From track from A9 near West Garty.
That is now ten consecutive hills without seeing anybody. A few hundred yards up the track from the road I did meet a Polish guy who was doing some work for the owner of a holiday cottage, but it was hardly on the hill. I haven't specifically recorded with all these hills, but have been aware of hardly ever seeing any footprints despite hundreds of boggy locations where they would have been unavoidable, and today I took particular notice and definitely never saw one.
Sunshine, blue sky and big billowing white clouds were with me until arriving at the summit. It is a cliché in articles about hill walking when they say weather can suddenly change, but change it did and quickly. Just after getting a couple of photos dark clouds formed, wind whipped up to gale force and snow came. I set off back and within another fifteen minutes the wind subsided and I was back with the blue sky and sunshine.
The track I had followed for the first kilometre from the road wended its way through extensive gorse before emerging onto the open hillside. I took careful note of the point of emergence, but on my return, although I knew I was within a few feet I couldn't find it, just a wall of gorse. I plunged in at random. I could see a mini windmill generator sticking up above the cottage only about a hundred feet away, but had to battle through gorse a small clearing and then some more gorse before finding the path.
Looking back down the track to the sea on the ascent
Looking to the east and the sea from the summit.
South from the summit
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Whenever I've looked up English Marilyns on hill-bagging.co.uk, I've always found plenty of logs giving rough details of route. Last night I started looking at the Scottish hills I might tackle during the May trip, and in some cases found that no-one has logged details for a visit in over a year! I'm now thinking that, like your current experience, I'm not likely to meet anyone on those hills.
ReplyDeleteAs you commented on your previous post Conrad, like you, I have a head start on the Marilyns having done the Munros and all but a dozen or so of the Corbetts. It feels a bit like cheating really.
ReplyDeleteLike Gayle, I don't expect to meet anyone on the ones we have planned.
I notice you only welcome reasonable comments. That sounds very CoE and I realise there have been times I have been quite unreasonable. I must apologise, not only retrospectively but for future offences certain to follow.
ReplyDeleteReading the above post I had a brilliant thought. Your phone no doubt has a video feature on it - how entertaining had you set it to Record just before you "plunged in at random" through the gorse. An aural experience too as the gorse scritched at all those shockingly expensive clothes you wear.
But it was - as I'm sure you've realised - a fool's thought. Having created the video you would have had to "plunge back" to retrieve the phone. Your neo-Gortex jacket now in rags. Even funnier, but at such a cost.
Gayle - that is what makes them special. There is a sense of real exploration when you have to devise your own route.
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Afoot - do you know how many of your Corbetts count as Ms?
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RR - the day after that battle I was still picking spikes out of my clothing, especially the insides of my gloves - yes it's still cold enough here to be wearing them.