Tipsy at the Top of Ben Nevis
Many pets may have heard of the ‘Three Peak Challenge’, whereby you tear up and down Britain visiting the three tallest mountain peaks (Ben Nevis in Scotland, Snowden in Wales and Scarfell Pike in England), and then tear up and down the said peaks all in 24 hours (a feat of planning, driving skills and of course, hiking prowess – hats off to you all). Now, Tipsy, being a more leisurely kind of cat, (and also one who has a good understanding of her pets’ fitness levels), decided that we should do the challenge, but in a more gentle kind of way. So, rather than take just one day to do all three, she decided to take take three years to do the three, and visit one peak every year, this being a way, she concluded, that we could enjoy the sites and have lots of tea and cake along the way. We’re going to start by telling you about the one furtherest up North: Ben Nevis.
Ben Nevis
We stayed at one of the nicest, friendliest B&Bs we’ve ever been in and were fortified by a lovely bowl of porrage (spelt the Scottish way, naturally), Leasona – whose name is really similar to Tipsy’s Little Pet’s name.
The base looks pretty un-daunting and starts with a gentle path. The weather was also nice and bright and we were wondering whether we did need to pack our waterproofs, as they were proving quite hot and cumbersome.
We only had to walk a little way up, when we were glad we did. The weather turned, and it started to get a little wet, and then very wet, and then it started to snow, so much so that we were wondering whether we could get to the summit or not.
However, we asked the friendly fellow-mountaineers who were already on their way down, and they said it was clear further up. It was also a good job we took our walking poles with us, as if you are not super fit and steady, it helps get you up the path, which turns quite rocky and steep.
So, up we went, and were treated to spectacular views, rainbows, and, of course, the joy of reaching the summit, and saying, ‘Yes, made it!”
Just to let you know, we’re not being sponsored by anyone (yet) to write this blog post. We’ve only put in the clickable links so that’s it’s easier for you to find things. We’re nice like that ?