Anyway – there was a sprinkle of snow on the Steeple yesterday but none on the Rest so not sure how true the story is. I checked this by looking at the webcam on trafficscotland.org which seems an altogether more reliable method.

It was very cold in general yesterday but some nice views to snowy hills.

Unfortunately today was much warmer but so dreich you couldn’t see whether the snow was gone off the mountains or not. I guess it mostly have as the Donich is in full spate at the moment and the waterfalls are a sight to see.

There was a thin crescent moon hanging over the Steeple.

Then just as I was nearly back at the house I noticed the trails of two jets across the clear blue sky.

Fantastic – but today it is -6 degrees and everything is white with frost.

I’ve started putting all my routes on View Ranger for free download for anyone that wants them – at some point I’ll collate all the links on to a ‘Local Walks’ page on this site – when I get a chance as I am very busy at the moment.

In the morning it was clear and bitterly cold – our pond was frozen over. We went on the upper path – there are no heiland coos there yet but I hope Billy and his harem turn up soon – and the views out over the loch were spectacular. Back along the Inverlounin road and I took a picture over a house wall where the view is particularly good (I wonder how many pictures on the Internet that house roof appears in).

Then in the evening (now there is just enough light for it after work) I walked up to the waterfalls. The light was enchanting, the clouds just turning pink over the Steeple and illuminating a jet trail across the clear sky.

And this morning of course it is back to raining and dreich – which is a shame as we were hoping it would stay dry so that we can climb Beinn Lochain on Sunday (our wedding anniversary).

The walk itself takes about 2 hours (at a not particularly brisk pace) and is not that enjoyable as an actual walk as from about half way up there is no proper path and it is very muddy and slippy. The views on the way up and from the top are spectacular though; you start to see the whole village appear with the Loch laid out in front of it like a mirror and the boats like toys you could pick up. Then the loch view opens up towards Loch Long and the sea, with the enormous bulk of Beinn Donich behind you, and Beinn Bheula still capped in snow to your right. From the top you can see all the way over Argyll’s bowling green out toward Corran Lochan and the end of the peninsular. The other way you can see Lochgoilhead (and both pubs). Fantastic.

Today (Thursday), I saw two other walkers, several sheep, a buzzard and an interesting furry caterpillar. Not exactly packed out.

So we started off following the path the Scouts take to a small cliff where they practice abseiling. At this point it was wet but we were sheltered from the wind and there was a decent path. So far so good, but then we came out of the protection of the hill and on to a ridge; the wind suddenly hit us and simultaneously a squall of freezing rain. We trudged on grimly upwards and got to the high point of the ridge. From here there was a fantastic view of the village and the loch – or at least what we could see of it through the driving rain. Suddenly a magnificent rainbow appeared, with one end firmly in the garden of the Shore Inn, and the other end somewhere near our house.

The wind was even stronger now and we turned to face the climb to the summit. The path had become a muddy morass and the rain was working its way down the back of my neck. At this moment I am sad to say I wimped out and we turned and went back down. I suppose the trouble with living right next to walks like this is that it is easy to give up on the basis that you can do it any time – if we had driven all the way from Edinburgh I would have been more resolute.

So back on ground level the wind was a lot lighter and we had a pleasant walk round the loch. And we ate our picnic in the warm kitchen – the decadence of it…..