North again to Inverlochlarig and back along the M80 with the Averaging Speed Cameras, I hate them. You spend more time watching the speed than you do the traffic and the road. When you're as focused on one thing like for a while that it's easy to switch off. Is there a better / faster way north?

On the way up the A84, I was surprised by the number of tents cluttering the banks of Loch Lubnaig. I don't think I've seen this many tents outside a festival camp site. This scene was repeated along Loch Voil too, with cars parked in passing places. I think I now appreciate some of the issues raised by the recent anti camping campaign along Loch Lomond and in Perth and Kinross. Anyway, ignoring the poor parking, I hope they enjoyed themselves and cleared up when they left.

Eventually I arrived at the car park at the foot of Stob Invercarnaig and headed on up the slopes.  It was clear that life had returned to the hills along with the hint of summer Sun and the smell of warming grass. Hill spiders seemed to be every where running for cover as I approached. I hope they eat midges.

Near the summits of Stob Binnein and Ben More I was glad to have my Crampons with me, however the snow was getting soft now and gave way in places zapping my energy, especially going uphill.

Given the number of people out on the hills I was able to observe the sort of kit in use and one thing that really stood out was Trekking Poles. Those with poles seemed to have a clear advantage over those without and this was most notable on the ascents.

Every walker I met was full of the joys and no wonder with the clear sky affording long distant views and brilliant sunlight making up for the rotten weather earlier in the week.

I sat for a while at the top of Ben More enjoying my lunch and having a blether with the other walkers comparing notes on the snow and surrounding hills.

On the return to the summit of Stob Binnein I drank the last of my water and stared into the distance, thinking about where I’ll be next time I’m up this way.

I made a couple of mistakes on this walk, I didn’t think about the Sun and subsequently now suffer from  Sun burn. It’s going to be a while before I’ll feel happy about shaving again. Good excuse to grow a beard. Next time I’m out I need to remember Sun Cream. I also didn’t bring extra snacks and drinks to keep in the car for the return.

I’m a coffee addict. I’ve tried hard to limit my intake of caffeine, but there are occasions where I just love a full on coffee rush.

If I’m off out walking the hills, I’ve almost certainly got a flask of coffee with me and lately that coffee has been freshly brewed rather than instant. A flask is OK for a day walk, but overnighters would mean taking a cup with a filter. While the coffee will be great, it’s a messy affair and that’s enough for me not to bother.

This is about to change, I recently received some packets of Lyons Coffee from PTC* to try out.  They work just like tea bags where all the messy bits stay in the bag and all the rich flavour permeates the water. As with normal coffee, it takes a wee while to brew, so I’ll be using an insulated cup or brew in a pot over the heat.

I’ll have to keep and eye open for these in the shops and get some more.

I’ve been wanting to try out some new kit on some local hills before heading off further afield. I picked up a long Thermarest NeoAir in the winter sales to replace my ancient foam mat and a Vango Tempest 200 to replace my heavy Vango Odyssey 300. Initially, I was a little worried about whether the NeoAir could take my weight or even my weight on sleeping bag zips, but it worked just fine and kept me warm which is more than I can say for my old 3 season bag. The tent wasn’t pushed all that much, the wind was generally light only picking up a little through the night.

I should have been up a hill somewhere today, but instead I decided to sleep in, do some reading, fiddle with some code, tidy the garden and sort out some photos on my old camera phone.

I came across some images I took in August last year of what I'd thought was a war grave, up on Little Knock. After a little digging I found that someone else had been up there to visit this site too.