by Norman_Grieve » Mon May 12, 2014 5:33 pm
'Is that my reserved seat 'f''? Asked a tall, lean, long, mousey-haired, middle-aged wifey, leaning o'er tae inspect a ticket pinned tae the forward-facing window seat alongside moi. I assured her that it was, although having absolutely no idea of the veracity o' ma statement and she reluctantly squeezed past moi intae what may or may not hae bin her seat. Nae lang after we were bound fae Kyle, leaving the self-styled 'Capital o' t' hielans', in oor wake.
I then proceeded tae strike up a conversation with a bespectacled, earnest fortyish, greasy dark haired chap, sitting just across the aisle, clad in fancy Goretex jacket & B1 boots. This somehow quickly degenerated into an argument o'er the relative chances of succumbing tae Carbon Monoxide poisoning in a bothy vs a tent, the chap rather tetchily bringing this to a close by self importantly informing moi that he was a Chemist fae Cornwall by profession, thus must by implication be right & I wrong...
I then turned moi attentions back tae zerr frau at mein side, who it transpired had just travelled up fae Landon on the sleeper, for the princely sum of £35. She was soon singing the praises o' that gr8 city, to which I just couldn't help adding some balance by mentioning the widespread riots, just a year or so back. She responded by aluding tae the unrelenting awfulness o' yon Scottish weather, to which I cheerfully noted the prolonged recent flooding in the Thames Valley & Somerset levels, contrasting this with the Tobermory distillery shutdown due tae lack o' water...
After a brief analysis o' both the looming Scottish Independence referendum & the perils o' the fearsome Scottish Midge, during a lull in oor discourse, Mr Cornish Chemist took tae the stage wance mair. He was awa tae embark on the TGO Challenge, cross Scotland walk, starting at Torridon 3 days later on the Friday, afore which he was considering scaling some o' the Giants o' the area. Whilst relating mein experiences on these grandiose peaks awa back in '77, just afore King Elvis popped his clogs, the Pearly Queen alongside moi made her escape...
Mr Cornish Chemo bemoaned his imminent 2hr wait for a bus tae Torridon fae Strathcarron, mentioning that wan to Shieldaig met the choo-choo, which I suggested he catch, then try hitching the last few miles. Shortly thereafter he disembarked, hoisting his 45 + 10 Lowe Alpine rucksack upon his broad shoulders, nae lang after which I untethered mein steed and unusually pour moi, also managed to leave yon train with my rather less compact & mair decrepit auld pack at Attadale halt.
'Twas nigh on 11am as I rode 1/4 mile doon 't A890 to the start o' the lang track on the left, signposted to just Attadale House gardens, doon which I'd last galloped fae Bendronaig Lodge bothy, in lashing rain & gales, nearly 3yrs afore. I cantered up the lane, through the sun-kissed fields, swinging up tae the left passing a few touros & their shiny new gas-guzzlers awa tae visit yon gairdens. Turning right at a T-junction in the woods, the lane led along the foot of the steep, craggy slopes of Carn Ruairidh, soon leaving the woods behind. The metalled surface was left behind a few minutes later, passing through the familiar narrow gap, to the right of a gate, beside Strathan farmhouse to the right again.
Nae lang after I took the wrong track on the right, before doubling back & crossing a bridge o'er the Eas Ban, where a right-hander led round close above the burn. I dismounted shortly thereafter, as the track climbed a series of steep zig-zags up between the woods on either side. Noo sheltered fae the cool breeze I soon overheated in the warm sunshine, sweat pouring doon ma face, as I laboured under the weight o' ma heavy pack. A tall, blonde, fair maiden then appeared, galloping doon towards moi, calling kind words of encouragement 'it's worth it'! She was followed by a youngish fellow, who paused tae palaver, asking moi if I was bound for the bothy, to which I replied in the negative, although I mentioned that I'd indeed been impressed by Bendronaig Lodge bothy's flush khazi on mein previous visit.
