Читать книгу Not the West Highland Way. Diversions over mountains, smaller hills or high passes for 8 of the WH Way's 9 stages онлайн

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‘What’s this thing on the back of the ice-axe?’ Alois asked. Ah, the adze! Nailed boots and the noble art of step-cutting, that’s the proper way. Step-cutting is slow but satisfying, but even more fun is to scamper in crampons across crisp Beinn Ime like a wasp on a wedding cake. Then we dropped off to the north, wandered along a boggy valley and down a damp birchwood. They let us camp at Beinglas campsite even though it was closed, and in the night my boots froze to two rigid lumps.

Alois rests above Kinlochleven

In the morning the sun was shining. Alois the Czech was astonished, as he knew it doesn’t do that in Scotland two days in a row. But since it was, we branched off again to the west – Route 19. We cramponed up Ben Lui, and watched the climbers pop one behind the other out of the top of Central Gully, quite like the computer game of Lemmings except that they didn’t walk off vertically down the other side but came and sat down at the cairn.

Wandering to west of the West Highland Way meant no bunkhouses or hostels: but with the shiny sun alternating with cloudless moon, we could tent it the three days to Kinlochleven. ‘Ah, but I have a slightly sore leg,’ said Alois. ‘A hot shower would be the thing.’