Since last year I have wanted to try new things, see new places and just try and have a better life and gain more experience / knowledge in everything I do and see.
I started to see more of Europe which was really good, and it gave me the travel bug…which unfortunately due to whats happened this year thats been put on hold.
I also had a list of things I wanted to do before I was 40, and managed to tick a few off but there are still a few things and hiking was one of them.
I wanted to at least say i’ve bagged one Munro, and say i’ve done it and seen the view from the top…..now I can say that.
To Start With
I am new to hiking so I had no clue where to start, but the most logical step would be to order some hiking gear.
I have already some hiking boots, and gloves but thats really it so I ordered the following :
- Walking sticks
- Gaiters
- Waterproof jacket
- Waterproof trousers
Unfortunately by the time I did the 2nd and 3rd one, all I got sent was one stick, the jacket and eventually the gaiters (but too late).
My First Scottish Hike (Ben A’nn)
Not a Munro but it was a good one to start with.
I had no clue where to start, and one of my friends that I follow on Instagram does a lot of hiking and touring Scotland so I thought she would be the best person to ask.
She recommended Ben A’nn, so I did a quick search and found its location and some more details about it. It looked ok, and from the pictures I thought yeah lets do it.
- Elevation: 454 m
- Prominence: 32 m⠀
Till recently I would say probably last two months I was a nervous driver, and now not so much driving doesn’t bother me.
From my start location to Ben A’nn it was only around just over an hours drive, so I packed my bag with food, drinks etc and set off early morning.
This would be my second hike as my first was Bucegi Mountains (Munții Bucegi) in Romania, which was really amazing and would be up for doing again and if I did I would aim to get a little higher than I did at that point.
The start part was easy but took your breath away a little, then it went nice and flat for a bit, then a tricky part to the top. I think the reason it was more difficult than it should have been, was due to the amount of people there as you had to stop and start.⠀
A lady gave me one of her walking sticks to help me, as she said she only needed one and I had to just keep it which was really nice.
On reaching the top the cloud cover was blocking my view but I didn’t care, I did it and enjoyed the hike. The bad part was when I started my decent, thats when it started to clear.
I will go back when the weather is better so I can fully appreciate the view.
MY FIRST and Second Munro
I saw recently a lot of people have been doing Ben Lomond, so I thought I would give it a go. ⠀
I got up early one recent Sunday morning and drove to Ben Lomond, this was a new drive for me as one I was on my own and two I have never done this journey before.
I was 17mins away when the cars were stopped by the police to say that the car park was full, this was at 9am wow that fast and I was a little disappointed.
I had other places on my list to hike so I had to come up with a new plan, so I drove to Crianlarich and bagged my first Munro “An Caisteal“ Altitude: 995 metres
Since I did one and was near another why not bag two which I did “Beinn a’Chroin” 942 meters
Total time 9 hours and 19.2km in total……I could barley walk the next day but it was worth it for the views…..and the people that you overtake or overtake you are lovely and can get a nice wee chat.
Overall :
I learned a lot doing these hikes, more hiking the two Munro’s.
Hiking is a dangerous hobby, and unless you have experience in some hikes I would say start with the easy ones or find a hiking group.
The two Munro’s I did, had parts that if I wasn’t careful I could have hurt myself, but lucky there were people passing you every now and then and I had an app on my iPhone (AllTrails) which kept me on the right path all the way from start to end.
I also needed proper gear, I was perfectly fine and comfy with what I wore but if the weather changes I should really have the correct gear which I have recently ordered.
The good part is after all the moaning in your head and thoughts about turning back, once you reach the top thats when you know and feel that it was worth it.
I needed to try and calm my mind and yes it did help for that time, and I sat with the amazing view, the silence and felt very at peace.
The next day I struggled to walk, but I had the amazing photos and memories from the top.
I aim to try and get a few more Munro’s bagged so keep watching.
Chat to me on here via the comments below, or on my Twitter or Instagram and let me know if you have been here or even tried what I had in this review. I want to hear from you so lets have a wee chat 🙂
