Saturday 22 January 2011

Short, sweet and no' too snowy

Given the erse we made of the last trip, me & Andy were fairly firm in our joint view that a gentle reintroduction to hillwalking was in order. MWIS assured us that east was best, so we left Airdrie about 7:30 this morning and headed up the A9. It was unpleasantly foggy for lengthy stretches, but by Pitlochry-ish the general picture had brightened up.

The intention for our cautious return to the whole Munro thing was to do Sgairneach Mor and Beinn Udlamain, starting from Drumochter summit. I'd done these two (along with Geal Charn) a few years back but I'd started from Balsporran Cottages, so the whole anticlockwise thing was new to me.

In the event, once we got to the top of the first yin, by lucky happenstance we established that all things considered we both could have been doing with getting home early, to try and rack up some much-needed domestic Brownie points.

So, serendipity dictated that we had a smashing three hour walk in bright (if cold) conditions, and yours truly was back down the road at about 3pm, in time to take Molly - who isn't a winter hillwalking dug - down the Castle. Jorja was there too, of course. A Munro in the morning doesn't mean she's no' ready for a proper walk in the afternoon.

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A' Mharconaich from the lower slopes of Sgairneach Mor

Hurry up, eh?


The Sow of Atholl

Getting there

Mysterious shadows point to A' Mharconaich. Or something.

I'm not entirely sure if there's a sizeable cornice there or not, but we weren't letting the dugs get too close

Jorja & Maura at the summit

The magnificence of Ben Alder

The WBD failing to add to the magnificence of Ben Alder. 


Hametime

7 comments:

  1. The "full fat" version of your Ben Alder piccy is gorgeous.

    I need to move. Not many hills like that in the Fens...
    :-(

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  2. Looks like a fine day out, Scott. I must make an effort to get up that way sometime.

    I agree with Alan - the Ben Alder pic is great.

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  3. Cheers guys. Even with my wee camera, Ben Alder looks so close that it makes a good picture.

    Certified Friends of the Blog only have to shout to get free B&B in Lanarkshire, remember. Only two hours from the hoose to the start of that walk!
    ;0)

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  4. Are you sure that you didn't mean Certifiable Friends?
    :-)

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  5. Jorja is looking less puppy like now, but I bet she still acts like one though! ;-)

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  6. Puppy no more right enough - the Wee Black Dug turned four on Saturday. Four! And Molly'll be five in a couple of months.

    My dugs are getting old!

    :0(

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  7. Great work! Keeping me sated whilst I await a free weekend!

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