I always wanted the weekend to be enjoyable and on each leg I had lots of enjoyable bits. Bruce and Flynn have been on all my reccies. They just love the mountains especially the soft heathery descents and the snowy patches. They are impressive and funny. “Part of the team” as Keri and Nancy say. They did legs 1with a food pit stop after 8 hours at Loch Elide Mor then after Leg 2 they bounced down the descent to the dam and were ready for a break. I was very grateful to James and Jean for helping make their inclusion possible.

Leg 1 James and Jean. Bruce and Flynn. Initially the weather was better than last time and we had views and the wind was bearable. The rain started to come down after a couple of house and we put the waterproofs on. There was lots of chatting overall but I was always conscious that An Gearanach was going to be a test of the wind and I was very happy to find that the wind wasn't anywhere nearly as bad. I asked Jean to wait at the col (or in a sheltered spot) with Bruce and Flynn as they really didn't need to do it and I would be faster without them. There were views from the summit and I was happy to be on the 52 hour schedule. We headed back to Jean and carried along the Mamores.

Heading off Bennien Mor I went down the ridge to the left and then left the ridge to descend the steep grassy side to the col. It was a lot slippery than it looked and straight away I had to be very careful and use my poles. All of us took a slide on that short but steep descent with me breaking one of my poles also. We were all very slow and glad to reach to col. We didn't find a very good line up Bennien Beag but it was ok and the descent was much nicer. It was good to running along the path to Sgurr Elide Mor and know that one leg was done. I was looking forward to a food stop. The descent went well except while crossing a stream I slipped and bashed my right thigh which hurt.

Nancy was there with Ben Wallace and Iain Smith and she apologised that the gas and the stove weren't compatible so there was no hot drinks or food. That was my fault though as I had given her the cooking stuff and it was my mistake. I asked her to make the Expedition pudding up with cold water and I ate that quite happily. I changed my waterproof socks and was ready to go. I still had waterproofs on but the rain had stopped.

Leg 2 - I headed  over the rough ground with Ben and Iain (and dogs) and we all started to assess the river crossing. I know a good place to cross but it was very deep everywhere. It was really good that Ben was there as he wasn't really fazed and at one point decided to go and have a trail wade himself. He kept wading even when the water was up to his thighs and all the time saying "It's ok here". He waded back and we made a plan with the dogs. We put the leads on them and we all crossed with Iain leading and me and Ben following with a dog each. Bruce and Flynn swam so strongly we couldn't keep up but we all made it to the other side and that was a huge achievement. We set off along the path at quite a good trot I thought. After a while we were warm enough to take the waterproof bottoms off and that was very pleasant. Iain and Ben were chatting about ice climbing and I was trying to eat. Something I ate didn't really agree with me and I felt sick for a while but I kept getting more stuff down. On the final bit of the track Ben told us where the word Clag originated from - it was the airforce and means Cloud Low, Aircraft Grounded which was very interesting.

It was a long slog up Ben na Lap but great to be doing all this in the daylight and the weather wasn't too bad. The wind was very cold on the tops but it was good running conditions. We made a couple of silly nav errors in the clag after Chno Dearg but I concentrated off the top of Sgriodain and we found the line and made good time to the dam. I wasn't very happy with my stomach but it wasn't bad enough to stop. I hoped some proper food would help. We reached the dam and there was Nancy with hot drinks and food. It wasn't too midgy. I sorted out my feet and ate some curry. It was sad to see the dogs go but they were tired and curling up to sleep.
 

Leg 3.  This was a tough leg with Declan and Rachel . Both are Carnethy runners who offered their support via Whatsapp after I met Rachel when I was reccying and we ran together for about 6 hours! I don't like Stob Coire Mheadion ACW. It just seems like a very long climb but it is on paths and I just got my head down. We soon headed into clag which wasn't great and then the wind picked up. Everyone had to stop and keep adding layers and it was hard to see each other and the path in the thick clag. It also got dark on us while climbing so we only just saw the top off to the right a little on the plateau and then couldn't find the path off so were on all the little rocks. I was glad we found the col and the path up to the summit of Stob Coire Easain. Off there it was awful. The clag was so thick and the rocks were very slippery. I kept going about 225m and then stopping to scan left and right and down looking for more grass as I knew we could descend on grassy ramps. Time was hemorrhaging away. Reaching the valley bottom was a relief and then we began the slow plod up the other side. I could feel my energy slipping away and kept trying to eat but at some point along the Grey Corries I started being sick.

Declan and Rachel had it tough as it’s hard watching someone being sick, in a low space and going backwards. But they kept up the positivity. Offering me my food and theirs. I was hoping and hoping that Steve had made it to the bottom of Spinks Ridge and that maybe some more hot food would bring me back to life. I couldn't see him as we rounded the hill and began the descent to the col but then I spied a little green tent. I ran down to it and shouted. He had everything ready and handed out coffee and Pot Noodle and pudding all made up. What a star. I ate quite a bit of everything and we filled up my little flask with coffee to take with us. I set off a lot happier.

That was until the climb up Spinks Ridge. It just felt so hard and I was so slow. Declan and Rachel kept waiting for me but I just had no speed. It really brought it home to me that if I did another round I would be so slow. I could do it. The energy was sort of there but I had no speed at all. From then on I just kept weighing it all up. What time I might do. When I might finish. What damage I was doing to myself. On the descent from Aonoch Beag  to the col I realised my right leg was very stiff and my knee was hurting too. I tried to pick up the pace one last time to Aonach Mor but I couldn't and so on the gentle descent down to the steep path I said I didn't want to do another round. Rachel and Declan said all the right things. And we carried on but it was very clear that on the steep ground I was useless. I asked them to tell everyone on Whatsapp so that the rest of the supporters could do something else with their day. It took a while to get a message to go through and once it was done we could amble along not minding how long it took. After the decision was made Rachel said “Have you enjoyed it?” And I replied Yes. Obviously not the being sick and losing energy but the rest of it was great! I was relieved and actually my appetite came back a bit. We really crawled up Carn Mor Dearg and along the ridge. This was one section I hadn't been able to recce again and I couldn't believe how long it went on for.

We reached ben Nevis and there was a short queue to touch the trig. Declan said raise your arms and I did. I'm really grateful he said that and took the photos as it was an achievement and now I have a record of it as well. As we descended Ben Nevis right at the bottom the sun came out and the layers came off on the last 1km to the YHA. It was then I looked up again and said “Well I tried Charlie”.  I had never sat on Charlie's bench before I started the ACW round. I wanted to have earned it and now I felt I had. I jogged down to the bench and enjoyed some time sat on Charlie’s bench reunited with my dogs. Thanks again everyone that helped make this possible.

Charlie always wanted things done properly and in his talks would explain in detail how a Ramsays Round should be prepared for and succeeded. I thought of Charlie as I hit the weather looking down and appreciating the fact that we were all wrapped up warm and well prepared. Throughout the round things remind me of Charlie.

1) Somewhere on Stob Coire Easain is a Mars bar he left for me on my Double in 2018. He told me he had put it in the cairn. But I didn’t find and collect it when I passed there twice!

2) I remembered the many emails we had about my Double. That I wanted to turnaround at Stob Coire Easain. He wasn’t happy and soon after the wording changed on his website to add the phrase “in one direction continuously “. However we were too good friends for us to fall out about it. We talked our way in and out, both trying to make the other change their minds. And it was Charlie who came up with calling my round “The Alternative Double”. Thank you Charlie.

I finished the first round in 29.07 hours.