11D - BEINN BHUIDHE
From Beinn Bhuidhe, Ben Lui on the skyline with Beinn a' Chleibh to its left. Photo tms.nickbramhall.com
10.4 miles 940 metres
Start Thursday 12.30
Beinn a' Chleibh 12.37
Beinn Bhuidhe 13.59
Finish 14.40
Squares: yellow - changeover, red - finish. Circles summits: green this leg, red - done. Map Colin Matheson
Time: Estimated 2.34 Actual 2.10
Mark writes:
Lying at the col below Ben Lui I was beginning to wish I had brought a sleeping bag as well as a bivvy. The wind was whipping along the edges and cloud was just brushing the tops. Steve came flying down to the changeover and warned me of the strength of the wind. One of my lasting memories of the whole relay was to be those urgent, haunting cries coming out of the cloud. It usually happened as I was dozing and was like waking to find you have overslept but many times more intense. The split second of panic whilst the brain registers where you are – and why!
Today was an opportunity for one of the unofficial records, fastest top from a changeover, so I set off quickly and arrived 7 mins 25 seconds later with a rasping/ burning throat. Nearly went too far left in my haste to escape the windy summit, but today the compass can be trusted (no repeat of Ladhar Bheinn) and even an unsightly line of pylons has its uses.
The descent is on springy turf and moss and I started to really let go then ---- bang!! Next thing I am on my face in extreme pain from my ankle. Immediately I get up and hobble on shouting expletives to the wind. It is obviously just a twist and after a few minutes of pathetic whining to myself I am nearly back to normal – just left to reflect how easily the whole attempt could founder.
Despite pushing hard I am only 3 mins inside schedule on the next top but the descent obviously has some slack built in and a charge down the forest track yields a further 14 mins. Partly a desire to make up for the horrible mistakes of the second day and partly peer pressure is making me push it far harder than I would alone.
Peaks done 93 Hours elapsed 103 Peaks to do 184
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