Monday 15 April 2013

Munro-bagging with a caravan

One of the reasons I decided to buy a caravan was that I was running out of Munros that can be done in a day trip from my home in Fife. I had already stayed at Morvich Caravan Club site in Kintail as a camper and still had lots of hills up there to do. A number of other caravan sites are good bases for hillwalking e.g. Killin, Onich, Kinlochewe, Glencoe, Dingwall, Braemar. Spoilt for choice really. So, on my first caravan holiday I spent a few days in Morvich. I arrived at the site at 10pm with the car on the back of a breakdown truck and the caravan hitched on behind - a passer-by had noticed a large puddle of coolant under the car when I stopped in Inverness en route to the site. The car disappeared off to Kyle of Lochalsh which wasn't too much of a problem - there are plenty of hills climbable straight from the campsite. I decided to do Sgurr an Airgid the next day, having been told by the garage that it would be two or three days before the car was ready. Halfway up the hill my mobile rang - the car was ready. I'd turned back on this hill once before so was not about to abandon my hillwalk to go to Kyle. I didn't have my wallet with me but a phone call to my sister sorted things out - she paid the bill over the phone and the garage agreed to leave the car keys with the petrol station so that I could collect the car at my leisure. The view from the summit was worth it. (PS. I paid my sister back later!)

Two days later, I drove round to Arnisdale on a gloriously sunny day and climbed Beinn Sgritheall. I had tried to interest some members of my mountaineering club in joining me at Morvich with tents, without success, however my subsequent meet report with photos persuaded two couples to join me at Morvich the next year. Since that first trip I have climbed several Munros using the caravan as a base and have plans for plenty more. Watch this space!
The view from the summit of Beinn Sgritheall.