As it was Easter Sunday the bunny was out in force hiding treats along the trail.
The easy walk in along the valley was stunning especially the views up to Sgorr Bhan and Sgorr Dhearg towering above us. (bigger Munros/mountains).
I was starting to get a bit uneasy about Sgorr a' Choise seeing the drop off from the cliffs. For those who know me I am a rubbish mountaineer, I am really scared of heights. I cried the first time I went up Pen Y Fan in Wales and refused to tackle the other tops - I'd now go up them with my eyes closed though and struggle to see sometimes why I was so scared. Despite thinking I have got over my fear sometimes it just gets me, especially if Emma is there or if it is an unfamiliar hill.
There is a path marked up onto the ridge on the OS map but it was nowhere to be seen on the ground. At the lowest point we crossed the river and struck up to the ridge above. We gained it quickly (proud of Emma on the tough terrain) and stopped for lunch.
Our lunch spot
As we continued along the top and it got narrowed I looked at the map and decided to drop down and follow the bottom of the ridge to then head back up as it widened.
We followed a nice sheep path along the bottom and headed it back up, it wasn't too bad, but as it narrowed only a few minutes from the top I got very uneasy especially knowing how far the cliffs dropped back down and decided I wanted to go no further. My main worry was for Emma, at times she is often in a daydream and doesn't seem able to concentrate that well near drops. So we stopped and waited while Mike went to the summit. I was annoyed with myself as I'm sure lots of Scottish mountaineers would treat this minor top as a walk in the park. But I felt safe and I wasn't overly bothered about not finishing the hill. If I'd have been without Emma I'm sure I would have made it, I'm probably too over protective.
As the weather was kind and views good we decided to carry on to the next small rise Meall Bhuige, people probably pass over this rise without noticing it, but it had lovely views to the surrounding area which drew us in and we decided to carry on to the next hill Meall Mor.
A rubbish photo but this shows Sgorr a' Choise
The clocks had gone back the day before so we knew we had lots of daylight to play with. We started heading up about 4.15 (the woes of a very late walk start!) and had to reclimb 350m to get to the top - this was allot for tired legs and Emma did well to do it without complaint.
Ben Nevis - One I can name!
At the bottom I estimated we'd be at the top at 5pm, we stopped to eat the remainder of our snacks en route to the top and made it there 10 minutes early to my suggested time which felt good! The views from the top were fantastic, better than the last hill - I'd highly recommend this hill for good winter views esp of the Aonach Eagach ridge pictured in the background (somewhere I will never venture, please remind me of this if I ever consider it!)
We headed down the broad grassy ridge towards the forestry plantation to follow some more fire breaks back. Mike decided a short cut to the track was in order, but it was more of a long cut over lots of felled trees - giant pick up sticks anyone?!
Once at the track we followed it assuming it was taking the line of the fire break, it was brand new and easy going, we reached the end of it and got a bit confused as it was a dead end. We stopped and checked our position on the GPS as time was ticking on, the track had been built on the old fire break and we had some tree clambering to do to pick up our next one which was hidden with felled trees. Once on it thankfully we found our way through the forest maze and ended up in an archery range - luckily they weren't our firing, but worth bearing in mind if you are coming through the forest earlier in the day - the firing or no firing signs are at the lower entrance near the old quarries marked on the map.
We got back to the car around 7 in the still daylight, tired but happy with our Easter Sunday despite my little wobble.
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