Mayar winds - 8.77 miles (Altitude 1030m)

A good night's sleep can work miracles. When I woke up in the morning, I found my legs worked! Unfortunately, the dog took a while to budge from the front of the fireplace.

It took a while, but enough coffee did the trick and we set off for the day. We drove a little further south this time, a rather pleasant but at times nerve-wrecking journey of twists and turns through country lanes.

From the car park, the walk up towards the peak of Mayar began with a long upwards trail by a river that gently twisted around through fir forests. The sun, which shone so pleasantly when we started off, disappeared, but the air was still fresh and clear.

An old couple strolled downwards towards us, and their dog, a friendly, bouncy thing raced towards me, skidded to a stop and sat on my foot, looking up at me with big eyes and a tennis ball in my mouth. He looked just like Bart. and that he was used to getting many pats.

After a few miles, we went through a large wooden kissing fence, and emerged into the valley of Corrie Fee. There were audible surprised gasps all round.



This reserve is located south of the Cairngorms National Park and was sculpted thousands of years ago by ice which left behind corries, cliffs, moraines and a meandering river. Loved by botanists and nature-lovers, this valley is a haven for scarce arctic-alpine plants, birds and animals that are able to cope with the challenges of mountain life.

We walked along the cheerfully bubbling river, across rocky paths and began our climb up.

The path is much narrower, uneven and at times, with large rocks that we had to scramble over. But stopping for breath was quite pleasant, as the view backwards are quite magnificent. Panting for breath was quite embarrassing though, as sheep regaled me with pitiful looks as they bounded up and down the rocky edges.





Round a rocky bend, we spied the earlier origin of the river - a waterfall tumbling downwards. The climb got harder as the winds blew harder. This also had to be the day I forgot my fleece jumper. I put on my waterproof jacket instead, which did keep me warmer, but at times threatened to make a parachute out of me. I had to clutch at a patch of grass several times.





The winds had started to howl by this hour. We stopped in a crag to hide out while eating our lunch.

Over several edges, we finally reached a broad smooth rolling plain. This part of the climb was much easier on the legs, though the winds were definitely doing an Aesop's tale on us - trying to blow the clothes off our backs.

There was some jubilation at the top, though we did not stay long.



The winds were so loud we could barely hear each other.



Across, we spotted the strangest cloud formation. I remember studying cloud formations in Geography but don't remember see one like that!



On the way down, we spotted a patch of ice and snow. Ali wandered over and did a stomp on it, shouting "I am global warming!"



Climbing downwards was tricky but easier than we feared, so we made it down fairly quickly. Back on level ground, the winds ceased, which was relief to the ears as well.



A conference of sheep seemed to bade us farewell approvingly.



We ended the day with a good BBQ as deserved.