For the first three days of my May trip this year, my Mum, Ruth and I were staying at the Dundarach Hotel in Pitlochry. This was of course a bit more luxurious than the sort of accommodation I was used to on Munro-climbing trips but, flexible as ever, I was very happy to adjust to this. Contrast would be provided during the second half of the week when, if the weather was kind, I was planning to camp somewhere near Braemar or Ballater for three nights. Mum and I left Edinburgh at around 8.30, Ruth even earlier. We also had the luxury of two cars since I had decided that the simplest and cheapest option was to hire one in Edinburgh for the whole week. We were warned by a sign on the A9 that, because of the Caledonia Etape cycle race in Pitlochry, we couldn't come off there, but Ruth phoned to tell us to ignore this. Sure enough we were able to get to the hotel, but not into the town centre for now. This was the race which had hit the headlines the previous year when irate locals had scattered tacks on the road in protest at the disruption.

The Dundarach Hotel - it