Beinn a’ Chochuill and Beinn Eunaich: fowling our way up the hooded peak

January 21, 2026 Trip reports beinn a chochuill, beinn eunaich, britain, glen awe, hill walking, munros, scotland 0 Comment

It was the fifth year in a row that Edita and I would be spending the Christmas period in Scotland trying to get up some hills, and our expectations weren’t high. Icy blizzards, deep snow, freezing fog and murderous summit winds had been our usual fare for the previous four. Would this year be any different?

Christmas in Glen Coe III: the Hillwalk Terminator

January 15, 2025 Trip reports aonach eagach, beinn a bheithir, britain, glen coe, hill walking, meall dearg, munros, scotland 5 Comments

It was the third year in a row that we’d chosen to spend Christmas in Glencoe in the hope of bagging some winter hills. But, as we’ve discovered, hoping for good weather in Glencoe over Christmas is a forlorn hope. Still, you’ve got to put your chin up and get on with it. With an unpromising weather forecast, would we manage get up any Munros?

Is this the world’s most expensive boat trip? Climbing the Mullardoch Munros

July 24, 2024 Trip reports boat trips, britain, hill walking, munro bagging, munros, peak bagging, scotland 3 Comments

We left the longest walk of the trip until the second week, when we hoped to be more mountain fit. Even so, when we stood on the summit of Toll Creagach and looked across Loch Mullardoch to its four associated Munros (the ‘Mullardoch Munros’), we could see quite clearly that it was going to be a loooong day.

Peaks and pine forests: exploring the Glen Affric Munros

June 12, 2024 Trip reports affric kintail way, britain, glen affric, hill walking, munro bagging, munros, scotland 1 Comment

There are quite a few Scottish glens (or valleys) that get described as ‘the most beautiful in Scotland’. Obviously, they can’t all be, but Glen Affric is certainly up there among the best. There are 16 Munros in the surrounding area. Our plan was to climb as many as we could in two weeks.

Christmas in Glen Coe II: The Revenge of the Rainstorms

January 3, 2024 Trip reports britain, buachaille etive beag, corbetts, glen coe, hill walking, munros, scotland 0 Comment

Another Christmas, and another cottage in Scotland for a week. What would the weather hold in store for us this year, and would we get up any mountains? The forecast wasn’t promising, but one good day in the hills could make it all worthwhile.

My 2007 Knoydart diary: a winter backpacking trip that didn’t quite go to plan

September 13, 2023 Trip reports backpacking, britain, hill walking, knoydart, luinne bheinn, munros, scotland, travel diaries 1 Comment

My visit to Knoydart with Edita that I wrote about in my previous post, was so different from my first visit in 2007 that I could have been walking in a different world. I thought I would dig it out my diary of that first trip for a laugh, so here it is.

Bothies, boats and backpacks: climbing the Knoydart Three Munros

August 30, 2023 Trip reports backpacking, boat trips, bothy nights, britain, hill walking, knoydart, ladhar bheinn, luinne bheinn, munro bagging, munros, scotland 4 Comments

Sixteen years ago, I set out on a 5-day winter backpacking trip to climb three Munros in Knoydart, a remote peninsula in northwest Scotland. It turned into an epic that I was lucky to survive. Earlier this year, unexpectedly, I found myself with a chance to make amends.

The Dubh Slabs: the most iconic scramble in the British Isles

July 26, 2023 Trip reports boat trips, bothy nights, britain, cicerone guides, cuillin ridge, danny macaskill, hill walking, isle of skye, karl smith, munros, scotland, sgurr dubh mor 2 Comments

We decided to continue our Cuillin reconnaissance. But what to reconnoitre? Our guide Karl suggested climbing the Dubh Slabs and staying overnight at Camasunary. I’d known about the Slabs for years, but never imagined I would ever climb them myself

The four summits of Sgurr a Mhadaidh: another Cuillin reconnaissance

July 5, 2023 Trip reports britain, cicerone guides, cuillin ridge, dave fowler, hill walking, isle of skye, karl smith, munros, scotland, sgurr a mhadaidh, west coast mountain guides 5 Comments

It was time for another Cuillin reconnaissance, and there was one section of tricky scrambling that we hadn’t done: an unavoidable obstacle in the form of the four summits of Sgurr a Mhadaidh. I was keen to complete this section before committing to a full traverse of the ridge.

How to survive a wet and wintry week in Glen Coe, Scotland

January 11, 2023 Trip reports aonach eagach, britain, chris townsend, glen coe, hill walking, munros, scotland 3 Comments

For many years the idea of a week in Scotland at the end of December was far from my thoughts. There are only a few hours of daylight, a high chance of rain every day, howling winds and thick mist over the hills. But it’s still possible to enjoy yourself in these circumstances.

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