A Worthy Goodbye

The forecast for today was not too good with rain and low hanging clouds, but improving from the west so we drove as far west as Bridge of Orchy to walk in that area hoping for said improvement weather-wise.
Headed into Glen Kinglass from a car park near Inveroran Hotel.
It was dry so far and the broad gravel road easy to walk with nice views of the some hills in the distance despite a few persistent clouds. We took a right turn at a small hut to start our ascent of Stob a'Choire Odhair. The path was a bit boggy first, followed by a steep bit over rocks and grass with a quite rocky but not too steep last bit. Very nice and easy walk indeed.

Nice view despite the clouds

The clouds vanished more and more while we had our picnic up on the top looking down over the flat plane of Rannoch Moor. Absolutely stunning. Too bad we couldn't linger long. But as we walked back down the sun finally won over the clouds and more and more clouds gave way to blue sky.

Rannoch Moor. View from Stob a'Choire Odhair

We had a short break at a river enjoying the warm rays on our skin before we walked back on the gravel road turning around time and again to look back to cloud-free hills framed in blue sky. Just absolutely beautiful. Made a mental note to come back to this area as it is just as I picture Scotland in my mind.

Glen Kinglass on our way back

Had our last dinner and I devoured a massive portion of lovely Scottish salmon. Had been looking forward to it all week since it's always fish on Fridays. Yeah!

Will visit a friend tomorrow morning in Perth, pick up the bass cabinet I bought on eBay in Sterling and then head down to Bristol. Will take me about 7 hours from there. After two weeks up here Bristol and my everyday life seems so distant. But still I'm looking forward to being back, getting out of my hiking clothes and drinking proper cider.


So this is it. My first two-week long Scotland holidays are over. I had a fantastic time in the home of my heart and unbelievably good weather. Met some lovely people while I was here and did 24 munros, 22 new ones. Never expected to do all of Skye's peaks and so many around the Ben Lawers area. I came here with a count of 7 and leave with 29 on my list now, reaching the 10% mark. Yeah. Sounds little, but it's a big step for me.

I will be back. Again. Maybe next year. I have to. I'm just drawn to Scotland. No plans yet, but something will come up, I'm sure.

Four Munros Done!!!

Bam! Did four munros today, three new ones. Nice.

The plan for the group was to do Ben Lawers and then An Stuc, descent to the little lochan below and walk back to the road. As we started the clouds hung very low and  Ben Lawers' top was hidden in thick mist. Still the wind was okay up there so we had our picnic and walked over to An Stuc. Felt good today after my rest day and the moderate pace got me breathing but not out of breath.
Loved the mist as it always creates such a mystical atmosphere and early afternoon we arrived at the top of An Stuc - my first new munro today since I had been on Ben Lawers before.
There was the option of carrying on to finish the Lawers group but only when the weather was not too bad. Luckily it cleared up just enough to see some features of the surrounding slopes so Simone, Martin and me decided to go for it and bag another two munros while the others went back to the saddle between An Stuc and Ben Lawers, descent to the Lochan and then got back to the main road.

We circumvented the steep and difficult North-East face of An Stuc by going down a grassy slope and walking around it on some sheep trails before we climbed up to the saddle and started our ascent of Meall Garbh. Realized I had forgotten to put the memory card back into my camera at that point, so there are no photos today, boo.

There were still some clear moments and before we knew it we had reached the top of munro number three today. Went on once more with misty clouds around us to a wide, very boggy plane between Meall Garbh and Meall Greigh. The three of us had a very similar pace and it was so much fun to walk at a more demanding pace, not at all like the Sunday stroll it had been all the way to an Stuc.

With munro number four done we headed down and lost the path on the way when we realized that the one we were following wasn't the one our GPS devices were displaying and which would lead us to the road eventually. So we walked "freestyle" from now on over grassy ground with fine views of the Lawers massif and Loch Tay opening up as soon as we were back under the cloudy blanket.

We could the the river we were supposed to follow rather soon and navigated along a path that was only seen on our GPSes. Maybe the Scots had just decided to let the grass grow over the the path, haha.

There was another path joining ours from the opposite side of the river and soon we could spot the rest of our group on it. What a coincidence! We pretty much met exactly at the junction and walked together back to the road and on to the Hotel in the small village of Lawers for a pint before our guide drove us back to the house.

The day was fantastic despite the absence of a view most of the time. We did four munros and my count went up to 28 now. Cool. Had a great time doing three and four with Simone and Martin and hope we'll do another one or even two tomorrow. Already I've done more than I ever expected to get done within two weeks. Awesome!!!

Three More Munros

Had another fine mountain day yesterday meaning no rain at all. That came with no view as well, but then again, no rain :)

Our guide steered the bus to Crianlarich where a nice round trip to An Caisteal and Beinn a'Chroin started from a lay by. Felt my knees again that morning but a Voltarol had shut them up for the time being.
An easy path gave way to a steep bit over grassy ground and we plunged into the low hanging grey clouds for the last ascent to the top.

