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Ben Macdui | Scottish Landscape Art - Scottish Landscape Paintings

Posts Tagged ‘Ben Macdui’

Pucks Glen – a short walk…..or an adventure?!

We’ve had a good year of walking so far and have reached the top of a number of hills that, with my still deteriorating bit of sight, I’d started to think I may not get to.  Standing at the tops of Lochnagar, Stuc a’ Chroin and Ben Macdui, has given my confidence a bit of a boost this summer and I’ve been feeling positive despite struggling more with my mobility both around town and on the hill.

On Wednesday however, I was brought down to earth with a bit of a bump, although mental, not physical!  We’d been invited to join some friends who were staying in a lodge at the southern end of Loch Eck, not far from Dunoon.   We had no real plans ourselves as we’d never really explored the area before and so just turned up with fairly basic gear…. waterproofs and walking boots…..just in case.

When we’d left Irvine it had been pouring down with rain and although it had eased as we crossed the Firth of Clyde on the ferry, it was still pretty damp when we arrived and not looking particularly promising weather-wise.   It certainly wasn’t a day for a big or high level walk and our friends suggested a short wander over to Pucks Glen a few kilometres from the lodges.  Sounded perfect and with the cloud starting to break from around the steep sided hills above Loch Eck, the five of us set off.  After following a gradually rising track for forty minutes or so, we reached a sign pointing to a smaller path leading up through the trees ….Upper Pucks Glen ….and headed up that.  Despite it being a very good path this was immediately more difficult for me as the light under these fairly dense woods, was limited.  On this kind of path it wasn’t a problem especially as Nita was in front of me to point out any slippery tree roots etc.   As the path gained height the ground started to drop more steeply away on our right and before long we reach the stream that has formed Pucks Glen.   It wasn’t big and despite the morning rain, it wasn’t very full either, but it dropped away down the hillside steeply and the wee path that followed down beside it immediately screamed ‘problem’ to me.  I really struggle walking down narrow paths by streams especially so when the light is poor…..in these conditions it was really dark for me and so I said I’d have to return by our outward path …I wasn’t going to risk trying to get down that way.  Nita and Evelyn said they’d go back with me and we left Stewart and Holger to take the more direct route.  We kind of figured we’d meet them back on the main track.

Well ….even getting back down the good path was quite slow progress for me.  When we reached the top of the ‘Lower Puck’s Glen’ path however, (with the bit we could see, looking reasonably good) we decided we might as well go back that way.  After just five minutes I was starting to have my doubts though.  It was in general a very good path, but it was just so dark for me in the depths of this narrow tree filled little gorge.  Thankfully all the steep sections had steps and handrails but even so much of the path was right by the stream.  For a large part of this walk I couldn’t see much at all and relied on Nita’s great guiding skills, (honed over years on the hills) to get me down through this amazing little glen.  It was for me really difficult ….probably the most difficult and challenging thing I’ve done for a good few years!   I have to say, that I was very glad to hear Evelyn say we’d reached the main track at the bottom of the glen ….phew!  I was hot and more than a little stressed!!!

It was quite an adventure although it’s a shame Nita didn’t really get to see this amazing little glen either as she spent all her time keeping me on the path.  She did take some photos as we descended but it was so dark that my little camera couldn’t cope with the conditions either, (I have some sympathy for it)…..but here is one photo that came out reasonably well.   It’s spectacular and well worth a visit.  When we met up with Stewart and Holger, they said that the upper glen path was even steeper but without the helpful handrails in places…….definitely not for me!

Pucks Glen near Loch Eck

Pucks Glen near Loch Eck

Of course, after that we just had to go for a beer or two.  By this time the rain had all gone and the hills were clear and looking fabulous in the afternoon and early evening sunshine.  We had planned to catch the late ferry back but forgot to check the time of the last ferry.  We arrived at the slipway at about 22.20 to find it deserted and in darkness ….oooops!  The last ferry had been at 22.00.  Nothing for it but to have a good laugh, eat the emergency packs of crisps Nita  had packed for just such circumstances  ….and then start on the lengthy drive home back past Loch Eck, up and over the Rest and Be Thankful, down along the side of Loch Lomond and over the Erskine Bridge.  We arrived home in Irvine to find a very hungry cat at about 00.30!   It had been a great day ….an adventure out of no-where!

