Lochaber, March 2015

March is great time to visit the Highlands when the days are drawing out and there is still plenty of snow on the tops without having to struggle through drifts in the valleys to reach them.

On this trip I flew to Inverness and got the coach to Fort William where I stayed with friends. The coach trip itself was great as the main A82 down Loch Ness was blocked and we had to travel down the even more scenic south side. There were some great views but not being able to ask the driver to stop I had to content myself with shooting through the window from a moving coach!

The husband of my friends is a keen walker but could only join me for one day in the hills so I actually hired a guide for the other two days – an ex RAF pilot. The first day we did a walk in the Mamores and on the second day we tackled Aonach Mor in fabulous conditions. Alas, in a moment of absent mindedness I manage to leave my camera in the car so my only photos are his just for the record!

On the third day my friend and I took the Fort William to Glasgow train train to Corrour on the edge of Rannoch Moor, the only station in the UK with no road access. This is a stunning train ride as it winds its way from Spean Bridge up over Rannoch Moor passing Loch Treig which had a glassy surface early in the morning. Again I had to content myself with a few shots out of the (very dirty) carriage window.

I so love this magical spot with Loch Ossian and its Youth Hostel a mile or so away down a rough track. We climbed Leum Uilleim, not the highest or most imposing of mountains but a Munro (ie more than 3,000ft high) with the most fabulous views – aross Rannoch Moor and the heart of the Scottish Highlands to the east, Glencoe to the south west, the Mamores due west and Ben Nevis and the Aonachs to the north west. What a vista!