Torridon 4
- hiking scotland
It’s day two in Torridon. I get up early - last night, I went to bed before 10 pm. This is good, I’ll have a coffee and try to work up an appetite for my sugary muesli - the only type available in the little shop.
The Glasgow boys give me lentil soup and take off. It’s chucking it down. I don’t know what to do, but I have to leave the hostel for the day, so I decide to drive to the starting point of today’s walk and then see how I feel. The plan is to walk a signposted mountain trail in the Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve.
I arrive at the parking lot and the rain stops. I walk and it’s lovely. The rain comes back but it’s mostly light now. The trail is very steep but excellent.
At the top it’s extremely windy and I’m having trouble to stay upright. I have a snack in the lousy shelter of a large cairn and today, my plan works out: the sun comes out! Only for a few seconds, but it happens twice. And then the rain starts again. Wrapped up in all my layers I start the descent, past a few lovely lochans and across some bubbly streams in spate. They are wonderful. As are the waterfalls on the hills across Loch Maree. All this rain is really bringing out the water features.
I walk down a beautiful gorge, lovely Scots pine, tall and gnarly, all around. When I arrive at the car park I have five minutes in the sun by the loch before the torrential rain is back and I drive back to the hostel. Driving through the massive puddles is fun, and other cars are waiting to let me pass to not spoil the fun I’m having. I see a very wet couple walk along the road and offer them a lift. After 800 m they have arrived at their destination, so this was a bit pointless, but still a nice thing to do.
Back in the hostel I have a hot shower, a pot of tea, plan tomorrow’s walking options, read my book and listen to the rain. For dinner I was looking forward to the soup but I forgot to label it and it’s gone, which makes me a little sad. After some chat with the other guests I go to bed early.
The Glasgow boys give me lentil soup and take off. It’s chucking it down. I don’t know what to do, but I have to leave the hostel for the day, so I decide to drive to the starting point of today’s walk and then see how I feel. The plan is to walk a signposted mountain trail in the Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve.
I arrive at the parking lot and the rain stops. I walk and it’s lovely. The rain comes back but it’s mostly light now. The trail is very steep but excellent.
At the top it’s extremely windy and I’m having trouble to stay upright. I have a snack in the lousy shelter of a large cairn and today, my plan works out: the sun comes out! Only for a few seconds, but it happens twice. And then the rain starts again. Wrapped up in all my layers I start the descent, past a few lovely lochans and across some bubbly streams in spate. They are wonderful. As are the waterfalls on the hills across Loch Maree. All this rain is really bringing out the water features.
I walk down a beautiful gorge, lovely Scots pine, tall and gnarly, all around. When I arrive at the car park I have five minutes in the sun by the loch before the torrential rain is back and I drive back to the hostel. Driving through the massive puddles is fun, and other cars are waiting to let me pass to not spoil the fun I’m having. I see a very wet couple walk along the road and offer them a lift. After 800 m they have arrived at their destination, so this was a bit pointless, but still a nice thing to do.
Back in the hostel I have a hot shower, a pot of tea, plan tomorrow’s walking options, read my book and listen to the rain. For dinner I was looking forward to the soup but I forgot to label it and it’s gone, which makes me a little sad. After some chat with the other guests I go to bed early.