Cairngorm wander

The cafe on the hill!

The cafe on the hill!

I had a very good few days at the studio at the end of last week and got back to working on the two large canvases again. The original one that I’d thought finished a few months ago, needs a few things doing to it and so I took the bold step! Still some work to do yet, but I’m feeling happier about it now. I’ve also done more on the second big piece and parts of this are starting to come together now. It’s going to be interesting getting back into the studio later this morning to see them, as I’ve been off for the past three days.

Our route ahead ...from the summit of Cairn Gorm

Our route ahead …from the summit of Cairn Gorm

The reason for this lazy absence? Well, of course, of course, we went walking again! Only for one day of actual walking, but we decided to make the most of this latest patch of fine weather and travel north to the Cairngorms ….taking our new little tent with us again. Prior to Wednesday I’d never done any proper walking in the cairngorms. It was just too far away and although we’d considered it for our two weeks holiday in May, we’ve never actually got there then……we both like having the sea near and so we always go to the North West instead! I’d been on three courses at Glenmore Lodge since 2001 and on these we’d been taken into the big Northern corries and at the end of our winter skills course we’d climbed briefly up onto the plateau …….but this trip was to be our first real outing in these hills.

Wow!

Wow!

We couldn’t really have asked for a finer day for this first little Cairngorm adventure…..there wasn’t a cloud in the sky when we left the campsite at Glenmore at 07.00 and it stayed that way for the rest of the day. We didn’t really have any proper plans as to what we were going to do or where we were going to go, except that we’d walk the main path up to the summit of Cairn Gorm and then take it from there. Not perhaps the best thing to do, but I really wasn’t sure quite how difficult the walking would be up there. The map showed lots of rock and boulders and I wasn’t sure whether the paths marked would be easy to follow or whether it would be very slow progress through acres of boulders. Best then to leave it fluid ……we kind of figured that the view from the top of Cairn Gorm should give us a fairly good idea. I’d thought that if things were very rough and slow we could perhaps make our way over to get a view over Loch Avon before making our way back to the car. If however, things looked reasonably good, we could have a go at getting over to Ben Macdui for a much longer day.

The more challenging route to the plateau ...not for me!

The more challenging route to the plateau …not for me!

The main start point for Cairn Gorm is so high that it doesn’t really take too long to get up to the summit. Not of course, if you don’t succumb to the call of tea and coffee at the cafe at the top of the Cairngorm railway as you pass! We of course just had to stop for refreshment, especially as we arrived there just five minutes before they were due to open. And very nice it was too ….and very civilized, sat there in the cool looking out over Scotland from this high perch on the mountain. Very quickly though, the coffee was finished and we were once again back out in the hot sun and heading up the final slopes on an almost cobbled path to the summit.

At the summit of Ben Macdui

At the summit of Ben Macdui

Wow …..what a view and what a great sculptural cairn! Art on a hill! These hills are high and on a day like this the sense of space all around is strong. More to the point, Ben Macdui looked a long way away but the paths in this popular region looked clear and big and with it still being mid morning, we decided to give it a go.

Well of course, I could ramble on for hours about, the fine views into the spectacular northern corries, of the wonderful little loch perched high on the plateau reflecting the deep blue of the sky and of the boulders and grey dusty approach to Ben Macdui ….but perhaps best just to add a couple of photos and to suggest, if you haven’t already visited this incredible place ….to do so. As we sat amidst the boulders on the flat summit of Ben Macdui at just over 1300m, the views were some of the biggest I’d seen ….so many hills and mountains, such a big area of wild spectacular country …and nearly all of it new to us…..we’ll be back …..despite the boulders!

On the descent

On the descent

It’s an interesting thought though that prior to my first visit to Glenmore Lodge back in 2001 to do the Summer mountain skills course for visually impaired, I’d been very nervous about walking in the hills with my limited sight. That week at Glenmore Lodge gave me so much confidence. I almost certainly wouldn’t be doing all that I do now if it wasn’t for that course and so it was very very good to be back and putting some of there teaching to good use in their local hills.