Back in the saddle and hungry for more

[iainwatson]

Its great to be back on the hills! After a self imposed 4 week break from hillwalking,mainly due to losing my appetite for doing it,i decided it was time to get back in the saddle and get myself up a hill.I've never taken so many weeks off in the 18 months i've been walking,i think the most i've missed was 2 weeks and that was due to the weather back in december of last year but the time was certainly right to get back out there.

My route and hill decision was still undecided when i woke,slightly later than planned on saturday morning,i didnt think a big walk was wise after my break so when i set off from the house at 6am i knew i was going to the Nevis region with 3 or 4 options once i got there.I opted for Stob Ban,i thought a solitary hill would be best and the distance was relatively short and the ascent would be easy going.I tried to get my van up to the car park beyond the farm but with lowered suspension i kind of knew i wouldnt manage it and after trying i turned round and opted to park just after the bridge at Corriechoille.

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The weather was looking really nice and as i set off on my bike i sensed a great day ahead,i found the cycle in quite tough going on the legs and after stopping for a photo at the (un)welcoming minister i ended up pushing the bike most of the way and it took an hour and a half to reach the bothy with great views of Sgurr Innse as i got there(will defo go back and climb this)

the path into the bothy

the Minister

minister info

Sgurr Innse

the bothy

Stob Ban

A quick look in the bothy and a wee note left in the bothy diary i decided to have a 20 minute break by the river,taking in the glorious sunshine and the tranquility,with the reasons i love walking coming flooding back to me and whetting my appetite for the ascent ahead.The path starts of fairly boggy but does get better after about 15 mins and much to my delight i was finding it fairly easy going,reaching the plateau in good time,with the views of Stob Ban becoming better as i got closer.

nearing the summit

After an hour (from the bothy) i reached the summit and the feeling was fabulous,again the reasons why i walk the hills came flooding back and i was in my element with the summit to myself for the hour i spent there,

Stob Ban summit

taking in the panoramic views and spotting and naming the surrounding hills.......the mammores,Bauchaille etive mor,the aonach eagach,stob coire essian,stob a' choire mheadhoin and the grey corries ridge to name a few but this only resulted in feeding my hunger for more,the grey corries ridge looked very close and i started to weigh up crossing over to complete them.I pondered the route,tried to work out roughly how long it would take but with my bike at the bothy and my later than normal start i decided against it and vowed to return the week after to go over the ridge.

For the descent back to the bothy i chose to 'surf' down the scree slope to the bealach and reach a faint path i could see from the summit

my outward route and sgurr innse

but when i got there it was pretty boggy and the path wasnt great but i was still enjoying the walk out and reached the bothy pretty quickly where i stopped for 5 minutes just to soak up the surroundings before getting back on the bike and heading back to the van.The cycle/walk in had taken an hour and a half and its mostly uphill so i knew it would be shorter on the way out and i arrived back at the bridge in half an hour with a smile as wide as the clyde.....i had absolutely loved my walk,even with the dissapointment of not going over to the grey corries ridge due to time restrictions.

After getting changed i drove off but before i headed home i decided to detour over to the commando memorial which was only 5 minutes drive away,i have seen loads of pics of it on other peoples reports and i wasnt dissapointed,the memorial is lovely and with the grand backdrop of the grey corries gives great photo opportunities........as the 40 or 50 people there were also thinking.

commando memorial

commando memorial

Many people include Stob Ban with the ridge and with an earlier start and a bit more fitness about me i would have too but it was a crackin hill to get me back in the saddle and has certainly whetted my appetite for more.......lets hope this is a short week and saturday arrives before we know it!

[PeteR]

Nice report and some greast photos. Sometimes a bit of self imposed exile can be just the tonic to revive your enthusiasm. And it's good to see you have got that back, and this is a great little hill to rediscover it on too. The grey corries ridge comes highly recommended. I guarantee you won't be disapointed. Tired maybe, but never disapointed

[iainwatson]

cheers peter,the self imposed break was really needed,had done too many big walks but i'm feeling refreshed now and enjoyed my time off by playing some golf and going away on holiday with my family but its now time to get my hill fitness back with Kintail in the not too distant future,here's hoping the weather continues to be good

[dooterbang]

Nice to see you back out Ian...and getting that "buzz".

Yeah big days catch up with you and sometimes a break is needed.

I play golf also but not for sometime, think im playing next Wednesday. . . .fore!!!!

Grey Corries is a fab traverse - do it if you get the chance.

[Graeme D]

Welcome back there Iain. I still regret opting to stay in my bag for a couple of hours longer rather than doing Stob Ban when I stayed in that bothy. And as for Sgurr Innse, you have to go back and do it right enough. It's amazing.

[rockhopper]

Good to see you back and a nice report to boot