Day 25 - Creran to Etive

After a quick 3 mile bike to Ellric car park, Paul Raistrick joined me for the first awful steep flog up through deep old & new bracken in a wooded hillside just carpeted in bluebells, which made a gorgeous scene, but hell to wade through! Once on the open hillside and a cold heavy shower, we made good time over to Fraochaidh (strangely not that heathery!) delayed only slighly with a bit of obedience training for Pauls giant dog, Dhu...or "DHUUUUUUUU" as the run went on! Great craic but paul had to cut off back down Glen Creran after a few more miles leaving in the nick of time before the rain tap was turned on virtually for the rest of the route. Some contouring and fiddling through rubbish ground was required to get onto the steep final climb up Meall Lighiche, where Donald had kinly waiting out some cold wet weather waiting for me to show and feed me coffee and sandwiches then aescorted me down the hill a bit before heading off back down to glen Etive, whilst I fought over an inconvenient Munro top and some hellish wet rock descending, before the final killer steep grass climb up Beinn Maol Chuluim, all done in the pouring rain and very thick clag. Utterly miserable and knackering. A brief gap in the grey allowed a surprise picture or 2 before the drop into Glen Etive to meet the van. Brenda and Davy had come a good way up the hill to try and meet me but turned back again because the weather was so manky and to avoid missing me on the hill in very poor visability. A brief 4 mile bike to the loch edge then dinner and beers with Dot and Davy and several beers. Left leg hurting a lot more today...mmm?