Ben (No) More! 29th January 2012

Today was tough, very tough. I headed up Ben More in Crianlarich full of confidence and got a shock at how unfit I still am. I was warned at how relentless an ascent it would be, especially in the snow. The way I saw it, I've done steep and relentless on Carn Mor Dearg in the searing heat, I've also done a decent winter ascent of Ben Lomond's Ptarmigan Ridge. So I should be alright with a relentlessly steep winter ascent, right? Wrong! I suffered big time. I don't want to be one of those guys who only want to bag a Munro to tick it off the list and then never return but I swear half way up I was motivating myself to the top with the promise that I'd never bring myself up that hill again! It's a few hours later and I'm feeling a bit better about things. I had a great day, we almost had the entire hill to ourselves and the views were breathtaking when visibility was good. When it wasn't I enjoyed the chance to brush up on my winter skills a bit more. I'd hoped to include Stob Binnein but time wasn't on my side by the time I'd dragged myself to the summit of Ben More. I'll definitely be back to finish what I started though, and I'm going to have to do Ben More at least once more as well just out of principle!

The snow makes weans of us all... 27th January 2012

 Took the dog up to Maryhill for a haircut yesterday, had a couple of hours to kill before he was ready to be picked up again so I ended up at the supermarket picking up some essentials. In the time it took for me to run round the aisles with my trolley the car got properly covered in snow. I now had three quarters of an hour to get from Anniesland to Duntocher to drop of the perishables before running back up to Maryhill before the dog groomer closed up for the day. All that in an ageing rear wheel drive car on chronically untreated roads covered in a thick helping of snow and secret potholes... I even had to turn the radio off to concentrate!

 On the plus side I had today completely free so got kitted up this morning and headed straight up into the Kilpatricks to enjoy the fun side of the snow while it lasts. There's something very reassuring about catching yourself fannying about in the snow like a big kid. Right now I should be concerned about the insurance claim for repairs to the roof or rebuilding the fence out the back after the storm. Instead I find myself chasing the dog about the hills throwing snowballs at him and slipping on my arse in a fit of giggles. The snow makes weans of us all!

Great Food, Fine Malts and a Couple of Hills 22nd January 2012

My weekend got to a start when Rhonda and I headed out on Friday for an overnight stay at The Atholl Palace Hotel in Pitlochry. After checking in we dumped the bags and the car at the hotel and headed into Pitlochry for a wander, eventually ending up at McKay's Hotel on Atholl Road for a good few pints of Guinness and a very generous plate of cheese and oatcakes! I'm not ashamed to say that after that I headed back to the hotel for a wee snooze before heading downstairs to the restaurant. Dinner was great, I ended up going for Game terrine, Venison pie and yet more cheese then washed it all down with a nice bottle of red wine. 

After breakfast the following morning we checked out and headed up to Edradour Distillery, the smallest in Scotland and one which stays true to the original production methods used when the distillery was founded in 1825. Thanks to the time of year and our early start we were treated to a tour of the distillery on our own including a walk round the warehouse where they hold casks from as far back as the early 60's. I couldn't help myself and ended up buying a bottle of 12 year old Edradour Caledonia which bears the name of singer-songwriter Dougie Maclean and was also launched by First Minister Alex Salmond.

On the way back along the A9 we stopped off in Crieff to pick up some fantastic scallops from Fish in Crieff which we had that night on top of some equally tasty sirloin steaks and washed down with a healthy glass of Edradour and yet more Guinness. By Sunday morning I was feeling seriously relaxed, seriously revitalised but seriously guilty about the excessive eating and drinking of the previous two days. Time to head for the hills to burn off the calories and sweat out the booze.

A late start on Sunday morning put any talk of Munro's to bed and by the time I picked up Kev we'd decided to go local and used the extra time to stop off for breakfast and check if there was anything good in the Go Outdoors sale. Turns out there wasn't, we were half an hour behind and all we came away with was a new pair of socks for Kev!

