Beinn Fhada

Beinn Fhada summit

Thursday, 22 October 2020

Ascent:       1015 metres
Distance:    14 kilometres
Time:          4 hours 43 minutes

Beinn Fhada   1029m      2hrs 43mins

It was another day of October rain with the cloud level down to 600 metres. I had originally intended to cycle 22 kilometres up Glen Elchaig from Kililan to climb the distant Corbett, Aonach Buidhe but 6 hours in the rain did not appeal. We looked at the alternatives and Gregor decided to climb A' Ghlas Bheinn and Beinn Fhada. At the last minute, I decided to join him but as I was not feeling great, I decided to restrict my climb to Beinn Fhada so that Gregor could charge round at his own pace. We parked at the car park for the Falls of Glomach at 11:30 am and followed the narrow but well-graded path up Gleann Choinneachain. 

After the first couple of kilometres ascent I suggested that Gregor should climb A' Ghlas Bheinn first, it looked to be emerging from the clouds and it would allow me to adopt a more sedate pace on the longer climb up Beinn Fhada. All being well, I could have a break at the summit before he arrived. He was in trail shoes and travelling light, I had boots and after the first hour, it was full waterproofs. The burns were in full spate but with the aid of a walking pole, I managed across the Allt a' Choire Chaoil with dry feet. Gregor was ten minutes ahead heading for Bealach an Sgairne for the ascent of A' Ghlas Bheinn.

The path from here is well-graded and contours upwards in Coire an Sgairne before rising more steeply over two sections to reach the ridge at 750 metres. The rains had started and the cloud level dropped down to 500 metres. From here it is a boggy tramp of a mile or so to the summit located on the less exciting east end of the mountain. I had managed a steady pace and it was just after 2pm. It was quite warm and the wind was less than forecast so I settled down in the substantial shelter and spent twenty minutes of mindfulness, whatever that is, whilst eating and drinking a little. 

There was no rush and I had descended about 150 metres before I met Gregor on his ascent. He told me to push on and that he would set off back straightaway from the summit. I did apart from a couple of stops for photos and I got back to within the last half kilometre before he caught up and ran past me. We were both quite pleased with the outing despite the rain and generally poor visibility and to be back at the house before 5 pm was a further luxury.

The path below Allt a' Choire Chaoil

Allt a' Choire Chaoil crossing

Looking back down Gleann Choinneachain

A' Ghlas Bheinn and Bealach an Sgairne

Coire an Sgairine path

Faradh Nighean Fhearchair

Beinn Loinne (Cluanie)

The walk up Beinn Loinne

Tuesday, 20 October 2020

Ascent:        607 metres

Distance:    19 kilometres (11km on bike)

Time:           3 hours 26 minutes

Beinn Loinne        789m     2hrs 11mins (45mins on bike)

It was another wet day in Lochcarron, Aileen, Gregor and I had driven over to Shieldaig in the morning and had a walk in the rain on the peninsula north of the village. We were back at Lochcarron at 1:30pm and after a quick lunch, I put the bike on the car's roof and set off for Cluanie to climb Beinn Loinne, the Corbett south of Loch Cluanie. I had always intended to climb it when either travelling north for a few days walking or on the return. I had assumed it would take less than 3 hours, which might have been twenty years ago. It took 40 minutes to reach the Cluanie Inn and I parked at the start of the track, which is a private road to Cluanie Lodge. It continues as a disused track that ascends a bealach at 410 metres between Creag a' Mhaim, the most easterly of the Cluanie ridge Munros, and Beinn Loinne. 

It was dry for the first time in days and a wintry-looking sun was emerging as I set off on the bike. The rough road surface and over 200 metres of ascent did not make for an easy cycle, although for the only time in the day, the views opened up and even a couple of stags seemed intent on taking in their domain. They provided some photo opportunities and a welcome chance to stop pedalling for a few minutes. I rode a few hundred metres beyond the high point of the road so that I could take advantage of a slight ridge that was preferable to starting the walk through a rain-soaked bog, it was worth the extra distance. The views back down Glen Shiel and northwards to Ciste Dubh and A' Chralaig were a bonus after the last couple of days when the hills had been wrapped in low grey clouds. The underfoot conditions were dire but that had been factored in so my expectations of a mind-numbing ascent were confirmed.

