Welcome to my
walking area, here you will find many useful links to
information, browse through the links on the left.
Hill walking
Take a wrinkle of hills; add a shower of rain. Blast regularly
with a piercing wind, cover now and again with a soft blanket of
snow. Thaw, melt, wave sunlight weakly for an hour or two, and
start all over again and you have hill walking in Scotland. It's
never easy to become bored, the ever-changing weather sees to
that, while the shifting light means that no view is the same
two days running.
The scale lends itself to anything from a morning stroll above
the nearest town or village, to a full day's walk, to a week's
expedition. There are hills lit by city lights at night, and
ranges as remote as you could ever imagine in such a tiny
country. It's beautiful, glorious, hardworking, frustrating and
rewarding. It's hill walking in Scotland.
You will share the moors and mountains with the red deer. If you
walk quietly other animals will be seen and heard. You never,
ever, forget your first Golden Eagle. You'll make human friends
too, sometimes for life. You don't have to join a club, though
many do. It's good to have company and support, especially for
your first expeditions. It is an individual and independent
pursuit. Many of the ways up Scottish hills will not be marked,
which is where a good guidebook helps. It is essential to be
properly equipped, and also have the ability to use a map and
compass.
The preceding paragraph cannot be emphasised enough:
In winter, conditions on the Scottish hills can be quite
literally Arctic in severity. Never underestimate the hills.
Judging the weather, snow conditions and other variables is a
skill that takes practice. A good report on these can help, but
on the walk the decisions are yours. Stay fit; stay observant;
and a lifetime of enjoying the mountains will be yours.
The Scottish Mountaineering Club
