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We don't manage to go walking together on the west coast as much as I'd like so when the opportunity arises we book somewhere to stay and try to make the most of it, this time a one night stay in Gairloch with a walk round Lochs Clair and Coulin planned for the first day and no real plan for the second day.
Jill's criteria these days are warm and dry weather, good paths, woodland, low level walking or small hills and, since I sometimes don't feel too keen on big hill summer walking, those criteria are fine for me.
Having been round the aforementioned lochs earlier in the day the evening plan, after booking in at our hotel, was to drive out to Red Point for the sunset. This wasn't too exciting but there was some nice evening light on the Torridon hills and a fine enough sunset. As is often the case, the post sunset light is what was really memorable about the evening.
Next day we made the short detour to Victoria Falls and then decided on a walk along the Sgurr a' Chaorachain ridge or, as it turned out, a walk along half of the ridge.
Confrontation at Redpoint viewpoint.
Sunset.
Subtle (i.e. very little) light.
We had to stop and admire the colours.
Next morning, on the way to Victoria Falls and then Sgurr a' Chaorachain.
Victoria Falls -well worth the short detour as even the first of four drops seen here is impressive close up, as is the water slide further up the path beyond.
Pleasant spot above the main falls.
Close-up of the upper falls -about a third of the whole.
Stopping to admire the surroundings again.
Those boots have been going for ten years I think.
Various parts of my body may not be what they used to be but for a long time I was able to say I was most hairy headed guy in an office of twenty plus staff.
So we stopped and turned round at the penultimate top. We've along here together a few times but this time nerves got the better of Jill at the small step down to the continuation path. I was fine with that as I 'd rather keep what had thus far been an enjoyable and relatively rare west coast walk together just as that, enjoyable, rather than an unnecessary trauma.
We'd had a good couple of days of easy and pleasant walking but I returned home with a throat infection and some sort of flu. Initially I thought this might be a hay-fever reaction as I'd been foolish enough to leave the bedroom window open overnight and the pollen count had gone up from low to moderate but I don't think that was the problem.
Antibiotics for the throat after putting up with it for a week but another three weeks to get rid of a blocked nose, possibly prolonged by continuing my two games of football per week for the duration. Found at work, though , that several folk had been off ill with flu symptoms.
