Sunday, 16th. August, 2020:
This was the last day of a trip from Loch Awe to Dalwhinnie and, with clear blue skies and massive early morning temperature inversions under high pressure during the previous two days, I was hoping for more of the same today. Camped on a beautiful green meadow on the banks of the Allt Cam just west of its junction with the Allt Loch a'Bhealaich Leamhain, I woke to the expected clag and the usual clouds of voracious midges in the half light... but stirred myself anyway and midge-proofed myself with a head net, long sleeves, a pair of Ron Hills and long socks. Rather than carry water and other encumbrances, I forced myself to drink a litre and a half out of the river, put some marzipan and cheese in my cagoule pockets and headed up into the already thinning mists.
I didn't hurry as I wanted to see the views but kept pace with the slowly rising cloud base as Loch Pattack glinted intermittently behind me. Eventually, however, hints of blue and the south eastern ramparts of Beinn a'Chlachair showed up ahead and a brief burst of effort brought the spot height (of either 972m or 977m, depending on the scale of your map) underfoot. From there it was a magical stroll across boulder fields in bright sunshine to the prominent summit with fantastic views in every direction, especially to the snowy eastern corries of Aonach Mor and the unmistakable profile of Ben Nevis away to the west, floating above a bed of low valley mist.
As is often the case, I didn't have a camera but, quite honestly, I now find that this means I remember the days better; I think that, with a camera constantly in our hands, many of us just end up remembering the photos rather than the experience of being out there on the hill. I retraced my steps back north east away from the summit but then headed a little further north to descend steeply to the Bhealaich Leamhain before heading up Creag Pitridh and then Geal Charn as the mists below melted away in the strengthening sunshine. Four guys by the fractured cairn on Geal Charn told me that it was just after midday (the first time check I'd had since getting off the train on Friday) so I headed over the subsidiary top to the east and down to my tent where, after a short sit with my feet in the river and a bout of packing, I pointed my feet towards Dalwhinnie. I got there with just one ten minute stop for some cheese and a drink of water - so certainly getting fitter - but, having walked off my map and being relatively unfamiliar with Dalwhinnie, it was a little annoying to add half a mile to the route by choosing to cross the railway line in the wrong place.
Still, it had been a wonderful day and a great end to a great trip.