Glen Affric Way...Day 2

 Day 2  

It was a quiet night with just the odd roar from a stag over on the other side of the glen 2c overnight it was a nice 7c when we left, a bit after 8 am 

First brew on i went to find Chrissie in the bothy and agree a time to get moving,there was some rain on the outside of the fly and a good coating of moisture on the fly,due in parts to the still night 

As i was packing up one of the Kintail Munros,lit up nicely as the sun started its slow rise up 

From the Bothy towards the youth hostel the path swapped to a rough landrover track,this section,untill the bridge,was wet and muddy for most of it,but i managed to keep my trainers,just about dry 

Youth hostel,in pic above,is just below the sun spot at end of the valley 

This time of year the Youth hostel is all closed up,last time i was here was probably 15 yrs ago we had come up the other valley and camped by the river,having nabbed the Munro A Ghlas-bheinn on the way.Next day we had gone straight north up to West Top then around those Munros before finishing on An Socach....it was too late really !

We backtracked to the coll and raced down to path,in the dark,to the Youth hostel.....it was here i found out some idiot had left his head torch in his tent ! made worse by the fact so had i !

 So hugging the river Allt Glean Gniomhaidh we stumbled along the river bank trying to find the tents pitched near the river a few k up the valley.It was around 8-30 pm,it had gone dark at 5 pm,when the fading torch light (my old Sony Ericson phone) just caught a reflection of my guy line

Relieved and starving we both ate a late tea,but the best was to come,to large groups of deer were either side of the valley,us in the middle ...they bellowed and roared all night long..poor old Oscar dog cant have slept a wink,just lay in the porch on guard duty all night 

We had a snack at the youth hostel then carried on along our way,no breeze stunning views and a nice  6-9c,it was from here the start of the amazing colours that Affric has become famous for started to appear 

I think it was the early 2000,s when they started the reforestation work in Affric,what a fantastic job,i believe they have done 

Sure many folk and TGO folk will recognize this flat beach,grassy area  

When i was last here (TGO 2014) the conifers spoiled much of the views,so much better as it is now,what a lot of work has been done 

As the miles went we got level with Affric lodge,built in 1860-1872 it looks a stunning building ,these days its been modernized and is available to rent out for big events,i assume if you need deep pockets

When we were passing it looks like there putting in or replacing a big bridge too 

The car park,at the end of the public road, has toilets and i was told was a poplar spot to camp,not really for me,but for this trip is served a purpose 

This Summit To Eat Chicken Fajita with rice is a favorite of mine (Thanks Valley and Peak) but if you have a wrap left over from midday snack,it makes a fantastic meal with a few spoon fulls,left over too ...

We still had the high cloud we had had all day but a look up out of the tent door around 9 pm revealed a stunning night sky,quickly putting on layers i was soon out snapping away with my camera 

If your ever at this car park if you start on the marked track to the left of the toilet block it takes you to a bench in just a few minutes and there right in front of your eyes is the Milky way,clear as a bell 

A fantastic finish to Day 2

Thanks for looking ,Safe travels Peter