As I headed up towards the start of the walk up Meall Fuar-mhonaidh on what had been a lovely sunny day, the sky was looking a little ominous and I lingered slightly in the car trying to figure out if waterproofs were needed. Erring on the side of caution, I popped them in my backpack and continued.
Meall Fuar-mhonaidh is the main hill that can be easily spotted around Loch Ness. It isn’t very well know by name but who can be blamed for that. I have no idea how it is pronounced and have to look up the spelling every time I go to write about it! This fairly simple walk begins at the very top of the Bunloit Hill and takes up to 3 hours there and back.
It’s very easy to find; turn right just after the bridge in Drumnadrochit signposted pottery. About 10 mins up the single track road you reach the car park which marks the end of the road and head off on foot. The walk leads you through the forest and eventually starts to climb more steeply as you head out into open ground.
I have walked part way up many times but never all the way and today I decided was the day I was going to see the view from the top. It’s a fairly rough and boggy climb on the upper parts, but worth the effort as Loch Ness starts to come into view.
I met only one person coming down off the hill hat day just as the wind was picking up and the skies increased in darkness. There’s probably a good reason I was alone on the hill that day. But actually, I love that feeling of being completely alone in the landscape. I’d take a wild winter day out walking alone in the landscape over a warm summers day surrounded by many other people anytime. I carried on regardless of what the skies were telling me and I was almost at the top when the rain storm hit.
The heavens opened and I sheltered for a while behind a rock which actually proved not all that helpful; but the waterproofs were! The clouds were very fast moving and I spotted a glimmer of hope in a small section of blue sky in the distance. So I took the gamble and continued upwards to set my camera up to shoot a timelapse. When the skies are like this, timelapse is perfect. The clouds were fast moving, rain passing over and very soon the hint of a rainbow in view followed by fabulous sunshine, blue skies and rolling clouds. Cold to the bone by now, I had to sit still whilst the camera did it’s thing. Mainly because I realised that if I moved, the shadow created by the sun that had now come out would be in frame. I will post a timelapse once its edited and created.