Rum

Off we went on Friday evening, a drive up to Mallaig and a broken night's sleep in the backpacker's hostel. An early start:

 

Then the ferry across.

A two and a half hour hike with all the gear round to Dibidil. The peaks of Askival and Hallival looking down on us:

Then a quick lunch and just the essentials for the climb up Sgurr nan Gillean, Eigg across the water and the bothy far below:

At the summit 764m up:

Sorley with Ainshval and Askival in the background:

Jamie on the ridge to Ainshval 781m:

A well-earned drink back at Dibidil where we met up with some crazy walkers who had done all the tops from Kinloch with their full packs (including some coal!) and arrived after dark:

What a night in a bothy can do to you:

Glorious sunrise the next morning:

Then we walked the 12 miles of rough going round the coast via Papadil:

 and Harris:

to reach Guirdil:

 

Another night spent here in the lee of Bloodstone Hill and more strange goings on:

This time a lovely sunset over Canna:

Shadowman was on hand of course:

 And his strange companion:

Then back to Kinloch and a slap-up lunch at the village hall. Phonebox still there:

Taking the early train to Inverness and then the bus  to Skye I got the ferry across to Raasay and arrived at Grant's house in time for a late lunch:

Grant's House

We then set out along the single track road with only the locals for company:

Nadia and Sorley

Sorley and Grant

 From the road we walked along a gorge to Hallaig, made famous in Sorley Mclean's poem of that name:

Time, the deer, is in Hallaig Wood
There's a board nailed across the window
I looked through to see the west
And my love is a birch forever
By Hallaig Stream, at her tryst
Between Inver and Milk Hollow,
somewhere around Baile-chuirn,
A flickering birch, a hazel,
A trim, straight sapling rowan.
In Screapadal, where my people
Hail from, the seed and breed
Of Hector Mor and Norman
By the banks of the stream are a wood.
To-night the pine-cocks crowing
On Cnoc an Ra, there above,
And the trees standing tall in moonlight -
They are not the wood I love.
I will wait for the birches to move,
The wood to come up past the cairn
Until it has veiled the mountain
Down from Beinn na Lice in shade.
If it doesn't, I'll go to Hallaig,
To the sabbath of the dead,
Down to where each departed
Generation has gathered.
Hallaig is where they survive,
All the MacLeans and MacLeads
Who were there in the time of Mac Gille Chaluim:
The dead have been seen alive,
The men at their length on the grass
At the gable of every house,
The girls a wood of birch trees
Standing tall, with their heads bowed.
Between The Leac and Fearns
The road is plush with moss
And the girls in a noiseless procession
Going to Clachan as always
And coming boack from Clachan
And Suisnish, their land of the living,
Still lightsome and unheartbroken,
Their stories only beginning.
From Fearns Burn to the raised beach
Showing clear in the shrouded hills
There are only girls congregating,
Endlessly walking along
Back through the gloaming to Hallaig
Through the vivid speechless air,
Pouring down the steep slopes,
Their laughter misting my ear
And their beauty a glaze on my heart.
Then as the kyles go dim
And the sun sets behind Dun Cana
Love's loaded gun will take aim.
It will bring down the lightheaded deer
As he sniffs the grass round the wallsteads
And his eye will freeze: while I live,
His blood won't be traced in the woods.

It's a beautiful and haunting place. We walked though the birch wood and had our picnic in the ruins of the township:

Dun Caan from Hallaig

Grant and Barkley looking to the mainland

Then back to the house with it's views of Glamaig:

Shadowfriends

on the beach

On the beach with Skye behind

Glamaig and ferry terminal

Monkey puzzle!?

 Then the next day back on the ferry (soon to be replaced with the world's first hybrid ferry), bus and train. I will be back...

The Devil's Point

On Saturday the forecast was for an excellent day with virtually no wind so set off early picking up Ella on the way.  Cycled in about 3 miles from Linn of Dee to White Bridge:

Shadowman on his bike

 Then walked 2 1/2 hours up Glen Dee towards the Devil's Point (1004m):

Devil's Point

From the Corrour Bothy it was a steep but brief (one hour) climb to the top with magnificent views:

Cairn Toul and Upper Glen Dee

The Geusachan Burn (from the right) joins the Dee

Ella and Sorley at the top

 There were some lovely spot by the river, like here at Chest of Deep. At the foot of the falls is a deep, sandy bottomed pool with a perfect diving rock (bit cold today!):

Glen Dee with the Devil's Point centre

About 20 miles in total in around 8 hours.

Home for Tea

On Monday I set out for my 50 mile sponsored trek from Nethy Bridge to Cushnie in aid of Amnesty International. First a lovely walk through the RSPB Abernethy reserve. Pinewoods and red squirrels. Here I am looking fresh:

The road ahead out of the forest towards the Cairngorms looked like this:

Met a few people at the Ryvoan bothy who were walking from Glenmore (ahead):

Here I am taking a break by the River Nethy:

The path up Strath Nethy was very boggy indeed!
And finally the view back down from the watershed:

And now looking south down to Loch Avon with snow still visible:

Intended to continue on to Faindouran bothy but settled for camping by the loch. 13 miles walked today.

The next day started bright and dry. Here walking by the Fords of Avon refuge:

Looking towards the granite tors at Ben Avon:

Finished the day near to Gairnshiel Bridge. 20 miles for the day!

The next day began with heavy rain and it didn't stop! Ray met me at Gairnshiel and helped set the pace for the first half of the day to Tillypronie. Here I am jumping another swollen burn:

The last section was almost entirely in the mist but at the end of 16 miles for the day I met Ben and Wendy at the top of Pressendye for the 2 mile descent to the house and home for tea!
Thanks to everyone who made a donation to Amnesty.
Now I know what footsore really means!

Burn of Brown

A 17km circuit from Bridge of Brown. The sun actually came out - witness my glowing head that evening!

Burn of Brown from the bridge

Looking across the Burn of Brown from ruins at Tombreck

Looking north down Glen Brown

Sorley on track near Fae

Ray follows the Allt Ionadaidh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Burn at the Bridge of Brown

Tomorrow sees the start of my three day walk from Nethy Bridge!