Cruachin Hills

I didn’t run during the week since Forfar (but I did get my 1^st deep tissue massage – wow) and this weekend I wasn’t going to get any running either as I was going hillwalking with Gav, who was one of my support runners in the Race, but a couple of decent days on the hill would be more than suitable replacements.

Saturday 7 Feb - An Caisteal & Beinn a’ Chroin

We started at a snowy Derrydarroch Farm and despite having been there a few times now I had no idea where to park on the road ! It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies but it was freezing, -6^oC. But once we crested the ridge onto the high ground and entered the 50mph wind the windchill dropped the temperature to below -20^oC.

Gav heading up Twistin Hill

The summit of An Caisteal

Coping with the windchill






















A slippery descent

We were on the hill for 6 and half hours, covered 8.7 miles and 4,250ft of ascent with crampons and ice-axes most of the day. Walking in crampons really stretches the achilles and when you have tendons as short as mine they were pretty tight when we came off the hill.

Derrydarroch at the end of the day

Gav has a VW camper van so it was down to a quiet corner of the Drover’s car park then we went to the pub for many hours. It was a cracking night with live music and the pub was mobbed.

A very busy Drovers

Sunday 8 Feb - Beinn Dorain and Beinn an Dothaidh

The next day wasn’t too bad considering the amount of (what I like to think of as) carb loading we had indulged in the previous evening.

We met my friend Doug in Tyndrum for a spot of breakfast then it was on to Bridge of Orchy where we were climbing Beinn Dorain and Beinn an Dothaidh the 2 mountains that loom over the village.

Beinn Dorain from the road

It appeared that everyone else in Scotland had the same idea because the hill was very busy. It was another cracking day but this time there was hardly any wind.

Beinn Dorain summit photo

As we climbed the second hill of the day the peace was continually interrupted by a big yellow RAF Sea King which was doing helicopter training with the Oban MRT and dropping them off on the hillside.

We made it back down before the weather closed in from the south and had covered 7.6 miles and 4,200 ft of ascent in just under 5 and a half hours.

I’d had 2 good long days on the hill and my legs felt pretty tired after it.