Day 41 - Devil's Point to Braeriach

11 June

Michael Kerrigan, Colin Lamont and myself were staying at Corrour, and today would be my last Cairngorm Munros for now.

The link up of Corrour - Devil's Point - Cairn Toul - Sgor an Lochain Uaine - Braeriach - Ski Centre is a classic. Privately, I'm so glad I did these summits and went straight back to the ski centre rather than cutting back across the Moine Mhor to get the remaining Cairngorms. I think that would have brought the day down a bit, especially since the weather was closing in for the first time in a couple of weeks. I haven't had any ambition to complete the Cairngorms in one continuous trip this year, probably because this was something I did last summer with Struan.

Michael and Colin in Corrour

After breakfast, Colin and I packed up and said farewell to Michael, until next time! And we proceeded to blast up The Devils's Point with barely a pause, and onwards and onwards and onwards. Going walking with Colin was a bit like sticking a rocket up the bahookey, and that sense of continuous urgent movement was actually very refreshing.

It was good to walk fast and not be too worried about tiring myself out. There was additional urgency in the air, since it was obvious the weather was turning. The big blue skies were gone, now the winds were picking up. The ambience was raw and the air cool.

Stob Coire an t-Saighdeir

But the Braeriach plateau was completely out the mist, so there was no need to navigate and it meant we could see right into An Garbh Choire, certainly once of the wildest bits of land in Scotland. It's amazing, and immense. The photos didn't seem to do it justice, but the sight of those mega-coire's isn't one you'll forget in a hurry...

The first three Munros had passed seemingly almost as soon as we'd started. The plateau to Braeriach was absolutely wild and felt exposed. There's no easy way out, you just walk and walk across miles of high ground, all stone and gravel. Even the grasses seem to have given up trying to grow here. The wind was picking up, and for the first time in weeks, my fingers went numb. It's one of my favourite places in the Cairngorms; and it summarises the way I feel about them now: it's their power that captures me. West coast ridges like the Aonach Eagach etc, are wonderful and inspiring, but there's something about the wide open spaces of the Cairngorms that is inhuman. It's powerful.

Garbh Choire Dhaidh, Braeriach

We reached the summit of Braeriach in good time, stopped for a few photos, then very quickly started the descent. It was getting cold! The wind was biting and picking up it's pace. Just as well; as we headed of Sron na Lairige, rain began to spit and the wind began to blast. Mist closed in on the plateau and conditions would be getting pretty bad up there now. We'd really scooted across the plateau, all thrusters firing and I was very glad that we'd done so.

Lairig Ghru

Now just to make good time back to the car. Colin suggested running back to the car park after the Chalamain Gap. I quietly dismissed the idea, I don't really enjoy running. But we climbed through the gap, bounced across the boulders and emerged out the other side with just a 3km stretch back to the car park where dad was waiting to pick me up.

Then we started a jog. Now this has never happened to me before - to my surprise, I found that a slow run didn't require any more from the cardiovascular system, it was just a bit more painful in the legs; and much faster than a fast walk. If we'd walked it all, it would have become grinding. When we reverted to walking, it was simply refreshing.

So I had a bit of eureka moment: I now get hill-running! It seems more efficient than simply walking, and it seems that a higher all-round fitness has allowed me to enjoy it in a way I hadn't before. I like to feel different activities 'click', and understand what brings people to do them.

Colin and I made it back to the Sugarbowl car park at 4:15pm, 5 hours and 55 minutes after we'd started out at Corrour. A great time, especially with all the camping kit on our backs.

That concludes my Cairngorms for the moment. Those three and a half days made the greatest impression of any section of the Munro Round so far. I can't wait to get back and explore the Gorms - I'd almost be happy going through the valleys, and that's something I say about very few places! Moving on, I've finally broken through to the Spey Valley and Laggan, something I've been looking forward to for a couple of weeks. I'll be going west to Fort William, slowly and then I'll cross the Great Glen. Whoa.

But a rest day awaits, first...

Day 40 - Central Cairngorms

10 June

An exceptional day in every form, and among the best so far.

It was the 'big day', over the meatiest section of the Cairngorms, where plateaux, lochs, and cliffs of stunning severity are all mashed up into this arctic-like paradise. Add to that the brilliant blue skies of this day, and I was onto a winner.

I woke up at the Hutchison, which was clamped down in thick mist - bit of a bummer. After breakfast, I left Ian and his dog Mallie mid-morning for the walk to Loch Etchachan. The cloud base was lifting and very soon it shredded against the flanks of Beinn Mheadhoin and broke up completely, to reveal a fresh blue sky beyond.

