Well Gail forgot her camera when she took me for a walk up Lochnagar on Sunday, so I shall try to paint you a picture in words.
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Arrive 10 a.m. at start point in Glen Muick. Lochnagar summit in clouds. Put trust in the weatherman, who says it'll clear later.
No wind. Super!
Stop to talk to talkative German hiker. Discover lack of wind not so super - dense swarm of midges descends before Fritz has finished telling Gail how Austrian Alps better than Swiss Alps. Humans start dancing a midge-induced Highland Fling. WFT unperturbed.
Round corner, startled by a group of ten young men, heads covered in black nets, plus video cameraman. Gail relaxes on realising it's midge protection gear being filmed and not a Jihadi recruitment video.
Reach summit in record time, due to impossibility of stopping. Clouds lift. Half of Scotland in view.
Wind gets up, sun comes out. Midges dematerialise.
Humans can now stop to eat picnic lunches. Rich pickings for cute looking fox terrier (a morsel of ham sandwich, an apple core and almost half a bag of cheese and onion crisps).
On leaving summit plateau, enjoyable encounter with one year old Bedlington terrier bitch - pretty silver curls and a fragrant rear end. Owner comments that a Bedlington/WFT pairing would make gorgeous puppies. Bertie prepared to give 'puppy making' a go but is dragged away...
Meet Fritz again, now philosophising about harmony of Scottish landscape. Or something.
Rocky and precipitous descent by side of waterfall, Bertie nearly wiped out by brainless mountain bikers.
In woods by Loch Muick, Gail looks enviously at ceps gathered by French foragers.
White sand beach at head of Loch. Bertie dips a tentative paw in the rippled water. Chilly.
Return to car 5 hrs 20 mins after setting off.
