Wow it’s the 8th of January already – how did that happen – well here’s a big Happy New Year to everyone and hope it is a fun filled and exciting year for you all.
I only had to work 2 days so I was able to get out and play most of the week. Unfortunately NO snow so no skiing but fingers and toes crossed and a wee snow dance and hopefully we will have some soon. No skiing but gone hill walking 3 times; running 3 times and a good bike ride today so no complaints.
The 1st and 2nd of January respectively saw me up Ben A’an and Ben Venue. Ben A’an was wild, windy and bitterly cold – Ben Venue wasn’t quite so wild and cold but we did have a few icy patches to avoid – we got super views from both hills.
Loch Katrine from Ben A’an – guess the wind direction by my “moustache” and the bobble on my hat.
Lochs Achray and Venachar from Ben Venue
Views from Ben Venue
Great run on the 3rd of January – 11.5 miles – cheers to Katie B for the great chat and encouraging me up those hills. A wee 3 miler the following morning and then another good 14 miles on the 6th – being incredibly mild I’d forgotten it had been so cold the previous day until I found myself slithering backwards on an unexpected stretch of ice.
Ben Vane was positively mild for the time of year – misty at times and we saw fog bows and Brocken Spectres – unfortunately my photo of this didn’t turn out very well – thank you to Ian for helping (aka hoisting) me up the tiny but slippery scramble near the top.
Ben Vane
After Ben Vane it was back to the Climbing Club Cottage for an early Burn’s Supper and get together with friends old and new. Tummies filled with lots of haggis, neeps and tatties. Ian did the honours and recited the Address To A Haggis while ceremoniously cutting said haggis with his ice axe.
Photos nicked from Colin E
After all that food and drink Sunday morning saw me cycling back home from Crianlarich – a good 47 miles – no chaffing this time – not because I have got round to stitching the hole in my leggings (don’t be silly) but an appropriately placed large plaster seemed to do the trick – must fix those leggings though.
Fogbows – sometimes called white rainbows, cloudbows or ghost rainbows – are made much as rainbows are, from the same configuration of sunlight and moisture. Rainbows happen when the air is filled with raindrops, and you always see a rainbow in the direction opposite the sun. Fogbows are much the same, always opposite the sun, but fogbows are caused by the small droplets inside a fog or cloud rather than larger raindrops.
The Brocken Spectre is your own shadow, cast on mists below you, when you are mountain climbing. The shadow may appear enormous and has a ring around it.
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