Reaching ‘the base camp’ was as much of a challenge as climbing the hill itself. The round trip took me over six hours, and last year I found the final, 13-miles-long stretch closed. I didn’t know the road and there was fog – I didn’t take the risk of getting stuck in the middle of nowhere. This time round the…
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It’s looking increasingly like a pattern, and not a good one for that: bad weather forecast for my day off. Strong winds and bands of rain kept me away from the hilltops. Instead I decided to have a recreational and exploratory walk in the Glenlivet area called Morinsh Woods. It was a pleasant walk along wide and solid forest tracks…
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Part of my studies in the seminary, and incidentally one of their defining moments, was a five-month parish placement. The most responsible task delegated to me while I was there was the preparation of quite a large group of children for First Communion. Part of that job involved making all the necessary arrangements for the big day itself. Twenty-odd years…
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When I had finished writing my last Sunday’s sermon, I deemed it to be one of my usual, bog- standard efforts – just short enough to stop the congregation having a snooze or having to admire the church’s architecture for too long. I considered that sermon to be acceptable at best or indifferent at worst; but certainly there was nothing…
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The forecast for the hilltops in my cross-hair was pretty bad, including high winds. So I turned my attention to low-level walks nearby. A couple of months ago I’d spotted a car park outside Tomintoul, strongly suggesting a possibility for the existence of walks there. So last night I checked Walk Highlands website and found a good one. A bit…