Four Highest Cairngorms Hill Run
“The more books we read, the sooner we perceive that the true function of the writer is to produce a masterpiece and that no other task is of any consequence . . . All excursions into journalism, broadcasting, propaganda and writing of films, however grandiose, are doomed to disappointment.” Cyril Connolly, from Nicholas Shakespeare’s biography […]
At the loch side
The first heat of the morning sun swept a light frost from the path as I approached the shore of the bailiff’s loch, Loch a’Bhaillidh, from the shade of the surrounding forest. My thoughts were far away, in the mountains, imagining the same rays transforming neve to granular spring snow and the swish of skis. But now, at the […]
Plan A: Coll and Tiree by bike. Plan B: Coll by bike and Mull by van.
Traigh Feall at the western end of Col The Isle of Bute is, as the tourist board have long maintained, a beautiful island. But is not Hebridean. It lacks that Hebridean magic, the great luminosity which Murray attributed to light reflected from the surrounding sea. That Bute belongs to the B list of islands became clear […]
Badrallach and Beinn Ghobhlach
Beinn Gobhlach My first visit to Badrallach was over ten years ago. It was a one night stopover en route to Coigach and Assynt, so we didn’t adequately explore the surroundings. On revisiting at the weekend I was extremely impressed, both by the campsite and by its environs. Badrallach is a tiny crofting community occupying […]
Running, Grouse, Windfarms and National Parks
Frequently updated blogs can easily become annoying, but Will Gadd’s is an exception. Reading his thoughts on training made me feel slightly lazy, so I decided to convert my guilty indolence into useful action. I enlisted Tam the dog to accompany me on my favourite hill run, taking in the rounded summit of Beinn Bhuidhe […]
Read More