early 2003

"Any new blog posts", I hear you ask?  
"We haven't heard anything for a while!"  
"I though this was supposed to be about 'those last 50 Munros', but you seem to have got stuck at number 157!"


OK - life has been pretty busy over the last few months etc, etc, but now it's time to play catch up!


So, for starters, here's a resume of 2003 ...


2001 and 2002 had been good years, with 20 and 22 new Munros respectively.   2003 was the first of several slightly quieter years, but even so, it included 13 new Munros.

First outing was Beinn Dearg in Glen Tilt.  Back in 1985, I had stopped a few hundred metres short of the summit, exhausted after trotting along behind Conan Fischer's long legs in deep soft snow, so it was time to make amends.
  
This time (9th April 2003) Anne and I cycled about 4 miles up from Old Blair, through the forest and into the Allt Slannaidh as far as we could, then walked on up the land rover track onto the western slopes of Beinn a' Chait.


A nice easy outing for early in the season!  Gentle slopes and easy route-finding.  Returned down a zig-zag path to cross the Allt Sheicheachan, then rejoined our outward route.  Back to the car at 6pm (after repairing two punctures!)

Next day, refreshed by a comfortable B&B in Pitlochry, we cycled back up Glen Tilt, but this time continued up past Marble lodge to the foot of the All Craonidh.    Today's target was Carn a' Chlamain:  


Enjoyed a lovely walk anticlockwise around the horseshoe under clear blue skies, with good views in all directions. 


Broad tussocky ridges making easy walking, and a lovely cycle back down the glen in the evening.