Friday 27 May - Meall Onfhaidh 681m Graham

We asked permission to park the motorcaravan by a cottage since the small car park at Fassfern had a height barrier. These are now quite common in the Highlands, partly to prevent 'travellers' from setting up camp but also to stop some motorcaravanners, too mean to pay for a site, staying overnight. As usual, the few ruin things for the many.

The initial part of the walk up Gleann Suileag through native woodland provided a pleasing interlude with a cuckoo for company, before the bulldozed roads materialised. Construction of a hydro scheme is underway. A lorry trundled its way up a newly established highway in a cloud of dust to what looked like a site car park. Say the words 'hydro' or 'wind' and anything goes in Scotland.

We pushed on to Glen Sulaig bothy and up the path to the Allt Fionn Doire for a stop and some tea below Meall a' Phubuill. A straightforward but steepening ascent then took us onto the broad south-east ridge and fine walking on crisp moss to the summit. Gulvain was grey on this sunless day, the first of the trip, and the Nevis range never lost its cloud cover.

We returned the same way eventually stopping back in the glen at a convenient seat by the An t-Suileag for more refreshments, only to be driven away by the midges.

Thoughts have now turned to Rum so Lynne is busy buying a few supplies in The Fort. All being well we sail on Monday.




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Hols

Stopped here for a few days. Sunset on lower slopes of Ben Nevis.

BBC Scotland 'Landward ' programme

To mark the 150th Anniversary of Beatrix Potter's birth, Lynne is taking part in three events in Perthshire this year: an event in July at the Birnam Arts Centre when she will read 'The Tale o Peter Kinnen', her Scots translation of 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit' and in September she will give a talk based on her book 'Beatrix Potter's Scotland - her Perthshire inspiration", also at Birnam Arts.

Today though, we are at Dalguise House near Dunkeld where Lynne is being interviewed for the above programme talking about Beatrix's holidays at Dalguise and the influence this had on her life.

Dalguise House

The countryside around Dalguise

Others parts of the programme are taking place at Eastwood House, Dunkeld, where the picture letters that became The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Tale of Mr Jeremy Fisher were written.

We should have been on holiday this week enjoying this stupendous weather but have delayed until next week. We did manage a superb day on Tuesday doing our final Graham in the Amulree area starting from Glen Quaich by Loch Freuchie - but more of that later.

Now enjoying coffee and cake in the sun at Birnam Arts.

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