Harris and Highlands Adventure: Scotland 2019!

by **judgegeoff** » 14 Aug 2019 18:28

Well done Fred!!! :clap:

by **Gillzajoker** » 15 Aug 2019 10:28

Excellent photos, Dave, of a lovely area - and pleased you had a fine day for it.
Wow - well done to Fred!

by **Dave** » 15 Aug 2019 21:05

We did our toughest walk of the holiday today. It's not that the peaks were especially high, but that the terrain was very difficult!

The challenge was to climb Meall Dearg (657m) then carry on to the top of Cul Beag (769m). The problems were the extremely boggy ground, no paths at all after the first mile, and the steep ascents to the peaks.

Soon after setting off, with Meall Dearg in the distance. Slabs of rock provided occasional respite from the soggy, uneven bog:

Approaching the start of the first ascent. After about 3 miles of squishiness the terrain had improved somewhat!:

We saw several frogs!

After a tough slog we reached the bouldery summit of Meall Dearg. Cul Beag is to the right:

The view from Meall Dearg:

We went down into the dip between the summits where we found a lochan swarming with tadpoles. The climb to the top of Cul Beag looked daunting!

Fred decided to sit this one out - literally. She waited by the lochan while I went onwards and upwards. Half a mile to the top and half a mile back again.

The climb was certainly worth it. The views in all directions from the summit were wonderful!

Fred is down there somewhere near the lochan, but too far away to see:

For the return, we decided to go around Meall Dearg across extremely boggy ground rather than up and over the top with the difficult steep descent to follow.

And finally, a photo giving some idea of how wet the ground can be in Scotland in August!

One more thing - I wore my waterproof socks today and, despite being ankle-deep in water for most of the walk, my feet stayed completely dry! :-)

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by **bobbyoscar** » 15 Aug 2019 22:51

Oh my! Wow! What awesone (not a word I generally use

) scenery.

Am loving travelling on this journey with you :thumbup:

by **Gillzajoker** » 16 Aug 2019 10:25

bobbyoscar wrote:Oh my! Wow! What awesone (not a word I generally use ) scenery.

Am loving travelling on this journey with you

I totally agree (and great news about the socks!).

by **Dave** » 16 Aug 2019 16:20

Just a brief walk report today following a straightforward local amble in showery weather.

We parked at nearby Polglas and walked along a quiet lane to its end, then did a loop across moorland to rejoin the road.

Despite the occasional downpour, we enjoyed the stunning scenery - mountains on one side and the Summer Isles on the other:

Fred took photos of some of the mini-waterfalls we passed and made a collage:

On the way back to the car we passed the headland where we recently saw seals and an otter:

Back at the cottage... we frequently see deer from the living room window. I've just managed to get a photo of a couple with my phone: :-)

Yesterday we saw a sea eagle almost overhead, but it moved away along the coast before I could get a decent photo of it.

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by **Dave** » 16 Aug 2019 20:59

And that's it for this year's Scottish adventure. Tomorrow we'll be staying overnight near Carlisle to break up the journey home. We've loved every moment and we're already looking forward to returning to the Highlands and Islands. :-)

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by **judgegeoff** » 17 Aug 2019 00:34

Many thanks for posting so many of your Scottish adventures, I for one have enjoyed them immensely. Have a safe journey back to Kent.

by **Dave** » 17 Aug 2019 08:14

judgegeoff wrote:Many thanks for posting so many of your Scottish adventures, I for one have enjoyed them immensely. Have a safe journey back to Kent.

Thanks Geoff! :-)

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by **bobbyoscar** » 17 Aug 2019 09:04