New year in the Highlands

 New year in the highlands is always brilliant, this year was no different.

It’s the 2^nd of January, there’s 7 hours of daylight. What could be more sensible than planning a 12 hour traverse. Walking highlands suggests “The traverse of the Grey Corries main ridge gives a long and demanding but superb mountain walk” and that’s for summer conditions. It was definitely not summer outside.

Stob Coire Claurigh

Stob Coire an Laoigh

Not deterred we shuttled cars the night before and well before the crack of dawn found ourselves stomping up Glen Nevis. It was a long way to get on to the ridge but once up there we soon started ticking off summits and tops.

Rather Windy, Sgurr Choinnich Mor

 It was a little windy in places, but not too bitingly cold (so long as you kept moving). I wasn’t entirely sure about going for all four peaks and though about heading down after three. However a break in the cloud meant I could see the final summit, it didn’t look so very far after all. Getting up the final summit was tricky though a faintly discernible path up a scree slope.  I was starting to feel tired once we were at the summit and we still had to descend the same horrid scree slope.

Feeling like Heros on the top of Stob Ban

By the time we hit the valley floor, twilight had passed. After popping into the bothy for a wee break, we struck out down the track to find the shuttle cars. A hard day but well worth it for the fours summits bagged.

Top of the road

New years day I decided would be a good day to begin my Etape cycle training. So I set out chasing Ashely up Glen Etive. It turned out to be hard work, the return journey back down the valley, I found myself clinging to the brakes not wanting to pick up too much speed on an occasionally uneven road. what a way to bring in the new year.

First sunset of the New Year