Spotting a window of potentially brighter weather at the end of a very cloudy and damp week, I suggested a Fiona hike to my friends Claire and Cath. I may have promised sunshine and while we did glimpse the bright yellow thing in the sky it was only for a while.
Our route started near Tomatin, off the A9. We followed a Landrover track almost to the trig at 616m elevation.
Although bright for the first half of the walk, we ended up climbing into the clouds. The track was frozen with ice and the wind at higher elevation was bitterly cold. We all wore ice spikes on our boots. I use Chainsen ice spikes and I lent another pair to Claire, while Cath had Katoolas.
But the walk was rewarding for other reasons. It was a joy to be outdoors on a Friday afternoon, chatting with two good friends and spending time with Cath’s lovely dog, Rider.
We also added another Fiona summit to our bagging lists.
Our route was an out-and-back of 17km with 610m total ascent.
There is an alternative, shorter, route, on Walk Highlands.