Deganwy Dash

Race: Deganwy Dash 5 mile

Time/Position: 30.08 (12th from 348 [1st V55])

My debut in the V55 category on a beautiful evening along the Conwy estuary. The race didn't go entirely to plan, and I was at least a minute slower than the last time I did it. I was also conscious of the amount of races I have enthusiastically planned over the next few weeks, because I turned 50 at the height of lockdown and was therefore unable to take advantage of being young in the age category! There was a bit of a headwind on the outward leg and I couldn't really hold the pace I started out with, which was a surprise after feeling good on recent preparatory races and parkruns. I caught Will and we were well matched, working together down to the bird reserve into the slight headwind. The twisting bridge always has an adverse effect on times, and did so today as I started to lose ground on the way back to Deganwy. I really started to blow on the last mile as Will pulled ahead, although I didn't lose any more places. Finished in oxygen debt, feeling quite rough, and well down on my best time for the course. Cycled back to Conwy for a recovery pint in the Albion.

Mynydd Myfyr

Race: Mynydd Myfyr hill race

Time/Position: 25.06 (6th from 53 [1st Vet])

A pleasant surprise to finish first V50 in my last ever race in the category - and also, even more surprisingly, the first veteran overall. About 40 or 50 seconds slower than the last time I did this race seven years ago. But it was definitely a tad longer this year, finishing at least 200m beyond the Barley Mow pub, so I think the times are more or less identical, which is pleasing a few days before my 55th birthday. Footwear was a dilemma: I didn't really fancy fell shoes on a route that I remembered containing a lot of road and tracks, as well as the open hill. On the other hand it was raining heavily at the start and I glanced down at my ancient Nike's with a pang of regret. On balance, it was the right choice though and I felt very good on the initial road section from the start next to the Trefonen village shop (which I have fond memories of, as I rehydrated here with a desperate thirst during my 2021 Offa's Dyke completion). The lane gives way to a track which becomes quite steep, and this bit was slippery in my road shoes. It then levels and contours round the back of Mynydd Myfyr before heading up a narrow grassy path to the top. Across the Cynllaith (the longer hillwalking/running event which takes place on the Saturday of the same Trefonen weekend) went up this from a different angle last year: an event I really enjoyed. I lost time on the descent, which was down wet tussocky fields, and I lost contact with the chap in 5th. But as soon as I got to the lanes I was able to open out again and really benefited from the road shoes with a fast finish. After this, Kate and I parked at the Old Racecourse and walked to Selattyn Hill and back: more fond memories of the Offa's Dyke year, exquisite borders scenery, quite wild to the west, pastoral and gentle to the east.

Hope parkrun

'Race': Park in the Past parkrun

Time/Position: 18.41 (3rd from 410)

The idea today was to put in an 85% effort at my new local parkrun, then go flat out at Mynydd Myfyr tomorrow. I did feel more relaxed than at the same event two weeks ago and tried to initiate 'cruise control', but to my surprise I was actually six seconds quicker, which must be a sign that my form is finally improving. It was a little more damp this morning, after the first (light) rain in weeks, but it didn't really hinder things. I jogged there and back across the fields from home again, making a perfect relaxed 10k morning.

Crib Goch

Peaks: Crib Goch, Garnedd Ugain, Yr Wyddfa

Area: Snowdon, Eryri

Morgan's first time across Crib Goch. He is five years older than when I first did it, which is my fault for delaying it so long. This was a great day, although the weather was a little cloudier than the perfect blue skies that have prevailed since I got back from Scotland. I dropped M off at Pen y Pass and drove across the Conwy border to the free lay-by, then ran back up to PyP in 11 minutes. An energetic but satisfying start, and we then set a decent pace on the Pyg track up to Bwlch y Moch, the early clag starting to lift revealing Crib Goch ahead, always an impressive sight. At the bwlch, we headed off and M really enjoyed the East Ridge, up which we took a good line, just picking our way up with the occasional mild tutorial. A little sunshine was playing around as we reached the top of Crib Goch in around an hour from PyP. We then enjoyed a delightful crossing of the ridge, me keeping a close eye on M, but he had no issues and we kept just to the left of the crest, traversed the first two pinnacles and then took a short break below the last one in a pool of warm sunshine. No issues for this, after which the meat of the route is done. We had a snack at Bwlch Goch then really enjoyed Crib y Ddisgyl, sticking to the crest as the clag cleared from Yr Wyddfa. At Garnedd Ugain, we decided to continue to the top of Snowdon (which M had only done twice before) and even popped into Hafod Eryri, which I've never done before. I did offer him the chance to continue around the Horseshoe, but we opted to descend the Miners instead. This was very pleasant, sunny in places and not too crowded. I ran down the side path to Pen y Gwryd in order to retrieve the car, which actually took longer than the run up in the morning. 