He was perhaps understandably keen tae be on his way after his long, blonde haired damsel and once he'd departed the scene I staggered on upwards for a few mair paces, then collapsed in a heap. Somewhat belatedly, I then shed wan o' ma trois jackets & took a swalla o' apple juice, afore shouldering ma burden wance mair. I crossed a wee stream then followed the track up along the left side of the forest, briefly remounting mein steed on the crest of a wee ridge. A solitary dark figure appeared up ahead but I avoided an encounter by turning off up a track into the forest on the right, a wooden signpost indicating the way onwards to Loch an lasaich. Not far up this I turned right again along a muddier track which ran back above the wee valley up which I'd climbed fae the valley floor. It then swang left and up through the woods to where I gratefully dumped ma heavy pack at another branch tae the right.
This soon dropped doon tae cross the burn draining the aforementioned loch, beyond which a wee rise led to a much longer, fast descent oot o' the trees, doon to a bigger burn, where I dismounted to cross it on large flat stones dryshod, directly above a fine waterfall, glad the water level was no higher. I led my auld nag up the steepening track beyond, back into the dark forest, tethering her at the intersection with a muddier, wetter track, after a climb o' a coupla hunnerd feet fae the burn. I followed a wet, grassy ATV track up a forest ride beyond, which took ma up to a swampy clearing where 3 mair rides led onwards & upwards. Unfortunately however the twa to the left & centre appeared to be largely blocked by fallen trees, whilst to reach that on the right I would hae to cross the swamp tae see into it.
Thus I skirted the felled trees of the central ride on their right, weaving through the edge of the wood which was still standing. Bending aside the springy lower branches of the odd inconvenient spruce I then rejoined the ride, above the worst of the impasse, relieved to see that it wasnae much further tae the forest's upper edge. Here I easily negotiated the delapidated boundary fence, as had many Red Deer, several of which had scampered off into the trees, as I'd approached earlier. I then followed a wee boggy valley gently upwards, to skirt the southern edge of a craggy wee knoll, crossed a peaty wee col, then followed the course of a wee burn more steeply beyond, taking a wee tumble as I lost my footing in the firmer but hole strewn bed of the babbling brook. After another coupla hunnerd feet o' climbing I cut up right to join the course of a wet, indistinct auld path coming up fae the mouth of Attadale, which I'd left soon after disembarking fae the train, hours earlier.
I followed this o'er a wee col, then doon past wee Loch nan Gillean, cutting off right up a wide break in a line o' wee crags beyond. It was just another 250ft of climbing up steeper but less wet & boggy going fae here tae the wee summit cairn, reached c.2 3/4hr fae the orf, at c.1.40pm. I txt ma bonny Safety Officer me position & intended next objective o' distant Beinn a' Mheadhain fae the head o' Loch Long, then snapped awa at the shower strewn panorama. I then set off back doon a rather steeper line, to the south of ma ROA, the skies clearing as I traversed east across an undulating wee plateau, dropping down off this to the north of Loch nam Breac Mora. A wee detour to the left avoided a wee stream gorge in the upper reaches of the burn crossed above the waterfall on ma ROA, good views of distant Lurg Mhor & the rocky pyramid of Bidein a' Choire Sheasgaich being had fae the wee rise atop it's steep far bank. I then made for the entrance to a forest ride, which I followed down an ATV track, emerging fae the lower edge o' the woods close to another fine cascade in the burn. After following a wet stretch of ground alongside a fence, I then cut back left up another ride, zooming in on some deer crossing it higher up. This led to a muddy track, which I followed right back tae ma patiently waiting steed, on which I galloped doon tae the lower falls, where I dismounted for a photostop.