The Hutchison, looking vastly improved

Loch Etchachan, 3000 feet up, was silent and still, yet so impressive. The deep blue skies were reflected in the cold waters. Lingering snow fields dipped their toes into the water, turning turquoise. A magic place. But if I was to continue happily, some TLC was needed: brush teeth, drink (lots of) water, eat a lot. I'd traveled 80km the previous two days, and if I were to continue I'd need to get fueled and as comfortable as possible.

Loch Etchachan

My first Munro, Beinn Mheadhoin was a bit of a drag, but only because I wanted to be further on with my day! Corrour bothy, the night's destination, seemed very far away. Down the far side of Mheadhoin, I crossed the River Avon at the loch outflow. The water was fast-flowing, and cold with the snowmelt. That took a minute or two to recover from... I sat on the far bank and ate some more while my legs dried out in the sun.

Bynack More was the real outlier on this route, so I left my rucksack and headed out to it's isolated summit. It felt like effort I could do without, all the way out and back. I wasn't so sure I was enjoying my day yet, but I was sure I would make it whatever the cost.

Ben Macdui and the Loch Avon basin, looking mighty

Back at the Saddle, I picked up my rucksack and started the big plod to Cairn Gorm. From there it would be a long plateau walk to Ben Macdui and then onto Corrour. My brain simply switched off, happy to be making 'real' progress, and I seemed to fly up the south face without much concious thought. Loch Avon looked amazing and by the time I got to the summit I was ecstatic!

Lochan Buidhe, Ben Macdui

Near the summit, I noticed someone striding toward me, shopping bag in hand. I didn't think much of it, then looked back five minutes later: it had to be Monty, with the bag of shopping I'd asked him to bring along! He'd got the bus up and was to join me over Macdui to Corrour and back over the Devil's Point and Braeriach the following day. We reached the summit a short time later.

We raced up Carn a' Mhaim and then plodded down the worst Cairngorm heather-covered boulderfield you can imagine. Corrour was waiting, the day was drawing to a close. Once again, I'd done many miles and was very glad to still feel fresh. Fitness levels are good at the moment.

Braeriach - Cairn Toul. Wow!

Colin, looking fresh(er than me) and carrying my shopping!

And then a couple last surprises - Richard Goodman had given me a "good luck" in the bothy book, much to my pleasant surprise. To top the evening off, none other than Michael Kerrigan came through the front door, completely unannounced and with a bag of Doritos in hand. (I can't help myself!). Thanks guys.

As the light died, the summits grew cloud caps and we settled in for a night in Corrour, the bothy's only occupants.

Day 39 - Eastern Cairngorms

I began the Cairngorms seeing them as a mental block, and ended them with the most fulfilling several days I’ve yet done.

I’d been looking at the Cairngorms for a while. When I first saw them close to hand at the start of June, they looked like they’d stepped straight out of Antarctica. It was sobering to see. I went on my way ticking off the Grampian Munros in perfect weather, watching snow melting off the Cairngorms, the high stony peaks climbing into blue skies. I had so long to wait until I finally got on them! Would the good weather hold out?

On the 8th June, I’d climbed An Sgarsoch and Carn an Fhidhleir, two Munros still outstanding, and located in the middle of nowhere. I was feeling rushed becuase I had to walk into the Cairngorms that evening. The weather window would end in three day's time - just the amount of time I needed to get through the Cairngorms. Dad and I rushed back to Braemar, got a meal, I typed out a quick blog post (sorry if it showed!) and got gear sorted. Then the clincher: the Cairngorms map was nowhere to be found. Dad needed be heading home – work in the morning. I needed a map quick. The Fife Arms staff couldn’t help, neither could folk at the bar.

The Youth Hostel was the answer. I came out £7 down, happy with a new map, and headed off to Keiloch where dad finally dropped me. After so long looking at the Cairngorms, I was finally going to be on them.

Sunset, Gleann an t-Slugain

With a rucksack bulging and crammed to capacity, I marched off past the old pines into Gleann an t-Slugain. I was speeding to beat the night, (not that there is much nighttime right now) and walked in wonder to the sight of dark pines and sky on fire in the sunset. Deer watched silently from the woods then trotted off. Detail and scale of distant Beinn a' Bhuird was lost among the gathering twilight and curls of wispy mist rolled in across the hills as the light finally failed.

