London Loop – sections 7, 8

After a full day in Wimbledon, the following day I headed slightly further south-west with my fellow London Loop walker. We were blessed with blue skies again. Our plan was to do section 8 first (from Kingston to Ewell) then section 7 (Ewell to Banstead Downs) since we were going anti-clockwise for this section.  The … Continue reading / view photos London Loop – sections 7, 8

Wimbledon

I’ve never been to Wimbledon or much to the area southwest of London. Coincidentally, I went to both areas yesterday and today with two different friends. My only knowledge of Wimbledon is the annual tennis tournament and The Wombles, especially the song, Remember you’re a Womble! Yesterday, on heading to Wimbledon, our target was Wimbledon … Continue reading / view photos Wimbledon

Glorious snow

I don’t know what it is about snow but it seems to make people happy. For children, it’s a delight — whether it’s building snowmen, having snow fights, or getting the sleigh (or tray) out. I went for a walk in Hampstead Heath via Highgate Cemetery, taking snaps with my phone. The snow on first … Continue reading / view photos Glorious snow

Leaving Loch Torridon

For our final full day in Scotland, we headed to Loch Carron, where we found the ruined 15th century Strome Castle. This area, now deserted apart from the odd tourist, was once a thriving town with a ferry port. The following day, it was time for our homeward journey. We drove to the Beinn Eighe … Continue reading / view photos Leaving Loch Torridon

Eagles, ticks and drawing

On the previous day, Cath and I had driven through Inveralligin, north of Upper Loch Torridon. One of our guidebooks had a walk not too far from there and the terrain was sufficiently flat for Helene to join us on the walk. So, we drove there. The walk had good views across Loch Torridon. When … Continue reading / view photos Eagles, ticks and drawing

A stroll from Lower Diabaig

The day started with us watching the Queen’s funeral. It was an unprecedented event in our life times: the death of a monarch. As we watched, we observed that the Queen had reigned for our entire lives. Regardless of whether you supported a republic or monarchy, it was difficult not to be moved by the … Continue reading / view photos A stroll from Lower Diabaig

Walking along Loch Damh

Before we got to Scotland, we had done a big online food shop for the week. One of the supermarkets delivered orders at the Torridon community centre twice a week. There must have been sufficient local demand to make the delivery because, our cottage owner told us, the driver had an hour’s journey to get … Continue reading / view photos Walking along Loch Damh

Driving to Badan Mhugaidh

On the third day, our holiday, as originally planned, could begin. So it was goodbye to Kingussie and onto Achnasheen to meet our friend Cath, who was going to drive us all to Torridon, a Scottish village, which is where we were staying. The final breakfast for me at The Osprey Hotel was a king-size … Continue reading / view photos Driving to Badan Mhugaidh

Hike around Càrn an Fhreiceadain from Kingussie

An essential website for ideas when hiking in the Highlands is walkhighlands. They have lots of walks and reviews of the walks. Some of the reviews have photos and even drone footage! I found this walk on the website. The summit of Càrn an Fhreiceadain is 878m, which is not high by world standards but … Continue reading / view photos Hike around Càrn an Fhreiceadain from Kingussie

Kingussie – Creag Bheag

We were due to go to Inverness (Scotland) on the sleeper train then be picked up a friend on Friday morning. This plan was spoilt when a train strike was announced. Our train was not directly affected but there were knock-on effects that resulted in the sleeper train being cancelled. When I learnt this, I … Continue reading / view photos Kingussie – Creag Bheag