A rather mair sedate climb back up towards ma gear followed, its unwelcome weight soon bearing doon upon me shoulders. A further rise up a wee ridge taken by the track tae the richt, led to a clearing with good views north, o'er tae An Ruadh Stac, Maol Chean-dearg, Sgorr Ruadh & Fuar Tholl, across Strathcarron. Back in the saddle I soon fell off my mount, mein steed being unsteady on the rougher track, staggering under the strain of supporting both my considerable weight & that of ma burden. Not far past a branch tae the left, I dismounted for a wee stroll doon tae the right for a snap of sizeable Loch an Iasaich. A rather hair-raising canter doon the track dropping through the trees to the left, led to a T-junction, where I turned right beside a wooden signpost indicating that Killilan was just 4 miles distant.
Nae far doon the track narrowed to a path at the edge of the woods but the surface remained good, enabling moi tae stay in the saddle 'til the col to the east o' Carn Allt na ,Bradh. As the auld path started its descent into the glen, dropping 800ft over the next mile, short sections were well enough surfaced to tempt moi into the saddle but I would hae to jump off in time to avoid coming tae grief on the ensuing rough section. This was made much more problematic by both my uncomfortably heavy sack & the fact that mein steed's right brake appeared to have packed in. At wan frantic, last gasp jump oot o' the saddle, my right leg disappeared intae the bog, right up tae the knee.
Atmospheric views were granted of the lang ridge between the impressively steep twin noses of Ben Killilan & Sgurr Coinntich, towering above the head of Loch Long, just across the River Ling, stretching awa east tae fellow Corbett, Aonach Buidhe. Beyond the latter to the right & Beinn Dronaig to its left, lay even mair remote An Cruachan, crouching at the foot of the lofty snow runnels of An Socach & An Riabhachan, rising impossibly high above. These giants o' ma yesteryears, gradually emerged fae the mist, as showers passed o'er tae be replaced by brilliant sunshine. Somehow I managed tae make it doon tae the floor o' the glen without breaking mein neck wance mair, passing a ruined croft in the meadow, approaching the newish looking, wooden vehicle bridge o'er the sizeable Allt Loch Innes nan Seangan, flowing doon rather more directly fae wee Loch nan Gillean than my rather circuitous route.
Any ideas I may o' had that the going was about tae become easier, in view of the width o' the bridge, were soon dispelled, as the path narrowed still further, running close beside the river below a steep nose. There were lines of mocking wheel marks in the mud, reminiscent of those present on the long approach tae Letterewe, when I'd abandoned mein steed nearly 3 years afore, above Loch Maree. The brief spells in the saddle were becoming ever briefer and ah didnae fancy attempting tae ford the powerful flow o' the mighty River Ling, handicapped as I was with bulky sack & awkward steed, particularly as it was noo entering an impressive gorge, complete with equally impressive series of rapids. As I paused to snap a waterfall of a full rope-length in height cascading doon the cliffs opposite, I reflected that my Constant Readers might feel short changed by my failure tae take on the challenge of reaching the tempting fine track poised high above.
Not far beyond the path split and I rode on doon the lower left branch, following the narrow wheel ruts, 'til I was aghast tae see a high, rickety wooden stile crossing a deer fence up ahead. Ma reaction tae this was to promptly dismount & forlornly retrace my way back tae the fork, thence lead mein steed slowly up the rocky upper branch, now sharp round to ma left. Not far beyond a gate, I was pleased to at last see the farm at the edge of a wee plantation, surrounding Nonach Lodge, especially given that the weather had closed in again & it was now starting to rain. This got heavier as progress speeded up a tad, the surface improving, encouraging mair dodgy wee cantering doon the hill, back in the saddle. I then reached twa new looking gates, that on the left leading to a field of improved grazing, across which stood the farm.
A barking dog encouraged moi to take the r.h. route, through a spanking new gate, despite the ground beyond being rougher & boggier. I was soon encouraged on ma way by mair o' the ubiquitous narrow wheel marks, which I followed across the rough pasture round left, to emerge just to the right of a farm building. As I galloped doon the lane, with some relief at having negotiated the arduous crossing fae Attadale, the intensifying downpour washed awa any thoughts I may hae still entertained of scaling Beinn a` Mheadhain. Time was getting on in any case, it now being c.6pm, having taken o'er 4hrs to complete the undulating traverse fae the summit of Carn nan Iomairean. Given the guaranteed, non-waterproof qualities of ma el-cheapo tent, I decided to press on tae investigate the attractions of the bothy at Camas-luinie.
