My husband has taken on a challenge … 50 munros in 150 days to raise money for Charlie House: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bruce-russell5
As with all things Bruce, he’s not doing it by halves so I’m going to be spending much of June alone as he hits the heights on various expeditions! Should you wish to follow his progress you can do so here: https://m.facebook.com/groups/840910906256097?id=840910906256097&ref=content_filter&_rdr
Fair’s fair though, it should be said that he was very tolerant of my lack of presence during marathon training, so it’s time for retribution.
Today, we stayed local and were delighted to have the company of Nicola and Bella (a very cute Labrador) on our walk. I’m a real dog lover, Bruce however, is allergic, and I’m happy to get my doggy fix any way I can!
Parking up at the Glenshee Ski Centre we had a brief discussion as to whether to do the Glas Maol circuit or The Cairnwell trio. Opting for the trio, we concluded that the other four could wait for another day.
These munros provide easy walking with good paths. Having previously completed this circuit in the early days of hill walking, I’ve concluded I’d happily do them alone – usually I prefer to walk in company – but they really are a gift if you’re ticking a list. Starting high there’s no real test of strength and we completed our round in just outside four hours with a lengthy stop to watch a hang glider on The Cairnwell.
First up it’s Carn Aosda, a very short walk from the car park. Charlie posed here for the first photograph of the day, rescued ahead of too much attention from Bella as her interest piqued when he emerged.
Heading on, the longest walk of the day ensued and it passed quickly with all the chat.
We reached Carn a’ Gheoidh, taking Charlie’s second photo. Stopping here for a snack, Bella again showed her pedigree and training by abstaining from stealing my oatcakes or mooching too much. Alternatively, it could be that she doesn’t like peanut butter! (However, I have it on good authority that the only two things she won’t eat are raspberries and lettuce, so I suspect she’s just been well brought up!)
Retracing our steps for a time, we met a walking group from Portsoy and exchanged pleasantries. This was the one and only time we heard Bella speak and we’re still none the wiser why.
The final summit of the day, The Cairnwell, was a slightly steeper pull in the overall scheme of the day but most definitely manageable. The most unfortunate thing of this munro is all the ‘furniture’ on top; sadly today this also included a collapsed unit that’s in the throes of being recovered from the hill. Things just aren’t built to last these days!
The highlight of this top was a hang glider. We waited for some time while he and his companion faffed around (even Bella got bored) but finally he was ready for takeoff! A very impressive sight it was too as he soared around like a giant wasp overhead!
We opted for the direct descent route, straight down the steep hillside for the cafe.
The cafe was very welcoming. Dog friendly, Bella was given water and a big dog biscuit while we enjoyed a cuppa and cake. Poor Charlie was relegated to the rucksack in the boot.
Hindsight is a great thing and we now realise that Charlie could have had an even more amazing adventure had Bella been permitted to show him the hills. He’d have experienced a host of new pleasures – swimming in the loch, paddling in burns and streams, digging in the heather, eating snow and rolling around in the heather. He’d have been a whole different dog as a result, not least due to being filthy and wet! Instead, Bella carried an old fence post from The Cairnwell down, impressively waiting until the burn widened at the back of the ski centre before her final dip as she couldn’t fit in with the fence post in her mouth prior to this!
A successful day out, that’s Charlie now clocked up 11 munros with many more to come. Maybe one day he’ll get to roam free!
Clare, happiest outdoors! 