The alarm went at 5.30, and immediately there was alarm as I remembered I still had to pack food and clothes before 6.30. Still, I managed to scrape together a pile of chicken and a metric fucktonne of sausages plus assorted other bits as well as loads of socks and waterproof clothing ahead of Dave arriving at 0629. But there I was; ready to roll.

Into the rainy dark morning we did go. North, across the Forth Bridge and into yet more gloom. Barry's 50th Birthday Bash was underway. A weekend of hill walking and evenings in a hostel with a carry oot of epic proportions.

Coffee in Inverness and then onwards towards Ullapool, the Black Isle looking more spring like than the wintry hues of N Perthshire / S Inverness-shire. Hell, the sun broke through! We smiled! (Maybe a little too soon, it turned out)
Left towards Achnasheen and at 1115 we donned boots to attempt the Munro of Moruisg and its neighbouring Corbett Sgurr nan Ceannaichean. There was wet in the wind, but our big fear was the wind; 70-80 mph winds were forecast. We chose our target wisely; to be on the periphery of the maelstrom, and also ascending on the leeward side. Sadly though there was the small matter of a mile and a half of bog, then a fierce climb up beside the cascading gully; swollen with a few days worth of rain; frothing and white and excitable.
Onto the summit we did pop; and although there were a few wee gusts, nothing too drastic. My 201 Munro was duly claimed and onwards towards Dave's Corbett (he's compleatist, so only needed the Corbett - his 177th)
Actually the slightly smaller hill was much more interesting, and was knocked off ahead of a celebratory arm wrestle on the cairn between Baz and Dave. The Kaiser won, obv.

And then downwards, slippy slabby rocks and a steadily wetter rain. An hour in we were soaked and the 2 hours we took to get down were - unpleasant.
As we reached the car, it suddenly stopped and blue skies appeared over Strathcarron and as we drove off towards Dundonnell, it was again a magnificent day. 

We arrived around 6, having checked out Gruinard in the hope of a sunset that never quite materialised. 

Claiming the best beds (the lower bunks, furthest from Olympic silver medalist in snoring Baz) we then retired to the kitchen - I started on Delia's Basque Chicken; Dave dived into the Scapa. 

A pleasant evening in Sail Mhor hostel; and after 10, Al and Geo rolled up; and a similar type split of earlier occurred. Al went for food; Geo tanned most of a bottle of Talisker before bedtime!! As we got steadily drunker, we finally agreed on an early start in order to nab Beinn Eighe.... 

Were we really that drunk...?

Baz checks out the Torridon skyline from Moruisg