Great news Lionel ....hope you manage to get out on a regular basis now ......must have been awesome to see the avalanche.

Annie

Good to hear your out on the mountains again Lionel !
Even just being in them is inspirational enough for me - so I hope you enjoyed your time back in the wilds !

Watch those avalanches mate - scary things !

Annie, Greig,

Thanks for your posts. I try to be back to normal walking but just going out of my home and even doing an easy walk above the village is something very refreshing and good for my mood.

Today was my second walk uphill of the week. I walked from my village (altitude 900 metres) to the place where the avalanche I already mentioned, stopped just above my village (altitude 1100 metres).

With my nephew we decided to go and see the amount of snow where the avalanche stopped. There were lots of broken trees and the packed snow was about 4-5 metres deep. I didn't take any picture but I will try to take pictures and post them here another time.

I managed to climb 200 meters of altitude (600 feet) which is really nothing. But it's quite a lot after nearly two months spent at home, in bed or sitting. I won't be able to go skiing this winter but I would like to be back to easy hillwalking or walking with snow-shoes. That would be fantastic if I can do it and if the doctor agrees...

Let's wait and see ! Greetings from France.

Lionel

I add here a picture taken by Dogwatch, from Fort William on Saturday 18th February in Lochaber (posted on another MB). The picture is just magnificient ! The mountain is Druim Fada. Who was on the hills at the weekend ?



I should show the place of that hill if anyone is interested. It's here.

I took a walk up Hay Bluff and Twmpa in the Black Mountains today. Unfortunately it was poor visibility and the wind was up, but I enjoyed it. Only one photo, of the summit cairn on Twmpa.

I'm pleased you got out for a walk Lionel. At least it sounds like you're improving.

Hi Lionel
Good to know you are on the mend and I hope you will be back to full strength very soon! Great picture of Druim Fada....there must have been quite a fall of snow recently. I was up in Angus this weekend (near to Glen Clova and Esk) and unfortunately it was quite wet and cloudy so no hills for me! Looks like the west had better weather.

Thanks for posting your picture T Bird. Shame you never got a view but glad you enjoyed your walk all the same!

Dave, I have been enjoying your munro stories very much. Thanks for putting the link on here

It might be nothing to you, but it would just about finish me!

Hello Puffin !

Of course 600 feet of altitude is already something if you are not trained !!! Do you walk or never ? It's just a question of regular training. If you walk regularly... then you will find that climbing 600 feet is quite easy. You should try ! Walking, hillwalking are very rewarding and good for your health and spirits.



Greetings from France,

Lionel

Hi T Bird,

Yes indeed my health is improving and I hope I am fit again for my August hillwalking holiday in Scotland.

Thank you for posting a picture of your walk ! I would like to know if the Black Mountains are different from the Black Mount. I have heard about the Black Mount but I am not sure where it is located. Same thing for the Black Mountains if they are a different range of hills.

Greetings from the Alps,

Lionel

Hi Sheila,

Thank you very much for your wishes. I really hope I am back to full strength soon. This month I had to cancel the trekking walk I had organised with my friends, in the Egyptian desert. My friends Dominique and Alain left for Egypt on Friday and they are walking for me at the moment in the Great Sand Sea. I really miss this trip ... never mind, I should be back there next year.

That's a picture of my la-*test*-('") walk in the Egyptian desert two years ago !



Sheila, it's a pity you couldn't walk last weekend. I think the weather was much better on the West Coast of Scotland. There is plenty of snow and the ski resorts of Glencoe and Nevis Range opened their runs for the first time this year. The whole weekend was very sunny and cold.

I hope you get a good opportunity to be out on the hills next weekend !

Greetings from the Alps,

Lionel

I walked all the way to the Post Office today - all of about a mile or a bit less each way!

I have wearing-out knees so too much walking up and down hills doesn't do them much good. The trouble is, you see Lionel, I am getting old and tatty and am inclined to be lazy, so can't be bothered to do any training! Mind, I do agree that once I have managed to drag myself up a hill, the view from the top is often worthwhile, and the fact that I've made it there makes me feel good. Not that I do anything like that very often, you understand! (I also have an overweight, under-fit husband who has recently acquired both diabetes and high blood pressure to go with his dodgy knee and he gets more out of breath faster than me! )

This could be me!

Hi Lionel
No walking for me this weekend as I have other plans and things to do which might involve a visit to an indoor climbing centre for some bouldering.

As for the Black Mount it is not the same as the Black Mountains. The Black Mount is in Scotland - the area to the west of Rannoch Moor on the way to Glencoe from Bridge of Orchy. It includes several munros including Meall a'Bhuiridh, Creise, Stob a'Choire Odhair and Stob Ghabhar. It is a fantastic area of Scotland as you will see from this picture which I found on the web.

Black Mount

The Black Mountains are in Wales. I haven't been there but here is a link to tell you more

Black Mountains

Hope that helps you.

Cheers
Sheila

Hi Sheila !

And thank you very much for all the details and pictures about Black Mount(ains) ! I didn't know one is Scotland and the other in Wales. Both places are for sure beautiful terrain for hillwalking.

I have just found great pictures of the Black Mountains here !

Thanks for your help !

Lionel

Hi Puffin,

Keep walking to the post office !! It's very good training.

Greetings from France,

Lionel

Well all being well I will be going out on a 11mile walk on Sunday


The quest to lose weight and get myself fit has begun......

Nice one Celty - good on ya mate !

Mind at take the camera........