free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
So the winter meet
I had to miss the summer one - not enough time off work, so was really looking forward to it, and it was just as good to see everyone as expected. Few faces missing though (you know who you are
)
So we didn't really have a plan for hills (if you go to the meets for the hillwalking, you are doing it wrong
) but near the end of the year, and blog stats revealed that I hadn't managed a single corbet yet! So one up Loch Arkaig sounded like a good possibility - well there were 2 up there really, but we would see..
We drove round and managed to get the solitary parking spot at the end of the track. The trees round there were lovely - beautiful old oaks. Each tree had a plaque with a number, so someone else out there obviously thinks they are worth recording/conserving too
DSCN3806 by
Seana CarrollNot far into the walk, the heavens opened, so we hid beneath a tree briefly until it passed. The ground was all churned up underneath the tree - The telltale signs of pigs rooting about for acorns. Heard from many there are some wild ones round this neck of the woods, so no great surprise I spose.
As we got further up the undulating track, nice views down the loch opened up.
DSCN3779 by
Seana CarrollAcross to Invermaillie - if you squint you can just about see the roof of the bothyDSCN3777 by
Seana CarrollDSCN3781 by
Seana CarrollThe Ben was clear! Why didn't we go there The track ended at a small hydro scheme, and the path beyond got a bit rougher - still a well built path once upon a time, and good progress the mile or so we had to go up the glen. We dropped down and crossed the burn easily. There was a burn coming down from Geal Charn, so its banks looked like the driest route, and we werent the first to think so - there was a bit of a path developing there. Views of the back of the Loch Lochy munros were brilliant.
DSCN3783 by
Seana CarrollDSCN3784 by
Seana CarrollWe got up to the top of the burn, meeting a boggy land rover track which was boggier than the open hillside, so we left it pretty quickly, heading straight for the summit - a bit of a slog to start with, but we were soon high enough for the vegetation to shorten and the ground to get snowy.
DSCN3787 by
Seana CarrollDSCN3788 by
Seana Carrolleasy wander to the summitDSCN3789 by
Seana CarrollThe summit was windy and cold, as you can tell from Dougies position in this photo
Looked like we had more weather coming our way too
DSCN3793 by
Seana CarrollDSCN3792 by
Seana CarrollSo we decided against the second corbet - we had had enough boggy trudging today, and it didn't exactly look like an unmissable hill, so we just ran back the way we came, weather worsening all the time until big wet flakes f snow were coming at us horizontally.
We didn't stop until we got back to the wee hydro dam, where we finished the flask of tea.
DSCN3797 by
Seana CarrollDSCN3803 by
Seana CarrollThe weather had finally improved, but of course 5 mins from the car the heavens opened again and this time the water wasn't frozen, so were soaked on our return
Saturday night was brilliant - good quiz and even more people. I finally went to bed around 2.30, after a failed trip to the car - went outside, pressed the button and followed the flashing lights to the car. Someone had put a picnic bench on the way though and I fell head over hoop, bruising shins and knees with gay abandon
Sunday morning came all too soon, and through the hangover fog, we decided to just have a wander round Loch Oich. Meant a very short drive up the road. Chilly breeze but sunshine all day
The walk along the south side of the loch, followed the line of the railway, but there is a rather lovely Wade military road closer to the loch shore which is marginally only marginally more muddy and undulating, but far lovelier.
Dougie walked the railway and I walked the road for a while, and for most of the time we could still have conversations so close the two tracks were. This side of the loch was absolutely beautiful that morning.
DSCN3807 by
Seana CarrollDSCN3809 by
Seana CarrollDSCN3812 by
Seana CarrollDSCN3814 by
Seana CarrollDSCN3816 by
Seana CarrollDSCN3817 by
Seana CarrollDSCN3820 by
Seana CarrollWe reached Letterfearn, which is a proper wild camping spot (for canoeists supposedly) with toilets!
DSCN3821 by
Seana CarrollA little further along, a sign informed me that this was as far as Wade's road went so had to go back up to the railway to go through a big tunnel.
DSCN3822 by
Seana CarrollDSCN3823 by
Seana CarrollDSCN3827 by
Seana CarrollDSCN3829 by
Seana CarrollWe reached the far end of the loch, and tried to get up to the afe that is only about a mile from there, but we didn't fancy walking along the road, and it was very difficult to get up to the old railway to us that, so we ended up abandoning the idea in the end. We visited Bridge of Oich before following the Great Glen Way signs into the forest. It was far warmer out of the wnd in the forest, and we had a long stop with ample tea. The path this side was far more undulating and far less scenic with some forestry tracks linking up paths.
DSCN3836 by
Seana CarrollWe got to Invergarry rather hungry, so we popped into the Hotel for a bowl of soup. It was all forestry track from there back to the car which made for a quicker than expected last leg.
DSCN3837 by
Seana CarrollDSCN3839 by
Seana CarrollDougie had booked us accommodation in Fort William for Sunday night, and when we got there we found we had a free upgrade to a massive room with a jacuzzi, so happy days in Fort William
Brilliant weekend - thanks to everyone for all you fun and banter which made it so fun