Macmillan Event Support

[Ecoman]

I got back late last night after my 4x4 Response group (COTAG) and I helped to support the Macmillan Coast to Coast event.We were there to provide transport for injured or exhausted walkers and cyclists, provide comms support, establish checkpoints to help keep track of the participants and aid in emergency medevec situations in any arose. We were also the pack mules and muscle to help set up and dismantle base camp and finish line amenities.

We arrived at Oykel Bridge on a very rainy Saturday afternoon and met with some Scouts and their leaders, who were the event organisers, and loaded them and their own personal kit into our vehicles. We then set off on a wet and slippy trek into the depths of the moors on the Croik estate. The rain had transformed, what would normally have been small trickles and burns into raging torrents of water that in some cases ended up being quite an obstacle. The ground wes very soft and was easily churned up and many of the lower lying pieces of land were transformed into a thick boggy marsh which also included a large chunk of the ground at our base camp. Once we had set up the base camp and erected an antenna mast we sat down to a delicious and tasty meal of chicken curry, rice and naan bread courtesy of and cooked by the Scout leader. After supper we set off in the now pitch black and trekked a further few miles into the depths of the estate to find the Knockdamph bothy which was to be our home for the night. The drive there was very interesting, considering the weather conditions and flooded tracks but we all made it safely although the Disco 3 that was with us had the misforune to have its demisted fan break down on it. We woke the next morning to some a lovely view of Loch an Daimh.

Sunday passed without serous incident and the sun even shone on us. The rivers and burns went back to their normal size and the ground considerably dried up in a short space of time. I couldn't think of a better day to spend a Sunday but sitting in the sun and watching th world go by.

My Landcruiser 80 performed faultlessly and even put the Disco 3 to shame after it got seriously stuck in a bog marsh but the 80 managed to get through without assistance.

Anyway here are a few photos of the event.........

 

[Andrew Prince]

Stunning scenery!! I guess that's about as close to greenlaning as you get in Scotland these days?

 

[AndyCook]

Looks like a good weekend and great excuse to drive some tracks we normally cannot access in Scotland.
thats a lovely spot - nice and remote, I have driven part way from Ullapool end for trout fishing before and also mountain biked to that bothy from Ullapool direction.
big shame we don't have greenlanes up here
good that the 80-series showed-up the Disco

 

[Ecoman]

Aye it was nice to get the truck out into the wilderness and all for a great cause too.

Aye Andy its a fantastic piece of the world and the bothy is in top condition. Whoever goes there after us is in for a treat as we left them a shed load of beer and wine and plenty to eat including several bars of chocolate and a few tubes of pringles. We also left plenty of fire wood to keep them warm. You could live there for days

I was kicking myself for not packing my fishing gear. It would have been an ideal way to pass the time on the saturday night. Some freshly grilled trout would have made for a fine breakfast too

 

[Ecoman]

A few more piccies :thumbsup:

 

[Ecoman]

I was out doing some more training with COTAG 4x4 Response yesterday up in the forrests near Cullen. We were doing deep water wading, hill decents/ ascents etc. I will post pictures later when I have time. I must admit I'm getting to drive in some stunning areas that the public very rarely get to see let alone play in. Most of the places we go to is private property that has heavily restricted vehicular access.

If any Landcruiser Club members, that live around the Moray and Grampian regions, feel compelled enough to join up and boost our numbers then feel free to get in touch and come along to one of our monthly evening meetings for a chat. Its about time we outnumbered the "bonnet up" brigade.

The training is excellent and you will have to pass not only the Police vetting but do a minimum amount of training before starting "active duty". The training is involved but will mean you will become an advanced driver and pass the IAM course (you can be on call even before the training is finished), do a minimum amount of off road training (approx 20 hours give or take depending on previous experience) and pass an assessment that is the equivalent of the NVQ levels 1 and 2, become licenced to use a VHF radio (really easy exam), train in First Aid plus any other skills that you feel may benefit your role within the group. We also pride ourselves on extra training like night navigation, map reading and using a compass, extreme weather survival. You also get issued with a comprehensive PPE kit, VHF radios, vehicle beacons etc.

You don't have to be totally committed and can refuse a call out if you are busy doing something else or can't make it for other reasons but it does mean you get to train in some remote regions, drive some excellent tracks, attend events where you play an integral role, and get peace from the family one sunday a month to go out an play with big toys

Also you don't have to have a fully kitted out off-roader with mud terrains as we have members with stock discoverys and defenders, there are also two of our members with a standard L200s. We would never ask you to do something with your vehicle you were not happy with and at no point would we expect you to sustain any damage to your vehicle.

If anyone fancies joining up then drop me a PM or send a message via http://www.cotag.net/index.php (we have a new website being built but its not quite ready to go online yet so the news and reports on the one in the link is a wee bit dated)

 

[AndyCook]

Got some interest in this, thinking about it as sounds fun, but i barely have enough time to do all hobbies etc anyway
already passed police checks for firearms/Shotgun license , and have marine VHF certification...
and experienced at orienteer & mountaineering & ski mountaineering so navigation & survival training no sweat

 

[Ecoman]

Got some interest in this, thinking about it as sounds fun, but i barely have enough time to do all hobbies etc anyway
already passed police checks for firearms/Shotgun license , and have marine VHF certification...
and experienced at orienteer & mountaineering & ski mountaineering so navigation & survival training no sweat

Hi Andy, your just the sort of chap COTAG are looking for. I was actually wondering if you put your name forward or not. You don't have to devote lots of time to the cause you just have to turn up when it suits you and when you can spare an hour or two. We have members that work offshore and others that work shifts so we don't see them for months at a time but the more members we have on board, potentially the more members are available in the hour of need.

You would probably have to submit your details again for the Police check as it may come under different search criteria and you would still have to take you amateur radio licence as the marine licence wouldn't cover it but the rest of your skills are perfectly suited to what we do.

Have a think about it and get in touch if you feel you could spare the time.