Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies
On our way back from our morning walk to Mount Rosea we pulled into Sundial Lookout Carpark, set to complete our day with the 2km walk out to Sundial Lookout (also known as Lakeview Lookout). A glorious blue sky day with an occasional very light breeze saw us leave the carpark around 2:00pm. A hundred metres in, Sue sighted a very dark Singleback lizard basking in the sun trackside. After briefly observing it we moved on. Continue reading →
Tuesday 17/10/2023 Rosea Carpark – Mt Rosea Track – Gate of the East Wind – Mount Rosea (1009m)
Grampians National Park, VICTORIA
Gariwerd Country
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies
We were very pleased this very chilly morning to see nothing but blue sky, after five days of cold, heavily overcast and windy weather this was a pleasant change. Our first target today was Mount Rosea, starting with a twenty-minute drive from Halls Gap. We were at the Roses Carpark and walking by 9:30am with no one else or any other vehicles in sight. The first couple of kilometres of this gravel track is relatively level, wide and easy walking through a forest with a heath understory. It then gradually changes into a rougher track with plenty of rocks and slabs as it begins its climb to the ridge above. It was along this section I spied three small yellow canary worms on the track.
Wednesday 11/10/2023 Mount Abrupt Carpark – Mount Abrupt Walking Track – Signal Peak Walking Track – Signal Peak – Mount Abrupt (825m) – Mud-Dadjug Hike-in Campground – C216
Grampians National Park, VICTORIA
Gariwerd Country
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies
We departed the carpark at 9:00am, keen for the earlier start as a day reaching the high twenties was forecast. This walk commences climbing immediately from the trailhead and as we found yesterday, passes through a lot of different ecosystems in one day. These often came and went over short distances but the changes were much more noticeable than in many other places we have hiked. The tracks today were not new as they were for The Piccaninny and Mount Sturgeon sections yesterday but these are still high-quality tracks with many sections of steps formed from large flat boulders which have been positioned to make staircases on steeper sections.
Tuesday 10/10/2023 Bainggug (The Piccaninny) Carpark – The Piccaninny Walk – The Piccaninny (448m) – Mount Sturgeon Track – Wurgarri (Mount Sturgeon) (580m) – Grampians Peaks Trail – Wannon River – Dunkeld
Grampians National Park, VICTORIA
Gariwerd Country
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies, Trish Law, Dave Whitelaw
As we drove heading north from Dunkeld there was a shroud of low cloud concealing the summit of Mount Abrupt. After parking at Bainggug (The Piccaninny) Carpark we headed off along The Piccaninny Walk towards The Piccaninny. The morning was cool enough to require a warm layer until near midday. We found all the tracks to be in excellent condition, it is apparent that there had been a lot of recent work done on them. Signage appeared new and there were several numbered emergency poles to let emergency services know exactly where you were. Traversing sections have stone walls on their lower side building them up to the horizontal, most having had sandy gravel added as the walking surface. There are cut sandstone block steps on several steeper sections and steel steps and a bridge to the southern side of Mount Sturgeon, all combining to make it easy underfoot.
Tuesday 23/05/2023 Sligachan Hotel – Glen Sligachan – River Sligachan – Allt nam Fraoch-choire – Loch na Creitheach
Isle of Skye, SCOTLAND
Participants: Caroline Davies, Peter Davies, Sophie Davies, Stephen Davies and Sue Davies
We headed off as a party of five from Sligachan. To access the track we crossed a lovely stone bridge, dodging the gauntlet of tourists grabbing their Instagram shot before returning to the Sligachan Hotel or their cars. Then we passed a statue of two old white men before leaving behind the vast majority of people.
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies
Back in Edinburgh, we would venture up to Arthur’s Seat regularly for our runs and walks. Arthur’s Seat is an extinct volcano that last erupted 350 million years ago and is now a grassy hill in Holyrood Park at the end of the Royal Mile.
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos), Sue Davies (Report)
It was our first day in London after arriving on a long-haul flight from Sydney the previous night. We were keen to get out for some fresh air and a bit of sunlight to assist with readjusting our body clocks.
Participants: Caroline Davies, Paul Davies, Peter Davies, Sophie Davies, Stephen Davies, Sue Davies
This was an exciting day as it was the first time in seven years since our last trip to Scotland that we had the chance to walk with my brother and his family. Although a very short, easy walk on wide open tracks today it offered pleasant, cool walking conditions through the forest.
Wednesday 24/05/2023 The Prison – The Needle – The Table – Quiraing
Trotternish Ridge, Isle of Skye, SCOTLAND
Participants: Caroline Davies, Paul Davies, Peter Davies, Sophie Davies, Stephen Davies (Report, Photos), Sue Davies
Today’s walk began with very cold windy conditions. The first challenge of the day for many people was to chase their parking receipt the parking meters were spitting out directly into the breeze before most people could get a hand on it! We watched half a dozen people running along the road as their tickets blew away. I wonder how many people needed to buy a second ticket because of a poorly designed ticket machine.
Monday 22/05/2023 Coral Beaches, Claigan near Dunvegan
Isle of Skye, SCOTLAND
Participants: Caroline Davies, Paul Davies, Peter Davies, Sophie Davies, Stephen Davies (Report, Photos), Sue Davies
Only a very short hike from the carpark at Glen Claigan but very worthwhile. The first challenge here is negotiating the drive from Dunvegan. Here, as elsewhere on the Isle of Skye, the road is single carriage with multiple short pullovers placed to enable vehicles can pass each other. Today was no different to the other days we had driven similar roads, lots of stopping and waiting with the occasional very large campervan’s rear view mirror passing above your vehicle!
Participants: Caroline Davies, Paul Davies, Peter Davies, Sophie Davies, Stephen Davies (Report, Photos), Sue Davies
From our base at Portree, we drove north along the east coast of Skye to Lock Leather. The road is single-lane bitumen with frequent short wider areas for passing. Being mid-Sunday morning there was a lot of traffic around, much of it aiming for the carpark at the start of Old Man of Storr walk. This a paid carpark (5 pounds with a 6-hour limit) and the largest carpark north of Portree.
Thursday 23/03/2023 Mallacoota Coastal Walk – Betka Road – Quarry Beach – Geology Point – Fishermans Track – Betka River – Betka River Estuary – Betka Surf Beach – Betka South Beach – Beach 8
Betka River Tourist Reserve & Mallacoota Coastal Reserve
VICTORIA
Bidawal Country
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies
After a 6km morning run from our Bemm River campsite, we had our minds set on a relaxing day as we started to make our way home. As we drove towards our destination of Mallacoota, we were pleased to see the forests that were burned so badly during the 2019/20 bushfires showing plenty of new growth. During lunch, overlooking Bottom Lake, we reflected on our 2013 Nadgee-Howe Wilderness Walk and observed the small ferry that had taken us across Bottom Lake to Lake View Jetty for our start.
