West Highland Way yesterday?

Victor Meldrew wrote on Sun, 20 Jun 2004 23:58:24 +0100....

Quoted message said:

Anyone know what was happening on the WHW yesterday? I was
driving back from my hols and saw loads of walkers walking
south wearing numbers, and marshalls halting traffic on
the A82.

Scottish IT students on a field course? The SQA did promise
they would make changes... :-)

--
Tim Jackson [email hidden] (Change
'.invalid' to '.co.uk' to reply direct) Absurd patents:
visit patent.freeserve.co.ukpatent.freeserve.co.ukOpen ↗

[email hidden] said...

Quoted message said:

Anyone know what was happening on the WHW yesterday? I was
driving back from my hols and saw loads of walkers walking
south wearing numbers, and marshalls halting traffic on
the A82.

Let me guess - our student friends were out for a walk at
long last? :-)
--
Fran If you need my email address please ask.

Victor Meldrew said:

Anyone know what was happening on the WHW yesterday?

Apparently it was the West Highland Way race.

This taken from westhighlandwayrace.orgwesthighlandwayrace.orgOpen ↗

"Essentially the object is simple, you start at Milngavie
Railway Station (7miles north of Glasgow) at 1am on 19 th
June & run/jog/walk to Fort William Leisure Centre by noon
on the 20th June, 35 hours to cover 153km (95 miles)
including 3543m (11624ft) of ascent. Along the way you pass
through checkpoints within time limits. In order to
participate you must have your own motorised backup,
consisting of at least two people, one of which must be
capable of covering the last two sections with you (or find
you) if assistance is required or during the hours of
darkness."

Perhaps a Scottish stoodent would like to post a TR?
(Preferably to alt.test !)

Judith

In message <[email hidden]>,
Judith <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Victor Meldrew said:

Anyone know what was happening on the WHW yesterday?

Apparently it was the West Highland Way race.

This taken from westhighlandwayrace.orgwesthighlandwayrace.orgOpen ↗

"Essentially the object is simple, you start at Milngavie
Railway Station (7miles north of Glasgow) at 1am on 19 th
June & run/jog/walk to Fort William Leisure Centre by noon
on the 20th June, 35 hours to cover 153km (95 miles)
including 3543m (11624ft) of ascent. Along the way you pass
through checkpoints within time limits. In order to
participate you must have your own motorised backup,
consisting of at least two people, one of which must be
capable of covering the last two sections with you (or find
you) if assistance is required or during the hours of
darkness."

I think it must have been the other way around this
year. They were all heading south. Most were near
Kingshouse, with marshalls crossing them over the A82
towards the ski run, but we saw a few determined souls
on the approach to Tyndrum.

However I didn't see anyone doing anything other than
walking at a leisurely pace.
--
Victor Meldrew

Use Reply-to address for e-mail reply.

Because of incessant spammage this address will only be
valid for a few days.

In message
<[email hidden]>, Patrick
Mackie <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

It was the Caledonian Challenge - 1400 people in teams
walking the 54 miles from Fort William to Ardlui in 24
hours. I know - met the first runner coming down the
Devil's Staircase as I was going up.

Ah, right, thanks.

How many times did you have to say hello then? :-)

--
Victor Meldrew

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Because of incessant spammage this address will only be
valid for a few days.

In message <[email hidden]>,
Dasasheu <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

"Judith" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Dave said:

how do they prevent their carefully marshalled minimum
impact event from being linked (by the kind of
uninformed guess work this thread demostrates) with the
west highland way challenge

Oops. Sorry. Not knowing the geography of the area (ie
which place is North/South of the other), I just googled
for a West Highland Way event this weekend and reported
the first I found.

It does seem daft to have two different events using the
same area at the time. Especially since the events seem
to have a completely different ethos.

I suppose there has been some sort of official
communication between the two organisers?

Judith

No need to apologise. I was still experiencing the effects
of 1 1/2 hours sleep in 43 and was therefore in "Holier
than thou" rant mode from which I have now recovered.

However, the Caledonian Challenge is as you say in
complete contrast with the WHW race. I understand the
previous existence of the WHW race was gently pointed out
to the Caledonian challenge organisers, who carried on
regardless. We were also told before the race that the
challenge participants travelling south were officially
asked to give right of way to those travelling north
especially from Bridge of Orchy northward, but in the main
this request was (IME) ignored. Whilst there were a
handful of teams who respectfully made space, the majority
of teams did not. My pal, in his exhaustuion induced
psychotic delerium decided he should be saying a polite
hello to everyone travelling south (he is that kind of
lad) and it was stunning to note how few of these people
had the common manners to say hello back.

