Return to gather Gathersnow Hill

A quick getaway from work and I was flying down the A74 towards Abington. I carried on to the Culter Fell spot that I had done a couple of weeks ago and decided to go back up Culter Fell as it was a cold, crisp and beautiful day. I got to the top of this hill in just over an hour before heading over towards Gathersnow Hill - notably, this would have been horrendously boggy in other conditions but it was fine down to the bealach. I dumped my bag and stormed up my 2nd objective of the day passing some snow just below the plateau. A trek across towards the tiny cairn saw me there at 1615 and a rapid descent and walk back along the reservoir felt good on the legs (in my duvet trousers - supreme!). I love these afternoon 'thefts' of hills not far from my doorstep with the early evening alpenglow. It almost feels a little dangerous to be on the hill so late in the day.

Culter Fell Candy

Fence smashed by Hurricane B**bag, panels delivered at 1030 and a bit of repair work before 1200 meant that the late afternoon sunshine had to be taken advantage of. Left Glasgow at 1300 and arrived at Culter Allers farm for 1400 - always a bit odd to drive South to do hills and it was a lovely drive from Abington to Coulter - spotted a wee pub for a post hill aperitif. It was great to be out in dry, fresh weather and such a short outing would mean great views across the hills to a setting sun. Craig was with me and he had only been out in fairly inclement weather with me so this was a bit of a novelty for him. The walk up Fell Shin was steep and had the blood pumping, yet the stalkers path made for good going and as we passed the grouse butts and cairn, we relaxed into the walk as views quickly appeared over to Tinto. We entered the snow line at about 680m, where the ground firmed up and it felt like Winter once again - I mean proper Winter, nae these winds and rain. The summit trig point and moon appeared and a North wind started to blow strong - as we arrived at the summit, with the sun setting, Craig began to thrown himself into the wind and laugh like a child, while running around the trig point. Our return trip was interspersed with a cup of tea in one of the grouse butts, while the temperature plummeted with the sun. 2.5 hours for a fantastic wee hill and an afternoon Winter stroll has a lot to commend it with the light being so different than normal - au crepescule (check out the vocab, Graeme D). A pint of the Lia Fail in the Old Mill Inn and it was a fine wee day.

Creag Ruadh

Prior to my annual bothy trip with Graeme, I had some urgent family business to attend to in Elgin. I wanted a wee walk on the way up, which wouldn't be taxing considering I had a 10-mile walk into Culra later that evening. I chose this little yin and parked near Cuaich. I strode along the aqueduct and came to a suitable point, where I could take to the hill proper. It involved a direct approach really, down across the burn and up the heathery slopes. There isn't much to occupy the mind except for the irritated ptarmigan, the irritated bunnies and the odd little feeding hole - I presume that is what photo no.1 is? I was at the top within 90 minutes and it did have lovely views over to Meall Cuaich. I stopped and attempted a yoga pose i.e. headstand on the 10-second timer. Not wise. I fell on top of the cairn and felt a right f*d. I'll stick with downward dog asana next time. The return down the heathery slopes was nothing more than a run and a terrific find of a denuded sheep head with horns - my wife was enraptured when I gave it to her. Don't ask.

Meall nan Eagan and the Dircs

What is he on about? Meall nan Eagan - hill of the possible. The Fara and the Dircs - they all meet on this route. When I told C that we'd be Dirc-hunting, he said 'for Diggler?' Hence the inane title for another walk report. We were lucky, we got as far as the summit of the Fara before the heavens opened. This little walk has been written about a few times before and it intrigued me. Meall nan Eagan is a lovely little hill with cracking views over to the Dirc Mhor - we were keen on walking through the Dirc Bheag however as an alternative to the skirting of the loch. A word of warning - do not attempt in snow conditions - you are likely to break your leg or fall into the loch itself. The pass through is awkward in places although it is a place of great solitude and I had a nice shot of the loch itself from the Dirc. Once around it, we walked passed the big Diggler and onwards and upwards to the Fara. C hadn't been out in the hills much before and near sharted when a ptarmigan flew out of nowhere with its guttural warning. On the topic of birds, I asked how his budgie was that had broken its leg - he had managed to splint it with a couple of Swan Vesta and said I should have seen its wee face until he realised he had forgotten to take the sandpaper out of its cage. At the summit, we lunched, had fleeting views down to Loch Ericht, before a rapid retreat off the hill and on to a new land rover track NE of the hill. A cracking wee day stolen before the weather gods unleashed their aqueous deluge.

