Hi Lancs Dave,

I hope you manage to post your pics !!! I am sure they will be appreciated.

Greetings from the Alps,

Lionel

Some pictures of my last week ski tours in the Alps !!

View the pictures clicking on the threads below :

COL DE GRAYDON (1800 metres)

HIRMENTAZ (1600 metres)

Hell Rock (Roc d'Enfer) 2243 metres





My nephew ready to climb Crow Rock (Rocher aux Corbeaux) 1600 metres



Greetings from the Alps,

Lionel

I must be looking at your pictures too much Lionel. I keep having dreams that I'm back up Ben Ledi and there's snow everywhere.

Went up Ben Venue today, great mountain and probably my favourite walk so far. Despite it only being 2,400' it took us 3.5 hours to reach the summit at a fairly steady pace. Took me 2hrs 45mins to reach the summit of Ben Ledi which is 2,800' so that should tell you how winding the path was.

The mountaine offers beautiful views of Loch Katrine, Achray and Venechar and it's easy to pick out Ben Ledi, The Cobbler and Ben Lomond as well. On such a lovely day the views were stunning, shame to think people often view this hill as not worth doing just because it's not the highest.







The other nice thing that happened on the walk today was that we were able to photograph a raven (on my friends camera - my batteries ran out hense why no pic of me at the summit). Also this is the first hill I've done when I haven't landed on my huge behind coming back down.

Supposed to be doing Ben Lomond next Wednesday which will be my first munro.

Good Luck for your first Munro!! Lovely pictures, what a stunning view. Excuse my ignorance here, but is this hill quite close to the Stirling area? The third picture is stunning with all the mountains in the background. Well done you!

Yes it is relatively near Stirling though I'm sure it's not in the Trossachs national park I've got it listed here as being in the Trossachs. As you're coming in you get nice views of the Ochils on the other side too.

Crunchie your first or last its a journey enjoy....few finish many are far a long the path.


the single most important thing enjoy.

When you stand and look all around you will know you will understand.

one of the grea-*test*-('") feelings in this world is to to stand high share the air of the Eagle to look down to feel so small and yet still be stood tall and part of it.

Some feel easy some hard some are dramatic but all are different all have something special.

May the air make you breath the colours make you see the sense flood your emotion.

Breath feel live its not ours but We can be a part and its beauty can set your blood on fire.


And in my experience to share a hill its endeavour its beauty and majesty with someone to sink a pint and eat some food to talk .....it doesnt get better.

Raven on the hill!

Great photos Crunchie...hope the weather holds for you to do Ben Lomond.

Only a month to go until my long distance pilgrimage walk from Lindisfarne to Iona.
"Training" is going well and I am going to get some decent walks in over the next few days. I'm all booked for places to stay, only problem was I am passing through Tyndrum area on the "Water Aid" Munro climbing weekend, but all sorted.
I'm going via St. Cuthbert's Way, over roads and fells to Milngavie, up the WHA to Tyndrum, then down to Oban, CalMac to Mul and then that wonderful road down to Fionnphort.

Plenty of pictures on the way.

Rod

Sounds like a great walk Rod...looking forward to seeing the piccies

Re the 'Water Aid' Munro climbing weekend found this article on the BBC site

Munro challenge walkers required


Hill walkers are being recruited for a charity event to place someone on the summit of every mountain in the UK and Ireland more than 3,000ft high.
The 2007 WaterAid Munro Challenge is set to take place on 9 June.

It aims to raise money for safe water, sanitation and hygiene education projects for some of the world's poorest people in Asia and Africa.

Teams of people are needed on all the summits of Scotland's Munros and peaks in England, Ireland and Wales.

This year's challenge could see the total raised from the event since 1995 reach more than £1m.


The project, backed by the UK water industry, requires teams of between four and seven to be at the top of their chosen peak between 1200 BST and 1400 BST.

Companies and groups can also sponsor a mountain.

Dave Whiteley, chairman of the Munro Challenge steering group, said the 303 mountains include all 284 Munros in Scotland, as well as four in the Lake District, eight in north Wales and seven in the Republic of Ireland.

"It's a great day out and enables people to fulfil a personal challenge of climbing mountains in some of the country's most spectacular countryside," he said.

"At the same time they are raising money which will help people on the other side of the world to enjoy better access to one of life's basic needs - water."



For anyone interested the website for the challenge is http://www.wateraidmunrochallenge.org/

Just come back from a short walk in the hills, just checking routes for my walk with Alun and Lionel on Wednesday ...would've walked further but my poor dog was suffering in the heat and guess who forgot to put his bottle of water in her rucksack ...whoops

Sounds fantastic, rod, and quite a challenge. How long are you planning to take, and how much each day? Is there a group of you?

Pictures from Ben Lomond which we went up today. Weather was fine but there was a bit of cloud around the top. Walked up some of the way with a family that were from Canada (though their son and his girlfriend lived in Wales) and the young lad asked his girlfriend to marry him at the top.

I sprained my ankle coming back down though. Even since I tore ligaments in my right ankle it's been weak and any twist results in a sprain. I was wondering if perhaps wearing a support bandage might be the answer as it made getting off the hill difficult as I had to limp for 45mins.






The Cobbler! I'll need to do this one soon I think, I'm a bit envious of annie as it looks like a lot of fun!


The summit in the clouds, looking back from the road back.

Well done Crunchie...great photos Hope the ankle gets better soon, one of those ankle supports may be a good idea, I normally take my knee support with me when I walk just in case.

If you like scrambling the Cobbler is great ...it's only the very top that is really exposed....it was too windy for me to do the final bit when we were there a few weeks ago so will have to go back and do it again

hi crunchie
great photos looks like u had a great time despite ur ankle