Beinn Ghlas and Ben Lawers

June’s heatwave called for some more Munros: Beinn Ghlas and Ben Lawers, both of which sit to the north of Loch Tay within Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve. We set off early, mindful of the temperatures forecast for later in the day, and reached the car park opposite the trailhead shortly after 08.00.

Ben Nevis via the Càrn Mòr Dearg (CMD) Arête

When we first climbed Ben Nevis, back in 2018, we did so via the well-trodden Mountain Track. On this trip, though, we decided to try the route via the Càrn Mòr Dearg Arête (which comes with a bonus Munro, in the form of Càrn Mòr Dearg). Normally, I write detailed notes of our hikes in my notepad afterwards, but it appears that on this occasion I forgot to do so. Here’s hoping my memory does this hike justice!

Scotland’s ‘Small Isles’: 3 Days Exploring Rùm National Nature Reserve

Together, Rùm, Eigg, Muck and Canna (plus a few even smaller islands and a handful of skerries) make up Scotland’s ‘Small Isles’, sandwiched between the Isle of Mull and the Isle of Skye. The next leg of our trip was a three-day trip to Rum – which almost fell apart before it had even started.

Visiting Ulva: A Hidden(ish) Gem off the Isle of Mull

Ulva is a magical place. On paper, it’s tiny: around 7.5 miles long, and just 2.5 miles wide. But what it might lack in land area, it makes up for in community spirit and rugged, unspoilt natural beauty.

Isle of Mull: Ben More

Ben More is Mull’s only Munro, but it’s one of my favourite Munros to date. (It’s also not to be confused with the other Ben More, which is 100-odd miles to the east in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.) We had clear skies, balmy temperatures, excellent views and the path mostly to ourselves – a recipe for an enjoyable hike, as far as I’m concerned. We followed the quiet road out to Dhiseig, where there’s a grassy verge with space for about two dozen cars. If (like us) you’ve not got a 4WD, don’t drive too far onto the verge – in wetter weather, you might find it tricky to rejoin the road.

Memories of Mull

Life has been busy lately*, and this little blog ended up hibernating for longer than I anticipated. With each passing week, it became harder to summon the motivation or energy to write, so blogging fell down the to-do list and then off it completely as other things (mostly lesson planning) took priority. So, it’s time to pick up where things on here left off: with last July’s trip to the Highlands. First up: snippets from our time on the glorious Isle of Mull, off the west coast of Scotland.

*We eloped in the Highlands, bought our first house and adopted an adorable ball of floof (aka a cat), all in the space of the last six months.

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park: Cruach Àrdrain and Beinn Tulaichean

When I sat down to write this post, I struggled to find words that would do Cruach Àrdrain and Beinn Tulaichean justice. We had incredible views along the entire route – amongst the best I’ve ever had on a hike. I celebrated another birthday in the hills. Throw in a borderline unhealthy dose of adrenalin (read: sheer panic) when we underestimated how steep Cruach Àrdrain was and found ourselves in a bit of a pickle on the NE slope, and we had the recipe for an unforgettable trip.

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park: Stob Binnein and Ben More

When it came to choosing a few Munros to bag over the course of my birthday weekend, it didn’t take us long to decide where to go: Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. We’ve explored embarrassingly little of it since moving to Edinburgh, but are (very) slowly rectifying that. Past Balquhidder, there’s a cluster of four Munros that can be combined into a two-day/one-night circular route. We tackled Stob Binnein and Ben More on the Saturday (this post), and Cruach Àrdrain and Beinn Tulaichean on the Sunday (stay tuned for those two).

Edinburgh: One Day, Seven Hills

And just like that, it’s September and this wee corner of the internet has been (as was perhaps inevitable) neglected for the best part of a month. I’m five weeks into my year as a newly-qualified teacher in a new-to-me school, and it has been equal parts enjoyable and exhausting. But I digress. Today’s blog is a space for one of Edinburgh’s best urban walks: Seven Hills.

A Few Favourites from Edinburgh’s #GiraffeAboutTown Art Trail

If you’ve been out and about in Edinburgh over the past month, you’ve probably noticed a few tall, brightly-coloured additions to the city’s streets. Wild in Art and Edinburgh Zoo have teamed up to bring a herd of forty-odd giraffe sculptures (plus thirty more wee ones designed by schools and local communities) to Edinburgh. Some are wacky, others whimsical. All of them have brought a smile to my face. I’ve had oodles of fun scouting out Edinburgh’s newest residents on recent trips into town, and today I’m going to share a few of my favourites (in no particular order).