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!

The Small Isles

I had the chance to go to the Isle of Muck last week, one of the smaller of the Small Isles.It is owned by Lawrence MacEwen . The whole MacEwen family are extremely friendly and welcoming , very down to earth and hardworking. I have been to islands where one gets the impression that the inhabitants are there to get away from the rest of humanity, where there is an undercurrent of unhappiness and loneliness. Maybe my impression  of Muck was coloured by it being a lovely sunny day but everybody I met seemed contented and happy with their lot. I'm sure it is different in the depths of winter but last week it seemed an idyllic place. I would love to spend more time on the island although being only one mile by two and almost entirely lacking in hills it would become frustrating for an ultrarunner after a while!
   The boat trip on the Sheerwater from Arisaig is always a great experience with a chance to see birds, seals and whales . The Sheerwater is  a small boat so the crossing can be rough but on Friday it was  calm . Returning in the afternoon across a glittering sea, the islands of Eigg and Rum were grey silhouettes on the horizon, the sky, previously a brilliant azure blue, was full of drama as the sun dipped low  and clouds built up - it was a beautiful end to a wonderful day.

On the Sheerwater

Quick sketch of the distinctive profile of the An Sgurr of Eigg

The Sheerwater moored at the slipway on Eigg ( it stops here for half an hour on the way back from Muck)

  Polly Pullar has written a book about Lawrence MacEwen and Muck called A Drop In The Ocean , it is well worth reading.

Gas Station challenge

Last Sunday I painted the petrol station at Carr's corner near Fort William in order to enter James Gurney's gouache competition. The challenge was to paint a gas station in  black and white gouache only . Not my normal subject matter but I managed to sneak some hills into the background ( Ben Nevis and  Melantee )  . I found it quite difficult  firstly painting in black and white secondly the gouache which was only my second attempt in the medium and also painting the cars which kept driving off !
Needless to say there were some brilliant entries so my picture didn't get anywhere. You can see the winners on gurneyjourney on Wednesday's post.

Corrour Station

Looking west from the slopes of Garbh Beinn

From Meall Garbh looking down on Strath Ossian

Yesterday we took the train to Corrour Station. It was a lovely day . Helen was suffering from sore achilles tendons after the Great Glen Race so we decided to take it easy. We jogged north from the station and then climbed the nose of Garbh Beinn and on to the summit of Meall Garbh . The picture above shows the stunning view down to Strath Ossian and Loch Ghuilbinn.
 The last time I was there was in the middle of a very dark night in a howling gale and driving rain ,helping a Canadian runner on a stage of the Ramsay Round . Conditions yesterday couldn't have been more different ; warm sunshine and  slight breeze.
After we had descended we had plenty of time before the train home so I sketched the station house .It is so sad that the restaurant is now closed.
I was initially  skeptical about having a high class restaurant in the middle of nowhere but Lizzie and Ollie ( and Archie the dog) made it in to a unique dining experience . Through hard work and talent they created something really special . Whenever we had visitors we would take them to Corrour for a bracing walk and then a coffee and a bite to eat in the station house - they always loved it.
 The estate is planning to re-open with an establishment providing more basic fare next week.
 Time will tell whether they will have the same enthusiasm, passion and ambition to provide excellent food and such a warm welcome as Lizzie and Ollie.

The Old Puggy Line

I had a day off today but I had to spend most of the morning catching up with paperwork in the office. Fortunately this meant that by the time I was running home in the afternoon  the rain had cleared away. I took my usual long route along the ' Old Puggy Line' This path follows the route of a disused narrow gauge railway line that was built to facilitate the construction of the dam at Loch Treig  and the 15 mile long tunnel that was bored through the mountains to the aluminium smelter.It was closed in 1971 and now forms a delightful woodland path slightly elevated from the floor of the valley and so affording some great views. I'm really lucky to have a 10 mile commuting run which apart from a short section at the start is completely off road in gorgeous countryside.
This afternoon I did a quick sketch out of our bedroom window of Aonach Mor . I'd inadvertently left my moleskine sketchbook at work so used a landscape sketcchbook sold in Waterstones  . The paper in this is really excellent and a  joy to use having just the right degree of tooth and not being prone to buckle.

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