| Your Tent |
| There are two factors you need to keep in mind when picking your tent. Scotland can be very rainy. You better try out your tent and make sure you�ve got some stuff to repair it too! In some (rainy) nights it would be useful to have an inner and outer tent. Alexander and I did not have such a luxury. This caused us see some beautiful early sunsets, on which we woke up at five o�clock cause of the wet and cold sleeping bags. We had had some pleasant early morning walks when Cathelijne and Marten were still sleeping. This tent-failure gave us some great ideas like sleeping at very original places, the washing-up place on the campsite or a little shed on a nice lady�s land too. But� I suppose you can do these things too if you just take a better tent with you� |
| The tent Cathelijne en Marten used: Vaude Hogan The tent Ellemieke en Alexander used: unknown brand |
| Vaude, Hogan |
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| this tent is similar to the tent Alexander and Ellemieke used. |
| Midges |
| Make sure the mosquito-netting of your tent has got only very tiny holes. Midges are extremely small, and you don�t want to wake up in a grey tent in the morning if it wasn�t that colour before you fell asleep. And than I am not even talking about the tickling in your face before you fall asleep and the red itching bites afterwards! Alexander and I didn�t buy caps with built-in mosquito nets like Cathelijne and Marten did. They will tell you to buy them as well, which is probably a good advice. But I have got to say I don�t think I would buy it the next time. If you keep the advice in mind not to camp in long grass (not midget-proof) and to build a fire when they�re attacking you, you should be fine. If you take at least 40% DEET (midget protection) with you, than I think you will be fine. Maybe you can take a shawl or kerchief with you to protect you, I love to ware a big shawl anyway, and it doesn�t take up much space, and you can whirl it around your head and arms as well. (It�s a bit hot, but midget-proof) |
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| Water Filters |
| About expensive stuff: I bought a water filter before leaving. Mine could filter 3 litres an hour. The filtered water will be virus, bacterium, and chemical free. People are using water filters all over the world, you can be sure the filtered water is safe to drink. Cathelijne and Marten bought water-filtering tablets, but these don�t kill or take out viruses. Beside that they make your water taste like chlorine. To be sure it is safe you can buy a less expensive water-filter straw with it which will kill the viruses. Whit straws like this you can filter about 100 litres by drinking trough it. With a normal water filter you can filter much more. I�ve got one of the cheapest ones which capacity can be up to 100.000 litres depending on water quality, it�s a long-term investment! Mine was 64, 95 euro. If you�re planning to go backpacking more often I can really advice you to invest in a water filter. With this, I have got to tell you that in the highlands of Scotland you don�t need them, because the water out of the mountains is the same as is coming out of the taps of the local people. You can drink this safely and there are plenty of water sources close to the road. So only the first days of the Rob Roy way walk you need to make sure you�ve got enough water available. |
| Extra things |
| Some other handy stuff: Duck tape. You never know where you�ll use it for but I bet you will. We used it for hanging rubbish bags before the uncovered windows of the little shed on the nice lady�s land, to make waterproof sleeping bags of, again, a rubbish bag and a plastic cover for garden-chair pillows a nice camp site owner gave us and so on. Yes, you probably shouldn�t forget rubbish bags too� Maybe you�ve got to repair a leaking tent, use duck tape if you didn�t take a repair set. Ropes may be handy too. I assume these al are advices from someone who doesn�t prepare in detail, and whose starting point is I probably forgot something or there will go something to pieces, but believe me, good preparation doesn�t have to be expensive just be flexible and creative! |
| Eventually |
| I see already wrote a lot of information for you! The last thing I want to say is; make sure you�ve got a well fitting backpack if you�re travelling with al your stuff like we did. And make sure you now how to fit it. There�s nothing more tiring than walking with a bad fitting back pack. Pack the heaviest stuff a much down as possible, and keep it close to your bag. A well backpack is worth his money! I am sure there is much more to tell, but there are a lot of packing lists available on the internet if you want a checklist. This is just a little specified on walking in Scotland. I hope you�ll enjoy yourself down there! Ellemieke |
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