Sunday, February 24, 2008



Ahhh, Skye. A wondrous place. This is Bla Bheinn, my first "real Munro".

I have been up Nevis before, mid-summer's day 2004, but I don't consider it a real Munro because it has a pavement running all the way from Glen Nevis to the summit. Also an escalator, foot spas every 100 m, and a Starbucks at the top!

Bla Bheinn (aka Blaven) is different. To the un-fit (aka Curly), this is not a stroll in the park. Apparently, it has the greatest average gradient of any Munro - aka "great upness, for not too much alongness".

It was a fantastic day though, accompanied by my now-fiancee, also her sister and brother-in-law (aka the experienced ones).

The start from the Car Park is fairly benign, but that changes higher up, oh doesn't it just! There are some sections where the best description of progress is "a fairly undignified scramble". Once at the top though, the view is awesome - north over the Cuillins, south over Loch Scavaig to Soay and beyond to Canna, Rum, Eigg and Muck.

This was in October - look at that weather, a whole week in the 10th month, in Skye, and it never rained once!

Curly

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