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Fantastic SwimHike with Dave today as we headed out to gleann uladal which has some of the best scenery in Harris on either side of you all along the way. We had swims in loch uladal, loch aiseabhat and loch chliostair (it's a reservoir so we kept well away from the dam) on the way back. It's well worth a search online for the different sports that have happened out in Uladal, from a 7 hour climb, base jumping, mountain biking, running to name but a few. Sron Uladal is so breathtaking to see..Will definitely be back again. Click here for the link to the YouTube video from the outing.
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Superb SwimHike with Kellie this afternoon over to Seaforth island which borders Lewis and Harris. The rain, seal's, boggy ground and midge's didn't deter us from swimming over and then hiking up to the top of the hill on the island. Unfortunately my gps watch paused on the way up but we reckon it took us around 2 hours from the roadside there and about 30 minutes less going back a different route. Kellie make's the best ham, cheese and tomato sarnies, with our plan being to eat these type of sandwiches in as many different places as possible 🤣 Click here for the link to the YouTube video from the outing. A wee review of the £30 Lomo 40L dry bag rucksack after a 6 hour SwimHike in North Harris, Scotland at the weekend. I say 6 hours, it was actually more like 7.5 hours as I stopped my suunto watch a few times when sorting out kit between hikes and swims and also on Scarp. We had misty rain for most of the day, so the rucksack was getting weather from all directions during the outing and the only water that got into the rucksack was from myself (wet hands or from my head) after swimming then opening it to get a drink, snack, towel, glasses etc... As mentioned in the video, I always double bag my essential kit into a waterproof bag inside any rucksack that I use for sea or loch swimming. I'll also be glueing a pvc d-ring onto the rucksack for future SwimHikes as it'll create less stress on the carry handle which is where I had the leash looped round for towing during this trial, so I could tow the rucksack behind me. There was a fair amount of chop on all 4 swims on the outing and I have to say that I'm very impressed with the rucksack. It has a multitude of uses and I think we've just added SwimHiking to it's list. Well done Lomo. Link to the 40L dry bag rucksack on the Lomo website: https://www.lomo.co.uk/acatalog/walke... **Just to note, that I would not recommend this SwimHike route to anyone without being accompanied by an experienced swim guide. **Also, to note that I am not affiliated to Lomo. I buy my own gear for SwimCamping/SwimHiking and do the odd review too. Click here to be taken to the Youtube video Fantastic day SwimHiking in North Harris with Stuart, Rhona, Seumas, Catherine, Malcolm and Liam. We left from the back of Amhuinnsuidhe castle and met up with the path that takes you to loch a'ghlinne which was mostly covered in mist with the odd patch of sunshine trying to break through but it didn't put us off swimming the length of the loch. After exiting the first loch we took in the view's of loch cravadale on the way to loch na cleabhaig which a few of swam across into a reedy finish. Then it was over to traigh mheilein where we met up with Dave and Helen. After a brief catch up some of us swam over to Scarp where we met Brian and his dog Meg. A very hospitable man indeed, Brian couldn't do enough for us with cups of tea and plenty of cake. Just to point out that we were all self sufficient but didn't like to be rude and turn down Brian's offer. After saying our goodbyes to Brian and Meg the group had a quick look around the village on Scarp before heading back across to traigh mheilein and over the hill path to the finish at huisinis. A bit of logistics were worked out in advance with vehicles which turned out good. Although the weather wasn't the best (Lewis was basking in sunshine as well) we all had a fantastic SwimHike in North Harris. Plenty more of this to come. Have to say that I'm thoroughly impressed with my new 40L Lomo rucksack, it kept the water out even with waves coming from all directions over the course of the swims. Still, I always put my essential kit inside a waterproof bag in the rucksack to be on the safe side. **I wouldn't recommend doing this Scarper route unless you're with an experienced swim guide** Click here for the link to the YouTube video from the outing. Ordered this for using on SwimHiking/SwimPacking outings. Email said it would be with my on Wednesday next week but it turned up today. Fast postage indeed Lomo, nice one. Like when we go SwimCamping, we always put our gear inside waterproof bags in case water gets in. You want to make sure that your essential kit is kept dry. Anyway, I put some towels, trunks and rash vests inside my 35L ortlieb dry bag, sealed it and put it inside the Lomo rucksack, closed it as instructed in the Lomo video. Went for a 45 minute swim in pretty choppy conditions. There wasn't even a dribble in the rucksack afterwards. Very impressive. I will still be double bagging my essential kit though. Is it an ocd or just erring on the side of caution? Links for the kit are (click on the title to be taken to the company website to view the item): Lomo 40L Dry Bag Rucksack Ortlieb 35L Dry Bag Click here to be taken to my YouTube channel video about this item |
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August 2023
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