I soon reached the public road where I turned left towards Killilan, crossing the box bridge o'er the River Ling where it met the waters of Loch Long. Shortly thereafter I turned right towards Camas-luinie, just short of the car-park for Glen Elchaig. A sharp left then led to the bridge over the River Elchaig, the rain easing off & the welcome sun coming back out as I covered the last mile to the wee village. Here I soon spotted a white painted, flaking wee sign, indicating that one should make enquiries up the drive at White Falls Cottage, concerning the availability of the various properties, within the proprietor's vast real-estate portfolio. A fallen 'For Sale', sign lying just off the track added a touch tae ma concern, that perhaps the property business empire may hae come crashing doon in the credit crunch, so I rang the tycoon's doorbell with some trepidation.
A wee middle-aged mannie, with a ruddy complexion opened t' door & in response tae ma query as to was there ony room at his bothy, teld moi that presently I'd hae the whole place tae mesen. To my supplementary question as to what he was planning tae sting moi for, he added that I'd hae tae cough up the princely sum o' ten poond sterling & not a penny less. "I'll tak it!", says I, rather too quickly, somewhat weakening ma negotiating position. Perhaps encouraged by moi reckless fiscal approach, he then added that if I didnae hae ma ain sleepin' bag, then that would increase the tariff by a staggering further twa poond and fifty new pence!
I hastily assured him that I did in fact hae possession o' ma ain bag, then pressed the required £10 note intae his haund, afore he could think o' ony mair costly surcharges. In response tae his rather taken aback expression, I explained that I'd raither pay up front, in case he'd mebbe lose sleep o'er the chance that ah might flee the country tae avoid payment. "It's only a tenner!", says he, obviously being a man o' considerable means. 'The door's nae locked, it's doon t' hill, past the shed with t' red roof', explained yon property magnate, adding that he'd be doon in a wee whiley tae show moi all the mod cons that ma most substantial outlay had bought moi.
Formalities o'er, I returned doon the driveway tae moi faithful steed, hoisted mein weighty sack on ma shoulders & shot off doon ma last wee hill o' t' day in search o' ma lodgings. This turned oot tae be up tae the richt o' a hoose with a wee black car standing with its driver's door wide open, remarkably this still being the case when I left for the last time the following day. In the same spirit of trust & openness I recklessly left mein steed untethered ootside yon bothy, dumping ma pack in the spacious room inside, which was roofed by clear, corrugated perspex sheets. There were a good number of wooden chairs & a fair sized wooden table, with a washing line against the right wall, sporting wooden clothes pegs. I sat on a chair, took off ma wet boots & socks, proceeded tae hang the latter on the washing line & my jackets o'er the backs o' the chairs.
Whilst awaiting the appearance o' the Lord o' t' manor, I checked oot the wee library in the sumptuous lounge, picking out a promising comic collection by a newspaper columnist named Tam Shields. All in due course Rigsby rolled up in his fine, shiny, new silver pickup, having driven all of a hunnerd yards fae his mansion. Mein host suggested that I might like a brew but opening the caddy teld moi there was only wan teabag left. He then opened the fridge tae discover nae milk. However, he did offer moi 4 large eggs, assuring moi that they were still OK tae eat, then after informing moi that he'd nae fuel for the stove, asked ma tae read the electric meter, as he'd nae got his glasses on. There was 7 quid lecy left, which he reckoned should be plenty, 'cos there'd be nae need tae put the heating on, it being a mild evening.