I headed for the rounded shoulder of Druim nan Cnamh and only when above 650 metres did the terrain become drier with a scattering of exposed rock giving better traction. By this time the cloud level had dropped and there were no views from the summit. There was just a desolate-looking Vanessa trig point on a rock ledge over a sea of grey nothingness. 

The rain started as I began the descent, the main aim was to get back to the bike before nightfall. The clouds made navigation tricky and, in attempting to avoid the worst of the bogs, I ended up about 800 metres south of where I had dumped the bike. I was glad I had worn my cycle helmet because the ride back was all downhill with the brakes constantly in use as I fought gravity, potholes and bad light. I arrived at the car at 6:30pm, having barely turned a pedal but with arms and hands burning from the constant pummeling from the front suspension. It was dark and still raining but with only a 40-minute drive for a shower and some food, this was a rare treat compared to most outings on the hills.

Stag above Loch Cluanie

Looking east over Loch Cluanie

Aonach Meadhoin and Am Bathach from the track

Am Bathach and A'Chralaig

Beinn Loinne summit

 

Shelloch Burn Wind Farm, Campsies

Shelloch Burn

Looking over the Campsies we can see the tips of several wind turbines rotating slowly. The Earlesburn wind farm has been operating since 2007 with 15 original turbines and a further 9 to the west at Kingsburn. They have been a successful installation not least because of the partnership with the local Community of Fintry, which, through the Fintry Development Trust that has the ownership of a turbine, provides a funding stream that has been used with imagination to fund energy efficiency measures, children's play provision and funding for subsidising transport. These initiatives are part of the community's objective to become carbon neutral.

A new application was submitted for a further five turbines to replace eight that already had been granted planning permission. The applicant claims that the five new turbines will not be visible to the nearest village, Kippen, but I suspected that they probably will be from Thornhill. We decided to take a walk to the Moor where the Shelloch Burn runs and which will be the site for these turbines. The Glinns Road runs alongside the Boquan Burn from the A811 before the Kippen roundabout and climbs steadily below the Campsies on its way to Fintry. I dropped Aileen at the start of the track at Ballochleam leading to the Campsies and parked a mile north at the nearest space on the narrow road. 

It was cool and breezy as we set out, it is a steady incline at first but ramps up after a gate by a lone pine tree for the final kilometre towards the Spout of Ballochleam. I had plotted the position of the proposed turbines on an OS map, they were located on the moorland to the south of the Spout where the Shelloch Burn flows in a north-easterly direction. My initial impressionion had been that the turbines would be hidden by Lees Hill, which at 411 metres is up to 100 metres higher than the moorland where the five new turbines are to be positioned. 

Closer examination of the application by Force 9 Energy, shows that three of the new turbines would be 180 metres high and the other two turbines 149.5 metres high. The applicants state that by increasing the height and length of the blades there will be 83% more electricity generated than by the eight turbines that previously had been granted permission. Although the developers have not produced a visualisation of the turbines from Thornhill, it is the only village apart from the Port of Menteith from where the turbines will be visible, an intrusive presence overlooking Flanders Moss. The extra height of the proposed turbines will also make them visible from Thornhill over Lees Hill. In itself, this is not a major issue but one that should be examined in considering the application.

The access route for the construction of the new wind farm is via the narrow road from Arnprior. A new track that starts from the Glinns Road will follow the Boqhan Burn to the Spout of Ballochleam through a splendid unspoilt landscape. Whilst the proposals by Force 9 Energy are well presented and the arguments in favour of the development are cogently argued, it is these two issues: the size of the turbines and the access route for construction that give the most concern. 

 

Force 9 Energy have offered local communities the chance to invest in up to 10% of the development and to receive an annual income stream. It appears to be a positive support of local communities and Gargunnock and Kippen both seem to have been given additional funding despite neither of them having the turbines in the line of vision. However, few communities have more than a few £'000 to invest so the prospect of them investing in the scheme is limited unless this could be offset against a future income stream such as negotiated by Fintry for the Earlsburn wind farm. The application will be submitted late this year and it would be worth discussing with the developers if more appropriate community benefits could be negotiated..