Had our picnic up there as there was little to no wind and headed down to a saddle before we tackled the complex ascent up Beinn a'Chroin. With boulders, rock and grass I had a great time walking, scrambling and climbing and found a kindred soul in another girl in the group. We were both grinning excitedly like children in a sweetshop enjoying every bit.

Another munro top conquered

 So it happened that we came to a bit of a tricky scramble for inexperienced walkers and before any doubts in said walkers in our group could arise I suggested just giving it a try. Together with our guide the two of us helped the rest over the obstacle. Took quite a while but everyone was willing to at least have a go at it and trusted in us helping. Fantastic team spirit!

We didn't linger long at the top as the grey blanket of clouds was still hanging low. Down into the coire we went and back to our bus on another very long very wet and boggy track.

Group making their way down

Our way back. Perfectly formed coire, unfortunately very boggy

My friends had come over from Crieff in the afternoon so we had a nice chat and it was really nice seeing them again. Stayed out rather long until midnight after dinner just talking and sipping whisky.


Today was planned as an off-day for the group just doing an easy walk in Aberfeldy and then everyone would be free to wander around the village. I had done both a few years back and wasn't really in the mood for literally doing nothing since the pace on our walks had been moderate at most so far and I still had a lot of energy.

If it wasn't for my complaining knees I would've chosen a 2-3 munro loop somewhere. Instead I decided to have my kind of off-day and walk up Schiehallion thus ticking another one off my munro list.
One of the guys in the group had a similar idea, so I gave him a lift to Killin and then headed over to the Schiehallion car park which was an hour's drive.
Arrived at 11am and started immediately. The weather was a bit better than yesterday with a few sunny patches in all that grey up in the sky.
The first two thirds of the walk are almost too easy with a broad well prepared path. Still the purple heather, green, yellow and brown ferns covering most of the underground were beautiful to behold, the latter ones being the first messengers of approaching autumn.

The very rocky last third made up for the undemanding path before. Enjoyed jumping from boulder to boulder and had to think of my traverse of the Glyders earlier this year. Good fun!
The view from the top was indeed nice since this fine hill is a free standing one, but the haze blurred everything further away.

View from Schiehallion

So I just took a few pictures, had a wee dram form my hip flask as this was the first munro I climbed on my own and then went back down again.

Autumn is coming

Devoured my lunch package at the car park and then drove over to Kinloch Rannoch. Had intended to cycle around it but it was way too late now and I really wasn't in the mood to just cycle a few minutes and then go back the same way. So instead I walked around for a bit, had a cappuccino and drove back to our house.

Loch Rannoch

Loch Tay Day 2 - Two On Day Two

Slept like a dead man last night, seems I was tired after all. But the dinner and chat with the people last night was just so very pleasant. This is a fantastic group... in fact I think this is one of the best groups I had so far. Fun people and relaxed as relaxed can be.

Drove the short bit to the car park at the foot of the Ben Lawers massif again to do three more munros there. First we went up Beinn Ghlas which I had climbed before. The forecast hadn't been bad for today. Sunny patches and generally good. But halfway up we fought with an icy wind from the west, everyone donning all their clothes. I cursed not having brought my gloves.
I felt the remarkably higher weight of my backpack having packed my stove, extra 1.5 litres of water and two gas cartouches to provide some hot water for tea or instant cappuccino for the group later.

After Beinn Ghlas we went down a bit, had our lunch at a nice place without much of the wind and my hot drinks were very well received. Especially when everyone was freezing a bit. I just know that I crave a coffee sometime after noon and I was glad to share the pleasure of having one and thus offering a bit of luxury in the midst of the Scottish wilderness.

Headed over to Meall Corranaich with a rather easy ascent and Meall a'Choire Leith afterwards which was even easier. The views were hampered by the haze but the grey clouds hung way over the tops and we had not a single drop of rain. So it was a bit freezing in the wind but otherwise a very nice mountain day with two more - though admittedly  unspectacular - munros off the list. And I like the way of doing them in clusters and kind of "clearing" one region.

The way back was a bit boggy but nothing too bad. More like a normal Scottish path. Enjoyed it and instead of jumping onto the bike again I had a shower and... well writing my blog entry before dinner. I was just too lazy to change into bike clothes.

Loch Tay Day 1 - A Relaxed Start

Had a very pleasant start to my Loch Tay week. First day is always a bit easier. Weather was pretty good with sunny patches but the wind was rather chilly at times. Our guide took us to the Ben Lawers car park which was pretty much full but we still found a place to park the mini coach.

Most people obviously went up Ben Lawers and Bheinn Glas, we went up to Meall nan Tarmachan instead which is a very pleasant walk with the only steeper ground being the last bit. The pace was very relaxed so I could enjoy the fantastic views over Loch Tay behind us.

On the top the view opened up as far as Ben Nevis in the West with a sea of hill tops all around. You're probably only able to name them when you've been on them. I just loved it and didn't care much about the names. Glen Lyon in the north was hidden by the flanks of the Lawers massif but we could see Glen Lochy ahead as we walked all over the ridge which takes a wide angle towards Killin from Meall nan Tarmachan.

