Jacqui,

Great to see that you'll get training from Tiz. I'm sure he won't take you first to the Aonach Eagach ridge....

Taking your old RR stuff from the attic is a good excuse to start training !!!

The Grand Montoir descent is really thrilling because of the heights but there is no scrambling. It's just going down steps that overlook a quite high cliff !!!

Ah - "lappiaz" = limestone pavement. There's a fantastic huge area of that in The Burren in County Clare, in the west of Ireland - and it starts at sea level by the coast so is easily accessible to all! And walking carefully watching your feet is essential, otherwise you'd fail to see all the amazing wild flowers growing in the cracks.

You are right Puffin. I found some photos of the Burren in Ireland.



The erosion of the "lappiaz" is mainly due to rain water flowing on the limestone. Here is another example of huge lappiaz in the northern Alps. Some of the holes in the lappiaz can be very deep (30 to 40 meters and even more sometimes) so it's very dangerous to ski over the lappiaz in winter time.



This is a picture of the Parmelan lappiaz in winter. Beautiful but quite dangerous.

Today's walk in the Alps was great. Incredibly sunny and warm weather, clear blue skies and views from Switzerland into France and as far as the Italian Alps all covered in fresh snow !!

With my nephew Florian, 10 years old we climbed the Pointe des Pavis (2052 meters) starting from the chalets of Bise (1500 meters). Then we went down to see the lake of Darbon - 1813 meters (a beautiful tiny mountain lake surrounded by cliffs). We went up to the Col des Pavis (2000 meters) and again down into the valley of Bise (1500 meters). A five hour walk with a highlight : we approached a big herd of "bouquetins" (about 50 bouquetins) at about 10 meters to take pictures. We couldn't go closer as they started to show some kind of disapproval. Great views !!! Great walk. On the Col de Pavis, there was still some fresh snow and with my nephew we had a fight with snowballs. Good fun !

Total ascent : 752 m.

Pointe de Pavis (2052 m)



Col de Floray (1930 m)



Lac de Darbon (1813 m)



Col de Bise (1834 m)

I forgot to show you what "bouquetins" look like !!

Just reading in our local paper here in Bradford about a Bradford man who died in the Cuillins last month. His body was found 11 days later near Loch Coruisk.

I had met the guy a few months before in our local club.

I'm jealous - all I did this weekend was the notroious ASDA gulley followed by the Morrison Chimney, the local Market icefall was quite fun

Due to work commitments over the last couple of months, I have sadly been neglecting my beloved Highland hills until Sunday that is, when I took a trip up Glen Clova to clamber over one of our local Corbetts - Ben Tirran.
Conditions were blustery to say the least and cloud base was about 1500feet, but myself and Storm were blown to the top by a fierce south-westerly in one piece !!
Took a detour on descent to lonely Loch Wharral where it was peaceful to watch the clouds racing by overhead and the light of the east battle with the incoming storms from the south-west.
All in all, a typical autumn day in the hills.

Hi Whitts,

Good to hear that you were back to the Highlands on Sunday !!! It's a pity you got bad weather but at least it's nice to be climbing again somewhere.

I was very lucky as I went hillwalking on Saturday (above post) and on Sunday too.

With my friends Dominique, Alain, Jean Francois and Christine, we prepare our next hillwalking trip to Scotland (Summer 2006) we met altogether for the first time for a walk in my region.

We climbed up to the Col de la Vogealle not far from the Mont Blanc range. The weather was very sunny and even hot in the afternoon (about 25°C). We started at the altitude of 900 m to climb up to the altitude of 2300 m at the Col de la Vogealle.

The scenery was just amazing with the golden autumn colours of leaves, blue sky and the mountains tops covered in snow. At the top we walked in snow patches remaining from last week first autumn snowfall.

This is one of the beautiful views that we enjoyed !

Loch Wharral, that's a beautiful place !!

Top day out!

Hi John and Sam,

Thank you very much for sharing your pictures. They are very good ! I've never been to the Red Cuillin. I only walked in the Black Cuillin.

Where do you drive to and where do you start walking when you go to the Red Cuillin ?

Greetings from the French Alps.

Lionel

Hi John,

Thank you very much for your very precise reply to my question. Definetely the Red Cullin is one of the Scottish hills I plan to walk sooner or later. It looks like a really great place to climb.

Keep posting about your week-end walks. I live far from Scotland but I'm very interested in discovering nice walks I'd like to do during my holidays in your country.

Greetings from sunny French Alps.

Lionel

Hi to all you accommplished, regular hillwalkers and to those of you like me who would like to be the same!!!!

Highland Connection here dreaming of hills and mountains now - you've got me started! I would love to be more fit and be able to go where you go, climb every mountain, cross every burn, follow every pathway till I find my dream!!!! A new updated version of the Sound of Music entitled THE SOUND OF THE BECKONING HILLS by Highland Connection!!!

Once, when I was at college I went with several foreign students who were studying English plus some other Scots like myself to Aviemore and we did the Lairig Ghru which was a great adventure for me as it was the furthest I'd ever walked. Of course my Mum, being Mum, had to go and show me up by telling everyone at parties about me, not being the walker of the family, walking all this distance which really bugged me - but we won't go there!

I love walking and I love nothing more than being in the top of the hills with the wind in my hair and I'm not talking about the rather attractive looking Native American in Dances with Wolves although I do find him quite attractive in a Native American Indian passion kind of way, without the passion of course, being a married woman and all (sorry there I go again, waffling on and on)!!!!!

Back to the serious stuff.... would love to do the West Highland Way, explore more hills and mountains in the West Highlands although not sure about any dangerous stuff, cliffs etc - don't know if I could be that extreme ... safety comes first with this Highland lass!!!!! I've got my family to think about and they would miss my crazy personality which keeps them totally insane all the time - LOL

First things first - 1) HAVE TO GET SERIOUSLY FIT to keep up with the likes of Tiz etc. A fitness regime would be appreciated from you fit guys so I could get in training now!!!! Seize the moment is what I say! Oh to be fit again.

I've been out on the hill with Dad's keeper, Keith who has extremely long legs and found it so difficult keeping up with him ... ended up hyper ventilating - whoops! doesn't sound good does it but is there hope for me lads? I hope the answer will be YES.

2) NEED THE PROPER GEAR INCLUDING GOOD WALKING BOOTS - maybe when you are up this way you could take me shopping for good boots somebody ... maybe my big brother Tiz????!!!!

Well I will cease my waffle and go check some other posts.

Love to you all and big Highland Hugs xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox


HC

Hello Highland Connection,

That's a good post !!! If you are enthusiastic, you can walk almost everywhere and then with some training you can walk the rest : places with more difficulties.

Walking is the easiest sport. You don't really need to get seriously fit before. You just need to walk regularly but starting with short and easy walks first. Then little by little longer and harder walks and you'll realize you'll get fitter very soon.

A friend of mine keeps saying : "Hillwalking is good for the mind and for the body, it should be refunded by the Social Security". He's right !!!

The only investment you need to do is to buy a good pair of walking boots and waterproofs. But that's it !!! If you join a group of people, a hillwalking or rambling club you'll find people who will take you to the hills.

That's what I did when I lived one year in Inverness in Scotland. I joined two hillwalking clubs and every weekend I was on the hills. In winter, skiing on Saturdays in the Cairngorms and hillwalking on Sundays. That was the best way I could discover this wonderful country : Alba.

I hope that soon you are going to post about some of your walks Highland Connection.