Heading up Loch Arkaig.
After a fun drive up Loch Arkaig where my car's heat shield came adrift, a wee cycle in, to set up camp close to A'Chuil for a couple of nights.
Easy enough cycle at the start. Saturday's hill in the mist ahead, and Fraoch Bhienn on the right - had hoped to do that too, but it was just too much.
View from the tent, looking East. A'Chuill (a bothy) just behind the mound.
Had a wee stroll to get a better perspective. Tent down there on the left, Sgurr Cos na Breachd-laoigh behind, with A'Chuill now visible.
Just in case you couldn't spot the tent above.
Tucked in for a cold night. More clothes on overnight that during the day!
It was a cold one. 7am, before the sun got to me.
Here it comes. Had a little ice inside the tent too, which was nice!
7:15 - thawing out.
Then it was on with the day. A wee 1.5 mile cycle, then hit the ground for ten miles up Bidein a'Chabhair and back, 1.5 miles back to camp, then five miles to the top of Carn Mor before my battery gave
out. So a round trip of about 20 miles - that explains why I was a bit sore the next day!
At or around the rickety bridge where I dumped the bike.
Emerging from the woods. A cracking day. Foothill of Bidein a'Chabair on the left.
It warmed up pretty quickly - quick change of trousers and started up. Plenty of cloud on Loch Arkaig.
Campsite under the clouds too.
First sight of the elusive peak - one that kept getting further away until the end.
That peak not getting closer, but a view over Loch Nevis to Eigg and Rum.
Loch Arkaig finally free of the mist.
The only way was up.
A poor picture of a deer - there were a lot about.
Finally seems to be getting a bit closer.
Hills to the north east (I think).
Still not quite there.
Another view of Loch Arkaig
Had to go round the peak, and found another one - Sgurr-na h-Aide. But it is no longer classed as the peak (as it's 8m lower). Thank goodness. Camusrory bothie visible too.
Eigg and Rum on the left, Skye on the right.
North west to more hills. Sgurr na Ciche and others.
Possibly Sgurr Thuilm, but they all look the same.
Loch Morar. There is another bothy down there, but I couldn't pick it out.
And behind me, the elusive summit.
Similar views, but from the top now. Loch Morar, Rum etc.
Loch Arkaig. Tent somewhere between the trees.
Second hill over there. Might have been easier just heading directly over there rather than back down, but..... Safety first!
Skye sky-line
These hills are quite high up!
The safer way back down
And back to the rickety bridge to pick up the bike.
Distant view of a hill, I think that was the one I was just up?
So back to the tent (down there somewhere) to drop off the bike, then up the non-existent faint path.
So just up to the right, and then some - it was a bit further than I had been hoping.
Carn Mor still a way off on the left, with Sgurr na Cliche poking up on the middle-right.
View down Corrie An Fich (the route home). Tomorrow's hill over on the middle right.
Looking back to Loch Arkaig
Sgurr Thuilm, with Ben Nevis behind
More tops of the hill.
At last. A view around.
Loch Morar, with Eigg and Rum. Brilliant.
View of this morning's hill. Now I see why I didn't just cut across from it to here!
Back to Loch Arkaig again, and down to Glen Pean
And back to the safety of my tent. A wee herd of deer checking me out.
Trying to create a beer commercial - failing!
And so to the last day. A one mile bike push through the bog to gain the track on the north side of Glen Dessary, at Upper Glendessary, then a mile down to the start point at Glendessary Lodge. Just a
five miles over the hill and an easy two miles back down to the carpark.
As ever this turned out not to be the top, but for a while it kept me going.
Looking back up to Upper Glendessary, my campsite, and the two hills from yesterday. Done that.
And the other way. Gaining some hight.
The top of Sgurr Cos na Breachd -Laoigh and the Druim a Chuirn ridge I returned over. Cracking.
Fraoch Bheinn (for another day) and Glendessary Lodge
Here are yesterday's two hills again. Both look a long way, given I started to the left of this picture, and returned there between hills. Probably not the best plan!
Another top to go, then the ridge. Well worth it.
Nearly there. And the ridge is looking better.
It was a lovely day
Finally, the top appears. Along with a panorama of hills.
So just the ridge to go
Looking down to Glen Dessary, and the path out.
But look, hills, islands, sea. What is not to like. Could have spent all day up here.
Glen Dessary from further along the ridge.
Glen Kingie to the left of the ridge, with Sgurr Mor and Sgurran Fhuarain
Looking back to the summits
And the rest of the ridge.
Glen Kingie again, still with Sgurr Mor and Sgurran Fhuarain Couldn't quite see Kinbreak bothy.
Another backwards view, with the summit looking lower on the left, and Skye peaking through the middle.
Last views before the final descent. Nevis and the Carn Mor Dearg etc looking fine. That will be Gulvain in front on the right.
And finally a view of all three hills I have done this weekend. Time to rest and drink.
Just need to get this bike back to the road, and a three and a half hour drive home. Well worth it.
Stopped off along Loch Arkaig for a final picture of the hills, and to check my remaining heat shield - I eventually had to rip that off at Dalwhinnie as it was only being held on by one screw
by then! Full credit to the garage when I took it in - they re-attached them both and didn't charge me a penny.
And to the kind police officer who let me off for doing 69mph round a corner and then speeding up to 72mph on the straight going along the Loch Laggan road. Could have been an
expensive weekend otherwise!
And so onto the next hill (probably a Graham and some Donalds near Pebbles).