Monday 27 May 2013

twelve down, 270 to go!

Time is literally flying by. It's almost the end of May but yet it still feels like springtime. There's a chill in the air, and people keep pondering when "summer" will arrive. The sun remains shy in the sky, and confident clouds dominate.

2013 has brought a lot of excitement thus far, and continues to deliver. I realise my focus has shifted slightly from Munro-bagging to point-to-point walking, although of course my intention to complete the Munros has never wavered. It's finding the right day, the right frame of mind, the right motivation...often there's too many reasons not to go.

So when someone else picks a date and makes a plan, it is a dream come true. Happy to tag along, I think my most anxiety-free adventures are going to be as part of a group. However I'm also very keen to solo-bag too, as those are the real tests, the real anxious ambling!

The plan for Saturday was in place way before the forecast predicted how nice a day it was going to be. The prep-work, the pub-planning and the proper planning had all been taken care of. We (mum, dad, Alun, Moira and me) left West Linton shortly after 10am, surrounded by bright blue, cloudless skies. The roads north were busy, the Bank Holiday weekend and the weather bringing everyone out. We made it to Queen's View around mid-day - the view as stunning as always.

 We met Boyd, Felicity and Joe at Queen's View, and our group was almost complete.
After a leisurely tea and scone break, we continued our journey west. More memories came back of touring days on this delighfully narrow windy road, until we reached Tummel Bridge and turned right towards Kinloch Rannoch, and I was into a part of Scotland I'd never been before.

And it was incredible. A beautiful drive on a beautiful day. Looking behind us back to Schiehallion was amazing, I'd never seen it from that angle and appreciated just how pointy it is! Schiehallion would be a good marker for me for the rest of the day (and night!), giving me a little perspective on where we were.

We parked the cars about a mile and a half short of Rannoch Station, where our path would loop back round in almost exactly 12 hours time. Boots were tied, bags were packed, and soon we were strolling towards the station. The weather was simply amazing, and the views were already incredible.




We made it to Rannoch Station in plenty of time for the 3.09pm train.


Carn Dearg in the distance

On the train we met the ninth and final member of our group, Gwen, who'd been on the train since Glasgow. It was, of course, a stunning train journey. West Highland Way memories came back, and it was even the same ticket inspector on the train as it had been on Easter Friday when I travelled south on this line.

We got off at the next stop, Corrour, the starting point of our walk. I was blown away by the beauty of our surroundings - it is definitely a place I will be returning to soon!

Train leaving Corrour

First things first, it was time for sustenance. That scone seemed like a long time ago, and although it was 3.30pm, this stop would be lunch and dinner. I think we'd all been looking forward to sampling the local delicacies at the Corrour Station restaurant, and they certainly didn't disappoint. The place is amazing and comes very highly recommended. Not only was the food delicious, the craft beer was flowing and the service was fantastic. We all enjoyed carrot, parsnip and honey soup, followed for most by venison burgers.

I managed to get a sneaky peak of the rooms too - definitely going back to stay sometime!

It was with a slight reluctance we managed to drag ourselves away, although at least outside was as good as inside. There were lots of walkers sitting out on the grass, and it did feel a bit strange to be setting off when most were done for the day. At 5.40pm, our walk began.

heading to Loch Ossian, courtesy of Boyd



Soon we left the track to the Loch Ossian Hostel, and headed up a path. With every step the panoramic views opened up around us. Stopping to look back was particularly popular, as the views of the Nevis Range and the Mamores got better and better.

Soon we decided to stop for a wee break, as we were making good time and wanted to enjoy the sunshine and blue skies whilst we could.

We picked Peter's Rock, although we might have to rename it after Alun:

In trying to find out more about the name, I did find this picture, but the plaque is no longer there unfortunately. However, we took more than a moment to stop and enjoy our surroundings.

(photo courtesy of mum)
Shortly after leaving Peter's Rock, we left the path, and began tramping our way up through the heather. It was tough going in places, with care taken not to step in any holes. Again we stopped quite frequently, catching our breath and enjoying the tremendous views.



