Loch Ossian near Corrour Lodge

I had another good run last week; I took the the train to Corrour Station, and ran  around Loch Ossian.
 I enjoyed a coffee at the station restaurant., ran to Loch Treig and then homewards. It was a gorgeous, hot day. I passed a group of  teenagers doing their Gold Duke of Edinburgh expedition. They were all carrying heavy packs, wearing big boots and looked very hot.
 Further on I found a deep pool in the river and  went for a swim; it was incredibly refreshing. The D of E group trudged past as I swam and one  exclaimed "I'm so envious!" They were on such a tight scedule that they couldn't spare five minutes for a dip .
From the Meannanach bothy I took the path north but then  climbed the slopes of Stob Ban .
Stob Ban is an outlier of the main Grey Corrie ridge and  you have to descend an unpleasant bit of scree before climbing up to Stob Choire Claurigh on the main ridge.
 Needless to say the views are spectacular on a fine day.

Looking East along the ridge of the Grey Corries

The Grey Corries make up a fine ridge that twists and turns . You have to watch your step but there is no real scrambling. I descended via the initially runnable slopes of Beinn Bhan, Lower down the grassy hill is steep and  slippery- I ended  up on my backside a few times. From the bottom of the mountain it is only a few miles through the forest to our village.

Glorious Summer Weather

Last week I jogged the  the West Highland Way, in some glorious summer weather.
 I started at lunchtime on Tuesday having got the train  down to Milngavie.
 The first section to Drymen  I normally find the least inspiring section . However on Tuesday it was delightful. In Mugdock park there were carpets of bluebells .The trees were a brilliant green with deep dark shadows.On the road section the hedgerows were a profusion of wildflowers; pink campion , more bluebells , buttercups and  cow parsley. My main concern on the first day was getting  enough to drink and getting enough salt on board. I stopped at Balmaha shop, the hotel at Rowardennan and at Inversnaid to buy drinks. I really enjoyed running  along  in the sun, but by far the best bit was beyond Rowardennan.By then  the crowds of WHW walkers were gone and I had the trail to myself . It was a beautiful evening, the heat of the day was away but the low sun still shone . The pictures below are from two of the many photos I took.
 At Inversnaid I couldn't resist a half of guiness; by then I was parched and  it tasted delicious ! In previous years when I have done a three day West Highland Way it has always been raining by this point and I normally sleep under a particular rock I know of near Inversnaid . This time I was more concerned by the clouds of midges so I found  a high point  on the path hoping for a breeze off the loch to keep them away. I bedded down in my bag in the middle of the path and  got a few hours sleep.

Day 2 I always find tough . Carrying a sleeping bag ,bivvy bag,spare clothes ,waterproofs, food and  water (and of course sketchbook and paints) makes running just  that little bit harder. I stopped to write in Dario's book ( close to the bothy ) and was glad to see the usual suspects were keeping  up the tradition of writing  there. I didn't linger for long as the  midges were getting  fierce.

Woodland by Loch lomond

I normally get a coffee at Beinglas Farm but on this occasion I was too early ( 7AM), so continued without the stimulation of caffeine. The day started to heat up again as the morning  progressed and by the Crianlarich woodland section I had slowed down considerably. This section is a switchback trail through the forest and  can be fun if one is feeling fit - but I wasn't ! Lack of fitness,sleep and caffeine  were taking there toll and  I was unused to the heat. However a cup of tea , at Strathfillan  sorted me out and  by the time  I got through Tyndrum I was starting  to pick up. I did the last section of the day  much faster than I expected and arrived  at Bridgeof Orchy before midday with 3 hours to spare to catch the train . So I went and  sat in the river for a bit then did a sketch.

I took the afternoon train home for a good feed and  a solid night's sleep in my own bed then got the morning  train back to Bridge of Orchy for day 3. The train fare is far less than paying  for accomodation and  allowed me to leave some of my gear at home . I suppose a purist would have bivvied for a second night but is so much easier running  with a light rucksack.

Unbelievably the third day was hot as well ! Fortunately a brisk breeze kept me cool running . and I had a great time.. Again I had to buy drinks at every opportunity as most of the streams were almost dry .

I arrived in Fort William about 5 minutes to late for the 5.35 train but fortunately Helen was able to pick me up. 

Although I am quite unfit it was a glorious run , Great weather from beginning  to end and the scenery was stunning as always

We have had some terific weather recently - an actual heat wave! ; The other week I was back up Aonach Mor in perfect conditions. Amazing skies filled with billowing clouds, warm sunshine but with a cooling breeze sufficient to keep the midges away. I sketched the view from the cable car station . Running home through the forest was a delight.

