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.

Date: 3rd May 2009
Distance: 9.3 miles
Ascent: 977m
Time: 3hrs 10mins
Munros: Mayar, Dreish
Route: View on OS Maps

After a Cairngorm's epic on Saturday I wanted something more civilised on Sunday. After a lazy morning, a trip into town to buy a pair of sunglasses (replacing a …

Date: 2nd May 2009
Distance: 21 miles
Ascent: 5000ft
Time: 8hrs 15mins (including stops)
Munros: Carn a' Mhaim, Ben MacDui, Derry Cairngorm
Meteorology: May-like (rain, hail, snow, wind, sun in equal measure)
Route: View on OS Maps

A typical Bank Holiday forecast promising a mix of sunshine and showers, though decidedly better on the east, meant I abandoned grand plans for a trip up to Assynt and the Far North, and instead returned to (almost) familiar ground in the Cairngorms. In fact, as I got held up behind another driver doing 45mph on the A93 at 7:15 in the morning, I reflected on the fact that this walk would very much be on new ground. I'd been over Beinn Bhrotain last year but that had been in cloud. I was hoping today to get a proper sight of Glen Dee and the giants at the heart of the Cairngorms.

Time: 7hrs 15 mins (including 1hr 45 mins of stoppage!)
Distance: 12.5 miles
Ascent: 1520m (4,988ft)
Munros: Ben Vane (916m), Beinn Ime (1011m)
Meteorology: Hazy sunshine, cool wind on summits, later heavy showers
Attendees: Many, but myself, Dave and Peter completed the walk
Route: View on OS Maps

A weak sun lights the dull, grey waters of Loch Lomond as the Inversnaid ferry plies across from a far shore wreathed in cloud. The long drone of a piper starts as the guests climb the jetty up to the Inveruglas visitor center where a car park is already struggling to contain the early starts. Here we are, adding to the multitudes, booting up and then heading across the road towards the Loch Sloy turning. The Sloy hydro station stands silent as we troop down the road, a multicolour line of troops marching to do battle with the hill.

Distance: 7.9 miles
Time: 4 hours
Hills: Clachnaben, Mt Shade, Threestane Hill
Meteorology: Fine early spring day with plenty of sunshine

As others have shown after the disaster that was Saturday, Sunday on the east side of Scotland was a beautiful day. Sunshine, blue skies and a frosty nip higher up. This was to be my first expedition in the car so something reasonably close by was selected. Inspired by L111CHT’s interesting route to Clachnaben we headed to the second car park, just by the AA Call Box on the B974 road towards Fettercairn (NO893650).

Distance: 3.8 miles
Time: 2 hours
Hill: Dumyat (418m)
Weather: Overcast with occasional rain show

What Dumyat may lack in height it more than makes up for in steepness and craggyness. Although there is a fairly straightforward route up this wee hill just to the west of Stirling we chose a more eccentric route, heading steeply up its western gorge before traversing the south face just below the crags and then scrambling up to the summit.

Time: 4hrs 50mins (including stops)
Distance: 7.3 miles
Munro: Ben Lomond (974m)
Route: View on OS Maps

The drive to Rowardennan on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond was a tantalising one with the mountains wreathed in mist but a watery sun illuminating the valley. However, as the potholes got worse so did the weather until we found ourselves booting up under a sombre sky. The car park was already full (despite closed toilets) and a string of people could be seen heading up onto the slopes.

Hills: Carn na Drochaide (Corbett, 818m)
Distance: 13 miles
Time: 4.5 hours (including stops)
Weather: "Wintry"
Route: View on OS Maps

It seemed the hillwalkers forecast on Sunday morning had been wrong; for much of the journey out from Aberdeen on the 201 Stagecoach the skies were blue and the first hills looked beautiful. Morven in particular, with a cap of pristine fresh snow (we had seen the clouds march towards Aberdeen on Thursday but they had never hit), looked stunning. We passed through Ballater where there was a thin covering of snow on the green by the church, but it was only really as we entered the trees a few miles before Crathie that things changed. The bus driver commented “it was like going through the wardrobe into Narnia”. All of sudden the branches were laden with snow, and fresh flakes were drifting down onto a ground that was increasingly white and winter-like.

Corbetts Climbed: Morven
Distance: 15 miles
Time: 6 hours (including stops)
Weather: Mild, overcast early on but sunshine later, very windy on top Route: View on OS Maps

Poor planning leads oft to much tarmac should be a new saying. Not fully thinking through my walk, or more accurately changing my mind several times on the way, meant I added on six miles of tarmac drudgery onto what was otherwise a fantastic day out in the Cairngorm foothills.