Walkhighlands

It's my anniversary today and funily enough it's also the misses's, so last night she suggested I go for a walk today ....what a result!!! so without showing too much emotion I said I would see in the morning, and duely set my alarm for 5.00am (well it was after 1.00am when I went to bed so technically it was morning)...... if this was a tester I guess I failed.
I had checked MWIS for forecasts and SE hills were coming out best, so I desided on a run up to Lawers with Meall nan Tarmachan my objective. So I left home this morning at approx' 6.30am, and as I headed up the M9...I recalled there was some snow in Perthshire the other day, so wasn't sure what I would be facing and as I drove along A84 through Callander the snow was about 30 feet deep at the side of the road (maybe not that deep).....Loch Lubnaig was frozen solid, and in Strathyre the cars were parked in sort of little snow garages and in Killin, the falls were frozen..... getting the picture!!!!
As I turned off the A827 onto the track upto Ben Lawers etc... it was covered in snow ice...... I have a Vectra Estate and it is hopeless on a slippy road.....it skids if I have a cold, so my first thought was I'm not going to make it up the hill followed by I'll end up off the road and stuck somewhere in the middle of nowhere (without a phone signal)......but pleased to report I made it to the parking area assosiated with Meall nan Tarmachan and suited up for the walk.
Last week I invested in a Satmap which arrived Wednesday PM, so didn't have time to read instructions properly before today, and just about worked out how to plot a route on a map....... I tried to plot the normal track, but my markers were not 100% accurate and I missed the start of the track by maybe about 30 metres (before at.. N56*30.858 - W4*16.310) and set off up hill initially following trail of someone who had made similar mistake before catching track again at approx...(N56*30.644 - W4*17.187)

As you'd expect, there had been a fair amount of snow had fallen on slopes and going was tough at times where I had wandered into thigh deep patches. Well into the clouds and the wind was really getting up and stinging my face (blew my hat off at one point) and I really had to lean into it in some areas to stay upright.
As I edged towards the summit the ridges on my left as I looked up were overhanging with snow and my GPS was telling me zero distance to go but elevation of 17 metres, so I was more or less below summit crag. Fortunately there were footprints still visible from earlier walks, so followed on and eventually found the crag.
OK that done........it's off back down out the wind for the traditional warm cuppa. The desent was a quick one with a few tumbles on the way as one or other of my legs dissappeared down a hole and threw me off balance. All in all it was good to get back out..... it was tough going in places but thoroughly enjoyed my first real winter walk. Sorry about the photo's but too much cloud cover along with high winds, kept the camera tucked up in it's pouch.

Brrrrr! those look cold! What an understanding missus!

mountain coward wrote:Brrrrr! those look cold! What an understanding missus!

It was bitter...when I got back to the car I had a face like a skelped RS with wind burn and yes she has her moments or maybe she just wanted shot of me for the day.
Happy New Year.

Brilliant!!!!!!

Merry-walker wrote::lol:

Brilliant!!!!!!

Thanks MW.
Happy New Year

You must have passed my car a silver primera estate......about 500 m from visitor centre car park.....we got there and nearing the last few metres to the parking area my car was slipping on the sheet ice ...we could not walk on the road at all when we finally got our boots on after reversing or sliding all the way back to then try to 3 point turn

Only one car had made it at that point and the 3 boys were coming off beinn galas as we ascended

Wind was vile today ...pics and report on """other site""

We battled the wind for the whole time and the last 20m there was not a breath of wind at the summit cairn yet we could hear thunder like raging wind below us .....surreal

So strange that most of the ice had melted while we were on hill

You can change the settings on your map to os gr refs can you not?

doogz wrote:You must have passed my car a silver primera estate......about 500 m from visitor centre car park.....we got there and nearing the last few metres to the parking area my car was slipping on the sheet ice ...we could not walk on the road at all when we finally got our boots on after reversing or sliding all the way back to then try to 3 point turn

Only one car had made it at that point and the 3 boys were coming off beinn galas as we ascended

Wind was vile today ...pics and report on """other site""

We battled the wind for the whole time and the last 20m there was not a breath of wind at the summit cairn yet we could hear thunder like raging wind below us .....surreal

So strange that most of the ice had melted while we were on hill

You can change the settings on your map to os gr refs can you not?

Sorry can't say I noticed your car.....was probably too busy concentrating on what mine was going to do and really surprised it made it up to parking area.....I did notice one car in NT carpark as I drove past.....eh! I'll cross a Primera off option for next car.

Wind was a shocker....at one point when I took my backpack off to the crampons out, I had a fight with the wind to get it back on, and it was as quick as I could get off summit of Tarmachan as I struggled to stand still in wind long enough to take photo. The ice fairly shifted hadn't it......it was like a different route completely.

With regard to changing settings.....I think your right, but haven't worked that one out yet......I need to print off copy of user guide and read it properly, but I was well impressed with Satmap on what I had managed to work out.

Happy New Year!

Great to see what it looks like in winter - I was up that way in October and it's completely different as well as looking perishingly cold in your photos !

Bruadair wrote:I have a Vectra Estate and it is hopeless on a slippy road

having had one of these in the dim and distant past, I'd fully agree