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Saturday morning 5am. Get up and have breakfast. I had spent the previous evening wondering whether it was a good idea to meet some random people in a remote location, just as night was giving way to day. You do read about these things, you know. After finding the bunkhouse at first light and spending some minutes sorting through my kit, realising that my hat and gloves were still at home, and getting my boots on, I finally plucked up enough courage to make my way to the door of the bunkhouse. One car had a Walkhighlands sticker displayed, so this was the correct location. Still feeling a bit apprehensive, I approached a solitary figure standing at the door. “Is this the Walkhighlands meet?” I ventured. As I drew level and noticed that my neck was still tilted back, I added “So, you must be Stretch, then.”
Watching people eat their breakfast two hours after you finished yours is a strange kind of torture. People emerged from rooms, new people arrived through the door, and very few firm plans were in place. As time marched on, it became clear that a decision had to be made, and soon. With a couple of people already committed to the Beinn a’ Bheithir horseshoe, this soon looked like a major expedition with carloads of people following suit.
So, how do we get to the big hill that we can see ahead of us? Use a GPS of course. Detour through a housing scheme and go right round the shinty pitch and were almost there! The first gentle walk to the base of the hill put me in good spirits, and I was really looking forward to a nice day on a fantastic hill. Even whilst ascending the first slopes, I was going well – not too fast, not too slow. The views across the loch were so fine, sunshine highlighting the Pap, a deep blue colouring of Loch Leven, that I even stated we were in for a good day on the hill.
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- a nice start
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- good weather to follow
What a foolish thing to say.
With the rain starting to wet us, the group bunched up on the scrambly, rocky section. Even the dog managed to bound up the crags.
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- climbing up
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- strung out
The group was now strung out along the ridge. Shadowy creatures obscured by mist. This was now becoming hard. As I approached the first bump on the ridge I could feel my legs straining.
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- on the rocks
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- long way down
A bite for something to eat on Sgorr Bhan gave a bit of respite, but I now realised that my waterproofs had had their day. Rain was now seeping through their ancient skin.
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- into the weather
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- lunch - camera dies
Onwards towards the summit of Sgorr Dhearg and the weather cranked up a notch or two. Stinging hail exfoliated our faces as we climbed the tortuous route to the top. After just enough time to collect everyone, we headed down to the bealach. What joy to be out of the wind and hail. My spirits lifted and I thought of the text peak. The zig-zag route was now clear ahead and I decided to make a brave attempt at it. Ten paces later, with the hail scouring my face, I decided I’d had enough and descended the corrie that Leithysuburbs (sorry, too many new names in such a short space of time) had headed down not moments before.
On the route down we could see the bold WH members tackling peak two. A pang of regret surfaced for us both but quickly disappeared when we saw the weather engulf them. A long walk to the forest was followed by a long walk to the road. This in turn was followed by a long walk along the road in the pouring rain. Ballachulish was a long way from the bottom of the hill, but when we saw the miles sign on the cycle track we perked up. Ten minutes later we perked down as we passed a road sign stating 2 miles. At last, wet and weary we got to the car park. Now a complicated procedure involving car keys, a Land Rover back door key and a barely open window took place (hope you found everything, guys). A quick change followed by a late lunch at the Clach completed the day.
Well done for organising the meet, Stretch. Absolutely fantastic, even though I couldn’t stay over.
John
