SRP:UK 'Razorcon' 2009 - planning thread

[nerobot]

Spike J:

Sounds great to me. Count me in.

Steven

[Spike J]

In between everything else that has happened this weekend, here is what I have managed to discover.

Firstly, the Centre itself. It is known as Kintail Outdoor Centre & the nice lady at National Trust Scotland described it thus:-
"Kintail Outdoor Centre provides a unique setting as an adventure base, offering unparalleled scope for outdoor pursuits and field studies. Local countryside rangers are on hand to offer advice, introductory talks and guided walks. Up to 20 can be accommodated in this excellent bunkhouse property. Five bedrooms with bunk beds - one two bedded, three four bedded and one six bedded - fully equipped kitchen, sitting room with wood-burning stove, dining room, drying room and laundry. Oil-fired central heating and wood burning stove. The property is wheelchair accessible.

The centre is situated below Sgurr na Moraich, the last of the famous Five Sisters of Kintail, and Ben Attow (The Long Mountain). These spectacular mountains rise steeply from the shores of Loch Duich, offering some of the best hill walking in Britain . The centre is 5 minutes from the A87 with Glenelg and the Isle of Skye within easy reach.

The property sleeps 20 people in total and is priced at £15 per person per night, with a minimum charge of £125 per night for smaller groups of ten and under."
Although it is not mentioned here, the Centre also has camping facilities. What their standards & rates are remains to be seen. I have asked what sort of deposit & payments the NTS requires. It should work out at £45 a head for three nights or proportionally less. Silver & I are thinking of maybe going up a little earlier & possibly leaving later because it just looks so fantastic.

Other than the Centre there is another place with hostel & hotel places about two miles away by car or on foot. It's called the Kintail Lodge Hotel & its prices start at £13.50 pppn for the hostel & £55 for the hotel. Other than that I have found four other B&Bs in the £40+ per night bracket. Of course, they are a little further away, but you wouldn't have to slum it. If you are interested, PM me.

I am sure you are all dying to know, if you do not already, that the closest distillery, just, is the Talisker, in Carbost on Skye. Talisker DistilleryIt would probably be an hour's drive (1 1/4hours according to Google) from the centre. The tour will cost £5, redeemable towards a full size bottle in the shop. They will be closed on the Sunday & would require a booking if a number of us were to descend. While I still would like to try & reach the remotest spot in mainland Blighty, I must confess a hankering to shave at the base of the tallest waterfall in Britain, the Falls of Glomach. Any takers? The local website is here Visit Lochalsh - wild and wonderful - Highlands of Scotland & gives you a good idea of what there is in the area.

Any questions?

[Silver]

ME COMING TOO

Woohooo!!! And I bet by this years Meet you will be sick and tired of owning that Pearl and be wanting to sell it on to me of course.

Glad you will be joining us, it will be awesome to see you again.

[darrensandford]

Talisker? I loves it, I does! Definitely up for that!

As for shaving at the base of the falls, I'll bring a stainless!

[Garry]

I used to visit Skye for Holidays a few times a year , and I've visited the Talisker Distillery with the biggest hangover of all time , the guide knew this and insisted I smell inside the Vat .. he also opened the door for me while running outside to almost throw up --
As with last year I'm very much up for it , depending on how things are with my Family , I can't venture too far in case things take a turn for the worst ..

Funny in all my life I've never actually been to an outdoor centre , mad considering I kite, camp and and normally neck deep in water by the time anyone has noticed ..

plus it'll brilliant to finally meet some of you guys face to face ..

Garry

[Makar]

The falls of Glomach from Morvich is a nice walk and at that time we should be starting to see the decline of the midgies. Walk 2468 - The Falls of Glomach from Morvich - Highland - a walk description from Walking Britain

I know the centre very well so any particular questions give me a shout. Camping is actually separate from the NTS facilities - think it's camping and caravanning club managed. However, that matters little. Bottom line is - if it's really mingin weather we can all do the distillery tour as well as our indoor activites with sharp metal. With a large crowd we can make our own entertainment.

The catering facilities at Morvich are very good. The opportunities for eating out are not...believe me, I know. I suggest that we think about group catering in the main. In other words a menu and cooking/washing up/dishing out duties. Getting 20 folk to do their own thing would be chaos. However, setting up a two choice meat/veggie pot of chilli or likewise is easy to do. I am happy to organise one of the evening meals with a back up team. We can work a rota out taking peoples abilities into account, i.e. if you can't cook your washing and drying! Breakfast and lunches are prob easily organised individually - just make a packed lunch and wash up your breakfast bowl. This would keep price down too but require a bit of a shopping trip in Inverness first. What about minibus prices etc. be good to get a ball park for the whole weekend price from Inverness?

These are just thoughts of course. Well done Spike and keep going my son

[Spike J]

Thanks for that Stephen. Much food for thought

I have looked into hiring a minibus from Inverness for the weekend. There are two firms which hire 17 seaters. Both quoted prices in the £300 to £350 region for the weekend from midday Friday to 4 on Monday. I could not go any further than getting a quote because I do not have a driving licence! I believe that, given the expenses we are going to incur this year, it might be sensible to make some sort of arrangements for payments.

I like the ideas you had for the catering Stephen. I would be very happy to volunteer to cook a meal for us all. Probably macaroni cheese from scratch, if no one has any objections. I will also cook porridge each morning for those who want it. The more I plot, the more I realise that this year's festivities are an order of magnitude more complex than last. What have I let myself in for????

[nerobot]

Ah, just realised where that is. Bit to far for me to drive there from Glasgow. Shame. Anyone else going from Glasgow? If so, perhaps could think about minibus. If not, might have to SADLY say no to this

Steven

[darrensandford]

I can find my way around a kitchen, so will be happy to help out with cooking. I am veggie though, just to confuse matters more!

[Silver]

I would be very happy to volunteer to cook a meal for us all. Probably macaroni cheese from scratch, if no one has any objections. I will also cook porridge each morning for those who want it. The more I plot, the more I realise that this year's festivities are an order of magnitude more complex than last. What have I let myself in for????

Spike's Mac & cheese is by far one of my favourites, forget the tinned goo, this stuff is the real deal. As a general rule some good smoked back bacon is added but we could easily do two, one with and one without. I'm more than willing to help out where possible, depending on Squid's routine or availability of volunteers to keep an eye on her for us.

Don't fret darling, we will be able to pull the planning off between us.

I also think as there are only 20 places available at the Centre that everyone wanting to stay there should make a firm commitment on the thread, with the cash in (probably to Spike) by the end of the month to make sure we get the venue booked.

If you are wanting to stay overnight at the centre, please say how many nights you want to stay for (£15 per night each). Remember the dates for the centre are Friday 4th - Monday 7th September.

On a side note, we looked into how much it would cost to travel to Inverness from Cardiff. Well first we checked how much it would be for the train, I was stunned to find out it would be around £110 each for a return!!! So next we looked at flying in which was a lot better (and quicker with the train taking on average 11 hours). We can't fly direct from Cardiff but we can from Bristol, for around £40 each return, much better.