I sometimes make an effort to get up for sunrise on the longest day but mostly I don’t, partly because the weather is usually poor and my bed is too enticing! However this year the forecast was good, and I thought it might be a good idea to hike up a local hill which I haven’t been up before to watch the sunrise from there.

So that is what I did! I left the car at 8pm and lugged my rucksack with all my camping equipment up Stob Diamh which is local to me, and watched a mesmerising sunset over Ben Cruachan. Luckily there was a lot of nice springy grass at the summit so I put the tent up and then spent the next few hours trying to keep warm, it was so cold! However the sky did lots of incredibly beautiful things which I would have missed if I’d been in my warm comfy bed. The moon, noctilucent clouds, pre dawn colours and a lovely sunrise.

The quickest thing would have been to retrace my steps but I thought while I’m up here I might was well hike the ridge to Ben Cruachan as I had never done that before. Well it was not easy, especially carrying all that extra weight. There were boulders, rocky outcrops, scree, worn steep earth paths and mud. And a big old elevation gain to get to the summit.

However I made it there and gingerly made it back down to the road, but felt pretty spent with lack of sleep and all the exertions! And that’s the second time up Cruachan for me, and hopefully my last!! However an unforgettable experience!