 

Notice at Spout of Ballochleam

Looking North to Ben Ledi and Stuc a' Chroin

The existing turbines

Shelloch site looking south

 

Ben Gullipen, again and again

Rainbows over Kilmahog

As the year begins to peter out, I made a visit to Ben Gullipen yesterday during a spectacular rainbow fest. It prompted me to post some photos from the early summer when it was a beacon of inspiration during the first lockdown. Ben Gullipen is the nearest hill to home and during a year when trips longer than 5 miles were ruled out until July and we have not been allowed to leave the Council area since late October, it has become an essential place for exercise. It is a five-mile drive away and during May, Gregor and I would go every few days until he captured the Strava record for its ascent and I managed to rupture some part of my knee when running down. 

Since June, I have used it a couple of times a week to slowly recover some leg strength. It is well frequented with walkers, runners, cyclists - although the majority of cyclists are on electric bikes. As a spot to observe the highlands and the backyard of my life it is perfect. I have walked it with Aileen, old work colleagues but most often alone, it has been a means of escape from the house and chance to let thoughts and memories sweep me along. It takes just an hour on most days unless the sun is out and I dither about looking over Loch Venachar to the hills or I decide to explore other routes or batter through the heather to the adjacent hill, Beinn Dearg. 

The price of mobile technology

Loch Venachar and Ben Ledi

Loch Venachar with Ben Venue top left

Beinn Dearg and Lochan Balloch

Rain approaching

Loch Venachar dam and rainbows 

Meall Corranaich

Meall Corranaich (right) from Meall a' Choire Leith

Friday, 2 October 2020

Ascent:     790 metres

Distance:  10 kilometres

Time:        3 hours 34 minutes

Meall Corranaich            1069m     1hr   20mins

Meall a' Choire Leith        926m     2hrs 29mins  

The forecast suggested a rare fine autumn day but there was a morning fog as I drove up to Killin, although by the top of Glen Ogle, the fog had dispersed and the Tarmachan and Ben Lawers were tantalising against the cloudless azure skies. I headed along the Loch Tay road and then over the Ben Lawers road towards Glen Lyon. It had seemed far too good a day to waste so I had decided to climb the two Munros north of Ben Lawers, there would be less climbing starting at 550 metres and my knee had flared up again during gardening duties in recent days. 

Although it was still quite early, all the parking spots beyond Lochan na Lairige had been taken so I had to head down towards Glen Lyon before finding a suitable spot that was not a passing place on the single track road. Timber lorries and vehicles servicing the hydroelectric infrastructure use this narrow road so the passing places are vital. I have noticed that there are a lot more people out and about on weekdays with better weather than was the case before the pandemic changed the pattern of work. Perhaps it is those working from home taking advantage of the more flexible working conditions to enjoy the outdoors.

I had intended to climb the lower Munro, Meall a' Choire Leith, first but the path from the cairn at the top of the pass curved to the south and before I realised I was heading for Meall Corrannaich. I decided to stick with it rather than trampling over the boggy heather covered ground towards the old shielings below Meall a' Choire Leith. It was probably a good decision although the path had to double back and crossed several bogs before reaching the foot of the north-west ridge leading to the outlying tops of Meall Corranaich. The views over the Tarmachan with Ben More and Stob Binnein were superb.

Apart from the wet underfoot conditions, the day could not have been better, a gentle cool breeze and perfect visibility with the whole of the West Highlands coming into view as I gained height.  There is a steep final pull to the summit and despite the cars parked below, there was no one else on the hill. The views across to Ben Lawers and An Stuc were excellent as were the views across Loch Tay to the fine range of Corbetts and Grahams that litter the watershed of Glen Almond. I spent some time enjoying this splendid viewpoint before beginning the 3-kilometre trek across to the adjoining Munro.