Creag Bhalg

En route to taking my father to see Mac Floyd in Aberdeen, I had planned an overnighter in Braemar and would take in the Graham, Creag Bhalg and the Corbetts, Carn Liath and Culardoch. The plan was to get to Linn of Dee for 1600-ish and while this was admittedly a late start for a venture up and down a hill, I felt comfortable knowing that it was at worst an hour to the summit. However, it has occurred to me in the last week or so that I have perhaps been too intent on getting to the top of a hill rather than actually enjoying the whole experience of it. With new camera in hand, I was spotting some fantastic fauna, which prevails in Autumn - namely the fungi kingdom. Basidomycetes galore! Creag Bhalg is such a lovely wee walk from the road between Linn of Dee and Linn of Quoich and the gentle ascent brings you out at a deer stile, where a lone tree stands proud. From here, the path to the summit allowed for expansive views across to the Cairngorm massif, where a trace of snow was already present. Winter will not be long in coming. At the summit, I sat and listened to the roar of the stags, vying for supremacy. I gazed across at the summit paraphernalia on Morrone and felt incredibly small.

An affa fyne day on Stob an Eas

A new camera; a new compadre for the hills. I had recently extolled the virtues to my sister-in-law's bf of hill-walking and he had managed to find a day off. I had also decided to upgrade my existing camera to something which can take photos of close-up beasties and fauna as well as zoom for those classic Stag shots. I was not to be disappointed on both accounts. While the forecast wasn't to be balmy and sunny as in the previous weekend when I was on call (typical), we decided to take in a wee Graham with the prospect of lunch in Loch Fyne being a rather decadent way to enjoy a well-earned luncheon. The clag was down the whole way, which was unfortunate because I'm pretty sure it would have made for a great wee hill for views. However. we battered along the land rover track and took to the hill proper in good time. It does get pretty steep further up (hands needed) and there were a couple of nice crags, with the odd wee one-man cave if required. We were at the top within 2 hours and back via a dirretisima route to the car through the forestry within 4 hours. I will definitely come back and do this hill on a good day as the summit nestled airily on a rather pointy drop to the East. The camera worked wonders on picking up the fantastic detail of a dew-covered caterpillar and the chat was affa fine - the merits of positive thinking, the power of language which appears to be dying out amongst the text aficionados and the respect for seriously good food, which we were about to embark upon. Once changed and back at the car, it was a 10-miutes drive to the Loch Fyne Oyster bar, whereupon we dined on oysters, mussels and seriously tasty langoustines. I shed my public health hat and thought of Scotland. An affa fine day.

Supreme Stac Pollaidh

This is one of the unmistakeable hills in Scotland, which strikes both fear and awe into the heart of those who aren't keen on scrambling. It is simply iconic, as you drive down the B-road to Achiltibuie. Nothing else looks like it in Scotland and even though this is only 612m, it is for me one of the most amazing hills in this country. There is a tremendous path all the way up to the plateau and it's Eastern tower looms over you, as you head higher. Once on to the plateau, it is well worth exploring all the pinnacles and crags for some jaw-dropping views. My day was cloudy to begin with but it got better as evening fell. Some of the pinnacles and towers defy belief, as they look ready to topple down the cliff-faces. One looked like a totem pole, one looked like a dog or was that just my feverish imagination. Then, came the awkward bit. The holds are there, though not entirely obvious and once up past the initial tricky section, it is a fine wee walk to the summit, with views over the Summer Isles and North to Suilven and beyond. For so little effort, this has to be 'pound-for-pound', the best hill in Scotland.