Nigel says ...
Today was the day we started the trip! Thank you to Denise and Mark for putting us both up, and for getting up at a ridiculous hour to drive us down to the Prom. Denise and Mark dropped us off at the car park and waved us off on a 19km hike to South Point. Bikes are not permitted in the Park, so we had to leave them at Tidal River, stored away by a kind Park Ranger.
We set a brisk pace, passing en route a number of Aussies suitably equipped for the Cairngorms. (It is mid winter here, and whilst it was at times a bit chilly and blustery, it was much the same as a British summer day!) We reached South Point after about 3 1/2 hours of walking on undulating and rocky tracks - it would not be practicable to ride a bike there in any event.
South Point is a pretty windswept and bleak place as you might imagine. We found a suitable rock and started the satellite tracker. The tracker links to a page where you can zoom in and monitor our progress. We have dipped our hands in the ocean - no turning back now. Backbones inserted and we are both up for the challenge.
We left South Point and had to walk briskly to the lighthouse where our accommodation was to get there before dark. We just made it. The cottage was great - clean, well equipped, warm and comfortable. We also met up with a fun set of people from Melbourne who were also trecking. We dried out, ate our athelete's meal of steak and kidney pie and beans and went to bed.
As a result of the experience today, we have had to revise our programme for tomorrow or we will not make Foster before dark. Reveille will be 0500hrs and we depart in darkness at 0530hrs. It will be a demanding day and may be dependant on Gordon being able to pack his make up away in time to get a good start. I think we will have a discussion about kit tomorrow!
We set a brisk pace, passing en route a number of Aussies suitably equipped for the Cairngorms. (It is mid winter here, and whilst it was at times a bit chilly and blustery, it was much the same as a British summer day!) We reached South Point after about 3 1/2 hours of walking on undulating and rocky tracks - it would not be practicable to ride a bike there in any event.
South Point is a pretty windswept and bleak place as you might imagine. We found a suitable rock and started the satellite tracker. The tracker links to a page where you can zoom in and monitor our progress. We have dipped our hands in the ocean - no turning back now. Backbones inserted and we are both up for the challenge.
We left South Point and had to walk briskly to the lighthouse where our accommodation was to get there before dark. We just made it. The cottage was great - clean, well equipped, warm and comfortable. We also met up with a fun set of people from Melbourne who were also trecking. We dried out, ate our athelete's meal of steak and kidney pie and beans and went to bed.
As a result of the experience today, we have had to revise our programme for tomorrow or we will not make Foster before dark. Reveille will be 0500hrs and we depart in darkness at 0530hrs. It will be a demanding day and may be dependant on Gordon being able to pack his make up away in time to get a good start. I think we will have a discussion about kit tomorrow!
Gordon says ...
Interesting place, Wilson's Promontary - very beautiful, but smacks a little too much of the Blair Witch for my liking. After Denise and Mark dropped us off (many thanks again), we plodded off into the wilderness with a spring in our step - which lasted all of about 20 minutes. Nigel has a military approach to walking/marching, which involves lots of anecdotes about Marines on the Falklands, and continual questions about my morale - which continued to sink every time he asked. Actually, I didn't even realise I had a morale ...
South Point is an impressive place - we wandered around there for a while, took some pictures for posterity, and then realised we probably weren't going to make it back to the lighthouse before dark, which was about 10 kms away. I followed the General as best I could, but he's as nimble as a mountain goat - which, given his 'one underpant/optional shower' policy, he is also starting to smell like.
We got to the lighthouse in time - just - got showered and ate, and met some fun hikers, who were trying to set a world red wine drinking record. Then off to bed for an early night. Apparently, 'reveille' is at 5am - reveille? - it seems I went to sleep and woke up in an episode of Sergeant Bilko.
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