Well the date had been set for a while for the annual meet of the original walking crew. This use to be my only outing to the Highlands before moving up a couple of years ago, so now, no 8 hour journey for me just the Essex boys, Donny Boy, Pete (Stumpy cos he's little !) and Pete F. Eric also use to come regularly but had been ill on and off for the last couple of years and was again absent this year.

Digs for the 4 days was Calluna Bunkhouse in Fort William, and the steep climb to and from the pub each night ensured legs were kept in trim between walks !!

Day 1 Saturday.
Weather not good for the first day and just to add to the poor start a solemn mood due to the sad news the night before that the aforementioned Eric had passed away Thursday night, his batle with Throat cancer finally over ! An ex Royal Marine Commando, Eric had kept up with us until recently despite being in his mid 70's. Even so he was one of those guys who you always thought would always be there, he'll be sorely missed.
So now there were 4 !
Off to cover the eastern end of the Grey Corries, Stob Coire Claurigh and Stob Ban.... and grey they were.
The walk in was fairly long but on an easy track and would have ben shorter but I succumbed at the first gate and the signs around Corriehaille Lodge saying no parking, so we parked back on the road !!!
After a couple of miles passing cars grouped in small car parks, clearly we could have come in a bit further.

Eventually reached the bothy and the start of the climb up Stob Ban which despite the poor weather passed fairly quickly, with some interseting buffeting en route. From this point it was map, compass and GPS up Claurigh and continuing along the ridge back to our start, not getting out the clag until the final slopes back to the track.
The final grassy slopes were a little steep and hence we started to take a diagonal line to lessen it. Some in front distant screams suggested Stumpy was having further cramp problems as we had witnessed earlier in the day, but followed by Pete F shouting clearly this was somewhat worse.
I caught up with them part way down the slope and Stumpy, ironicallt being a Sports Injury Therapist, knew something was broken, his ankle now swelling.
I put the call into 999 and powered up the GPS to give an accurate position, much to my suprise the police having had a call alreadly from a group (Black Rock Club) below who had heard the screams and since walked back up to assist.
Emergency services alerted I shot off to retrieve the car and meet the ambulance. MRT only on standby at this point as Stumpy had the good fortune to break his leg about a quarter mile from the LR track, although quarter mile with a broken leg is some doing and by the time I had managed to find the key to a locked gate (saving best part of another half mile) the guys had managed to get Stumpy down to the track, where we now met up ambulance et al.
Turned out the guy who had the key to the locked gate had driven out past the waiting ambulance !!!
So the day ended in Belford Hospital and too late for anything bar a Big Mac ! Still could have been worse, could have been me !!

Day 2
Then there were 3 !
Stumpy plastered in Belford awaiting X Ray results, we set off to Loch Treig but having just ascended the first step got the call from Stumpy that he was coming out of Belford and getting the sleeper train back down south as an Op was needed for pins and earliest date here was Thursday at raigmore, so he decided to head home, with his broken tibia and two broken ankle bones ! Teach him to wear proper boots instead of trail shoes !
So we cut short our walk to get him from Hospital back to the digs to colect some gear and then to the Station, where we were met by the police just colecting some further details about the incident.

Day 3

Finally some good weather and hopefully no more bad news ! Off to Binnean Beag and Sgurr Eilde Mor, didn't get to these on my last outing with Scoob...too much too far and snow !
What a differnce now though, the pics give a taster and I can recommend this one, even the ascents were pretty straightforward, just follow the right hand skyline of Sgurr Eilde Mor by passing the lochan to the right (assuming you have come in from mamore Lodge track) and not up the screes facing the left side of the lochan as indicated on the map ! Simples.









Just to round the night off, I walked across the road opposite the west end Hotel to the shoreline where I'd previously seen otters, and right on schedule along they came, two again, nosing in and out just south of the Crannog Restaurant ! Must work out my cameras night settings !!!

Day 4 and there were still 3 !

Returned to Loch Treig, and despite having climbed the first steo up the two western Munros, this was a pleasant day out, weather threatened a bit but overall not a bad day. Two good hills with a nice gap (not too severe) in the middle.



I won't forget this year in a hurry !!