WFH.

And casting half an eye forward to not WFH as holidays beckon.

Friday is scheduled to be a hill day. Me and Baz and the feckless hound are booked to head on out into the hills for the first time since his birthday bash last October. The longest hill drought for many a long year. I'm sure even Foot & Mouth didn't keep me off the hills for this long.

So there ensued a bit of a group chat with them what have compleated and figured the Ring of Steall wasn't one for a dog on a lead; that the Grey Corries was probably not the best reintroduction for 2 over 50 slightly out of practice walkers and there's no point in going unless we're doing all 4, so instead we looked at the Glenfinnan pair. Again not an easy day but manageable. Longer dive though.

Until Dave pointed out the forecast that I'd previously looked at showing decent weather was now less favourable.... ffs.

Baz needs Bynack More, I need Beinn Bhreac +1 and that's us finished the Cairngorms. My 2 from Linn of Dee are a long enough day but tacking Bynack More on to the end...? Not an easy task.

So in the end we settled on An Sgarsoch and Carn an Fhidleir. A mere 42km round trip into the wilderness between the Cairngorms and the high hills of NW Perthshire.At least it's mostly on tracks so should present no difficult terrain.... I'd hoped to nab these in March by train and bike from Blair Atholl. But...weather then CV lockdown bit, so that was that. Would've cost me £15. This time? Nearer £50 with car / petrol factored in. 

So after the discussion about the location of the walk, it's now down to dig out all the necessary equipment. OS sheet 43; a well worn piece. It shows my first ever Munro right on the southern edge; the day after IndyRef on Monadh Mor, my post foot break Munro of Derry Cairngorm; another Baz wander in the scorching heat along Glen Feshie and up Mullach Clach a Bhlair followed by the most invigorating swim at Feshie Bridge ahead of the long drive home. The mammoth slog around Braeriach and the Devil's Point, back up the Lairig Ghru on a long June day 3 years back.

There's 4 Munros undone on this sheet; by COB Friday I hope that will be down to 2.

But first I need to consider footwear. Not sure the Meindl will be comfortable enough; Merrill? too long a day - they are only good up to 10 miles. Do I really want Mammut - heavy for such a long day? I can't use this an excuse to buy new boots; not this close to going and then risk them on such a long walk...! Hmmm.

I shouldn't have thrown out the chicken carcass on Sunday - I need stock to make soup. Do I have the energy to rattle up a courgette and blue cheese thing before Thursday night? Sunscreen? Safe to apply first thing and not carry it? And water. Lots of water. Better start freezing bottles now. Shorts? Long trousers? Which socks? 

Man, I've missed the build up to a day in the hills. Oh and this is Richard Long's Concentric Circles walk area. Somewhere I've been hankering to get to since I first saw it - when Tom was born? A slow burner