Frogs and tunnels

Yesterday's entertainment took the form of Meall Cuaich, a somewhat isolated Munro near Dalwhinnie. This was precisely the journey that I failed to start about six weeks ago. But despite preparations for the Scottish Cup final, and engineering work at Haymarket, my train journey was simple this time.

Meall Cuaich isn't exactly in virgin wilderness, as an extensive hydro-electric scheme runs through, under and/or past most of the landscape hereabouts. This gives a very easy gradient to the start of the walk as you stroll by the side of several miles of acqueduct. It's also a nice platform from which to observe other hills. After passing a small but clearly active power station, the path narrows and steepens and the real business begins. The path has only recently emerged from snow and has a lot of puddles, which are inhabited by a lot of frogs and frogspawn, so clearly spring is upon us. The hill itself has a flat top, a fine view and there's not a great deal else to say. On descending, I get to practise goose-stepping on steep, soft snow. Then I'm at Loch Cuaich, and admiring some civil engineering, in the form of the end of a tunnel, gushing water. A plaque informs me that it's carrying water from Loch an t-Seilich, is about 4 miles long, and was completed in July 1940. I bet nobody stopped at the time to celebrate a bold piece of British engineering. And in general, it's funny how little known is the considerable amount of such tunnels, dams, and assorted concrete that can be found in unexpected parts of the Highlands.

I must be getting a bit fitter. On arriving back at Dalwhinnie, I realise that what I'd been thinking of as a "short" day has taken six hours, and I've walked at least 16 miles.