Day 43 – Manny’s Flying Circus comes to Strontian

More photos from Day 43...
A large tribe of Westies gathered by Loch Eil side as I road biked in to start up Stob Coire a-Chrearcail across endless bog myrtle and soft ground. Before the top was made Donald Smith, Stevie Bell, Dave Rogers, Chris , Johnston, Ellie, JD and Don were all well spread out across the hill, with Shona and Brenda on van duties far below. I maybe lingered a bit too long on the top for photos and chat and got really cold before trotting off into the glen and meeting the van by Loch Linnhe. Communal feeding ensued before I once more took to the road with a good easterly tail wind helping me along. I got a great surprise at Cona Glen where Dave “Snake” Riach & Steffan “Herr” Gorgas were lying asleep on the grass road verge! Great company they kept me going down into Ardgour, Steffan in particular tramping along on quite a clunky mtb and up that last big hill – thanks for the beer Steff!
After considerable faffing about which was the optimum route, we climbed one of my favourite hills Creach Bheinn with epic views up & down Loch Linnhe. A quick down & up to Fuar Bheinn, then off towards Strontian with Brenny having cleverly suggested that she would get JD to humf my mtb up a zig ziggy track that seemed to go well up the hill. Great, that would save my once again aching left leg a jarring descent. Ho ho! After a very rough flog to find the track/bike, I set off down on the bike with the track rapidly becoming much steeper and extremely loose! I had thankfully killed my speed by the first hairpin bend, but as Ellie & Chris stepped aside and turned to let me pass, my front wheel turned in the gravel and I went straight over the bars Superman style! I landed with a crunch and an “Ouch, that hurt a bit”. The left knee was mashed. Blood ozzing from various scratches and feeling like death I freewheeled slowly down the rest of the hill to the van before a very painful couple of mile road bike to Strontian shops. My knee was swelling rapidly and hurt like hell, but with a good stock of drugs and food I set off up Beinn Resipol with Stevie, Chris, Dave, Ellie, Brenny & Donald. I took forever hobbling uphill but was not looking forward to the descent! The view from the top to mark Chris’s last Corbett was special. The low sun across Eigg & Rhum and Harris & Skye in the distance. WOW! That is the nights you remember for ever – unfortunately I will also remember it as the most painful, slow walk I have ever done. 5 hours!! Bloody hell, off the hill at last at 11.30pm. Depressed, very sore, food, beer, bed. Not looking good all of a sudden!