We rolled up the shutter doors early at Lomond MRT’s base to see bright sunshine! But we knew from the weather forecast that it wouldn’t last…
Riding away from Drymen after an excellent night’s hospitality, we quickly covered the miles to the Ochils MRT base in Fishcross. The team cover a remote upland area known as the Ochil Hills which is within easy reach of outdoor enthusiasts from Perth, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Savouring the return to an almost urban environment, we fuelled up and breakfasted in Alloa before crossing the Firth of Forth and taking our lives in our hands on the busy M9 past Edinburgh.
Our next visit was to Tweed Valley MRT’s fine base in the picturesque town of Melrose on the edge of some surprisingly remote and rugged terrain. We took our quota of photos for the day’s post and stretched our legs for a few minutes.
Sadly though, I then received a phone call from my wife Lizzie telling me her lovely Mum had just passed away. Obviously, that left me very conflicted about carrying on with the challenge, but Lizzie made it plain that we mustn’t abandon our plan.
So, we rode on in sombre mood to meet team member Ian (Starky) at Borders MRT’s modern base in Kelso, along with our friends Ange and Dave which thankfully lifted my spirits. Starky not only treated us to lunch but then guided us on his BMW 650 all the way to Moffat MRT’s base via ‘secret’ roads and past the beautiful St Mary’s Loch where he sails on a regular basis.
Given that our arrival at Moffat MRT represented the official completion of our 24 SMRT base visits, it was fantastic to be given the biggest welcome yet in terms of the number of team members present! They applauded us as we arrived in the car park, and it really hit home that we’d done something worthwhile.
We were quickly ushered into their smart and comfortable base building and presented with gifts for our team including some delicious Moffat Toffee which were gratefully received. Moffat is also the home of Scotland’s first modern wood-fired distillery – we’re now proud possessors of a bottle of their fine ‘Mountain Rescue’ edition gin!
As has been the case with all the teams we’ve met, it was interesting to learn more about their operating area and its challenges. And of course, we inspected their vehicle fleet – Andy and I aren’t limited to a love of just two wheels!
As I hinted earlier when planning the trip, Andy had a side mission to go and have a first look at the Jack Russell pup he’ll be collecting from near Moffat in a few weeks. He came back a couple of hours later, dripping wet but grinning ear to ear!
The icing on this day’s cake was the offer of beds for the night with team member Elysha and her family in their house on the outskirts of Moffat. We had the most sociable of evenings along with excellent food and were entertained by their two talented sons.
But despite the base visiting side of the challenge being complete, we still had to get home in one piece…
Ochils MRT
The team operates from a custom built rescue base in Fishcross from which they can coordinate search and rescues all over East Central Scotland once called out by Police Scotland.
During major incidents, they regularly work with neighbouring teams within Scottish Mountain Rescue – namely Tweed Valley, Killin and Lomond.
The team comprises more than thirty highly trained volunteers from all walks of life, bonded by a love of the outdoors and willing to respond to fellow enthusiasts in need.
Tweed Valley MRT
The team is based in the Scottish Borders with a modern base in Melrose and covers West Lothian, Mid Lothian, City of Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders west of the A68.
They work closely with neighbouring teams, Search and Rescue Dogs and Coastguard Search and Rescue Helicopters. In addition to these relationships, Tweed Valley MRT is proud to be twinned with HSSK, a volunteer rescue organisation based in Kópavogur, Iceland.
Their area covers the highest hills of the Southern Uplands including Broad Law (840m), much of the Pentland Hills, the Moorfoot, Tweedsmuir and Eildon Hills, the wild and remote Ettrick and Yarrow valleys and some of the best and most popular mountain biking areas in Scotland at Glentress and Innerleithen, both part of the 7Stanes mountain biking area. A large stretch of the Southern Upland Way is within the team’s area as well as a number of other popular waymarked paths.
As well as the wild uplands, the team also covers the Edinburgh region and they are often called to assist the Police in searching rough low-level ground in less remote locations.
Border SAR
Border SAR is affiliated to Scottish Mountain Rescue and was formed in 1963. They operate from a new and purpose built base in Kelso, close to the Scottish and English border, which houses their three rescue vehicles and other specialist equipment.
They provide mountain rescue cover in the south east of Scotland, including the Lammermuir and Cheviot hill ranges. All members of the team are highly trained and experienced volunteers who live and work in the local community.
Moffat MRT
The team was formed in 1969 and operate from a modern rescue base near the centre of Moffat.
They have around thirty members, each of whom brings technical experience and local knowledge of the area, which is invaluable in searches.
The team primarily covers the eastern area of Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland, a large rural area which offers a wide variety of recreational activities and attracts outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and levels of ability.
Their region covers areas including The Moffat and Lowther hills, Criffel, Ae and Mabie Forests. The team also provide search and rescue services to the many local communities on their patch which include Gretna, Lockerbie and Dumfries to name but a few.
The team work closely with neighbouring MRT’s when required, particularly with Galloway MRT, who were Si and Andy’s first call on the Long Way Roond.
They also provide safety cover for a number of hill races within the region, as well as at local community events throughout their area.