However, he did suggest that I might like to dry moi clothes in the tumble drier, then teld moi tae sleep upstairs, 'cos he liked tae keep the doonstairs room for couples, afore departing, stating that he'd mebbe see moi in t' morn, unless I was leaving early. After he'd left for his modest drive back tae his ranch, I opened the tea caddy, to find nae less than 4 teabags. I also found a wee plastic tub of white powder, which I assumed was milk powder, however, when I added it to the water, it coagulated & tasting the powder on ma finger, I decided that it was probably flour, before stirring it in as best I could anyway, deciding that the result tasted rather better than it looked. I then attempted tae scoff as much o' ma latest haul o' 90% orf grub trawled fae Tesco, as I could, to justify having carried it o'er the hills fae Attadale.
This was washed doon with mair tea & coffee, eschewing the addition o' the probable flour and I then lit the gas stove & had twa o' Rigsby's hardboiled eggs, with a wee tin o' buckshee peaches to follow. After trying to dry ma trousers, socks & Teva Mid Trail boots, in the tumble drier, without success, nae heat being detected, disobeying orders, I switched on the twa wee storage heaters. I then dangled ma troosers in front o' wan, draped o'er the end o' a broom handle and against ma better judgement propped wan o' moi Tevas o'er each heater, aussi ma socks. I then settled doon tae read some o' Tam Shields wee comic anecdotes, first in the comfort o' the lounge's well stuffed sofa & then with the light o' the bunkside lamp, up the steep, narrow stairs.
After a nae doubt much better kip than I would hae suffered in ma wee fair weather tent, I arose before 7am and after scoffing the remaining twa o' Rigsby's hardboiled eggs, I checked if my gear had dried OK. Although everything was indeed dry, it was most certainly not all OK, wan o' ma Teva's was smouldering awa nicely, done to a turn and wance it had cooled I pulled out its shrivelled up high tech insole. Thankful for my tried & tested policy of taking twa pairs o' footwear with moi on such trips, I then pulled on moi nice dry but unburnt, still fairly shiny red S4k Verto B1 Tnf boots. Leaving most o' ma gear in situ, I then set off at 7.30am with just my wee day-sack, containing the remains of a large chocolate-fudge cake, mair 90% off Tesco booty.
I strolled back doon tae the lane, past the wee black motor with its driver's door still hanging wide open, across the gairden on the left, then up the hill round the far side of its owner's wee whitewashed cottage. Round a bend to the right I turned left up a path between garden fences, which soon led to a gate opening onto the open hillside. The narrow, overgrown auld path ran up to the right of a stream, which I lost in a multitude of overturned sods of earth, shortly after crossing the burn. I then traversed up leftwards, towards the Eas Ban waterfall, crossing another wee brook afore bearing right, directly up the steepish hillside, awa fae the wee wood below the high cataract. I took some photos & videos of this fine cascade, eventually regaining the path close to where it split, where I took the better defined right fork. Here the angle lay back, as I approached a col, where I cut off up to the right, following a new deer fence.
Things steepened up again where the fence curved to the left, heathery slopes running up level with the edge of wee crags, towards which I traversed left where the ground levelled off. I skirted their lower right end to gain the col to the west of point 340m, where I picked up a wet ATV track, following this o'er the wide, flat, boggy col, then climbed the continuation of the new deer fence on the left. A gently rising low ridge then led up to the boggy source of the Allt Creag Choinnich flowing doon tae Loch Long, beyond which steepening, firmer slopes were traversed, 'til I stood perilously close to a big drop into the narrow valley of the River Glennan, doon which ran the wee path which I'd left earlier. Fine views were had fae here, both westward, past Dornie, along Loch Alsh towards the misty Isle of Skye and back east up Glen Elchaig, the sun lighting up the fresh, new leaves of the woods below the mist shrouded crags, rising to the summit of Carn Loch nan Earn.
I moved right fae here twixt twa rocky wee tops, then dropped steeply doon heathery ground into a wee valley to the SW o' another, slightly higher top. I crossed this to join the ridge running to the south of the sizeable reverse L shaped Loch Beinn a' Mheadhain, briefly joining another new fence coming up fae the left before climbing o'er it, where it dropped doon right towards the head o' the loch. I soon bore right well above it, traversing along the east side of a lower top to cross a col close above the east end of the much smaller Loch Dubhach. A final wee forepeak was then crossed more directly, before moving left to gain the SSW toe of the summit pyramid, which I scaled close to the edge of the craggy west face.
