By Berenice Hunter
The ominous forecast on Friday led us to an early start on Saturday with the hope of beating the worst of the weather. When the downpour started I thought it was in for good but it dried up and we had a comfortable walk through the lovely Corrie Fee and made it to the top of Mayar without any problems – another one for Anna, Simon, Diana and Kamil to tick off and definitely a Scottish experience for friends, Francesca and Quentin. It was Munro number 3 for Andrei (aged 7) and possibly 703 for Andrew! I can’t remember how many times I’ve been up Mayar but never actually seen anything from the top – this was going to be my lucky day: the clouds cleared as if by magic allowing for 360 degree views and photos before closing in again thickly.
Dreish, however, was totally dreich! We had to keep our eyes peeled for the ghostly shapes of the rest of the crew only 30m away. At the summit we decided that we were ‘the view’. The return route towards the buttress gave us the opportunity for some navigation practice as visibility was as little as 20m. The steep drop back to Glen Doll was the most challenging part of the day and progress down the slippery slope was slow but finally we emerged from the clouds and headed back to the hut for a cuppa.
Glen Clova Beer Festival was the evening destination and the delights of real ale (and sherbet dib dabs) meant we soon got into the spirit of things. We were joined by DMC members Bruce, Paul and Justyna who arrived, rinsed clean and very hungry after the Lanrick Challenge, and Jim and Sarah; a great crowd to celebrate Diana’s birthday into the wee small hours. A quick dip in the South Esk after breakfast on Sunday was a refreshing way to blow away the cobwebs.
