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...

Ben Lomond 18th December 2011

Just over a month since my first walk up the easy side of Ben Lomond in the blistering November sunshine, the opportunity arose to head up the Ptarmigan ridge in winter conditions. This was going to be a good test not only for me, as it was my first walk requiring crampons and ice axe, but also for my new boots. I'd finally taken the long overdue decision to replace my ragged old Karrimor KSB's with a pair of Scarpa SL M3's and this seemed like as good a way as any to break them in properly.

The drive along Stockiemuir road was a quick and easy affair but from Drymen to Rowardennan the road got a bit on the hazardous side so we arrived at the Rowardennan car park slightly later than planned at 11am. I'd tried and failed over a year ago to head up the Ptarmigan ridge; an embarrassing combination of the heat, the dreaded midge and my severe lack of fitness at the time. So there was a third reason to head up this route, I had a point to prove.

I'm prone to overheating so I always perform better in the cold anyway. This time round we were climbing at an excellent rate and in no time we had finished the initial steep climb and the path had flattened slightly as we approached the ridge itself. We were high enough to need to get the crampons out. A good chance to stop and take in the view of the Loch we'd left behind.

The Loch looks particularly beautiful at this time of year as it's waters are so undisturbed. Gone are the wakes and sounds of speed boats and jet ski's. Couple that with the quieter route on Ben Lomond and you get a real taste of tranquillity.

The Arrochar Alps were looking spectacular in the distance, I'm hoping I get the chance to get up them over the festive period.

The entire day was beautiful, clear blue skies, views for miles... And then the blizzard started. The picture above was taken just before visibility dropped to zero. The remaining climb was great, the crampons and axe came in very handy on the last push to the summit. I'm glad to say both myself and the SL's passed the test and the latter were well and truly broken in by the time we made it back to the car park.

Beinn Ime and Beinn Narnain 20th November 2011

Ben Lomond 12th November 2011

Wester Ross September 2011

The Calm After The Storm, 26th of August 2011

Crinan 14th of August 2011

A short drive up the west coast this morning turned into a slightly longer drive than expected and before I knew it I was back in Crinan for the first time since I was about 7 years old. I'm happy to report it hasn't changed a bit and I can't believe i've left it so long. Had a great lunch in the Crinan Hotel and then took a walk around the harbour to get a closer look at the Vic 32, the last seagoing Clyde Puffer not to be converted from steam engine to diesel. I've always been a fan of the Vital Spark and Neil Munro's Para Handy Tales so arriving at Crinan Harbour to be welcomed by the smell of the coal burning on the Vic 32 was a great experience.