Day 5. Saturday 25th April

Ben Horn - NC 807 064

Parked at Bridge of Horn - NC 799 048. Walked up track to Loch Horn then pathless ascent to summit. Return same away. About two and a half hours.

Here's one for brother RR who was complaining about unpronounceable names.

A drive four or five miles on a single track road from Golspie took me to this remote starting point. The car gave me audible warning of four degrees outside. Bright sun, large white clouds and blue sky prevailed at the start. Halfway up all went dark and I was in a horizontal gale propelled snowstorm for quarter of an hour. On the summit I waited ten minutes in biting cold ferocious wind for a clearance and was rewarded, perhaps a bit controversially with views of an extensive wind farm. Having said that it was a splendid location with views of my two previous ascents on this trip.

Back at the loch I decided to coffee and munch. Sitting flat down on the floor leads to difficulty in getting back up with my various knee problems. There was a concrete stop valve post about twenty inches high but narrow with a flat concrete three foot square base housing a metal grating at its foot. I decided to put my sit-mat across the top of the stop valve. I lowered myself onto this makeshift seat and then found myself gently sliding off the back down onto the concrete square with my back against an adjacent metal structure - the perfect comfortable position for my repast with the nearby stop valve to help in getting back up. Serendipity eh?

I am now back at the car typing this up in glorious warm sunshine, hopefully to be posted from the Poppy Café back in Golspie




Ben Horn from Loch Horn


Ben Horn summit before the clearance








The view from my involuntary sitting position. The Duke of Sutherland monument visible on the distant horizon

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