Rambling On Blog
19/12/2025
AN IMPROMPTU TRIP TO SCOTLAND - DAY 4
Another inversion, 2 more munros and my battle with a chronic condition
Day four of my Scotland trip began with leaving Glencoe Ski Centre and heading south towards Bridge of Orchy. These roads are always a joy to drive, I never rush them but love to just cruise along taking it all in. The scenery is outrageously beautiful. I’ve travelled this way more times than I can remember, often as a passenger, gazing up in awe at the mountains and feeling that familiar pull to climb them.
At Bridge of Orchy the Munros rise steeply from the roadside. Today’s objectives were Beinn Dorain and Beinn an Dòtaidh. The West Highland Way runs beneath Beinn Dorain, and I’ve often thought about walking it. It’s been on my radar for years, but I think I’d find myself frustrated, walking under the mountains rather than on them. Maybe I’ll climb all the hills along the way first, so that if I ever do tackle the WHW, I can look up and quietly say to myself, 'I’ve been up there'.
Much of the route follows the A82, and I’ve wondered if that might feel a bit tedious. If I ever do walk it, I’d want to take my time, explore, linger, wander, rather than just smashing it out. Slow and intentional is more me.
But back to this day.
I parked behind the Bridge of Orchy Hotel, crossed the road and headed down to the train station, passed under the railway, and left the WHW, heading towards the obvious bealach between the two Munros. I wasn’t feeling 100%. I live with IBS, and I could feel a flare-up building, never a pleasant thing, especially on a hill day, but on I went hoping it wouldn’t be too bad.
As I climbed towards the bealach, I entered the cloud once again and wondered if I might be treated to inversion conditions like the previous days. Turning right at the bealach for Beinn Dorain, the cloud began to thin, and once again the weather delivered. A fog bow appeared, followed by a Brocken spectre and then that now familiar sea of cloud.
Unfortunately, my IBS was worsening. I had to stop several times, my energy draining away as I continued towards the summit. It was quite windy on the summit and I found a sheltered spot to rest and have a bite to eat but I couldn’t settle and soon started to head back down again, my IBS symptom really making things quite tough by now. Not going into details but a few more stops and I eventually managed to sort myself out and things started to ease - but by then my energy levels were low. I decided I’d reassess back at the bealach before committing to Beinn an Dòtaidh.
It was a windy day, but I was still above the cloud, with 360-degree views of peaks poking through a vast white sea. Even feeling pretty unwell at times, I embraced the experience. These flare-ups happen occasionally, and they’re horrible when they do, but I’ve learned to carry on and manage as best I can.
In the end, I decided to push on to Beinn an Dòtaidh , it didn’t look too far, though I’ll admit I struggled. Near a stream, I stopped and sat for a while, listening to the water bubbling past and soaking up the sunshine. It was sheltered there, out of the wind, and exactly what I needed before pushing on to the summit.
The summit of Beinn an Dòtaidh was fantastic. By now the cloud had dispersed and I had clear views of the other Bridge of Orchy Munros still waiting for me to climb. The views back into Glencoe were excellent. I wandered over to a subsidiary summit, which offered even better views down to Loch Tulla.
Eventually, I descended back to the bealach and down to Bridge of Orchy, now completely clear of cloud, with the landscape laid out in full glory where I had been in cloud and low visibility earlier in the day.
Back at the van, I dumped my rucksack and headed to the Bridge of Orchy Hotel for some food. I always feel a bit anxious going into places like that on my own, strange really, that I can climb mountains solo without a second thought, but cafes, bars, restaurants, even shops sometimes feel daunting. We all have our own fears, don’t we?
It was nice and quiet, though, and I tucked into haggis, neeps and tatties which were absolutely delicious. After that, I drove around to one of my favourite park-ups in Dalrigh, where I spent the rest of the evening reading, resting, and quietly deciding what the next day might bring.
At Bridge of Orchy the Munros rise steeply from the roadside. Today’s objectives were Beinn Dorain and Beinn an Dòtaidh. The West Highland Way runs beneath Beinn Dorain, and I’ve often thought about walking it. It’s been on my radar for years, but I think I’d find myself frustrated, walking under the mountains rather than on them. Maybe I’ll climb all the hills along the way first, so that if I ever do tackle the WHW, I can look up and quietly say to myself, 'I’ve been up there'.
Much of the route follows the A82, and I’ve wondered if that might feel a bit tedious. If I ever do walk it, I’d want to take my time, explore, linger, wander, rather than just smashing it out. Slow and intentional is more me.
But back to this day.
I parked behind the Bridge of Orchy Hotel, crossed the road and headed down to the train station, passed under the railway, and left the WHW, heading towards the obvious bealach between the two Munros. I wasn’t feeling 100%. I live with IBS, and I could feel a flare-up building, never a pleasant thing, especially on a hill day, but on I went hoping it wouldn’t be too bad.
As I climbed towards the bealach, I entered the cloud once again and wondered if I might be treated to inversion conditions like the previous days. Turning right at the bealach for Beinn Dorain, the cloud began to thin, and once again the weather delivered. A fog bow appeared, followed by a Brocken spectre and then that now familiar sea of cloud.
Unfortunately, my IBS was worsening. I had to stop several times, my energy draining away as I continued towards the summit. It was quite windy on the summit and I found a sheltered spot to rest and have a bite to eat but I couldn’t settle and soon started to head back down again, my IBS symptom really making things quite tough by now. Not going into details but a few more stops and I eventually managed to sort myself out and things started to ease - but by then my energy levels were low. I decided I’d reassess back at the bealach before committing to Beinn an Dòtaidh.
It was a windy day, but I was still above the cloud, with 360-degree views of peaks poking through a vast white sea. Even feeling pretty unwell at times, I embraced the experience. These flare-ups happen occasionally, and they’re horrible when they do, but I’ve learned to carry on and manage as best I can.
In the end, I decided to push on to Beinn an Dòtaidh , it didn’t look too far, though I’ll admit I struggled. Near a stream, I stopped and sat for a while, listening to the water bubbling past and soaking up the sunshine. It was sheltered there, out of the wind, and exactly what I needed before pushing on to the summit.
The summit of Beinn an Dòtaidh was fantastic. By now the cloud had dispersed and I had clear views of the other Bridge of Orchy Munros still waiting for me to climb. The views back into Glencoe were excellent. I wandered over to a subsidiary summit, which offered even better views down to Loch Tulla.
Eventually, I descended back to the bealach and down to Bridge of Orchy, now completely clear of cloud, with the landscape laid out in full glory where I had been in cloud and low visibility earlier in the day.
Back at the van, I dumped my rucksack and headed to the Bridge of Orchy Hotel for some food. I always feel a bit anxious going into places like that on my own, strange really, that I can climb mountains solo without a second thought, but cafes, bars, restaurants, even shops sometimes feel daunting. We all have our own fears, don’t we?
It was nice and quiet, though, and I tucked into haggis, neeps and tatties which were absolutely delicious. After that, I drove around to one of my favourite park-ups in Dalrigh, where I spent the rest of the evening reading, resting, and quietly deciding what the next day might bring.
