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... and then two come along at once. After last weeks great weather on Beinn Narnian I was hoping for more of the same this week as I have a few days off work and wanted to make the most of it. I struggled last week due to a lack of exercise and an inabiltuy to stop eating recently so I wanted to get back into a rhythm and not too anything too strenuous. Like everyone else who drives through Tyndrum, I had seen this hill many times and today I decided I would conquer it.
The drive up was uneventful and after parking in a layby close to the WHW, I was off for 10am and dodging the ice that covered the WHW. I had seen a route on here from someone who went up past the forest and then attacked the summit from there so that looked a good way to go. Once I crossed it was steep going and I was feeling it a bit although that only gave me more reason to stop and take in the view.
DSC_6442ed by
lmcf photography, on Flickr
The Target by
lmcf photography, on Flickr
Once I reached the 600m mark I felt a slight breeze but it didn't really bother me and I picked my way through the snow patches following a faint path when I could. The views were stunning, particularly towards the Glen Lochay Munro's but the wind was now stronger and extremely cold. On went my hat, balaclava and sunglasses which made a big difference as the sun was hitting the snow and although I could see without any problem, I new I would feel better for putting the specs on. I also took a few pictures but I didn't hang around long.
Blue by
lmcf photography, on Flickr
A Final Push by
lmcf photography, on Flickr
Cold As Ice by
lmcf photography, on Flickr
A Long Way Away by
lmcf photography, on Flickr
The snow was the type that holds your weight until you try to change foot and then collapses beneath you but fortunately patches of grass broke it up although the higher I got, the firmer the snow got and I could march up it quite quickly. In what felt like no time at all I was on the summit with the wind still strong but not anything that was even close to affecting mobility. The views in all directions were fantastic and I'll stop typing now and let the pictures do it all with the first picture being my favourite view of the day.
Crystal Clear by
lmcf photography, on Flickr
Mind The Gap by
lmcf photography, on Flickr
The Neighbours by
lmcf photography, on Flickr
A Burst by
lmcf photography, on Flickr
A Hardy Bunch by
lmcf photography, on Flickr
Very reluctantly I left the summit and started heading back towards the car. I was at the 2hr 20 minute mark and thought I would be about 2 hours back to the car. The snow covered slopes meant I could take great big strides down the hill and via a short walk along a very icy West Highland Way, I was back at the car 1hr 10 mins after leaving the summit which was a surprise.
Thats The Way It Is by
lmcf photography, on Flickr
At one point this morning I thought about not going at all but I'm glad I did as not only did I have the hill to myself, I had views that were worth driving lots of hours for, not the 60 minutes exactly it took me to get up there with the same time getting me home. We are completely spoiled in this country and at a point in the day when I couldn't hear a single sound, I really didn't want to be anywhere else. Now all I need to decide is where I'm going the rest of the week