “Daddy of the Clogger”. His thinking was to add chips, but he liked my idea of fried bread as well. When I can manage one of The Cloggers, I know I will be ready for the Challenge. Mind you I need to get some intensive training in on the whisky front as well.
Some Light Reading For The TGOC
It’s that time of year again. Application forms have been sent off, and thoughts start to turn towards possible routes while waiting to hear if you have made the cut.
Buried away on the Challenge forums is a handy list of books that are recommended for those planning their routes. But to save you dear reader having to hunt around I got permission to reproduce that list on here. So from time to time (around this time of year actually) I like to remind folks of the list.
So here is the link to the “TGOC Reading List”. Hope you find it useful.
Some Recipe Videos From Backpacker Mag
Here’s a video of a recipe that I think folks on the Challenge will enjoy (found it in my travels on the web). Cooking with alcohol may seem a waste to the odd Challenger, but for some it may make a nice change to whisky in the coffee. Oh ok you would still want to do that as well.
They also have some other videos over at Backpacker magazine here.
Some others that look of interest are:
- Trail Chef: How To Cook A Fish…On A Rock!
- Trail Chef: Bake Pizza On A Camp Stove
- Trail Chef: Cook Bacon and Eggs…in a Bag!
But they do have a few videos covering a wide range of stuff, and some really useful info. Something to watch on a rainy day I think when you are bored with my stuff ^_^
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