Next stop, the wee grass verge at the side of the road across from Glengoyne distillery. I managed to bypass the distillery this time and we headed up the path towards Dumgoyne hill. It's a hill i've seen from afar while walking in the Kilpatricks and from the roads below it but i've never gotten round to it. Considering the Campsies are within 20 minutes drive of my front door i'm surprised i've never given them time before. We decided to tackle Dumgoyne head on rather than take the paths round either side and were rewarded with a couple of nice wee scrambly sections and a quick ascent to the top. At the top of Dumgoyne we decided to head on to Earl's seat but our lack of knowledge on the area coupled with leaving the map in the bag and the call of the Carbeth Inn meant we finished up at the summit of Garloch hill before heading back to the car, falsely believing that we had bagged a Marilyn peak... Never mind, turns out decent navigation is useful on smaller hills and on clear days too!

A Good Old Fashioned Book 14th January 2012

I don't know how i'd manage to look after myself these days if it wasn't for the internet. When the oven stopped working, I reached for the laptop, diagnosed the problem, ordered the part, watched the installation tutorial video and then fixed the oven. Same thing when there was a problem with the lawnmower, the car, even the playstation. And the same goes for my trips into the outdoors. Fancy a walk? First port of call is Walk Highlands. The internet has provided me with route descriptions, basic maps and so much more. If I have a moment to myself in the house i'm online looking at anything remotely related to the wilderness and everything that comes with it.

That's the reason that i've kept putting myself off buying the Scottish Mountaineering Club Hillwalker's Guide to The Munros. All the information you could ever need on any one of the 283 mountains in question is online. Network coverage permitting, you can even use your mobile to read about a mountain while you're sitting on it's summit. And it's all free! So why would you ever want to spend your hard earned money on a cumbersome old book? Well i'm glad I finally got round to it. Since I made the impulse purchase on Amazon a couple of days ago i've been looking forward to the postman coming with the familiar brown cardboard container. The ones they send me these days only ever contain incredibly dry textbooks on economics and business theory so it's a breath of fresh air to open one up and find something that genuinely excites me.

This book was first published in 1985 and the copy I have is the third revision of the third edition. It's certainly not a new release. Most of you will already have read your copy cover to cover ten times and climbed all the hills as well. Old as it may be I love it. It's beautifully put together, loads of great advice, the images are breath taking. Most of all you can tell the writers love the hills just as much as we do.

I didn't just buy one copy, I bought two. The other one was given to a friend so I can call him and tell him to check out this page or that page, making it easier than ever to decide on our next trip. It's not the same emailing a link. I'm sure it's easier to email, it's just not as nice.

If you have it already i'm preaching to the converted, if you don't then Amazon are doing it at a great price right now. Here's the link a second time in case you missed it the first time round...

Auchineden Hill and the Whangie 12th January 2012

My day off started early so after breakfast I threw my rucksack and boots in the back of the car and drove down to my Dad's house to check out the new guitar he'd treated himself to. By the time i'd had a shot of the guitar and we'd finished messing about organising our fly collections in anticipation of the coming Brown Trout season it was nearly two o'clock. A big hill was clearly out of the question. Once I was back on the road I couldn't think of where to go but before I knew where I was going I was on the Stockiemuir road and fast approaching the Queen's view carpark. The majority of the ascent is achieved in the first couple of minutes after leaving the carpark so I was soon looking down on Stockiemuir and across to Glengoyne distillery and Dumgoyne hill above it.

Alfie (the wee ginger dog) and I took a short stop at the summit of Auchineden hill to take in a drink and the view before getting back on our way down to the Whangie. As always when I don't have human company to worry about, I got a bit carried away taking enjoying the view so Alfie had to encourage me to get moving with a couple of well placed whimpers!

I first took this walk as a very wee boy with my Grandpa who gave me my love of hills and mud in the first place.I love the fact that no matter how many times i've been back there and every one of the other places I walked when I was wee, it never ever gets boring. No matter how familar the path becomes there's always a wee surprise just around the corner.

Since my Grandpa died a few years ago, i've revisited all the short walks we went on and although i'm not religiously or supernaturally minded in the slightest, I always feel a very warm and welcome presence walking through the Whangie itself, especially in the clearing in the rock which looks out over Loch Lomond where I vividly remember sitting with him getting stuck into the pieces and soup my Gran had sent us out with!

As I stopped at the other end of the Whangie to take a few parting shots I suddenly realised the lovely crisp Winter afternoon was about to turn into a rather wet and windy one if the wet look over Loch Lomond was anything to go by. Time to put the camera away and get back to the car...