Ruth and I once again headed to the Highlands for New Year week, sadly not joined by any other Duffers this year. We stayed in a cosy two-bedroom cottage, Tigh Floraidh, in Glencoe village, which gave access to a wide choice of hills to suit all conditions.

Having driven up via Carlisle parkrun and the supermarket in Dumbarton on Saturday, we were keen to get cracking with some bagging the next day, and with high winds forecast picked a relatively small Corbett above Kinlochleven, Glas Bheinn. While not the most dramatic hill, it was superbly situated for all-around views of the Mamores, the Corrour estate and the Aonach Eagach. We descended south to the Blackwater Reservoir dam then enjoyed an attractive walk down the beside the River Leven.

Monday started very wet but was forecast to improve later. Ruth had a sore hip so opted for a rest day, while I headed up Glen Coe for an afternoon walk over Buachaille Etive Mor. Starting around midday, I ascended quickly via Coire na Tulaich, making use of my ice axe for a short distance to cross the remains of the cornice at its rim. For a few minutes I had clear views along the ridge, but I soon entered the cloud as I ascended to the northerly Munro, Stob Dearg, and remained in it throughout the traverse back along to Stob na Doire. The final few hundred metres up to Stob na Doire had a good covering of snow, the remains of a deep drift. Just as I was starting to give up on seeing more views on departing the top, the clouds broke and lifted to reveal the ridge ahead, and I was to remain in the clear for the rest of the afternoon, with superb views of the White Corries, Glen Etive and Bidean nam Bian from the second Munro, Stob na Broige.

New Year’s Eve was forecast to be a fine, sunny day: the best of the week. Ruth and I had two Corbetts we wanted to bag near the bottom of Glen Etive, each a brisk half-day walk, so this seemed the best opportunity to tackle those. We set off early to reach the car park at the head of Loch Etive at sunrise and set off up Beinn Trilleachan. This proved to be quite a rough ascent over tussock grass at first, eventually reaching easier, slabby ground on the ridge. We were rewarded for our efforts with superb views across the Trilleachan Slabs to Loch Etive and Ben Cruachan, and also up Glen Etive.

We descended the same way, then drove a couple of miles up the valley to set off again for an afternoon ascent of Stob Dubh. After an easy approach along the track to Glenceitlein, this was a brutal and relentless ascent on short but very steep grass directly to the summit. However, the views over Glen Etive to the Glen Coe Munros were magnificent in the low afternoon sunshine. We made it back to the car just before sunset, and felt we’d made very good use of the daylight on the final day of 2019!

New Year’s Day brought a return to grey, windy weather. For a relatively short walk, we opted to climb the nearby Corbett, Mam na Gualainn, a repeat visit for me. Rather an unremarkable hill in mist, but I got a tick in a box by visiting its neighbouring Graham, Tom Mheadhoin, on the way down, which did have decent views over Loch Leven.

Thursday was a very wet and windy day. Ruth’s hip was giving trouble again, so she opted for another rest day while I ventured out for an afternoon march up Buachaille Etive Beag, which I reckoned would have a good path all the way and not involve any tricky burn-crossings. This proved correct and it was a straightforward outing, up both Munros and back to the car in around 2h20. A very thorough test for my new waterproof jacket, with heavy, wind-driven rain throughout, and a good opportunity to prove I haven’t turned into a fair-weather walker!

Friday’s forecast was for more strong winds and snow showers. With Ruth still too injured to want to do a significant walk, I was tempted to do something short, but convinced myself to venture up onto the Mamores ridge and see where I got to. I wasn’t feeling very optimistic as I walked up Coire na h-Eirghe in falling snow, with mist shrouding the peaks. However, conditions began to improve as I reached the bealach, and cleared out properly while I was on the summit of Am Bodach. While the wind was still bitterly cold and brought occasional snow flurries and quite a bit of spindrift, it wasn’t too unpleasant while heading east (out of the wind) so I continued along the very fine ridge, with mild scrambling in places, to Stob Coire a’ Chairn, then on to Na Gruagaichean and Binnein Mor. The light covering of snow and shifting sunlight in the corries made for spectactular views along the ridge in both directions and across Glen Nevis to the Grey Corries.

I descended via Sgor Eilde Beag, the one Munro Top I had not previously visited in the range, then back down the good stalkers’ paths to Kinlochleven.

