Saturday a further hopeful arrived and ruefully went away, muttering something about this not being unusual and he would come back on Monday night.

The next day, Sunday, I went with Richard and Colette to do two Munroes in the Mamores - Na Gruagaichan and Binnean Mor. These were the first Munroes that Colette had done.  It seemed to be the locals' route for walking their dogs - there must have been at least half a dozen - the owners all claiming it was the dog walking them not the other way round !!  Colette was nearly bowled over by one of them on the arête between Na Gruagaichan and the South Top.  I made the mistake of dragging her up the boulder-sized scree south ridge of  Na G., while Richard added an extra top to his route while we were doing so.  We met Geoff and Tony at the South Top who had watched all this and admired Richard's lack of care for us!!

On Monday we made the mistake of  listening to the weather forecast which meant that everyone was spooked off going for a long walk.  Richard and Colette went to look at Eilan Donan, several of us went to Fort William to use the cash machine and a visit to Nevis

Mick  Bail drove us to the start of the walk and  by the piper in Glencoe and we ascended  Am Bodach      via  the SE ridge and the two Munroes - Meall Dearg and Sgorr nam Fiannaidh -  and came down below The Pap and through Glencoe village.  In the event, the scrambling was fine  and really enjoyable - it requires a lot of concentration for two hours or so on the main pinnacles, but nothing particularly difficult. The total ascent was 1210 metres according to the altimeter. The guide book refers to a route to avoid the most exposed of the pinnacles, by scrambling along a "path" on the northern side .  We started along this, but it was very wet with lots of grassy tussocks and a long, long drop.  It was much safer to go back up to and over the pinnacle.  So the anxieties were unnecessary.  I have done quite a few of the scrambling routes in Lochaber  in the past and never had  any trouble on them - probably  because I never read any guide books so I didn't know there were supposed to be difficult bits.  I can see how Aonach Eagach requires ropes in winter, and would love to go back and do it then.

The mist was in and out during the day so we didn't see much until we dropped down onto the saddle below the Pap of Glencoe where there is a wonderful view of Loch Leven.  A relaxing end to a strenuous day.

When we got back to the hut that evening , we discovered that our erstwhile Meet Organiser (MBA) had failed to tell us that we only booked ten beds with the warden and 14 of us turned up, when five members of another club arrived unannounced.  This resulted in a very hasty berth-moving, with Splodge ending up on the floor of our dorm!  He gallantly announced the next morning that he didn't mind at all - in fact he often slept on the floor in preference to a bed at times!!  As we had just sorted out the sleeping arrangements on

port.  At about noon, sitting outside Nevisport, drinking coffee and reading a scrambling guide,  I realised there was something wrong with the High Street - it was dry and there was no rain.  I think that's a first for me in Fort William  - so decided it wasn't the place to be.  I caught a bus to Kinlochleven and walked back to the hut by the inappropriately called West Highland Way and up and over the saddle between Nan Gualinin and Doire Ban down onto the North shore of Loch Leven. The whole of

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