Easter Munro Day
Munros: Ben Hope
Date walked: 21/04/2014
Time taken: 3.5 hours
Distance: 7.5km
Ascent: 924m
Was on my very first visit North of Inverness and the intention was to try and get Orkney & the whole North coast cracked in three days. Had the family booked too and got them to believe me that I had the weather booked as well!
Now Orkney was fascinating and the history fantastic however my excitement could hardly be contained when I clamped my eyes on these two.

As the day was quite late I decided to push on to where we were staying for the night in Durness at Smoo Cave and the hotel by the same name appropriately. Smoo Cave was a cracking visit too!
The views above of the coast line were even better especially as the sun was setting.
Anyway on to the walk. I was up and running at 4-30 as it was still an hours drive from Durness to the start point. The wildlife that was running around that time of day was awesome enroute and I had to be very careful driving there.
Well there was no denying where the start point was.
Now one thing I don't enjoy when starting off up these hills is steep starts as I have my first hour where I like to warm up and this fella definitely denies this! So I took it easy with plenty of breathers on the way up. The path was very good and easily identified all the way to the peak.
What made this a cracking day for me was the inversion that was threatening to happen and I was observing the whispy white stuff creep along Strathmore towards Loch Hope the higher I got. The snag with being quite steep was I was now counting my height gain and wishing the trig point & cairn to appear all too soon! But oh it still seemed miles off!
Now one thing that always makes me smile on the hills are these felllas. I never seem to fail to see one !
Added to this the views were beginning to become stunning!
Finally this appeared and what shocked me was I was only 2 hours into the walk however it rammed home how steep this climb up the south ridge is.
Quick Breakfast at the top and here's my shots from the peak.

I descended the same way and managed to avoid any souls all the way down. A fantastic short day and the beauty of this is that I was done and dusted by 10am and sorely wished I had done my homework and gone for Ben Klibreck as well. Here's a shot from the roadside of a really good walk and a cracker from the most Northerly Munro!
Now Orkney was fascinating and the history fantastic however my excitement could hardly be contained when I clamped my eyes on these two.


As the day was quite late I decided to push on to where we were staying for the night in Durness at Smoo Cave and the hotel by the same name appropriately. Smoo Cave was a cracking visit too!

The views above of the coast line were even better especially as the sun was setting.

Anyway on to the walk. I was up and running at 4-30 as it was still an hours drive from Durness to the start point. The wildlife that was running around that time of day was awesome enroute and I had to be very careful driving there.
Well there was no denying where the start point was.

Now one thing I don't enjoy when starting off up these hills is steep starts as I have my first hour where I like to warm up and this fella definitely denies this! So I took it easy with plenty of breathers on the way up. The path was very good and easily identified all the way to the peak.


Now one thing that always makes me smile on the hills are these felllas. I never seem to fail to see one !


Finally this appeared and what shocked me was I was only 2 hours into the walk however it rammed home how steep this climb up the south ridge is.

Quick Breakfast at the top and here's my shots from the peak.


I descended the same way and managed to avoid any souls all the way down. A fantastic short day and the beauty of this is that I was done and dusted by 10am and sorely wished I had done my homework and gone for Ben Klibreck as well. Here's a shot from the roadside of a really good walk and a cracker from the most Northerly Munro!

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Jabber
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