That concluded a mixed week, generally lacking in snow except for the dusting on the final day, but plentiful in the usual wind and rain! I was pleased to have got up major hills every day, and to have ticked off three new Corbetts (leaving just 15 yet to be bagged) and a Graham over the course of the week, as well as revisiting seven Munros and another Corbett. The path to Corbett completion is starting to look clear ahead, with plans outlined for visits to the Cairngorms and Monadhliath at Easter, and to the Western Isles and far north over Spring Bank Holiday week, which should leave only a small handful to go.

As ever, a much more extensive photo album of the trip is available on on Google Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/UKFoeR3VbaFwEZjr6

Left with a few days of spare holiday for the year, I took a solo long weekend trip to the southwest Highlands. I drove up as far as Ruth’s house after work on the Wednesday, then set off fairly promptly on Thursday to drive up through the Southern Uplands where I had chosen Tinto as the objective for the day’s short walk. Although the summit was just in the cloud, this proved to be a fairly attractive hill, with a few crags on the south side and good views up and down the Clyde valley.

In the afternoon I pottered onwards to the Islay ferry terminal at Kennacraig, pausing briefly at Inveraray on the way to stretch the legs. On arriving at Port Askaig just before 8pm, it was only a couple of miles’ drive to my comfortable AirBnB accomodation in Ballygrant.

The next morning dawned cold, crisp and sunny – just what I had hoped for for my long-awaited first visit to Jura. I was the only passenger on the 7:55am ferry across to Feolin, and pretty much the only car on the road around to the Three Arch Bridge. After a rather boggy approach to Loch an t-Siob, I was glad to get onto the steeper, drier ground of the first Pap, Beinn Shiantaidh, and was able to avoid most of the scree in picking a route up to the summit. This was a fantastic viewpoint over the northern reaches of the island, and to the other two Paps waiting ahead.

The short descent down the west of the hill required care as the frosty rocks were still in deep shade and very slippery. I was happy to get onto warmer and grippier ground for the ascent of Beinn an Oir, the highest of the three Paps and just high enough to be a Corbett. Then it was a steep descent on a small path wiggling through the crags of the south ridge, followed by a very steep climb up reasonably secure scree to the third Pap, Beinn a’ Chaolais – another fine viewpoint for the other Paps, and towards Islay. On the descent I particularly enjoyed the views east over the Kintyre peninsula to Arran.

Saturday was more of a travelling day: I took the 9:45am ferry from Port Ellen back to Kennacraig, then drove the couple of hours up the road to Oban. This didn’t really leave time for a hill walk, so I opted instead for an attractive 13.5km run along the coast to Dunstaffnage Castle and back!

To end the trip, I took a Sunday-morning walk up another Corbett, Creach Bheinn above Glen Creran. It was another beautiful sunny morning and the hill offered superb views of the water to Mull and Kingairloch and up Glen Etive. Back off the hill at noon, all that remained was the seven-hour drive back to Derby, with a dinner stop at Ruth’s.

As ever, my full photo album is available on Google Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/qZiviU7z9CT4bEAf8

Only two Corbetts (and three Grahams) to show for four days in the hills, but the amazing weather on Jura and Creach Bheinn meant it was very much worth the long journeys. 204 down, 18 to go!

As I was heading up to the Central Highlands for Alison’s Munro completion weekend, I decided to make the most of the long drive by tagging on a couple of days’ holiday beforehand to go backpacking from Glen Feshie over four remote Corbetts.

I drove up from Kendal on the Thursday morning, and set off walking from Auchlean at around 3pm for the shorter ‘half’ of the expedition. A few heavy showers passed over as I ascended to Carn Dearg Mor and then traversed to Meallach Mhor, but they weren’t long-lasting so I didn’t get seriously wet. As expected, these proved not to be particularly dramatic hills, but did give good long-distance views over the Gaick Pass and Speyside, and south to the hills I would visit the next day.

I descended into Coire Bhran and found a good camping spot beside the river for the night on flat, dry and soft grass. As I cooked my dinner, I enjoyed a double rainbow up the corrie.

The next morning started greyer, with the cloud base just below the hilltops at around 800 metres. It stayed dry-ish as I had breakfast and broke camp, but the light showers almost merged together for the next couple of hours as I ascended to Leathad an Taobhain and began the long, rough traverse to Beinn Bhreac. To be honest, I think this terrain was so indistinct that I’d have referred to the compass for reassurance even in good visibility! By mid-morning though, the cloud lifted and the showers became few and far between, and I was able to enjoy views south to Beinn Dearg and southeast to Beinn a’ Ghlo as I continued east.

