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Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot

PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 3:57 pm
by dogplodder
When I was a kid there were four Scottish hills that left a permanent impression on me - Ben Nevis, Ben Lawers, Ben Lomond (my first Munro) and A'Ghlas Bheinn. The reason the last stuck was from our annual summer holidays driving up from Yorkshire (where we then lived) to Kyle of Lochalsh where my great grandfather lived. He died at 96 and was a wonderful old man who clipped gorse bushes into animal shapes and made his own pancakes! :D

Four generation photo in Kyle with my great grandfather, granny and mum :angel:

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In those days it was a day's journey from Edinburgh to Kyle - much of it by single track road - and there was no causeway across the east finger of Loch Duich so we spent a good twenty minutes looking at the gully-riven west face of A'Ghlas Bheinn. My wee brother aged five remarked it looked like pyjama trousers drying on the line and from then on it was known to us as pyjama mountain! :lol:

Fast forward 50 years and Moira and I set off to climb pyjama mountain. :D We turned off the A87 at Morvich and took the minor road up Strath Coe to the forestry commision car park at the end of the road where we parked. I gather this option is no longer available.

We were busy blethering as we followed the continuation of the track and walked past the turn off to the right to cross the bridge. It was a beautiful September day and the rowans were in their full berry-laden glory.

Looking back towards Loch Duich
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Looking across to the hills of Glenelg
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About 15 minutes into the walk Jack the yellow lab found a piece of contraband which he was very proud of and was trying hard to bolt down before I took it off him. :shifty: It was part of the foreleg of a deer with the hoof still attached. I prised it out of his jaws (funny how dogs get a serious attack of lock-jaw on these occasions!), put him and Tess on the lead (she's just as bad if she gets a chance) and threw the offending item as far as I could into deep bracken. Shortly after that we noticed the path we should have been on, on the other side of the river, and since both sides were steep we thought the best thing was to retrace our steps and go back to the bridge. duh.

Having crossed the bridge we negotiated a herd of cows who were a bit too interested in the dogs and were finally on the correct path on the right side of the river walking up Gleann Choinneachan. It was familiar (though you wouldn't think that after our earlier mistake!) from the route I took up Beinn Fhada a few years earlier.

We crossed the Allt a Choire Chaoil on boulders and followed the zig zag path up to the Bealach na Sgairne, ignoring the path to the right which leads to Beinn Fhada.

Path to the Bealach na Sgairne
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From the bealach the path turns north and climbs in a series of dog legs.

Steep path up south east ridge of A' Ghlas Beinn
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Jack's got that goofy expression he puts on when I make him pose and he wants to be off doing something else!
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Loch a'Bhealaich, Sgurr Garsaic on left and through to Glen Affric
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The ridge is rocky and undulating and after a while you come to a lochan where the dogs persuaded us to have a break! :lol:

Tess for a spot of retrieving (tail wagging so fast it's a blur)
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Jack hoping for something to eat :angel:
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In the absence of steak, carrot will have to do
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Loch Duich from ridge
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It was windy on top and the dogs' ears were flapping
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After a few 'false tops' we arrived at the summit cairn.

View from summit
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Skye
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Moira at top
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View down to Kyle and the Skye bridge
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Having been to the Glomach Falls before we decided not to extend the walk and retraced our steps. The return was uneventful until we were nearing the bridge over the river and Jack disappeared. I whistled and he didn't come which sometimes happens if he finds something he knows he shouldn't have! :twisted:

A few minutes later he raced back having already been over the bridge and in his mouth was the deer's foot I'd confiscated and thrown away on the other side of the river several hours earlier! :mrgreen: It wasn't even on our return path as that was the part of the wrong way we'd taken at the beginning of the day and that dog had remembered exactly where to go to sniff out his confiscated contraband. :lol: And yes, I was extremely mean and confiscated it for a second time. :(

It's a dog's life. :?

Re: Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot

PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 4:24 pm
by monarchming
Ha! A great wee story and pics dogplodder! :thumbup: Well done! :D

Re: Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot

PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 6:59 pm
by soulminer
An enjoyable read which had me laughing about the deer foot. :lol:
My previous dog- Brodie, a Rottweiller/Shepard cross and I climbed Stuc a'Chroin in pretty snowy condition at the top. On decending, and heading for the traverse path back- we stumbled upon four deer legs at the side of the path, when Brodie decided to walk along with one in his mouth. He dropped it after a while, and just before we met some walkers heading towards SaC. Would have frightened the life out of them. Amazing what they find on walks :shock:
Cheers.

The guilty party:

Image
IMG003 by BoydBlair, on Flickr

Re: Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot

PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:18 pm
by adamarchie
What lovely dogs! And a cracking story about Jack's cunning memory. Good thing dogs don't have secret compartments (other than, like toddlers, their stomachs). Imagine all the junk they'd bring back to the house!

The views were a happy reminder of my own trip up A' Ghlas Bheinn a few weeks ago. I've an almost identical photo of that stunning edge-of-the-world lochan where the dogs persuaded you to have a break. Should really do a walk report of what was an excellent (though mileage heavy) two day round, starting and finishing in Glen Elchaig, overnighting at Camban and climbing the Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan three plus a Beinn Fhada traverse followed by A' Ghlas Bheinn and the Falls of Glomach.

Re: Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot

PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 10:11 pm
by dogplodder
monarchming wrote:Ha! A great wee story and pics dogplodder! :thumbup: Well done! :D


Thanks monarchming! :D

Re: Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot

PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 10:15 pm
by dogplodder
Brodie was a handsome dog and I love the way you got him to carry half your gear! :lol:

Re: Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot

PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 10:17 pm
by dogplodder
adamarchie wrote:The views were a happy reminder of my own trip up A' Ghlas Bheinn a few weeks ago. I've an almost identical photo of that stunning edge-of-the-world lochan where the dogs persuaded you to have a break. Should really do a walk report


I'll look forward to seeing that when you get round to it! :D

Re: Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot

PostPosted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 9:10 am
by 2dalmatians
A great story dog plodder - I love the title! :lol:

Re: Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot

PostPosted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 10:47 am
by dogplodder
2dalmatians wrote:A great story dog plodder - I love the title! :lol:


Thanks 2d! :D

Re: Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot

PostPosted: Wed May 02, 2012 2:05 pm
by danielleo
Thank you for sharing this, it was a lovely read and great pictures!