Y Garn (Rhinogydd)

Peaks: Y Garn 

Area: Rhinogydd, Eryri

One of Eryri's most obscure and least ascended peaks: even I have only done it once or perhaps twice before. It is isolated from the rest of the Rhinogs, and can only really be climbed from Ganllwyd. I slept in the van by the Afon Mawddach and set off almost as soon as I woke up, around 5.30am. A steep road leads through woodland to beautiful pastures with views across to Rhobell Fawr. These views became truly stunning as the sun rose over that mountain: some light cloud rendering the light and conditions even more magical. Higher up, the path gets quite narrow and difficult to follow, heading along a dry stone wall for a time. The top is a confusing place indeed, with multiple knolls and hollows, only one of which is the high point (48 minutes from the van). Great views over Diffwys and the main Rhinog ridge, with the low sun lighting the landscape to perfection. A gentle and very enjoyable jog down to the van, with a breakfast bacon bap in Bala breaking the journey home (which I reached at 9am!).

Rhinogydd loop from Cwm Mynach

Peaks: Rhinog Fach, Y Llethr, Crib y Rhiw

Area: Rhinogydd, Eryri

Cwm Mynach really is tucked away, a hidden gem even by the standards of the Rhinogydd. If I have been here before, it was a long time ago - with Steve on one of our early traverses of the range around 1990 perhaps? After meeting Hayley and Allan in Dolgellau, I suggested basing ourselves here and doing a southerly loop. This time last year I did the N-S traverse solo, and I always feel the Rhinogs have a sense of occasion to them, it's a special place. The weather was even more perfect than last year, crystal clarity, deep blue skies, as it has been for weeks. Not too hot either, which helped for the long approach along tracks through Cwm Mynach for which we adopted a very gentle jogging approach (they had both done Ras y Gader yesterday). This is a mixture of native woodland and conifers, with lots of cuckoos and wood warblers. Llyn Cwm Mynach is hidden by the trees and the route continues to head north at a crossroads to eventually cross Pont y Brenin at some old cottages (and a slate bothy worth noting!). From here, Rhinog Fach looms from an unfamiliar angle, and getting there was surprisingly simple and well trodden. A little path leads up to lonely Llyn y Bi which I have often looked down on from the ridge above. Then a comfortable contouring path leads up to gain the familiar terrain of the main ridge crossing above Llyn Hywel, one of Eryri's finest spots, looking particularly stunning as we emerged: blue waters shimmering with the sea and Llyn glistening beyond. A rocky haul up Rhinog Fach and then a slightly unwise detour down the steep slopes near the South Ridge right down to the shores of Llyn Hywel. Awkward, although it meant we could avoid the steep scree to Y Llethr by rounding the lake to the west and climbing the vague shoulder which leads to the Llethr plateau. All relatively comfortable, and the theme continues for the grassy runnable terrain heading south with wonderful views of Cader and the sea. We encountered a large group of runners here, the first people we'd seen all day - just like old times in the Rhinogs. At Crib y Rhiw. we skipped over a stile and took a steep path down to old mine workings and this led fairly comfortably back to fire tracks on the other side of Cwm Mynach. We were very dehydrated by this point, as it has been so dry most of the small streams have dried up. A delightful circuit, really enjoyable, and a nice private bathing stream back at the van in Cwm Mynach. After fish and chips in Barmouth I headed towards Ganllwyd and spent the night in the van at Pont Ty'n y Groes.

Christleton 5k

Race: Christleton 5k

Time/Position: 17.55 (130 from 533)

It must be 20 years since I last did Christleton, and this was intended as a pressure-free sharpener in advance of the new age category. The basic plan was to get as close as possible to 18 minutes, so I was very pleased to go under, albeit only by a few seconds. I went off hard, which is inevitable in a hyper competitive field. Very crowded initially, and it did all bring back vague memories. It is one and a half laps on closed roads round the village, slightly reminiscent of Nos Galan in the sense that there's a good atmosphere on the double loop through the village itself, and no traffic. Like Mid-Cheshire and Capenhurst, this race attracts an extremely competitive field from far and wide. I couldn't hold the early pace but did manage to retain a reasonable momentum on the slight gradient back into the finish at the school. Another beautiful warm and sunny evening.