The final coupla hunnerd feet went easily enough, with firmer going than much lower doon, the odd rocky outcrop providing some interest, as did a sheep perched on a rock, awa o’er t’ other side o’ Loch Beinn a' Mheadhain. The wee summit cairn was reached c.9.45am, after a Squiz-like 2 1/4hr snails-pace ROA time, with the weather rapidly closing in, rain starting tae fall & the wind getting up. I txt ma bonny Snr. Safety Officer me position, this being c. 13hr later than anticipated, which had apparently having raised nae concerns in Sleepy Hollow, nae relieved response being forthcoming…
Spurred on by the elements, I then proceeded on doon the easy angled slopes of the east face, heading for the outflow of the Allt Beinn a’ Mheadhoin, fae the Loch, this being apparently spelt with an ‘o’, rather than the 2nd ‘a’ of both the loch & hill. Once across my auld friend the new fence, then the burn I had a late change of mind on ma way forward, opting tae traverse up o’er the col to the south of the N. summit of Meall Glac a ‘ Tollaidh, rather than under the crags of its north side. An initial short steep section to the right of the west end of the crags led to a boggy hollow, where heavy, wet going led to the col, beyond which I bore right, between wee crags.
I continued traversing rightwards until I reached a wee tributary of the Allt Creag Choinnich, where I moved back doon tae the left, heading for a gate in the new deer fence which I’d crossed on ma ROA. I followed the wet ATV track o’er its far side up right for a wee whiley fae here, afore cutting back left, crossing the main burn and heading for a col, NE of the 340m summit o’ An Leth-chreag. Here the rocky sides of the narrow gap nicely framed the view up Glen Elchaig, despite the grey skies. I dropped doon the true right bank o’ the wee burn running doon the steepish hillside to the NW of Camas-luinie fae here, taking some Squiz-like close-ups o’ the bonny wee fleurs, including suspected purple orchids?
Doon tae the right twa fellas with an ATV were noisily working on the tree planting / hole preparing? Exercise which accounted fae the profusion o’ wee overturned sods of earth, which had obliterated parts o’ the path on ma ROA. I cut off leftwards 100ft below where I crossed an auld path coming up fae the left, descending steeply through the low, soft shoots of bracken, heading for the new deer fence, which I scaled under the watchful eyes of those who had recently toiled to erect it. A final gentler slope of improved grazing led to a barbed-wire fence, which I followed right over boggier going along the edge of birches. I then scaled another barbed-wire fence bordering a track coming down beside the stream, which led left to reach the lane in just a few yards, where I turned right towards Camas-luine, as the rain started to fall wance mair.
A short stroll took moi to et through yon charming hamlet, past Rigsby's mansion, doon the hill & up right tae the bothy, past the ever present wide-open doored wee black car. It was noo 11.30am, having taken a Squiz-like 4hr to conquer moi 150th wee sub 2k peak and I demolished another wee can o' buckshee peaches, followed by the last twa o' Rigsby's hardboiled eggs, washed doon with the last o' his teabags. An hour later I was all packed up & ready for the 13 mile ride back out to civilization at the Kyle railhead, glad tae see that the skies had brightened. Shutting the bothy door behind moi for the last time, ah untethered mein faithful steed and was on ma merry way back past the forever wide-open car door o' sleepy hollow.
Nae lang after I was back o'er the twa bridges spanning the rivers Elchaig & Ling, breaking new ground beyond the end o' the drive up to Nonach Lodge, whence I'd come over the hills fae Attadale the previous afternoon. Approaching Sallochy, along the salt marsh flats at the head of Loch Long, I passed Rigsby in his shiny new silver Japanese pick-up & paused to snap the view across the water, back up the glen to towering Ben Killilan & Sguman Coinntich. Upon reaching the scattered whitewashed cottages of Sallochy I snapped Beinn Conchra, past a wee wooded isle across the bay & my morning conquest Beinn a' Mheadhain over the loch opposite.