After the long walk in, I settled in at 11pm, candle light shimmering on stone walls, the bothy door shut behind. I cooked a last meal and turned over to sleep.

Slugain

9 June

The following morning after breakfast, I set off for my first Cairngorm Munro, Ben Avon. The skies were heavy, and a huge black cloud above Beinn a’ Bhuird made me nervous. But I was walking on good paths, all the way to The Sneck, which is the name for the saddle between Ben Avon and Beinn a’ Bhuird. Ben Avon was a popular place, and the atmosphere was suddenly social rather than pleasantly isolated.

Ben Avon summit tor, Leabaidh an Diamh Bhuidhe (try pronounce that!)

Myself and Struan climbed these Munros last year and I was happy to revisit them. They seemed easier this time, which could just be a fitness thing. I was glad to see they were easy walking, lots of flat terrain where I could switch off and go into auto-mode. Beinn a’ Bhuird is a huge, flat mountain with enormous glacially-scooped coires that would repay a lot of further exploration. It's 1197m high: the 11th highest Munro. I've been up it twice and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface.

The advantage of the high mountains is that the terrain tends to get easier the higher you go, the grasses and heather thin out. The walking, especially in the Cairngorms is more akin to walking along a beach since the granite erodes into gravelly balls. Once I'd finished the first two Munros, it seemed an inconvenience to dip back to the heather-clad 900m contour and climb the next two of my day; Beinn Bhreac and Beinn a’ Chaorainn. You have to cross the Moine Bhealaidh to complete these: flat miles of heather, peat hag and grass, with a Munro at either end, each just a rocky swelling. I picked them off in turn, starting with Beinn Bhreac, beginning to tire of the relentless heather plodding. Leaving the rucksack each time was a minor relief, Beinn a’ Chaorainn was a simple formality and I descended back to the rucksack and headed off for the Hutchison Hut.

Dark skies from Beinn a' Chaorainn

There, I met Ian, who was bothying in the Cairngorms with his dog Mallie (named after the bothy!). We shared a lot of good chat, I learned yet more about the Cairngorms. As a range, the Gorms are a slow-burner and the meeting somehow made the trip feel much deeper. I got a real sense of the deep cultural history of these hills, of which I’m always learning more. I understand for the first time how someone could spend a lifetime exploring this range. They're like an island on their own, elevated in altitude from surrounding Scottish mountains. Their character is unique, sometimes inhuman and there is just so much depth.

Hutchison Memorial Hut

Reluctant to break the flowing conversation, I packed my rucksack once more after dinner, and climbed Derry Cairngorm that night. I would regret it in the morning if I didn't, when I already had a big day planned. I climbed directly up from the bothy for Derry Cairngorm, light mist rolling in and out, the evening sun breaking through to give life to the blue mist. I enjoyed the fifth Munro of my day, but ultimately it was a relief to descend to the bothy and be done with hills for the night.

Day 37 & 38 - Lochnagar 5 (Munro #100) & Geldie pair

7 June

Yesterday, I climbed the five Munros of Lochnagar. I'd started out from home once again because I'd had to get the car back (Mum needed it)... So it meant that I started the Lochnagar Munros quite late in the day, after the inevitable getting up, packing and driving. Dad dropped me at the Spittal of Glenmuick and I set of at half past one.

I'd meant to go over these hills with Andy Brown, but he'd got there on time, I was horrendously late, and he ended up going up by himself - we never met up on the plateau.

I was looking forward to getting this group done, because it would efficively mean I'd climbed all the hills from Blair Atholl to Braemar. I've done a lot of high-tally days recently and this was the last in the region.

A lunchtime start meant that the sun pounded down on the long walk by Loch Muick. I took the high track to Broad Cairn and worked fast to make up time lost by our late arrival. The air today was hazy and warm, heavy clouds drifted. It reminded me of those dramatic oil landscape paintings.

The walk to Broad Cairn felt long, but the next Munros all made up for it. Cairn Bannoch, Carn an t-Sagairt Mor and Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach followed in quick succession. They're all Munros, but they're big rounded humps; long distances but little ascent. It's easy to walk with speed but you have to walk quite a long time to get anywhere. The plateaux were brown and orange today, the colour of the sun filtered through hazy air. Surrounding peaks were mostly climbed now, and ranged off into murk. At a stretch, I could see Schiehallion. But the Cairngorms weren't climbed yet, it wouldn't be long now until I was there.