The walking is easy along a grassy ridge with a gradual descent of 300 metres before beginning a slightly steeper climb to the much lower Meall a' Choire Leith. I had almost caught up with a group of six younger walkers and their dog by the time that they reached the summit. They walked past the flat summit with a paltry pile of stones and made a descent to the south-west, I found a rock facing towards the west highlands where I stopped for 15 minutes to eat some lunch, take photos and admire the spectacular skyline. The dam at the foot of Lochan na Daimh was the focal point for the array of familiar hills that extend towards Ben Nevis. Another lone walker had parked himself on another rock a couple of hundred metres away, social distancing is magnified by a hundred in the hills and has become an art form.

I headed off to the south-west, there were no paths shown on the map and I could not recall any when I previously climbed this hill from the Cairn by Lochan na Lairig. I expected a steepish descent down the heather but to my surprise, a well-used dirt path wound its way down to the 600-metre contour where the path crossed the burn. The group of six walkers were having a break on a large erratic boulder. Their Staffordshire Bull Terrier seemed upset by my approach and raced up the hill to bark ferociously at me, I was pleased that I had brought a walking pole and was ready to use it as a defence when one of the walkers came charging up to put the frenzied dog on its lead. He said it was just trying to protect them. I did not realise that I looked so threatening to a group of men who were not even half my age, perhaps I should have shaved before setting out. I thanked him, shouted my hellos to the others, leapt over the burn and upped my pace along a very boggy route to the old shielings. The group set off to follow me and were a couple of hundred metres behind. I changed up another gear and crossed the next swollen burn without a pause. There was no time to worry about slipping as I did a hop, step and jump across some mid burn boulders. There was a slight climb along the boggy path for the final kilometre before it descended back to the road.

An elderly couple on a tandem had stopped by the Cairn, I had seen them early in the day as they were leaving Killin. They had cycled along Loch Tay and up Glen Lyon before making the 400-metre climb to the high point of the road. They were from Essex and were on a three-week cycle tour of Scotland, they had a camper van for overnight stays and cycled every day, moving the van every few days to explore different locations. They seemed completely content and mesmerised by the Scottish scenery. I bade them farewell as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and its chums began their final descent to the road.  It had been a good outing and my knee had held up apart from two occasions on the descents when it locked up. 

Killin was busy as I passed through on the way home but the roads were comparatively clear and by 3pm, I was sitting in the garden feeling quite relaxed after an easy two Munros.  

Cairn at the top of the Glen Lyon road

The Tarmachan from the ascent of Meall Corranaich

Meall a' Choire Leith from Meall Corranaich

An Stuc and Beinn Lawers from Meall Corranaich

Meall a' Choire Leith - looking towards Ben Nevis and Grey Corries

Lochan na Daimh dam and Glencoe Mts.

Meall Garbh and An Stuc from Meall a' Choire Leith

Glen Lyon Munros

Socially distanced lunch spots on Meall a' Choire Leith

Meall Corranaich from Meall a' Choire Leith

Meall a' Choire Leith from the Old Shieldings

Ochils: Ben Cleuch

Ben Cleuch from Ben Ever

25 September 2020

Ascent:     955 metres

Distance:  11 kilometres

Time:        3 hours 31 minutes

Ben Ever          622m    1hr   11mins

Ben Cleuch      721m    1hr   37mins

The Law           638m   2hrs  20mins

John had phoned and suggested a walk in the Ochils. He was trying to complete the Donalds, all the hills and their tops between 2000 and 2500 feet south of the Highland boundary fault. He had not climbed The Law during his previous outings in the Ochils because it was only a top but since 2018 the completion of the Donalds has required the tops to be included in the round. Keith Adams was to join us but his car had been assigned to the scrapyard and he was unable to get out from Glasgow. We met at the Ochil Hills Woodland Park. John observed that it was our first walk together in 2020. It would have been the first year we had not climbed together since we had climbed Ben More and Stob Binnein in 1978, starting at Crianlarich and finishing at Inverlochlarig by Balquidder.