Shame its like this, but it is.

I'll probably get shot down in flames for saying so but IMO
it's a shame that people feel the need to organise anything
that attracts large numbers of people onto a path that goes
through beautiful wild land and which walkers use for the
very purpose of escaping the crowds.

--
Victor Meldrew

Use Reply-to address for e-mail reply.

Because of incessant spammage this address will only be
valid for a few days.

In article <[email hidden]>, KRO
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

"Victor Meldrew" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'll probably get shot down in flames for saying so but
IMO it's a shame that people feel the need to organise
anything that attracts large numbers of people onto a
path that goes through beautiful wild land and which
walkers use for the very purpose of escaping the crowds.

--
Victor Meldrew

I think it comes down to a challenge or simply
competitiveness. It's human nature. Much as I support
*both* parties rights to carry out their respective
race/challenge I do agree that large numbers of people can
spoil a day in such surroundings.

Indeed.

The race of about 70 runners (plus their backup teams of two
- driver and runner) does not seem a large number to me.
They will also be rather spread out taking between 16 1/2
hours and 35 hours to complete the 95 miles.

On the other hand the challenge seems a different
kettle of fish.

--

dscs.demon.co.ukdscs.demon.co.ukOpen ↗

In article <[email hidden]>, KRO
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

"Dave" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

For reasons best known perhaps to themselves, the WHW
"challenge" insist on travelling south on the same day
the race runs north.

How long does the race take?

Up to 35 hours - 1am start and midday finish cut off
the next day.

Quoted message said:

The walk is over 24 hours so they select a weekend near
mid summers day.

It does seem rather odd that the challenge organisers see
fit to run their relatively young event on the same day and
in the opposite direction to the race which has been an
annual event since the eighties.

--

dscs.demon.co.ukdscs.demon.co.ukOpen ↗

It was the Caledonian Challenge - 1400 people in teams
walking the 54 miles from Fort William to Ardlui in 24
hours. I know - met the first runner coming down the Devil's
Staircase as I was going up.

Good news is that the midges are tolerable if you have loads
of DEET on you and a positive mental attitude.

Patrick

"Victor Meldrew" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In message <[email hidden]>,
Judith <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Victor Meldrew said:

Anyone know what was happening on the WHW yesterday?

Apparently it was the West Highland Way race.

This taken from westhighlandwayrace.orgwesthighlandwayrace.orgOpen ↗

"Essentially the object is simple, you start at Milngavie
Railway Station (7miles north of Glasgow) at 1am on 19 th
June & run/jog/walk to Fort William Leisure Centre by
noon on the 20th June, 35 hours to cover 153km (95 miles)
including 3543m (11624ft) of ascent. Along the way you
pass through checkpoints within time limits. In order to
participate you must have your own motorised backup,
consisting of at least two people, one of which must be
capable of covering the last two sections with you (or
find you) if assistance is required or during the hours
of darkness."

I think it must have been the other way around this year.
They were all heading south. Most were near Kingshouse,
with marshalls crossing them over the A82 towards the ski
run, but we saw a few determined souls on the approach to
Tyndrum.

However I didn't see anyone doing anything other than
walking at a leisurely pace.
--
Victor Meldrew

Use Reply-to address for e-mail reply.

Because of incessant spammage this address will only be
valid for a few

days.

"Victor Meldrew" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In message <[email hidden]>,
Judith <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Victor Meldrew said:

Anyone know what was happening on the WHW yesterday?

Apparently it was the West Highland Way race.

This taken from westhighlandwayrace.orgwesthighlandwayrace.orgOpen ↗

"Essentially the object is simple, you start at Milngavie
Railway Station (7miles north of Glasgow) at 1am on 19 th
June & run/jog/walk to Fort William Leisure Centre by
noon on the 20th June, 35 hours to cover 153km (95 miles)
including 3543m (11624ft) of ascent. Along the way you
pass through checkpoints within time limits. In order to
participate you must have your own motorised backup,
consisting of at least two people, one of which must be
capable of covering the last two sections with you (or
find you) if assistance is required or during the hours
of darkness."

I think it must have been the other way around this year.
They were all heading south. Most were near Kingshouse,
with marshalls crossing them over the A82 towards the ski
run, but we saw a few determined souls on the approach to
Tyndrum.