View from Meall nan Tarmachan

Glen Lochy

Were back at the car park at 6pm which was later than expected. I still felt really fit so I quickly cycled into Killin once we were back at the house to get a big package of eggs and a bottle of milk for me. After the relaxed walking all day I loved making a race of it and getting my heart pumping properly.

Had fantastic dinner last night and the last us got to bed as late as 11pm talking for a long time, drinking whisky and wine.

Transition Day

After last week's strenuous endeavours I had planned some kind of transition and off day yesterday. Spent a rather good night at the hostel in Glencoe and had pretty much all day to travel to Loch Tay. So I finally dragged my bike from the trunk of my car to introduce it to Scotland. Let it slip just slightly onto a large rock when prepping it up and have now a mean scratch and even a dent in my frame. Not... funny :(

Low hanging clouds and a constant drizzle didn't keep me from heading off to nearby Loch Leven. Cycled all the way around it via Kinlochleven which is rather popular amongst Scotland hikers and walkers and indeed the hostel there seemed to pour out quite a few of them all clad in rain gear for the day.

The rain eventually stopped as I was rolling over minor ascends finally able to enjoy the view. Back at the Glencoe hostel I had completed a nice and easy morning ride of 23 miles and 2.300ft elevation gain. Nice.
Had a cappuccino and warm apple pie with mustard at the cafe at noon and then drove over to Crieff to meet friends.
Took me ages as there was one slow driver after another, but I once more enjoyed the views passing Glencoe and Rannoch Moor a lot, even with clouds hanging low.
By the time I passed Loch Earn the sun had come out completely changing the atmosphere into a relaxed late summer with small waves glistering in the sun and small boats rocking lazily on them.

I was early in Crieff so I walked up and down the High Street before I met my friends for a chat in the sun. Then it was finally time to give my car a rest after arriving at Morenish House at Loch Tay. Funny how you remember things like a signposted camping site just the moment when you see them again. Found Morenish House easily with the last bit of battery on my phone (acting as my GPS device) dying as I veered into the courtyard.

Met the rest of the group and we had dinner together. Very nice people all of them and I bet it's going to be great fun this week.

Skye Day 6 - Bye Bye Skye!

The Voltarol wonder-pills helped my knees a great deal. Still felt a bit stiff this morning, but walking was pretty much okay. Phew.
Gone was the magical weather of the last few days and a typical all-day-grey greeted me when I got up at 7am. There was a more or less contant drizzle and I knew it wouldn't change much.
Packed my gear into the trunk and off I went to meet the others at Sligachan. Driving around the island is as simple as it gets navigation-wise if you know rughly where the few villages are. I already felt very comfortable driving around without even looking at a map. From Sligachan we drove over to Broadford and then a small single track road pointing to Elgol cross country around a small Loch and to a car park where our ascend of Blaven was about to begin.
We donned full rain gear and walked along a river up into the low hanging clouds. So far it had been surprisingly warm, but further up a breeze set in and the rain once more set in. My knees were okay so far but again I dreaded the way back down as we were heading up a scree strewn path again. It wasn't by far as bad as the ones I had seen so far, though.
Reached the top in what felt like 2 hrs altogether. DONE! All 12 munros on Skye! Woohoo! And we kind of were right back at where we started since we reached only the first one and the last one when they were hiding in clouds. All the other ones had presented themselves in perfect sunshine. Should've taken the hipflask and some of my whisky to celebrate.

Victory. Conquered all 12 Skye munros

We didn't linger long as it was quite unpleasant in the wind and rain and went back down again. Knees were still okay-ish, blessed be Voltarol, haha.

Within such a short time as it took us up and down again the river had swollen quite remarkably so the crossing was a bit trickier now. I merely pondered a few seconds at which foot on which stone I was about to set in order to make it safely to the other side, when hundreds and hundreds of midges came out of nowhere buzzing around my head. Woah! No time for thinking, I just hoped over the stones as quickly as I could with the water raging around them now knee deep.
I knew that I would have about the same amount of time back at the carpark and I just dumped my backpack and rainjacket into the trunk but was surrounded by countless of them little buggers. I fled into the car and took quite a lot with me inside. ARG. Tried to kill as many as I could before I rid myself of the rest of my rain gear and changed into some dry comfy clothes.
Said a quick goodbye to our guide and then headed back to the mainland. At 1.30 I arrived at Eilean Donan Castle and this time I stopped to have a look around. It is truly as iconic and beautiful as all the pictures I had seen so far. Wow. What a setting! Took a few photos and then drove over to Fort William which took ages since I was stuck behind one slow driver after another. ARG.

Eilean Donan Castle

Eventually made it, had some food at Weatherspoon again, wandered along the high street with now open shops, but didn't buy anything and then jumped back into the car again to drive to Glencoe Independent Hostel. Found it easily took only the most necessary things out of the car and will just chill tonight.

Tomorrow awaits a hopefully halfway dry cycle around Loch Leven before I head over to Crieff to meet some friends who stay there and then finally to Morenish House on Loch Tay for my second week of munro bagging. Can't wait to stay in a room with a wardrobe and sort all my stuff properly, haha. I may even find the knee bandage I've been looking for so deperately for the last few days.