A Wild Vista

2009 has been a good year for Scotland so far. By which I mean I’ve taken more opportunities than of late to make the long trek up to the Highlands from Cambridge, and get out into them there hills.

First off was a very mixed week based at Corran — a minuscule settlement of perhaps five buildings, clustered around the slipway of the Corran ferry. Visiting Scotland for an extended holiday is a meteorological lottery at the best of times, but if your chosen week falls within what’s technically the northern hemisphere winter (20th/21st December to 20th/21st March), the odds of a “win” are somewhat stacked against you.

When the weather does play ball, there’s simply nothing to beat it — “it” being hillwalking, climbing, snow-shoeing, skiing, or whatever snow-enhanced mountain-based activity you’ve set your mind to.

Carn Mòr Dearg and Ben Nevis

The above photo taken on Carn Mòr Dearg is a great example of the magnificence of Scotland’s winter mountains. Then (February 2006), with a group based at Corpach (just outside Fort William), the weather and ground conditions were so sparkling that by the end of the week, most of us couldn’t face dragging our fatigued bodies into the mountains for a sixth consecutive day, so we spent it playing at being tourists with an excursion on the Fort William to Mallaig railway line instead.

The thing is, you just don’t usually pace yourself for six consecutive “big days” in the mountains in Scotland at that time of year. At the first sign of clear skies, a gentle breeze, and good snow conditions (an all too rare combo), everyone’s out with the bit between their teeth, putting in the miles and the moves, extracting every last moment from a day that will inevitably be followed by miserable dreich, or torrential, slush-inducing, storm-driven rain. Thus, when the weather repeatedly fails to conform to type and deteriorate during the week, overdoing it is inevitable.

So, what of this year’s trip to Corran? Well, it was a week of two halves. The first part of the week was disappointingly devoid of snow — then, on Wednesday, this happened:

Snow-wading in the Mamores

And there you have it — this, in large measure, is what makes Scotland’s winter mountains so compelling. Quite apart from the sheer variety of landscapes (the steep, shapely peaks of the west coast, giving way to the hulking sub-arctic Cairngorm plateaux in the east), it’s the Highlands’ far-flung location at the edge of Europe, bordering the Atlantic and the prevailing winds, that means you’re always kept on your toes, forever having to adapt your plans to such a capricious environment.

I’ll leave a description of that unfeasibly snowy day in the Mamores for another time. Similarly, my second trip to the Highlands in May — a cracking long weekend based at Tulloch Station Lodge. On my mind right now is the next planned Scottish trip; a long weekend based at Tyndrum.

Ben Lui is calling. I might be keen to bag some new Munros in the area, but a third ascent of Lui would be most agreeable…