Popping up a Munro, just for fun!

Monday 27th August
Well, now that I am super fit, I really want to make the most of it, and occasionally I just want to see exactly how fit I am, so as it was a Bank Holiday weekend (not in Scotland, but David got one anyway) we decided to pop up a Munro. It was in fact one that I tried to bag nearly six years ago, but after reaching the bothy last time I’d decided I couldn’t be bothered to walk up into the clouds and I still had a cold hanging around. This time, the weather was perfect and I was 100% fit, so off we went!

Head out of the clouds today

Looking back

Head of Loch Chuaich

Taking photographs on my mobile!

We left the car in layby 94 and headed along the track beside the aqueduct that took us towards the bothy. It is of course a locked bothy, very smart looking and with a locked toilet (common sense really, to lock a toilet) but after a quick break, we headed up hill. Apart from stopping to photograph a sign directing us to the “Walkers Path” (no apostrophe…) and the only hare that we saw, I walked straight up that hill. That’s 7.46 km 643 m ascent in 2 hrs and 3 mins. We took photographs then sheltered behind the huge cairn to have lunch. We were joined shortly after by a couple from Fife. After David had collected some litter, we made our back off the hill, passing to further couples and a young man with his French Bulldog.

We made ourselves useful before reaching the car, helping a shepherd and his noisy dog return an escapee sheep to its flock.

I cannot tell you how pleased I was to just walk straight up that hill. I have never been able to do that before, this running thing is working!

Approximately 14.8 km and 643 m total ascent. I loved it! A fantastic day out.

Return to The Argyll Stone…not

Sunday 27th May

The day after my 50th birthday, I fancied a bit of a stroll and the plan was to return to the Argyll Stone on Rothiemurchus. We decided to take a different, longer walk in so that we had a shorter walk to the car after leaving the ridge, so parked the car at Whitewells and walked in from there.

Not going that way!

It was very busy, but the weather was exceptionally warm and dry, so we had plenty of water with us. We made our way to Loch an Eilein, then took the path along the eastern edge of the loch, continuing on beside Loch Gamhna until we reached Allt Coire Follais. Here, we should have picked up the track we didn’t take last time, but had ignored in preference to the one marked on the map. That one hadn’t existed. It soon become clear this one didn’t either. We tried to follow it up hill where it should have been and according to Viewranger, were doing a very good job, but it was hard work through the dusty, overgrown heather, with hidden holes and fallen trees. After a short while, I decided it really wasn’t worth the effort, we would come back another day in cooler conditions and attack the Argyll Stone from the ridge instead.

We went back down to the path and decided to just continue around the lochs, stopping for lunch part way and then at the visitor centre for an ice-cream before returning to the car. Not the walk we’d hoped for, but a lovely day out, nevertheless.

Approximately 14.7 km total distance and 283 m total ascent