(photo courtesy of Boyd)

looking across to Buachille Etive Mhor
We were making our way roughly along a ridge, before the last 'up' to the summit.

the summit ahead

can anyone spot my dad?


Gwen and I picked our way over the rocks, with the summit seeming tantalisingly close. We tried to tiptoe past a ptarmigan, but it heard us, and flew off. I just managed to snap a photo of it as it disappeared towards the blue sky:
ptarmigan in the middle of the pic, honest
And shortly after this, Gwen and I reached the summit cairn of Carn Dearg - success! I bagged my twelfth Munro around 8.30pm on Saturday night, and was truly humbled by the incredible surroundings.

looking to Schiehallion

Felicity, Joe and Boyd reaching the summit

looking towards Blackwater Reservoir and the Buachille

Munro number 12!
Once all nine had reached the summit, we found a nice sheltered spot out of the wind. It was certainly chilly up there (apparently a wind chill factor of -1!). We hunkered down and out came bottles of whisky and plenty of chocolate. Perfect! Unfortunately we didn't get to watch the sunset, as the cloud had swept over in front.


our faithful leader

I was either snoozing or enjoying the whisky too much!

group shot!
Out of the wind it was just so quiet and peaceful up there. Had it been slightly warmer I think I could've stayed longer! However, we began our descent around 10pm, having almost given up on seeing the moon. We kept looking around for it to rise, but no sign. Then all of a sudden, as we were descending, a glimpse of reddy-orange peeked up above the mountains ahead. Hooray! It was a 'super moon', meaning it was closer to the earth than usual (certainly seemed that way when it appeared in front of our eyes!), and also that it was superb. Right Joe?

It seemed to rise so quickly. We reached for our cameras, but it was difficult to capture. This photo does not do it justice, but it was amazing!

That was my penultimate photo of the night, as soon darkness had descended. Head torches were a great help on our descent, but we all put our faith wholeheartedly in Alun, and followed his lead.

It was a tough descent in so many ways, with no path, not much light, and plenty of boggy and soggy bits. There were a few tumbles, a few tweaks, and a few unrepeatable words spoken.

Soon we'd reached the river we knew was coming. I have to say it was quite disconcerting hearing the roar of the water, having been completely surrounded by silence up to now (apart from the swear words that is). I could just make out some impressive tumbling waterfalls to my left, the white of the water visible in the darkness.

Thankfully the river was shallower further down, and we reached a point we could cross. This wasn't without drama, as tiredness had really set in by this point. We wondered where the bridge had gone, only to find it 100 metres ahead of us!

We trudged and trudged, and reached the cars around 2am, after an epic four hour descent. The moon got more and more impressive, and I thus forgave it for disappearing behind clouds for the latter part of the descent!

Massive well done to Alun and Boyd for driving back to the Borders - the three Macnabs in the back of Alun's car struggled to keep their eyes open so it must have been really tough to drive. Bizarrely, the drive home was mostly light, which was quite odd.

By the time we'd reached Nine Mile Burn to pick up mum's car, it was 4.30am, but it could have been the early afternoon, it was so light. My last photo of the trip was of the moon at 4.30am. Again it's not a great photo, but to stand and witness the moon so big and bright was just so special.


The Macnabs were home at 4.45am, and straight to bed, after confusing the dog.

Frustratingly I couldn't get to sleep right away, but I'm sure it wasn't long, and I next woke up at 11.30am! Even then I didn't feel I'd had enough sleep, so Sunday was a bit of a struggle. But the glow of achievement was enough to keep me going - so thrilled to have bagged my twelfth Munro but more so because of the style it was done.

This was an unforgettable experience. The day was incredible, the night even better. The food (all day) was just fantastic, the drink even better. The company and the banter was the best part, so thank you all. Huge thanks to Alun for all his planning, preparation, and phenomenal hill skills.

Can't wait for the next adventure!!

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