Windy Hill

Due to a slight grammatical error in our braille invitation Bishop Billy Bowers failed to join us at Windy Hill today, the other Blind Boys poured out his sorrow in song

Marion & Bruce head out for a short Sunday saunter to windy hill.
This is a short and easy ascent to a hilltop in the Muirshiel Country Park that rewards with excellent views.

Marion makes her way through the Woods

 

Reconstructed round house

 

Fungi

 

Panorama over to Ben Lomond

 

Heading toward the Hill

 

Ben Lomond in the Distance

 

At the summit

 

Carved Mushroom

 

The 2013 World Stone Skimming Championships

Las Ramblas Ramblers (Stone Skimming Division) make the annual pilgrimage to

 Easdale Island for the world Stone Skimming Championships

Unfortunately David and the rest of the Jackalopes had a prior booking

But recorded an appropriate song in Celebration of the sound of Slate on Water

So if your in the Bristol area give them a look you may find dates here

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Jackalopes/133388810092198



Marion, Bruce, Linda, Neil,  Sam, Alfie, Andy, Jill, Kevin, Kay, Haddie, Bob & Sally

head over to Easdale for the Competition

An early explanation of the physics of stone-skimming was provided by Lazzaro Spallanzani in the 18th century.

The stone generates lift in the same manner as a flying disc, by pushing water down as it moves across the water at an angle. Surface tension has very little to do with it. The stone's rotation acts to stabilize it against the torque of lift being applied to the back.

Research undertaken by a team led by French physicist, Lydéric Bocquet, has discovered that an angle of about 20° between the stone and the water's surface is optimal. Bocquet and his colleagues were surprised to discover that changes in speed and rotation did not change this fact. Work by Hewitt, Balmforth and McElwaine has shown that if the horizontal speed can be maintained skipping can continue indefinitely.  Earlier research reported by Bocquet calculated that the world record of 38 skims set by Coleman-McGhee, unchallenged for many years, required a speed of 12 m/s (25 mph), with a rotation of 14 revolutions per second.

Or you could take our advice and pick up a stone, Chuck it, Hope for the best.

Ellenabeich

Ferry to Easdale



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Easdale

The whole worlds watching & so is the Pub

Heading to the Arena

Spectators start to assemble

Alfie stakes his claim for 11-15 world dominance
as Blue Peter presenters look on in admiration

Marion & the Blue Peter team celebrate her scoring throw

The Dutch team enter the Fray

Chas makes a Bid for the International Award

Neil begins the defence of the Budgie

Sam's stylish technique impresses Wally 

Bruce tries not to be distracted by the proximity of a bottle of Orkney Blast

 

Kevin Stakes his claim for the Budgie

Las Ramblas look on as Mellon takes his attempt

Winning throw from Dougie Isaacs after a 4 way toss-off

Alfie is proclaimed  Boys 11-15  World Champion

Time for us to head back to the Oyster for the Presentation of

The Budgie

The Puffin

& The Cockatiel 

Chas is overjoyed at winning the Cockatiel (International Award)

Former Boys under 10 World Champion
Current Boys 11-15 World Champion
And now Holder of The Budgie
surely BBC Sports Personality of the Year contender

2013 Results
Budgie
Alfie = 45m
Bruce= 39m
Kevin = 33m
Neil = 29m
Sam = 26m

Puffin
Jill = 17m
Marion = 8m
Kay = 0m

Cockatiel
(International)
Chas = 50m

Boys 11-15
Alfie = 45m (1^st )

Team
Las Ramblas 258m (14^th)

Ellenabeich

Thanks are due to Mellon & everyone who organised the event

Special Thanks to Steve, Trish, Gillian & Angus

at http://www.garraghmhor.co.uk/ 

 

Pre- Skim Saunter on Kerrera

Las Ramblas Ramblers (Stone Skiming Division) Head to the Island of Kerrera for a Pre-skim Saunter to Gylen Castle, Ronald Binge missed the ferry so headed into Oban to drown his sorrows

Marion, Bruce, Linda, Neil,  Sam, Alfie, Andy, Jill, Kevin, Kay, Haddie, Bob & Sally are joined  by Chas & Jaks.

 

Gylen Castle, on the southern part of the island of Kerrera in Argyll and Bute, juts dramatically into the sky on the tip of a promontory overlooking the Firth of Lorne.

Built in 1582 by the Clan MacDougall.  Gylen was only occupied for a relatively short period of time. The castle was besieged then burned by the Covenanters under General Leslie in 1647 during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.

In May 2006 a restoration of the castle was completed with a £300,000 grant by Historic Scotland and £200,000 raised by worldwide members of Clan MacDougall.

Kerrera

Who pays the Ferryman

Heading south from the Jetty

Cattle cooling off at the shore

Looking north to Oban

Neil, Jill, Jaks & Marion head for the View

And what a view

Gylen Castle

Chas has a Highlander Moment "there can be only one" (thankfully) 

Sally finds a spot to cool off in

Time to head over to Ellenabeich and prepare for tomorrows competition

The Training Room

 



Taking the High Road or maybe the Low Road

Las Ramblas head out to Loch Lomond for a Sunday Stroll,

surprisingly Neil arrived first at the meeting point unlike Martha Tilton who came up with the feeble excuse that she was helping Bruce in Cowdenbeath with a couple of big sums

Gillian, Alison, Marion, Neil, Alfie, June, Avril, Gary, Layla, Ryan & Wilf  set out  from Rowardennan for a saunter on the shores of

Scotland's loch that doesn't rely on a Monster to pull in the tourist.

 

 

Loch Lomond is a freshwater loch lying on the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Central Scotland and the Highlands. It is 39 kilometres (24 mi) long and between 1.21 kilometres (0.75 mi) and 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) wide. It has an average depth of about 37 metres (121 ft), and a maximum depth of about 190 metres (620 ft). Its surface area is 71 km2 (27 sq mi), and it has a volume of 2.6 km3 (0.62 cu mi). Of all lochs and lakes in Great Britain, it is the largest by surface area, and the second largest (after Loch Ness) by water volume. Within the United Kingdom, it is surpassed only by Lough Neagh and Lower Lough Erne in Northern Ireland.

Traditionally a boundary between Stirlingshire and Dunbaronshire, Loch Lomond is currently split between the council areas of Stirling, Argyll and Bute, and West Dunbartonshire.

Loch Lomond is now part of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. Ben Lomond is on the eastern shore: 3,195 ft in height and the most southerly of the Scottish Munro peaks. A 2005 poll of Radio Times readers voted Loch Lomond as the 6th greatest natural wonder in Britain.

The loch contains thirty or more other islands. depending on the water level. Several of them are large by the standards of British bodies of freshwater. Inchmurrin, for example, is the largest island in a body of freshwater in the British Isles.

Several of the islands appear to be crannogs, artificial islands built in prehistoric periods

One of the loch's islands, Inchconnachan, is home to a colony of wallabies.

Alison & Layla

 

Loch Lomond

 

Marion & Avril express a preference for the Low Road 

 

Fly Agaric

 

Neil gets some practice in for the impending championships

 

Ramblers Rest

 

Alison realises she cant get a signal on her Phone

 

Taking the High Road

 

Our Glorious leader receives running repairs

 

Avril inspects the work of the Midge

 

Alfie in a contemplative mood

 

Time to head homeward