Saturday 7th September dawned bright and dry and as I looked from the bedroom window of our accommodation, on the outskirts of Fortwilliam, I could clearly see the upper slopes of Ben Nevis. Standing at 1345m high it is the highest mountain in the UK, and being so far north in Scotland weather conditions can change in the blink of an eye, if the event had of been one week earlier, they would have had to cancel it. NAC on tour were over for the annual pilgrimage to Fortwilliam to race The Ben, a race to the top and back.
The weekend started 24hrs earlier for us as we met in Hilltown at 5am for an early flight to Glasgow. Picking up the hire car, we made our way north on one of the most scenic routes I’ve ever driven. The mountain ranges were simply stunning and once we passed through the snow barriers, used to close the road in adverse weather, we knew we were getting close. Arriving at our house in the early afternoon, we had lunch, gathered a few provisions and did a bit of sightseeing. The team so far included, Catherine McIntosh, Gary McEvoy, Pete Grant and David Hicks, who although injured at the minute was there to shout from the sidelines. Arriving on later flights were Bronagh McInerney and Brian McBurney who was over to complete his 21st Ben Nevis race, quite an achievement on its own to make the trip over every year. Continue reading →
