My wife Tracey and myself had a coincided weekend off this week, which is a rare occurrence, so we decided to do the obvious - a hill-walking weekend, (and a night at the Clachaig of course!). I wanted to tick off the Corbett of Beinn a'Chrulaiste, which sits opposite the magnificent Buachaille Etive Mor, and guards the entrance to Glencoe from Rannoch Moor. It is not a particularly characterful hill, but does command spectacular 360 degree views, and certainly did not disappoint.
The problem is that the bottom 300m of approach from Altnafeadh is a total bog-fest, so whilst I knew it was a straightforward walk for Tracey and the dog, the ground underfoot was awful, especially given the heavy overnight rain. I ploughed onward and upwards, but feared my words of encouragement were doing little to assuage the sheer grimness of the plod. Then, as we gained height, we felt the cold wind in earnest, and it was game over. Sometimes you just have accept it's not your day.
After a regroup over a cup of tea and a sandwich, a much more conservative objective was chose, the delightful stroll around Glencoe Lochan. It was man-made in 1895 by the owner of the lodge for his home-sick Canadian wife. It is a beautiful effort in lanscaping, but apparently didn't win her over. It did win over Tracey though, and we had smiles all round the walk....the day was saved, and rounded off by a pint and a posh gin in the Clachaig by the fire :)
Sunday saw us rise leisurely in our wee motor-home after a typically good night in the Clachaig, and to much calmer weather. Tracey wanted to read her book, and was content to let me go out alone for Round Two on Beinn a'Chrulaiste. The bog was still unpleasant, but not quite as bad as Saturday, and over 600m was frozen, so led onto easy walking above that. The views were simply beautiful. Expansive and clear, in all directions. I would have spent longer up on the summit soaking it all up, but it was cold and I had a cuppa waiting in the 'van, so after snapping some pictures, I descended quickly. I was back to the van quick-time, with only one bum/bog interface! ;)
It certainly felt wintry up there, and the ground is freezing nicely.......here's to a good winter season!
The problem is that the bottom 300m of approach from Altnafeadh is a total bog-fest, so whilst I knew it was a straightforward walk for Tracey and the dog, the ground underfoot was awful, especially given the heavy overnight rain. I ploughed onward and upwards, but feared my words of encouragement were doing little to assuage the sheer grimness of the plod. Then, as we gained height, we felt the cold wind in earnest, and it was game over. Sometimes you just have accept it's not your day.
After a regroup over a cup of tea and a sandwich, a much more conservative objective was chose, the delightful stroll around Glencoe Lochan. It was man-made in 1895 by the owner of the lodge for his home-sick Canadian wife. It is a beautiful effort in lanscaping, but apparently didn't win her over. It did win over Tracey though, and we had smiles all round the walk....the day was saved, and rounded off by a pint and a posh gin in the Clachaig by the fire :)
Sunday saw us rise leisurely in our wee motor-home after a typically good night in the Clachaig, and to much calmer weather. Tracey wanted to read her book, and was content to let me go out alone for Round Two on Beinn a'Chrulaiste. The bog was still unpleasant, but not quite as bad as Saturday, and over 600m was frozen, so led onto easy walking above that. The views were simply beautiful. Expansive and clear, in all directions. I would have spent longer up on the summit soaking it all up, but it was cold and I had a cuppa waiting in the 'van, so after snapping some pictures, I descended quickly. I was back to the van quick-time, with only one bum/bog interface! ;)
It certainly felt wintry up there, and the ground is freezing nicely.......here's to a good winter season!