There is a footpath from the Woodland Park back to the Silver Glen where it joins a well-made track that zig-zags upwards and then follows the Silver Burn climbing quite steeply, as is the way in the Ochils. At 370 metres we left the track and followed a wide grass path directly to the summit of Ben Ever. The bright skies with a loose cover of high white clouds made for an enjoyable ascent but towards the summit, the strong northerly winds chilled us. The visibility was excellent and Ben Ever was a good viewpoint for the familiar skyline from Ben Lomond round to Ben Chonzie. Tinto Hill was visible to the south, the Forth Estuary to the east and the links of the River Forth with the vast expanse of bonded warehouses at Manor Powis and former MoD site at Bandeath also prominent.

It is an easy saunter across to Ben Cleuch, although another 140 metres of ascent. We passed a group of four hill runners, two men and two women. We reluctantly admitted that now in our seventies, we would not be doing that again. I had run from Dollar to Bridge of Allan on a few occasions twenty odd years ago and that will remain as part of the happy memories of hill running days. At the summit of Ben Cleuch, three women had seven dogs with them in the wind shelter that surrounds the trig point. It would have made a remarkable photo but we retreated down to a sheltered position to sit and have some food, One of the dogs followed us down carrying a large stone that it dropped in front of me. I threw it and the dog retrieved it. This went on for ten minutes or so, John had finished eating and we were still playing. I sat down to have a drink and was promptly barked at for being a wimp. Fortunately, the women were about to leave with the pack of dogs so I finally had some peace. 

We continued the walk over to The Law and passed a dozen or so other walkers, mainly groups of what I assumed were students from Stirling University; skipping their house parties, online lectures and tutorials, and why not. Covid is not just for freshers week! On the steep descent from The Law, we passed the dogs again and I did get a photo but it lacked the group dynamics of the summit shelter. As we entered the Mill Glen and crossed the footbridge we discovered that the footpath back to the Woodland Park was closed owing to a landslip. It meant a diversion to Tillicoultry where we picked up the Hillfoots Diamond Jubilee Way back to the car park. It had been a good, if short, hill walk and a reminder of the well-tended, grassy but steep paths that abound in the Ochils. Looking at the way Covid cases are rising again, we will soon be in lockdown again, I doubt there will be many chances to get further afield this year.

The Law from Ben Ever

Stuc a' Chroin and Ben Vorlich from Ben Ever

Ben Lomond to Ben Ledi from Ben Ever

The Law from Ben Cleuch

Burnfoot Hill Wind Farm from Ben Cleuch

Ben Cleuch summit

Add caption

Forth Links from The Law

Some dog photos for the benefit of John

Mill Glen above Tillicoultry

 

Covid Six Months On

Autumn

 23 September 2020

It is exactly six months since the PM belatedly announced on 23 March the lockdown of life in the UK because of the COVID pandemic. So many things have changed since then. The initial impact was profound with devastating consequences in the UK as the spread of the virus reached all parts of the country and ravaged the care homes. We were housebound with only the garden, local walks and cycles on empty roads to provide brief interludes of freedom. Food was delivered and for six or seven weeks and we did not venture beyond the five-mile travel limit imposed by the Scottish Government. 

Even in May and only five miles from home, a nasty notice was attached to the car telling us to stay at home when we returned from a walk on a local footpath. The GP surgery was closed as were all social and service facilities. We chatted to neighbours at a distance as we did with people we passed on walks and everyone kept their distance. Most people were very friendly in the village and a sense of community prevailed.  There was no chance of visiting family or friends, our regular July holiday was cancelled although we were still told to pay for it. 

The lockdown was eased on 5 July, we booked a holiday on the remote Isle of Coll. Everything had changed, the Calmac ferry was operating at only 25% capacity, the dining room in the hotel was spaced out, and only two people at a time were allowed in the local shops. As we returned home, the roads were full of traffic heading for the highlands and islands and pubs and cafes had reopened. Caution was thrown to the wind as the government urged people to return to work, take public transport and eat as much as you can and we'll pay half. Schools reopened and then the universities returned. People were allowed to revisit each other and socialising became close and personal. 