Pandy Quarry climbing

Routes: Brexit Stage Left (f5b:sec), The Urchin (f6a:sec), With the Crowbar (f6a+:sec), Yellow Peril (f5c:led), Alyn Wall (f6a+:sec)

Crag: Pandy Quarry/Pen y Fron

Back on rock for the first time in a very long time, so it was nice to go to a new venue, the slightly scruffy quarry near Pantymwyn that I have ran past a few times but never climbed on. Most of the routes are newly bolted and by the standards of UK quarried limestone (not high!) are worthwhile. We kicked off with an awkward and dusty line on the right and then Peter led the slightly harder line of The Urchin, which was a tad overgraded. The line to its right was better, nice moves shuffling out to a vague arete and finishing up this delicately. I then led the route in the middle, Yellow Peril, which has a steep move at the start but then nice, slabby climbing to a slightly steeper finish on good holds. Overgraded again, and a little dusty, but a nice route and confidence boost. As the sun hit the face, we moved round to the meatier part of the crag on the right, much cleaner and steeper, and a fair bit higher with longish 20m pitches. Peter led Alyn Wall, which was a good route. A vague groove/seam trends left with some tricky moves up to a steep bulge. As my layoff has been so long, I am weak, so was quite pleased just to be able to do the moves without getting overly pumped. We both turned the bulge on the right to an easier finish: nice route up the full length of the face. A pint of Butty Bach in the Crown followed.

Berwyn loop

Peaks: Moel Fferna (630m), Cerrig Coedion (593m), Pen y Lladron (604m), Pen Bwlch Llandrillo (621m)

Area: Berwyn

Some sections of this outing were so obscure that even I had never been there before. The long spell of perfect high pressure continues and I set off from Cynwyd up the familiar route of the North Berwyn Way under deep blue skies. This leads up steep lanes to a now overgrown path through woods (it doesn't seem to be getting enough traffic) and then the wide open spaces of the Berwyn moorland proper. It is a long haul to the top of Moel Fferna - I've done it in 45 minutes in the past but was glad just to break the hour today. So far, so familiar, with the usual expansive views across to Cadair Berwyn (very clear today). However, I then embarked on a long traverse of the undulating land over to the Wayfarer's Pass. This does have a very narrow - 6 inch wide - path through the heather, but it all takes some time as the path is very tenuous and the terrain awkward. Wonderfully empty and remote though, even by the standards of the range. And my feet were dry - this is an extreme novelty in the Berwyn! I passed over the minor top of Cerrig Coediog and then a longer climb up Cefn Perfedd (also known as Pen y Lladron, interestingly) which has two marker stones on top. The path improves and widens over this top although that is temporary. It got a little boggy and hard to follow up to the final top, which I have been up before (many years ago), generally known as Pen Bwlch Llandrillo. From here it is a short trot down to the Wayfarer's Pass. I was much more tired than I had expected to be, and this continued for the long but entirely runnable descent down lovely tracks to Cynwyd, reversing the Tegid Way that we did for our long festive outing in 2019.

Hope parkrun

'Race': Park in the Past parkrun (Hope)

Time/Position: 18.47 (5th from 423)

Just a short jog from home, this new parkrun seemed too good to be true when I first heard about it last week. But after a low key launch last weekend, hundreds had got wind of it this morning, although as I could just jog 2k across the fields from home, parking wasn't an issue for me. The course looked initially like it would be too narrow for the numbers, but actually it seemed to work out fairly well. An initial 1.4km loop goes along the lake to cut back through the restored fort. After a congested start, I deliberately went hard round the first lap and then eased a bit for the second, after which the route embarks on a long out-and-back along the wide track to the far end of the lake. Perfect conditions, beautifully sunny and dry underfoot throughout, although I can imagine muddier scenes in winter. After a good tempo run along the seafront in Rhyl on Thursday, the training is starting to pick up in advance of my imminent age category change!