I cantered on past mair o' le ubiquitous wee whitewashed cottages of Allt-nan-Sugh, thence alongside the narrows, around the foot o' Beinn Conchra's steep eastern flanks. The hotel of the same name was reached easily enough at some wee woods, beyond which the lane left the lochside & ran up a wee valley to join the A87 just NW of A.Fox's fave campsite at Ardelve. Unlike that fair frauline I wasnae dependent on the vagaries of the local bus service but ah was on the crazed petrol-head masters o' a stream of ugly big, fat gas guzzlers. These killer monsters were leavened by a smattering of rather mair responsible Germanic, black leather clad bikers but ah was relieved to escape the noxious fumes o' the racetrack, approaching the wee free kirk at Nostie. The haven o' the narrow pavement then led past Malky's wee power station, followed by the Auchtertyre junction with the A890 winding doon the hill, scene o' the early stages of ma recent minor epic.
I was noo on wee Johnny's epic round Scotland route fae last summer, this being the stage of his lowest ebb after finding his welcome lacking back at Strathcarron. The safe haven of the fine wee pavement took moi onwards under darkening skies, twixt the plantations beyond Kirkton, to rejoin the coast at Balmacara's sizeable hotel, on the shores of Loch Alsh. Around the bay the pavement joined a lane which led doon past an imposing building, which was evidently used by the MOD, an employee of which called a greeting tae moi as I cantered past, rather than the expected challenge of 'Halt! Who goes there!'
The lane soon led up to join another coming doon fae the main road, where I turned left back down tae the shore, passing below another large building. Ahead the lane ended at Lochalsh House, so I jumped doon out o' the saddle and tried a path leading up into the woods. This was well surfaced with gravel and I was rather hoping it would lead back up to the main road but after winding up close below the noisy highway, it turned back doon tae the left. Thus I hauled mein reluctant auld nag up the steep bank between the trees, only to find tae ma chagrin, that this was topped by a high wire fence. Soaked in sweat, I somehow managed tae heave both ma heavy sack & steed o'er this final tiresome obstacle, close tae a layby on the busy highway, wondering whether this could be the very same wan where Johnny had finally hit the sack on his troubled epic.
I was rewarded for my efforts by a long freewheeling descent, passing the Donald Murchison monument, followed by a short, steepish climb up to a fine viewpoint up Loch Alsh tae the Skye Bridge, over a yellow blaze of broom / gorse bushes. After a last snap across the loch to Beinn na Caillich, I galloped doon the narrow trod, initially dodging fronds of fragrant broom, making ma triumphant final charge intae Kyle. Turning left for the final descent tae the railhead, I discovered that I'd missed the train by 5mins, it noo being 2.45pm, after a ride of 2 1/4 hr fae Camas Luinie. As I resigned mesen tae a lang wait fae the last choo-choo, a tall, middle-aged mannie engaged moi in conversation, the faither o' an offshore oil worker, who noted that I'd nae be in Airberdin 'til nigh on midnight.
He suggested that I might like to try a cafe which he pointed out, looking doon o'er the harbour and after munching on a last soggy, well travelled, 90% off, vintage Tesco sarnie, I decided tae follow his advice. Here I nursed a moderately exorbitant brew, noting that a burger would hae set ma back almost a further tenner, glad I'd nae tea in ma mooth when ah seen the prices... Whilst the cafe may hae lacked hieland character, the same couldnae be said o' the waitress, who assured us that she was 'easy'... I hastily paid ma meagre tab, then escaped, untethering mein steed, only tae discover that I still had a 100% record for picking up punctures in Kyle. By noo there was a choo-choo waiting at the end of the line, onto which I tethered mein deflated steed and proceeded to have a good chin-wag with a portly, well travelled auld chap, who owned a haulage company. Amongst his achievements was the Cullen Bay oil pipeline landfall, back in the mid seventies, of which he was rather proud & why not?