We are now reaping the consequences with the number of cases escalating and the government are dropping anchor on the advice of the scientific and medical advice. With home visiting, holidays, people back at work, school and universities, it is no surprise that the cases have shot up again and in four weeks we already have as many cases per day as back in April. This at the very time when the support to businesses through the furlough scheme is ending and the new support measures are far less generous to business. We are facing a long winter of despair with university students ready to abandon their online teaching, stuck in university accommodation that is locked down for a duration likely to be as long as the PMs ramblings. 

With all these phases of certain uncertainty, I thought it would be useful to describe a typical day in the age of Covid at the cusp of this latest change, which has put all of us on parole to behave. 

My day started when I woke at 6:30am, the habit of a working lifetime, and as usual, I switched on the radio before 7:00am. The skies were bright and air still, there had been the first frost of the autumn. I decided to go for a walk up Lime Craig and left at 8:00am after a cup of coffee. I usually do this walk once a week. I am still hoping to make my 200th run up the hill, it is exactly a year since my 199th run but I am still having to limit running after my knee injury in May. Lime Craig was taped off in April and May but it has become a staple walk for quite a few people since access to the outdoors was relaxed. I parked at Braeval from where there is a good track all the way to the summit. Only one other car was there and no camper vans today, unlike recent weeks when there have been quite a few as Scotland has been besieged by people escaping the cities and more populous parts of the UK.

The conditions were perfect although gloves were needed for the first time since February, I passed a woman and her dog who were descending, she told me the views from the summit were incomparable. I must have benefitted from regular climbs as I kept a good pace all the way to the summit, an ascent of about 1000 feet. I was passed by a pick-up truck just before the summit; it was occupied by a couple of forestry workers arriving to clear the summit of spruce saplings. We had a quick chat at the summit platform where they were tooling up for the day, I had spoken to them a few days ago and since then they had cleared an area that had opened up some fine views to the south. We could see the Arran hills in the distance and the clarity was as good as I can ever remember. 

I was down well within the hour, jogging about half the descent as I try to build up my leg strength. I drove to Aberfoyle to collect a prescription at the pharmacy. Jamie, the pharmacist, lives in Glasgow and is worried about the escalation of COVID cases and feels the new control measures announced by the Scottish Government are necessary. Later in the day, we discovered that the number of new cases had risen to the highest daily rate ever in Scotland with 486 confirmed cases. Students at Glasgow, Dundee and Napier Universities were the main reason. I returned home for some breakfast and caught up on the news, edited a few blog posts and then spent an hour in the garden moving stones and turfs that were left from planting a new hedge at the weekend. 

By the time I came in, I had missed the Politics Live programme that Jo Cockburn presents with 4 or 5 guests from politics, the media and think tanks. It is well moderated and provides far deeper insight than news programmes. We had received an email from a friend Steve, asking if we would like to join them for a walk at Brig o' Turk at the weekend. We agreed and arranged to go on Saturday. 

Lunch was salad and smoked trout followed my daily apple, it set me up for a visit to the Muir Dam. I had been asked by the Council paths co-ordinator to provide a detailed map of the stiles we were intending to replace on the footpath so that I could obtain a grant for materials from the Council. She had also asked me to provide photos of the present dilapidated stiles. I had done all of this in March before lockdown but had been unable to find the list of materials that I had sent to others for checking, I must have inadvertently deleted the email. It took about 75 minutes to survey the path again,  I was surprised how little the path had been used since March, mainly because the stiles are broken. I called in at Richard's house and asked if he could find the email that I had sent giving a list of the materials which I would now revise following my re-examination of the path.

As I was walking back through the village, I dropped in at Dykes who sell and maintain agriculture and garden machinery to ask if they could look at a Hyundai petrol strimmer that had not worked since I bought it last year. It had to be returned to the agent to replace the gearbox and then proved difficult to start. Dykes asked me to drop it in and I returned with it immediately. Two or three minutes with a screwdriver and it was going, no charge just a suggestion that I buy the latest Husquana automatic lawnmower which would save me three hours a week in summer. It was tempting but not for this year, another two cuts and that should be the end of the lawn cutting. 

