Training in Glen Coe and Glen Affric
With Kilimanjaro expedition getting ever closer I opted this year for a Highland Walking trip (rather than a Portuguese Golfing break).
Beauly for 3 days was the initial plan, but set off a day early so that Elaine could do the Stob Dearg Buachaille Etive Mor that we had done as a group in June.
The cloud cover was even lower than when we were all there – so we only did the one this time round. We knew all would be fine even if the weather closed right in – car park with 6 RAF Mountain rescue vehicles (training exercise) was reassuring.
Tuesday saw us in Glen Affric. Early start and beautiful scenery. 30 minutes in and trousers converted to shorts and the sunglasses on.
Double Munro Bag on a fairly well established route – first stage up Tom a Choinich (3648 Ft) –, which still had pockets of snow in sheltered areas. It seemed miles looking from the Cairn at Tom a Choinich to the Cairn at Toll Creagach (3458 Ft), but didn’t take that long once we got going. 8 hours from starting in sunshine to getting back to sunshine at the end. Great route
Despite seeing the BBC weather on the Wednesday morning news and the forecast of rain, rain and more rain – set out anyway – a 12 mile flat route round Loch Affric was always planned, so the low cloud not an issue. A few swollen burns coming down off the mountains (the ones that we had climbed the day before) that had to be waded through , but other than that it was a fine jaunt out. It was one of the good old Scottish weather days of “Wet Rain”, not “Cold Rain”!
There are 17 Munroes in the Affric and Strathglass area, so am sure that I will be back another time to Bag a few more and would recommend it, even in the rain!
Although have to say the midgies there are a hardy breed and had no fear at all of Skin So Soft. Worse than the midgies though for me were the clegs – a few bites resulted in a visit to the pharmacist in Beauly to get antihistamine and cream to reduce the swelling on bitten finger, hand & throat.