White Coomb loop

Peaks: White Coomb (821m), Firthhope Rig, Donald's Cleugh Head, Firthybrig Head, Mid Craig

Area: Southern Uplands, Scotland

A magical early morning outing after parking up at Grey Mare's Tail last night. I decided just to get a few hours sleep in the van and start whenever I woke up, as I had to be back home by late morning. It was a really atmospheric place to spend the night and I woke with the first glimmers of light around 4am, very cold again, a light frost, although not as uncomfortable as last night. I made a coffee by the light of my headtorch, then set off in lots of layers up the well-travelled path up the right-hand side of the steep valley containing the Grey Mare's Tail, which wasn't at its best after all the dry weather. As a result, however, I could cross the stream almost immediately above the waterfall and then ploughed up the open hill towards White Coomb. This is the highest point in this part of the Southern Uplands, and the path does get steep at times after the vague top of Tarnberry. But I got to the summit cairn (light frost) in 45 minutes, just as the sun rose at around 5am, an absolutely spectacular moment. With no need to conserve energy, and a need to get home fairly quickly, this was always intended to be a running circuit, so I was delighted to find perfect terrain, tracks and paths leading over the minor bumps like Firthhope Rig all the way round. The sun gradually rose, casting stunning orange light over every nook and crease in the landscape. Needless to say, I was completely alone. I realised that descending to tranquil Loch Skeen would involve bog trotting, and I'd had enough of that, so I contoured trackless terrain to Mid Craig, a sharper summit which I calculated would have a proper path down to the Loch. It did, and the waters edge was wonderful in the morning light. Then came a comfortable trot down the standard path dropping past the waterfall back to the van. Only 90 minutes, but a memorable run in memorable early morning conditions, and the perfect coda to the trip. An easy drive back via breakfast at Annandale, home well before midday.

Glen Spean peaks

Peaks: Beinn a'Chaorainn (1052m), Beinn Teallach (915m)

Area: Glen Spean, Scotland

Perhaps not the best option for my last proper Highlands day of the trip, but it was a Bank Holiday and I wanted to at least be in position for a light traffic drive. That said, given that I had plans to stop for a few hours sleep in the Southern Uplands I probably should have stayed further west. This is because these two are not the most interesting of hills. I drove down Loch Arkaig after yesterday's peaks, got a few provisions in Spean Bridge, then slept at the Creag Meagaidh reserve, where I have spent the night before. It was very cold in the night, at least -3C, possibly lower, and uncomfortable at times in the van. Having already done a lot of the mountains in the area, I drove to Roughburn where - after a nightmarish hour looking for my van keys - I set off through the forest towards Beinn a'Chaorainn. This is a runnable track initially, although I was obviously rather fatigued. It leads to a further very vague route through thick conifers then pathless terrain to the knolls of Meall Clachaig. Above this, I stumbled across a much better path, which led to a bouldery section reminiscent of the Carneddau and eventually the south summit of Charorainn, which has three distinct little tops although with little between them. The route across was probably the highlight of the day, really pleasant although short lived as I was moving reasonably quickly, and the views across to Creag Meagaidh and (especially) behind to the Grey Corries and Ben Nevis were excellent. The cwms east of the ridge are also wild and rocky, easily the best side of the profile. The day was cloudless with superb visibility but not too hot with a cool breeze. The central top was the summit, and I descended trackless ground after the north top, probably too early, to gain the broad col of Tom Mor. From here, I made my way up to the NNE ridge of Teallach which was surprisingly enjoyable, and not too long. This is because Beinn Teallach is the lowest Munro of all, and was only promoted after a remeasure in the 1980s (this was my 156th Munro, although I always say I am not a 'bagger'). I had a nice rest picking out peaks in the stunning weather on the summit. The descent was a delightful jog on springy turf initially, but deteriorated to unpleasant bog below, after which the trudge back to the car was longer and harder than I had anticipated. I was really quite tired by now, after 7000-8000m of elevation gain since Wednesday afternoon and the marathon still in my legs. I then drove to Grey Mare's Tail near Moffat, not pleasant with Bank Holiday traffic clogging the roads around Perth and Edinburgh so it was a relief to stop for a kebab in Penicuik (!) before continuing via Peebles and St Mary's Loch in perfect evening weather.

