Starav Hills - overnighter from Victoria Bridge

This was one of those don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it weather windows from the Scottish 'summer' of 2015. The plan was to walk into the Starav hills from the east. Recommended. It's a route which takes you into the heart of the country before you head up onto the tops. Our only health concern, this year, has been Sadie the Dog: terrible cough. A vet had tried to tell us that her heart was giving out, but her tale kept wagging whenever we went for a walk. However cruel this might sound, we knew that if she keeled over on a hill, she would die happy. So we went…

Starting mid-morning, we cycled in the first couple of miles to the edge of the forestry beyond Clashgour. There we tethered our steeds and set off over the Abhainn Shira. One of our party played at being a vehicle, driving through the ford…

Above Loch Dochard we looked down on one of those idyllic summer scenes. I don't know whether you can hear it in the next photo, but the kids in the boat are calling out to each other. Probably not popular with the ghillies, but the kids were having a ball.

More huntinshootinfishin in the next photo. The chap on the bonnet of the ATV was the gatekeeper for a stalking party up in Coire nan Cmamh. On a day like this I suspect that few of us would mind doing his 'job'.

It was sweltering down in the glen, but there was enough breeze to make our lunch spot, on the slabs of the Allt Coire Chaorach, absolutely idyllic.

And now the hard work began. A direct route from Coire Chaorach up Meall nan Eun. Steep.

On we went, over Meall Tarsuinn, and onto Stob Coir an Albannaich. Mercifully, this last haul of the day was done in shade.

Some summits offer camps, some don't. Stob Coir an Albannaich does. Here is tarpy, just a few yards down from the top.

As Doug Scott once said about the last camp on the South-West face of Everest, this wasn't exactly a place you wanted to go tripping over the guy ropes.

A truly memorable evening. We wandered round the rim of the corrie, where some thoughtful sculptor had been busy.

The splendour falls on castle walls…

Did you spot the tent there? The views were equally magnificent over to Cruachan in the west. Even the dog thought it worth a look.

And one last view before we closed the tent door.

So to day two. A cracker, from the off.

We were up onto Glas Bheinn Mor by about nine. A great day to dawdle along a ridge…

Dawdle? Why did I think there was no hurry? The clock started to fly. We went out and back to Ben Starav, but by the time we were brewing up at the bealach under Beinn nan Aighenan it was gone one.

I blame it on being sociable. Although it was a weekday, by now there were a few other folk out. We spent a fair bit of time apologising for Sadie's cough. It really was awful, but her tale never stopped wagging, and her pace never dropped. In retrospect, it was the heat that was getting to her. There's a clue in the following photo, where Sadie has thrown herself in the water.

The heat was getting to us all, I think. The pace slowed even further going up Beinn nan Aighenan…

The route here took us down the east ridge of Beinn nan Aighenan. That thoughtful sculptor had been out here, too. Over to Stob Gabhar…

All our yesterday…

A peek down into Glen Kinglass.

And an ominous peek east towards Victoria Bridge. Our route out. Hm. Looks a long way…

By the time we were back down in the glen the shadows were lengthening.

Back past Loch Dochard.

The boats are all tied up, and everyone has gone home.

Except the midges. Despite the fact that most of our hills have been done in summer, Caroline had managed to get to the Munro 220 without suffering a serious midge attack. This is where her run ended. Ah well, I won't go into details. You can all imagine the scene as we untethered the bikes in the warm, still evening, at the edge of the forestry, near the river, in the long tussocky grass…

One final photo…

…which, trust me, wasn't posed. Neither of us can remember whether C was in shock after the midge attack, or just wilting after twelve hours on the go. Still, a great, great trip.

P.S. Dog still going strong!