The magical island of Eigg

It started off with a Corbett:

For those whom think bothy life is designed for dehydrated food, think again:

This was followed by a Marilyn (?):

Climbing on the most bizarre rock that I have ever climbed on:

To be topped off by a few laps around the pool:

I don't have any photos of the near miss approach to our route on Beehive Buttress; the bracken that was as thick as any vegetation I have encountered or the unbelievably fried Gilbert.  If you never knew better, you would have thought that we were on some tropical island.

Bruce's Stone

This is Bruce's Stone in Glen Trool:

It is slightly more convincing than the other Bruce's Stone at Clatteringshaws Loch which states "this is the stone that Robert the Bruce may or may not have rested on".  I realise that we have to attract tourists, but this is really clutching at straws.

So, the highland folk drove South - didn't quite make it to the Lakes - and enjoyed some fantastic days doing hill stuff and city stuff.

Two things really strike me about city life.  How can I survive for hours and hours on the hill and still feel refreshed at the end of it, but after 3 hours in a shopping mall I am absolutely knackered?

The second thing about city life that perplexes me is ordering food at KFC.  Why, when you order a 2 piece variety meal do you get 5 pieces of chicken?  Is this not a 5 piece variety meal?

Oh, don't let the pretty sunny pictures fool you - there are 4 pairs of soaking wet shoes drying outside that will never be the same again.

Clean Sweep

I didn't feel tired at the start of the day and the temptation of a good forecast, a mountain route and great company was too good to turn down.

Heather & Di opted for the classic route, Clean Sweep on Hells Lum.

I didn't get off to a great start.

My foot slipped low down, I barely made the move onto the arete on the first pitch, couldn't get any protection before dropping my nuts - like, when is the last time that has happened?

I seriously contemplated jumping down but managed to jibber back down instead - must have looked a right plum.

It just wasn't happening for me so instead, I walked around to the top of the first pitch and got Heather up.

Heather led pitch number 2 with me dragging my bottom lip up behind.  The pitch was wet, greasy and minging and if I were leading it, I would have certainly bailed, knowing that sometimes the karma pixies just don't work in your favour.  Despite the very big urge to bail off the top of the pitch, I pulled the finger out, put on the man suit and grinned my way up the superb pitch 3.

To say that I had a case of can't-be-arsed-itis would be a understatement and today I haven't even ventured beyond the garden gate.

You learn a lot about yourself in the mountains.  You learn a lot about others in the mountains.  I am truly blessed to have some amazing friends who put up with me when things just don't flow.

A Cuillin traverse

Lawrence & Wendy are fit.

Whenever I swim with them, they have already done a couple of laps around Loch Earn before I have  even got into the water.

On the one occasion that I ran with them, by the time I had got my arse around the 10 mile course, they had finished, showered, ate, socialised and had time to walk back to the finishing line.  

You won't find me on a road bike, but I only imagine how long they would have to wait for me in that department.

So for once, the tables were turned and they didn't have to wait for me.

What's the chance of this happening?

Mike hadn't climbed at Moy so yesterday and was keen to visit.

I burnt out on the warm up route.

Mike on the other hand, flashed all his routes.

I did take my camera but was far too busy being a diligent belayer to take any photos.

For those who follow the Facebook page, I am obviously scanning all my old slides to the digital world.

I came across this slide:

Taken back in June 1997 on a traverse of the Gross & Klein Simelistock in Switzerland.

Looked a bit familiar .... and then I found this:

Taken in August 2013 completely by chance.

Thought it was a bit familiar when I done it :)