It was St. Patrick’s. Pubs all over the city had flashing banners, advertising how much you can save if you buy booze from them. I opted to save even more by skipping all that, and instead, I spent my money on two trips to the Highlands:
First, I went to Balloch, where I met a friend, and together we walked to the Loch Lomond. The loch welcomed us with experiences of all seasons. It is that time of a year again. Then, we went across the typical local countryside..
..and planned to visit one of the local canyons. Alas, no luck there - it was occupied by filmmakers, who restricted all access while working on some upcoming blockbuster. The initial disappointment went away quickly, as a few miles away is a derelict castle:
It turned out to be a rather decent alternative...
Some serious dark vibes here, an atmospheric location as heck.
The afternoon brought a bit of sunshine too, exploiting the landscapes up to their potential.
With the dusk, I started a transfer back east so I could I join a group of friends for a trip to Schiehallion, a Munro west of Pitlochry, the next morning.
Unlike yesterday, this day made clear that it is still winter.
deer, deer, deer.
With rising elevation, the wind got stronger and stronger. However; against all the odds, it was actually blowing into our backs, helping to fight the gravity.
climbing
The thing is, there's only one way to the summit, so getting down meant to eat a fair share of that wind. And speaking of the summit, it was all in a cloud of sleet, the visibility was none, and the wind, well, we didn't stay long.
escaping the storm downhill
Before reaching the bottom, the mountain revealed a bit more of its views.
So yeah. A good St. Patrick deal, I would say.
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