Probably the most emotional walk of my life, this one. My dad died two days before - he was brought up in Glen Doll back in the 1940s and I'd heard tales of my grandfather hauling foolhardy walkers off the hills for as long as I can remember. So after he died I chose to say my own real goodbye at the top of these two fine hills (which became one for reasons explained later). My daughter, a Munro virgin, was to join me and also arrived with virgin boots and poles (as an aside, I am rather sceptical about the store from which she purchased them in Edinburgh - she said she was walking up hills and was asked whether she would be leaving the path at any point!).

Starting at the Glen Doll ranger base we walked down to where Dad's old cottage once stood, a lovely day welcomed up and happy daughter stood in her new boots.

A contemplative walk through the forest was uneventful until we eventually passed to the end and the Corrie Fee opened up in its glory. I recall that view from around 40 years ago and it is still special. Unfortunately the other thing that opened up were the proverbial heavens, and from then on we had classic Glen weather where sunshine and 5m visibility are seconds apart. The stroll through the Corrie was uneventful with Harriet looking rather dubiously at the back where we started the climb proper. Things got a wee bit worse when my navigation ability (or should I say basic common sense) failed me and rather than keeping "well to the eft of the burn" we basically went straight up and through it. Great fun for me, daughter by this stage getting slightly annoyed and the refrains of "it's almost as long to go back as carry on" have started. She did damn well however and we got a smile at the top of the Corrie before turning left towards the summit of Mayar.



And so upward we went - not a bad climb although by this time I have had to promise that we will head round the circuit without hitting Driesh (while planning to pretend I never said that - never lie to Scottish schoolteachers, especially if they are your children!). Finally at the summit I thought she'd caught the bug - but to no avail.



Even a rainbow wouldn't change minds - so Driesh will have to wait for another day. A great pity but without doubt what I needed and a fitting way to say goodbye to a fine man.