Without a doubt, the most spectacular part of the day was coming over the top of Lochnagar, the cliffs opening up right beneath my feet. It was a real high point of recent days. Dad was a mile away on the opposite side of the coire, standing on Meikle Pap taking photos of me on the summit of Lochnagar and sweetest of all, it was my 100th Munro of the trip. A big moment; finally out of double figures! I spent time on the summit, exploring the tops of the cliffs, then staring in awe down at the huge voids of air as I walked around the coire rim.

Dad was on his way back to the Spittal, and I followed in his tracks as the sun set, casting hill and moor in intense evening colour.

And then my day was made: "Well done Kev. 100th Munro". Andy had written it in the ground for me. I stood for a moment figuring it out and then laughed out loud. Thanks Andy! And sorry I was so late.

Dad and I camped in Glen Cluanie, south of Braemar. I scoffed a couple pf curries and had a late bed. I was even too tired to get a blog done. But the weather conditions were perfect: not too cold, dry and not a midge in sight. I keep having perfect camps with dad. Long may they continue; should the midge hold off.

8 June

Today saw me up two Munros. They're the very final Munros of the section from Blair Atholl to Braemar: rounded hills and bog for endless miles. As a group, they've been very kind to me. The weather has simply been phenomenal. In previous visits, I'd occasionally found them quite tedious in their long aching miles. But I've had a great time. Summits have come and gone very quickly, the numbers and the miles have cranked up with me on top of them, almost unaware of just how fast I'm accelerating.

Today's Munros were were in the back end of nowhere, vast humpbacks of heather and snow in the very inner reaches of Atholl. By the standards of most Munros, they are infrequently visited.

I'd planned to climb them on the 1st June, but Steve (my bro) had asked if I'd be back his birthday, so I left them until now. It was also great to do them with James, Struan and Ian, who I haven't seen for far too long!

We cycled up to Geldie Lodge via White Bridge and left the bikes. In the pre-mountain bike days, these hills were an extremely long walk, but nowadays they can be done reasonably in a day. Even then, it was a longer trip than I'd expected. It's typical of the Atholl area that hills will take longer than they appear to on the map. Miles of heather-covered slope are wearisome, and these hills just that!

We did Carn an Fhidhleir first, with the thinking that it would be good to get the far one done first. We headed up long slopes to the summit, with the sun bearing down and the air warm. The Cairngorms, just to the north, were magnificent. Soon I would be crossing them.

An Sgarsoch was another big heathery dome, and we made it in fairly quick time. None of the four of us had been to this summit before. That says something for the inaccessibility of these hills, despite their location south of the Great Glen, where the hills are generally more popular. Outside of the Munro Round, it was also my last Munro ticked off south of the Great Glen, SO quite a special one.

We plodded off back to the bikes. Back at Geldie Lodge we met a team of archeologists. They told me that in their excavations (somewhere west of Geldie Lodge), they'd found a flint dating back to around 8000BC and a hearth. Fascinating! They were all heading back to Braemar for the night in landrovers while we were to cycle back! Never mind - we were almost as quick.

I enjoyed the cycle back a lot. I really felt comfortable on the bike, and could pound out higher intensities of effort than ever before. So although I've always been able to find my way around on a bike, today I really got the pleasure of the effort.

A great day, and really nice to see Struan, Ian and James.

Tonight, I'll be walking into the Cairngorms. This range has been hanging over me for a wee while now and now I'm finally about to tackle it. For the last couple of weeks, I've seen them every day from multiple angles, covered in snow and looking mighty. They're coming into summer condition now, and finally I'll get into the heart of them.

I'd rather not walk in tonight but if I don't, the Ben Avon day would be 35kms - too long! I feel reasonable (if ready to crash out!) so it's for the better to do the easy miles into Gleann an t-Slugain.

I'll be out of touch for a few days: on Monday time I'll tackle the central range from Hutchison - Corrour and then on Tuesday I'll do Devil's Point - Braeraich and back to the ski centre to meet dad.

Wednesday is looking like a washout, so if I can just get the summits done now, I can turn that in to a rest day. I'm sure it will be much needed! So that's all for now: one range (the Grampians) is finished, and I move onto another. I've done a huge amount of Munros recently, and it's been great. I hope the Cairngorms will be as good.

Day 36 - Mount Keen

6 June

More blue skies, more sun. I was staying once again at Jac Johnson's flat and had Mount Keen planned, the most easterly of the Munros.

