The Carnethy Interview

The Carnethy Interview - Eric Brown

A few years ago, Eric and I were at the Carnethy Loch Ossian Weekend. We didn't talk much there, only passing pleasantries. Eric was 'that tall chap; he's a lawyer and has been in the SAS you know'. We had both decided to do the traditional run-round-the-loch-and-try-for-under-the-hour solo, which was one point of conversation. It was at Dave Peck's Affric Tops weekend this year, on the Sunday run in a group of six, when we had a longer chat. He spoke with enthusiasm of his recent trips to Turkmenistan and Azherbijan, of his army service and canoeing, as well as hill running. Here was someone to be introduced to more Club members and he agreed to do The Interview.

Tell me about your early years.

I was born and brought up in Elgin, Morayshire, with one brother and two sisters. (The local dialect is moray-loon for a boy and quine for a girl). At the local school and later at Fettes College, Edinburgh, I had no interest in sports. In fact the received impression was that sports were not for me, that I wouldn't be any good. This is an example of something I object to in modern society - tradition imposing limits on people for no real reason. I was a contemporary of Tony Blair at Fettes and we were often on opposing sides in debates. I can't remember who won!

How did you first become aware of mountains and exploration?

Four years reading Law in Edinburgh were followed by 3 years in a Highland Infantry Regiment. I had been in the University Training Corps and applied for a transitional month's attachment to the French Army in the Maritime Alps (my mother is Swiss and we had spent family holidays in the Alps). Training with the French was my first encounter with big walks in the mountains and serious physical exercise. The marching pack included half a tent and you had to match up with someone with the other half or sleep in the open. So if there are an odd number? Hard luck. We had a brandy ration, too, but we deduced that it was for burning in the stoves, definitely not for drinking.>

At Sandhurst the big walks and runs with heavy kit continued and to my surprise I was good at it and enjoyed it. I found I was a natural at orienteering and won regularly. What about the SAS connection? After the army I joined the TA and was on attachment to the SAS for a spell. (No more details were forthcoming). The TA also continued the opportunity for long distance walking and big overnight expeditions, in the Perthshire mountains this time. Again, it was a surprise to find I was fitter than everyone else - in one event I passed everyone in front of me and the marshall setting up the check points.

When was your first hill race?

August 1983, Aboyne Highland Games, up Beinn Achie, 1000ft and 7 miles, in army boots and track suit. Unforgettable. Even this experience didn't put me off. What about Mounros? List-ticking is of no interest to me. I must have been up quite a lot but I haven't kept a record. Are you a competitive person? Only with myself.

Do you know any other mountain areas?

Yes. I've ascended the big tops of Yosemite, been into Monument Valley in Arizona, descended into and ascended from the Grand Canyon. (Many people find they can do the descent but have to be rescued by the Rangers with a horse when it comes to the ascent). Chamonix and the Maritime Alps are familiar places. In 1993 a Winston Churchill Travelling fellowship allowed me to go to Norway. I also travelled in SE Asia in 1993. Hanoi has very few motor cars and North Vietnam is very backward but things are changing rapidly. Travel and exploration are very liberating. Everyone can do it. Hill running is a particularly good example of the idea of attempting things which one never dreamt were possible. Horizons open up; "I never realised I could do that" is a magnificent feeling. In some inexplicable way one is conditioned to accept (unconscious) limitations on one's abilities.

In Glen Affric you were talking about your trips to the Caspian Sea area. Tell me more.

I've had about a dozen trips in connection with the development of the oil fields. There's a Klondyke atmosphere, which is cutting across the old traditional attitudes and changing society very rapidly. Another example of the realisation that different things are possible. Its likely that I will have a few more visits out there and hope to get into the Kopec Mountains on the Iranian border. There are security problems but it may be possible with the right connections. Any running out there has to be done in the early morning while it is still relatively cool.

What about training and other sports?

No special training or attempt to get in a particular number of miles a week. My general health is good and I don't seem to get injury problems. Other sports have included sailing, open canoeing, orienteering (I'd like to do more). My favourite run is a one or two hour round in the hills local to Dollar, where I live. I never tire of the country around here; its always different in some way.

Are you interested in music and dancing?

I gave up the violin at school, to my parents relief. My mother was a concert-standard pianist and now I wish I had taken that up. I love reels and dancing generally. I was quite a good ballroom dancer in the distant past. Do you know how I can get to see the Japanese film on ballroom dancing called "Shall We Dance"? No. I don't. I'd like to see it myself.

Why Carnethy?

I saw an advert for the Carnethy 5 Race, entered, did it, and enjoyed it I'm not a club person but when I realised the sort of Club that Carnethy was, it appealed to me. No expectations, no pressures to conform. More a collection of individuals with varied backgrounds who do things they enjoy together. Being accepted as you are, at whatever ability level, by Internationals and Champions and everyone, invited to join interesting weekends and events - it appeals to me a lot.

Anything wrong with the Club?

I've met only a small proportion of the 200 or 300 members and I would like to meet a lot more. If only we could think up more ways of doing so.

What is your most satisfying athletic achievement?

Can I have two?

Ok.

One was a 42 mile walk in Perthshire with a 45lb pack, completed in 22 hours. The other was a 6 hour circuit of all the hills over 600 feet in Colonsay and Oronsay (using the causeway). I'd worked out the route myself and I don't think anyone else had done it at the time - or since?

Are you concerned about safety in the mountains?

Yes, I accept the objective dangers out there and take precautions. I'm often telling people to be very wary of how the Scottish weather can become dangerous very quickly. The combination of wet and cold in remote situations can be lethal. Any close calls yourself? The nearest to disaster was in the Cairngorms, ski-mountaineering with Glenmore Lodge. A slip on an icy stretch and off I set down the slope at an accelerating pace. When I had become resigned to dying at the bottom of a 1000 ft drop, the surface became a bit softer and, by digging in finger nails and everything available, I was able to stop.

Do you have any heroes?

That's a difficult one out of the blue. Yes, Hiram Holiday, a fictional Paul Gallico character. He is the average, non-descript man, from whom nothing is expected, but who performs wondrous deeds when the occasion demands it. And a real life one - General Patton. I read as many biographies about Patton as I can get hold of. Here was a man of immense ability, who saw the fundamentals of warfare separate from the technology employed. He was a brilliant tank commander but was prevented from applying his ideas by the restrictions of the system. Another of my examples of individual genius being smothered by tradition.

What will you be doing in 2010?

Running in the hills, I hope and trust. I will have learned to play the piano, improved my Russian to an acceptable level, still be a member of Carnethy. I will have accepted ideas and enthusiasm from others - Carnethy is very good for this - and to have recognised and broken out of unnecessary restrictions imposed from outside. I will have widened my horizons and experiences.

AM 31/8/98