Mountain landscape - Scotland

Ben Cruachan and Stob Daimh

Ben Cruachan was one of my first Winter Munro days, at a time when I was still completely unknowledgeable about the outdoors and had mostly inadequate and ill-fitting equipment, which I’d borrowed from siblings and friends. My recollection is poor weather and deep snow, which made for a memorable day out on what I now know is a fine hill, one of the best I’d propose of all the Munros.

Known colloquially as the ‘Hollow Mountain’ - tunnelled into the mountain is a huge hydro power station (Visit Cruachan website) - Ben Cruachan stands 1126m high, with its immediate neighbouring Munro Stob Daimh standing 998m high. In between them is the wonderful to pronounce Drochaid Ghlas, with a fine ridge walk connecting all three peaks that includes a short ‘bad step’ to keep you on your toes, especially in Winter.

To create this photograph - which I was expecting to illustrate fully snow-covered peaks as it was taken in the middle of December - I camped on the summit of Beinn Laoigh (Ben Lui), a fine vantage point located 20km trending south-east of Ben Cruachan. Most prominent therefore in view is the other Munro in the Cruachan round, Stob Daimh, and the fine horseshoe that follows the Sron an Isean and Stob Garbh ridges above Coire Chreachainn, which is known to hillwalkers as the Dalmally Horsehoe. To the north-east (on the right hand-side of the photo) there are two other Munros, Beinn a' Chochuill & Beinn Eunaich. The Corbett Beinn a' Bhuiridh is also in view, and on the left, but not seen - as it’s under the clouds - is the waters of Loch Awe.