2023-17 | Torridon | Rain in the hills

Join Mo and I for a tussle with the elements. Stay tuned to the end for some silliness.

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

The soundtrack on this vid is quite challenging to listen to. I've kept it raw because it provides the viewer with a more realistic impression of just how wild (and noisy) it was during our hike.

[@chrisk3488]

I prefer realism over background music or voice-overs 👍

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

@@chrisk3488 thanks, Chris. ATB, Dave.

[@jacquelinesim9578]

It certainly adds to the atmosphere 😮 but your music choices have become synonymous with the wild and sometimes gentle scenery, they calm my mind 😊 except in Charlie Chaplin mode 😂 Happy days to you and Mo!

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

@@jacquelinesim9578 Hi Jacqueline, I too like the mood music because it often expresses what/how I’m feeling during parts of the trip. The natural soundtrack (usually of wind and water in Scotland) helps to show what I’m experiencing. I think the two work quite well together. Glad you watched the vid to the end for the Charlie Chaplin section. That particular day out proved to be full of filming disasters, but I had an amazing paddle through water as thick as treacle (just a smidge above freezing) beneath some fine big hills. Wish you a wonderful festive season. Dave

[@DaveCollierCamping]

Looks like a very interesting forecast. Take care.

[@smoggiewalks578]

Power of water, just love watching. Was in that area in September completely different. Seasons greetings to you both. Martin

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Good morning, Martin. I too love watching the power of water. The river, which featured in the opening scene, was right next to our wee accommodation. I was out there in the wind and rain in the depth of night with my searchlight, checking on the water-level and enjoying the roar and rumble of the torrent. The force of the floodwaters was sufficient to carry fairly big boulders along a good pace, clanging and banging as they were propelled towards the sea. Just wonderful. Seasons greetings to you too and best wishes for your 2024 Scottish adventures. Dave and Mo

[@jacquelinesim9578]

Wow! What a trip! Thanks for taking us along and have a great Christmas 🎉

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Good morning, Jacqueline. Glad you enjoyed the trip to Torridon. It proved to be very wet and windy, with very little daylight. We thoroughly enjoyed the moody hills, wild rivers and rough seas. Have a great Christmas and we wish you all the very best for the New Year. Dave and Mo

[@FlyingHaggisFilms]

Well done guys for getting out and actually filming in wet conditions good effort all round. Happy festives to you both. Harry n Helen

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Good morning, Harry. All the very best to Helen and your good self for the festive season. We love your adventures in the woods and we wish you many more happy days in the outdoors. ATB, Dave and Mo

[@karenmacleod6816]

We've suffered two weekends with bad weather - high winds and lots of rain - and power outages both times. I am looking forward to your Christmas present to us, but hopefully we'll have power to see it. Best wishes to you both for the holiday season,

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Good morning Karen and Kit, great to hear from you. Sorry to hear the weather in Nova Scotia has been so troublesome recently. Overall, we have had a pretty awful start to the winter with rain, rain and more rain. Our village also seems prone to power outages. We get ‘nuisance outages’ where we lose power for a few minutes, which is just enough to mess up anything on a timer. I hope you have not suffered too much with the loss of power. The Christmas Special is a minestrone of footage captured here and there on our travels. Mo hasn’t previewed any of the footage and is looking forward to revisiting our journey. Definitely a movie for dipping in and out of. Wishing you guys a safe and peaceful Christmas. Dave and Mo

[@dougwilson4183]

Another great video and well done for braving the horrendous weather. Was great to meet you both in Escape Route in Pitlochry. Have a fantastic festive break and look forward to seeing more of your adventures 👌

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Good morning, Doug. Was great meeting you in the bike shop/cafe. Trust the rest of your ride went well. Our mini-break to Torridon was fun, if a little wet. All the very best to you too for the festive season. Take care and keep those wheels turning. Dave and Mo

[@dougwilson4183]

Always get great inspiration from your videos. Had to buy a packraft so planning a few adventures for the new year 👍

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

@@dougwilson4183 You'll love the packraft, Doug. With a bike and a boat, you will be able to stitch together some wonderful routes.

