free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Decided to bite off a little more from my plan to improve stamina and leg strength in order to bag my nameless Munro later this year (hopefully).
If you read my Ben A'an experience you'll know I'm unfit with poor joints. This is an update on how it's going, or not as the case may be.
I check “walkhighlands” a lot and trimmed my potential list down to a Corbett in Perthshire, Auchnafree Hill, from Loch Turret. A real step up for me as my walking experience can be painful, and that's without adding a hill to it.
This was described as having “good tracks for most of the route”, superb I thought, and off I went.
The drive to it from Dunbar was uneventful until I got to the road just passed the Glen Turret Distillery, home of the Famous Grouse Whisky. The road to Loch Turret was reduced to a speed limit of 10 mph, which was slow enough to protect the new born Lambs and of course to admire them, aw!
Highland cows at the top had the rule of the road and if you are unlucky enough to have one standing in the middle of it, well, patience was the order of the day as they are only for shifting in their own “slow motion” world. You never know you may catch them wiling away the time doing other things.
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- Highland Fling
Arrived at the Loch on a crackin sunny day, and made my first mistake right from the off. I thought, big hill, high, it could be cold at top, so took all my gear including gloves and hat. Not only that but I also took all my camera gear, including two other lenses. Right there is my inexperience of this hill walking carry on. By the time I had lugged my 10kg load to the end of the Loch, the sweat was running down my back and I still had to go UP!
I must admit though the walk itself to the “climbing point” was superb. I must at this point mention that I had just purchased a pair of “Pacerpoles” which I found to be exceptional in saving the pressure on my knees. I was sceptical about these walking pole thingy's but I'm a convert.
At just past the head of the Loch, I turned sharp right to make the ascent, and what an ascent it was, step after step, after step, but I guess that’s what walking is right?
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- First part of the ascent
The next point I was after was a sharp left turn at another junction a lot nearer the top. I came across an unmanned JCB which it seemed, was being used to create better paths etc. I walked passed this for another 15 minutes and thought, wait a minute, this doesn't look right. I had done my homework prior to the climb you see and reckoned that I had missed the sharp turn. Looking behind me I realised the JCB was parked right where I needed to turn. Real observant of me, idiot! I wasted half an hour with that simple mistake.
Anyway, I made it to the top of the featureless moorland hilltop and saw the cairns, as expected, thankfully. The bigger one I came across first, the smaller one and the true summit of the hill was only a hop, skip and a jump away, although I had no energy to do either, so walked instead.
My first Corbett, conquered, and that’s exactly how I felt, that I had conquered something! I took the obligatory selfie next to the cairn to prove to my doubters that I had actually made it.
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- Made it!
The views once there were outstanding, especially back down the Loch. The one thing I try to keep telling myself is – never underestimate the return journey, but I did. I really struggled with this as the Loch is in the region of 2 ½ miles long, which I didn't handle very well after the descent. (Another lesson learned)
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- The view looking back along Loch Turret
However, another step taken to gauge my fitness and how my joints stand up to this punishment has been taken and hopefully another step to conquering my first Munro. Painkillers were needed on the Sunday/ Monday/ Tuesday though so long way to go clearly.