Having reached Beinn Bhreac, the going was a bit easier over short grass to Carn Ealar (a repeat visit to this remote Munro), with views north to the highest Cairngorm peaks now. This was followed by an easy descent to the River Feshie and a very long walk out on the tracks down the glen. The sun came out though, and the forests and crags in the upper glen were very attractive.

Overall, it was great to get out backpacking for the first time in 2019, to explore some unfamiliar remote country, and to tick off these four Corbetts bringing my total to 202 – just twenty remaining now!

Full photo album on Google Photos at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/v8pUbqKToHiJkEgRA

As usual, Ruth and I headed to the Highlands for a week’s bagging over Spring Bank Holiday week, focussing mainly on the Northwest Highlands. Also as usual, the trip started with a long, long drive north through the evening, our first destination this year being the comfortable campsite in Cannich – with the damp weather over the first two days of the trip we were particularly glad of the lounge and drying room!

Saturday’s objective, in persistent but very light rain, was Beinn a’ Bha’ach Ard above Glen Strathfarrar. Sunday’s, in persistent heavier rain, was Sgorr na Diollaid, above Glen Cannich. Both proved to be more interesting hills than expected, the former having a pleasant high level traverse between the tops, and the latter having a pair of dramatic rocky tors at the summit, and the relatively short walks suited the conditions.

The next two days were drier and brighter, so we moved a few miles north to tackle two pairs of Corbetts in Strathconon, using the Riverside Campsite in Contin as a base. On Monday, Meallan and Uan and Sgurr a’ Mhuilinn offered attractive ridge-walking and excellent views north to the Fannaichs. Tuesday’s long walk to Bac an Eich and An Sithean was less dramatic in the foreground, but had a real sense of remoteness, with excellent views of the surrounding Munros north and south of Loch Monar. We also enjoyed more distant views of Glen Carron, Torridon and Fisherfield both days.

My full photo album from Glen Strathfarrar, Glen Cannich and Strathconon can be found at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Fr57fZkKj3gYX8428

With more good weather forecast for the next couple of days, on Wednesday morning we headed over to the west coast to collect a few dramatic Corbetts in the Fisherfield area. First on our list was Beinn Airigh Charr, a superbly-situated rocky peak near Poolewe, with stunning views south over Loch Maree to Torridon and northeast over Fionn Loch to A’ Mhaighdean. Definitely a contender for my favourite Corbett, and we enjoyed it in perfect conditions, the excellent visibility also giving views of Skye and the Outer Hebrides. To make the most of the day’s fine weather, in the late afternoon we summoned the energy for a second walk, up beside the Ardessie Falls onto Sail Mhor, another fine peak with great views into the heart of Fisherfield Forest and north to Coigach.

Thursday was cloudier and dry for another long walk, this time in to Beinn Dearg Bheag and Beinn Dearg Mor from Gruinard. Although the long track approach was a little tedious, the northwest ridge of Beinn Dearg Bheag proved to be a very enjoyable route of ascent, with easy scrambling in places, dramatic crags and gullies, and some sections of narrow arete. A short traverse down and back up took us to Beinn Dearg Mor, its summit sadly just in the cloud, before the long walk out along Loch na Sealga and back along the track to Gruinard.

The rain returned on Friday for our final, shorter walk in the Fisherfield area, this time up the boggy and much less dramatic Corbett of Creag Rainich above Loch a’ Bhraoin. Not one I’m likely to revisit, although I dare say the low cloud deprived us of good views of the many surrounding Munros!

My full photo album from the Fisherfield Corbetts can be viewed at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/wr3B4LXFbErHRXbU7

For the final weekend of the trip, we headed back east to Inverness, where a friend of Ruth’s had kindly offered us accommodation. Gavin also joined us for Saturday’s walk up Carn na Saobhaidhe in the north of the Monadhliath, perhaps the flattest-topped Corbett but not an unpleasant place to spend a bright and clear day. Then on Sunday morning we nipped up Geal Charn, a foothill of the northern Cairngorms, before the long drive back to Kendal and Derby.

Photos from the Monadhliath and Cairngorms: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ek3Uhu7aLkRdUB276

All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable week despite mixed weather that was worse than the excellent average we’ve grown used to at this time of the year. I ticked off 13 new Corbetts, taking my total to 198. Only 24 to go, and I’ve pencilled in completion for Spring Bank Holiday weekend 2021, so there’s plenty of time to fit in the required trips to Jura, Harris and the Far North (among other less far-flung places) in the meantime.