You can't beat a bit of buachaille

A very welcome trip to the West today, in the company of Billy and Dave, whom I used to go walking with, but haven't seen for a decade or so. Some things just stay the same though, despite life changes, marriages and children.

Billy and I go up the Buachaille, which I haven't done for ages. I've been doing a lot of Eastern hills recently, so I'm unused to the mountain being above you, not out of sight behind 10km of bog. There's very little snow apart from a battered patch at the head of the corrie, but it's enough for some ice-axe practice.

Dave does Beinn a'Chrulaiste, as he's into such things these days, and he thinks the views of the Buachaille will be better.

The views are excellent: almost a cloud inversion, but more broken, with odd patches clinging to the hills in very photogenic ways. The usual suspects line up along the horizon: Ben Nevis, the Aonachs, Ben Alder. Schiehallion is being shy - a pity, because I remember the pleasure of first recognising it from here many years ago.