Day 91 - Eastern Fannaichs

31 July

Originally, I was going to climb the 6 Munros of the Ullapool Hills, but I was slow to get going in the morning. After many cups of tea, I decided I better do something shorter for the day, rather than the huge day on Ullapool. I really should have gone for the Ullapool Munros, but I went for the eastern Fannaichs instead, Munros with easy ridges that link them. It shouldn't be too difficult.

Dad dropped me at the Loch Droma dam, and I headed up towards the hills. Like yesterday, I was on mountains I'd never done before. It makes such a difference when you haven't done them before. It's actually really nice to go somewhere new; refreshing. Repeat visits to old hills creates a comfortable familiarity, but 'shock of the new' is also good.

I also put some music on for the first time in a while. That was really refreshing, and gave me something to focus on and enjoy. Some folk seem not to like music in the hills, probably preferring to soak up the silence, but try going without for three months. :-)

Beinn Liath Mhor Fannaich was my first Munro, another Fannaich lump. I had some views, and got a bit of perspective on the area.

High ridges link the Munros to one another, and I continued to Sgurr Mor, the highest of the Fannaichs. Some cloud moved in, the views disappeared, and I sat by the summit cairn in that silent mist you get, a little drizzle falling out the sky. 2 down, 2 to go.

The mist stayed down for the last Munros, Meall Gorm and An Coileachan. They were good hills but they were quite non-descript. Some compass bearings brought me over the winding ridge and on An Coileachan, I could enjoy the fact I'd completed the Fannaichs in two days. Awesome.

The walk out from An Coileachan, back to the road, is known for being a bit of a drag. Strangely, I found this bit enjoyable. I must have got into a rhythm of dodging bogs and managing to avoid getting caught up in the heather. I put some music on for the final km's back to the road, and mum and dad came up to meet me for the final bit.

So a good day, and strangely unremarkable. It was good to get another day done on schedule. But it did mean that I couldn't put the Ullapool ones off any longer