Climbing above Kinlochleven

Bridget Khursheed

This was our first climbing holiday. All our incredibly wet things from the day before had been kind of dried out at the B and B. And we stopped in Kinlochleven. The day was grey and the main attraction seemed to be The Aluminium Story. Thankfully the weather was good enough to grab something to eat and then wrench ourselves upwards to the hotel car park. This is where the walk up Na Gruagaichean began. A lot of people were getting ready to walk there which was reassuring. We danced about putting on boots and thick socks. Then set off up the stalkers path which was easy walking. I immediately saw a deer. And pointed it out. It was easy to spot as it was very static. In fact it was made of metal. We carried on walking. The path was good if a bit icy. Loch Leven below went grey and revealed its connection to the sea as we made some height. The sky went grey but we carried on walking up. No one else had come up here and we had the place to ourselves as a few snowflakes fell. For some reason, the lack of company was only a bonus and not a sign of the problem to come. The snow didnt seem too bad we reasoned and we had a long way to get back so we continued up and up. Then the few flakes became a blizzard. And it was only then we realised we were stuck in the middle of it.

Being young and in love we sat in the lee of a rock for a bit and chatted and ate the sandwiches and cakes we had brought in the small grey town below. The snow fell around us in drifting circles occasionally entering our mouths as we opened them to eat. Limbs can feel very warm when you sit close to each other. When we had finished, the snow had stopped. The sky was blue again. The path was covered but traceable. We decided to call it a day and headed back. On the way two ptarmigan in winter plumage walked beside us untroubled. They then crossed politely as we waited and disappeared up the mountain. We reached the car park now empty and made for home. We have had many unorthodox climbing experiences since then. But I think this was the day we decided we would be travelling on together. ... (continues)