1) It was, last time I passed that way, a locked climbing hut.
2) The old tram way makes for good walking but is very uneven and in places the bridges are very dangerous you you may have to go up stream a bit or climb down into the gorges. It makes a good, quick way to get to Fersit.
3) Jock's Road shelter would not be my choice for an overnight halt. It was built because several walkers died from exposure many years ago and it is an emergency shelter so if the weather is bad enough to need it you should not be there in the first place.
Now do us all a favour and go back to sleep for a few months!
Wake me up in November; I may be in a better mood and no longer suffering from withdrawal symptoms from seeing how much you all enjoyed yourselves this year.

Thanks Grumpy - answers 2 & 3 were what I believed they would be; just needed to make sure.


Andy - "my route for 2013" is simply shorthand for "the route that it is my current intention to follow the next time I undertake this venture, whenever that may actually turn out to be".

hi jeremy , your name kept cropping up with regularity across Scotland the reason escapes me now , i was busy at the time. However with reference to your questions:- i have one having seen your reply. if you suspected the answer, why ask? (for re-assurance?) if so, where is the challenge. ps i have read the sign at the shelter above Glen Doll that mr grumpy refers to ( those guys didn't even have this shelter to consider when they set out). life can be too protected to appreciate reallity these days.

Simples.

Knowing whether the tramway is easy to follow or not feeds into the decision how many kilometres to plan to cover in the day. The more difficult the traverse of the hillside, the longer it will take, so the shorter the rest of the day needs to be.

Similarly with Glen Doll. Knowing whether or not the shelter is appropriate as a planned overnight stop feeds into the decision how many of the tops to visit while up on the plateau. If it's necessary to aim to get down to the valley floor, then I can afford to spend less time lingering on the plateau, and need to aim to visit fewer tops.

I'm afraid I don't understand your "where is the challenge" comment. But please don't bother trying to explain - because, frankly, I'm not interested in finding out what you meant by that.

In response to 3, the shelter has a roof of rusty tin covered in turf. The floor is earth and would only be a good idea in an emergency - its intended use.

The best camping is just before the forest next to the burn and is very nice indeed. Glen Doll is a favourite of mine!

Andy

Thanks Andy.

That's the camping spot I'd pencilled in when first roughing out the route. Nice to know it's a good pitch. Last time I was in Glen Doll was on my first Challenge in 2000, and I diverted from Jock's Road to take in Tolmount and Tom Buidhe (can't remember if I did Crow Craigies or not) and then went down by Loch Esk, Glittering Skellies and Moulzie, then turned right back up Glen Doll to the Youth Hostel (which was still open back then). So I've never actually walked the section of Jock's Road down through upper Glen Doll above the old Youth Hostel.

1) There was a sinister-looking bloke living in the bothy at Loch Beoraid when I last passed there.
2) I followed the Fersit tramway a few years ago from Spean bridge(ish) and it was easy to follow but some of the bridges were much too exciting for me and I had to go uphill to get around the small but rocky gorges. Its a bit soggy in a few places too, but otherwise its a good route. The bunkhouse at Tulloch was good too (is it still operating...?)
3) In extremis only as per other replies.

Good luck with the 2013 draw!

My favourite dehydrated food: unsalted porridge

Thanks Mike. You too.

The last I heard Tulloch station bunkhouse was still there ... but it doesn't fit in from my plans. From Fersit I aim to head south to a high level camp by a loch.

thanks for your reply jeremy, i had not thought of using info in that manner , interesting and useful. no hidden meaning in my question, sorry if that was implied.

No worries Bill.

After having to stop short at Oban bothy on day 1 this year because the terrain had proved more difficult to traverse than I expected, and then ending up trapped at Oban for 36 hours, I am perhaps a little more sensitive to the question "What should I expect the terrain to be like?" than in previous years!!