free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
All throughout the week, I was checking the weather reports for Ben Arthur - The Cobbler - in anticipation for Saturday’s walk. It said rain, but I was determined to brave it anyway. My partner and I had attempted the same walk the week before, but we were deterred halfway up when the path became covered in snow. We're newbies, and definitely weren’t prepared with the right equipment or clothing.
My competitive side could not bear being defeated, so this time we were totally prepared.
Then Saturday morning arrived, in all its sunny, cloudless glory! It was a perfect day. We started out, feeling confident since we were already familiar with the first half of the trail.
We trotted up the zig-zag path and through the forest. The week before, the area past the tree line seemed like the most inhospitable place on earth. This week it was downright lovely!
And we spotted a sheep. I was excited by this.
We carried on through the valley. It was such a gorgeous day that it easy to ignore the painful blisters I was developing from too-new shoes.
Then we started up the stone steps. It felt like we were really making progress!
Until we met a pair who said we were an hour yet from the summit. Nevertheless, we continued the haul to the top of the stairs and around the ridge.
As an inexperienced hiker, I can admit to being a little shaken by the scramble at the top. We definitely chose the most indirect/inefficient/scary way- which we learned when another group breezed past us about 30M to our right.
Then the summit. My gosh.
It made me a little queasy to see a brave couple seated atop the needle. I don’t have the head for those heights yet. I did sit in the needle ‘hole’ though.
Here is the panorama that we made.
What other similarly-sized hills do you recommend that we try next? I wouldn’t mind traveling further north. I’m from the states, so any excuse to do some driving through Scotland is welcome.
Deana