It's a good feeling to have made it all the way east. I've now made a huge arc from Ben More on Mull in the west, to Mount Keen in the east, even if that route has been very circuitous! The weather was great today from start until end; just heat and sun, but occasionally some heavier clouds

I had the strange feeling today of not really being in the Highlands. The area around Mount Keen is complete Southern Upland/Peak/Dartmoor scenery (take your pick), it's miles of rolling moorland without any real distinct summits. It hasn't the majestic flutings of the White Mounth, nor the colour of rural Aberdeenshire. Not even the intense isolation of the Tarf Basin in Atholl. Just miles of brown moor scored by tracks, and a dome of pink granite that rises from the wastes, called Mount Keen.

I was using mum's car for this area, so parked at the Glen Esk road end and biked up Glen Mark to beyond the Queen's Well. This Munro is certainly one of the easiest in that a good track climbs all the way to the top.  Folk take their bikes over the top if it routinely. I walk much better than I cycle, so I dumped the bike when the gradient became too much, and went up on foot.

Within an hour of starting out, I'd gained a lot of height. Lochnagar pulled into view, an immense mountain. I had context again, I felt I was back in the Highlands.

I followed a good path all the way to the top, some folk were around sitting in the sun. To the east the Cairngorms remained covered in snow - although noticeably thawing now. I spent some time on top on the phone to dad, plans are changing - yet again!

The phone call on the summit was because mum wanted the car back; I'd had it nearly a week. So I came home this evening and I'm heading up to Lochnagar in the morning with dad. I'll be self-sufficient with help from him for the next 5 days, until I'm through to Strath Spey.

So it was another easy day today. I was up and down in just over three hours, and headed back to Kirriemuir, and subsequently Glasgow (for one night!). I continue to feel as if things are falling into place:

• I've passed a third of the Round in terms of time and Munro count.

• I've been doing a rough measurement of my heart rate as I walk uphill at speed, based on my pulse and a watch. I seem to be holding around 70bpm, which is great.

• Tonight I calculated I've passed 700km since I began, just over a month ago. That's just under 20km per day. Hard to believe; where did all those km's go?

• I sat on Munro #50, Meall nan Tarmachan, feeling tired, thinking how hard that first 50 had been and wondering how hard the rest of the the Round would be. Tomorrow I'll climb Munro #100 on the Lochnagar circuit. The second set of 50 has gone by in a flash; slipped through almost unnoticed.

All is going well at the moment and I'm quite content. For now I can't really see further than getting the Grampians finished and getting over the Cairngorms, and into Laggan. I'm glad to have made it to Mount Keen and now I'm moving back west, ultimately to Sgurr na Banachdich on the Cuillin, in a month's time. Superb.

Day 35 - Mayar and Driesh

5 June

Today has been a pretty easy day, and for once I'm not finishing late and cramming in my tea, before polishing off a bleary-eyed blog post.

I'm staying at Jac Johnson's in Kirriemuir at the moment and today I climbed the pair up at Glen Clova; Mayar and Driesh. These are two fairly non-descript hills, but now I think about it, it's probably that the conditions were non-descript. The weather has given days of high pressure, but it's all heavy cloud and drizzle of the warm and humid type. Still, I can't moan when you consider the weather I had in May. Long may it continue - I've got some big days coming up!

I stopped by the bouldering at the top of Glen Clova for a look. The rock was nice, a kind of cross between Glen Nevis burly slopers and Craigmore basalt crimps, from what I could gather. (That's terminology for the climbers!)

But the hills were awaiting, and I followed a well signposted path ("Kilbo Track") through the forests and out onto the hills above. The mist rolled in for the first time in a week or two, and I kept the compass out just to be sure of my direction.

Dreish had a trig point with an encircling wind breaker, Mayar was a simple cairn. The plateau was in mist and paths showed the way, almost all the way. Not difficult hills. I was around the pair in just over three and a half hours.

When I started the Round, even a short day like today would feel difficult because of the day-in-day-out relentless nature of the walking. Now, a short day really does feel like a rest day.

I was half-tempted to fit Mount Keen in today, too. But the weather has given low grey cloud and it seemed like a pointless exercise. I'll leave it for tomorrow, and as ever I'll fit in An Sgarsoch and Carn an Fhidhleir somewhere in the next few days.

Another nice thing has been that I've finally found a way to put the Cairngorms together that doesn't feel too committing like it could go wrong. The Grampians have so far been a relaxed range, but the Gorms have been on my mind. I just hope the weather doesn't break, and if it does, that it would be on the easier Drumochter/Laggan hills further west.

So all in all, today's been a bit of a non-day. I'll bet the hills are good, I would just have like to have seen them. I'd like to go back to Glen Clova for the climbing and bouldering, too.

