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The Hills Above Loch Ness

The Hills Above Loch Ness


Postby prophetofdom » Sun Dec 11, 2011 10:45 am

Sub 2000' hills included on this walk: Càrn a'Bhodaich

Date walked: 10/12/2011

Time taken: 5 hours

Distance: 26 km

Ascent: 932m

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Set off at 2pm in my wellies to try and find this much fabled view from this side above loch ness. Only took two tangerines as food expecting to take snow on board for refreshment.

Didn't see a soul all walk but plenty of Animal tracks as I cut across the fields from the Abirachan road. Followed the Great Glen way until dusk - which I always find a little dull but the trees sheltered my from the wind and with the snow everything had an extra layer of silence.

First hill I have every climbed in wellies and I zigzageed over the heater top peaking out through the snow and made my way cautiously over huge white expanses of snow that sometimes held my weight and at other times sink in over my knees.

Wandered between the tops until a freezing rain came and thus with a blanketed sky the much awaited full moon was hidden and so was her light. There was still plenty to see by but not the luminesence that I had hoped for and slowly I made my way back to the forest.

I head for a gate that transpired to not be a gate and then made my best decision of the day - to not enter the forest - and instead tracked around the fence until I came to a track and a gate. Entering through this the snow became shallower and I headed towards Dunain Hill. Didn't really realise just how far it was and since I had no map just followed my noise and found fields, roads and houses and castles I never knew exisited beside the main road.

Eventually crossed the Abriachan road and then knew I was still miles away. Got back just after 7pm increbibly wet from the snow and went into the shower.

Did see the view of Aldouire Castle from the top and the lights of Dores but will re-venture out on a brighter day.
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prophetofdom
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Re: The Hills Above Loch Ness

Postby HighlandSC » Sun Dec 11, 2011 4:16 pm

When I first started reading your report I thought you were going to be camping having set out from Inverness at 2pm for this but then read on and see you did most of it in the dark! Well done. Don't think I'd fancy following my nose in the dark without a map trying to get back into town especially the way you went though the forests and fields, etc. Good choice doing it in the snow though, I cycled from Inverness up this hill and swore that I'd never go back unless it was in a deep freeze - what a mud-fest some of the "tracks" were.
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