Mountain biker at the top of downhill track on Aonach Mor

The Eastern side of the Aonach Mor summit plateau

A recent painting of the Glenfinnan Monument 

Mountain Biking

Yesterday we went for a run on Aonach Mor, by chance the downhill mountain biking championships were on . We were blown away by the skill and courage of the riders as they negotiated jumps, tight bends and large boulders .I tried to sketch riders in mid air at one of the water jumps but found it very difficult to get the details down as each rider sailed through the air .Eventually I did the above  quick sketch of the start of the course. The riders start down a ramp from a small pod near the top of the cable car.It takes the top riders about five minutes to descend the 3kms and about 2000 feet to the valley bottom.
Watching  the biking was exciting but it was good to get higher up beyond the noise and bustle to the quiet solitude of the plateau with the mountain hares and ptarmigan.The snow has shifted fast over the last week but there is still a lot in the corries and the eastern cliffs of Aonach Mor were very dramatic.

Below are some recent paintings

Spring

I started the sketch below last week whilst waiting  for the Corran ferry . I had just enough time to get some paint down before I had to drive onto the ferry. On Friday I was again waiting for the ferry so added some finishing touches to the sketch.. I realised that I had missed out a patch of green ;or rather the green hadn't been there last week. In the last few days the leaves have appeared on the birch trees. I wonder how it is that all the birch trees in Lochaber can be so well synchronised as to come in to leaf within a few days of each other; is it the daylength or the temperature?
This evening running home from work, the late evening  sun was shining on the woods near Torlundy The newly emerged leaves were glinting and  shimmering in the golden light. It was  glorious!  In the other direction  Ben Nevis looked majestic and formidable with its cap of snow and  deep shadows creeping  up the corries. As I ran roe deer crossed the track in front of me. Primroses and  wood anemones peppered the woodland floor. Finally crossing the Spean Bridge I saw a cloud of bats wheeling and darting above the river. Truly Sprng is here!

Ben Keil from Corran.

Boring Cardio ?

I read a few blogs on fitness health and  weightloss .Many of them offer really good advice; up to date information on how to get fit and stay healthy . The current trend seems to be away from continuous"cardio" ie excercise that raises ones heart rate and therefore improves cardiovascular health. and towards strength training and H.I.I.T. ( high intensity interval training) . The feeling is that prolonged moderate exercise e.g running long distances, causes inflammation , overuse injuries and doesn't in the long term promote weight loss or good general health . There seems to be sweet spot where exercise increases  cardiovascular health but doing more and more aerobic excercise actually decreases the benefits to one's heart . H.I.I.T. involves very short bursts of about 30 seconds of maximum effort with a short interval between.and this appears to be the most effective way to get fit and to burn fat .Strength training increases muscle and counteracts the age related drop in muscle strength .
I take this on board ,  The science  suggests that ultra running may not be good for you.
However I draw the line when some well respected health gurus talk about 'boring cardio' as in  "You don't need to do all that boring cardio just follow my training regime for 15 minutes a day." This really annoys me; I want  to do all that "boring" cardio.
 To me cardio is no more boring than breathing . 'cardio ' or at least running all day in the hills has given me most of what I love in life .
It is through hill running  that I met my wife and from that first day our relationship has flourished through our shared passion of running. It has helped me though some  difficult and  lonely times in my life. Years ago when I was working very long hours including every other weekend  on call, I would never have coped if I didn't spend all of my time off running in the mountains. I think that running has given me more pleasure and  periods of intense joy than any other activity I have ever engaged in. It has made me who I am, it has shaped and  coloured my life.
Boring  cardio ? If you're bored with cardio you are bored with life!

Sketch of Ben Nevis  from  Banavie 

Visit to Essex

 I have now resolved my scanner problems so I am posting  again !

We had a trip south to see relatives last month. Above is a watercolour sketch of the mudflats of the Blackwater from the historic Hythe in Maldon.
Maldon was once an important port and even in the early part of the 20th centuy was a centre for the sailing  barge trade taking  hay, straw and grain from Essex farms to London to feed the horses and  returning with loads of horse manure to fertilize the fields.

 We did the normal  things of going to cafes and pubs for coffee and snacks- always a good opportunity to sketch.

Cafe in Maldon

On the way home , a cafe in Glasgow,.

 To get back to Scotland  I tried the sleeper bus. It was very cheap and  did exactly what it said on the tin.I got on the bus in London at 11pm slotted myself in to the narrow bed and fell asleep. I woke up at 6.30 am as the bus was pulling  in to the bus station in Glasgow, It was great !

Trees in Glen Nevis

Since I have been back we have some dry weather and we have had some  really good runs on the West Highland Way. Yesterday we took the train to Bridge of Orchy and  then ran back to Fort William. The weather was a mixture  of all four seasons  in one day. There were some  snow showers but also some sunny and warm periods and some dull cold windy spells.Unusually though we didn't get any rain.

As always we had a wonderful time on one of our favourite routes.

Quick sketch of the Commando memorial above Spean Bridge