Here is what's happening in the next few days:

Tomorrow - Mount Keen (possible Sgarsoch/Fhidhleir)
7th - Lochnagar 5
8th - (possible Sgarsoch/Fhidhleir) and walk into Cairngorms
9th - Avon 4
10th - Mheadhoin, Derry, Macdui, Mhaim
11th - Devil's Point to Braeraich, Monadh Mor, Bhrotain
12th - Daytrip - Mullach and Sgor Gaoith
13th - Daytrip - Cairngorm and Bynack

Anyway, we'll see about all of that! I'll keep thinking on it.

As for tonight, I'm sorting my gear, doing some major washing up and having curry/pizza (either or both!). Not a bad life, this!

Day 34 - Glen Shee 6

4 June

Recently, I really feel like I've been cooking. Not in the food sense, but in that everything is working so well. My fear is that it doesn't last, which on the whole isn't a such a bad thing.

The good weather must have a lot to do with it. The last two days have been the first of the trip where it's been properly warm and humid, but I can't really complain about that either, when all I seemed to see in May was rain and snow.

Last night, I camped in Glen Cluanie. There's a minor road running parallel to the main road on the other side of the river and I was surprised to see the riverbanks being abused as a campsite. So I made sure this morning I'd cleaned out everyone else's mess before I'd left. I tend to go to bed quite early at the moment, and one of the amazing pleasures is to wake up in the wee hours, look at the watch, think "only 5am, back to sleep"! I love the drifting in and out of sleep with the birds and river to listen to. I'm thankful that at the moment there are no midges - but who knows how long that'll last.

Today saw me over six Munros, which consolidated an already good morale. They are also easy hills and don't feel difficult for their high total of six. At Glen Shee Ski Centre I bought second breakfast, and set off for Creag Leacach.

Today was a music day, I was just in the mood for Rush in myy ears - which made me walk faster too, because I'd had quite a spectacular lie-in and had to meet Jac Johnson later for dinner!

I make a point of shooting a 360 panorama on top of every Munro that I get a view from. In doing so, I'm slowly building up an archive of summit panos. I've come to realise just how many summit panoramas I didn't have before, and this group of six was yet another area I hadn't shot. By the end of the Munro Round, I might not be far off having all the Munros panorama'ed!

Creag Leacach and Glas Maol went by easily, but on Cairn of Claise, I noticed huge rain showers gathering over Braemar. Quite surprising, when the forecast was for endless sun and light winds. I'm happy to say I just missed the rain, but only by a couple of kilometres: by the time I'd walked out to the isolated Munros Tom Buidhe and Tolmount, the rain was falling where I'd just been, and showed no signs of following me! It then went off south somewhere and disappeared completely.

The last time and only time I did these hills, it was a misty day. Finally, it was nice to see something and I feel like I'm really getting to know these eastern hills. There really is a difference between bagging them, and knowing them. Multiple visits do repay, and spending time in one area as I'm doing really does repay in familiarity. A long journey like my three-month indulgence is easier to process when everywhere feels a little like home.

I also look to the distant Southern Highlands on the horizon, and they seem different from before. I might have recognised all the peaks before, but now there's a deeper understanding. Hard to explain, but definitely there.

My day today ended well. I did my last Munro under sunny skies, and the light quality on Carn an Tuirc was stunning. Lochnagar just looked incredible. In that direction the plateau swells up, one hump upon another until it culminates in the high pap of Cac Carn Beag. A short descent from Carn an Tuirc brought me back to the road and I walked back up to the car.

So in quite a short period, I've worked through a sizeable chunk of the Grampian (some call it Southern Cairngorm) region. For the next couple of days I'll work through Mayar, Dreish and Mount Keen, and soon after I'm into the Cairngorms!

Hopefully the weather holds. I feel like the Gorms could be a stumbling block, and I think it's got a lot to do with the fact that I did them all in five days, last year with Struan. I remember how draining they were! But logically, with my current fitness I don't think they'll be an issue. I might split them up if it's tactically advantageous. Every day, I can see the high plateaux and gaping, snow-choked coires, and part of me wants to just get on them so they aren't hanging over me. But I must just bide my time - I'm sure when I get there I'll be absolutely fine.

But for the moment, I'm staying in Kirriemuir at Jac Johnsons' flat - and for that many thanks! I also feel really good, like I'm settled into the routine. As I said at the top, I would only be worried about losing it. But for now, the numbers are ticking up and all is well.