Day 59 - Loch Lochy

29 June

Dougie was up to join me for the next section; the Knoydart and Glen Garry region.

Dougie's company was much appreciated; it's always nice to have company on the hills, but he also helped take my mind off the Knoydart section to come! Knoydart is a very remote, and very rough region of Scotland. It demands big days any way you look at it, and this was at the core of my worries. It would be an easy place to get behind schedule, and I was already behind.

But the Loch Lochy Munros came first.

Having picked Dougie up from Fort William, we headed up the Great Glen to park at the foot of the Loch Lochy hills. We followed a forestry track in on foot, but in the midst of conversation, completely missed the path up through the trees. The result was a forest-fight until we got into the upper glen between the two Munros.

The weather was misty and grey. Out on the open loch, it was very windy although this didn't seem to affect us too much on the mountains. All in, it was a mellow day, much like Glen Finnan. They seem like great hills, and I'll definitely come back in better weather, but today each Munro was a plod through the mist. Pleasant; but nothing more, nothing less. They are some of the few Munros I haven't ever done, and it was almost surreal to be on a mountain I'd had no previous experience of! Meall na Teanga was first, and by the time we were up Sron a' Choire Ghairbh, I was quite happy to be getting out the wind and rain, and back into the glens.

We followed the path back down into the Great Glen. When we saw the turn-off that we'd missed, we wondered how we'd missed it all! (It was even signposted) A long walk took us back to Laggan and the car, from where we headed to Invergarry and thus onward to Fort Augustus. Here, Dougie recalled staying in a great hostel a few weeks ago.

He was referring to Morag's Hostel, which looked simply amazing when we walked into reception. It has a mood which has to be seen to be believed... So it was a shame they were fully booked - sure a place to go back to in the future, though.

Instead, we found our way to the Stravaiger's Hostel on the other side of the town. A quick curry and we  were off to bed, ready for the Knoydart hills the next day.

Recently, I'd been quite intimidated by the Knoydart Munros. I'd never been before so it was hard to know what to expect. I think it was because I found them hard to relate to on the map. I also recognised that I didn't enjoy having this difficult section several days away, I was happier now they were only a day away. They'd been hanging over me and at last, I'd be getting into them. A bit of a 'crux' of the walk, for sure.

The Loch Lochy Munros were just a warm-up, compared to what was to come...