Island hopping

Mostly been working on some of Scotland's beautiful islands over the last month or so.
The Shetland Isles trip was a joy, and the weather fantastic. Fair Isle, Papa Stour, Muckle Roe, Hermaness all provide a feast of fantastc scenery - amazing natural architecture teeming with bird life. The group got up close and personal with puffins, great skuas, guillemots and arctic terms. We watched gannets diving, heard storm petrels purring in the walls of Mousa broch, and sat enchanted at the sea edge as seals played in the clear waters.

Island hopping, part 2

Then followed a trip to the Small Isles, once again in glorious weather! First to Eigg where the group stayed at the wonderful Glebe Barn. We seemed to cover most of this small island on the first day, from the landmark Sgurr of Eigg to the cliffs in the north and the white sands looking over to Rum. We took a boat for a brief visit to Muck and were entertained by dolphins, minke whales and the sight of the Manx Sheerwaters rafting on the still waters.
Rum is very special and our good weather continued, allowing us some wonderfu,l days exploring the Rum Cuillin, Bloodstone Hill in the north, and the area around Kilmory, famous for its red deer project.
These Small Isles are truly beguiling.

Beinn Bhreac - a long and winding road!

The beginning of May saw us back on the bikes again to tackle this isolated Corbett at the headwaters of the Tarf Water.
Our cycle from Calvine to Bruar Lodge was hampered a little by strong winds and some piercing rain showers, but we made it in one piece and, after a snack by the Lodge, we headed off towards our hill.
A good stalkers path climbs up the side of the Allt Beinn Losgarnaich and on to the featureless, rough and boggy ground which must be covered to reach this Corbett.
Fortunately it was not so wet underfoot, but sadly the mist closed in as we reached the summit, and an icy wind forced us to retreat hastily and find a more sheltered spot for lunch further down the slope.
The bikes were a real asset on the way back down the glen, and we made good time though we were slowed slightly by a young canine companion who insisted on following us for near 15km - nothing deterred him!
It was a long trek for a small dog, and many thanks to Susan at Calvine who took him in till his owners could collect him.
One more Corbett to go Kay!!

Garbh-bheinn

The sun shone on us the next day too as we headed across the bridge to Skye to tackle the fine traverse of  Garbh-bheinn and Belig.
There were some airy moments on the narrow summit ridge of Garbh-bheinn, and the chance to enjoy lunch with the Cuillin ridge as a glorious backdrop.
We continued on to Belig in the warmth of the early afternoon, via the sheltered s-w ridge, before heading back down to Loch Ainort just as a light rain started to fall.

Catch up!

This is turning out to be a really busy time in the hills, and admin has taken a bit of a back seat. I've been really lucky with the weather too, enjoying lots of clear and sunny days.
Towards the end of April 3 of us set off from a very quiet Ratagan YH to cycle into Glen Elchaig to climb 2 Corbetts, Faochaig and Aonach Buidhe.
For the most part the track up to Iron Lodge is a good one and even the reluctant cyclists made good time. Large numbers of deer grazed at the side of the track, along with the highland cattle and some young calves - a previous bad experience here caused us to give the latter as wide a berth as possible!
The slopes of Aonach Buidhe are grassy and featureless on the south side and the summit was shrouded in mist with just a sprinkling of snow. We descended steeply to the col and into sunshine to pick up an excellent path up onto the summit plateau of Faochaig where we found a sunny sheltered spot by the cairn for a late lunch.
It was a pleasant descent in the Spring warmth back to the bikes and no complaints as we cycled easily back down this beautiful Glen after a long and successful day in the hills.

Loch Ossian

What better way to start the day than a mug of coffee and a bacon roll on Crianlarich station.
The train to Corrour on Saturday morning was on time and very busy - standing room only!
The sun was shining as we set off to enjoy a circuit of the Leum Uilleim horseshoe and, apart from a short flurry of snow, it shone all day.
The views over Rannoch Moor and east towards Ben Alder were great, and we had plenty time for afternoon tea by the lochside before the train home.

Strathlachlan

Loch Lomond was stunning in the early morning sun on Friday as I drove west on a rare day off to do a short circular walk in Strathlachlan. A cap of cloud covered the Arrochar tops and hid the sun on the Cowal peninsula, but the day stayed dry, and a profusion of primroses brightened the track.