Loch Arkaig peaks

Peaks: Sgurr nan Coireachan (953m), Garbh Chioch Beag, Garbh Chioch Mhor (1013m)

Area: Knoydart, Scotland

Knoydart is one of Scotland's wildest and most wonderful corners, and this was my third visit. Strictly speaking, these hills are not in Knoydart proper, but they have all the attributes of the area. I did Sgurr na Ciche from Sourlies in April 1998 with Rob and Pete, but am almost certain we descended the gully rather than continuing over this ridge. After a leisurely breakfast by the van, I got on the bike and was delighted to be able ride all the way past Glendessary lodge to the last cottage in the valley, shaving 3k or so off a lengthy outing. From here, a long and boggy trudge along the path to Sourlies, which I vaguely remembered from 1998. After a few miles, a path branches off for the first peak, Coireachan, and rather like Gulvain on Friday it is bleakly obvious that this will be a relentless haul. It was, although relieved by increasingly interesting views to the west and wild Loch Nevis. Towards the top, like Fraoch Beinn yesterday, it eases and becomes a pleasant ridge for a short while to the summit. Superb views over to Garbh Chioch Mhor and Sgurr na Ciche, right up there as a Highlands view. Beyond Loch Nevis, Eigg and Rum, picking out all the summits I did on my 2021 visit. Further right, and closer, Loch Quioch and the peaks like Spidean Mialaich that I did this time last year. The ridge drops very steeply and loses a lot of height to the Bealach Coire nan Gall. The rest of the ridge is complex with lots of little crags, but really enjoyable. I tried to scramble where I could but the whole thing was wonderful, in perfect weather with light fluffy clouds and glorious sunshine, never too warm. The smaller summit is taken in before an even better rocky ridge curves round to the summit of Garbh Choich Mhor. I had this to myself, even better views west, then descended to the atmospheric little col of the Feadan na Ciche, last visited 27 years ago. That day was cold with wet snow, but as I had already done Sgurr na Ciche I cut the traverse short and descended the wonderful rocky gully to the west, which is the only escape route. This is steep and weaving, with some light scrambling, and eventually allows for an escape east over the pass that forms the gates of Knoydart. The return path back to Glen Dessary is fairly arduous as it is so boggy. But it went reasonably well and I was back at the bike in just under four hours, which isn't too bad given the nature of the terrain. A lovely gravel ride back to the car and a much needed feed.

Fraoch Beinn

Peaks: Fraoch Beinn (858m)

Area: Glen Dessary, Scotland 

It was wonderful to be back at the remote far end of Loch Arkaig, 27 years since I was last here en route to Sourlies bothy. Although the lake is quite tame at the eastern end, by the time you get to Strathan along a tortuous narrow road it takes on its Western Highlands ambience, and the weather was now definitively improving. A bank holiday weekend, so lots of people had the same idea, but I got a perfect overnight spot a mile or two east of Strathan. The dominant mountain from here is Sgurr Thuilm, which I did from Glenfinnan a few years ago. I was tired after the parkrun and the last few days so pinpointed Fraoch Beinn, a Corbett not far from the roadhead, as the ideal afternoon outing. I cycled down to Strathan and then along the track for a mile or so before leaving the bike and striking up towards the south-west ridge. I left the big track fairly quickly and just picked my way up, there was no path as far as I could tell, which tends to happen as soon as you leave the munros. The weather was constantly improving and the views were superb - Gulvain, Streap and Thuilm the most notable but the mountains of Knoydart also coming into view. The ridge begins to coalesce towards the top but progress was tiring for obvious reasons. Eventually I found a little path and the top section was really enjoyable. From the top, new views over Loch Quioch and the peaks I had enjoyed so much this time last year. Sgurr Mor was also impressive. I tried to follow the path on the descent but lost it fairly quickly, descending steep slopes back to the track and bike. A tranquil evening on the shores of Loch Arkaig.

Fort William parkrun

'Race': Fort William parkrun

Time/Position: 20.15 (5th from 66)

With my imminent age category change, I was conscious that I can't be constantly plodding slowly up hills, so I mixed things up with a parkrun this morning. And a splendid parkrun too, around the Nevis range north of Fort William, which I recognised from the mountain bike world championships I think. Not the quickest course, as you might expect, and I was obviously rather tired after the last few days. But it went fairly well, a gentle drag on forest tracks before a rapid downhill to the turn, and then an undulating finale along firepaths, forest tracks and dirt paths, quite reminiscent of Llandegla. A final little hill and a slow time, but acceptable in the circumstances. I then drove all the way to Strathan at the end of Loch Arkaig, a complete contrast.