I returned home and began to cut the lawn next to the new hedge that we had spent most of the weekend planting, mainly because I had to dig out 75 willow trees that I had planted last winter. The neighbours appeared and we had a half-hour discussion about the latest developments in lockdown 2.0. I collected a couple of barrow loads of sand, for the path next to the burn and spread it on the path that I have been constructing. I spread some fine gravel over it before returning all the garden stuff to the shed and retired for a shower.

We were having spaghetti bolognese made with Quorn tonight, we switched to a meat-free diet about a year ago when Gregor came to stay with us and have continued since he moved to a new flat in June. We watched the tail end of the Scottish News and then the Channel 4 News. We have mainly given up on the BBC News, which has pandered to populism, there is seldom any in-depth analysis and the BBC seem unwilling to call out the government when it fails to deliver its promises on tackling the COVID pandemic.

There was a Community Council meeting on Zoom, the first since lockdown and we had received an invite to join, primarily for the debate on a planning application for 70 houses, which would increase the size of the village by 20%. There were about half a dozen other people tuned in to watch the deliberations about whether the Community Council could hold an AGM online and then various reports from the Council and other agencies, all of which were about delays to projects. There was no real debate about the planning application other than how to deal with it given that it not yet been submitted. The would-be developers were seeking to have a discussion with the community in advance of the application, mainly it would seem to tick this box before making a submission. We baled out of the meeting early.

John called asking if I would like to walk Ochils with him and my former hill running partner, Keith Adams, on Friday. Keith had been in Essex when lockdown happened and had stayed there with a cycling friend ever since. I am surprised he survived, he has spent more time in the hills than anyone I know and Essex is one of the very few counties that doesn't have any hills over 500 feet. It will be good to catch up with them both, we have climbed hundreds of hills together since our first outing on the Ben Lui Munros in December 1990. 

Richard had found my email and forwarded it to me so I could revise the requirements for materials to repair the stiles, that would be the top priority for tomorrow. 

I checked the football results, Preston had lost 2-0 to Brighton. When they were relegated from the old Division 1 in 1960, Brighton and Hove Albion were in Division 3 South. I had assumed we would soon return and I have attended playoff finals for promotion but it increasingly looks like a return is unlikely in my lifetime. This despite the potential crowd probably being greater than Bournemouth, Blackpool, Watford, Burnley, Wigan, Huddersfield, and one or two other clubs that have made it to the premier league in recent years.

There was nothing worth watching on TV so I had a bowl of cereal before retiring for the night at 10:45pm.

Pine near the summit of Lime Craig

Looking west from Lime Craig

Ben Ledi

Stob Binnein and Ben More

Campsies

Path along the Cessintully Burn

Tony Abbott is not the Suppository of all Wisdom

Several friends have made comments in recent weeks about being embarrassed to be British. I share their pain as we watch the government's shambolic attempt to manage the pandemic with a little help from their friends. Friends like Dido Harding, companies like Serco and G4S and those private companies, many with financial links to the Conservative Party, that have secured £5bn of contracts for PPE under a loophole that allows normal tendering procedures to be abandoned during an emergency.

Meanwhile, the organisations with the skills and knowledge to deal with the pandemic, like Public Health England and the local Councils have been kept at a distance from the government's centralised control operation. New schemes and proposals emerge without any underlying strategy, lots of money has been wasted on unfulfilled promises by companies with little experience, no accountability to the public and without any outcome agreements. 

And now to add insult to these indiscretions we are told that the controversial ex-Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, is to be hired as a Trade Advisor. His CV was extensively exposed by his predecessor as Australian PM Julia Gillard as seen in this much-watched video.

These accusations seem to be bourne out by the experience of my feisty Australian cousin who tells me, "My daughter was manning the Greens stall in Manly when Abbott arrived and starting yelling at her, she was 17. The mother tiger in me took over and gave him the tongue lashing he deserved." Knowing how articulate and assertive my cousin can be I'm not surprised that he has sought asylum in the UK, or that Priti Patel has allowed him in, he has the values and lack of relevant experience that the government seem to cherish.