However I didn't see anyone doing anything other than
walking at a leisurely pace.
--

The walkers heading south were participating in the West
Highland Way Challenge, which is a fairly recent "corporate
team building" / team fundraising event. The West Highland
Way race, an official athletic event which has been running
since the mid 80's, was heading north having started at
Milngavie at 1am that morning. For reasons best known
perhaps to themselves, the WHW "challenge" insist on
travelling south on the same day the race runs north. I was
part of the support team for one of the entrants to the WHW
race on Saturday supporting my runner by accompanying him
across Rannoch Moor, and it was distressing to see him have
to get out of the way of some of the most unbelievably
ignorant people I have ever had the occassion to come across
in a setting of this type, as they marched 5 or 6 abreast
blocking the route. You can imagine how you might feel
having ran 65 miles in 18 hours to have to go round these
ignorant people. It would have cost them nothing to have
stepped aside, or at least singled up, in a mark of respect
for an achievement which far outstrips theirs. I am also at
a loss to explain why they need a comfort station every ten
miles, why there are marquees everywhere, why they stop at
the head of Loch Lomond rather than finishing the dam route,
and what the &#@!! the army have to do with it. I certainly
believe it is overkill to have an army helicopter shuttling
up and down the route all day. If you go up to the Bridge of
Orchy hotel taday and take the road to Victoria Bridge, you
will see that the verges to the north of the bridge are
destroyed. Perhaps the West Highland Way Challenge
organisers can explain why they allowed participants support
vehicles to park *on the single track road* thus blocking
access to other road users, and causing the challenge
support teams, the race support teams and the handful of
bewildered tourists to drive around them onto the verges.

Whilst I will always support those with a keenness to get
into the outdoors, the West Highland Way Race organisers
have a real "challenge" on their hands - how do they prevent
their carefully marshalled minimum impact event from being
linked (by the kind of uninformed guess work this thread
demostrates) with the west highland way challenge, an event
which clearly doesn't give a toss for the impact it has on
the route.

D

Dave said:

how do they prevent their carefully marshalled minimum
impact event from being linked (by the kind of uninformed
guess work this thread demostrates) with the west highland
way challenge

Oops. Sorry. Not knowing the geography of the area (ie
which place is North/South of the other), I just googled
for a West Highland Way event this weekend and reported the
first I found.

It does seem daft to have two different events using the
same area at the time. Especially since the events seem to
have a completely different ethos.

I suppose there has been some sort of official communication
between the two organisers?

Judith

"Dave" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

For reasons best known perhaps to themselves, the WHW
"challenge" insist on travelling south on the same day the
race runs north.

How long does the race take? The walk is over 24 hours so
they select a weekend near mid summers day.

Quoted message said:

It would have cost them nothing to have stepped aside, or
at least singled up, in a mark of respect for an
achievement which far outstrips theirs.

I totally agree with your first point put 100% disagree with
the second, and I have no respect for David Brent types on
"corporate bonding" sprees.

Quoted message said:

and what the &#@!! the army have to do with it. I certainly
believe it is overkill to have an army helicopter shuttling
up and down the route all day.

The forces volunteer their services for such occasions, if
the rain goes off you'll see them stewarding at Wimbledon.
The service people involved get to go up north for the
weekend and have a splendid time in the pub when not doling
out water and plasters....

Quoted message said:

Perhaps the West Highland Way Challenge organisers can
explain why they allowed participants support vehicles to
park *on the single track road* thus blocking access to
other road users, and causing the challenge support teams,
the race support teams and the handful of bewildered
tourists to drive around them onto the verges.

Perhaps the Caledonian Challenge organisers never allowed
participants to park on the road ? Perhaps the participants
had the audacity to park without asking !

Quoted message said:

Whilst I will always support those with a keenness to get
into the

outdoors,

Quoted message said:

the West Highland Way Race organisers have a real
"challenge" on their hands - how do they prevent their
carefully marshalled minimum impact

event

Quoted message said:

from being linked (by the kind of uninformed guess work
this thread demostrates) with the west highland way
challenge, an event which clearly doesn't give a toss for
the impact it has on the route.

Perhaps both organisers should discuss these issues, if
you've been involved a couple of years you may know the
people to raise them with. If they have the same "our race
is more special than yours" attitude then expect the same
next year.

KRO

Considering the nature of the vast majority of Caledonian
Challenge participants I doubt there would have been a need
to say hello all that often!

From what I've heard most are on it for a bit of a corporate
jolly and don't really have much hill savvy unlike the
participants in the WHW race.

Wonder how much litter they left this year?

Oh and speaking as a teacher of computing in Scotland I can
tell you that no further information has ever been issued
from the SQA about the course assessment that sometimes
troubles you on this ng.

Never had any pupils doing that particular unit but have
often thought it might be a bit of a laugh seeing how much
winding up I might get them to do!

Sorry.......

