Date: 21st February 2010
Time: 7 hours (including stops and backtracking to retrieve ice axe)
Munros: Sgairneach Mhor, Beinn Udlamain, Gael-Charn, A'Mharconaich
Distance: 14.77 miles
Ascent: 1,545m (5,068ft) Route: View on OS Maps

The car thermometer read -9oC as I cautiously left Aberdeen on the seemingly well gritted A90. My basic plan was to climb some mountains from a main road with the thought that at least getting there would be largely ice-free. Thankfully there is little moisture in Scotland at the moment and so all the roads were fine and I never had a traction problem. Even so I still took it steady and in the end it took around 2hrs 30 to get to the summit of the Pass of Drumochter on the A9. From joining the road at Dunkeld it had been a superb drive, crossing icy rivers with snow capped mountains lining the road.

Distance: 10.5 miles
Time: 6 hours
Munros: Stob a'Choire Odhair (926m), Stob Ghabhar (1025m)
Weather: Overcast, light winds, cold
Route: View on OS Maps

The benefit of starting at 5am on a Saturday morning and driving for 150 miles is that you get to catch most of the Out of Doors programme on BBC Radio Scotland. At least you do until you get deep enough in to the Southern Highlands that Cameron McNeish talking about wild camping by Loch Lomond is lost in a muddle of static. After Lochearnhead I continued on, enjoying the new found silence. The roads were surprisingly busy but slowly cars pulled off into the starting points for popular mountains including Ben More farm and Dalrigh. My favourite view of the journey was the alpenglow lighting up the solid snow-clad eastern face of Ben Lui.

Distance: 11 miles
Time: 7 hours (including stops for food, drink, crampons, photos!)
Munro: Beinn Liath Mhor
Route: View on OS Maps

Getting up at 4:30am is never fun but is made less so when the sky is cloudy and holds only the promise of drizzle. The BBC and MWIS though had both indicated a fair chance (70%) of a cloud-free Munro if I headed west and so it was that shortly after 5am I crept out of the sleeping city and headed for the A96, the hills and the promise of adventure.

Time: 5hrs 50 mins (including 20 mins of stops)
Distance: 8.8 miles
Ascent: 591m (1,939ft)
Corbett: Morrone (859m)
Meteorology: Deep snow, light cloud clearing to clear skies, sub-zero
Attendees: Myself and Dave
Route: View on OS Maps

After several weeks of inclement weather including heavy snow and high winds, as well as problems on the roads, conditions finally seemed favourable to escape Aberdeen. The 201 Stagecoach was used to reach Braemar and despite a slightly late start we were deposited outside the Fife Arms only a couple of minutes behind the timetable and a couple of minutes before 10am.

This last month I've been focussing on putting together my wild camping kitlist. Whether I'll get much done over the summer I don't know yet, but my main aim is to be sorted for some proper expeditions in early Autumn once the nights are a bit darker and the midgies have receded again.

Date: 31st May 2009
Distance: 9.8 miles
Time: 6.5 hours
Ascent: 3,498ft
Munros: Beinn Sgritheall
Weather: Hot, sunny, hazy
Route: View on OS Maps

Famous last words: "It's only three hours up and down." This is no doubt true if you approach from Arnisdale, have a masochistic love for scree and it isn't a scorching 27 degrees in the glens. Anyway, an utterance of the hillwalker's prayer over a dram of Ardbeg the night before had clearly done the trick and we had another glorious day.

Distance: 10.4 miles
Time: 8.5 hours (including lunch, snoozes, scrambling etc)
Ascent: 5200ft
Munros: The Saddle, Sgurr na Sgine
Corbett: Ben a Crois Chaolais
Route: View on OS Maps

The west coast wonder weather continued on Saturday despite a somewhat cloudy start. Aiming to have the majority of the tough climbing and scrambling done before the sun became too ridiculous we were on the road from Morvich before 7:30 and were the second car to arrive in the layby close to the plantation by the A87 at NG973138.

Date: 24th May 2009
Distance: 12 miles
Time: 5 hours
Attendees: Me
Munros: Carn Gorm, Meall Garbh, Carn Mairg and Meall na Aighean
Weather: Sunny spells, cold gusting wind
Route: View on OS Maps

It's a wonderful feeling: leaving the house in brilliant sunshine, a hint of a frosty dawn still lingering in the air. The quiet roads were a joy and in no time at all I was off the A90 and winding my way through the backroads of first Angus and then Perthshire. A dash up a deserted A9 got me to Aberfeldy and then it was a matter of following the Glen Lyon/Bridge of Balgie signs until, having negotiated my way down the narrowest of single lane roads, I found myself at the car park below the telephone box in Invervar just a few minutes before 8:30am.

Date: 16th May 2009
Distance: 16.5 miles
Time: 9 hours
Attendees: The Stocket Hillwalking Club
Munros: Braeriach
Weather: Cloud at 800m, high winds
Route: View on OS Maps

The trundle around to Aviemore was long, and largely uneventful and, though the bus driver was dubious, we were eventually on the right road heading past Loch Morvich up towards the ski centre at Cairn Gorm. Jim was also doubtful but we turned into the car park opposite the walk start and were soon booting up under austere but definitely brightening skies (NH985073).

Distance: 15 miles
Time: 5.5 hours (including breakfast)
Munros: Broad Cairn, Cairn Bannoch
Start: Car Park at the Spittal of Glenmuick
Weather: Beautifully clear, cold start but later overcast
Route: View on OS Maps

So, sometimes it's good to shake up the normal routine of a weekend. After going to see Star Trek with friends I got back and looked up on a velvety blue sky shimmering with stars. The summer triangle was creeping above the horizon and looking at my laptop the weather forecast promised a continuation of this clear spell at least until midday. MWIS concurred with the eastern hills being given an 80% chance of being cloud free during Sunday morning.