Walk Images - Part III - Skye to Ben Hope

I have so many fantastic images from the walk. These below are the final ones of three parts. See previous blogs for earlier images from the walk. I hope you enjoy them.

From Skye we had a series of idyllic high camp sites to the north of Glen Shiel. This one was just past An Socach.

A snooze on Mullach na Dheiragain

This image taken early one August morning after a period of wind, rain and gloom. The sun shone, the birds were singing and everything was well with the world. Skye looks north over Loch Monar.

This is a wonderful bothy near to Achnashellach called Bearneas Bothy. A real wilderness feel. A front came in so we spent the day holed up in this bothy listening to rain batter down on the roof.

This was taken on what felt like a rooftop - on the summit of Maoile Lunndaidh.

A real hoolie of a day! We battled across Beinn Liath Mhor in very strong winds to get down into Torridon.

Skye on top of the world and on top of Liathach in Torridon.

The path along Liathach is very dramatic running along the edge of a precipitous drop.

From Liathach it was Beinn Alligin and then onto Beinn Eighe as shown above. We were so lucky with the weather in Torridon. Clear, calm and sunny!

One Monday morning about nine, we found ourselves alongside Loch Fannich (looking like a mirror) in marvelous conditions. Thinking about what I may have been doing on a such a morning, it made me really aware about how lucky I was to be doing this walk.
Glen Beg Bothy - outside...
...and inside! All my wet clothes drying over this fantastic potbellied stove.


Red deer were rutting and roaring by the time I reached the Beinn Dearg hills. They also were not phased by people and dogs. This one was most untroubled by how close were came.
The run up to the end. Ben Hope in distance.


And then reunited with the support pack spending a week on Raasay 1 stone in weight lighter!

Walk Images - Part II - Cairngorms to Skye

The weather becomes a focus point for such a trip and your eye is always on the sky. Eventually confidence grows and whatever the weather you know you'll be OK.The next few weeks were unsettled but then.. the Cairngorms were stunning. Ten whole days of scorching sunshine!!! Skye doingng her best Sphinx impression on LochnagarAnother pose beside Loch Avon in the heart of the Cairngorms. It was so hot we nearly got a suntan!

An idyllic wildcamp at Loch nan Cnapan around 850 metres.
These really were days in the mountains that were spectacular. Here was a view from Braeriach on a very hot calm day. Skye scrubbed a paw on descent into Aviemore so it was an unscheduled rest for a couple of days and a trip to the vets to make sure all our six feet were OK.
The weather broke after Aviemore so it was into the Monadhliath in low cloud and rain. Here was a wonderful wildcamp under Creag Meagaidh at around 900metres.
Onwards and westwards into Knoydart. This was taking as we were ascending Gairich.


Knoydart... one of my favourite areas of Scotland.

Also one of my most memorable walks was along the ridgeline towards Sgurr na Ciche (the ice cream cone shaped mountain in the background).

A very hot sweaty walk along the south Glen Shiel ridge ending with the saddle shown here in the distance. Nine Munros on that day- a long one!
Then we headed west towards Skye. This was taken as we were approaching Blaven. Impressive looking mountain and the start of that gabbro rock. Goodbye fingertips!


The Skye Cuillin could have been a big sticking point of the walk. At my limits I managed to complete them all, and then the Inn pin with the help of Simon Webb and Paul Glading in awful weather. Thanks guys !
The view from An Dorus on the ridge. Stunning...no explanation needed.


An unexpected visitor on the summit cairn of Sgurr Alasdair.

The Great Stone Shoot and a completion of the Skye Munros. A releif to have finished but not all was over yet. Still another many miles to go.

Walk Images - Part I - Starting Off

Below is my first set of photos showing Kendal to Ben Alder...

May was so hot to start such a walk. We needed to stop and cool off regularly as we moved north to Scotland!

Many a tea stop was needed in such hot weather. Brattleburn Bothy and tea stop on the Southern Upland Way.

Walking day after day in such hot conditions, is it a dream or a nightmare? Skye sleeps in the tent corner after a long day on the road.

Skye, the natural poser on Beinn a Chochuill with Cruachan in the background.

A wildcamp just under Ben Lui - little did I know how much use those Pacerpoles would get. Absolutely irreplacable !

One of the more brighter, clearer views we had while in Glen Etive. This was taken ascending Ben Starav in wind, rain and low cloud. Conditions that continued for many days.

The Aonach Eagach was always a worry for us. Was it as difficult as we had imagined it to be...? Not really, and the rain stopped, the cloud parted and it was sunny for th event of crossing the ridge.

As the rain returned and the cloud closed back in, this was a typical view from the Mamores (and the Grey Corries and all the Ben Alder Munros etc etc...).

This is one of my favourite bothies - Meananach in Glen Nevis. It kept us dry during a particulalry nasty storm...Thanks Mountain Bothies Association.

The Grey Corries. What more can I say?

Culra Bothy with Ben Alder in the background. What a stunning setting for a bothy.