Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Two-day visit to Scotland - Thursday 8th June
Beinn Mhanach is a double-topped mountain in Lochaber, with one top counting as a Munro. I set off on the 4-mile walk-in up Auch Gleann on a gorgeous morning, serenaded by willow warblers. Common sandpiper and wheatear were seen along the river, and a pair of twite flew past calling.
Eventually I Ieft the track and began to climb the steep flank of Beinn a'Chuirn. Pausing for a breather, I was startled when a fox came trotting quietly round the shoulder of the hill and stopped about twenty feet away. We stared at one another. "What are you up to then?" I said, and the fox turned and vanished round the hillside.
As I arrived at the summit cairn of Beinn a'Chuirn the one cloud that had been in the sky also settled on it, so it was map-and-compass work to reach Beinn Mhanach - and disappointing not to get the view eastwards down Glen Lyon to Ben Lawers. Back down on the wide, boggy col there was a golden plover.
It was wonderful to wander back through the lovely, lonely Auch Gleann in unbroken sunshine. In alders near the far end were a great spotted woodpecker (a first for my Scottish mountain list) and a spotted flycatcher.
I looked back to see the mountain against a blue sky with not a cloud in sight. Typical.
Back on the West Highland Way it was quite crowded - at least seven walkers passed me. A grey wagtail flew along the river, and near the car park a pair of stonechats scolded from a gorse bush. And still the willow warblers sang! A brilliant day.
Friday 9th June
In the kitchen of Crianlarich Youth Hostel, another early riser asked me where I was headed. I said I would be driving slowly home, as the previous day's walk had left me dehydrated and with sore shoulders from my rucksack. "Look at that gorgeous sunshine!" was his response. "How often do you get a day like this in the mountains? Get out there and walk!" He was absolutely right. I was being pathetic - so I drove north to Rannoch Moor, turning off at the Glencoe ski area and parking near Blackrock Cottage.
It was a cloudless morning and already very warm. I would have to carry more water today and so decided, for the sake of my sore shoulders, to jettison the binoculars. Sacrilege! I floundered across the boggy moorland with the odd feeling that my legs were getting shorter, finally swerving from my intended route and diverting onto Creag Dhubh to gain height and dry ground. The rocky scramble up Sron na Creise would have to wait for another year.
It was a straightforward climb up to the 750m contour, where I heard the thin piping of a golden plover. On seeing the photo, Greger suggested I call my blog "distant birds mostly out of focus".
The pleasant grassy slopes gave way to Meall a'Bhuiridh's stony cap, and as I reached the top a strongish wind hit me from the south. I sat in the shelter of the cairn eating, and a raven drifted over to check me out. Far below, Loch an Easain was full of red deer.
A rocky rib, dropping and then rising steeply, linked this hill to the long ridge I would need to gain in order to bag my second Munro of the day, Creise. Beyond the ridge are the tops of Bidean nam Bian. On the easy, enjoyable scramble I met the only other walkers I would see all day.
I made my way along the ridge to the summit cairn on Creise (Clach Leathad is further along the ridge and Stob Ghabhar in the distance to the right) and had just reached it when my mobile rang. It was Greger, calling from Finland. First time I've had a phone conversation on top of a Munro.
Hyped up from a fabulous day in the hills (thanks, unknown guy in the youth hostel!) and not in the least tired, I drove home through the night. Greger arrived just after me, hungry after a foodless flight with Ryanair. We ate some soup and fell into bed at 3 am.
The pleasant grassy slopes gave way to Meall a'Bhuiridh's stony cap, and as I reached the top a strongish wind hit me from the south. I sat in the shelter of the cairn eating, and a raven drifted over to check me out. Far below, Loch an Easain was full of red deer.
A rocky rib, dropping and then rising steeply, linked this hill to the long ridge I would need to gain in order to bag my second Munro of the day, Creise. Beyond the ridge are the tops of Bidean nam Bian. On the easy, enjoyable scramble I met the only other walkers I would see all day. 
I made my way along the ridge to the summit cairn on Creise (Clach Leathad is further along the ridge and Stob Ghabhar in the distance to the right) and had just reached it when my mobile rang. It was Greger, calling from Finland. First time I've had a phone conversation on top of a Munro. 
I retraced my steps over Meall a'Bhuiridh - noting that the deer were still in the lochan - and made for the chairlift. I unstrapped my new walking poles and lengthened them, and found them very useful on the steep grassy slopes down to the track. The chairlift was running (although no one was on it) and there was something alternately spooky and comforting about the empty seats swinging and squeaking above me.
Hyped up from a fabulous day in the hills (thanks, unknown guy in the youth hostel!) and not in the least tired, I drove home through the night. Greger arrived just after me, hungry after a foodless flight with Ryanair. We ate some soup and fell into bed at 3 am.
// posted by Christine @ 7:56 AM 
