Exploring Scottish Trails: CW-LE: Arrived home

Gorgeous weather! Left Spean Bridge 8.30am Monday morning and had a relatively huge day's walk along a short bit of East Highland Way then through the Lairig Leacach to Loch Treig, under west-highland-railway-line, around Loch Corrour, met my ex-boss and family on their walk to Corrour!

Nearly camped high at the ruin of Corrour Old Lodge, huge views, but after eating dinner early (midgie-avoidance) I chose to head on nice and relaxed for a few miles to slightly lower altitude, camping by a river, watching sunset (after which midgies started attacking). Then woken by the most bizarre noise. Like a cross between an angry cat and a whiplash. With some wierd rythmic coo-ing going on. 4.30am enough was enough and crept out tent to see what it was. Black Grouse with its tail fanned white. But lots of them - guessong this was a lek in progress. The aggressive sounds were males and the cooing was the female. Will have to fact check that!

Tuesday dawned gorgeous - no wind, but far too cold for midgies. Walked very relaxed down to Rannoch Station road and headed East to Bridge of Gaur, barely any traffic. Left road at Bridge of Gaur to head South, aiming fairly directly for home but with a hefty 750m pass of wild-walking to do to get into Upper Glen Lyon (not an easy glen to reach!).

Found a barely-used (and not maintained) track through lovely mixed woodland up the Eastern flanks of Gharbh Mheall and Meall Bhudhie (which was Finn's first Munro). Leggy-heather bashing but the hard work was paid for by the lush dell with oak and Scots pine.

Was overlooking Glen Lyon by 12pm, and descending into it the temperature became fairly unscottish, the smell of hot pine trees reminding me of holidays in the med! Road walked down to Moar farm where I could cross river, trying to dodge lambs and ewes whilst ascending diagonally towards Meall Ghordie and the pass on its Eastern side.

When I got there I felt very relaxed and satisfied with the journey and the fact I was kind of in familiar "home territory". Camped above Glen Lochay Tuesday night, high again to avoid bracken.