5 Sisters a Daughter and a Mother

[steviesea]

Sadly my darling partner and soulmate finally lost her battle with the big C just before Christmas so I knew the yearly visit to our beloved highlands would be strange and at times heartbreaking without her but nothing would stop me going and my lovely vivacious Daughter Rachel was joining me for what was her 1st visit to Scotland.
So what should her first ever Munro experience be. The 5 sisters of Kintail

Straight up the relentless slog to the bealach an Lapin

The weather forecast was for sunshine and showers and they got it spot on so it was from poor visibility to lovely views

Celebrating Rachel completing her 1st Munro

Then from elation to deflation as we looked across to see 3 remaining sgurr's and realised we were actually on the peak of the Spaniards After the initial shock we laughed it off and carried on.
Before we reached Ciste Dubh 5 Scots lads came running ( yes running ) past cheerily bidding us good day. I reckon they were local lads just nipping oot for a pint of milk and a loaf

At last Munro No1 was reached

More on that road later

No2

The weather was off and on and we were in clag on summiting Sgurr Fhuaran but just as we were about to leave it was like a parting of the waves to reveal some otherworldly scenes which can't be fully realised by the photos (especially when they're taken with my phone coz I forgot my camera) but you get some idea

Looking back

It was about this time we realised the distance still to go and the lack of time left. Cutting a long story short we missed the bus which had been obvious but wasn't concerned because I'd just pay for a taxi sod the expense (erm you're in the Highlands now you ****) The chap in the shop said the local taxi had packed in so we carried on to the Kintail Lodge where they kindly gave us a list of taxi numbers which Rach methodically went thru to get no answers until YES.
Hello
Oh hi could I order a taxi please
Of course ya can ma darling, when do you want it for ?
Er soon as possible please
Och no sorry darling no tonight, av had tae much te drink

i remember thinking that maybe those 5 lads really were fetching a pint of milk
Anyway Rachel's positivity stepped in again, ah well we'll just walk it back Dad

And so to the title. The Mother was the ******* walk back to the car which if I'm honest was actually quite enjoyable in such awesome surroundings. On reaching the car I could just see Vinny Jones leaning over saying "It's been emotional" All in all an awesome memorable day and believe it or not Rach was instantly hooked and will be back next year. We did Blaven before she had to leave which was my second time hoping to this time see some views but clag was even lower than last time so no report.

Blaven honest

[Alteknacker]

That must have been a bittersweet outing indeed.

A great gift you're giving your daughter, though: a real joy in life, and something to remember her mum by (pretty tough lady it seems, given that this was her first Munro(s).

Looks like a great ridge - still one I have to do.

[dogplodder]

So sorry for your loss but there's no better way to remember someone than by getting out into the hills. That was an amazing start for Rachel and if she survived the Sisters she'll be up for anything!

We also missed the bus but were fortunate to be offered a lift by some guys I'd chatted to earlier on the ridge and who insisted on turning round and taking us to our car although it wasn't the way they were heading. It pays to be friendly when you meet folk up top!

[steviesea]

That must have been a bittersweet outing indeed.

A great gift you're giving your daughter, though: a real joy in life, and something to remember her mum by (pretty tough lady it seems, given that this was her first Munro(s).

Looks like a great ridge - still one I have to do.

Thanks. I'm not sure she viewed it as a gift while it was raining or when we realised we were walking back
Seriously tho, that's a nice way of looking at it and I'm sure she does see it that way as she certainly loved it and is definitely back next year.
As for the ridge, whilst I'm relatively new to hillwalking myself and am no expert, on a day when you're not immersed in clag the whole time it must surely be hard to beat

[steviesea]

So sorry for your loss but there's no better way to remember someone than by getting out into the hills. That was an amazing start for Rachel and if she survived the Sisters she'll be up for anything!

We also missed the bus but were fortunate to be offered a lift by some guys I'd chatted to earlier on the ridge and who insisted on turning round and taking us to our car although it wasn't the way they were heading. It pays to be friendly when you meet folk up top!

Thanks. I'm also sorry to read about your loss of Tess. I think the word bittersweet you both used is right and the bitter part is the heart ripping loss that you feel when something reminds you of them and you miss them so much but its definitely part of the grieving process and I feel needs to be experienced.Then the sweet part takes over as those lovely memories come flooding back and the pain changes into an unstoppable smile
There were a lot of times where we both felt Sandra was watching over us, as in the fact that it was often raining with limited views but then at the exact moment each summit was reached the clouds miraculously parted to reveal awesome scenes.
As for the walk back we had met and chatted to two nice ladies on the ridge but they were also hoping to catch the bus back which I'm sure they would have done as their pace was much quicker than ours. It was strange because we left the Kintail lodge fully intending to try and hitch a lift but once on our way it kinda felt like a challenge and became enjoyable and I don't think we once stuck our thumbs out.

[simon-b]

What a lovely way to celebrate your partner's life, Stevie, especially now you've got your daughter enjoying the hills too. The 5 Sisters is a great walk. And it's always nice when the cloud suddenly clears like that.

[Huff_n_Puff]

Brilliant report - congratulations to you and Rachel - what a stunning introduction to the Munros for Rachel, you chose wisely . The hills are places of healing and inspiration, especially when you are walking on a stunning ridge with a sea of cloud on one side, stunning views on the other and someone you love alongside. The phone piccies are just fine.

Thanks for the reassurance about the walk back along the road, I'm sure I'll miss the bus too

[steviesea]

Thanks both for your kind comments. To be honest HnP I think if I was to tackle them again I would do as advised on other threads and catch the bus at the Jacobite in the morning (around 9am ish ) leaving the car there and ask the driver to be dropped off at the start of the walk. That way you can even take as long as I do and still not have to care about getting lifts etc