View From Ben Nevis Inn

Ben Nevis and Carn Mor Dearg

Last weekend we went to the Ben Nevis Inn for a coffee: the first sketch is the view of the Ben path with the Mamores beyond . Afterwards I ran up to the Half Way Lochan. As always the Ben path was crowded with tourists (of course I was crowding the path too). It is good to see so many people enjoying the mountains but it is difficult going up whilst dodging walkers coming down. However much you want to feel goodwill towards your fellow mountaineers it does detract from  the enjoyment of the hill. When I turned off the Ben path and headed over to Allt Mhuillinn ( the valley between Ben Nevis and Carn Mor Dearg) I suddenly found myself alone . From jostling with the crowds on the Ben path to being in a true moutain wilderness in the space of a few hundred metres: what a relief! Maybe it is best that most of the tourists are channelled up one path leaving the other parts free to be enjoyed in solitude by those that seek it.
I stopped and did a quick watercolour sketch on the corner then carried on to the CIC hut( Britain's only Alpine style hut) and a bit beyond. The North Face of the Ben never ceases to thrill me with its crags and corries most often wreathed in shifting clouds.There were still a few patches of snow clinging to the cliffs. In my opinion this side of the mountain is far more preferable to the long trudge up the tourist path.
 From there it is a long run home but an enjoyable one entirely on forest trails.

Pine Marten Cafe

We actually had some sun today. This is the view from the Nevis Range Pine Marten cafe at lunchtime. The top of Aonach Mor was still hidden in cloud but the sun was shining on the trees in the foreground. I was very tired after being called out at 2.30am but a large Americano coffee with cream helped!

Trip to Norfolk

On  Monday we went to the beach at Sherringham. I love the bustle of seaside resorts with all the little shops and attractions . Sherringham also has a steam railway  and a miles of cliff top walks . We went for a run up the coast and then returned for a swim in the sea .The water was wonderfully refreshing after getting hot and sweaty running.

Bruce the cat at home

Slightly wonky sketch of Helen chatting to her sister in the sun

View of the river at Thorpe Green after a meal at the Rush Cutters pub

We did a couple of long runs in the Norfolk countryside finding some good routes south of Norwich.
 The Boudicca Way is a well waymarked trail from Norwich to Diss; we did the first section then joined up with the Tas Valley Way(which goes from Norwich to Attleborough)  northwards  then jigged west to Heatherset where a well earned beer and a barbecue awaited us.
 It was a lovely hot day but we were surprised and dismayed at he lack of pubs in the villages; we only wanted a cup of tea but there was none to be had in about 25 miles of running! The villages were delightful , ancient flint walled churches and thatched cottages, beautiful greens and plenty of trees but it is a shame that most cannot sustain any local services such as a pub or shop. They are casualties of the modern car based world where the city is only a few minutes away on an ugly dual carriageway.
Now we are back home in rainy Scotland. Work tomorrow!