It was a point of conversation that recurred over and over again with regularity and always caused giddiness and excitement. It was something Dave and I both had a wish to do but had found neither time nor opportunity in our previous near-50 years on planet earth. We love camping, bothying, walking and lots of other outdoor pursuits. But we’ve never camped high in the hills.

Our plan A for a particular weekend in July had been scuppered earlier in the year due to injury. Plan B for that same weekend had been scuppered two days before kick off due to illness. So I had a couple days in the middle of a heatwave for some adventure time. What to do. And when it hit me, the excitement was overwhelming! I packed my bag and booked my train.

You might ask why a train was required? Well. I had decided to camp at the summit of Beinn na Lap. And the best way to get near that particular hill was to drive to Rannoch Station and get the train to Corrour. A place where tarmac roads just do not reach.

It was a 10 minute train ride from Rannoch to Corrour and I stepped onto the platform and into the blazing sunshine. Horse flies tried their best to nibble me almost immediately but the combination of a stiff breeze and walking at a good pace kept them mostly at bay.

I’d walked the Road to the Isles before, from Corrour back to Rannoch. So I knew of a gorgeous old ruin called Lubnaclach about 4km south of the station. So I headed that way first, passing skeleton trees, a tell tale signs of old Caledonian forest. I spotted lots of these remnants on the road.

The first look at Loch Ossian is pretty breathtaking.

The old ruin looked just as stunning as I remember. I munched a burger for lunch, perfect exploration food.

And then I returned north, heading towards Beinn na Lap via Loch Ossian Youth Hostel. I got chatting to the warden and she gave me a quick tour. I thanked her for her kindness and dipped my feet in Loch Ossian. Much warmer than I expected but still a tonic for my hot and sweaty feet.

Up the hill I went. With a heavy bag. And by this stage it was really warm and progress was slow but constant. The views were starting to open up, i spotted lots of southern highland hills.

When I reached the top, it was around 5pm and I was ready for bed. Exhausted and weary, it took me a good 45 minutes to get the tent up, I was going so slowly. but the pitch and situation was excellent.

Yet more stunning views, this time of the Nevis range, Mamores and Grey Corries. The tallest peak on the right was The Ben herself.

The summit had a shelter attached, although the shelter faced north, which most days I’m sure provided some respite from the wind. But not today.

Lovely structures though. And there were many on the summit.

I even found a perfect couple of big, flat stones for a small bench and a kitchen area.

Sunset was just stunning. The colourful skies were beautiful and made for the perfect end to a day of exploration and adventure.

After a good nights sleep I headed back down the hill the next day to catch my train back to Rannoch. I was down in plenty of time to have a second breakfast.

I’ll need to decide what summit I’m sleeping on next.