walkhighlands

This forum is for general discussion about walking and scrambling... If writing a report or sharing your experiences from a route, please use the other boards.

deepest peat bog

Re: deepest peat bog

Postby gammy leg walker » Sun Feb 16, 2020 9:56 pm

A selfie after extraction
FB_IMG_1562612445439.jpg
User avatar
gammy leg walker
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 3464
Munros:282   Corbetts:7
Fionas:4   Donalds:3+0
Sub 2000:2   
Islands:7
Joined: Jan 30, 2010
Location: Central Region
Walk wish-list

Re: deepest peat bog

Postby Raynor » Sun Feb 16, 2020 11:06 pm

There is an old story that does the rounds about the rannoch moor railway line construction. Supposedly several of the construction workers fell into bogs and died returning to camp at night whilst under the influence of a local beverage or two. Not sure how true it is, but it's certainly got some horrendous man eating bogs.
Raynor
 
Posts: 201
Munros:110   Corbetts:8
Fionas:7   Donalds:1
Sub 2000:14   
Islands:4
Joined: Jun 11, 2017
Location: Mid Calder

Re: deepest peat bog

Postby Caberfeidh » Mon Feb 17, 2020 7:00 pm

The Galloway Hills - I fell with one leg in and one leg out, pulled myself out and tried to find the depth with a log lying nearby - the log was about eight feet long but could not touch the bottom.
User avatar
Caberfeidh
Stravaiging
 
Posts: 8367
Joined: Feb 5, 2009

Re: deepest peat bog

Postby gammy leg walker » Mon Feb 17, 2020 7:39 pm

And here's one of my mate Jonny616 a few years back

FB_IMG_1581964614024.jpg
User avatar
gammy leg walker
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 3464
Munros:282   Corbetts:7
Fionas:4   Donalds:3+0
Sub 2000:2   
Islands:7
Joined: Jan 30, 2010
Location: Central Region
Walk wish-list

Re: deepest peat bog

Postby brpro26 » Mon Feb 17, 2020 7:43 pm

Now that's what you call baw deep..... :lol:
User avatar
brpro26
 
Posts: 477
Munros:220   Corbetts:7
Fionas:4   Donalds:3
Sub 2000:9   
Joined: Jun 13, 2009
Location: Glenrothes

Re: deepest peat bog

Postby Manwaeadug » Mon Feb 17, 2020 7:55 pm

Well that's my mind made up on whether or not to buy trekking poles. Looks like they could be handy for 'bog depth poking' in addition to 'coo shooing'.
£50 ish seems a reasonable cost to keep my chookies out of bogs! :lol:
Manwaeadug
Walker
 
Posts: 107
Munros:1   Corbetts:3
Fionas:3   Donalds:6
Sub 2000:1   Hewitts:3
Wainwrights:4   
Joined: Oct 18, 2019
Walk wish-list

Re: deepest peat bog

Postby gammy leg walker » Mon Feb 17, 2020 7:59 pm

brpro26 wrote:Now that's what you call baw deep..... :lol:



Not to mention the dead sheep next to him which you can't see
User avatar
gammy leg walker
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 3464
Munros:282   Corbetts:7
Fionas:4   Donalds:3+0
Sub 2000:2   
Islands:7
Joined: Jan 30, 2010
Location: Central Region
Walk wish-list

Re: deepest peat bog

Postby Clach Liath » Mon Feb 17, 2020 9:29 pm

Reminds me of this which did the rounds a little while back:

User avatar
Clach Liath
Mountaineer
 
Posts: 634
Munros:282   Corbetts:82
Fionas:37   Donalds:37
Sub 2000:129   Hewitts:240
Wainwrights:214   
Joined: Sep 2, 2011
Location: Yorkshire
Walk wish-list

Re: deepest peat bog

Postby Essan » Mon Feb 17, 2020 10:10 pm

Deepest I've fallen in was waist deep.

But I was on my own, in a blizzard, near Corrour (the bog was hidden by a few inches of snow)

Obviously I got out and after reaching the bothy and having a brew up I was fine :)

A friend of mine had a similar waist deep fall walking to Strabeg bothy (from the south, not on the main track from the road) I'd stopped for a smoke and was a few minutes behind him. Arrived at the bothy to find him huddled in a sleeping bag .....
User avatar
Essan
 
Posts: 598
Munros:98   Corbetts:52
Fionas:7   Donalds:2+0
Sub 2000:4   Hewitts:88
Wainwrights:24   Islands:5
Joined: Jul 1, 2010
Location: Evesham, Worcs

Re: deepest peat bog

Postby AHillTooFar » Mon Feb 17, 2020 11:05 pm

Funny Fionn Bheinn was mentioned as I ended up thigh deep in the ground on the way up there.

