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Postscript/lesson learned: Only when I got back to the car did I think that a bike might have helped with the 6 miles of hard hydro track (never ideal in winter boots).
- Hm…I should have read this more carefully
My attempt at an early start failed and I set off on this one after 9. Thankfully ignoring the old maxim - nothing ventured, nothing gained - I’d chosen a straightforward and short outing that was unambitious and would see me back home mid afternoon for other commitments. Unfortunately it did just break my golden rule that the drive to/from the hill must always be less than the time walking…
The forecast was for it to be around 0c at the summit and with some moderate wind feeling much cooler. As i slogged along the very well surfaced hydro track, I began to overheat, the sun came out and birds were singing. I started to wonder if I’d entered the wrong season, it being the mildest outing I’d had since September.
There is a left turn just after the hydro paraphernalia at the head of Loch Cuaich and I began the short slog uphill. There’s a fairly worn path that that is easy to follow though boggy in places. There wasn’t a hint of breeze on the way up and by now I was overheating even only in a base layer. I thoughts going ‘taps aff’ may not have been appreciated by fellow walkers post-Xmas consumption.
The sun shone down and visibility was excellent though many of the surrounding ranges were hidden by cloud:
The path takes a direct route to about 750m before venturing east towards the top. By now I could see that there was so little ice and snow no winter gear would be required.
Thankfully once bearing east towards the summit the wind picked up a bit and cooled me down, and thankfully not the sort of post-exertion cooling that’s of too much concern in winter.
I took the direct line up through a short boulderfield and reached the lip of the flat summit area. I’d been walking in sunshine all day but, as you might expect, the clouds rolled in as I approached the summit and the wind had picked up a bit, the temperature dropping quite significantly.
- Not so spring-like now…
I reached the cairn and and stopped very briefly for a drink and began my way back down.
I made fairly swift progress with only a short section of slightly icy rock to be negotiated, the small patches of hard snow were easily avoided. Other walkers were ascending and they had a relatively young dog with them who was keen for a clap - always nice to meet dogs in the hills (though unfortunately my lurcher is scared of wind, rain and pretty much everything else so doesn’t accompany me).
The 3 miles back along the hydro track were fairly hard going on the feet but I got back to the car just over 4 hours after setting off and with plenty of time to get back home.
This hill always seems to be viewed as dull - but I’m going to disagree on that. Its outline from afar is much ‘hillier’ than others of the lumpy variety, and it makes a perfect half day in winter, especially on a clear day like today. I’ll maybe just bring a bike next time…