[@Hulk-lr1ye]

Hats off to you guys on battling the elements. Have a great christmas and wishing yous all the very best for the new year 👍

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Thanks Hulk, have a great Christmas too and all the very best for the New Year, Dave and Mo

[@KramF10]

Absolutely love the Berghaus Extrem range (old and new). The designs are just so well thought out for the adventurist. How are you finding your jacket?

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Hi, thanks for viewing and commenting, very much appreciated. I started using the Berghaus Extrem gear a good number of years ago. I bought a large volume expedition rucksack, which served me well for at least 10 years. The adhesive waterproofing substance on the inside of the fabric (don't know the tech name for the glue-like substance) eventually started to peel off. I was able to remove it (necessary because it was contaminating gear carried inside the sac) and now just use it as a high volume sack for bothy trips and the like. I reckon it has been in use for near on twenty years. The jacket dates from 2010, so is already a fair age. It has seen fairly light use and still looks and performs essentially as a new jacket. I really like the internal storm cuffs, which prevents the rain from running up my arms when filming. It seems to me that this style of g-tex jacket has gone out of fashion, which is strange because they are tough, reliable and ideally suited to the Scottish winter climate. I like the visibility of bright yellow colour when I'm out on the bike along the lanes where I live. I can only agree, it is a well designed jacket. ATB, Dave

[@mo9981]

14:59 😂😂😂😂😂

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Just my usual pace of life, mo x

[@justmyopiniontoday7548]

Hello Dave and Mo. I wonder if you are having that feeling that as Christmas/Festive Season 2023 has approached there seems to be more of an urgency to get things done? But I was thinking of you both and the thought I had was your channel is a bit different and broader than so many of the channels I follow. I mean specifically the variety of activity from lochen kayaking, to coastal walking, to Torridon in winter, and in the heavier conversational content allowing for more emotional variety and type of issue discussed. From subtle comments on covert utube sponsorship to what its like to rattle along on a bike on some gustie hill track that you remember from 40yrs ago as a child, the issue to the observation without boorish sensationalism is present. All very positive. A reminder. I fear for the great Scottish wild. I fear a lot. Happy Festive Season 2023 and a most satisfying 2024. JMO.

[@daveoutdoorsscotland2854]

Good morning, JMO. Thank you for the lovely comments. To answer your question, yes, I certainly do feel that there is an urgency to get things done, pretty much in all walks of life. Interestingly though, there is less emphasis on 'getting things finished'. It seems to me that we spend a lot of time and expend way too much energy on frenetic hashing and bashing. And once we're done with the bluster, a box is ticked and we move on with our mayhem. Mo and I popped to the shops last night, to pick up a few bits and pieces. We encountered the 'madding crowd', haulin' and shovin' overloaded trolleys, brim full with every conceivable indulgence. Amidst this mayhem, we encountered a young lass, clearly a wee bit down at heel, carrying a shopping basket containing the simplest of simple foodstuffs, and a few toiletries. Her serenity was there for all to see as she quietly queued to pay for her goods. Mo and I 'tapped' our card for her. We were rewarded with a heartwarming smile and a polite, "thank you". What the lass may have lacked in financial resource was more than compensated for by her decorum, which she possesses in abundance. Moving on to chat about the great Scottish wild, I too, fear for this and, furthermore, struggle with my own thoughts and views. I seem to be full of contradictions; I love the emptiness but lament the wastage of land; I greatly enjoy the wide open views but yearn for the return of forest and woodland; I detest fish farms, grouse moors and plantations but wholeheartedly support local employment initiatives. I shudder at the thought of more and more highland estates reverting solely to energy production for financial survival, but, in closing the circle, am heartened to see the land being used. Our bonnie country harbours an immense natural resource, the great Scottish wild, but how to best to manage and utilise it is a challenge for the best minds. For sure, past generations have turned it into an upland desert, devoid of the richness it once possessed. I wonder if future generations will be smart enough to right our wrongs? To end on a positive, nature is powerful and restorative, of itself and of us, which, is indeed hope for the future. With all best wishes for the festive season and a peaceful 2024. Dave and Mo