Scotland

Two glorious weeks in Scotland are complete. I walked about 150 miles, mountain biked a further 45 miles and climbed about 32000 feet. Nothing particularly exceptional in these statistics, just enjoyment. I was hill walking every day for 14 days often on very rough and pathless terrain.

The Cairngorms from Geal Charn-Mor

It had all started with a simple comment from Philippa. We are suffering major building works at home and she said, quite correctly, I would be a pain while it was going on so why not go away walking to Scotland for 2 weeks?  The train was booked almost before she finished speaking.

I am currently working towards  an entry in the Marilyn Hall of Fame which is achieved when 600 of the 1556 Marilyns are climbed.  A Marilyn is a hill with a drop of 150 meters on all sides.  Two weeks ago I had climbed 498 and now I have increased the figure to 526 leaving 74 to go.

Lochnagar from Conachcraig

In total I visited 43 summits. Some easy while others were pathless and very hard work. The picture above is taken from Conachcraig and looks towards mighty Lochnagar. The picture below is of the summit of Creag Ghiubhais which just over half the height of Conachcraig yet is many times harder for I found no paths, just heather covered rocks to wade through and to trap or sprain an ankle.

Creag Ghiubhais near Ballater

I started on North Berwick Law, pictured below, overlooking the Firth of Forth. A very easy hill to walk, even for a non driver such as me, for it is very conveniently placed at the end of the railway line from Edinburgh.  I finished in Aberdeenshire. Pure hillbagging!

Whalebone, North Berwick Law

I included some remote and seldom visited hills such as Meall nan Eagan, a 2159ft/658m hill to the west of Dalwhinnie. The wind rain and sleet made it feel an even wilder place. MN was with me and after summiting the hills we visited the impressive Dirc Mhor Gorge which is pictured below.

Dirc Mhor Gorge

A few days into the trip and the sun came out and stayed out. I used a bike on three days including a long day with GN when we visited 6 tops including the wonderfully named Brown Cow Hill.

The Cairngorms were my constant companion as I moved around from western side to the north and then to the eastern edges of the national park.

Loch an Eilein 

I saw all kinds of wildlife including red and roe deer, red squirrels, mountain hares (both adults and young leverets), ptarmigan, a cuckoo, a couple of golden eagles, kestrel, buzzard, merlin and a hen harrier.  Sadly I also saw a lot of small animal traps, particularly around the extensive grouse moors.

And it is the last point that remains with me.  The grouse moors are very extensive. There are a lot of grouse and just like I have also seen in the Northern Pennines, the grouse have upset the natural balance as other species are few and far between. Surprisingly the traps are legal yet to me they were  very unpleasant.

I witnessed a gamekeeper shooting several mountain hares.  In some quarters mountain nares are blamed for spreading ticks to the precious grouse. This is an argument I cannot accept.

Also upsetting the natural balance are wind farms and there seem to be many positioned just outside the national park.  It is claimed they are also lethal to large birds.  They are certainly an eyesore and yet we need to find more sustainable ways of creating energy. It is a difficult call.

Wind farm summit of Ben Algan

With all this going on, it is amazing I saw any wild life but one of  travelling alone is you see more of the natural world.

Loch an Eilein

There have been many trips to the hills over the years.  The vast majority being memorable and somehow these two weeks were as good as anything I have done.  I made full use of busses and trains to reach the hills and on one occasion used the Dufftown to Keith Heritage Railway whose Drummuir Station is one of the more unusual ones I have alighted at.

Hurtling south of the East Coast Mainline, my thoughts turned to future trips and the question of where next?

5 weeks to go!

I am building up to 14 consecutive days of walking in the Scottish Highlands.  During the build up I have included a few days in the hills such as a day with Fiona on the tough hills to the west of Thirlmere.  It snowed most of the day but only settled on the very top of Ullscarf and nearby higher peaks.

So far this year there have been some enjoyable days winter walking  in the Northern Pennines.  There was a lot of snow lying and at times underfoot conditions were tough as I crossed peat bog or heather moors.  In Wharfedale I saw almost no-one apart from some very cold sheep and a lot of grouse.

A couple of weeks later and I was in nearby Swaledale and Arkengarthdale.  The moors here also hold a lot of grouse. The balance seems wrong with the moor being maintained for the benefit of  a few wealthy shooting clients and not for a more natural mix of wildlife.  The shooting fraternity are not making enough effort to allow the British public to enjoy beautiful moorland.  At times they make it obvious walkers are not welcome.

High above Arkengarthdale there were large patches of snow yet at the Dale floor spring seemed just around the corner.  The above picture is of the Arkengarthdale River which flows into the River Swale. 

I loved walking the Dales but my enjoyment was tempered by the grouse moors where I found a few cruel animal traps and where on one occasion I was shadowed by a gamekeeper which I found unpleasant.  Looking at the internet later I saw that these particular estate owners have a very questionable reputation for wildlife management.

Most of my fitness work is done in London.  Sometimes with Fiona and often on Primrose Hill where the picture below was taken.

 I walk and bike a lot on my own but I also walk a lot with Philippa in the streets around our London home where this winter we have experienced above average snowfall.

Before the Scottish trip I have a day trip planned to the Lake District and after that it is Scotland. Hopefully with spring in full swing.  Bring it on!