My favourite hill extended

The last time I was up my favourite hill, Meall a’ Bhuachaille, was for my 40th birthday in May 2008. In May 2010 we popped up Craiggowrie with three of the little treasures, here. Today, we decided to combine the two, a walk I’ve been planning to do alone for a while now, but we had an unexpected opportunity and took it.

Not quite windswept and interesting, yet

We parked by the Glenmore Lodge before making our way towards Ryvoan Bothy. I have done this track so much now, and not so long ago it was quite painful. Today, it was pain free.

After a short time we arrived at the bothy and popped in for shelter while we had our snack and I took a  peek at the bothy book to see who’d passed through on the Challenge this year.

I’m going in

Rather a bright, tidy bothy today

Wearing my “Christmas Cracker” hat

I was rather chuffed to be wearing my own Berghaus Paclites for the first time ever! Having put on a pound during the Challenge, I’m rather pleased to have lost more than half a stone since.

We set off up the path and I fell immediately into Pidgeon Pace. This enabled me to make it to the top with only three minor pauses, a first for me.

This doesn’t look too dissimilar to the last time I saw, or rather didn’t, Bynack Mor

There was some weather around. It was a bit damp and breezy and there was low cloud quite a lot of the time.

  Leading the way

And into the gloom we go

It took just short of two hours to reach the cairn

And then we struck off into the gloom again to find the path down off the other side and then up Creagan Gorm.

Hard to smile in the wind and rain

Again, I set off at a fair pace along the ridge towards Craiggowrie

At one point, I had to tell TTS to go ahead of me, I was so aware of how close behind me he was I was worrying too much about where I was putting my feet so as not to be in his way. Trouble is, He took photographs of me coming towards him instead.

On my way

  Yes, I know

And then I’d had enough and speeded up!

We took a slight detour from Badaguish to make sure we were able to call into the Coffee Shop at Glenmore for cake and coffee. Actually, it was Danish Apple Strudel and Hot Chocolate for me, but it was enough to sustain me on our way back to the car.

10.2 miles, 2354 ft, 2.49 average mph, 5.52 hrs.

Approximately because the batteries ran out of the GPS. Again…

There was wildlife, but I can’t remember most of it. There was Golden Plover though. And flowers, lousewort, butterwort, tormentil, milkwort and orchids (pyramidal, I think, but I’m checking!)