Let's walk about the UK: Ben Tee, Scotland

In May this year I had the pleasure to visit Scotland for a week and on a couple of days the weather was good enough to go for a hike into the mountains. One of these was climbing Ben Tee just NE from Loch Lochy. I started this trip from our accomodation by the shore right next to Kilfinnan Farm.

Kilfinnan Burn

First for a short while I followed the track along Kilfinnan Burn with my faithful companion Pulcsi, then just the river itself until reaching Kilfinnan Fall waterfall.

path in the mountain side

looking down at Kilfinnan Burn

hiding from the rain under the ledge of a rock

You can sneak really close to the top of the waterfall if you don't mind climbing on exposed, wet rockface. It's a terrifying and captivating feeling standing on the rock ledge a step away from such a force of nature.

Kilfinnan Fall waterfall

a jump away from the waterfall

Having wondered enough of the plounging water we walked across trackless, really steep heather reaching waist height at places then crossed the fence at the stile at the forestry commission boundary.

Reaching this point Allt a' Choire Ghlais river's valley fills the horizon with looming peaks on both sides. To the left Maell nan Daercag, Sean Mheall, Sron a Choire Ghairbh, Meall a' Choire Ghlais ahead and Ben Tee, my destination to the right.

looking back towards Loch Lochy

Ben Tee

Here I also faced my nearing destiny as pouring rain started to envelope the summits one by one arriving from the west.

rapidly arriving rain

here comes the rain again

After all the waterproofs have been put on I walked towards Ben Tee's summit almost as the crow flies, keeping a bit towards the lee of the mountain behind its eastern side. Up until 700 metres the terrain was really boggy moorland, pretty much a shallow lake covered with vegetation.

a tarn, Lochan Diota

faintly visible rainbow over Loch Ness

From this altitude upwards the terrain changed to rocky ground with snow still present here and there.

Loch Garry

rainbow over Loch Lochy

soaked, cold, tired doggie

the top in sight

Fianally reaching the cairn on the summit at 904 metres I took a hurried photo as evidence then started running back down because I was afraid I'll be ripped into pieces by the howling wind up there. All the way back I pretty much kept running as this was the most efficient way of crossing the roughed terrain. It took olny one hour to get back to the accommodation, while uphill it was 2.5 hours. During this time I managed to get soaked to the bone but I was content of having climbed my first summit in Scotland.