Try to donate to the NTS so they can carry on their path-building work and you need to create an account first. More and more websites seem to be doing this lately. Christ, a lot of blogs are even requiring a login simply to leave a comment.

Get over yourselves! I don’t want to create, verify and remember another login just to do one thing on your website once!

I’ve no’ bought shares in them or anything, honest. It’s just a suggestion.

Went up into the Mamores for a wee camping trip on Friday. It turned out to be a nice night so I took some photos.

Let’s hear it for brevity!

The weather was drizzly when I set off up the old Road to the Isles track from Loch Eigheach but was clearing up nicely before I was very far along it. Fortunately, it stayed that way all evening so I could sit with a drink and enjoy the impressive views until it was time to crawl into my sleeping bag.

However, things had gone all wrong again by three in the morning when I crawled out again to water the plants, and I was soon wishing I had more on than just my trainers as the wind and rain did their best to wake me up completely.

Next morning, I stayed in bed for ages drinking tea and smoking fags in the hope that the cloud would lift but no such luck. I didn’t even bother taking many photos but I took a few the day before.

The Grey Mare’s Tail itself is a waterfall on the Tail Burn in a hanging valley left by the last ice age below Loch Skeen. The NTS say it’s the best site for alpine and mountain plants in the south of Scotland. So there ye go!

There are supposed to be feral goats running about the shop as well but they must have been on their holidays.

I managed to get a few photos despite taking a set of duff batteries.

Ended up in a karaoke bar in Ballater later on — don’t ask. Oh, the chipper is utter mince by the way.

There’s a bundle of photos as usual.

England, thy beauties are tame and domestic
To one who has roamed over mountains afar
Oh! for the crags that are wild and majestic,
The steep frowning glories of dark Lochnagar.

— Byron, mad shagger and dog lover

Photos.

As usual, there are some photos.

Tired now. Sleeps.

Edit: Here’s an Ordnance Survey map of that area.

There were army lads all over the place doing some sort of nav exercise and there was one manning a checkpoint on every top. They had sleeping bags and tarps and all sorts but they still said they were freezing. Having been up there since lunch, they all sodded off to get something to eat before the sun set.

It’d have been worth the wait, lads!

As always, there are a few photos.

There’s an online petition going at the moment to legalise wild camping in England and Wales so they can have as much fun as us. Away and sign it and I’ll buy you a pint.*

* - After you buy me one.