This had meant to be a trip N for a bothy excursion into the Cairngorm. A bad crash on the A9 had shut it and diversion to Crieff meant that I was seriously considering what to do next. I decided to take in Auchnafree Hill and see how I would feel after it. Well, I couldn't' even drive up to the dam as the road was treacherous so I left the car at the turn off for the Scottish Hydro Office and walked up from there. I decided early on to go in over Coinneachean Hill and I really enjoyed the walk with the Loch on the left and the large cairns scattered over the plateau. The view over to the 'boring' Ben Chonzie looked fab and I cannot for the life of me understand people who call hills 'boring'. It usually extends to their lack of imagination or perfunctory ticking of a box rather than a feeling of liberation one should have every time they step into the wilds of Scotland. But, I am biased. I stopped at the summit for a wee while and enjoyed the peace and silence. I hadn't made a flask but a wee cup of tea at that point would have been the dogs. I did however indulge in my Green and Blacks' chocolate bars - yummy. The return to the car was along the loch this time and not a soul was around. Took me just under 5 hours and rather than head N into what appeared to be inclement weather, I drove home to a warm bed. I must be getting old.
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