I love being out in the hills on a fine day, so was quite intrigued by Bruce’s suggestion that we join Hazel Strachan to complete her 10th round of the munros. Hazel is one amazing lady. We follow her on Twitter (@StrachanHazel) and she’d sent an open invitation to join her in the final munro of this circuit, Carn an Tuirc. As I learned from chatting today, not only has she completed the full round of munros ten times, she also manages to hold down a job as a Scientist and maintain a relationship with her lovely husband, Ian, who accompanies her in their camper van. Major kudos on managing all that!
The walk was initially scheduled for Saturday but was sensibly postponed due to a very wet and windy forecast. Checking the weather before setting out I’ll be honest; I was less than thrilled with the potential for 50-60 mph gusts on the top today (Sunday). Our only hope was that it would blow over earlier than planned as later in the afternoon was reportedly better. On the upside it was dry, albeit foggy.
Arriving at the car park, a few miles out of Braemar, we were greeted by the sight of a couple of cars and a camper van. Sincere thanks to both Hazel and Ian for the hospitality; we were warmly welcomed and invited in where we met Chris (@jepsonscotland) initially, swiftly joined by John (@KingGuiding), then Craig (@csa_adventure) all enjoying a chat, a few nibbles and the shelter from the wind. Others arrived over the next wee while and so we moved outdoors to get boots and rucksacks ready. All in all I think there were 20 people setting out. We had a quick round of introductions and one last offer of coffee in the van with a lorne sausage bap thrown in from Ian as an alternative to the walk; I was almost tempted.
Setting off, we established a comfortable walking pace and there was easy chatter among the group. It was really enjoyable being able to talk to different people, learning about their experiences in the hills with many compleatists among them, several more with less than a handful to go. Somewhat boggy, the path was clear making easy walking.
The joy of being in such a large group was that time flew by in the best possible sense. There were lots of others to follow, an easy crossing of a small stream, and before long we were heading to the munro summit, clearly visible all the way – no fog!
The ascent fairly steady and gentle, the group spread out a little as people stopped to take photos, admire the views, or add extra layers as the wind picked up. The odd gust here and there knocked me a little bit but on the whole it was very tolerable and warmer than expected. We made it to the summit, touching the cairn before heading for the wee wind shelter.
More people joined us and then the lady herself appeared, having allowed others up ahead of her. We quickly assembled to form a guard of honour, Hazel walking under the clacking sticks to big cheers in order to reach the summit cairn.
Photographs were taken and further congratulations offered by the assembled friends; I retreated to the sanctuary of the wind shelter for a snack. Meanwhile, Alan (@MunroMoonwalker) was scouting around and had found a sheltered spot, dropping down off the summit slightly. Assembling here, Hazel kindly cracked open several bottles of champagne allowing us to toast her achievement in style.
Slowly people began to drift off back up and over the summit, down the hill as the chill began to set in. I’m not sure if it really was quite mild or if it was my new jacket, but I remained pleasantly warm throughout.
Heading down I enjoyed the company of John, chatting about his role as a Guide and our mutual enjoyment of running. Bruce followed in our wake, chatting with others, and before long we were back at the road, greeted by Ian who had enjoyed the peace, a good breakfast and his book. I’m now seeing more and more advantages in acquiring a camper van somewhere down the line!
Our final stop on the road was The Bothy, my favourite coffee shop in Braemar (and Ballater for that matter) where we gathered for coffee, cake and chat.
Many thanks to Hazel for extending the invitation. It was a joy to be part of such a momentous occasion! Thanks also to everyone that turned out; it was a pleasure meeting you all today. Look forward to hopefully doing it again in 2020 when Hazel aims to complete her 11th round. Maybe I’ll have passed 150 munros by then!
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-scotland-46071636
Clare, happiest outdoors! 