An overnight backpacking trip taking in the five Munros of the Ben Starav group in the West Highlands of Scotland

Part two of my five day adventure into the heart of the Fisherfield wilderness. If you missed Part One you can read it here first.

A four night backpacking trip centred around a circuit of the five Fisherfield Munros

A loop from the west taking in Mona Gowan and Morven on a bright and breezy spring day.

An aborted attempt at a long circuit along the Mullardoch ridge and through the western end of Glen Affric.

An aborted attempt at a circuit of the Munros of Mamlorn in the southeast Highlands with an overnight camp below Ben Challum.

A wintry round of Glen Lui and Glen Dee with an excursion to the Munro summit of Carn a' Mhaim.

A review of Alex Roddie’s historical fiction novel The Atholl Expedition

Following on from his debut novel Alex Roddie has once again produced an entertaining work of historical fiction. The Atholl Expedition, his new novel, is a short, pacy book centred around two contrasting ventures into the hills and glens of Atholl and Mar in the eastern Highlands of Scotland. Professor Forbes, an ailing glaciologist troubled by his professional past is seeking Scotland’s last glacier, rumoured to exist high in a Cairngorm coire, in the hope this discovery might rekindle his career. Meanwhile, on the same estate, Prince Albert, with the blessing of Queen Victoria, sets out with the Duke of Atholl to stalk a legendary deer which will likely lead him and his retainers into those same coires.

A winter round of three of the Munros encircling Glen Callater in the Mounth area of the eastern Highlands south of Braemar.

Outside the rain-spattered window the final day of 2013 is fading away into the gloom. Like much of December it is raining, heavily, and a strong wind has been gusting through the streets of Aberdeen. It's a good day then for reviewing some of the great times I've had out and about on the hills of Scotland (and beyond) this year.