BEN NEVIS

I was guiding a group of Japanese folk in Glencoe & Ben Nevis last Tues & Wed. We had winter conditions on the Ben plateaux Tuesday, fresh snow lying at 1200m, deep near the summit area, below freezing and poor visibility. They did very well getting to the summit with the eldest guy at 75 and youngest at 64! On the plateau there were a lot of ill equiped folk out, as per usual, will they never learn?

We saw Snow buntings around and lower down the flowers are excellent, Starry saxifrage as just started flowering and the bluebells are superb at the moment.

TORRIDON

I've been away up in the NW Highlands and torridon on a training weekend with the British Association of International Mountain Leaders of which I am a member. We were doing CPD on flora/fauna & security on steep ground. We traversed Liathach on Sunday, it was a terrific day, sunny and clear views, apparently the best weather in Britain that day.

On Monday we were on Beinn Eighe and had some snow showers above 900m.

TARMACHAN

On the East slopes of Meall nan Tarmachan again today, the weather was much better than forcast with lots of sunny spells and clouds above the tops, warm too but strong winds on the tops.

Lots of Early Purple Orchid spotted again at over 600 meters, looks like it will be a great summer for flowers and plants on the hill. Billberry bumble bees around too.

ORCHIDS

A cahnge in the weather pattern, much cooler the last 2 days, Sunday there was snow showers and strong W winds above 900m. I was leading Derrick & Grant on Tarmachan from the East. We spotted a couple of Early Purple Orchids at about 600m aswell as lots of flowering Blarberry and Wood Anomene.

BEN LAWERS IN BLOOM

Great weather continues. Today I was out on Ben Lawers, up the S/SW ridge from Tombreck. The plants & flora are superb just now, the last week or so things are starting to come into flower. Lower down there is milkwort, lousewort, butterwort, sundews. The stiff sedge is also in flower. At the 1000m level I spotted the first of the moss campion and also at that altitude the flowering stage of bearberry. As well as the usual clubmosses and lots of alpine ladys mantle, though not in floweer yet. In the wetter ground there were some beautiful marsh marrigolds at 1000m too.

HIGHLAND HEATWAVE

Its been amazing weather all over the Highlands the last week, virtually clear skies and very warm days all week.
Yesterday John & I were over in Ardgour scrambling on Garbh Bheinn's Pinnacle Ridge. Great route. Ardgour is a wonderful place to visit, mountains are quiet as no Munro's!
Clear very warm weather looks set to continue till Sat evening, make the most of it!