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What a great way to start December!
One of those mornings where if I hadn't planned to do this walk, one look outside at 7am and the snow, I would have gone straight back to bed. But no, all packed and out and on my way by 8am, and walking by just after 9am.
A slippery start on the track leading up from the phone box and mini car park as it was black ice, but once on the rough tracks past the cottages, no problems for the most part.
After a quick glimpse at what's ahead, the weather changed. I was hardly 10 minutes from the car and the snow came down like a blizzard. I was struggling to see with the wind and snow in my face but quickly got my eyes covered; a pretty bracing start. For the next hour it was on and off, but after that it began to clear, and the views opened up. The photos speak for themselves.
The last hour to the top became slow going as the wind had picked up, and although the tracks were good, the ice was making it slippery underfoot, and the gusts coming across the hill were adding to the challenge of staying upright.
As I neared the Wester Cairn it was now a howling wind. The sky had cleared and the views were what it was all about.
The scramble across to Mt Battock was all the more fun in the deeper snow and the absolute joy at having made the effort to get here today. I'm sure this would have been a much more ordinary climb without the snow, but this was magical.
I retraced my tracks just back to the gate before heading straight down the fence line for a bit of fun down through the heather in some deep snow. The track would have been well tricky going down because of the ice, so this was a nice change.
An excellent day, a great walk with enough of a challenge, and rewarding views to make it all worth while.