"Judith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Dave said:

how do they prevent their carefully marshalled minimum
impact event from being linked (by the kind of
uninformed guess work this thread demostrates) with the
west highland way challenge

Oops. Sorry. Not knowing the geography of the area (ie
which place is North/South of the other), I just googled
for a West Highland Way event this weekend and reported
the first I found.

It does seem daft to have two different events using the
same area at the time. Especially since the events seem to
have a completely different ethos.

I suppose there has been some sort of official
communication between the two organisers?

Judith

No need to apologise. I was still experiencing the effects
of 1 1/2 hours sleep in 43 and was therefore in "Holier than
thou" rant mode from which I have now recovered.

However, the Caledonian Challenge is as you say in
complete contrast with the WHW race. I understand the
previous existence of the WHW race was gently pointed out
to the Caledonian challenge organisers, who carried on
regardless. We were also told before the race that the
challenge participants travelling south were officially
asked to give right of way to those travelling north
especially from Bridge of Orchy northward, but in the main
this request was (IME) ignored. Whilst there were a
handful of teams who respectfully made space, the majority
of teams did not. My pal, in his exhaustuion induced
psychotic delerium decided he should be saying a polite
hello to everyone travelling south (he is that kind of
lad) and it was stunning to note how few of these people
had the common manners to say hello back.

Shame its like this, but it is. D

J MacEwan wrote on 21 Jun 2004 23:43:00 -0700....

Quoted message said:

Oh and speaking as a teacher of computing in Scotland I
can tell you that no further information has ever been
issued from the SQA about the course assessment that
sometimes troubles you on this ng.

I've not got any scientific measurements of it, but my
impression is that we've been less troubled by it this
academic year than in previous ones. Maybe they issued
something but didn't propagate it very well, so some
teachers heard about it but others didn't? Doing things
badly seems to be the SQA's usual way!

--
Tim Jackson [email hidden] (Change
'.invalid' to '.co.uk' to reply direct) Absurd patents:
visit patent.freeserve.co.ukpatent.freeserve.co.ukOpen ↗

"Victor Meldrew" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'll probably get shot down in flames for saying so but
IMO it's a shame that people feel the need to organise
anything that attracts large numbers of people onto a path
that goes through beautiful wild land and which walkers
use for the very purpose of escaping the crowds.

--
Victor Meldrew

I think it comes down to a challenge or simply
competitiveness. It's human nature. Much as I support *both*
parties rights to carry out their respective race/challenge
I do agree that large numbers of people can spoil a day in
such surroundings.

KRO

In article <[email hidden]>, KRO
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Dominic, I've done neither

Me too!

Quoted message said:

but I was interested in the Challenge and looked at it, I
was put off by the corporate nature, sponsorship etc.

I must say the size of the challenge and some of its
apparent characteristics make it unappealing to me. I really
do think that the challenge organisers should have done a
bit more research and shown greater consideration for the
race. Had they been faced with a similar group as theirs
(~1600 entrants) going the other way I expect that they
wouldn't have been impressed and they may just have decided
to do it on a different day.

Quoted message said:

I don't think I could run 95 miles so never even
considered the Race - did I say I "don't think", that
should have been I "know" :-)

It is a bit of a long one but something to aspire to -
perhaps.

Quoted message said:

McPloppy has posted a detailed report on the Challenge
above here, I'll leave a participants own words to
promote/condemn. I'm away for a pint

Bit early for a pint, isn't it?

Quoted message said:

and feel sad about no hills for 3 weeks, which is what
happens when you go abroad with your family :-)

Ho hum, you'll just have to grin and bear it! Have fun.

--

dscs.demon.co.ukdscs.demon.co.ukOpen ↗

Victor Meldrew said:

Anyone know what was happening on the WHW yesterday? I was
driving back from my hols and saw loads of walkers walking
south wearing numbers, and marshalls halting traffic on
the A82.

I feel sorry for the poor buggers walking the other way
:-(

I have your answer - we (all 1,600 of us) were all taking
part in the State Street Caledonian Challenge raising money
for the Scottish Community Foundation Check it out at
www.caledonianchallenge.com and see the write-up and
pictures from our team 'Step by Step' at:
chiadfhear.co.ukchallengeOpen ↗ Who
knows, you could be tempted to have a go yourself next year!
On the same day was the West Highland Way Race going from
south to north and, as if that wasn't enough, Fort William
was 'heaving' with 3 Peaks Challengers as well!
[email hidden]

KRO said:

"Dave" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

For reasons best known perhaps to themselves, the WHW
"challenge" insist on travelling south on the same day
the race runs north.

How long does the race take? The walk is over 24 hours so
they select a weekend near mid summers day.

Beats the ruddy 3 peaks...

The idea of getting away from it on the WHW is quite
amusing...

Richard Webb