Gulvain

Peaks: Gulvain (987m)

Area: Kinlocheil, Scotland

This peak is usually referred to as 'secretive' or 'mysterious'. It is indeed hidden from most roads and appealingly remote, and it ticked a lot of boxes for me today, forming the perfect transitional outing as I made my way to the wild west. I had camped in a superb spot at Callop, looking up at Sgurr Guibhesachan, a peak I did a few years ago, while drinking tea and having my evening meal. Part of the appeal of Gulvain was the potential to cycle a fair bit of the approach so that's what I did next morning, another late start waiting for an improvement in the weather which was still a bit drizzly, cold and claggy. The ride was really enjoyable, up a good track from Kinlocheil through Gleann Fionnlighe, which becomes increasingly wild and delightful. At Dail nan Uamachan, there is an old deserted building, and after this the track deteriorates but remained mostly rideable on my gravel bike. Gulvain now emerges properly ahead, a huge lump from this angle. I left my bike at the edge of the woodland and continued on foot up the glen, now wide open. At the end looms a bleakly obvious 700m slog up the south-western slopes. This was hard work, a relentless grind, although it was enlivened by changing weather patterns with threatening clouds over Moidart and nice views across to the nearby Sgurr Thuilm ridge I did in 2021. The steepness eases at a mini-plateau, when it started to rain and the mist came down at this point. A short rocky section leads up to a trigpoint, which for some reason is on this lower South Summit, meaning that apparently many people miss the main summit, which is much further away. No such issues for me, as the mist cleared and I could see the lovely looking ridge ahead. The cloud base constantly flirted with the summit, but from time to time I could see down to the wild valleys on either side and ahead to Strathan where I intended to head next. The ridge is nicely narrow in places and I wanted it to go on for much longer. The summit finally comes, miles from the road with a powerfully remote atmosphere although again the mist came down as I reached it. Gulvain is actually an anglicisation of Gaor Bheinn, which seems odd for such a hidden mountain. I had a snack at the only sheltered spot near the south top, and then the only alternative is to reverse steps back to the bike (2:50 and 13k/1200m, not including the biking). The weather never fully cleared and it was cold throughout, but Gulvain was an excellent option today. Back at the van, I had lunch and then headed back to Callop for another pleasant evening, with a bit more sunshine this time.

Beinn Achaladair, Beainn a'Chreachain

Peaks: Beinn Achaladair (1038m), Meall Bhuidhe, Beinn a'Chreachain (1081m)

Area: Breadalbane, Scotland

These two were a pleasant surprise, and considerably more interesting than their more famous neighbour Beinn Dorain which I remember slogging up a few days after the Jura Fell Race in 2014. In fact, both felt wilder than the average Southern Highlands peak, which might be due to their position. The weather changed in the night, with rain giving way to morning drizzle, low cloud and much colder temperatures. So I took my time, had a bacon bap, and relaxed for a bit before detecting an improvement (which was forecast) and setting off from the bleak car park near Achaladar farm. A trudge across moorland leads to the bigger slog up Coire Achaladair: I had been up this before en route to Dorain and it is a fair old slog. The cloud was lifting a little, although slowly, and I felt much better than yesterday after a good night's sleep. In fact I was surprised how good I felt, which boded well for future outings on this trip, the marathon seemingly out of my legs. At the top of the Coire, an easing and then a very windy few minutes at the broad col. This wind turned into a tailwind up to the South top of Achaladair, although it was also very cold, quite an intense windchill. Occasional glimpses through the mist towards Rannoch Moor. During one clearance I assumed I was looking across to the final peak of Beinn a'Chreachain. It was actually just the main Achaladair summit, which I reached fairly quickly as the mist came down again: very cold so I didn't hang around. The weather finally cleared properly just after I left the summit, revealing the superb crags to the north, as well as the vast expanse of Rannoch Moor. A steep descent with some rocky sections to Bealach an Aoghlainn. A steep pull from this gains the subsidiary summit of Meall Bhuidhe, now in sunshine. Superb views over the Southern Highlands. I still felt fresh for the final climb to Beinn a'Chreachain, not as shapely as Achaladair but nicely remote feeling and a long way from any road, reminiscent of a peak much further north. Again, it was cold and windy but now sunny with light mist. The route down was delightful, down a broad ridge initially and then down runnable grass to the wild cwm containing Lochan Chreachain. I had a snack here and a drink from the stream. Lower down, the path hugs the side of a steep stream down to wonderful Caledonian pines and the Water of Tulla, which has to be forded (there used to be a bridge). Beinn Achaladair looks very impressive here. Finally, a long slog along the tracks to Achaladair Farm and the remains of a C17 castle, and then the car for a much needed feed. Better, but also longer at 22.5k/1450m, than I had anticipated.