The 2016 Challenge, day 5: Killin to Fortingall (1)

Day 5 - Tuesday 17 May 2016 - was by FAR the biggest day on my route card and I knew it. The five Munros of the Lawyers ridge (with a good 12 kilometres of walking before I would even reach the first summit) and then on to Fortingall. I woke up early, had a granola bar for breakfast, and was away from my hotel by 6.15.

After walking for about a kilometer, just about as I was passing the Lochay Bridge hotel, it dawned on me that I had not filled my water bottles before setting out. I didn't want to lose all that time turning back to the hotel to refill them, but what else could I do? I decided to emulate Mr Micawber and assume that "something is bound to turn up", and so I pressed on; and after another kilometer or so something DID turn up, in the form of a caravan site on the left. Nobody was up and about this early in the morning, so I went and found one of their drinking water standpipes, and replenished my bottles.

Half a kilometer further on, I came to the pipeline (pictured). This runs down the hillside, and I had told my route vetter that I should follow it up, not knowing whether this was a viable proposition or not. He had not said that it was not, so I assumed that it was; and my #1 eyeball inspection persuaded me that, at least for as far as I could see at this point, following it up would be practicable. So I hopped over the low parapet, skidded down the cutting embankment, and started up the long, steady ascent beside the pipeline.