free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
The forecast was quite good for this morning and so we decided on Beinn nan Eun, a hill we'd wanted to climb in December but when we got there we'd decided it was too cold. So instead we'd cycled along Loch Glass and up to the start of the walk, had our flask of coffee and cycled back. Today was no warmer! The difference between today and December was that the last part of the road up to the gate house had badly deteriorated over the winter and avoiding the potholes was a challenge.
We set off on our bikes, it was two degrees, ice on the ground. The cycle up the glen was pleasant enough. Not a person in site. I'm always amazed to see the pink house on the shores of the loch - it's apparently never been lived in as the owners didn't get planning permission for it. There wasn't a soul about at Wyvis Lodge - in December the place had been full of workmen frantically preparing it for the arrival of the owners. Soon enough we parked our bikes beneath an old tree and carried on walking over the bridge and to the dam. I always find it difficult to start walking after being on my bike - I don't think I could ever do the Highland Cross! From here we headed across the frozen ground. This was a real slog through the fresh snow. But it was worth it as the views from the top were amazing - the Fannichs in all their splendour, Seana Braigh and of course the little seen corries of Ben Wyvis. I always enjoy lunch at the cairn - always the same food but always tasting delicious.
One of the things I love about being out at the moment is that you can just be at one with nature - leave all the dreary news behind and simply be.
On the way back it seemed that everyone was out looking for the wild boars - I've never seen so many people on a track.
A great hill on a lovely day when the bad weather that was forecasted never arrived.
- The summit cairn
- The dam
- The path up to the dam
- A long way to go without a bike