Back in Tyndrum - My Second Goldpanning Holidays! (PART 1)

Oh my. This post comes terribly late and long overdue. Let's blame it on uni, shall we? This semester is a bitch, but luckily, I spent some great holidays in Scotland, which I can now feed upon with all the fond memories... So finally, here they are:

Again, we stayed at the Wigwam site - around the same time as last year, mid to end of August. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't half as good this time. On most days, it was overcast and rainy, but then again, last year, we really struck it lucky with sunshine for 7+ days. This year, I discovered a different side of the Highlands: wilder, somewhat colder, and certainly more wet. On some days, the rivers were so flooded that a tiny creek would turn into a raging river and made panning virtually impossible.

However, this time, I was not alone. Several panners took it upon themselves to travel all the way to Tyndrum to meet up with me and show me the ropes. First was Hamish:

He travelled a ridiculously long distance and brought along a shitload of equipment for me, as I hadn't been able to transport mine. Priceless! Being such a sweetheart, he invited, my boyfriend and me to some yummy burgers and beer at Paddy's, and we discussed our strategy. Such a treat, after we had been told at the Wigwam site that our booking had been lost and all the wigwams were full. Luckily, after a night in the tent, we did still get proper accomodation and it was all good. Early the next day, Hamish and I hit the river close to the campsite to look for the yellow stuff:



It was so so nice to finally pan with someone who shares my passion! Hamish showed me lots of valuable tips and I learned how great a good pump can be! Also, it was my first time trying out a proper sluice. Hamish had made his own (one small one and then, there's the legendary Big Bertha) and showed me what makes all the differences. I'll be sure to adapt my own homemade one and improve it with his suggestions!



I'll be honest - I didn't find all that much that day, but it was a ton of fun, I took so much valuable experience from it! Unfortunately, Hamish couldn't stay another day, but he did leave half of his equipment with me for another week, which I was so thankful for. Especially the pump and his wellies made work so much easier!
So thank you very, very much for a lovely day and this generous gesture, Hamish. I really hope to go panning with you again sometime!