It does not always rain in Scotland.

[Arlen]

Absolutely beautiful. I'm not sure I know just where it is, but it looks a lot like somewhere I used to go for walks when I needed to get away from it all.
Sorry for roaming in your land!

[Jock Scot]

Absolutely beautiful. I'm not sure I know just where it is, but it looks a lot like somewhere I used to go for walks when I needed to get away from it all.
Sorry for roaming in your land!

Hi Arlen,as you well know you can roam wherever you like so there is no need to apologise. I was just blowing off steam as we are trying to fulfill our annual deer cull before the weather closes us down and it is very frustrating to walk,crawl,climb, over some pretty rugged ground,for several hours to get alongside the deer to find that some walker has just scared them off!What makes it worse they dont seem to be bothered that we have wasted a day.

Also we are coming up to the "lunatic"period where ill-equiped idiots go for a wee stroll in the hills and get lost.Who gets asked to turn out in the dead of night in a near white out to try and find them?Yes you have guessed it--Good old Jock and his team!Sadly those beautiful hills have killed more than a few in my lifetime.Will they ever learn?No not b----y likely! Sorry everyone,just blowing off steam.Again.

[Alan H]

Hi Arlen,as you well know you can roam wherever you like so there is no need to apologise. I was just blowing off steam as we are trying to fulfill our annual deer cull before the weather closes us down and it is very frustrating to walk,crawl,climb, over some pretty rugged ground,for several hours to get alongside the deer to find that some walker has just scared them off!What makes it worse they dont seem to be bothered that we have wasted a day.

Also we are coming up to the "lunatic"period where ill-equiped idiots go for a wee stroll in the hills and get lost.Who gets asked to turn out in the dead of night in a near white out to try and find them?Yes you have guessed it--Good old Jock and his team!Sadly those beautiful hills have killed more than a few in my lifetime.Will they ever learn?No not b----y likely! Sorry everyone,just blowing off steam.Again.

Having done a very little bit of the same activity in the Sierra Nevada, I understand.
It's SO easy to pack a little backpack with a warm polypropylene or wool layer, a waterproof layer, a wool hat, some water, and a few bits to eat. I ALWAYS take at least that whenever I head out on a hike any time but the height of summer. If it's a hike above 4,000 feet in the fall, wintr or spring, I'll add a pair of gloves and a change of socks. That weighs all of maybe eight pounds, but that eight pounds of simple kit can save your life.

Why people head out for treks in wilderness areas in shorts and a t-shirt, alone, in December, with NOTHING but what's in their pockets is beyond me.

[Alan H]

BTW, that's beautiful countryside, and I would LOVE to hike it for a week.

I know of the West Highland Way, which is not exactly "Wilderness Hiking" although it looks lovely. So, Jock if... IF you care to.....would you recommend a good 4-6 day, roughly 30-50 mile trek in the Highlands that really gets away from "civilization"? My wife and I are used to backpacking in the Sierra Nevada here in California for that length of time. I'm having a hard time convincing her that Scotland is someplace she would like to visit, but if there was a really spectacular multi-day backpacking trip, that would go a long way towards changing her thinking.

[Jock Scot]

BTW, that's beautiful countryside, and I would LOVE to hike it for a week.

I know of the West Highland Way, which is not exactly "Wilderness Hiking" although it looks lovely. So, Jock if... IF you care to.....would you recommend a good 4-6 day, roughly 30-50 mile trek in the Highlands that really gets away from "civilization"? My wife and I are used to backpacking in the Sierra Nevada here in California for that length of time. I'm having a hard time convincing her that Scotland is someplace she would like to visit, but if there was a really spectacular multi-day backpacking trip, that would go a long way towards changing her thinking.

Well Alan,what can I say!I don't really know, is the honest answer!As I don't have to backpack for a trip up here ,I never pay much attention to what others are doing.What I would say,particularly if you are trying to persuade a doubting wife,is don't be fooled by the photographs!It really does rain, big style, up here and quite seriously I would avoid camping on the West coast of Scotland between May and Mid September because of the "dreaded midge",I kid you not!!The West Highland way goes through some spectacular places such as Glen Coe and Glen Nevis from near Glasgow to Fort William and then the Great Glen way goes from FW to Inverness at a guess I would say the total distance would be about 160/70 miles.I think most people stay in hotels and hostels during the trip.Many thousands of people come up here and climb a couple of hills(dont fall into the trap that we mean hills usually we mean mountains!) every day and then retreat to a hotel,guesthouse or some such for the night.The UK's highest mountain,Ben Nevis,is 4300 or so ft.I will post a picture of it.

[Jock Scot]

Ben Nevis in the spring----its the lump of rock at the back centre of the picture.

[Arlen]

Also we are coming up to the "lunatic"period where ill-equiped idiots go for a wee stroll in the hills and get lost.Who gets asked to turn out in the dead of night in a near white out to try and find them?Yes you have guessed it--Good old Jock and his team!Sadly those beautiful hills have killed more than a few in my lifetime.Will they ever learn?No not b----y likely! Sorry everyone,just blowing off steam.Again.

Oh yes, I have come across 'those' hill walkers in my time.
I personally feel like it's natural selection. If they go out there in a t-shirt and shorts with no way to navigate, they don't need to come back.

Been trying to get a job helping out with the culls and things like that with a view to becoming a gamekeeper, but I think that, being from Glasgow, I'm often mistaken for one of those types.

It makes me glad there are still beautiful places they don't seem able to find.

[CactusJack]

Those are some fantastic pictures, Makes me want to go there even more.
Thanks so much for sharing.

[GMan]

Wonderful pictures!!!