I saw some muddier ground which thought to be a path. Only after climbing up to it did I notice I was standing on that bright green moss that appears to grow on the surface of waterlogged ground. Anyway, bit of a cartoon like pause before the layer of moss gave way under my weight and in I went. Flopped on my front and levered my leg free and then cautiously made my way to drier ground.

Of course that was a trip where I did not pack some spare socks.
AHillTooFar
Mountaineer
 
Posts: 82
Munros:29   Corbetts:14
Fionas:4   Donalds:9
Sub 2000:1   
Joined: Oct 29, 2017

Re: deepest peat bog

Postby brpro26 » Tue Feb 18, 2020 2:27 am

gammy leg walker wrote:
brpro26 wrote:Now that's what you call baw deep..... :lol:



Not to mention the dead sheep next to him which you can't see

I said Baw Deep not...Baaaa deep :lol: :lol: :lol:
User avatar
brpro26
 
Posts: 477
Munros:220   Corbetts:7
Fionas:4   Donalds:3
Sub 2000:9   
Joined: Jun 13, 2009
Location: Glenrothes

Re: deepest peat bog

Postby Plavuizen » Thu Feb 20, 2020 9:15 pm

Lots of good memories here :lol: I only came as far as knee deep just south of Rannoch Moor, and half that deep in bog in NL. Oh yes, knee deep in a salt water creek on a Dutch island.
But seriously, how dangerous are these peat bogs? I always walk alone, so no one to pull me out. And how to recognize these peat bogs?
Plavuizen
Walker
 
Posts: 27
Munros:4   
Sub 2000:1   
Islands:2
Joined: Oct 14, 2017

Re: deepest peat bog

Postby al78 » Thu Feb 20, 2020 10:37 pm

Clach Liath wrote:Reminds me of this which did the rounds a little while back:



After the first sinking I was virtually shouting WALK NEXT TO THE FENCE. He finally got it.
User avatar
al78
Walker
 
Posts: 1409
Munros:32   Corbetts:9
Donalds:1
Joined: Feb 1, 2018

Re: deepest peat bog

Postby al78 » Thu Feb 20, 2020 10:46 pm

Plavuizen wrote:Lots of good memories here :lol: I only came as far as knee deep just south of Rannoch Moor, and half that deep in bog in NL. Oh yes, knee deep in a salt water creek on a Dutch island.
But seriously, how dangerous are these peat bogs? I always walk alone, so no one to pull me out. And how to recognize these peat bogs?


Most are not dangerous, it is just a nuisance getting your feet submerged in mud and getting soggy mud over most of your lower half. If there are large patches of bare earth that are in a slight dip, be careful. Sometimes they can be recognised by a change in vegetation, the plant life on a bog surface will be very very low growing and sometimes look a bit like slime, in contrast to clumps of heather on firm ground. If I have to cross bare earth suspect peat bog, I look for any rocks poking through the ground, they should be resting on something solid beneath. If in doubt, put one foot forward and slowly put your weight on it, and be ready to abort if your forward foot starts going down significantly.

If you are heather bashing on pathless terrain, you should watch carefully where you put your feet if you are close to a watercourse. Coming down the Minigaig on the north side, I put my foot down a small boggy hole which was hidden by heather. That was goodbye dry feet, and had to carry on with my left foot and all my left trouser leg up to and including my backside soaking wet.
User avatar
al78
Walker
 
Posts: 1409
Munros:32   Corbetts:9
Donalds:1
Joined: Feb 1, 2018

Re: deepest peat bog

Postby BAZ1893 » Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:59 am

My worst experience was when climbing Ben Cruachan. I managed to step into a bog before I reached the dam, right up to the genitals. Hauled myself out as my companions were too busy laughing.

So stood there with my lower body covered in black muck I decided upon the idea of going down to the river under the bridge a bit further on to try to wash some of it off, I'm already wet and filthy so just being wet would be a slight improvement.

I gingerly made my way down to the water and just as I got to the edge I stood on a flat wet stone, my feet went from beneath me and I flew up in the air 'cartoon fashion' and landed on my backside with an almighty splash in the river.

I just sat there, now up to my neck in freezing water, wondering what else could go wrong. My mood was not helped by my two walking companions watching from the bridge in absolute hysterics.

To finish the day off in total disappointment I didn't even bag the summit as one of the aforementioned companions, who was quite inexperienced in the hills, took a panic attack near the top and wouldn't go any further so we had to just head back down.
BAZ1893
Walker
 
Posts: 27
Munros:123   Corbetts:11
Fionas:4   
Sub 2000:6   
Joined: Jan 5, 2011
Location: Blairgowrie

PreviousNext



Can you help support Walkhighlands?


Our forum is free from adverts - your generosity keeps it running.
Can you help support Walkhighlands and this community by donating by direct debit?



Return to General discussion

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Paul Webster, rohan and 22 guests