The Wily Old Fox Returns to the Munros

[Beaner001]

It had been over a year since I’d managed a hill walk with my dad due to him snapping his Achilles tendon. This had left him Out of Action for some time and he’d recently been trying longer walks with his dog to test the water and found he’d managed ok. Therefore it was time for the next step, a Munro. Dad took early retirement from Teaching and was hoping to bash on with the Munros this year but the injury put that idea to bed so I think he feels he need to catch up as I personally thought it was too big a jump to do a Munro so soon from the injury. The Wily Old Fox would prove me wrong though.
The weather was looking bad for the weekend; however my dad fancied the Sunday if there was any chance of it improving. We were forced off the Monadhliath a couple of years ago when I got extreme knee pain so he fancied a return to do the outlier Carn Dearg as the land rover track in would mean an easier type start to the day. I wanted to do the Graham Creag Liath but Dad insisted on trying the Munro so we thought we’d just do the one Munro instead of the three in the Monadhliath as this would be a long day for his first. If we felt like it on the return we’d pop up the Graham.
We arrived at the café outside Newtonmore and had a bacon roll and pot of tea and then headed up behind Newtonmore to Glen Banchor to park. My Granda lived in Newtonmore and you pass his old house on the drive up to Glen Banchor as well as the Church we paid our last respects to him in. My dad had his Terrier, Billy with us today so the dogs outnumbered humans. Billy is 9 years old and an experienced Munro dog, he generally goes about trying to get his teeth into anything and anyone, dad got him 8 years ago as a rescue, and he has fear aggression. He is a loving doggy once he trusts you, it’s just he likes a good scrap and the bigger and tougher the opponent the better! Typical Terrier.

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Dad with the Rogues Gallery

We started along the land rover track and the weather was ok, a little light drizzle but when we got to the point you cut over the field to the gate up the river Allt Fionndrigh you could see the top of the Graham and the track ahead.

Cutting accross to the Landrover track up the side of the Graham

Dogs were on the lead at this point as lots of sheep, three dogs chasing sheep and it would have been a Turkey shoot for the farmer!! We followed the track up till you cross over the river on a shanty looking bridge.

Dodgy Bridge

Dad and Billy Crossing

Once over the dogs got off the lead as no more sheep in sight. We made our first pit stop on top of the col between the Graham Creag Liath and the Ridge up to Meall na Ceardaich. Roy did his usual scouting for pools of mud/water and successfully found an adequate pool of peaty water and proceeded to get barket. The other two just looked on wondering what the hell the batty spaniel was thinking as the wind chill was around -3. Brrrrr.

Bl**dy Dog

The graham Creag Liath behind dad

We proceeded up Gleann Ballach skirting the side of Meall na Ceardaich so as to keep our height.
The Summit of Carn Dearg was visible to our left and the ridge round to it looked easy enough, we hadn’t taken into consideration the strength of the wind.

Weather closing in

Looking back to the Graham Creag Liath

Dogs resting up

Dad doing well

Once we got up to the top at around 884m we found the old rusty fence which runs all the way to the summit so we dropped the bags beside a big stone to save time and set off round the ridge to the summit. There were lots of Mountain hare going around but they were too good on the rough terrain for the dogs to be a threat.

Carn Dearg Summit somewhere in there

Lochy and Billy have spotted something

Curving back around to the ridge to Carn Dearg

Carn Dearg behind the first Bump

We had to keep well to the right as the wind was horrific and we did not chance going too close to the cliffs over the edge of the summit, the rain was also constantly battering our faces and it felt like we were being sand blasted. We did not linger on the summit instead heading straight back to the bags, I hate not getting views on a summit but sometimes just being out in the hills even in testing conditions is enough to stoke the fires we need for our kicks.

We retuned the same way we arrived but no pictures as the rain on the descent was relentless and we both got a good soaking, my boots were sodden, time for the four season’s boots to be dusted off for the next walks. All in all a good day out which made us both feel like we’d had to work for our summit, dad felt great the next day and no issues so his recovery is coming along fine. Now we need to return for Carn Sgulain to complete the Grey Mountains.

[litljortindan]

Well done to all.

[electricfly]

Haha! I really did laugh out loud at the pic of Roy in the mud.

Great that your dad's injury is on the mend too!

[spiderwebb]

Dont you just love Springers, great outing you had there, maybe minus the mud

[dogplodder]

Well done your dad on successful come back - there'll be no holding him now!

Yep, no outing would be complete for springers/labs without total immersion in mud at some point.

[Huff_n_Puff]

Smashing report and pics - good to see your Dad back out on the hills and well done to you all for braving the weather.

As for the bog loving spaniels, yes why else do you take them up mountains (apart from chasing the hares ... hares win every time)

[Silverhill]

Well done Beaner, Dad and dogs!
This is a boggy walk even in dry conditions. But at least the dogs appreciated the mud!

[SAVAGEALICE]

Well done to your dad ...love the photo of Roy in the mud bath! made me chuckle! ..barmy spaniels! ..they're all the same!!

[The Rodmiester]

Pity the weather was not as nice as it could have been for you. Bet your Dad was glad to get out in any weather after such a long time, I know, I ruptured my Achillies as well, that twelve months felt like an eternity. I'm back on the hills now and no problems so as long as he doesn't do anything silly like jump from rock to rock at a river crossing he should be fine . Love the dog photographs. Reading about walks and looking at pictures are no substitute for the real thing.

[Beaner001]

Thanks for all the kind words guys, dad will be chuffed to bits, we're hoping to get back out somewhere this weekend

Well done to all.

Thanks

Haha! I really did laugh out loud at the pic of Roy in the mud.

Great that your dad's injury is on the mend too!

Yep he's obsessed, although he nearly got hypothermia in the process
Cheers Eric

Dont you just love Springers, great outing you had there, maybe minus the mud

Haha, He'd have been in the dog house (no pun intended) if it had been on his daily constitutional

Well done your dad on successful come back - there'll be no holding him now!

Yep, no outing would be complete for springers/labs without total immersion in mud at some point.

Correct, although when it's that cold I fail to see the benefits other than him thinking he's getting one over on me.... Hehe. Thanks

Smashing report and pics - good to see your Dad back out on the hills and well done to you all for braving the weather.

As for the bog loving spaniels, yes why else do you take them up mountains (apart from chasing the hares ... hares win every time)

Thanks, yeah the mud and hares are their real purpose in life, then when their home they spend the next few days barking in their sleep, obviously reliving those hare moments, maybe they catch one in their dreams

Well done Beaner, Dad and dogs!
This is a boggy walk even in dry conditions. But at least the dogs appreciated the mud!

Cheers Silverhill, totally agree on the bog, jeez my boots were sodden for days after

Well done to your dad ...love the photo of Roy in the mud bath! made me chuckle! ..barmy spaniels! ..they're all the same!!

Thanks Alice, they really do make you laugh, it's the look they give you even though their eyes are obviously stinging like buggery due to the mud

Pity the weather was not as nice as it could have been for you. Bet your Dad was glad to get out in any weather after such a long time, I know, I ruptured my Achillies as well, that twelve months felt like an eternity. I'm back on the hills now and no problems so as long as he doesn't do anything silly like jump from rock to rock at a river crossing he should be fine . Love the dog photographs. Reading about walks and looking at pictures are no substitute for the real thing.

Absolutely right Rod, I'll pass your comments onto Dad, it's good to hear of someone else that's made a full recovery with no ill effects,. Cheers mate