Stob Coire na Ceannain

Happy and healthy 2013 to everyone.

2013 is so far a hazy blur.

In truth I think I was very sensible with my alcohol consumption last night. It was a lovely evening with friends round with their children too but it was inevitably a very late little party. If nothing else I felt very tired this morning and Bruce and Caley were very keen to get their day under way. It was sensible to do everything on foot. With livestock back around us the very convenient, over the back garden fence, option wasn't available to us. I set off with Caley on the lead along the A86 roadside heading for Upper Inverroy.

How stupid is this? I have a wee app on my phone to measure time and distance walked and tell you ludicrous things like how many peaches and bananas you can eat after five miles. Anyway I didn't start it until I got to where we would normally park the car to do the walk; at least a mile from and 60m higher than home. At this point Caley can get off the lead and his walk can start for proper. We just trudged on up the track and then a less formal path through post harvest woodland. At this high point the views south across Glen Spean Valley to the Aonachs and the Grey Corries are stunning. The summit ridges were lost in mist but I was entertained by shafts of light sweeping across the lower slopes as though someone was playing with an impossibly large search light. I took loads of images of this show but I felt the absence of a clear skyline summit detracted from all the shots. I may yet do something with them as they are all bracketed sets of three.

From here I could look across the little Allt Bo Loin valley to Maol Ruadh. The short drop and re-ascent provided a more direct route home albeit with the last stretch through a sheep populated field. Given that Caley would be very well exercised by this time it would be easy to retain his attention for the last wee stretch on the lead.

As we started to cross the valley the Grey Corrie skyline rolled back its veil and while the earlier shafts of sun rays were gone you could still see little splashes of light on the commercial woodland. That's the blip.

By the time I got to the back garden fence the mist was right down again.

Oh aye, Late night partying and I had a banana and wee orange on the walk whether I was entitled to or not.