There was the epic Bealach Mor Cycle Sportive on the Saturday. This was surely enough exercise by anyone’s standards. 90 miles in just over 5 1/2 hours, burning off some 5000 calories and giving my legs and arms a serious workout. I was elated after crossing the finish line… but two hours later I had slumped into exhaustion. I enjoyed the best night’s sleep I’ve had for weeks.

But then, over breakfast the next morning, the G-Force mentioned the one last Munro he had left to summit in the Torridon area: Slioch. Torridon is quite some distance to drive from Glasgow and so it seemed almost too rude not to give it a go, we agreed. (I also had a pair of Carn walking boots to review and I thought that a “nice” hill walk would be the ideal opportunity to put the to the test. See my review.)

In any case, we had been told that some runners did the 980m high mountain in just 1hr 50 mins (during a mad race!). So surely, the G-Force and I could walk it in around 4 hours? Then again, the book did say 6-8hrs for this summit. Walk Highlands suggests 7-9hrs for the full “horseshoe” walk that takes in Slioch and the neighbouring summit of Sgur An Tuill Bhain.

The summit of Slioch is much-loved by walkers because of its stunning views. The panorama from the peak takes in the Fisherfield wilderness, where the G-Force had completed a mega two days of Munro bagging earlier in the summer. I was suitably impressed as he pointed out the five summits he had walked during a solo wild camping outing.

While Slioch does look rather formidable from afar, there were few places where it felt ridiculously steep while climbing upwards. The walk into the base of this Munro was long, however, and with the sun often beating down on us we were tiring even before we began the slow climb to the top. Our cycle-fatigued legs did not want to play much of a high-speed game and so we plodded upwards. This isn’t to say that the hike wasn’t enjoyable (in parts!).  Stopping at frequent intervals (to rest weary thighs and catch our breath) we looked in wonder over the picturesque Loch Maree and the dramatic landscape. This mountainous area of north-west Scotland is truly beautiful.

Having walked some 70 Munros I am now becoming familiar with the hidden summit scenario! Whenever you look up, as you ascend, the chances are that the highest point you can see ahead is not actually the summit. Indeed, the chances are that the peak is somewhere in the distance behind the highest point visible.  Slioch was like this. It wasn’t until we had crested one high point in the mass of this rounded mountain that we could see a higher lump further on and it wasn’t until we had walked to this point that we could then see the summit. The “spot the summit” game can become a little wearisome if you have tired legs because you have cycled a ridiculous distance the day before!

Still the views from the summit really were worth the effort of the climb. I can think of only a few other Munros that afford such a superb vista. We were lucky enough to have a clear, warm day, too, so we were able to see many miles into the distance. Jaw-dropping stuff.

The descent was painful, however. The continual pounding of downward steps left my thighs feeling sore and, in the end, wobbly! The boots made light work of the rocky terrain and despite this being their first outing I had no rubs or pains. See my walking boot review.

Another strange thing about hill walking is that the walk back always seems to take longer than the ascent. Now I know this isn’t the case because we spent half an hour longer making the ascent, when compared to the descent, but the hike along the side of the Kinlochewe River seemed twice as long on the way back compared to the way out. Of course it wasn’t, and we did content ourselves with gorgeous views of the deliciously sparkling river. Perhaps it was our need for a long, cold drink of water that made the journey seem all the longer, or maybe we had simply done enough exercise for one weekend!

Still, the G-Force was able to tick off one more Munro in his quest to “compleat”* his first round. Just 37 Munros left to go now!

*Compleat is the term for the completion of a Munro round.