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I remember when we were in Romania being flabbergasted by the extreme changes in weather. One day we were bare armed in hot sunshine and the next day it was winter coats and snow on the ground. I thought then how we'd have none of this extreme nonsense in the good old temperate UK. Well last week I had to revise that opinion.
Tree in our garden a week ago - check that sky!
That same tree on Tuesday
Evelyn and Kath had the day off for Good Friday so we had planned to do a hill. We decided on an easy one with a good path as Moira is having bother with the pins in her ankle and it's not liking uneven terrain. Ben Rinnes seemed to fit the bill nicely but after the gorgeous warm weather - followed by the dump of snow - what kind of weather should we expect? A couple of days before MWIS was saying 60% for Cairngorms but that was later revised down to 10% - odds we wouldn't normally bother to go out on. But we decided to go for it anyway.
We had a leisurely start from murky Inverness and headed for Aberlour. Having lived there Kath knew all the short cuts and I don't think I could from memory repeat all the twists and turns of that journey!
But it didn't matter as I wasn't driving and in any case we returned via Grantown which made for an interesting round trip.
We had a brief stop in Aberlour and as we neared the start point we should have been able to see Ben Rinnes but all we could see was very low cloud.... and it was raining. Quick discussion followed about whether we should switch plans and do a stretch of the Spey Way. But I was quite keen to stick with plan A as I've a date with my son to climb Buachaille Etive Mor on 20th and I really needed to get a hill in before then! The others were happy with that and we parked at the designated spot on the minor road off the B9009, where although it was now well after 11.00 there was only one car sitting there. With this being such a popular hill I wonder why that would be?
We met the couple from the car coming down with their two Jack Russell terriers who looked like they'd had enough of the weather (the dogs, not the people, who looked very cheery) and they were the only people we met on the hill.
Not much doubt about the way to go then
The crew all geared up
After managing several big hills last year Moira' s been having more and more pain from the screws and plate in her ankle. Since the bones have now healed the thinking is she would be better off without the metalwork so she's waiting to have it removed and this was to be her last walk before her surgery. I was hoping this hill wouldn't be over ambitious.
Moira with Glen Rinnes below
The green of those fields is the only colour we saw all day
We followed the good track (which in places was running like a river) over Roy's Hill and got our first glimpse of the summit wreathed in cloud.
Ben Rinnes not looking inviting
I had my microspikes with me but didn't use them as the snow on the track was so soft and could mostly be avoided.
Looking back
Well maintained path with steps built in many places presumably to fight erosion
I knew the views from here were extensive and that on a good day you can see the Moray coast and most of the north east of Scotland. But not today!
To raise the spirits and energy levels we stopped and had what I was led to believe was not our official lunch stop before the final pull to the summit. It's just as well we did as it was so windy and cold at the top it wasn't conducive to sitting around and we never did stop to eat again.... so I finished my egg roll back at the car.
Just below the summit we saw a flock of small birds which made me think dotterel but they were too small and it's a bit early for dotterel - unless they're as confused as the rest of us with global warming! Kath reckons they were snow bunting, tough little birds that nest in rocky terrain high up. With their white markings and the way they move in their flocks they look a bit like snow flakes falling to the ground. It was a bonus to see them.
Approaching the summit
I love the top of this hill with its granite tors and that almost made up for the total lack of views. Almost.
It will be a great place to come back to with the grandsons who will enjoy a bit of easy scrambling on these well weathered rounded rocks.
Happy quines at the trig point
Two Kaths on the rocks
Going down Kath dived into a patch of snow and disappeared almost up to her waist causing her to fall headlong as she extricated herself. By the time I had the camera out (damp gloves eased off, camera fished out of pocket and then out of case) she was almost upright and wasn't too keen to oblige me with my demands for an action replay!
If anything the descent was more taxing than the ascent for Moira's ankle, especially on the wet rock steps, but she coped well
and it wasn't long before we were back at the car.
Slight improvement in visibility on the descent
And so to the coffee shop in Aberlour. I need to point out to eagle-eyed soulminer that we really wouldn't have gone in there except we had to find a suitable rendezvous point with Kath's daughter and this seemed as good as any!
The other three ordered scones but since I'm not fussed about scones and had just had my lunch egg roll when we got back to the car I wasn't hungry.
Restraint personified
But I hadn't expected such a big cup, In Inverness for the same price you get a comparatively small cup. It looked an awful lot of wetness without anything with it and my resolve was starting to crumble. Then Kath's lovely daugher arrived and ordered a piece of malteser cake with her cup of tea. That was my final undoing.
No Kath, you have your scone, this chocolate baby is all mine
Another great day out with the girls!
